Category: Assignment Info

Rube Goldberg Fun!

Hello Everyone!

Using our knowledge of simple machines, we will be building a Rube Goldberg machine! Before we begin, please do some investigation. On Rube Tube you can watch a variety of Rube Goldberg contraptions and get some ideas. You can also read about Rube Goldberg himself on this biographical website and on this Rube Goldberg resource.

Google “Rube Goldberg Cartoons” under images if you would like to see even more.

Consider the DESIGN PROCESS as you create your own contraption!

  1. Ask a question – What task will your machine complete?
  2. Imagine what you would do – Brainstorm ideas and watch Rube Tube.
  3. Plan and consider materials – Make a draft in your journal and a list of supplies
  4. Create something based on your plan – all day Friday or Monday
  5. Reflect, make adjustments to improve, and document changes — Journal!
  6. Present final product – Show it to Ms. D

Your contraption must use at least three simple machines. Documentation of all your building steps is a must! I will be marking both your journal and your final presentation, so even if your product is amazing, you need written observations. Even if the machine doesn’t work, you need to show evidence of having considered simple machines and be able to explain your process to me.

We will build the machines on Friday Jan. 10th during a large chunk of the day. Begin looking for ideas and materials from home. I have a lot of building supplies here, but if you need something specific, then please look at home. You shouldn’t need to buy anything new, so please focus on recyclables and toys you already have. The contraption does not need to be big, either, so consider we will have 12 groups working in our space at the same time!

One way to make your machine more interesting is to consider how it might tell a story. When you watch the OK Go video on Rube Tube, it is based on a song. How does it tell a story or have a message? Or is it a funny task it will complete?

The only thing I don’t have in the classroom are pulleys, so if you are thinking of having a pulley device, you have to construct it.

Have fun! I will provide a rubric for you for this activity in class that talks about your design process. While it would be great if your machine is successful, I am more interested in how you used the design process and simple machines to complete this task.

Ms. D

First Peoples and Early Tools

Hello Everyone,

As we finish our work on timelines showing how human innovations and technologies have changed over time, we are going to take a look at early tools used by First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

Canada’s First Peoples used many different tools and technologies that were important to their culture and for their survival. Some are still used today, whether in their original or an updated format. 

You will work with a partner to find out more about these early tools. Here are some websites you can use to do your research:

First Peoples of Canada

Canadian Geographic Atlas

Learning Portal Royal BC Museum

Learning Portal Timeline Royal BC Museum

First Peoples of BC Royal BC Museum

SD71 Comox Resources

Canadian Encyclopedia First Peoples

Pacific Northwest Artifacts

Burke Museum Coast Salish

First Nations Information, Museum of Anthropology

Map First Nations BC

Once we are done finding out more about the tools listed on your handout, you will choose one to do a short mini poster about. This will mean doing a bit more research on the item, beyond the websites I have provided. We are also going to be making spindle whorls for art. Did you find out what a spindle whorl is from your list of tools?

Ms. D

Unit #2 Our Human Creations, Timeline Project

Hello Everyone!

In connection with our unit concept of CHANGE, we are creating timelines to better understand how technology has changed over time due to constant human innovation.

Students are working with a partner, and they have chosen a topic to focus on. It is important that we understand we are looking for human innovations in our timelines. For example, if you are looking at communication as a topic, then we are looking at the history of innovations, technologies, and tools that have been used for communication.

There is an example of a timeline hanging in the classroom on the topic of TRANSPORTATION. Please use this as a model to better understand how to create a timeline.

Here are the instructions and criteria list for the project, which we already talked about in class:

  1. Choose a topic. Brainstorm the related words to your project topic, so you can better find information online and in books.
  2. Use the books provided in the classroom (there are lots, and some are even on timelines!) to find information before you use the internet. If your topic isn’t covered by the books, you can go ahead and use the internet.
  3. When using a book, use the non-fiction features we discussed, such as the table of contents, index, key words, headings, and captions, to find information more quickly.
  4. When using the internet, make sure to use some of the key words you brainstormed. If you are looking for communication tools, for example, you may want to try “history communication tools humans.” Ask for help if you need it!!
  5. We won’t do a bibliography, but you need to take notes and record your sources in your journal.
  6. Write down key ideas in your own words, as you will better remember what you learned. Don’t just copy.
  7. Check sources for quality as we have discussed in class. Is it too old? Is the website from a business and has lots of ads? Who wrote the website? What is the ending of the web address (use .edu, .org, .gov for example)?
  8. Do research independently, then come together with your partner to exchange notes and to discuss. Decide on 20 dates in time you would like to represent on your timeline.
  9. Ms. D will give you 4 sheets of 8.5″ x 14″ legal paper. Each partner will take two, as well as 10 of the dates. Create your half of the timeline. We will connect all four sheets together to make one large timeline at the end.
  10. Timeline can go horizontal or vertical. You can decide how the line will be drawn on the paper.
  11. You need an illustration for each date.
  12. You need a 1-2 sentence description for each date. Descriptions can be typed and glued on the timeline, or handwritten in pencil, then done in fine liner so we can see them. Writing needs to be large enough to fill the space and be visible to others when it is hung up for display.
  13. We will hang our results up for everyone to enjoy!

I CAN statements from the curriculum content and competencies that you will find on your assessment rubric:

I can find information for my timeline from a variety of sources and document my research in notes, recording key ideas and sources.

I can choose specific dates for my timeline and write descriptions of 1-2 sentences that show an understanding of how my specific technology or human innovation area has changed over time.

I can communicate using clear writing and edit for conventions of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

I can use illustrations to communicate further information about each of the dates I chose on the timeline.

I can demonstrate an understanding and appreciate of evidence by looking through a variety of sources as I research.

I can sequence events on my timeline appropriately to show the positive and negative aspects of change in human innovations over time.

I can show knowledge of different types of machines and technology that have been created by humans to serve a specific purpose.

Questions? Ask Ms. D!

 

New Unit Dec./Jan. and Year-Long Curriculum Information

 

Hello Everyone,

As communicated in the parent orientation and via the blog earlier this fall, we are continuing with our conceptual-based units throughout the year.

These units integrate all subjects and connect directly to the B.C. curriculum, whether through the big ideas, content, or curricular competency skill areas. The units also integrate curriculum from both the grade 4 and 5 years.

Given MACC students are with me for two years, I have created a program that runs over two years and does not repeat in terms of content. We do repeatedly practice skill areas, as they need practice for longer than just one year. Some skill areas they practice all the way through high school, too!

Our schedule for the year goes like this:

Term 1:  
Unit 1 — Concept SYSTEMS, unit integrated around health and human body

Term 2:  
Unit 2 — Concept CHANGE/CREATIVITY, unit integrated around technology/maker things
Unit 3 — Concept EXPLORATION, unit integrated around people/animal migration

Term 3:
Unit 4 — Concept STRUCTURE/ORDER, unit integrated around resources and needs/wants
Unit 5 — Concept CONNECTION/PATTERNS, unit integrated around space, stories, myths
Unit 6 — Independent Project (process happens throughout term 2 and 3, with presentation in June for the public)

For Term 2, here is our unit we began two and a half weeks ago! 
See my Twitter feed for pictures of work we have already done so far!

Unit #2:  Our Human Creations, December – 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 (from the core competencies)
  • Change and the design process
  • Tools we can use to change the depth of our reading and writing
  • Scientific forces and mathematical thinking behind our creations
  • How innovations make change
  • Using technology to learn or to create change
  • Change in our lives, perspectives, thinking, and abilities
  • How we can share our creative thinking with one another and the community

Some of the Specific Topics Covered In:

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, reading of City of Ember through the use of Reading Power.
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. Creativity research study observing how younger children work with marble roller coaster creation.
French: Use of French-games.net to do a variety of vocabulary-building, independently-paced lessons. Students will do practice and assessments in class on vocabulary lists and phrases built from these activities.
Arts:  Maker Projects, Musical Performance, Spindle Whorls and Coast Salish Art Forms, Not a Box Activity, Creative-Thinking Challenges, and continued talk about elements and principles of art. 
Physical Education and Health: Movement activities focused around the quality of movement, dance moves, where we can find aerobic activities that get our heart pumping, and the creative choreography of our own dances to music. Also, brainstorming together creative options for cooperative play on the playground.

More updates to come as specific projects are introduced! Please ask if you have questions!

Ms. D

Unit Update November 12th! Coming to the end of the term!

Hello Everyone,

In addition to the email we sent you with deadlines for the mini projects we are doing, here is a quick update on some of the things we have been doing in class.

Math

In the past few weeks, we have continued to explore measures of central tendency and graphing, using Smarties as our research tool. We had a quiz this week to assess our understanding. Ms. B will be checking in with some students this week who need to do a re-take of the quiz, just to ensure they fully understand the material. We have also started a graphing project to explore food and eating patterns in the class, as well as to explore the nutritional value of different foods. Students have had to configure and conduct their own surveys, make a graph based on their survey findings, and write a paragraph explaining what they surveyed, why they chose to use the graph that they did, and what patterns they can see. This project will be due on Friday, November 15th, although we will be checking in with students to see how they are doing time-wise this week.


Physical and Health Education

In the past few weeks, we have continued to explore concepts related to physical and mental health. We have explored Indigenous perspectives on holistic health and how to understand food labels and nutritional facts. Students made their own vitamin and mineral-rich mung bean sprouts. These sprouts were a healthy alternative option at the Halloween party.

We had a class science conference, during which students explored the many roles of beneficial intestinal bacteria. The conference concluded with students making their own natural probiotic ginger ale.

Students are now working on making a poster to inform others about one vitamin or mineral, why our bodies need it, and which foods contain it. By the end of the upcoming week, we will have 24 different vitamin and mineral posters for all to learn from. These posters are due on November 15th, Friday.

We have also explored the benefits of listening to music and connecting with friends for our mental health. We took a walking trip to Central Park to explore the benefits of spending time in nature for our mental and physical health.


Language Arts

In the past few weeks, we have been working on writing our own personal TED Talks, focusing on a topic we are passionate about, related to mental and/or physical health, personal awareness and responsibility, empowerment, or another related topic. Students have all finished their first drafts, and some have also revised these drafts in preparation for their presentations on Thursday and Friday, November 14 and 15. In the coming week, students will be practicing reading their speeches to their peers and giving each other feedback on how to improve their speeches before their presentations.


French

In the past few weeks, we have explored how to say and talk about parts of the body in French. Students each had an oral check-in. They will find out how they did on their check-in next week, and have a chance to upgrade. We will be moving on to learning about how to say different foods in the coming week.


Science

Students are using the scientific method to ask the question, “Where would the most likely spot to pick up a germ in the school be?” Each group chose 2 locations in the school to test, taking a Q-Tip to collect the sample and then spreading the sample on homemade petri dishes of agar agar, beef broth, and sugar. Students have been making daily observations with both pictures and words to document the changes. We will be looking carefully at our samples for colour, shape, and texture changes that would indicate whether the location had germs (bacteria, yeast, mold, fungi). We will collect our results as a class to determine which location has the greatest likelihood of germ pick up using probability, fractions, and percentages from our math discussions earlier in the term.


Art

Students made amazing poppy art through the use of emphasis, careful observation and drawing, charcoal, and acrylic techniques. They have taken pictures of their art and are reflecting on how they applied these techniques to create a beautiful final product. They are also finishing their HIVE art, and there will be reflections on the e-ports by Friday, November 15th, with explanations of what each of the personal hexagons mean.

Music and Other Upcoming Things!

Music for the rest of the time until break will be dedicated to the musical preparations, and many students are auditioning for speaking roles today and tomorrow at lunch. Those in the choir are meeting on Thursdays at lunch to also prepare for their role. As a class, we will be making art to help decorate the gym and provide the festive atmosphere for SNOW BIZ! Please submit your ticket orders by this Friday and mark the date of the performances on your calendars.

Holiday Preparations have been discussed during class meetings. The students wish to have a Secret Santa exchange, White Elephant gift game, and a class party. A committee has been formed to organize our party and everyone is welcome to join committee meetings advertised in class. All of these things will happen during our last week.

Away Early? You may miss important things like the musical, part of the next unit (as we will begin our next unit the week of Nov. 25th and be working on it until we go to break), and the holiday party. It is a good idea to tell us in advance you will be away. Report cards are not distributed until Dec. 20th, so if you leave early, please collect it from me in the new year when you return. Thank you!

Meetings for Assessment. A notice will go out this Friday to schedule a meeting for report card conferences, and it will include a parent questionnaire that will be included with the report card. Please begin to look through the e-portfolios so we can all reflect on how things went during term one.

Thank you and more to come soon!

Ms. D and Ms. B

It’s the Final Countdown!

Hello Everyone!

Here are some things we are finishing up this week and next:

  • Independent Project Notes and Bibliography, due today June 7th
  • Applied Design Nature Scale Model, ongoing with hope to finish by June 12th
  • Presentation Materials for Independent Project, due June 13th
  • French Weather Vocabulary and Song, ongoing through next two weeks
  • E-Port entries on math, language arts (Skeleton Tree book), and end of our nature connection unit
  • Finish Connections Slideshow presentations by Monday, June 10th end of day
  • Continued discussions around social responsibility, geometry as time allows during project time
  • Battle of the Books Project Reading, with Battle on June 21st

For Independent Project, here are some things to think about for the presentation on June 13th 12-2:30 PM. We have already talked about these in class:

  • You need something visible to show. Doesn’t need to be a trifold or poster, but you need something people can look at. Many of you are doing slideshows, models, trifolds, and posters. 
  • Boxes, poster board, bristol board, coloured paper, white standard paper in multiple sizes, modelling clay, and building supplies are available in the classroom to use. Just ask! Lots of options!
  • Print a copy of your bibliography to show at your presentation spot in the classroom.
  • Think about your “talking points.” Good idea to have 5 key things you would really like to communicate. Also, be able to answer, “Why did you choose this topic?” 
  • Make sure Ms. D has any zines or handouts by the morning of June 12th for photocopying.
  • Gather together any materials you will need for interactive displays. If you are going to have food, how will it get to school? How will you serve it? Do you have toothpicks, napkins, and serving utensils? How will it keep cold? If you have something messy, how will you keep your space clean?
  • If you have large items coming for your presentation, please don’t bring until after Monday, June 10th.

After Independent Project, what’s going on????

  • Student Reflections and Parent Questionnaires Due June 14th in the morning at the latest.
  • Sports Day on Friday, June 14th! Early Dismissal at 1:00 PM
  • Nature Art — Details to be announced as we have to see if we have enough time
  • Nature Park Visiting Challenge Winner Announced June 17th Monday
  • Parent Volunteer Tea on June 20th, Thursday 2-3:30 PM. Division 5 will be helping to serve at this event from 2-3 PM and needs to wear white shirts and black pants.
  • Battle of the Books Battle on June 21st!
  • Reading Around the World completion deadline for free lunch June 21st!
  • Ocean Acidification Lab, One-Cut Geometry Activities, French Singing 
  • Year-End Recognition Assembly, Monday June 24th 9:00 AM. Many students from our class are being recognized. You are welcome to attend.
  • Year-End Party TBD, likely outdoor picnic!
  • Last day June 27th 9-10 AM only. Report Cards distributed.

If anything changes, I will let you know! Stay tuned for the next post, which will be an overview of our learning from term three. Make sure to check e-portfolios for reflections and pictures of our work, as well as Ms. D’s Twitter feed, which can now be seen on the home page of this blog.

Almost done with the year!!!!

May 27th — Math Review and Fibonacci!

Hello Everyone!

So, during our unit “The Nature Connection”, we have had an opportunity to work on a wide variety of math skills from the content and curricular competencies of the math curriculum.

We have done math using the following resources:

  • Journey Through the Animal Kingdom: Math in the Real World
  • Journey Through Planet Earth: Math in the Real World
  • This is Not a Math Book (Math Art)
  • Math Connections to the Real World Grades 5-8 (Review of Decimals/Fractions)
  • The Original Area Mazes Volume 2
  • Fibonacci Videos (see below)
  • And challenge math from Geometry Books grades 7-10 level for those who wanted it

We have addressed the following parts of the math curriculum (I can’t list them all, but here are the top ones!) Students worked on all of these at their own levels of understanding, depending on grade level and experience. We also added depth and complexity as needed.

  • Big Idea: Closed shapes have area and perimeter that can be described, measured, and compared.
  • Using reasoning to explore and make connections
  • Estimating reasonably 
  • Model mathematics in contextualized experiences
  • Visualize and explore math concepts
  • Use math vocabulary and language to contribute to math discussions
  • Explain and justify math ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms
  • Reflect on math thinking
  • Number concepts to 1,000,000
  • Decimals to hundredths or thousandths
  • Area measurement of squares and rectangles, as well as some abnormal combined “L” shapes
  • Relationships between area and perimeter
  • Duration, using measurement of time, 24 hour clocks, & reading time zones
  • Classification of prisms and pyramids
  • Single transformations
  • Tallying and graphing, Diagrams and charts, coordinates/quadrants
  • Financial literacy
  • Volume
  • Roman Numerals
  • Division using remainders and decimals, depending on ability
  • Reading temperature with positive and negative integers
  • One step equations with variables and understanding algebraic expressions

Everyone has turned in their work for Animal and Planet Earth Math, and they received a check plus, check, or check minus. A few people did not have their work and need to check in with me as soon as possible. 

We watched an excellent series of videos on Fibonacci and Math in Nature. Here are the three videos to watch again at home. Yes, the person who did the videos speaks very, very fast! We stopped and started the videos many times while watching. Have you used your angle-a-tron at home? We used them outside, and it was amazing to see that they worked! 137.5 degrees and 90 degrees everywhere!

Fibonacci Doodling in Math Class # 1

Fibonacci Doodling in Math Class # 2

Fibonacci Doodling in Math Class # 3

Also check out these websites from Math is Fun talking about:

Fibonacci Sequence

Nature: The Golden Ratio

Golden Ratio (more advanced)

Solid Geometry

Feel free to browse the other topics on Math is Fun for further information. I have also put some practice websites for math topics at the Articles of Interest Page.

As we do the math for our applied design project making a scale model, here are some websites to look at:

Pictures of objects “to scale”

Teach Engineering Scale Model Fun

At a base level, making a scale model is about visual-spatial reasoning and understanding. Yes, we do measurement, we use a scale, we talk about ratios, etc., but we are also trying to understand a visual and spatial relationship between two objects or two spaces.

For example, today to better understand our natural space, we went for a walk around the actual, larger space outside. Walking it helps our brain understand how big it is, beyond the actual measurements of 81 feet by 23 feet. Then, we took the box we are using for the scale model and placed it on the ground, inside the larger space, so we could see just how much smaller our model is than the actual area beside the portable. Reactions included, “Whoa!” It takes seeing things from a different perspective to truly understand scale. Great work everyone on your math scale objects today in class! See Twitter for pictures.

By the way, making a scale model is tough! So, at the base level, can you understand how to enlarge or reduce a 2D square or rectangle on grid paper? Can you understand a 1:4 relationship or ratio or fraction as we described in class? Good job! You are on the right track for your grade-level curriculum!

Ms. D

Connection Concept PowerPoint

Hello Everyone,

Today, I introduced our last mini project to end our unit about the concept CONNECTION.

Our unit focus statement was: Human beings impact and rely upon the balance of nature’s interdependent systems.

Your task will be to show an understanding of this statement by choosing one way in which humans are making a CONNECTION with nature’s interdependent systems in a positive or negative way.

  1. Choose a topic. Today we discussed how you could talk about climate change, air pollution, environmental disasters, how we use nature to heal ourselves, nature and mental health, etc. There are many books in the classroom that can help you understand these issues and choose a topic area. We talked about many of the topics today and will continue to do so throughout this week. 
  2. Do some basic research using book resources. For this project, I am going to ask you to use the books in class or the articles I have provided under Articles of Interest so we don’t spend time going all over the place for research. Your topic needs to be able to be addressed by those resources.
  3. Take some basic notes in your journal or on Google Docs.
  4. Make a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. There will be 10 slides, and I will tell you what goes on them below.

Here is what you need to include on the 10 slides:

Slide 1:  Introduction Slide with Picture related to the topic, your name, title of the presentation, and the date.

Slides 2-5:  What is it? Explain what it is that you are going to be talking about. Basic definition, some details about the topic, and some pictures.

Slide 6-7:   How does it relate to our CONNECTION to nature? Is it a positive or negative connection?

Slide 8-9: What are next steps? If this is a negative thing, what can we (the audience) do to change the situation? If this is a positive thing, how can we (the audience) participate or do more?

Slide 10: Conclusion. Sum up what you said in Slides 2-9 with key points.

Criteria:

  • Follow the format correctly for the slides described above.
  • Show a solid understanding of the concept of CONNECTION by showing how humans either negatively or positively are impacting the environment or interacting with nature’s systems.
  • Show clear evidence of research including facts that completely explain the topic.
  • Show evidence of clear note taking in your journal or Google Docs. (You don’t have to show me, but your presentation needs evidence of research.)
  • Include pictures and clear text on each slide
  • Have a basic, written script to present with your slideshow.
  • Present in a clear voice with adequate volume, an expressive voice, and an appropriate pace so everyone in the room can hear your ideas.

This presentation will be due on Friday, May 31st.

Battle of the Books — June Reading Fun!

Hello Everyone!

During our reading of The Skeleton Tree we have been talking about taking time to read carefully, taking notes on key vocabulary and ideas using our readminders, and also how to ask deeper questions using the QAR model. We will continue to develop our comprehension as we do a fun, end-of-year reading activity. This is a great way to use silent reading time! We will also be bringing towels/blankets and reading outside on some days.

Here’s how it works!

  • Form a team of 6 people
  • Decide amongst yourselves who will read which books from the list provided
  • For each book you read, create 20 questions. Each question starts with “In which book did…..” or “In which book would you find….” or “In which book does the main character…..” 
  • Turn in the questions and Ms. D will be using some of these for the competition!
  • Ms. D will ask questions, and your team will have to guess which book they came from! 
  • Make sure your team reads all the books. That doesn’t mean YOU read all the books. It means the team reads the books. So “divide and conquer” and help one another out!

Here are the books:

  • Refugee by Alan Gratz
  • Hero by Ron Woods
  • My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
  • The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
  • A Handful of Time by Kit Pearson
  • Fish in a Tree by Lynda Hunt
  • Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
  • Tuk and the Whale by Raquel Rivera
  • The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
  • Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui Sutherland
  • 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
  • TroubleTwisters by Garth Nix and Sean Williams
  • Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Battle to be held on June 25th, Tuesday!

Applied Design Project: Make a Nature Space

Hello Everyone,

Our time outdoors during this unit has resulted in great discussions about how walking is great for your physical and mental health and how being in nature makes us feel relaxed and calm. I have always thought the space to the side of our portable could be better utilized. What do you think?

Let’s give some ideas to the school about what it could look like! Invent a natural space you would enjoy spending time in during your breaks. This space is rectangular and approximately 81 feet long and 43 feet wide, just to the west of our portable. What natural elements would you include? Get creative! Remember, this is not a playground, so no playground equipment. Think trees, rocks, natural space, garden, etc.

Here are the steps for the project with a partner!

  1. Make an individual brainstorm plan — done
  2. Measure the actual space — done, thank you Mia and Joone
  3. Compare ideas with multiple classmates to further develop your ideas — done
  4. Get a partner, and on grid paper, begin to plan out a space together. Each block is equal to 2 feet.
  5. Start thinking with your partner about what the scale will be for the box I will provide for your project model. Set the scale and tell Ms. D.
  6. Brainstorm what materials you may need. I have lots of things including pieces of wood, sand, clay, paint, and more, but maybe you want something specific from outdoors or from home?
  7. Create the model! Go crazy!
  8. Write an explanation and reflection about your model on your e-port. What went well in your design process? What would you change for next time? How did it go working with a partner? Do you think this model represents a natural space someone could actually build? Is it doable?

Here are the criteria, which will be put into a rubric for your thinking!

  • Show an appropriate sense of scale when creating elements in your natural space. (applied math)
  • Include only natural elements and have a variety of different types of things to make the space interesting.
  • Show thinking, through the model and your reflection, about creating a realistic space that will allow all ages to relax and enjoy the natural elements you included.
  • Use a variety of materials to represent your natural elements.
  • Show evidence in your reflection of your design process, including ways you would improve the process for next time, how you worked with materials, and how you worked with your partner.
  • Create a model that shows time and effort. (neatly done, colour, interesting to look at)

As a way to extend your thinking, try to include math in the way you design your elements! Can angles, perfect circles, and/or Fibonacci play a role in your design? How will your elements work with the surrounding natural space rather than against it?

Reflection for this project is due by June 12th, and most of the model work needs to be done by June 17th end of day. But it is okay if you continue to put final touches on the model through June 25th if needed.

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