New Unit! Our Human Creations
Hello Everyone!
Now that we have finished our first unit on SYSTEMS, we are moving on to discussing the concepts of CREATIVITY and CHANGE!
UNIT TITLE: Our Human Creations, Running Mid-November to Mid-January
CONCEPT: Change and Creativity
Unit Focus Statement: We use creativity and knowledge together to make innovations that change our world.
An Inquiry Into:
- Our learning and use of creative thinking or creativity
- The design process and being a “maker”
- The impact of technology on humans over time
- Scientific forces and mathematical thinking behind our creations
- How innovations make change
- Change in our lives, perspectives, thinking, and abilities
- Indigenous technologies and their connection to us
- How we can share our creative thinking with one another and the community
Some of the Specific Topics Covered In:
Subject to change or additions as we go, as needed!
Science: Simple machines, Work, Center of Gravity, Technology, Early Indigenous Tools, Deciding which machine has had the greatest benefit/use, making catapults, creating hydraulic devices, Rube Goldberg devices
Socials: Technology and Society — Positive and Negative Impacts, History of Technology, Timelines, Critical Thinking About Our Technology Use, Creation of a Timeline, Debate on Impact of Video Game Use on Children
Math: Deeper Conversations around multiplication and division, Use of scientific formulas from physics around work and rate/distance/time, Basic Variables/Algebra, Area/Perimeter, Tiny House Creation, Math Used in Creating Buildings/Skyscrapers through the book “You Do the Math: Skyscrapers”
Language Arts: Creative Writing, Careful editing, use of non-fiction features in books to do research, organizing notes for research, using key words for internet searches
Applied Design: Design Process steps used in the creation of catapults, “Perfect Square” structures, as well as discussions around how creative thinking can be learned or measured.
French: Selection of one French-speaking country other than France and looking at history of how it came to have French-speaking peoples. Use of French Games. net for French Vocabulary on Greetings and Other Basics
Arts: Maker Projects, Spindle Whorls and Coast Salish Art Forms, Creative-Thinking Challenges, and continued talk about elements and principles of art.
Physical Education and Health: Brainstorming together creative options for cooperative play on the playground. Creating our own games for outside play to share.