Last Unit of the Year!

Hello Everyone,

While we still have some odds and ends we are finishing from the last unit, including our mathematics on financial literacy, we are ready to move on to a new unit. Here are the details, and we started off with a bang this week by having Andrew from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Vancouver Chapter come and present about astronomy, stars, and more! You can find out about events they have at SFU Starry nights and more by visiting their website. Everyone had some great questions, and he really enjoyed his visit!

ART AND SCIENCE….

Unit Focus Statement: Humans use their senses, creativity, and the arts to observe and explain the natural world.

Key Concepts: Connection (Relationships), Patterns, Order vs Chaos

An Inquiry Into:

  • Oral and written storytelling
  • How the arts are used to explain our world
  • How we would survive in space
  • The relationship between the moon, sun, Earth, tides, seasons, and time
  • Forces and mathematics behind rockets
  • Our senses and how they are used to make observations
  • French pronunciation through basic poetry

Activities Coming Up:

  • Finishing first draft of our Superheroes stories/essays for review by Ms. D and then revising them over the next two weeks
  • Reviewing for a Math Quiz Friday, May 11th, on decimals, multiplication, percentages, finding the best deal.
  • Creating our banner for the musical performance, as well as flowers for decoration as part of the set in the gym.
  • Looking at creation stories from First Nations and cultures around the world
  • Discussing what we would need to survive in space and making a prototype of a spaceship using a wide variety of tools and materials with our visiting Applied Design consultant, Mr. McKillop, on June 13th
  • Creating paper rockets and shooting them up into the air with an air compressor!
  • You Do the Math: Rockets with a variety of math concepts around rockets, along with some additional material on rocket trajectory
  • Creating Science poetry and talking about literary devices
  • Creating a multi-media canvas to talk about a scientific concept
  • If time: Creating mini reader’s theatre scripts on science concepts or from science-related stories and picture books

Important Dates: Early Dismissal/No School in RED

  • Musical on May 16th at 7:00 PM, arrival time 6:30 PM — notice coming with two tickets per family
  • Victoria Day May 21st no school
  • Dragon Boating May 23, May 28, and June 1 in the morning.
  • Early Dismissal 2PM on June 1st
  • Pro-D on June 4th, no School
  • Volunteer Tea for Parents June 6th 2PM — invite to come soon
  • Sports Day June 15th with a buddy class! Early dismissal at 1PM.
  • Possible End of Year activity on June 19th, TBD.
  • Independent Project. Research, notes, and bibliography due June 11th. Presentation on June 22nd 12-2:30 PM.
  • Recognition Assembly on June 25th, Monday
  • Last day 9-10 AM on June 29th, Report Cards Distributed (they will not be ready to give out until then due to our report card review process)

Looking forward to our last seven weeks together!

Ms. D

Literature Circle Project

Literature Circle Project Guidelines!

To practice the core competencies of critical thinking and communication, and to deepen our reading comprehension skills, we will be doing a Literature Circle Project over the next five weeks.

Each student has been placed in a group with a different book to read. Everyone had their choice from 15 different books Ms. D provided.

What do students have to do?

We will have five meetings with our literature circle groups. For each meeting, students need to prepare the handout for their specific role related to looking closely at their book. The roles are based on the Reading Power model and include:

  • Connect — Finding connections between what you read and real life
  • Question — Leading the group discussion with questions
  • Visualize — Drawing and talking about images we make in our head while reading
  • Infer — Looking between the lines at the message behind the book
  • Transform — Identifying how our thinking changes as we read

Ms. D will circulate during literature circle meetings and provide a check plus, check, or check minus to indicate the level of participation and preparation. After the meeting, students need to turn in their work from their role on a lined piece of paper.

Here are our books based on student selection and interest:

  • Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
  • The Hero by Ron Woods
  • Safe as Houses by Eric Walters
  • Sketco the Raven by Robert Ayre
  • Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
  • Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz
  • Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass 

Our first meeting will be on Wednesday, May 9th. We will generally meet on Wednesdays, but we will need some flexibility given other events at school. Reading time will be mainly in class; however, I will be signing out books as needed if anyone needs extra time.

When we are finished, each student will make something to recommend or not recommend their book to others. Choices include:

  • short written recommendation for posting on the blog
  • short oral presentation for sharing in class
  • short electronic presentation using Book Creator, Puppet Pals, PowerPoint, etc.

Happy Reading!

 

Independent Project Guidelines

Hello all!

Here are some guidelines for our INDEPENDENT PROJECT!

The steps in our inquiry process are:

  1. Choose a topic of passion and narrow it down enough so you can finish it within this timeframe.
  2. Do some general research in that area to become more familiar with the topic.
  3. Create some questions to start (minimum 8), using our wonderings wall as a guide.
  4. Do some more research, taking care to record any websites, books, people, or resources used, and take notes on paper or in Google Docs.
  5. Think about: Why is the knowledge you are learning important? Find a way for those visiting you to make a CONNECTION to what you have studied. Find RELATIONSHIPS between your topic and other important things we need to know and do in our world. This will be the glue between all of our different topics.
  6. Find an interesting way to present your information.
  7. Present your project to the public on June 22nd Friday 12-2:30 PM.

Here is a Question and Answer Document about the project!

Q:  What are the minimum requirements for this project in terms of marks?

A:  You need to complete a presentation, have a formal bibliography typed and printed, turn in your notes to Ms. D on Google Drive, and use a variety of resources to find your information. A rubric will be provided for guidance.

Q:  How many resources do you need to use?

A:   You can use as many resources as you need to answer your questions and to show some depth of research. This probably means going beyond five resources.

Q:   What kind of resources do you need to use?

A:   Use a variety of resource types: At least one encyclopaedia, one book, websites, and primary research.

Q:  What is primary research?

A:  Primary research can mean doing an experiment and recording the results, conducting an interview with an expert, visiting a location and recording notes from the experience, or doing observations of something and recording them in your notes. Primary research is first-hand, straight from the source knowledge; Secondary research is from books, internet websites, and written resources where another person did the research, gathered it together, and published it for you to read.

Q:  What kind of presentation can I do?

A:  Try to think of something unique and original! This is not a Science Fair and I am going to ask you to avoid just having a trifold. We will brainstorm in class, but past projects have involved: booklets, comics, models, dioramas, taste tests, handouts, activities for visitors to do, posters, PowerPoints, Puppet Pals, Prezis, puppet shows, poetry, paintings, art, etc. It doesn’t have to be something that has a ton of writing on it. For example, you can talk about your topic as people are looking at something you have made, and you can write down talking points for yourself on cards.

Q:  What if I am having trouble finding resources?

A:   Make sure to talk with Ms. D. Also, please visit your public library for additional resources. We have some resources here in class, Ms. Ho from our library has put out requests to other schools for books on your topics, Ms. D has sent out email to our school community and parents asking for mentors and help, and Ms. D will be gathering some websites to post on the blog to help if needed.

Q:  When is all of this due?

A:  The bibliography and notes are due June 11th. Your presentation piece is due June 20th end of day so we can trouble shoot any issues prior to the actual presentation day.

Q:  Will I have technology to be able to present my project?

A: Yes, if you need a laptop or iPad on the day of the presentation, then you can sign up to use one and have it at your station on the presentation day.

I will add questions as they come up!

Independent Project Mentors??

If anyone knows of a person who has knowledge in one of these independent project areas, please let us know! The students would benefit from having an interview with anyone who specializes in an area related to their topic. I have listed ideas for the types of people (career areas) who might be able to help in parentheses. THANK YOU for your help making connections for us in advance!

Anita –  How plants defend themselves  (botanist, florist, gardener)

Anisha – Difference between eyesight and vision  (optometrist)

Amy – Clivia Flower (botanist, gardener, florist)

Aaron – Lasers (engineer, someone working in physics, design)

Brian – Venus Flytrap (Mandeville/gardener, florist, botanist)

Braden – Clouds (meteorologist, scientist, weather person)

Dennis  – Java/Javascript (computer engineer, coder, software developer)

Emily – Killer Whales (Vancouver Aquarium, biologists)

Edwin – Plankton (Vancouver Aquarium, biologists)

Isaac – Electricity (Electrician, Electrical Engineer, Engineer)

James – Artificial Intelligence (Engineer, Computer Engineer, Coder, Software Developer)

Jessie – Dark Matter  (Physics professor/teacher, astronomer)

Joy – Sense of Touch (Doctor, Biologist, Neurologist, Dermatologist)

Linden – Pathogens (Doctor, Biochemist, Microbiologist)

Matthew – Newspapers (Reporter, Writer, Publisher)

Michelle – Author Erin Hunter (author, librarian, KidsBooks)

Patricia – Humanoid robots (Engineer, Software Developer, Professor)

Pranav – Extraterrestrials/UFOs  (Astronomer)

Sherman – Dyslexia  (psychologist, eye doctor, special education teacher)

Sarah – Incan civilization (professor, Museum of Anthropology)

Steven – Bottle-Nosed Dolphin (Vancouver Aquarium, Biologists)

Toro – Magic (Magician, Illusionist)

Vaughn – Neutron Star (astronomer)

 

Great Job on MACC Mall!

Hello Everyone!

Great job completing our MACC Mall simulation! I know the people who visited enjoyed buying your products, and I hope the process was fun for you all.

Now, in order to receive a final mark for your efforts, I would like you to complete a written reflection on the process. We started doing this today in class in our journals. Reflections will be due, typed, next week by Friday. They should have detail to show your learning. In your reflection, answer the following questions:

  1. What did you enjoy about the MALL?
  2. What would you do differently next time?
  3. How was the MALL like real life?
  4. What core competencies (communication, creative thinking, critical thinking, positive personal and cultural identity) do you think were used in this activity? How did you use them? Be specific and give examples.
  5. What other skills and knowledge do you think you need to run a business?
  6. Anything else you would like to share? What did you learn throughout the process?

In addition to a reflection, please complete your excel budget document showing your profit made from the experience.

Next Monday May 7th, we will have a unit quiz to finish our needs and wants unit. We will also have a math quiz on Wednesday next week on math skills discussed around money and financial literacy. So, stay tuned for some more review and practice Wednesday-Thursday.

This Wednesday May 2nd, we will attend a product mall from other intermediate classes. Please bring real money if you wish to buy anything.

This Thursday May 3rd, we will have a visit from the Royal Astronomical Society of Vancouver, Canada. In connection with our next unit, he will talk about stars, the sun, the moon, and more about space! Please bring questions you have in mind. I look forward to hearing from him, and he is going to teach us about a program you can use online to explore constellations. You may also be interested in their upcoming event on May 12th, the SFU Science Rendezvous and International Astronomy Day which has lots of activities for kids.

We are currently writing stories and essays about elements! Students have the choice to write a 5 paragraph essay about the uses of an element of their choice from the periodic table OR to write a creative story about their periodic table element superhero! We have had some time to write in class already. At this point, if you are doing an essay, you likely have your basic research and thesis statement done. If you are doing a creative story, you may have completed your beginning section talking about characters and the setting. Please do space between lines so I have some room to give you feedback, so that you can go back and make it a stronger piece of writing. Rough Drafts are due next week, and we will work on perfecting these stories during our last term together. Our hope is to share them in a book you can take home AND that we can share with the other MACC class at Cap Hill.

We have begun working on our independent projects, as well! Everyone has a topic, which I will post shortly so we can check to see if anyone in our community has expertise to offer as students are doing research. I have already posted the topics in our teacher community to see who might be able to help.

Please save the dates:

  • May 2 – Caribou Test
  • May 12 – Walking Event (more info to follow, optional event)
  • May 16 – Gauss and Abel Math Competitions, Dress Rehearsal for Musical
  • May 16 — We perform in the musical at night! Notice and tickets to come soon.
  • May 21 — Victoria Day
  • May 23 — Dragon Boating, AM
  • May 28 — Dragon Boating, AM
  • June 1 — Dragon Boating, AM
  • June 4 — Pro-D Day
  • June 13 — Be here for a cool applied design and maker project day!
  • June 15 – Sports Day
  • June 19 — Save the date, potential end of year park trip
  • June 22 — 12:00 – 2:30 Independent Project Presentations in Class
  • June 25 – Recognition Assembly
  • June 27 – Grade 7 Leaving Ceremony
  • June 28 – Last Day, 9-10AM only, Report Cards Home

Update April 17th, Tuesday

Hello Everyone!

Here are a few updates of what is going on in class!

Economics and Finances!

We are learning all about how to make a budget and live in the real world! Each student has been assigned a job with a salary. They learned very quickly that the government takes its share through taxes to pay for the many services we enjoy. Everyone recorded their debits and credits in a cheque register, to keep track of their personal budgets. Each day counts as another week’s salary! And each day, students draw from the situation box, as in real life financial situations come up by surprise, both good and bad.

Yesterday, we talked about inflation, and today we related it to the housing situation in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Everyone investigated places to live. We talked about mortgages and loans, and most students realized quickly the best idea, if you didn’t have a lot of money to make a down payment, was to rent. So, hopefully everyone chose a rental nearby, taking into mind its proximity to public transit, the monthly rent, furnished or unfurnished, etc. Then everyone recorded their first month’s rent.

In general, there has been a lot of complaining about having to spend so much money to live, and we haven’t even really looked at food, utilities, and transportation costs! Whew! Life is expensive! Tomorrow we will discuss buying a car or taking transit.

In connection with this discussion, we are learning mathematics related to percentages, decimals, multiplication, division, and ratios. 

EXCEL:

Ms. D shared with everyone a sample EXCEL budget she uses to keep track of her funds for teaching the program, and the class discussed how to merge cells, use formatting features, and put in a basic formula for either addition or subtraction. It is not required, but if anyone wants to spend 15-30 minutes maximum looking at excel tutorials, search on YouTube — “Excel beginning tutorials” or “Excel for Kids.” We will continue this work on Thursday.

MACC MALL:

The hope is to use our financial information, budget skills, critical thinking, and EXCEL to create a produce and sell it at the MACC MALL! So far, students have been asked to think of a small product they could make.

  • Each person will receive $100 in start up funds.
  • To make the product, they will need to pay for supplies, with prices being set by the MS. D BANK.
  • NO SUPPLIES CAN OR SHOULD BE PURCHASED FOR THIS PROJECT.
  • The only type of supply that is free is CARDBOARD and RECYCLABLES, which have to be approved by Ms. D and can be brought from home.
  • All labour on the product must be done at school. If anything comes from home already made, a labour fee will be charged.
  • A $5 patent fee will be charged. Each student needs to fill out a patent application. One way to save money and have more funds is to combine efforts with another student!
  • A business license will be required for $2.
  • A safety inspection of products is required for $4. 
  • A rental fee will be charged for the space at MACC MALL (which will be given a better name soon).
  • The use of scissors, markers, rulers, pencils, fine liners, coloured pencils, pencil sharpeners, hole punch, and regular glue sticks is free.
  • The use of paper, hot glue sticks, popsicle sticks, yarn, specialty tubes, masking tape, duct tape, safety pins, thread, felt, sequins, rubber bands, clips, and the many other materials that Ms. D will have available in class all have a per item use fee, which will be posted clearly.
  • Advertising posters are $2 each, or $5 for one large one.
  • All expenses need to be documented carefully in an EXCEL document which will be turned in to show if you made a profit or not.
  • Drawings showing your applied design process and the patent application also need to be turned in.
  • A rubric for performance will be provided in class and discussed.

WALKING!

Great job so far walking! We have 90 minutes and we will keep going on this tomorrow! Remember the wrap up day is May 12th.

DRAGON BOATING!

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to drive for dragon boating. It looks like we have enough drivers. If you are driving the school needs a driver form on file, so I have sent one home with students. If you are participating as an adult, please just fill out another copy of the student waiver form, as that will be fine. I will be in touch with everyone who volunteered to drive or participate later this week.

LANGUAGE ARTS, SOCIALS & SCIENCE:

Skills in these three areas will be intertwined into our MACC MALL project, but we also have a few other things we are working on.

Everyone designed a superhero related to the periodic table of elements. These are now overdue, so please finish them up and bring them in! We will be writing a short description of each superhero and its powers related to our research. Thank you for your great creativity!

We will be doing some discussion about government and resources, hopefully talking a little about what is going on with the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

We are also prepped to do our crystal experiment and all the jars are ready to be filled up with solution tomorrow! I look forward to seeing the Borax crystals.

A question for everyone: Why is it important to know the qualities of rocks and minerals? How does this scientific knowledge help us?

CARING COMPETITION and STAMPS:

As a reminder, we are doing daily stamps on the agenda (unless Ms. D is not here). The students choose which stamp to put on, not Ms. D. This is about self-reflection on our day, and I encourage everyone to discuss how the day went according to the stamp. What could you do to get the next level stamp? How do you know when you had a good day? 

We are going to be having a bit of a CARING competition in class, which will be conducted weekly. Ms. D will explain tomorrow in class, but I hope it will be a fun way to notice how we are being caring to one another!

Have a good night!

Ms. D

 

Photos: Science Games, Labs, Dendrochronology, and Walking!

Science Games!
While we did a formal congratulations to the Science Games team at school for placing SILVER 2nd place at the Science Games before Spring Break, I want to extend Braden, Brian, Sophia, Anisha, and Vaughn another big congrats for their work! They had to work together on several mystery challenges and prepare a catapult to launch rescue materials in an earthquake disaster simulation. Here are a few pictures to enjoy.

  

We recently did a TRADE SIMULATION, ROCK CLASSIFICATION LAB, and DENDROCHRONOLOGY UBC PRESENTATION as described recently on the blog! Here are a few pictures and we will have more at the Student Led Conferences:

 

AND TODAY….we started our WALKING CHALLENGE! Congrats to Division 5 for doing 30 minutes! More walking on Wednesday!

See you on April 11th for Student Led Conferences!

Making an Element Superhero!

Today we played a fun game to identify common elements from the periodic table! Scientists use their knowledge of element properties and characteristics to use elements in creative ways!

To further explore this, each student has chosen one element from the periodic table. They will research it a bit, using videos from TED Ed Periodic Table or other resources online.

Then, turn the element into a superhero or villain!! You need to think about your element as a person. What would it do with its superpowers based on the element’s characteristics? Here are the questions you should try to answer as you research:

  • Will your element be a superhero or a villain? (or both?)
  • What is your character’s name? (doesn’t need to be the element, but should probably have part of it in the name)
  • What is the symbol for your element?
  • What are eight characteristics and properties of your element?
  • How is the element used?
  • What powers does your character have? How did he/she get those powers?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of his/her powers based on the properties of the element?
  • What does the character look like? (doesn’t have to take a human form, but it can)
  • How old is he/she?
  • Where does your hero live? Do they have a hideout?
  • Do they have an arch nemesis?
  • What additional elements could combine with your hero to make them more powerful?

Find out information and the next step will be to design an actual superhero! I look forward to creating our own table of superhero and villain elements!

Have a good night,

Ms. D

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