Monthly Archives: February 2010

We have a lot in common, but…

…there are some surprises when it comes to candy.

We have been working with our friends on Long Island, New York, in Mrs. Parisi and Ms Southard’s class (the South Paris Collaborative) and we discovered many similarities. But here is a surprise: some of our candy is different!

canada smarties

Smarties

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The first picture shows Smarties in Canada, the second shows Smarties in the USA, and the last shows Rockets candies from Canada. Why do you think these tasty treats are different in our two countries? Does it matter? Can you think of or find any other quirky, crazy little surprises like this? And if you are not from Canada or the USA, do you have Smarties or Rockets?

Classroom Olympics–the Pairs Event

We may not be Olympians, but we can dream–and we can pretend.

Today I invited Huzzahnians to dress up in pairs in honour of Mr. Laurie, former figure skating champion, to compete in our own Olympic event. We used the term “pairs” loosely, as you can see in the video. Students brought costumes, designed and practiced routines, and performed in front of their fans on behalf of their countries. They were judged against the criteria that the class established. The two very serious and highly trained judges, Mrs. B and Ms. Smith, used the old-fashioned 6.0 scoring scale.

The performances were entertaining and fun, as was the medal ceremony. The event was capped off with a rousing chorus of  ‘O Grapelandia on behalf of the gold medalists. We could almost hear the people in Vancouver singing with us.

Enjoy!

Learning to Infer

(Guest Post by Mr. Laurie, student teacher)

Today, Huzzanians embarked on a mission to infer.  We began our journey with a collaborative lesson between Mrs. Swift (our school”s curriculum support teacher) and myself, Mr. Laurie (a student teacher from Vancouver Island University).   Our lesson’s mission was to introduce the concept of inferring in a fun and engaging way.

Mrs. Swift started by showing a picture of a young girl who was ecstatic about something she had found in a book.  We had to use our background knowledge to identify the objects in the picture and infer their purpose in the image. Huzzanians caught on fast.  By the time I pulled out my backpack full of wonders, they were pulling out inferences from everywhere.  The clove of garlic, the sea shell, the Genie lamp…  Huzzanians had been enticed into making up elaborate stories of my travels and intentions.  With just a few simple objects they were able to infer a great deal.

I am very proud of their work.  Huzzanians kept on task and worked well, sharing their ideas freely with their fellow classmates.  This class has proven that by working together we can accomplish far more than we can on our own.

Infer on, Huzzanians!!

Personal Best

The Olympic Games have begun!

head in the clouds

Huzzahnians are following all events with interest, but we are paying particular attention to the figure skating pair of Anabelle Langlois and Cody Hay. Our reason? Our student teacher, Mr. Laurie, is a former Canadian national figure skating champion and he often shared the podium with Cody when they competed together. We are learning a lot from Mr. Laurie about the challenges and rewards of putting your skills on the line.

Last night Anabelle and Cody were brilliant in the pairs short program, achieving their personal best. What a thrill that must be for them!

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This week we will be having our own Olympic opening ceremonies as well as many cultural and sporting events–stay tuned for our reports!

Images:  Head in the Clouds by ecstaticist

Anabelle and Cody from Skate Canada