Fractals!

Today we explored FRACTALS as part of our ongoing conversations for this unit on how arts and sciences are connected. We looked at many beautiful examples of fractals in nature and worked on Sierpinski Triangle fractals in connection with geometry. It seemed many of you enjoyed this!

Here are some websites to explore if you are interested in FRACTALS:

Fractal Foundation What are fractals?

Fractals and Geometry Useful Beauty

Mathigon World of Fractals

YouTube What is a fractal and what are they good for?

University of Kansas Fractals for Fun

Let me know if there is another website you have found that we can post!

 

Quick Update May 29th! — End of Year Coming Up!

Hello Everyone!

We are continuing our unit work by discussing space, rockets, spaceships, storytelling, myths and more! So, here is a quick update on what we are doing:

Myths and Creation Stories: Students had the opportunity to read a variety of myth and creation stories from different cultures including First Peoples of Canada. We are looking at how stories are used to explain or teach things, to give a message, or to deliver a moral, and we are comparing creation stories from different cultures to see how they are the same or different around the world.

Science and Poetry: Students have been given a packet of poems written in a variety of literary forms and using a myriad of literary devices. They have been asked to choose different forms or devices and write five poems by this Friday. The theme of the poems is science, and the purpose of the poetry is to teach something about a science concept! Ms. D read a few examples of science poems in class, and you can look on this Pinterest page for more examples.

Using ART to Communicate an IDEA: We will use one of the poems about science to create a multi-media piece of art! We started yesterday by painting the background of an 8″x10″ canvas with a blend of cool or warm colours. Then, we will add a poem to the artwork, along with some images, using acrylic medium. But first, we need to write our poems! Following this, we will also do some felting work (needles, wool, and creating 2D artwork through textiles), using art again to communicate an idea about science. Everyone will have two beautiful things to walk away with, I hope, by the end of the year!

Space Math: Students are finishing Rocket Math, due on Friday so we can mark it together. I went around today ensuring everyone knows how to measure angles, as there is geometry involved in several of the questions. If this is done, students are working on NASA’s Adventures in Space Math. Don’t be discouraged if some of these questions are hard, as the booklet has a range of math from grades 4-9. Read carefully, ask questions, and do your best! 

Space Stuff! There have been a few readings given to students about the Earth, Sun, and Moon, and their relationship. Today, we watched a video on Tides, and I posted other space videos on the Articles of Interest page, under Arts and Sciences Unit. In a previous blog entry, I asked everyone to think about whether or not they could answer some basic questions about space, so please review that, the readings I gave you, and the videos online to see if you can find the answers! And, we will continue doing some building and fun activities around space, such as flying paper rockets soon!

SPACESHIP! Thank you to everyone (I wrote down your names!) who contributed to the discussion on spaceship design! You can still go and continue thinking about what our spaceship prototypes need. Today, I asked everyone to begin sketching a preliminary spaceship design independently. Remember, it is a spaceship we are doing, not a rocket, even though spaceships need rockets to get into space in the first place. Later, we will compare designs as we begin to make a more final plan in groups. A prototype is a model, so we won’t be flying these, but the model can have some working parts to explain your spaceship idea.

French: For beginning French students, we have returned to doing French_Games.net, and you can choose 10 lessons to do and take the quizzes from those lessons. Following this, we will be doing Duolingo work and playing some French games. For French immersion students who have more knowledge, I have asked them to combine French with the poetry we are doing, to write a French poem. Save the poems you write, as they can be submitted in future years to the District’s Words competition in the French Poetry category.

Important Dates:

June 1 — Dragon Boat Last Session, Poetry/Rocket Math Due EOD, Early Dismissal 2PM

June 4 — No School Pro-D

June 6 — Volunteer Tea for Parents Who Volunteered This Year 2PM

June 11 — Independent Project Notes, Bibliography, and Primary Research Due

June 13 –– Spaceship Applied Design Day

June 15 — Sports Day, Early Dismissal 1PM

June 18 — Last day to submit any missing assignments for report cards

June 21 — Lunch Treat for Reading Around the World Finishers

June 22 — Independent Project Presentations 12-2:30 PM

June 25 — Recognition Assembly 9-11 AM (Gauss/Abel Certificates Presented)

June 26 — Class Picnic and Water Play at Rumble Park 1-3 PM

June 27 — Grade 7 Leaving Ceremony 9:15-11 AM

June 28 — Last Day 9-10 AM; Report Cards Sent Home

What do you know about the Earth, Sun, and Moon?

Hello Everyone,

Many students in our class already have knowledge about the sun, moon, space, stars, and more. Because of this, we are discussing the grade 4/5 science curriculum with additional depth and complexity, and we are also doing learning about space through applied design!

What I want to make sure of, though, is that everyone has the basics! So, through our class discussions and readings I have given, I am asking you all to know the following things:

  • What are the phases of the moon? Why do they happen?
  • What is a tide and how does it happen?
  • How does day/night happen? How do the seasons happen?
  • How does an eclipse happen?
  • What is Earth’s place in the solar system?
  • What are some characteristics of the sun, moon, space, Earth, and stars?
  • What are the planet names?

If you know them already, I invite you to please expand your knowledge by looking at the many space websites I provided under our “Arts and Sciences” unit at the Articles of Interest page of the blog, do additional research in the many space books I have provided at the carpet area in the green buckets, or contribute to our spaceship research as we lead up to doing an applied design project on June 13th!

Some more advanced things you might want to find out about are:

  • What are the various layers of the atmosphere?
  • What is the Goldilock’s principle?
  • What are some of the major constellations and their stories?
  • What is an aurora borealis?
  • What is the difference between a meteoroid, meteor, meteorite, asteroid, and comet?
  • How do stars form?
  • How does the design of a spaceship reflect the needs of astronauts as they survive in space?
  • What are the relative sizes of the planets in relation to the sun?
  • Why does the Earth’s day length change during the year?
  • What is dark matter? What is a black hole?
  • What is the Hubble and why is it up in space?
  • How does space travel impact the human body?

There are many more great questions you can explore, and that is just a start! Enjoy your explorations about space!

Ms. D

Making a Spaceship Prototype! — Answer the Questions!

Hello Everyone!

So, as we discussed in class, we are pretending to be NASA engineers and we are going to design our own spaceships! No, we won’t be able to make the actual thing, but we are going to make some cool prototypes with the help of Mr. McKillop from the District’s Applied Design team.

What are the steps of building something? Well, as you remember, the steps of the engineering design process are:

  • ASK: What is the task? What are the challenges? Are there requirements or limitations? What do we know already?
  • IMAGINE: Brainstorm possible solutions & consider design options.
  • PLAN: Choose the best design. Draw a picture. Figure out what materials to use.
  • CREATE: Build it based on the plan! Test it out! Ask questions along the way!
  • IMPROVE: Modify it to make it better and test it again!

Our question? What kind of spaceship will we need to survive and to travel in space? What features will we have to build into our prototype that will ensure our survival?

Investigate! Here are the questions we need answers to in order to plan our prototype, as brainstormed by you in class. We need to do some research! There are books in class and internet sites found in the articles of interest under the “Arts and Sciences” unit. When you find an answer to a question, respond below. Make sure we know what question you are answering and provide enough detail to truly answer the question. If someone’s answer makes you ask another question, reply to it with your question!

  • How will we supply oxygen to those people on the ship?
  • How will we feed ourselves?
  • How will we defend ourselves? (And from what?)
  • What eco-friendly materials could we use?
  • How will we prepare food?
  • How will we store water and how will we drink it?
  • How big of a spaceship do we need?
  • What storage will we need, and for what?
  • How will we protect ourselves from radiation?
  • What technology will we need on the ship?
  • What kind of shields will we need?
  • What is the purpose of our ship? 
  • How will we take off from Earth?
  • What will we use to control speed?
  • What materials can we use that are asteroid proof?
  • What kind of fuel will we use? Where will we store extra fuel?
  • Where will the bathroom be?
  • How will we get rid of our waste?
  • What will we have for entertainment and exercise?
  • What kind of rocket will be needed to get us into space?
  • What shape does the ship need to be?
  • How much money is all of this going to cost?
  • What will we do if we encounter aliens?
  • What will we do if we get sick? What medical supplies do we need?
  • How do we get power for the spaceship?
  • How will we take care of garbage? Can we re-use things?
  • Will we have solar energy?
  • What kind of communication devices do we need?
  • How will we deal with the lack of gravity?
  • Anything else we haven’t thought of??????

Good luck space engineers! Remember, we need to get our research done, begin making plans, and have designs in hand for June 13th.

Ms. D

Math Update!

Hello Everyone,

We are finishing up our financial literacy math unit, and we have talked about a lot of concepts!

Given we are in the MACC setting, I have extended our learning in math, and we have discussed content from a range of levels, grades 4-8. All students are invited to participate in this learning, as it provides challenge for those with higher skills, and exposure for those who haven’t had the opportunity to talk about applied math such as economics! 

However, when I do assessments, I take into mind each student’s level and abilities, and our math quiz will represent that, as I did the last time.

We are reviewing the following concepts, and I have provided some extra worksheet practice today for those who chose to do it, per students’ request!

  • Adding and Subtracting of decimals
  • Proper money notation, and having cents represented to the hundredths place
  • Multiplying decimals (Varying levels: 2.5 x 8, 3.45 x 4.2, and 5670 x .24)
  • Dividing decimals (Varying levels: 8.5/4, 24.5/3.2, 34.56/.25)
  • Finding the per unit cost and the “better deal”
  • Finding the tip on a restaurant bill  (15% = .15, and then multiplying that by the bill amount)
  • Finding tax on a purchase  (12% = .12, and then multiplying that by the purchase amount)
  • Finding the cost of an item after a discount (25% discount = .25, and then multiply this by the cost of the item)
  • Finding interest  (2% annual interest = .02, and then multiplying that by the amount of a loan, and adding it to the loan to find the total that needs to be paid back)

We practiced using these skills:

  • during discussions about Economics (supply and demand, inflation, interest, mortgages, tax, profit, etc.)
  • during our MACC Mall activity
  • within EXCEL and GOOGLE SHEETS as we learned to use the software and create a budget
  • and through a “job simulation” where everyone received a salary, found an apartment, bought a car, etc.

We will have our quiz either on Friday or as soon as the students feel they are ready, as some students have asked for a bit more time to review.

Our next unit will involve math about rockets (decimals, geometry, word problems, charts, and more), math and artistic representation (such as fractals), and NASA space math for those who would like the extra challenge!

Ms. D

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
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