Photo Essays on Migration

Recently, students in Mrs. Naidu's grade 8 geography class completed a research assignment on the push and pull factors that affect human migration. Students utilized smart ideas to organize and map out information which compared the quality of life in Canada to life another country. Students utilized The CIA World Factbook, and many other sites to find information about birth rates, literacy rates, unemployment rates, etc. Students then took this information and synthesized it into a photo essay with captions for their chosen images. Students had many different options available for creating the photo essays. Some used the iPad or their Mac book, others used Prezi or PowerPoint. We gave them many options for creating their photo essays.
Students were given several periods to research their topics and Mrs. Naidu and myself guided the students through the numerous facts and information as they built their webs on Smart ideas. All in all the results were pretty successful. Students learned a great deal and had to do a lot of thinking about their topics. Some found that their countries weren't very different Canada in terms of health care, education, etc. These students really had to think about what might draw a person here to Canada if their home country was so similar to our own. We watched the students think they're way through the project and learn a great deal about life in other countries. Many of the students were surprised by infant death rate in many countries. It's fairly unheard of here in Canada to lose a child so this statistic surprised them quite a bit.
The project was an enjoyable experience for both teachers and students and the results were valuable. We look forward to working together on the same project next year. Of course there will be items that will be tweaked and the amount of data will probably be lessened. Student feedback on the project mentioned that this was a difficulty they had with the project.

Below are some links to examples of the project and the finished photo essays.
Jordan's Photo Essay
Nesha's Photo Essay as a website
Amy's Morocco Photo Essay

Dare Arts and Aboriginal Schools

Dare Arts And the Dare to Draw Program

This year R.H. Lagerquist students participated in the Dare to Draw program. The program is aimed at teaching students social awareness and giving them an opportunity to help others out through art. 

Dare Arts has paired with Aboriginal schools in northern Ontario in the hopes of raising awareness about the condition of these schools. Here's a description of the program borrowed from their website.

In the ‘DARE to Draw Attention’ program, children are dared to create original darearts cards in their schools to draw attention to serious issues affecting children. The kids choose their medium - from paint, pencil crayons, pastels to a variety of other mediums. They then sell their cards at a suggested donation of $5 each. Schools are given the option to sell the cards themselves, holding onto $2 per card to help support their own activities, or to return the cards to darearts to be sold to individuals and corporations.

We have displayed and sold our cards during open house night and also during parent/teacher interview night. I've taken some photos of our cards and the display boards students made. Students are very excited about the project and have been very enthusiastic about getting their parents to purchase their artwork and make then into real artists who sell their work. Thanks to everyone who bought cards I will let you know when the large display happens with all the other schools here in Ontario.

Canadian Geographic recently covered the school and housing crisis facing nothern reserves.