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INSIDE: May/June 2013
National Aboriginal Day
National Aboriginal Day is celebrated every year on June 21 (summer solstice). This day is set aside to acknowledge the diverse cultures, heritage and achievements of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis people of Canada.
Physical and Health Education Fair
For several years we have been inundated with messages regarding our students’ physically inactive and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Although it’s one thing to talk about this issue; it’s an entirely different thing to do something about it!
Self-Regulation in the Classroom
Self-regulation seems to be a hot topic amongst educators, particularly in British Columbia and Ontario where several school boards are focusing on self-regulation. In fact, some theorists feel that self-regulation is more important than IQ when predicting educational performance (Shanker, 2012). So what exactly is self-regulation?
List Life Like A Poet
Teaching poetry is a balancing act between the technical aspects of form and the creative aspects of writing. Reciting rules and stressing form can stifle creativity. However, turning students loose to write a poem without enough guidance can result in writing that is contrived or confusing.
An Introduction to Colour Mixing
Picture books are an excellent way to inspire students’ art making. Using Leo Lionni’s little blue and little yellow as a jumping off point, students will explore basic colour mixing while expressing their creativity and practising their painting skills.
NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY- Our Voice, Our Culture, Our Community, Aboriginal Youth Video Project The Aboriginal Youth Video Project involved teaching 12 young people from Richmond, British Columbia, how to create a video story of their experience as young Aboriginal people living in Richmond. The youth were encouraged to reflect on their history and current issues in society, and to include footage and reflections on Richmonds National Aboriginal Day events which celebrate Aboriginal identity. The video is to be used to support teaching about healing and reconciliation. The video is used with permission from the Richmond Youth Services Agency.
News
Looking for Health and Sexual Education Teachers
I am a PhD student at the UWO and I am looking for teachers to participate in an oral history project who taught sexual education in Ontario Public Schools during the 1960s and/or the 1970s. If you are interested please contact me for more information: Michelle Hutchinson at mhutchi5@uwo.ca. Ethics Number: 103319
Birdies Against Bullying
On Sunday, May 19, the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in the Canadian Rockies is hosting the Tommy Hilfiger Parent Child Charity Classic - the first ever family golf tournament to support the work of Bullying.org. Bullying.org is a multiple award-winning, non-profit Internet Resource that was created to help people around the world deal with the issue of bullying. For more information about the tournament, visit www.kananaskisgolf.com
USC Canada's Run for Biodiversity
USC Canada invites runners and walkers to join Run for Biodiversity events in Halifax (May 19), Ottawa (May 25 – 26) and Vancouver (June 23), and will soon be recruiting for fall events: Toronto (Oct 13) and Victoria (Oct 20). http://usc-canada.org/run-for-biodiversity/
Resources to Teach Online Privacy
The theme of Media Literacy Week (November 5 – 9) is "Privacy Matters." The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched an online graphic novel called Social Smarts: Privacy, the Internet and You which is designed to help young Canadians understand and navigate privacy issues in the online world. The 12-page graphic novel is designed to appeal to tweens and younger teens. It tells the story of a brother and sister who learn about the privacy risks related to social networking, mobile devices and texting, and online gaming. The graphic novel includes detailed black and white illustrations so it can be easily reproduced. Download Social Smartshere .
See other materials available such as: presentation packages for students that include complete PowerPoint slides, speaking notes and class discussion topics; a video that speaks to teens and tweens that covers the key privacy topics kids need to consider when sharing information online; a tip sheet for parents that offers 12 practical tips for parents interested in discussing privacy with their kids here .
Buddy System for Grade One Students
The Billy Brings his Buddies program is a part of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection’s Kids in the Know interactive child personal safety program for students from Kindergarten to Grade Nine. The Billy initiative is for Grade One students, and includes a website billybuddy.ca where parents and educators can access an online storybook, interactive games and other activities to help them teach young children about the buddy system. Teachers can also download a free copy of the Billy Brings his Buddies Grade One Teacher Kit, which includes a lesson plan and poster for the classroom as well as at-home activities to send home to parents to complete with their child.
Digital Literacy Tutorials for Alberta Students
Alberta Education has licensed MyWorld: A digital literacy tutorial for secondary students for all secondary schools in the province. The interactive tutorial – developed by Media Awareness Network (MNet) – offers students simulations of popular online sites to teach them about cyberbullying, hate speech, online marketing ploys and privacy protection. MyWorld also contains information on authenticating online information, reputation management, dealing with online relationships and ethical use of the Internet. MyWorld builds on an existing licence agreementAlberta has for MNet’s complementary resource for elementary students Passport to the Internet. For more information on MyWorld, visit http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/catalogue/products/descriptions/myworld.cfm.
Stop A Bully
This program, developed by a teacher in B.C., allows any student in Canada to submit a bully report directly to school officials by choosing the "Make A Report" option on the stopabully.ca website. Schools can let students know that this service is available to them, and if the staff wishes to implement the program fully, the school can join and pay a membership fee that covers the costs of the program. www.stopabully.ca.
Grade 4 & 5 Snowpass Program
The Grade 4 & 5 Snowpass Program allows students to ski and snowboard for free. Learn about the program at www.snowpass.ca or email Laura Rice at info@snowpass.ca for application forms or more information.
K.I.D.S. Website
The Kids Development Society, featured in the May 2010 issue of Canadian Teacher Magazine, has launched a new website that provides information about Rick and Adrianne's work to benefit families and communities in Southeast Asia. www.kidsdevelopmentsociety.org.
The Story of Food
USC Canada's new short, animated film will get you thinking about our broken food system. It identifies what's gone wrong, and what we can do to rebuild it. Watch it here.
Canadian School Calendar
The Canadian Education Association prepares a school calendar each year,
which is free online, download here.
The School Calendar provides all opening and closing dates for primary
and secondary schools in every Canadian province and territory.
Awards for Canadian
Teachers
A number of national and provincial/territorial awards are given
to Canadian teachers each year to recognize their outstanding dedication
or innovative contributions to the field of education. For more
information see the "Other
Teaching Awards" link on the Prime Minister's Awards website.
