Little Mountain Learning Academy

Learn about local birds this month at Beaty Biodiversity Museum located at UBC! The exhibit includes hands-on activities for children, interactive displays, story time, and puppet shows. For more information, visit: http://www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/ 

The Vancouver Photo Challenge

Who was this man?

This is a statue of a very famous person. He gave his name to a sport trophy and a park. His statue welcomes you to his park.

Find the statue and the name of the famous person. Be sure to take a picture of yourself with the statue! Send a copy of the picture and the name of the famous person to: info@lmacademics.com.

The students with the correct answer and a picture will be entered into a draw for a prize!

by Nicole

“Literacy is about more than reading and writing – it is about how we communicate in society. It is about social practices and relationships, about knowledge, language and culture. Literacy … finds its place in our lives alongside other ways of communicating. Indeed, literacy itself takes many forms: on paper, on the computer screen, on TV, on posters and signs. Those who use literacy take it for granted – but those who cannot use it are excluded from much communication in today’s world. Indeed, it is the excluded who can best appreciate the notion of ‘literacy as freedom’”.

(UNESCO, Statement for the United Nations Literacy Decade, 2003–2012)

In the last stretch of a decade dedicated to literacy, it is important to reflect upon our expectations of the role of literacy. Traditionally, literacy was limited to a focus on reading and writing, but the times they are a-changin’, as are our perceptions of its purpose. Today we recognize that literacy is a tool that enables students to read, write, speak, listen, view, represent and think critically about all subject matters, empowering youth to be active citizens and agents of change.

Little Mountain reflects this progressive notion of literacy within the walls of each classroom, with a goal of fostering confidence, growth and inspiring responsible participation in society.  Critical literacy is crucial for today’s youth, as they are growing up in a world whose politics and daily affairs are dominated by media persuasion. In Media and Current Events class, students have been studying and analyzing both the reliability of media and the power of youth to influence change. When asked if it is important for youth to take action and speak out publicly about problems they see in the world, students offered the following responses:

“Yes, it is important. Young people are the next generation of the world.” – Ivan Song

“Yes, it is the government’s duty to protect it [the world] and they did not do a good job, so we have to fix it. We have to demand the government to take action.” – Jonathan Song

By exposing today’s youth to critical literacy, we can empower students with the skills, knowledge and drive to shape an equitable and just world.

Book Suggestion: Notes from Canada’s Young Activists:  A Generation Stands Up for Change

Interested in learning more about our natural world? Well, why not consider UTOWN@UBC Nature Club. On the last Saturday of each month, children and parents alike learn new skills through interactive hands-on activities. Subjects of learning are Birds, Bugs, Plants and Mammals. Best of all, its free for campus residents. To find out more, visit: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/utown.

How Big is Your Footprint?

by Nicole

Education is about exploring and connecting to the world that we live in through a multitude of subjects and new concepts. What better way to explore our world than to look directly at our surrounding environment? The importance of understanding environmental issues as they relate to day-to-day life has become increasingly urgent. With climate change being one of the biggest concerns of our lifetime, it is important to know how we personally impact the planet and what steps we can take to improve.

In presentation class, we took our first steps toward becoming environmental stewards by studying and presenting our thoughts on our personal carbon footprints. A carbon footprint is the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual. Carbon footprints are calculated by analyzing day-to-day activities that result in GHG emissions.  As stated by Leo Ko, “it is important to calculate our carbon footprints so that we can know how much we are destroying our planet.” As a result of their research, Leo Ko, Ivan Song, Jonathan Song and James Tan have the following tips to keep our carbon footprints down:

-Unplug plugs when they are not being used

-Walk rather than driving

-Turn the lights off when you leave the room

-Decrease your shower time

If you’d like to calculate your own carbon footprint, visit: http://calc.zerofootprint.net/youth/

Be sure to let us know what lifestyle changes you will make in order to reduce your carbon footprint!