The Blakeburn Community has been working with the book "The 6 Cedars" for the last two years.
What lessons can we learn from our Pacific Northwest Coast animals? This is the question Eagle explores as he settles in a tall grove of cedar trees nestled in the corner of a school playground. The Six Cedar Trees allows readers to understand the characteristics and habits of six Pacific Northwest Coast animals and how these animals can help them develop a deeper understanding of themselves.
The extrnsive work we have done with our students is illustrated in the words of one of our students, Laine Relkie, when her class was asked the question “Today, if I could become one of the 6 Cedar Animals, it would be ______ because….” Her answer exemplifies the ownership that we are trying to have students have of their learning and who they are as a person.
“Today, if I could become 1 of the 6 Animals, it would be none of them because I like how I am. I am my own cedar animal. I am a bit of all of them. I love to talk like wolf. I always think outside of the box like raven. I always look at a problem and try to find the positives like salmon. When I am feeling down, I always know how to cheer myself up like bear. Whenever I can I try to make the world a better place like beaver. I always follow the rules and listen to what I can do like orca. I am not just one cedar animal I am unique I am brave I am all the I could ask for I am perfect to me in my own way. I am all the 6 cedar animals and more.” Laine Relkie 2020
