Animal Migration Mini Project

In class, we have been studying migration of animals, including migration cues, and typical migration routes.

Each of you will choose one migratory animal to look at more closely.

You will use Book Creator on the iPads to make a short, creative book online to share your findings with us. This tool will give you one more option for presenting information as you think toward the end of the year and Independent Project.

While research can be done at home, the majority of the work on this project will be at school, so we need to use our time and project-management skills to stay on task during work periods!!

Step one: Do research on your animal and watch the Book Creator Tutorial on the iPads. Record your research using a T-Chart in your journal. See the questions below for what kinds of information you need to look for and share with us.

Step two: Make a storyboard of what you would like to share.

  • You can use your drawing book to make a layout of the pages you want to create in your Book Creator Book.
  • Your book can be about 10 pages — one page for a book cover, 8 pages of information and graphics, and one last page with a short bibliography of where your information came from.
  • Your book will need to have words and pictures to explain your animal and its migration.

Step three: Start making your pages using the Book Creator application on the iPads. If you are absent or know you will be away the next week, you can also create a free account at Bookcreator.com so you can work on your computer/laptop at home, or you can get the Book Creator application on a mobile device.

There may be a fee for the app on a mobile device, but using Book Creator on a laptop in a browser is free if you make an account with parent help. Talk to Ms. D if you have questions.

Step four:  Edit your book carefully by reviewing it yourself and asking a peer to look at it, as well.

Step five: Show your finished book to Ms. D — she will try to upload it to her shared library, or we can just view your book on the iPad. Our goal is to share these during our student led conferences in April.

As you research your migratory animal, please find out the answers to these questions:

  1. What is the name of your animal? Common name is fine.
  2. Where does your animal live? (Biome and habitat; specific location on map)
  3. What does your animal look like? What adaptations (features of its body) help it deal with the habitat and biome it lives in?
  4. Where does your animal travel to as it migrates?
  5. What is the migration route on a map? What biomes does it travel through?
  6. What does your animal need to survive? Food/habitat/conditions
  7. What cue causes your animal to migrate? What type of migration is it? (use the handouts from class if needed)
  8. How is your animal important to the ecosystems it lives in?
  9. Is your animal endangered and why? Are there any problems with human activity bothering the animal’s migration route?
  10. Any other really cool and interesting facts about your animal?

Criteria:

  • You are able to find specific migration information about your animal and to use the science vocabulary we have discussed to describe their migration.
  • You are able to create a clear presentation using a new digital tool, using simple graphics to communicate details about your animal.
  • You are able to use creative thinking and an organized layout as you design your presentation so your audience is engaged as they read the information.

Due Date:  April 16th at the latest, as we will present these during Student Led Conferences April 17 or 18.

Here are some websites on migratory animals you may find helpful or interesting! Many of these are on birds, but please see the Articles of Interest for other options, under the heading “Migration Unit.”

Earth Rangers Top Ten Most Amazing Animal Migrations

Nature Animal Migration

BBC Animal Migration Videos and Info

Cornell University Lab of Ornithology (study of birds — so any bird can be searched!)

NOVA Magnetic Field and Animal Migration

Scientific American Silent Skies: Billions of North American Birds Have Vanished

Audubon North America Has Lost More Than 1 in 4 Birds

Cornell Chronicle Nearly 30% of Birds in US Have Disappeared

Nature Canada How Climate Change is Impacting Birds

Mass Audubon Effects of Climate Change on Birds

Forbes Climate Change is Affecting Migration Timing of Birds

Cosmos Bird migratory patterns changing with climate

United Nations International Gathering on Birds to Discuss Migratory Species

Ted Ed Video on Bird Migration Dangers

Tiny House – Math, ADST, Identity Core Competency

Hello Everyone!

We started this project yesterday, and I passed out a packet to follow, but I wanted to put the details we have talked about down on the blog for parents to see, too.

We are building a TINY HOUSE MODEL as part of our combined MATH and ADST studies, and in connection with the IDENTITY core competency.

In class, we discussed tiny houses, looked at pictures, talked about why people build them, and considered different designs. Then, each person was given a planning packet to begin drafting their own tiny house scale model.

As part of math, we are using the TINY HOUSE to practice scale and proportionate thinking. We will also be practicing communication around area, perimeter, and measurement.

As part of IDENTITY, our concept of study for our recent unit, we are exploring what kind of personal space we would invent for ourselves. This will be a great communication of our personal preferences and needs, through the designing of a living space.

Finally, as part of ADST, we will practice creative-thinking and building using a variety of tools to produce a scale model, while using the design process of envisioning our idea, drafting a plan, making our model, revising it as we go, and presenting a final product.

Steps for Creating the Model:

  1. PLAN:  Read through the Tiny House Booklet and make a plan on the design page. Use the list of items on that page to help you think about what a tiny house needs. You are welcome to look at Tiny House ideas on the internet, as there are so many TV shows on YouTube about them!
  2. MAKE:  Ms. D will provide you with cardstock grid paper for the floor, roof, and walls of your tiny house. The building of our Tiny House will happen in class. You may use coloured pencils, markers, clear tape, glue, extra cardstock, pipe cleaners, and other building supplies to help create your space.
  3. BE AWARE OF SCALE: We discussed in class having an idea of how big your person is that is moving in the house. This will help you design things, so that your couch isn’t made for a giant! Also, we compared the grid squares to the size of our classroom, so that we would know how high to make doors and windows. Be aware that all of your items in the house need to “make sense” in terms of size and relationship to one another.
  4. CREATE 3D FURNITURE: Ms. D has a handout with sample furniture already on it, or you can create your own. Make the furniture, light fixtures, garden items, etc. as 3D as you can. You can draw some things on the walls, though, such as art or in-set shelves that are not sticking out into the space.
  5. BE CREATIVE:  Make sure you add colour! What does the outside look like? Will you have a roof patio? A garden? An interesting pathway? You decide!
  6. PRESENT:  When you finish, we will present to one another, sharing our creativity, in our TINY HOUSE TOWN! I will ask you to write about your design experience, as well as the math involved, in a final e-port reflection.

CRITERIA:

  • I can envision a creative tiny house space, including elements that represent my identity and personal preferences.
  • I can use the design process to draft ideas, build, revise, and produce a tiny house model.
  • I can work with alternative materials successfully to create a 3D model of a space.
  • I can use proportionate thinking to design a space that makes sense in terms of the related size of furniture, door, window, and other items.
  • I can use a grid plan, as well as a sense of area, to plan out a tiny house.
  • I can use design elements and creative thinking (colour, 3D construction, line, texture, interesting items included) to make an interesting and aesthetic house model.
  • I can explain the design process and my math thinking successfully through a written reflection.
  • I can use materials responsibly, not wasting cardstock and other classroom supplies as I build.

DUE DATE:  No later than April 17th, Wednesday morning

BUILDING HAPPENS IN CLASS — SO MS. D CAN SEE YOUR PROCESS. Thank you!!

E-Port Machines PowerPoint Reflection

Hello Everyone,

To save paper, please do your reflection on your Machines PowerPoint presentation on your e-portfolio. When you are done, I will post your mark and any feedback. Thank you!

Title:  Machines PowerPoint Reflection

Questions:

Please post a picture of the machine/innovation/technology you discussed.

What do you think you did well on the PowerPoint creation? What would you do for next time?

What do you think you did well on in terms of research? What would you do for next time?

How do you think you did on public speaking? What do you still want to work on?

E-Port Reifel Bird Sanctuary Visit

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary! If you were there, please do an e-port on our visit.

Title:  Reifel Bird Sanctuary Visit

Questions:

Please post a picture of your favourite bird from the visit. You can find pictures online. Perhaps use the Cornell Bird Website I suggested in another post, if you need it!

Please name as many birds as you can remember from the trip.

What was your favourite part of the trip and why?

What is taxonomy? The biologist Dani explained this in the museum. You can look it up if you need to.

What are zygodactyl feet (hint, from an owl)?

Which kind of owl did we see while we were there? Why are they hard to find?

What are coots like? What makes them unique?

What is a secondary cavity nester (hint:woodpecker and chickadee, and Dani showed us in the museum)?

Tell me three other things you learned while you were at the Sanctuary about birds and their habitat.

Indigenous Peoples of Burnaby, Learning More

Hello Everyone,

We have had great discussions to answer a big question: How did we all get here?

We looked at our own personal histories, to see how our families came to be in Canada. Then, we focused on the larger human migration story and how all humans traveled the Earth to settle in different areas over time. We also looked closely at the First Peoples of Canada, who have been here and continue to be here, since thousands of years before other immigrants arrived from around the world.

We discussed how there are three main groups of Indigenous Peoples of Canada, the Inuit, First Nations, and Metis. Then, we looked at the broader tapestry of groups throughout Canada. Each student helped with our understanding by reading about two First Nations groups and looking carefully at what they call themselves, how to pronounce it, what language they speak, and what they believe.

Before we move forward looking at the rest of our history, from European contact and beyond, let’s take a moment to honour, to acknowledge, and to learn about the First Nations groups of the Coast Salish Peoples who live and who have a long history on their unceded territories, in the land we know as Burnaby.

Each student will work in a small group to find out information on one of the four First Nations groups in Burnaby — the Musqueam, the Squamish, the Tsleil-Waututh, and the Kwikwetlem. Click on the links for each name to learn more.

They will find out:

  1.  How do we pronounce the group’s name and language? Teach us.
  2.  Where does this group live now, and where did they spend time in the past in relation to Burnaby?
  3.  What is the history of this group?
  4.  What is unique about this group that could be shared with everyone?

Then this is what we will do:

The sharing will be done in class. Each person in the collaborative team can help with a different part of the project.

Write the facts you would like to share on an index card. Then, practice with your group sharing these facts aloud.

After all the sharing is done, Ms. D will ask everyone in the class some questions based on the presentations in an e-port. So, it is important all students take notes will the sharing is going on, so they can answer the questions.

Through this, we will support our goals around reconciliation, learning more about the Indigenous history of our area, and making connection with the rich history that has existed on these territories for thousands of years.

I look forward to hearing your presentations! More on this in class, so everyone understands what they need to do. 🙂

Due Date for Presentations:  February 27th

Migration Story Monologue!

Hello Everyone,

In class, we created a timeline on the board of many events that brought people to Canada, going back to 14,000 – 75,000 years ago when First Peoples first came into Canada and going through history until now.

We asked the big question, “How did we get here?” To answer that, we discussed the many reasons people were drawn to Canada, such as searching for passage to other lands, seeking new resources and land, the fur trade, escaping war, creating the railway, the gold rush, and seeking new opportunities.

It is a complicated history! Even though Canada is a young country, we have a longer history of how we came to be here that ties in with our unit discussions about people’s need to explore. It also tells us a lot about the Canadian identity, as we have many groups of people who have come to Canada and contribute their cultures to the country we live in.

First, here are some more videos to explore if you want, some of which we have already watched in class:

YouTube TedEd What Does It Mean to be a Refugee?

YouTube Cool Map of Early Human Migration

2022 UN World Migration Report

YouTube 2016 Census History of Immigration Facts

YouTube Great Review of Push Pull Factors for Immigration

YouTube PowToon Review of Types of Immigration

YouTube Curriculum Canada Fur Trade in Canada

Next, let’s each take on one character from Canada’s story, do more research, and then present a monologue to the class as that character!

  1.  Pick an individual from Canadian history that we have discussed and get it approved by Ms. D. We each want to do someone different. You don’t have to have a famous person, you could create a person from a specific time period — a Chinese immigrant who is working on the railway in Canada, a person who came over for the fur trade, a farmer coming for new lands, etc.
  2.  Do research on that individual, so you know what their story would be. What is the time period you live in? Who are you and where did you come from? What was the journey to Canada like? What were the challenges on the journey? What were the challenges when you arrived? What happened when you got here? Tell us some details that give us information about the push and pull factors of why the person is in Canada.
  3.  Write a short script of one minute. Write the script in the first person as if you are the person yourself. Give yourself a specific name, even if you make it up. Use I statements! Pretend you are in that time period, not telling us a speech about a historical figure. Tell us a story of how you came to Canada. Put the script on cue cards, practice it a lot, almost memorize the script so you can do more acting than reading. You will be presenting it as if you were that character! We will do this as a museum of characters, and only present to our classmates, so it is less nerve wracking!  🙂
  4.  Create a costume and props to help tell the story! You will need something to wear and some props to represent the story you are telling!
  5.  Ms. D Help: There are books in the classroom to help with research, and as I know which characters we are interested in, I will post links on this blog entry to help if we need them. Please ask after you have taken time to find some info of your own.

Criteria:

  • Your presentation is one minute long and is written in the first person.
  • Your presentation contains solid evidence of having researched the time period or individual you are representing. We learn some facts about when this person was alive, what their challenges were, and how push/pull factors were involved in their immigration story.
  • You made an effort to memorize your script and have it written on cue cards to help you.
  • You have a costume and at least one prop to help tell your story.
  • You are able to use volume, enunciation, pace, and expression so your audience is interested in your story and can understand you clearly.

Due Date:  Presentations will be made March 7th.

E-Port on Migration

Hello! New e-port to check in!

Title:  Migration Check In

Questions:

What is quality of life (think about the map we looked at and refer to your journal!)?

What is the gene called that makes people want to explore?

What are push and pull factors? Name five of each.

What does it mean to be a citizen of a country?

What is a refugee?

What does the word nomadic mean? Are we still nomadic? Why not?

What is the Quilt of Belonging and what does it represent about Canada?

What are the three main groups of Indigenous Peoples of Canada?

Why do we do a land acknowledgement?

Name two groups of First Nations you learned about in class.

What are the different types of animal migration?

How do animals know it is time to migrate?

What questions do you have about migration, now that we have been talking about this topic for two weeks?

We’re Not From Here Reading Comprehension Questions 1

In class we are reading the book We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey. This book has some great connections with our unit on exploration/migration.

If you were absent, please make sure to catch up reading during our Silent Reading time in class, as the District books we are borrowing can’t go home.

Please answer the following questions in an e-port:

Title:  Reading Comprehension We’re Not From Here

Questions:

What were the three places the human population went after they left from the Mars Station?

Describe what you know about the Zhuri so far?

What was the problem with the immigration of humans to planet Choom? What happened?

What happened to Lan’s family when they arrived on Choom for the first time?

What do you think happened to the Nug on planet Choom? Why don’t the Zhuri want to talk about it?

Why do you think the housing for the Ororo, that Lan’s family is now staying in, is empty?

Describe Planet Choom, or at least what you know so far.

Think of a time you arrived at a new place or began something new. How do you think your feelings would be like Lan’s as his family came to Choom?

Independent Project Begins 2024

Hello Everyone!

During term two and three, we will be working concurrently and slowly on an Independent Project while we are also doing unit work.

We have already begun talking about this in class, For example, we have discussed what makes a great topic, why we do an independent project, and how to ask great questions using the Jar of Inquiry concept model on our wonderings board in class.

Why do we do an Independent Project?

Doing an Independent Project allows us an opportunity to pursue a topic of passion. It also addresses many of the curricular and core competencies across subject areas, developing research, critical-thinking, observation, communication, documentation, project-management, and personal awareness skills.

What are the steps we will take?

We put these in our planner, so students are aware of the dates. We will continue to revisit the planner as a tool for managing the project throughout term two and three.

FEBRUARY Step One:  Discussion of how to choose a research topic. Begin brainstorming questions around topics you like. Choose a topic by FEBRUARY 12th, MONDAY, end of day.

FEBRUARY Step Two:  We will begin to Brainstorm search terms and synonyms around the topic to help with research. We will discuss how to ask questions and form a set of Jar of Inquiry questions about the topic, so we ask deeper questions! Ms. D will ask students to do these things in their journals and check in with the check plus system as we go, to make sure everyone is on track.

FEBRUARY/MARCH Step Three:  Begin to look for secondary resources, such as books in the school library and Burnaby Public Libraries. Please visit the public library! We will discuss techniques for using reputable sources online as we do web research. Give topics to Ms. Ho, who will help us request books from other libraries in the District if possible. Begin to take notes in our journal and in an online document, whichever works best, using the T Chart model discussed in class, using questions to drive the research, and recording resources. Research in February/March. Final research notes will be due June 1.

APRIL Step Four:  After Spring Break, we will have a discussion in class about primary research, which is required and can include an interview, experiment, visit to a location, or making of something. Primary research ideas need to be approved/discussed with Ms. D by first week of April. Spend April working on this.

MAY Step Five:  We will discuss making a formal bibliography, and students can begin to create this beginning May 1st. We will also discuss potential presentation ideas — there are many different options! May will be spent getting final notes together, finishing the bibliography, and beginning our presentation pieces.

JUNE Step Six:  We will finalize our presentation items. All notes, bibliography, and primary research are due to Ms. D on May 31st. All presentation items are due June 7th. We will present to the public in June, tentatively set for June 10th.

JUNE Step Seven:  After presenting, each student will do a reflection on the whole process and fill out a rubric about how they did. The reflection is the most important part of the entire process and is due June 11th. It lets Ms. D know what you learned, what you are proud of, and how you want to improve in the future. It shows your personal awareness and willingness to engage in your own growth and goals.

How do you choose a topic for IP or Independent Project?

  1. Make sure the topic is something you are really passionate about. Do not choose a topic just because an adult suggested it, and do not choose a topic because you are trying to do something similar to your friends. It has to be something you want to know about! (Otherwise, this process is not fun at all.)
  2. Topics need to be something you are not already an expert on. Or, if it is something you have studied before, you need to come up with new questions about the topic.
  3. Topics need to be deep and take time to explore, but they also need to be specific so you have some direction. For example, I am not going to study “how do lights work” as that will not take very long to do, and I can probably use one resource to answer that question. But, I am also not going to study “plants” – this is too big of a topic and could be about anything! A good example would be “how electricity use affects the environment” or “what we can learn from indigenous knowledge about plants”
  4. Brainstorm several options before settling on one. Discuss with Ms. D. Let’s talk together about your topic. Have more than one option just in case.
  5. Can you answer this topic using only one resource, or will you need to use more than one? A measure of a good topic is that you will need to use more than just GOOGLE to figure it out. You will need to look at book resources, maybe do some interviews of experts, or perhaps do an experiment and document it.
  6. Make sure the topic is at your level. Some topics are far too complex, and we won’t be able to find resources that will help you (at least not at your reading level, and not within the Burnaby Libraries.) So, please listen to Ms. D’s guidance when I say, let’s find a way to make it age appropriate for you.
  7. Do not do a topic you have done as a previous Genius Hour or Independent Project topic.  If you want to continue research from a previous project, then let’s talk about how this project will be different and answer NEW questions you have about that topic of interest. Maybe try to be open minded to doing something new so you expand your knowledge!
  8. You can choose to expand on something we have talked about in class. If you want to do genetics, for example, even though we have been talking about it in class, then that is great! This is a good opportunity to expand on unit topics.

Okay, that is all for now. In class we will talk about this some more. Time to start brainstorming!

Ms. D

E-Port: Multiplicative Thinking

This e-port will help do an assessment check-in for our work on multiplicative thinking and the You Do the Math Skyscraper math material.

Please post ONE picture with all of your work on a page for this e-port. Thank you!

Title:  Math Check In January 2024

Questions:

What are vertices and faces on three-dimensional shapes?

How many faces does a sphere have, and why?

If I write the coordinates (3,5), how will I know where to find that point on a grid or map?

What is the area of a rectangle that is 3 feet wide and 6 feet long? What is the perimeter?

Which earthquake was the largest on the Richter Scale — 5.02, 5.20, 5.215, or 5.100? How do you know?

What is multiplication? What kinds of math vocabulary would you use to explain it to an alien that doesn’t know about our Earth math?

What is the difference between a factor and a multiple?

What is the difference between a prime and a composite number?

What are the factors of 36? Use a factor tree to figure this out and post a picture of your tree with this post.

How do you know if a number is divisible by three? What is this called (there was a special vocabulary word we used)?

What is a square root?

What does it mean to square a number?

What is the least or lowest common multiple of 3, 4, and 5? Show your work in the picture you post to this e-port.

Maggie, Juan, and Miya are all volunteering at the local hospital. Maggie works every 2 days, Juan works every 4 days, and Miya works every 5 days. When do Maggie and Juan work together (every how many days)? When do Maggie and Miya work together? When do Juan and Miya work together?

What is the greatest common factor of 24, 40, and 64? Use factor trees to show your thinking and find the answers. Show this in the picture you add to the e-port.

 

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