LIBE 463 - Community Analysis & Report
School Community
Chaffey Burke
Elementary is located in South Burnaby and, due to this, the community is
rather diverse and has a large immigrant population. Currently there are 25
enrolling teachers, 4 ELL/LSS teachers, 3 Music/Band Teachers, 1 teacher
librarian, 11 educational assistances, as well as two administrators including
both a principle and vice principle. As part of community outreach, Chaffey
Burke offers a Strong Start program 5 days a week for families living in the
catchment area that have young children. The school’s website states that “At Chaffey-Burke we are committed to
providing opportunities for all students to develop their individual potential
in a safe, supportive, and caring environment that encourages risk taking and
inspires a passion for life-long learning. With community support, we endeavour
to foster the academic, social and emotional growth of all children, thus
enabling them to participate in society as productive, respectful, and
responsible citizens of our global community”
(chaffey-burke.burnabyschools.ca). It is not surprising, given Chaffey Burke’s
location, that there is a large number of English Language Learners. The
current total is 320 students: which accounts for about 56% of the population.
To meet the needs of our large population and diverse set of learners, Chaffey
Burke utilizes the Sheltered Instruction Observed Procedural (SIOP) model for
its English Language Learners. Level 3 and 4 students are serviced in class by an
ELL teacher who co-teaches and collaborates with a classroom teacher, while
Level 1 and 2 students will receive additional pull out support to help with
language development. Chaffey-Burke is located within walking distance of four
city parks: Patterson Skytrain Station, Metrotown Mall and the Metrotown Branch
of the Burnaby Public Library, thus allowing for easy access to multiple field
trip locations.
(B.C. Education System Performance - Chaffey-Burke Elementary: Contextual Information)
i)
Population
Residing in the South West Quadrant
of Burnaby allows the population easy access to a number of utilities such as
the sky train, buses, and a highway for transportation to workplaces. There is
also quick access to a large shopping center such as Metrotown. “In 2016, there
were 81,010 people living in private
households in the SW Quadrant of Burnaby representing 35% of Burnaby’s population
in private households (232,755)” (Burnaby.ca). The immigrant population is
primarily from China and South Asian and the immigrant population comprises 54%
of the population in the South West Quadrant.
ii)
Housing
According
to the City of Burnaby “the most common type of housing in the SW Quadrant was
single and two-family dwellings” (Burnaby.ca). The renting population makes about 41%
of the market.
iii Income
According to the City of Burnaby,
the “average before-tax household income in the SW Quadrant in 2015 was $75,208
compared to $83,199” (Burnaby.ca) which was the average for all of Burnaby. Chaffey-Burke
is surrounded by large houses, duplexes but also multiple high-rise and low
rise buildings. With such a diverse housing structure, family incomes vary but overall,
most families seem to fit in the middle class range.
Learning
Objectives
Pictured above are the four Big Ideas in the Grade 7 Science curriculum. I will be assisting a
Grade 6/7 teacher in finding resources to help with their unit in Evolution.
The Big Idea is: Evolution by
natural selection provides an explanation for the diversity and survival of
living things. The teacher has advised me that as a final project, students
will be complementing an assignment which will map out the evolution of an
animal and its survival needs. The goal of this school unit aligns with
Chaffey-Burke’s school goal which is “to improve inquiry process while reading
for information in nonfiction texts. Further information on the school goal can
be located on the Chaffey-Burke elementary School Website (https://chaffey-burke.burnabyschools.ca/school-goals/chaffey-burke-school-plan-2019-20-2/)
Content:
· organisms
have evolved over time
o
changes in traits of populations over
time
· survival
needs
o
all organisms need space, food, water
and access to resources in order to survive
· natural
selection
o
the natural process by which certain
traits have a greater fitness for their environment lead to a reproductive
advantage; this process happens within a population over time because of
genetic variation
Curricular Competency:
· Questioning
and Predicting
· Planning
and conducting
· Processing
and analyzing data and information
· Processing
and analyzing data and information
· Evaluating
· Applying
and innovating
· Communicating
*Elaborations available on https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/7/core*
Core Competencies:
· Communication
(Communication and Collaboration)
· Thinking (Critical
and Reflective Thinking; Creative Thinking
· Personal & Social
(Personal Awareness and Responsibility, Positive Personal and Cultural
Identity; Social Awareness and Responsibility)
(https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/7/core)
By utilizing the Big
Idea of Evolution along with the content, the Grade 6/7 teacher will be able to
teach their students the Grade 7 curricular competencies. It is important to
note that the science competencies are very similar to the steps in the
scientific method and thus assignments and activities will need to utilize
this. Students will benefit from content mixed with hands on activities as the act
of science starts with questioning and predicting. It is okay for students to
not always have all the right answers; they may even need to try something
multiple times before they get it “right”. Inquiry is at the heart of science
and questions should be celebrated during the process. Within our current
curriculum we want to focus on process (curricular competencies) than on
content knowledge.
Potential Partners
i)
Burnaby Public Library
The
Burnaby Public Library has multiple branches, one of these branches is located
within walking distance of Chaffe-Burke Elementary School. The Public Library
would be a great place to visit when the students are ready to begin their
Animal Evolution Projects. Calling the library ahead of time and making a
fieldtrip out of the experience would be a great learning experience on how to
find research material.
ii)
Beaty Museum of Biodiversity
a. https://beatymuseum.ubc.ca/
b. “The Beaty Biodiversity Museum strives to inspire an
understanding of biodiversity through collections-based research, education,
outreach, and exhibits. As Vancouver’s natural history museum, we work to
promote a greater sense of collective responsibility for the biodiversity of
British Columbia, Canada, and the world.” (Beaty Museum)
c. Themes: drama, change, heritage, conservation
d. Permanent Exhibits
i. Blue Whale Display
ii. Dinosaur Trackways
iii. Earth Timeline
e. Visit Cost: Adult- $14 & Child (5-12) - $10
f. Free Online Workshop: SEA/LIFE
i. https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~biodiv/sealife/
iii)
Simon Fraser University – Let’s Talk
Science SFU!
a. https://outreach.letstalkscience.ca/sfu
b. Contact:
outreach@letstalkscience.ca
c. Free hands- on workshops available to visit your
classroom or for a fieldtrip up to SFU.
d. DNA
Biotechnology - Explore genetics!
Activities include DNA 101, DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. (Let’s Talk
Science)
iv)
Urban Safari Rescue Society
a. https://urbansafari.ca/education/school-presentations/
b. An
hour long in person presentation which aligns with the curriculum. Offers a
unique education opportunity for students of all ages.
c. “We
have been teaching children for many years about the natural world and the vast
biodiversity of our plant in an hour long in person presentation. We bring 15 to 17 different animals and cover all
animal families in each presentation, except birds and fish“ (Urban Safari)
d. Cost:
$240 + 5% tax (can fit up to 3 class) or $200 + 5% tax per presentation
v)
Donna Morgan
a. The math and science consultant for Burnaby Schools and available
for workshops.
b. Contact
information: donna.morgan@burnabyschools.ca
c. http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/science/
Resources
i)
Internal
- Informational Resources:
-
We are the Earth – David Suzuki
-
Evolution Revolution - DK (2 copies)
-
How have Animals Evolved and Adapted –
Jennifer A. Swanson
-
Darwin and Evolution for Kids – Kristan
Lawson
-
Life on Earth - The Story of Evolution
–Steven Jenkins
-
Evolution – Daniel Loxton
-
Understanding Science & Nature :
Evolution of Life – Time Life
-
Evolution – DK
-
The Best Book of Early People – Margaret
Hynes
-
Early Peoples – DK
-
Prehistoric: The Rise of Humans – David
West
-
Life on Earth: The First Humans
-
The Human Story – Christopher Sloan
-
Early Life on Earth – Michael Bright
-
DNA Detective – Tanya Lloyd Kyi
-
Introduction to Genes & DNA – Usborn
ii)
Internal
- Picturebooks
- - One Day a Dot – Ian Lendler
-
-
Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story –
Lisa Westberg Peters
-
Grandmother Fish – Jonathan Tweet
- Evolution The Story of life on
Earth - Jay Hosler (Graphic Novel)
iii)
iii) External - District Library Resources
- All kits can be rented from the District Library for up to 28 days, extensions are also occasional available.
1
-
Due to lower prescribed grade level
might be a good set to use with ELL learners.
Great resource on Biodiversity which can be used with ELL learners, illustrations are vivid and information is interesting.
18 books are included in this resource.
Hands-on kit with 12 animal specimens, 1
poster and a teacher’s guide.
Includes 12 books & 1 magazine.
- Discuss: Evolution, Natural Selection, Group Selection
Video goes into depth about Fossils.
5 videos are included in this resources.
iv) External – Informational Websites
·
University of
California Museum of Paleontology: https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/teach/68lounge.php
o
Includes background
information for teachers as well as hands on or online activities for students
·
PBS Evolution http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/
o
Has a great section on evolution and religion if
this is something students struggle with
· HHMI
site on evolution: http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/evolution-collection
·
The Museum of Paleontology of The University of
California, Berkeley https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Learning.html
o
Although
an older resource (1996-2000) has a number of hands on activities to do with
geologic time scale and fossils
·
Tree
of Life - https://www.evogeneao.com/en
o
Great
visual that displays how life on Earth is all one big family
Analysis
The
teacher I am working with is a Grade 6/7 teacher who is in their third year.
This is a new unit for this teacher as this is their first time teaching this
grade and the teacher does not have much background knowledge on the topic of
evolution. The class of 26 students has 7 ELL learners, with two of these
students being ELL level 1. The goal of this unit is to teach students about
how the earth has changed over geologic time and how this has influenced
animals. To help the teacher, I would complete a reference interview and see
which resources she would like for me to pull since there are several topics in
evolution such as natural selection, fossils, geologic time, mutations, etc. If
the teacher wishes to focus on some topics and not others, I will pull more
resources on those topics. As the teacher’s goal is to create a unit that can help
students continue to develop their non-fiction reading skills, the unit will
primarily consist of non-fiction reading material. I have included some
recommendations for picture books and a graphic novel as I think these help to
create a great hook for a lesson. Due to the high ELL population at
Chaffey-Burke and often times overly technical science vocabulary I find
picture books a great way to make material accessible for all learners. Marcia
Mardis states that “As part of those programs, all students need access to
current, quality, high interest, and extensive collections”(35). Our goal is to
provide a setting where students “can develop essential information skills:
being able to locate, evaluate, organize, use, and create information” (35).
While working with these students it will be essential to teach them how to
look through both physical and electronic resources. Since the library is
utilized in weekly blocks that are booked for classroom use and book exchange
time it will be necessary to make arrangements with the classroom teacher to
have students come in for lessons surrounding locating resources. There are a
number of non-fiction resources in the Chaffey-Burke library on all kinds of
animals such as mammals, insects, reptiles, fish and etc. This will allow
students to choose a topic that fits their interest and thus “demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a
scientific topic or problem of personal interest” (B.C. Curriculum).
Reference:
B.C. Education System.
“Chaffey-Burke Elementary: Contextual Information.” B.C. Education System
Performance - Chaffey-Burke Elementary: Contextual Information, 30 Sept.
2020, studentsuccess.gov.bc.ca/school/04141023/report/contextual-information.
Beaty Museum. “About.” Beaty
Biodiversity Museum - Visitor Guide,
www.zoology.ubc.ca/~biodiv/visitor/about.html.
Building Student
Success – B.C. Curriculum, B.C. Curriculum,
2021, https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/7/core.
City of Burnaby. “About Burnaby.”
Population & Quick Stats, 2016,
www.burnaby.ca/about-burnaby/about/population---quick-stats.html.
Mardis, Marcia. The Collection
Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices, 6th Edition (Library and
Information Science Text) (p. 35). ABC-CLIO. Kindle Edition.
Simon Fraser University. “Virtual
Outreach.” Let's Talk Science Outreach, outreach.letstalkscience.ca/sfu.
Urban Safari. Live Animal - Educational,
urbansafari.ca/education/school-presentations/.
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