Ecole K.B. Woodward 24-25

Each and every day, among the variety of learning experiences presented to our learners, our team of educators focus on building strong literacy foundations that are fundamental for students participating in today's world. 

Our focus has been grounded in the Curricular Competency: Create and Communicate (writing, speaking, representing) with a primary cohort.  

At KB Woodward, we are grounding our work in the following Big Ideas:

• Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world
• Stories connect us to ourselves, our families, and our communities
• Everyone has a unique story to share

Specifically, we are focusing on these two curricular conpetencies: 

• Exploring oral storytelling processes 
• Exchanging ideas and perspectives 

We are using these two curricular competencies as a way of fostering our sense of belonging and connectedness. 

Student learning evidence is gathered in a variety of ways. For example,  in one method, students were asked to engage in conversations about the collective story, Be A Good Ancestor.  This story was read orally across the cohort. 

An example of how students are engaging in oral storytelling processes

Another evidence of learning is how this student was able to communicate their own understandings of Be A Good Ancestor  with their teacher. The student is invited to connect their own personal story to their understandings of the book. 

Sharing our stories through the heartbeat of the drum

This year, we used our our weekly drumming sessions as a way of sharing our oral traditions and story. These drumming sessions captured our large student body and invited all to share in the collective heartbeat. Many of the songs that are played in the drumming sessions have been gifted. 

At the beginning of each drumming song, a student drum leader shares the story of the song orally with the collective. We hear the history and legacy of the song and how it was passed on, or gifted, to our KB community. 

For example, at the drumming sessions, we often hear the story of the Water Song. The Water Song was gifted to the KB Community by Lorenda McKay of the Laxgalts'ap Nation, who is the grandmother of a current student at KB Woodward. As we listen to the stories of the drum, we feel connected to each other and to the land.

Students, staff, and our parent community who attend the drumming sessions listen attentively as these oral storytelling processes are exchanged which include: 

• stories from the Indigenous community are only shared with permission
• when stories are being exchanged by the speaker, the circle listens by holding the drum to the chest. 

Reflections from a staff member at École KB Woodward:

The drum is the heartbeat of the people and the land

In the words of Chief Marilyn Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation, “We take pride in our community and in our past. For our Elders to witness what has come alive in our community – our language, our culture, our drumming as medicine and prayer – is a beautiful thing” (We Are Kwantlen, p. 241). 

Direct evidence of student learning from the cohort in relation to the identified literacy goals (create and communicate: writing, speaking, representing) can be found in the summative analysis of the proficiency scale.

Create and communicate (writing, speaking, representing).

Analysis of Data: 

Cohort teachers evaluated how their students were doing in the Curriculum Competency of Create and Communicate (writing, speaking, representing). This data was taken from two formal reporting terms (October and May).

Specifically, this data indicates evidence of student performance on activities related to:

• Exploring oral storytelling processes
• Exchanging ideas and perspectives
  • Engaging in conversation with peers and adults
  • Taking turns and offering ideas

This graph indicates that based on teacher reflection at the conclusion of the period in which concepts were presented, practiced, and reviewed, 30% of the students in the cohort were able to show a proficient level of understanding of the competencies relevant t to the Curriculum Competency (writing, speaking, representing). With 65% of students still requiring support, this will remain an area of ongoing focus and priority.

Early in the school year, students in the cohort were ‘emerging’ in their ability to exchange ideas and perspectives and sharing stories with others with clarity.

Throughout the year, a variety of supports and interventions were implemented. These included: direct teaching of how to take turns and exchange ideas and perspectives, conferencing between teacher and student, side by side instruction, morning meetings that allow students to share their stories.

As a result of these literary interventions, all students moved along the proficiency scale to reach a ‘developing’ level. In our work forward, we will strive to move learners along the proficiency scale usisng targeted interventions.

We recognize the importance of building literacy skills through valuable experiences that foster a sense of belonging and connectedness.

A window into a student learning experience

As we began this work, we identified a student in the cohort who struggled with their sense of belonging at school. The student often disengaged from learning environments and was not able to focus on taking turns with others, listening and speaking with peers, and was not open to the the literacy interventions in the class environment.

Evidence for this student’s lack of sense of belonging was the student’s consistent struggles on the playground at recess and lunch to interact with peers and exchange ideas in positive ways.

The student began attending the drumming sessions with their class twice a week and was observed engaging in the sharing in the oral traditions and storytelling with family members, peers and elders. With direct interventions and support, this student was able to move from the emerging proficiency scale to developing in some areas of this curricular comptencies. The student showed an increase in their ability to exchange ideas and perspectives in a positive manner outside at recess and lunch with peers.

Moving Forward

Evidence of our students' learning demonstrates that our literacy focus is positively impacting our cohort of learners. When surveyed and asked to communicate their students' progress using the provincial assessment scale, teachers from the cohort indicated that all students are developing growth in relation to our two literacy goals: 

• Exchanging ideas and perspectives
• Exploring oral storytelling processes

As we progress with these literacy goals, we will go deeper into the following:

• Showing awareness of how story in First Peoples cultures connects to peoples to family and community. 
• Using personal experience and knowledge to connect to stories to make meaning 
• Sharing an original story with others 
• Exploring the relationships between oral storytelling and writing through story workshops

Further Explorations 

As a school community, we are committed to creating equitable, supportive and caring learning environments where all children and youth can thrive to reach their full potential. To this end, 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; reflecting and evaluating our plan; and using this feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning-we will support learners from our community in developing literacy proficiencies that cultivate a deeper sense of belonging and identity. 

Learning involves patience and time and requires exploration of one‘s identity. These powerful visuals are displayed for all to see. 

Always a Wildcat.