Dr. F.D. Sinclair Elementary 22-23

OUR CONTEXT

Dr. F.D. Sinclair Elementary School reflects our community, in which we recognize, honour, and celebrate our diversity. It is connected by multiple generations, including children, parents and grandparents. Our students thrive from opportunities to celebrate our cohesiveness; they are not only proud of their own identity, but also proud to be part of our community. We are a rich blend of multicultural learners. Other than English, Punjabi is the most common language spoken by Sinclair families. Other common languages include Hindi, Urdu, Pashto and other East-Asian languages. 

We respectfully acknowledge that our school resides on the traditional, unceded and shared territories of Coast Salish peoples. The Katzie, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo First Nation: the stewards of this land since time immemorial. We highlight this history knowing that relationships and partnerships based on respect with the Indigenous     peoples of this land are important for truth and reconciliation. 

Since the school opened in 1956, there has been a rich history of learning and opportunity at Dr. F.D. Sinclair. Our school values connected to literacy are based on respect, honour, courage, wisdom and strength which are derived from a Lakota story written by Kevin Locke called Dawn Flight. Our school mural, inspired by these values and created by Charlene Johnny, represent our appreciation for diversity. The mural features a traditional Coast Salish weaving blanket pattern with a mountain range representing our local environment and two eagles embodying the themes of family. The sun in our mural represents life force, positivity and knowledge and overall brightness that exists when families and people come together. 


Mural created by Coast Salish artist Charlene Johnny

Here at Dr. F.D. Sinclair, students have the opportunity to participate in First Peoples in Residence week, National Truth and Reconciliation Day, Black history Month, Pink Shirt Day, Random Acts of Kindness Week, and cultural celebrations such as Diwali, Eid, and Lunar New Year. These opportunities play a pivotal role in our students’ personal and social awareness. 

Students participated in Metis dot art, painted to resemble beadwork
Students participated in Metis dot art, painted to resemble beadwork

Students also have the opportunity to participate in the Reading Link Challenge, Seva library leadership (Seva is a Punjabi word for self-less service), and school-wide athletics. Our upper intermediate students also have the opportunity to participate in an additional Leadership Program. The four strands include Diversity Club, Spirit (School-Wide Events), Communication (Assemblies and Announcements), Environment (Gardening) and Big Buddies. 

environmental leadership teamThe environment leadership team led students in gardening.

We also embrace our partnership with Backpack Buddies, a program to provide students and families with food on the weekends until students are back at school. Additionally, Dr. F.D. Sinclair offers after school extra-curricular learning opportunities provided by community partners. This programming focuses on physical literacy, community action, and the Arts.



Sinclair students attended a powwow workshop with Cree dancer known as Notorious Cree

We also embrace our partnership with Backpack Buddies, a program to provide students and families with food on the weekends until students are back at school. Additionally, Dr. F.D. Sinclair offers after school extra-curricular learning opportunities provided by community partners. This programming focuses on physical literacy, community action, and the Arts.

OUR LEARNERS

Our school is home to over 400 culturally diverse students. Our students at Dr. F.D. Sinclair are eager to learn through literacy and integrated learning approaches (i.e., literacy, social studies, and Arts Education). According to Drake and Reid, “literacy, no longer confined to language arts, is taught across the curriculum. Connecting curriculum to the real world fosters greater use of non-fiction materials, encourages use of communication technology, and increases relevancy of reading and writing activities” (Drake & Reid, 2010).  

We also foster an environment that emphasizes Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL is the process that supports adults, youth, and children in developing skills that are necessary for school, work, and life. This includes self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationships skills, and social awareness. Social awareness through literacy is the area in which we are focusing on through our inquiry. 

CASEL Framework
Helps cultivate skills and environments that advance students’ learning and development.

Chart, diagram

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(CASEL, 2022)

Our goal focuses on the significance of literacy, an integrated learning approach and instilling social awareness for our learners. Our students display a genuine interest in literacy, sharing ideas and transforming their thinking through intentional sequences of learning. Literacy instruction allow students to learn how to seek out information, explore subjects in-depth and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. As well, our learners are intrigued by social awareness, which when integrated into learning, can contribute to the abilities of students to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. This matters to student learning as it empowers everyone the capacities to feel compassion for others and understand broader historical and social norms for behavior in different settings. 

Our learners can respond to text in personal, creative, and critical ways 
Core Competency: I can get new ideas or reinterpret others’ ideas in novel ways
Description: After completing their novel for book club, students represented their learning through an activity called Book in a Box. Students represented the themes from their novel through symbols. Students presented their Book in a Box in a gallery walk. During their presentation, students presented their ideas verbally when showcasing their item.  

Our learners can engage actively as listeners, viewers, and readers, as appropriate, to develop understanding of self, identity, and community 
Core Competency: In a safe and supported environment, I respond meaningfully to communication from peers and adults
Description: Each week, students in a primary classroom take turns reading aloud to their class. Students actively participate by listening to their peers read aloud while focusing on volume, pace, tone and articulation. After each read aloud, students participate in a discussion led by their teacher about the text. Because our school is focusing on taking others’ perspectives, primary teachers used texts that illuminate the theme of empathy and kindness.  

Our learners can apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and extend thinking
Core Competency: I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans.
Description: Over the year, students participated in a variety of reading and speaking activities to develop comprehension and thinking skills. Students placed a sticky note each time they used a reading strategy in order to make their learning visible.

OUR FOCUS

“Where will we concentrate our energies in order to make a big and lasting difference for our learners?” (Kaser & Halbert, 2017).  

 Every day in our school, learners are provided a variety of learning experiences. These experiences focus on thinking, reading, writing, and communicating through all curricular areas. Our overall focus is on building strong literacy foundations that we recognize are fundamental for students’ participation in our ever-changing world. 

To fully engage learners in the variety of learning experiences across all curricular areas, our students require reading skills to make meaning of text. To identify students’ overall strengths and areas for growth, we tracked social awareness through a balanced literacy program in three cohorts of learners across all grade levels. These cohorts included a diverse range of learners that are representative of our school’s population. 

Our student learning goals as they relate to literacy include: 

  • Use comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing to deepen understanding of text
  • Consider different perspectives in exploring texts 

We monitored three cohorts of students in relation to success in meeting the above goals developed by staff. Students learned through Instructional strategies such as photograph investigations, shared reading, small and large group text discussions.  

Our school community is using the following question to guide our inquiry: How will making connections between ideas from a variety of sources improve student ability to take others’ perspectives? 

Integrated Learning Rubric

The learning experiences below represent examples of assessment tasks that develop students’ ability to use connections and process new information. As well, these tasks engaged students in choice, high-interest activities, collaboration, and connect to the world around us. The purpose of these intentional sequences of learning is to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others through literacy. 

Intermediate in one cohort used picture books to identify different stakeholders and considering their perspectives. In some texts, stakeholders held similar perspectives. In other texts, stakeholders held different perspectives. After students learned to identify different stakeholders’ perspectives, students applied their skills to “Smoky Night” by Eve Bunting. Students were able to connect to previous texts that they read such as “Ghost Boy” by Jewell Parker Rhodes and real-world events involving Black history.  

 

Intermediate students in another cohort went to the Coquitlam Watershed to learn about concepts that can impact their lives, and the lives of others, today and for years to come. Students discovered the value of water as a resource, recognized their connection to it, and developed an understanding of the different stakeholders involved in using natural resources. As part of their learning, students engaged in texts surrounding natural resources. Students were able to connect their experience from the Coquitlam Watershed to the literature that they read in class.  

Primary students in a third cohort used picture books to understand different emotions. Students read several books that featured characters experiencing various emotions and participated in learning that helped them understand ways that they would experience the same emotions. Students made personal connections to the characters in the stories. When students increase their knowledge of emotions, they are able to understand the emotions of others and begin to understand that others may feel differently them themselves.

OUR NEXT STEPS

By way of assessment tasks and tools, it is confirmed, through the evidence provided by our cohort of students and reflected in the larger group of early intermediate students, that our literacy focus is encouragingly impacting learners.  

The teachers of the sample group used language directly connected to the Surrey School District’s proficiency scale and the Ministry of Education curriculum to identify successes. The teachers involved were pleased to identify that there was visible improvement for students in the cohorts in relation to the literacy and social awareness goals. These goals were identified as: 

  • Use comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading, listening, or viewing to deepen understanding of text 
  • Consider different purposes, audiences, and perspectives in exploring texts

As identified in the above rubric, the students progressed in both of the areas identified for assessment: connecting and perspective taking. Growth was demonstrated in our October to May results. For our goals, we saw a decrease in the percentage of students who are Emerging (-10%) and a decrease in those who are Developing (-10%). Similarly, we saw an increase in the percentage of students who are Proficient (+15%) and an increase in those who are Extending (+5%). More descriptive evidence of learning that is specific to our goal is highlighted below 

Throughout the year, students used reading strategies to demonstrate an ability to take others’ perspectives. Students were encouraged to use various texts, including fiction and non-fiction texts.  

Student learning evidence is gathered in a variety of ways. For example, in one method, the teacher, using the language of the assessment standards, identifies student strengths and challenges in relation to reading samples and provides comments. Student digital portfolios and self-reflections, as well as peer evaluations, also play a role in developing a holistic, authentic, and ongoing assessment process. A sample of these various methods are outlined below. 

In their work on "Smoky Nights " by Eve Bunting, 60% of students were able to use connection strategies to recognize the different stakeholders in the text and understand the different perspectives. There remains 40% of the cohort who require further support and instruction in this area. 

Based on teacher reflections at the conclusion of the period in which concepts were presented, practiced, and reviewed, 60% of the students in the cohort were able to use connecting and other reading strategies to understand others’ perspectives. With 40% of the students still requiring support in this skillset, this will remain an area of ongoing focus and priority. 

Moving Forward

 Evidence of our student learning and staff collaboration demonstrated that our focus on improving reading skills to provide more in-depth learning experiences to transform student thinking has proven beneficial. Our teachers tracked the progress of their students’ learning goals: 

  •  Making connections between ideas from a variety of sources 
  • Student ability to take others’ perspectives 

As a school community, we are committed to creating equitable, supportive, and caring learning environments where all children can thrive and reach their full potential. We will continue to monitor and adjust our student learning plan. By determining our progress; identifying what is working and what needs to be improved; evaluating the impact of our plan; and using this feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning – we will support learners in developing literacy proficiencies and social awareness that cultivate cognitive skills and understanding of others that prepare them for future success. An area that was identified as a stretch for our students was background knowledge. Moving forward, our students will begin to build their background knowledge and learn how to connect it to texts.

Surrey Schools

Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.

The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.

Surrey Schools
14033 - 92 Avenue Surrey,
British Columbia V3V 0B7
604-596-7733