Melissa Giesbrecht’s Blog

  For my project, I created a Grade 5 science and technology-integrated lesson called  Exploring Astronomical Phenomena Through Coding , inspired by  The Darkest Dark  by Chris Hadfield and the “Being Outer Space with Scratch” workshop. In the lesson, students use Scratch to model space events such as planetary orbits or moon phases while organizing and manipulating data like speed or distance to see how scientists use technology to study space. In my future classroom, I plan to use this type of lesson to make abstract science concepts more engaging and hands-on, helping students build both their understanding of space and their digital literacy through creativity and problem-solving. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W19x-j0C3_Km7qqZlXQQRLLW2adp_cau5kqiamKsh-s/edit?usp=sharing

  This digital story  explores the history, resilience, and cultural knowledge of the Blackfoot peoples of southern Alberta. It highlights the treaties and agreements that shaped their communities, the strength of the Blackfoot language and also the ways in which nature and language remain intertwined. Through this project I aimed to move beyond surface level understanding to appreciate the depth of Blackfoot teachings. Creating this story challenged me to reflect on my own role as an educator which helped me to recognize the importance of teaching from a place of humility, truth, and connection to the land. References Alberta.ca. (2019).  Government of Alberta and Blackfoot Confederacy protocol agreement.  Government of Alberta.  https://www.alberta.ca/first-nations-agreements Blackfoot Confederacy. (n.d.).  Blackfoot Confederacy Nations.   https://blackfootconfederacy.ca Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT). (n.d.).  Discover...