Grade 5 and 6 Curriculum Connections
Heritage Fairs are fun to do, but, ultimately, we still have to connect what we do to the government curriculum. Donna Dawson, one of our committee members, has done much of that work by pulling together some of the curricular outcomes for Grade 5 and 6 English and Social Studies. Many of the broad themes apply from Grades 4-11, but the parts drawn from the ELA Draft Curriculum are specific to Grade 5 and 6.
When your students participate in a Heritage Fair, whether you are working to achieve curricular outcomes from the current SST and ELA curricula or working on phasing in the new ELA curriculum, their projects meet a wide variety of curricular connections. The comprehensive list for all current curricula can be found on the Red River Heritage website https://www.redriverheritage.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Teacher-Booklet-August-2012.pdf
Please find below the Grade 5 & 6 General Learning  Outcomes met for the current Social Studies, and ELA curricula:
Social Studies – Grades 4-11
- Identity, Culture, and Community
- The Land: Places and People
- Historical Connections
- Global Interdependence
- Power and Authority
- Economics and Resources
English Language Arts – Grades 4-11
GO#1 – Explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences
GO#2 – Comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, literary, and media texts
GO#3 – Manage Ideas and Information
GO#4 – Enhance the Clarity and Artistry of Communication
GO#5 – Celebrate and Build CommunityÂ
ELA Draft Curriculum 2017: (being phased-in by most school divisions):
Heritage Fair projects could be a part of rich learning experiences  and as such, there should be evidence of all four of the Practices as listed below. The four practices are interrelated and work in unison. Teachers are encouraged to aim for making sure there is evidence of learning in all four Practice areas.
- Language as Sense Making
- Language as System
- Language as Exploration and Design
- Language as Power and Agency
Some highlights from the Practices would include:
- using visual, multimedia, oral, and written communication competently, appropriately, and effectively for a range of purposes
- helping students know/co-construct what and why they are learning and doing something (e.g., big ideas, practices of ELA, essential or inquiry questions, points of progression and learning goals, exemplars)
- teaching and learning for “deep understanding†(including using questions for deeper understanding as a focus)
- making meaning of ideas or information received (when viewing, listening, and reading)
- creating meaning for themselves and others (when speaking, writing, and using other forms of representing)
- accessing, using, and drawing upon a variety of strategies depending upon the task and purpose, and having metacognitive conversations internally and with others
- engaging in inquiry learning
Manitoba Education and Training. (May, 2017). Draft English language arts document to support initial implementation. Retrieved from https://app.mapleforem.ca/en/groups/149/wiki/pages/1171