A collection of moments from our Grade 7 learning community
Today, we learned that the bubbles and foam that result from mixing soda & ice cream together is due to the carbonation (bubbles) in the pop and thickening agents (gum) in the ice cream!
We decided to investigate what kind of liquid gives the most dramatic results when mixed with ice cream: Orange Crush, Coke, Diet Coke, carbonated water, tap water, or orange juice. We observed the most dramatic result with Diet Coke!
We investigated the secret coded messages in the song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. This song was known as a “spiritual” and was sung by enslaved people to help send messages about how to escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad.
Here is a modern musician covering this song. What secret messages can you interpret? (Hint: the “drinking gourd” is a reference to a constellation containing the North Star).
Our artists have been hard at work creating their own versions of this wave painting! We used acrylic paints, paintbrushes, and even toothbrushes to add texture to our paintings!
Stay tuned to see our results!
Hi, historians! As part of our discussions about historical changemakers and innovators, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we read short biographies about 2 more influential people: Jesse Owens and Stevie Wonder.
Stevie Wonder: Singer-Songwriter & Music Producer
Stevland Judkins (“Stevie Wonder”) was born in 1950. He always loved music, and showed a remarkable talent at a very young age. Stevie was visually impaired, but not being able to see did not stop him from pursuing his dream. He auditioned for MoTown records at only 11 years old! His first #1 hit album was released in 1963, and he continued to make music with messages of love, compassion, justice, and unity through his entire career. He even collaborated with Ariana Grande on a song, “Faith”, in 2016!
Stevie Wonder played the piano, harmonica, and sang. He felt the music, and could often be seen dancing and swaying as he performed. He loved music and loved to perform.
Wonder used his voice to change the world, writing about the problems facing oppressed groups of people, particularly the racism that African-Americans faced. But we are sick and tired of hearing your song / Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong, he sang in 1974.
Wonder continues to inspire musicians with his message, his heart, and his legacy. Feel free to click the link below to watch Wonder’s live performance on Sesame Street.
Jesse Owens: Track-and-Field Champion & Olympic Athlete
Jesse Owens was not only an amazing athlete, but his success in the Berlin Olympics shook up an entire nation (and the world). Born James Cleveland Owens, Jesse had several health conditions that made him feel sick and weak most of his childhood. But by 5th grade, Jesse grew into a strong athlete who could beat almost anyone in a race.
He began setting world records for sprinting and jumping. His athletic skill and talent led him to be a member of the American Olympic track-and-field team. His coach once said it seemed he could “float on the air”.
But there was one problem with Jesse’s dream to compete in the Olympics… they were going to be held in Berlin, Germany (which in 1936 was under Hitler’s government). Hitler and the Nazi party were confident that no Black athlete could beat their Aryan athletes (white, blonde, blue-eyed).
The audience was shocked when Jesse began to beat German athletes in several different races and competitions (the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprint as well as long jump). He even won a gold medal! But when the time came for him to receive his award, Hitler refused to shake his hand.
Jesse later pointed out that the racism he experienced in Germany was something he also experienced in America, saying “I wasn’t invited to shake Hitler’s hand, but I wasn’t invited to shake our President’s hand either”. Jesse proved to the world that the colour of your skin does not limit your athleticism or what you can achieve.
Click the link below to watch Jesse competing in his gold medal winning race in the 1936 Olympics:
Today, we read Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down. This story was based on the real-life peaceful protests that took place in Greensboro and spread across the southern United States. Four young men, tired of being refused service at businesses because of the colour of their skin, sat down in a segregated restaurant and ordered coffee. Even when they were ignored, mocked, threatened, and attacked, they demonstrated patience and perseverance.
What began with 4 Black college students peacefully protesting against segregation quickly led to a movement across the U.S.A that inspired integration. Please feel free to watch the video clip below to learn more about the Greensboro sit-in movement.
Tomorrow, we will be discussing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy as a Civil Rights activist, and how his message of justice and equality is still as relevant today as it was during his lifetime.
Tomorrow, we can wear a black shirt to acknowledge everyone, both in the past and in the present, who takes a stand against racial inequality, prejudice, and injustice.
Tomorrow, we can reflect on how we (as individuals and as a community) can take steps towards equity.
Above image: the wreck of the Titanic, discovered many decades after the initial tragedy.
Check out our evidence we’ve examined so far! We’ve been using our critical thinking skills to create our own theories about who, or what, is to blame for the Titanic tragedy. Feel free to read through the resources and watch the videos we posted earlier this week and discuss your own theories!
Did you know sour candy usually contains an acid (usually citric acid)? To investigate which candies contained the largest amounts of acid, we tested them using a base (baking soda). The more bubbles we observed, the more acidic the candy was! We tested Sour Skittles, original Skittles, Smarties, sour gummy worms, gummy bears, and sour watermelon candies.
Check out our results!
Have you ever heard the theory that your tongue has different ‘zones’ that taste foods more strongly? This is a controversial Scientific theory that we put to the test today! Using a sour candy, we examined whether it tasted different when we held it on each area of our tongue. We learned that the sour taste in candy usually comes from an acid (citric, malic, or lactic).
Our questions that we will continue exploring:
-Why do people pucker their lips/close their eyes when they taste something sour?
-What is the most sour tasting candy on Earth?
-Why do we like things that taste sour or spicy, even though they might hurt or be unpleasant?
Do you chew gum? Have you ever stepped in gum? Last week, our writers explored whether gum should be allowed in schools. We discussed the PROs and CONs of chewing gum, including:
-studies have indicated that chewing mint flavoured gum may help with alertness and fatigue
-some psychologists and teachers believe that gum helps increase focus and reduces anxiety
-gum can be used as a ‘fidget’ for kinetic learners
-gum can be a huge problem in terms of litter and clean-up
-gum is not environmentally friendly since it is made of plastic/rubber like substances
-gum is dangerous because it can be unsanitary and spread illness
What do you think? Our writers are responsible for defending their opinions.
Yesterday, our class investigated the theory/conspiracy that all Skittles are actually the same flavour. Many people believe that all Skittles are the same flavour, but we perceive them as tasting different because of the colour and scent of the candy!
We tried to prove or disprove this theory by doing a few experiments. First, we tasted the Skittles normally (our control).
Next, we tried tasting the Skittles while removing our sense of smell (plugging our noses). We noticed that the taste of the Skittles was reduced dramatically, because our senses of smell and taste are very connected!
Finally, we tried closing our eyes and guessing what flavour we were eating. Some people believe that your brain automatically associates a colour with a flavour (ex: yellow = lemon flavour).
What do you think? Is this theory accurate? Or just an internet rumour?