own creations. I teach in Brampton, a com- munity where many families are first- or sec- ond-generation immigrants who speak more than one language at home and have their own rich culture to draw from. I encour- aged students to share their own messages in the language they chose. Working closely with the ESL educator in my school, I have learned the importance of “translanguaging,” so I try as much as possible to find openings for students’ home languages. I encouraged students to write songs from
the heart, with no rules about time signa- tures, rhyming words or notating rhythms and pitch. I encouraged them to write and sing from their heart with no barriers. As the students worked on their songs, an incredible and unexpected thing happened: Tey made connections to practices of honouring and caring for the water from their own cultures. Students talked to their families about their songs, and their grandmothers and aunties shared their own practices around water.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS TO GROW WORLD WATER DAY
Strong relationships with my administration, classroom and support teachers have been key to whole-school success. At Cherrytree, I am grateful to the administrators who have trusted my vision, classroom teachers who have shiſted their planning time around World Water Day and our outdoor adven- ture days. I’m especially grateful to my teaching
partner, Staci Dhillon, the physical educa- tion teacher who opened up her program- ming to include Land-based learning. My daily schedule wouldn’t allow all students to sing and visit the water in one day, however our strong partnership allowed Staci and me to buddy up our classes so that all 13 of our grade 1 to 5 classes were able to sing to the water on World Water Day. Te Songs for the Water activity that we
began on World Water Day in 2022 has led to monthly Land-based learning for all students in grades 1 to 5. Staci and I plan these days to help students get to know our plant and animal relatives and create more connections to the water. One activity we continue to build on is
plant journals. On our walks, students choose one tree or plant, identify it and then learn about it independently. Tey make a sketch and present it to the class. Te aim is for us
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