Our class discussed Lunar New Year, and how celebrations can look different around the world! Many members of our classroom community celebrate Lunar New Year. For some people, this involves enjoying a special meal with family and friends. For some people, it means attending celebrations that might involve lanterns, lion dancing, or fireworks:

We learned that fireworks were first invented in China, where bamboo would be heated over a fire to create a loud BANG noise! Years later, a chemical compound called gunpowder was added to create fireworks more similar to those we see today.  We created our own ‘fireworks in a cup’ by mixing oil, water, food color, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Stay tuned for video of our completed experiment!

Today, our class discussed elephants. We learned that elephants face many dangers from humans. Some elephants are forced to perform in circuses, and others are used for labour. Elephants are also at risk from poachers who harvest their ivory tusks.

We learned about the life of Lawrence Anthony, who took in a herd of elephants that had been abused by humans. At first, these elephants did not trust Anthony, and tried to leave the Thula Thula sanctuary where they lived. Through patience and perseverance, however, Anthony gained their trust.

The elephants grew so attached to Anthony that when he passed away, the entire herd came to his house to mourn him and comfort his widow and family. Every year on the anniversary of his passing, the elephants came back to Anthony’s home to remember him. Elephants have such capacity for emotional intelligence and for memory!

Yesterday, our class started our new novel study! In The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, Roz the Robot must learn how to survive on a wild island. The first lesson she has learned is the importance of camouflage.

Camouflage is a special kind of survival skill (adaptation). It means that prey can hide from predators, and vice versa. To see an example of camouflage, watch the video below. How many goats can you spot before they start moving?

Today, our class explored a few pieces of Art by Keith Haring. Haring was a very influential pop artist. He also created his Art using inexpensive materials. He is famous for using simple symbols and figures to create bright, bold Art with a message!

We will be using this tutorial for inspiration as we begin creating our own Art this week!

Today, our class investigated what it means when an animal species is labelled ‘endangered’ or ‘extinct’. There are many species of animals that are endangered or critically endangered. One of these species is the Rhino. Rhinos are endangered because they are often hunted by poachers, who harvest and sell the horns on the black market (illegally).

In the story A Family For Faru, a young child works to save an orphaned rhino from poachers.

There are many species of animals that are endangered. To see a full list of endangered species, you can click the links below:

https://www.twinkl.ca/teaching-wiki/endangered-animals

https://www.dkfindout.com/us/more-find-out/special-events/endangered-animals/

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=asc&page=2&sort=extinction_status

You can also watch the video below to learn about several critically endangered species:

 

 

 

 

Have you ever wanted to become a Chemist? This is a special Scientist who works with chemicals, and chemical reactions! Today, we investigated our own chemical reaction by mixing rootbeer and ice cream!

In the photo (above), can you see the different layers? We discovered that when mixing a carbonated liquid (like rootbeer) with ice cream (a solid), the carbonation (gas bubbles) create a bubbly reaction. Do you see the gas that was trapped inside the foam?

To learn more about what a Chemist does, watch the video below:

Our Artists explored a few selected works by the influential painter Jacob Lawrence. Lawrence used Art to demonstrate the beauty of his life as a Black man growing up in Harlem. He often created cityscapes or paintings with people doing everyday activities, and even painted construction workers and architects building!

What do you notice in the image above? What sticks out to you?

Did you know that Wednesday, January 19th was Popcorn Day? Our class worked hard to design their own popcorn buckets. The goal was to make the containers sturdy (so they didn’t fall apart) and structurally sound (so they did not tip over). The goal was to hold as much popcorn as possible (the largest volume)!

Check out some of their amazing designs, plus a video on how popcorn is made, below:

Have you ever heard of the musician Yo-Yo Ma? He is a famous cellist who was a musical prodigy. When he was a child, he played his cello for the President of the USA. He has won many Grammy awards and has played all over the world! But Yo-Yo Ma is also an activist who cares deeply about culture and family.

We read a story based on a real-life event where Yo-Yo Ma played his cello at the border. He did this to raise awareness about the millions of families who are separated by borders.

Families can be divided by borders for many different reasons. Our class discussed how many of us have family and friends that are living in different countries, and how we cannot visit them because of COVID-19. We also talked about how some families may be divided because of their citizenship and immigration status.

 

This week, we tested the skiing athletes that we created using tin foil, popsicle sticks, and straws! The goal was to craft a skier (and skis) that would glide down an inclined ramp. We assessed speed and stability, as well as the safety of their landing. Check out a few of our designs below!