Hello, division 4 families!
We are so fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Our students have been enjoying our cross-curricular studies of the oceans —and specifically the Salish Sea—through related Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, and Art lessons and activities. We have been reading, discussing, and note-taking from lots of beautiful books and watching documentaries and YouTube videos. Two highlights included watching clips from the “Island of the Sea Wolves” series (available on Netflix) and reading aloud the wonderful book, “If You Take Away and Otter”. Students have begun transforming their research notes and insights into information paragraphs and powerful poems as well.
A key historical connection we are learning about is how the aggressive over-hunting of sea otters during the fur trade in Canada had wide-reaching ecological impacts. A question you could ask your child is, “Why do kelp forests matter and how did the Canadian fur trade impact them?” (Hint: Less sea otters, meant their key food source population exploded [sea urchins]. What impact did having a huge sea urchin population have on the kelp forests?)
We have also been learning about the history of the Coast Salish peoples and their interactions and traditions involving the Salish Sea.
Inquiry Ninja 