Category: Assignment Info

*Please post a picture of Britannia Mines if you can! If you were absent for these trips, please only answer the questions you can. I encourage you to touch base with your fellow students to see what you missed. E-Port is due Tuesday, April 23rd.

Title:  Britannia Mines and Port of Vancouver Trips

Questions:

How did technology change to get light in the mine, so the miners could see?

How did they get the copper out of the rock ore in the mill? Describe what you can from the process (think about the movie/interactive BOOM presentation at the end of our trip.)

How do they remove copper from the water so it doesn’t pollute Howe Sound and kill the marine animals and life there?

Which mineral does copper come from?

How did the technology change for drilling in the mountain tunnels over time?

What does gold look like during gold panning? How do you know it isn’t pyrite?

What other facts did you learn while you were there about mining, rocks, gold panning, etc.?

What areas does the “Port of Vancouver” cover other than Vancouver?

Name the different types of ships that come into the Port of Vancouver?

What are some of the major countries we trade with?

What resources are often being sent out on ships to these other countries from Canada?

Why do you think having a port is a good thing for us and for British Columbia?

Hello, This is an e-port check in from the last two weeks since Spring Break, on our new unit. As it is being assigned today, Wednesday, April 10, it will be due one week from now on Wednesday, April 17. Do your best to answer questions using materials from class and your journal, rather than looking things up on the Internet.

Please include a picture of a favourite resource from BC or favourite mineral.

Title:  Resources and Geology Check In

Questions:

What are natural resources?

What does renewable and non-renewable mean? Give an example of each.

What are some specific resources we extract and/or sell in British Columbia? (You can use the station materials, with the resource samples, if you need them.)

Which of the natural resources is the most important according to our class data about the objects in our homes? Why do you think it is the most important?

What is geology?

What is a rock? What is a mineral? (How are they different or the same?)

What is an element?

Explain the rock cycle briefly, using scientific words.

What are the three types of rocks and tell me one characteristic of each that helps you know which is which?

How can we classify minerals (what characteristics do we look at)?

What does a geologist need or wear to go do their work?

What kind of rock would you find in the Rocky Mountains? Why?

Why might there be very different types of rocks on Vancouver Island than in Vancouver?

What are some of the main minerals we mine for in BC?

What kind of rock do we see a lot of along the coastline here in BC? Why?

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

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!!

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?

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.

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

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.

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?