Grade 4B

We acknowledge and recognize the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) peoples, past and present, on whose traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories we are able to live, learn, and play.

Exploring Connections Through Seasonal Adaptations

In 4B, we have been exploring, identifying, and learning to maintain connections to ourselves, to others, and to our communities. These connections can be found in many aspects inside and outside of our learning community, whether it is on the playground, during class discussions, amongst our families and neighbours, or even as people of faith. All these connections inform our sense of self - our identities.

Similarly, we have been exploring how the Indigenous peoples of British Columbia find connections, and are connected to the land. The land links them to their histories, cultures, traditions, and beliefs. This guided our learning as we further explored how their connections to the land adapted to the changing seasons depending on where they lived. We chose to study different Indigenous groups in British Columbia: the Secwepemc and Ktunaxa from the Interior, the Nisga'a from the north, the Haida from the northern coast, and the Coast Salish on whose land we call home.

Through our learning, we considered the question: how would these seasonal adaptations have helped form their identities?

First Peoples Principles of Learning

The FPPL are woven into our classroom community, and guides our every day learning. It helps us to connect to Indigenous values and ways of knowing.

(Click the drop down menu to see what Principles are found in our classroom.)

Learning takes patience and time.

This principle connects to the other principles included in this list, and can be found in the next section of our page. We all have different skills, but these do not always come easily. Developing our skills happens at different times and depends on what experiences we have. It requires patience and practice so we can continue to grow.

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors.

Like we mentioned above, we are all different. We learn in different and unique ways. For example, one person might learn better by sitting and listening, but another person might learn better by doing things with their hands. We decide how we learn best. Our skills and talents helps us to learn with and from each other each day because it helps us to see other ways of thinking.

Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational.

We are constantly making connections. There are connections between the different things we learn at school. But there are also connections between school and life. Everything is related because what we learn from one experience can help us understand another experience.

Learning takes patience and time

There have been many opportunities for us to grow in a variety of areas, as well as improve on areas we were already strong in. While this growth is continuous and happens over time, we discussed what skills we used and how: communication was needed in order to share our thoughts, ideas, and research throughout the whole process. We communicated our learning orally, visually, and through written work; collaboration was used first, as we worked with our teacher to co-create our project. We collaborated within our small groups to determine how we would share our learning; critical thinking was needed as we conducted our research using a variety of sources like books, videos, and websites, while creative thinking was used to produce a representation of the knowledge we gathered; personal and social skills were used throughout this process as our roles and responsibilities helped us to understand and appreciate Indigenous peoples' connection to the land.

AbiJulesOllie.mp4

Coast Salish

Abigail, Ollie, Julia

AriAidanSeb.mp4

Haida

Sebastian, Arianna, Aidan

TheoCharlieShiloh.mp4

Coast Salish

Theo, Charlie, Shiloh

ConnorTomAndyslidesfinal.mov

Coast Salish

Connor, Tom, Andreas

AveryJorgeScarlett.mp4

Coast Salish

Avery, Scarlett, Jorge

AveryJorgeScarlettslides.m4v

Coast Salish

Avery, Scarlett, Jorge

TasiaElenaHarry.mp4

Ktunaxa

Elena, Harry, Anastasia

MattyLorenaRomina.mp4

Nisga'a

Matty, Lorena, Romina

ThomasSerenaGrier.mp4

Secwepemc

Thomas, Serena, Grier

AliAvaAdam.mp4

Coast Salish

Ali, Ava, Adam

SienaTimJax.mp4

Coast Salish

Siena, Timothy, Jaxon

Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational

Earlier in the school year, we learned about biomes. This includes the landforms, climate, and the plants and animals that adapt in order to survive in that area.

More recently we explored the motions of the Earth and the moon. Their connection to each other, and to the sun, is what allows us to experience seasons throughout the year. Like the Indigenous peoples we learned about, each season affects us and our environment. We have to adapt to these changes.

We also found a connection to what we have been learning in Christian Education: the Liturgical Year. In our faith community we also experience different seasons like Ordinary Time, Advent, Lent, Christmas, and Easter. We also have special feast days like the Epiphany, and Pentecost. We celebrate the Liturgical Year because it is about Jesus' life.

(Click the photo to read our connections!)

We've been so excited to share our hard work with you.

Thank you for taking the time to visit our page, and celebrate our learning with us!

With love & the cheese touch,

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