Category: Assignment Info

Hello Everyone!

Show me what you and your group found out! You can meet with your group and answer these questions together. Each of you needs your own e-port, but you can help one another.

Please include a picture representing the company you researched.

Title:  Global Trade, Chocolate Studies

Questions:

1. Which company did you investigate? Where are they located and what do they make?
2. Where does this company get their ingredients from?
3. What does fair trade mean to you?
4.  What did you find out about this company in terms of fair trade or business practice claims?
5.  Did you find out anything interesting about this company that surprised you?
6.  What do you think about this company after having researched them? Do you think they could be more responsible with the way they produce chocolate? Why?

Hello Everyone!

Now that we have done our research (it was due May 3rd as posted on the blog), it is time to move on to the second part. If you haven’t finished your research, I suggest you add that to your list of things to catch up on during the 30-40 minutes at home.

There are two steps to the Element Superhero/Villain Project!

Step One:  Create Art!

• Ms. D will give you a piece of paper.
• Using your research, create a picture of what you think your element superhero or villain would look like.
• Use the full sheet of paper.
• It does not have to have a traditional human shape, but it does need to have some human characteristics. Think about some of the superheroes and villains you have seen in movies or on TV.
• If I look at your picture, I should be able to connect your art choices to some of the physical and chemical properties you found out about your element.
• Picture needs to be fine lined and coloured.
• Picture needs a title – what is the name of your superhero/villain, and try to use something other than just the element name.
• Picture needs a chemical symbol, in top right corner, in a one inch by one inch box.

Step Two: Monologue

• Pretend to be this superhero or villain!
• Write a monologue, or first-person speech as if you were speaking as or being this element superhero or villain.
• Somewhere in the monologue, mention your superpowers.
• Rather than telling us all about yourself, tell us a quick story of something you did with your superhero/villain powers.
• Use descriptive vocabulary, transition words, and conjunctions to make more complex sentences.
• Use new vocabulary you may have found from your research. Make sure I can HEAR in your monologue some of your research.
• Write a draft in your journal or on the computer, your choice. Then, edit carefully for conventions (capitals, punctuation, spelling, etc.) and especially RUN ON SENTENCES. Many of you are using a comma to separate two ideas in a sentence, but you need to use AND, BUT, OR, SO as connecting conjunction words between two ideas.
• Break your ideas into paragraphs, and please make sure to indent.
• The final monologue will be approximately one page long, typed, 1.5 line spaced, in Arial 12 font, with margins of 1 inch on each side. If you need help doing this, please ask, as we have many tech experts who can help.
• You will create a costume based on your art. This can include a mask, props, etc. I can provide some materials, but you are also welcome to use anything from home.
• You will present the monologue to the class, memorized. Include actions and funny things as you want! You can even include music as a theme song while you are talking. Be creative as you want to.
• These monologues should be approximately 2 minutes long. Please don’t make the speech any longer than one page as explained, or longer than 3 minutes total, as we don’t have time to listen to all of them if they are longer than that.
• If you would prefer to video tape your speech at home and present it that way, I am okay with that! Upload the video to your One Drive at home, then share with me a LINK to your video that I can edit and access, so we can show it on the projector.
• You will post a picture of yourself as the element on the e-port.
• Have fun!

We will work on these over the next month, and presentations will be due no later than June 6.

Thank you,

Ms. D

Hello Everyone,

Here is a Q&A about many things Independent Project, which we discussed in class today.

When is the presentation day?

Tuesday, June 11th, from 12-2 PM. We will set up in the morning, have an early lunch, and then present from 12-2 PM straight.

Where are we presenting?

We are going to see how much space we need based on what people produce for their projects. But, right now, we have our room, Portable 3, and the Library space reserved for our presentations.

How many people are coming?

I invite all parents, guardians, extended family, siblings, Advanced Learning staff, Suncrest staff, and administrators to come and visit. I encourage adults to come from 12-1 PM as it will be less crowded. Then, from 1-2 PM, I invite up to four classes. One of them will be our other Div 2 MACC group, and then other ones come from our intermediate grades, depending on who is available. We do not invite younger classes in, as they typically do not have the attention span for what we are presenting.

Will there be a time after school we can present?

No, sorry. I have tried this in the past, and we can’t get everyone coordinated due to extra curriculars at this time of the year. But, we are hoping people can find time to come with lots of advance notice and the lunch hour available.

When does everything need to be done?

May 31 — All notes, primary research, and bibliography shown or sent to Ms. D
June 6 — Deadline for Ms. D to photocopy handouts and brochures for students
June 10 — All items for project must be at school so I know you are ready
June 11 — Presentation Day

How are we assessed?

As everyone’s project is on a different topic, the focus for assessment is curricular competencies or the skills it takes to do deeper research. I am looking for your ability to ask quality questions, document research, use a variety of resources (both print and online), manage your time wisely and finish by deadlines, reflect on your process, present aloud to the public, and be creative in your presentation. I have a rubric for the project, which I will share with you soon. I first look at your notes, bibliography, and primary research, as well as what I notice directly during class time, to make an initial assessment. It is important to bring your research and presentation items to school and work on them here during the time given in May/June, so I can see what you are doing and give advice for the process. I observe during our presentation day to see how organized you are, whether you have prepared talking points as directed in class, and how knowledgeable you are about your topic, overall. Finally, I ask you to do an e-port reflection on the process and presentation on June 12th in class, and I will respond with my final thoughts there about your project.

How do I show my notes to you?

You can either send digital notes to me, or show me your journal notes in person at the end of May.

How many primary research things do I need to do? What is required for primary research?

One. Primary research can involved an interview, an experiment, an observation, a model, teaching yourself something, or visiting a new location to do research firsthand. All primary research needs to be documented in writing and/or pictures. Use the scientific procedure for most documentation (title, question, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, analysis, conclusion). Focus on finishing one quality primary research thing before moving on to others.

If I do an interview, what is required?

Please make sure to have an adult look over your interview questions (ideally me via email) before doing your interview. Make sure to record the interview date, who you are interviewing, where you did the interview, and the answers to the questions. You need to ask permission before recording. Documentation would include both the questions you asked and the answers they gave. The interview is included in the bibliography, and I can show you how.

Are print books outside of the Internet required?

Yes, you were required to do research in at least one print book. This print book can be from the public library, Burnaby Schools libraries, or from EPIC.

What does a bibliography look like?

Bibliographies need to be typed, with resources in alphabetical order. Each type of resource needs a different format. We will go over this in class, but you can also look at the Independent Project 2023 section of this class blog for examples. Make sure your bibliography has a title including your project topic, and your name! Save the file as BibliographyYourName2024, and then send it to Ms. D with full editing permissions.

What kinds of things can I post on the class blog in the Independent Project section? How do I send those things to you?

You can post any digital media from your project. Your bibliography at the minimum is required. You could also post PowerPoint presentations, digital versions of handouts or brochures, primary research lab reports, interview documentation, website links to sites you have created, and anything else YOU have created that can be shared digitally. When you share these items, you need to send the file to Ms. D with a name and full editing permissions. For example, if you were sending me your interview documentation, you might call it InterviewYourName2024. Make sure I know what the document is, and that your name is in the file name. Please note, once it is sent, I download it and post a link from my OneDrive. So, if you make any changes to the document after you send it to me, those changes will not update automatically to the blog.

Can I use my own device from home for Independent Project?

Yes. Please talk to me ahead of time. Bring it to class as we prepare for Independent Project if needed. These devices can not be stored in the classroom overnight, and I am not responsible for them during the school day. That said, I will put devices in my locked drawer when we are away from the classroom if you talk to me about bringing them in. I have limited space. On presentation day, make sure you bring not only the device, but also the plugs, so you can charge your device.

What kinds of things can I do to present my information to the public?

I want you to be creative thinkers! It is boring if every person uses a poster or trifold, so I love to see other things. In the past, we have had models to look at, experiments to view, animals, interactive games, taste tests, mobiles, artwork, sculptures, etc. If you aren’t sure if I allow it, ask me. I am usually very open minded, as long as experiments are not going to create large messes and water isn’t needed for your presentation. We are also somewhat limited on space. So, just ask with your big idea and we can discuss!

Can I use a poster or a trifold if I want?

Yes, but we don’t provide trifolds at school. If you do get one, please consider the smaller size, not the larger ones at Staples, because they are generally too tall and have too much space for you to fill up with stuff! Not needed. Dollar stores tend to have the smaller ones for cheap. Cover the trifold with paper before beginning (we have poster paper here for that), and then you can reuse the trifold from year to year. We do have poster board here at school, and it can be nice to have something visual announcing your topic at your table area. Just take into mind, your poster may need to be attached to the front of a table, a wall, or to the side of your table. Also, remember a poster is a visual tool, not a place to write a book. We won’t read tons of writing, and visual displays are best done with fun pictures and shorter captions people can read quickly.

What other things could I use other than a trifold or poster?

You could make a mini book on Book Creator on the iPads. This is a great item to post on the blog, where people have more time to read. They may not look at it much at presentation day, unless it has lots of pictures and less writing.

You could make a short PowerPoint slideshow with pictures of your primary research. Don’t do too many slides, no more than 20, because adding too many pictures to PowerPoint makes it run slowly. Also, the person at your table during presentation day may not stay long enough to see all the photos.

Consider something more interactive. Create a game that makes people have to ask you a question or learn something about your topic. Have a spinner wheel where they land on a certain number, and then get some information about your topic in some creative way. Have your information on a box people have to get in to to view the information. There are lots of options.

Are there supplies at school to create my presentation?

Supplies I have: poster paper, construction paper, bristol board, colour printer for printing some images, some cardboard, pastels, meter sticks, paper cutter, cardboard scissors, tissue paper, art paper in different colours, hot glue, tacky glue, electronics things, cloth scraps, yarn, string, masking tape, clear tape, iPad stands, measuring tapes, some foil, some wood pieces, cardboard tubes, toilet paper tubes, cups, paint, dice, math bingo chips, spinners, game pieces, some wood sticks, ADST tools, measuring spoons, and lots of other random building supplies.

Things I don’t have: clay, trifolds, pipe cleaners (we are out), specific supplies for some experiments, some colours of paint like brown, sticker prizes/handouts for interactive games, pottery tools (this list to be updated as people ask for things)

What do I need to have for presentation day?

• You need to have your bibliography and primary research items posted on the class blog already.
• You need to have something visual that announces or tells the public this is my topic title.
• You need to have anything interactive you would like to share with the public.
• You need to tell me what kind of technology you need.
• You need to prepare a single index card with the top ten things you want to share with the public about what you have learned, and practice saying those things ahead of time. Cards available in class.

Can I give out things on presentation day to our visitors?

Yes, with some limits!

• You can give out one-page handouts, brochures, or zines. I recommend you focus on mostly giving these to the adults who visit, as we can’t make enough photocopies for all students, and students often don’t keep the handouts. Deadline to give your things to Ms. D to photocopy is June 6th in the morning. Photocopies are all in black and white. Please don’t photocopy at home.
• You could give out stickers, stamps, handmade bookmarks, or some other item if the visiting person answers a question or listens to some information about your topic. Making something is better than buying! Be creative and be conscious of the environment. Stickers often get thrown away and are made of plastic! Please ask me first about what you are planning to give out. It is NOT required or necessary, but some people like to do this. Acceptable items are stickers, stamps, or other cheap items. NO CANDY handouts are allowed at all.
• No handing out of word finds, crossword puzzles, or games. You can have these things for people to do at your table. Ms. D can provide a plastic cover for paper games, and participants can do them using whiteboard markers.

REMEMBER — the presentation is about QUALITY of information and presentation skills, not QUANTITY.

More questions – ask and I will add to this page.

Ms. D

Yesterday we played a fun game to identify commonly-used elements from the periodic table! Scientists use their knowledge of element properties and characteristics to use elements in creative ways.

To further explore this, each student has chosen one element from the periodic table. They will research it a bit, using videos from TED Ed Periodic Table or other resources online.

Then, turn the element into a superhero or villain!! You need to think about your element as a person. What would it do with its superpowers based on the element’s characteristics?

So, first, here are the questions you should try to answer as you research the basics of your element:

• What is your element? (Gas, metal, non-metal, etc.)
• What is your element’s atomic number, atomic weight, and symbol?
• What are the physical properties of your element? (color, weight, size, malleable, hard, etc.)
• What are the chemical properties of your element? (reactive, reacts with what, how does it react, etc.)
• What is your element used for? What can you make with it?
• Where can you find this element?
• What other elements often combine with your element?
• Any other interesting facts you can find out?

Then, after you have found out the basics, now you can start to think creatively about how those characteristics of your element can be used to create a superhero character!

• Will your element be a superhero or a villain? (or both?)
• What is your character’s name? (doesn’t need to be the element, but should probably have part of it in the name)
• What symbol would your character have on its supersuit? (Would it have a supersuit? or something else?)
• Would your element look like a person, or something else? What do they look like based on your element’s physical properties? (Get creative!)
• Would your element have specific powers? For example, do their chemical properties give them powers? (Else why would they be a superhero??)
• Would your element have certain weaknesses? (All good superheroes have at least one.)
• What does your element do every day? For example, if it is a villain, what kind of thing does it want to do that could be related to your element’s real-life information? Or, if it is a superhero, what good things can your element do for others?
• What is your element superhero or villain’s origin story? How did they become powerful and decide to be a superhero or villain?
• Where does your element superhero/villain live? Do they have a hideout?
• Do they have an arch nemesis or superhero they are trying to defeat?
• What additional element superheroes or villains could combine with your hero to make them more powerful?

Find out information and the next step will be to design an actual superhero in art and to write about them.

I look forward to creating our own table of superhero and villain elements.

Basic research is due by May 3rd, and there will be some class time to do some of the research.

Have a good night,

Ms. D

As we talk about where our STUFF comes from, it is important to understand global trade. Today we talked about the many countries and materials that go into making jeans, and we watched the video called The Story of Stuff to learn about the materials economy involved in getting stuff to us in the stores.

To further investigate global trade, we are looking at where one of our favourite sweets comes from — CHOCOLATE!

In groups of three, we are looking at different chocolate companies to answer the following questions:

1. What is the name of the company?
2. What is their most popular chocolate product?
3. Which town and/or country did the company originate in?
4. When did the company start making chocolate?
5. Where does the company manufacture chocolate? Where are their factories?
6. Where do they get their cocoa beans from to make the chocolate?
7. What other main ingredients are used in their chocolate products?
8. Where do they get those ingredients from?
9. Where do they sell their chocolate?
10. How many people do they employ?
11. How much profit does the company make?
12. What do they claim they do to be socially responsible as regards the welfare of either people or the environment? (Fair trade, employment protection, against child labour, green farming, etc.)
13.  Any other interesting facts??

Record these facts in your journal together as a group of three. Our goal is to see which company is the most responsible AND to learn a little more about where our STUFF comes from.

Ms. D

Hello Everyone!

We have already talked about this in class, so here is a formal update on Independent Project 2024!

What has already been done?

• Students chose their topics and informed Ms. D
• Ms. Ho put out requests to all District libraries for books related to topics
• Ms. D went over the Jar of Inquiry and how to ask questions.
• Students were told to begin with Form and Function type questions, and then to expand up into connection, perspective, and responsibility questions. Examples were provided in class and via the wonderings board, which you all had an opportunity to see at Student Led Conferences.
• Over this year, Ms. D has reviewed which are good websites to use, what information to take down to document resources, how to take notes in a T chart, and where to find things like copyright dates/publishers/about us on websites, etc.
• Students began taking notes, whether in their journals by hand or online. No cutting and pasting, please! Notes in their own words. Use the T CHART format.

What’s next?

• Continue to take notes using books from the public library, books from Ms. Ho that are available in the classroom, and websites.
• Ask new questions. As you research, if something comes up that you are curious about, ask a new question!
• We have been doing secondary research. If you haven’t done it already, it is time to come up with some primary research ideas.

What is Primary Research?

Primary research is doing the observing, documenting, analyzing, and making conclusions on your own instead of finding research already done by someone else. It can take many forms. Primary research is required for the project, and it needs to be documented with pictures or notes. Here are some ideas:

• Interview with an expert on the topic. Before you do an interview, write down your questions and ask Ms. D to review them with you. Record the person’s answers, their name, and the date of the interview.
• Do observations at a location, or of someone doing something related to your topic. It is a good idea to take both written observations, the dates you took the observations, and take some pictures to share later as part of your presentation.
• Conduct a lab experiment. Use the scientific method to do a lab write up. Take pictures to document the process so you will have them for your presentation later. Write down the dates you conducted the experiment. We will be talking more about the scientific method this unit.
• Build something. Document your design process with a draft drawing or plan, notes about how the process is going, and pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.
• Do something. Try something for the first time, document the experience, and take pictures so you have them for your presentation later. Record dates about when you did certain things in your notes.

Please try to think about a primary research item on your own. Ms. D can discuss with you some ideas to help.

Next Step — Bibliography and Presentation Details:

• All notes, primary research, and bibliographies are due to Ms. D by May 31st.
• In May, we will begin working on presentations, and Ms. D will go over ideas. Our goal will be to not all have trifolds like a Science Fair. Independent Project is not like Science Fair presentations. We want to see models, interactive displays, brochures, handouts, etc. versus just a board people can look at and read. Materials are available in class, and computers/iPads will be available, as well. More details about this as we get into May.
• Presentation will be from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on June 12th, Wednesday. We may use a combination of our classroom and the library, or just the library, for presenting. Set up will be all morning on the 12th. Lunch will be early that day to accommodate a lunchtime viewing for parents and families.
• Some items from Independent Project, if they are digital, can be displayed on our class blog. Be thinking of what items could be displayed there, such as the bibliography, primary research documentation, and handouts. I will not post notes on the blog, only final presentation pieces.

Looking forward to your work!

Ms. D

*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