Author: Brenda MacNaughton

Dear Readers,

Thank you for supporting the Heart and Art of Teaching and Learning by reading, sharing and commenting. After several  years of contributing to the blog, this is a new moment for another member to have the opportunity to learn and grow as a teacher and writer. This is my final blog.

The challenge of blog writing is very similar to growing a garden and I hope the seeds I have planted will continue to blossom over the years. If you found some useful teaching tips in my blogs, please share so that the growth can continue!

The garden metaphor also applies to teaching as our students realize that growth requires patience, care, and resilience. As children learn a new concept or skill they will need a safe and nurturing space for it to become a deeper level of understanding, one that stays with them. Similarly, the water, soil, compost, sunlight and temperature will impact how well a plant can thrive. I am sure that if you are reading this blog you are constantly reflecting on your own practice and exploring ways to grow professionally in order to benefit your students.

One of the biggest influences on my teaching career has been the Every Child Matters movement and hearing the truth about residential schools. Keeping in mind that I am a guest on Turtle Island as a first generation Scots/Irish-Canadian, I have written about my role as an ally to Indigenous Peoples and promoted Indigenous authors. The teachings I have had from people who are First Nations, Métis and Inuit are close to my heart. I am building a stronger relationship with the land and a better understanding of all our relatives. When I say relatives I am including the soil, rocks, plants, swimmers, crawlers, walkers, and flyers. Every day I am grateful to the water, the air, the sun and the Earth for all the gifts they share. I find it reassuring to see changes in schools as Indigenous teachings are being applied and supported. It is my hope that we can move together on a path of reconciliation and have a brighter future.

In the garden I have plants that thrive when there are a variety of species planted together. They are more successful when integrated then if they were segregated into separate growing areas. I hope my blogs encourage teachers to read a great variety of books to their students. I hope those books then launch into experiential learning experiences that include the arts, making learning more meaningful. Igniting student curiosity and giving purposeful tasks often have the greatest success!

The Heart and Art of Teaching and Learning has reinforced my belief that effective teaching is both intentional and relational. It is about creating conditions where students feel safe to explore, create, and grow. It is about listening carefully and adapting thoughtfully.  Like any garden, teaching requires ongoing care and attention. The rewards, however, are extraordinary. Every season brings new possibilities, and every learner has the potential to flourish when given the right conditions to grow.

Big Thanks to All!

Brenda

Things I Wish I Had Known About Acquiring Learning Resources

In my first five years of teaching I was put in classrooms with empty shelves. Very few or no resources available.

Sound familiar? Here are some things I have learned since then.

1. Make your case with administration. This can be difficult when you are new but it’s critical that some of the school budget is allocated to your students and your classroom. Be clear and concise about your needs. Advocacy is a critical part of teaching. Start early!

2. Look for helpful colleagues and build relationships. There may be a room or cupboard where shared items are kept such as levelled books, math manipulatives, or science equipment. Ask staff how they use the resources. They may have had PD from publishers.

3. ETFO has many free online resources. Log into the ETFO member site and look for classroom resources and diversity resources.

4. Attend ETFO workshops. Your ETFO local may host presentations sponsored by the provincial office. These workshops are excellent places to ask questions and get advice from other teachers, including advice on getting resources for your classroom. Currently there are workshops on being an occasional teacher, classroom management, English Language Learners, Early Years and more.

5. Apply to attend a conference. Many locals have an Education Improvement Program and will help you cover costs. Conferences help us connect with like minded teachers in areas of interest like Outdoor Education, Reading, Math, Science, Physical Education, the Arts, etc. They can be reenergizing and full of resources.

6. Talk to the teacher representative on the School/Community Council. Your SCC may have a history of fundraising and purchasing resources or sponsoring guest educators such as artists or scientists.

7. The government of Canada has lesson plans in several areas. I have used resources from Health Canada, Veteran’s Affairs, Elections Canada and the Canadian Space Agency.

8. Your school board may have a centralized collection of resources. In my area we can order sets of books on various topics as well as puzzles, technology, specialized sensory equipment, science kits and so much more. It’s really worth the time to browse this collection or ask your colleagues for recommendations.

9. Curriculum facilitators are especially helpful and can direct you in all subject areas and Indigenous Education. Reach out to them early on and ask, ask, ask!

10. You are the most valuable resource so set the boundaries you need to stay healthy.

What have I missed? Please add your ideas in the comments!

Brenda

Maintaining learning momentum in June can be challenging as students are distracted by summer weather and social activities. Here are some resources and suggestions that might help deepen learning in these high interest topics.

FIFA World Cup

2026 is unique for Canada as a it’s our first time as a host nation for the world’s most popular game: football/soccer. Toronto hosts team Canada playing Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12. This tournament turns billions of eyes to Ontario’s capital city. We can use that momentum as a learning opportunity. We can research the teams, players, stadiums, mascots, and rules of the game. We can create art, host our own tournaments and use some of the resources online including free booklets created by Soccer Canada and/or the City of Toronto.  To deepen student learning look into the impacts the FIFA World Cup has on the economy, the environment and our society. Older students can hold a debate and practice speaking and presentation skills. Younger students will be curious about the mascots and what they represent. This is an ideal time to review world geography and get to know more about other parts of the world. Soccer is a beautiful game because it is so accessible world wide. Introducing key players and learning how they got to this level of play can be inspiring to our students as they learn that hard work and practice can bring success. These qualities apply in all types of jobs and athletes can give students a boost to set goals for the future.

Outdoor Education

As the natural world bursts into bloom, the month of June is an excellent time to get outside and observe all kinds of plants and critters. Asking key questions to get students thinking can help direct or outdoor education experiences in your area. For example:

*what is happening in your local streams, rivers and lakes?

*when you observe insects or other animals, what stage of their life cycle are they in?

*what interconnections can be observed between plants and animals?

*how are humans impacting habitats in your area?

*what actions are needed to support ecological diversity?

These types of observations can be made in our schoolyards or neighbourhoods. No need to travel far. We get our clip boards and/or cameras and document our thoughts.

 

Safety Outdoors: Water, Camping, Trampolines and Bicycles

The summer gives us incredible opportunities in Ontario for all kinds of fun outdoor activities. Unfortunately every year there are accidents. Preparing students with lessons about safety is a direct link to the Health curriculum and students will enjoy sharing their safety knowledge. I like to divide students into groups and assign each group a topic. They prepare a skit or presentation to teach safety lessons on these topics. Some of the obvious topics are water, campfires, trampolines and bicycles but you may have other risks in your area. For example some students may navigate public transit independently while others may ride a dirt bike. These are high interest topics with deep thinking and minimal resources required. Stay safe everyone!

Supporting Public Library Programs

We can reach out to our local public library for a free visit. In my case we’ve had visits from the library to promote summer programs and encourage reading. Students have been given the opportunity to sign up for a library card which gives access to online resources as well as the library collection. We have also taken a walk or bus ride to the library for programming at the nearest branch. Either way this is an excellent time to connect students to this valuable resource in our communities.

I wish you a beautiful month of June full of wonderful learning opportunities.

Brenda

For some students our classroom libraries provide the most frequent access to books. I would like to share thoughts on creating a collection of books that students will love. My experience comes from working as a teacher-librarian but the ideas apply in a classroom. Let’s imagine you have been given a budget to build a class library. Where do you start?

Know your Class

We have to cater to the age and stage of our students. That said, there is likely a large range of reading abilities and interests in every class. I propose that we prepare our classroom libraries balancing student interest, curriculum topics, quality, diversity and reading levels. You don’t need to have the largest quantity of books, but the right books for your readers. The books in your classroom can be a window to the world for your students so it’s important we consider diverse viewpoints to build a collection that reflects values such as empathy and acceptance.

Keep a Wish List

It’s helpful to have a list prepared of books you and your students want for your classroom library. We need to be prepared for those occasions when someone asks what the classroom needs. All the publishing companies and book stores send out newsletters with ideas of new books you might like and there are bloggers who will give reviews to help you narrow down your choices.

 Popular Picture Books

One strategy is to look for series, authors, or titles that have been best sellers for a while. For example many Robert Munsch titles are well loved and suit a primary classroom. Munch’s characters are diverse and the stories are often very humorous. The settings are across Canada and some even touch on curriculum topics. These books check a lot of boxes and are a great addition to a classroom library. In kindergarten and early primary classes I find Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems is a huge hit as well.

Another approach is to collect picture books by theme. Examples of themes include alphabet/counting, character traits, holidays, cultural topics, seasons, and books you can sing.  I have so much fun when I get to sing a book!

Graphic Novels

The most popular section of my library is the graphic novels. They are highly appealing with fast-paced storytelling which keeps our readers engaged. My personal favourites are Babymouse, Dogman, Bone, and anything by Raina Telgemeir. My students also love Chi, Warrior Cats, and all the superheroes, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Comic strips in book form such as Calvin & Hobbes and Garfield are appealing to older elementary students. Graphic novels released with movie tie-in often have a limited time that they are popular. Buyer beware!

Novels

I love to see a student immersed in a novel. It’s so satisfying when you have them come back saying they enjoyed a book you recommended. The best thing we can do is to read the books and do the research to know what we are recommending. If you can catch them before seeing the movies, then I always recommend grade 6-8 students read The Hunger Games series. Those books had me completely engaged! Often students at this age are doing research themselves about books, so it’s very important to have their input as you build your collection.

Non-Fiction

There are several non-fiction topics that students at my school constantly ask for: pets, sports, animals, and cars. The most popular book in non-fiction is The Guiness Book of World Records. I also encounter students with common niche interests such as The Titanic, WWII, or biographies of actors and singers.

Screens vs Books

I believe the classroom library is a great investment in student learning. There is definitely a place for reading using technology but the hard copies of books are still an important part of our society.

I think I could expand much more on each of these topics but I hope you find this overview helpful.

Keep on Reading!

Brenda

I am very excited to share with you a book for elementary students written by Lindsay Christina King. King is a member of Pikangikum First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. Pikangikum is a community that is accessible by plane and by boat in the summer. Her book, Storyteller Skye: teachings from my Ojibway Grandfather, was part of TD summer reads and is widely available to purchase or borrow.

The story introduces us to Skye, a young girl who loves telling stories. She invites readers to listen closely as the stories she tells have important messages within them. She then goes on to relate stories about animals like skunk, beaver, rabbit, raccoon and wolf. I greatly appreciate that the animals are introduced with their names given in Ojibway, the language of Pikangikum. Each story is told with humour that will appeal to all readers.

Each animal in the story is featured because of one of their unique traits and Skye has a story behind how they got that trait. For example, why does the skunk have a foul smell? Why does a raccoon have a mask? The lessons taught to each animal tie in to the Seven Grandfather Teachings. This book leads seamlessly into an oral language lesson and there is an activity outlined in the back of the book on how to get storytelling started in our classes. Beyond oral language I have some cross curricular connections for this read aloud.

Social Studies: 

This book gives us an opportunity to learn about a fly-in First Nation community of Northwestern Ontario. Millions of Ontarians have never been to a community in Treaty 5 territory, like Pikangikum, so it is important to share the photographs at the end of the book showing Lindsay King’s family and community. The author’s daughter, Maddy King, had her photography of Pikangikum featured in a CBC News article in 2020. Maddy King’s photos show the beautiful boreal forest of the Canadian Shield and promote an understanding of the interconnectedness of all.

Both Lindsay Christina King and Maddy King were interviewed for a video series called Portraits – Pikangikum First Nation, available on YouTube. The YouTube channel highlights community members and some of their challenges. For older students, we can examine ongoing impacts of colonialism. In particular, the video about Maddy King has beautiful photography and demonstrates her connection to the land. There are community leaders interviewed in the Portraits series and they outline the ways they are promoting traditional values to counteract the challenges being faced in Pikangikum. Some of the initiatives include promoting youth connection to the land, support for young mothers, and working toward more modern infrastructure.  The school there has 1700 students and its own teacher education program in partnership with Queen’s University. I highly recommend learning more about this community!

Science

Storyteller Skye connects language and science in the several grades:

Grade 1: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things;

Grade 2: Growth and Changes in Animals;

Grade 4: Habitats;

Grade 6: Biodiversity.

Reading this book during a science unit or as a review of the concepts gives our students a different perspective filled with humour and enjoyment.  This story allows students to respond to discussion and comprehension questions and to review the characteristics, growth, habitats and biodiversity of our science curriculum.

Visual Art

Each of Skye’s animal stories can be an inspiration for art as well. Whether it is drawing, painting, or creating a 3 D model, our students enjoy making changes to animals, using their imagination. The art they create can lead to an oral storytelling activity which allows them to share what characteristics they have changed and how the change could teach the animal an important lesson. Animals do not have to be the only subject of this art.  It could be about making changes to a certain environment or building as well. 

Drama

I envision students working in groups to create skits about the different animal stories that Skye has in this book. Creating or finding some simple props for students to use in their dramatization will add another level of creativity to this lesson.

This is definitely a book I will carry from class to class and use for my supply teaching assignments!

Storyteller Skye: teachings from my Ojibway Grandfather by Lindsay Christina King and Carolyn Frank; Medicine Wheel Publishing, 2022.

Happy Reading!

Brenda

Today’s blog features unforgettable classroom experiences that I had in elementary school. I benefitted from these rich learning tasks and in turn these memories spurred me on to design similar experiences for my students. I hope some of my students remember what I taught decades later!

Cross Curricular Drama Lessons 

As a kid who loved to play and use my imagination, I have vivid memories of combining science and history with role play.  One year, we were allowed to include costumes with environmental presentations. One student came dressed as a raindrop as he explained acid rain.

 In French class we often performed skits to practice new vocabulary. The teacher would have children’s clothes or food on hand so we could pretend we were shopping.

In language class in grade 3 we read plays and were challenged to perform a scene. I remember being a mountain goat, kicking and bleating my heart out! Then in grade 7 English we studied Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” and I got to take my performances to the stage.

Guest Speakers

A change from the routine made for a very memorable day in elementary school. Meeting artists and singers brought us joy and learning. In grade 2, one of the parents in my class came to teach origami and talk about her country of origin, Japan. 

In grade 5 we had a musician visit the class and play a variety of instruments that were not normally available to us. Rich learning experiences are easily created when teachers invite guests into the classroom. 

As a teacher, some of my favourite days have included bringing guest speakers, especially Indigenous elders or dancers/drummers/singers. It is a responsibility we carry as treaty people to build these relationships.  I also appreciate having older adults as guest speakers. Some students have no exposure to seniors and they may not realize the importance of a lifetime of experiences.

Two First Nation guest speakers who were presented with a quilt and a blanket made by my colleague, ETFO member Shelley Miehe.

Hands-On Learning

Paper airplane making was the task we were given in grade 5 for a study of manufacturing. Our group members each had specific roles and responsibilities. My group did not make the most airplanes but we had high quality! 

Our grade 6 teacher had us create a relief map of Australia using salt/flour dough. We then painted the project. This was a fantastic way to help us interpret a 2D map.

Learning Outdoors

When I attended an urban school in grade 4, we walked through the area trying to find where the water traveled above and below ground. We looked for evidence of sewer grates and then mapped out  the nearby stream and reservoir. We also went around the area taking tree bark rubbings to use for collages in art. The idea was to cut out various shapes and glue them down to make a very eye-catching piece of art.

 By grade 6 I was in a rural school with more snowy winters. We were allowed to create snow sculptures as art. Colour was part of the experience, but I don’t remember if we had spray bottles or brushes. Was it paint or food colouring? I remember being very proud of our giant, snowy caterpillar.

Current events, Poetry and Sharing

From this top 5 list, you have probably gathered that I enjoyed speaking in front of a group!

In primary grades, my teachers used the show and share model to help students get used to public speaking. We were always encouraged to bring something to share that had educational value. For example, in grade 1, I brought in my corking tool and wool to show the class how to create a craft. 

Performing magic was a hobby I developed in grade 4 and my teacher allowed me to show the class some tricks and I had background music playing from my tape recorder.

Sharing current events and poetry was encouraged in grade 5 and our teacher gave out a certificate if shared 200 times. Yes, I achieved that goal along with one other friend. If I were doing it today I might have a certificate for every 25 or 50 items shared to encourage more students to participate.

I hope you found some helpful ideas here. These tasks are easily adaptable among grades and appeal to many of our learners. 

What are your top 5 learning experiences? Do we have any in common?

Brenda

Celebrate Earth Day with joy and laughter about the natural world! 

Here are two books that will make children laugh while they learn. I have had them in my possession for a few months now and I keep rereading and sharing them with different classes. Both books can integrate learning in language, science, and the arts. Content warning: both of these books use either the word poop or poo. When a silly word like this is in a book, I usually have a conversation with the class before reading. I do not tell them the exact word but do let them know that there is a silly word that we don’t usually use in class. This actually causes them to hone in and really focus on the story as they anticipate the silly word coming up. Once they hear the word and the initial roar of laughter happens, I remind them that we still find that word too silly for use in the classroom. Some words cause a lot of distraction, and this is one of them!

Both of these books can be used around Earth Day with the purpose of encouraging students’ curiosity about the creatures on planet Earth. When we help students realize that everywhere on Earth is a habitat for some creatures, they will be motivated to help with action projects.  A favourite project is a community clean-up but there are other possibilities listed at EarthDay.org

10 Shocking Facts About Capybaras by Melanie Watt

Melanie Watt, Canadian award-winning author of both Chester and Scaredy Squirrel, is back with the adorable capybara as her main character. She lists off 10 truthful facts about capybaras but as she writes the tenth fact the capybara begins to interrupt. The critter is embarrassed about what she wants to tell the world. Similar to Chester and Scaredy Squirrel, the capybara speaks up for himself and makes us all laugh.  What a wonderful author study topic! Melanie Watt’s books have a strong element of humour but they also demonstrate empathy and perseverance.

I would also use this book to:

* introduce a study on animal characteristics;

*examine point of view as the story switches from third to first person;

*use this example to have students create their own research about an animal;

*go beyond the story and learn about the capybara habitat;

*use this as an example for students to create cartoon style animal drawings;

*encourage critical thinking to decipher fact versus fiction;

*encourage acceptance;

*develop a love of reading, especially books that use humour to engage readers;

*begin an author study on Melanie Watt.

“You’re Called What?!” written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Nikki Dyson

This book can be an excellent follow-up to the capybara book because it offers 13 animals with silly names that will definitely grab your attention. Another content warning: this book uses the words snot and booby in the animal names. As I already mentioned, prepare the class for some silly words to come up in the story and them when they have a good chuckle you can remind them that we don’t want to have these words being overused in the classroom because it can be disruptive. When students stop laughing this book can be used to:

*continue a study on animal characteristics and the descriptive names they have;

*encourage students to find facts such as size, food, habitat, number of young;

*dramatize the story with students performing the roles of the animals;

*map the locations of the various animals around the world;

*write a fictional tale about the lives of these animals in first person “My Life as a ___”;

*draw a self-portrait and re-name themselves with a funny name;

*paint or draw one of the animals in the book;

*take students outside and have them create names for the natural things they see: birds, trees, smaller plants, waterways, or even rocks;

*discuss fact vs fiction in this book;

*develop a love of reading, especially books that use humour to engage readers;

*have a discussion or debate about changing animal names.

 

On April 22nd read these books and kick off some fun ways to learn about animals.

Happy Earth Day!

Brenda

Across Canada, the groundhogs and lobsters have made their predictions for the start of spring. Now we can read a picture book celebrating the arrival of spring, Spring’s Miracles, by Indigenous author Kaitlin B. Curtice. Ideal for kindergarten to grade 3, this story explains how Dani, a member of the Potawatomi nation, celebrates the new year when spring arrives. The Potawatomi are Anishinaabe whose traditions include celebrating the new year with food and getting outside to appreciate the gifts of spring. 

Before Reading – New Year Celebrations and Seasonal Changes

Ask the class about the ways people celebrate the new year. They may mention January 1st with fireworks and parties and also Lunar New Year celebrations in February. Also look at the illustrations on the cover, does this cover look like early spring? Why or why not? We can use the students’ observations to talk about climate in different parts of North America and that early spring will look different depending how far south or north we are. Just thinking about this has me humming the chant from Bill Nye the Science Guy, “The reason for the seasons is the tilt of the earth”. It is possible to make an entire science lesson about seasonal changes just based on this story, but we can also include social studies, language and the arts.

During Reading – Relating to Students’ Experiences

The story takes Dani up a challenging climbing rock and she has to overcome her fears if she wants to reach the top. She remembers that,  “Even when she is scared, she can still do great things.” Students may wish to give examples of times when they were scared but found the courage to complete something frightening. 

Dani’s family has a celebratory meal, and we can use this opportunity to ask students about  favourite foods for the New Year. Are they the same or different? 

After the meal, Dani’s family share their hopes for the new year around the campfire. Again, students may wish to relate their ideas and wishes for the new year as well.

After Reading – A Spring Walk and Creative Response

Looking for signs of spring is a beautiful way to celebrate Spring’s Miracles! We can take the class for a walk around the schoolyard or into the neighbourhood*. It’s very rewarding to take photographs of the signs of spring on your walk.  Another exciting task is to bring along peeled  crayons and paper to take rubbings of tree bark. If we did this walk in my area of southern Ontario we might find: melting snow and ice, mud, puddles, running water (creeks), plants pushing through the soil, buds on trees, pine cones on the ground or on the branches, a variety of birds (listen for their calls), insects, squirrels or other small mammals, animal scat, and people enjoying warmer weather in a variety of ways in their spring clothing. 

Follow-up Suggestions

Once students have been outdoors and made observations of the change in seasons, we can ask students to reflect on the new growth they would like to see in their own lives. What changes do they hope to see? Is there something new they could try, even if it requires courage?

Creative Reflections

– use photographs to create a digital collage of spring’s miracles;

– draw or paint a garden of spring flowers such as trout lilies and trilliums;

– work together to create a Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring class book similar to the one in my Winter Solstice Blog;

-take crayon rubbings of tree bark and cut pieces of the rubbings out to create cut and paste flowers or a spring scene;

-dramatize what is happening to the snow or the plants in early spring;

-any of these ideas can be accompanied by a written statement in which the student shares an area of growth that they are working on;

More Experiences to Consider

-visit a farm to see what is being done to prepare for the coming season. How is life changing on a farm in the spring?;

-have an outdoor education experience focusing on spring changes in the forest;

-visit a sugar bush and observe maple trees being tapped for sap that is boiled into delicious syrup.

The Potawatomi Nation

As Treaty People we benefit from learning Indigenous perspectives. Since author Kaitlin B. Curtice is a member of the Potawatomi nation, we can take time to listen to their stories and learn about their communities. This nation crosses the Canada/U.S. border, with communities in both countries. Studying a map and reading from the community websites, or even better, having a guest speaker, helps us work on research skills while learning about the Potawatomi.

I hope spring brings you growth and change in the most rewarding ways!

Brenda

*Please check your school board’s policy on neighbourhood walks. I also recommend checking weather conditions, especially with the spring thaw causing flooding in some areas.

When we drive by a school and see a person in a bright vest with a stop sign in hand, we look out for children being helped to cross the road. Although the main role of crossing guard is safety, I have been lucky to know crossing guards who make students more comfortable with their friendly and caring manner. A warm greeting in the morning can help a student feel welcome and reduce their anxiety about going to school. I appreciate the important role of crossing guards in our communities!

I was excited to have the book, A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant by Briony May Smith, recommended to me because it features a crossing guard who wants to help forest animals cross the road safely. Published in 2022 by Walker Books in London, England, this story is targeted at grades K-3, although I will always advocate to read more picture books to older students, including this one!

Pre-reading Discussion

Ask the students if they have had experience with a crossing guard. Do they think crossing guards are important community helpers? Why or why not?

Vocabulary

Given that this book was written in England, some terms will need explaining. 

Lollipop Person – crossing guard (the lollipop refers to the hand help stop sign)

Zebra Crossing – the common term for a crosswalk in the United Kingdom

Torches – the term for flashlights in the United Kingdom.

Other words that may need explaining: peculiar, triumph, fowl, distraught, ordeal, roused, preening, and nocturnal.

During Reading

When the mayor is introduced, we may need to guide younger students to understand his role and that he is jealous of the attention Phillipa is getting. When he decides to award a present to Philippa, we can ask, “I wonder if our crossing guard has ever had a present?”

After Reading

The Ontario transportation council recognizes School Crossing Guard Appreciation Week June 1-5, 2026. Some municipalities and school boards also recognize March 23rd as an appreciation day for school Crossing Guards. Teachers, we can show appreciation any day of the school year so here are some suggestions and cross-curricular activities. 

Writing Thank You Letters: Depending on your grade level this could be shared writing or completed in partners or independently. Have the class brainstorm what it’s like for crossing guards to be out in all kinds of weather, meeting different people, and stopping all those vehicles. We can thank them for their kindness, bravery, and perseverance. For older students this could include making a slide deck with photographs of the crossing guard at work.

 Drama: Creating a Crossing Guard Skit: Invite the crossing guard to see your class perform skits that they have created about the job. The skits could each have a different plot such as close calls with drivers who are not paying attention until the whistle blows, children who are rescued when they fall down, or short conversations while waiting for traffic that help students have a good day at school.

Visual Art: Create a wordless picture book with student drawings of the crossing guard at work. Encourage a variety of styles of pictures in different weather and clothing. Some pictures could be close up portraits while others could be the landscape of the street featuring the crossing guard.

Media: The National Film Board produced a vignette called Crossing Guards in 1978. I recommend showing it to the class to compare the job to the current day. Do they see similarities? Differences?

Social Studies: Grade 1, The Local Community: In a class discussion, review the role of a crossing guard and how this position is helpful in the community. What would happen if crossing guards did not exist?

No Crossing Guard at the school? We can show appreciation to custodians, secretaries, educational assistants, and DECEs. 

Happy Reading and Happy Celebrating!

Brenda

The night sky is mesmerizing. We gaze up into the vast darkness seeing the moon and stars but we can also look for planet parades, meteor showers, the Aurora Borealis and even see the space station circling around the earth. Canadians have had a significant role in space exploration since the 1950’s. This influence continues with astronaut Jeremy Hansen from the London/Ingersoll area. Jeremy’s path to becoming an astronaut is outlined in an article by CTV news which includes photos of him in childhood showing his interest in space. His dreams of becoming a pilot and exploring space started early, when he was in elementary school.  His childhood treehouse included buttons and knobs imitating a rocket ship and this idea was included in an illustrated e-book called, Explorers Club: To the Moon!  from the Canadian Space Agency. The book also features Canadian female astronaut, Jenni Gibbons, who is a  backup astronaut and capcom on the Artemis II mission. 

The Canadian Space Agency website has a section devoted to education with cross-curricular ideas for elementary classrooms where students are learning about space and the contributions of Canadians to space exploration. There are experiments to encourage students to think about how to survive in space. We can also learn about astronauts at NASA who are working on the Artemis mission, including Jeremy Hansen and Jenni Gibbons. 

Another source of inspiration is former Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield who created fascinating videos while on board the International Space Station.  Students sent in questions and he demonstrated how to brush your teeth in space or wringing out a cloth in space. 

The excitement and curiosity about exploring space and living in a no-gravity environment  makes learning very engaging. The Artemis II mission involves taking their spacecraft, Integrity, around the moon and back to earth as part of their ten day mission. The astronauts are trained to test this new type of space vehicle as part of the overall Artemis plan which includes landing on the moon in the next phase. 

The mission is worthy of research and debate with our older students. There are important questions to address:

-How is  the Artemis Mission valuable to Canadians?

-What views do Indigenous Peoples have on space exploration?

-How does the Artemis program and the Canadarm 3 inspire STEM education?

-What is the Lunar Gateway project and how are Canadians involved?

-How will the Artemis program influence our society?

For younger students, I highly recommend reading The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield. He recalls his experience of watching the lunar landing as a child in 1969 and how it inspired his career as an astronaut. Jump ahead to today and we can wonder how our students will be influenced by the Artemis program, which includes doing research on the moon’s surface and having the Gateway station orbiting the moon to support this research. 

Since the science curriculum supports learning about the impact of Canadian scientists on the world, I plan to include information about the Artemis mission in my teaching. There have been many brilliant Canadians leading the way in space research and we have the opportunity to nurture that love of learning in our students. I remember seeing the first female Canadian astronaut, Roberta Bondar, after her space mission. As a woman, I was energized by her accomplishments, commitment, intelligence, and humour. 

I can’t help but ponder the Artemis mission and its implications for the future. 

Brenda