We have begun reading as a class Winnipeg by Winnipeg. It is an interesting picture book taking us around the city of Winnipeg through the eyes of Winnipegers. It is so fun to hear students say “I’ve been there!” and make connections to different pictures and places in the book. I have added a home-school connection by sending the book home each day in a book bag with a student. Families have been invited to make “bucket lists” of places they would like to visit and to have conversations and share memories of the places they have already discovered. This book is being used as an introduction to Our Winnipeg Inquiry.
Over the month of April students have been invited to bring in a picture of a place in Winnipeg that is close to their hearts. They found their place on a map and did a brief presentation with the class about their place. It is such a spectacular thing to see all of the wonderful places around Winnipeg mapped out by our grade 1’s and 2’s. The students have taken it a step further, finding their own houses and other places they visit frequently. They are learning mapping skills in a very meaningful, hands-on way. It is exciting to hear “Come here and look, it’s my house!” or “I found The Forks!”.
The plan is to take the information we know about Winnipeg and use the book An Okoboji Day as a mentor text. Each student will think of 6 different places around Winnipeg that they could visit in a day. There will be literacy components that they will notice about the mentor text and be invited to use in their own story. I can’t wait to see the interesting direction that everyone will take. We will begin the process together writing a book as a class and extend it to their independent writing soon after. Reading and re-reading An Okoboji Day along the way.
Follow along as we write our books!