Human Rights Project

One of the exciting learning activities that my grade 6 class worked on this semester was their human rights project. They studied the human rights in their social studies class and had the idea to create videos to explain each of the 30 rights.  Since their social studies teacher only has 30 minute classes, we decided to make this an interdisciplinary project and use our ELA class to explore video creation.

The students learned to plan videos, write scripts, film scenes and edit videos.  In creating their first "batch" of videos, most groups chose to act out scenes.   When students reflected on the process, they felt strongly that making their videos was harder than they anticipated.   They weren't sure they wanted to continue creating videos.   We gave it some time and then I proposed that we try a different method for creating videos.   Instead of filming their own clips, the students used video clips, photos and characters available in Powtoon to create their videos.  This was a different creative process for the students and, based on their feedback, they felt more successful in creating videos this way. 

The students built a website with Google Sites to showcase their work and I'm pleased to say that all videos are now uploaded!   Please check out their work here. 

Sarah's Passion Project: The History of Dance

This is a guest blog post written by grade 6 student, Sarah.

Our grade 6/7 Character Ed class is working on projects, but these projects aren’t just normal projects, they’re Passion Projects! All of us are putting together a project that shows what we’ve accomplished over the days. We got to choose what our projects would be about! My passion project is about the history of dance and how it has become what it is today. Our passion projects are about what we love! This is my Passion Project:

History of Dance

By: Sarah Chappell

King Louis the 14th first invented ballet for a wedding in 1459. Dancers would dance about the dishes being served. Pierre Beauchamp, King Louis’ teacher, became the first dance director in Paris for the first ballet training school in 1671. In the 1700s, ballet became more popular and King Louis performed as a dancer. Pierre also invented the technical term “turnout” in ballet.
People from different cultures even incorporate dance into their cultures. Dancing is important for different cultures because it helps them embrace who they are and their cultures. Some cultures dance during celebrations.

Some of the most popular dances are…. Hip-Hop, which is street dancing performed with usually Hip-Hop music. Tap Dance, which is basically just tapping on a hard surface with technical form, of course! Belly Dance, which is when people move their bellies in different ways. Break Dancing or B- Boying, which is when people pop and lock and resist your motions, or just doing awesome tricks! Lastly, ballet, which is a VERY VERY technical art that is performed with such grace, passion and emotion!

In the 1830s a lady named, Marie Taglioni, made dancing on Pointe very popular. She danced a ballet for her father and after her last beautiful, moving performance, the people were so sad to see her go that one chef took her ballet shoe and cooked it! They say that all of her fans ate it too!


Also in the 1840s, a man performer named, Marius Petipa, made more than 60 ballets. His assistant, Lev Ivanov, choreographed some of the most popular ballets today! His work included, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty!!

There are many places around the world that dance in different ways to express their culture and religion. China has the dragon dance, Cuba has the Salsa, Russia has ballet, Switzerland has the traditional folk dance, Argentina has the tango, and Brazil has the Samba, just to name a few! Not all countries or cultures just have to stick to one type of dance, everyone can just dance to their own rhythm!

Dance today is all about freedom and imperfection, (unless you’re in a competition, but if you’re not then you can just dance freely!) You should just be able to do what you really love! Dance today has many more styles that suit everyone, and it has lots of movement and freedom!   

Dances in different cultures are more traditional and dances in my culture/country can be more technical and professional, but it can also be non-competitive and flowy!

Clearly, dance was very different a long time ago compared to dance now! But they do have some similarities, freedom, commitment, and passion!  What I’ve learned is that dance is a passion and it’s….. I can’t explain it but, it just makes you feel free and safe and it takes your mind off of everything else in the world! Dance is my passion!   

Sources:

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/arts-and-culture/photos/dance-around-the-world-photos

http://www.allrefer.com/10-most-famous-dance-styles-in-the-world

http://www.camarilloacademy.com/2011/09/why-dance/

https://www.sasschoolofdance.com/history-ballet

Passion Projects: Haily's Hockey Project

This is a guest blog post written by Grade 6 student, Haily.

In our grade 6/7 class we are doing passion projects! That means you can pick anything that you are passionate about as long as you can show that you are learning something. Some of the passion projects are putting on bake sales, talent shows learning more about sports and history and making paper mache  and much more! Our class has really enjoyed learning about the things we love to do!

For my passion project I did a research project about hockey facts and players. I included things like the top point leaders of 2019, trivia, best hockey team and best hockey player ever and more. The file is set up so you can play the trivia if you download it.

- Haily Johns