Month: March 2022

After reading “The Great Realization” by Tomos Robert the students create a similar poem on their own global issue. They worked in pairs to create a 6 stanza poem with A, A, B, B or A, B, A, B rhyming scheme.

Below are the poems they created.
Student Poems

Today we learned about the process of emulsion by making butter. Once our butter formed we then tried it on some English Muffins, which were delicious.

Whoever told you that oil and water don’t mix might not have considered the term “emulsion.” It is possible for tiny particles of two seemingly unmixable substances to suspend in one another like oil and water. This super scientific experiment demonstrates the magic of the invisible globule while bringing a yummy result to the table.

Milk is mostly water with about 5-10 percent protein and fat globule. Cream is milk that contains closer to 15-25 percent fat globules. What is a globule? A globule is a super tiny membrane filled with fat molecules-think of a microscopic water balloon. Because these globules are so small and fat is lighter than water, it floats. This forms a “stable suspension,” a colloid. The bigger the globules, the slower it moves resulting in thinker milk or cream.

When shaken, the globules’ membranes smash against each other and break apart like bursting water balloons. The fat then spills out and clumps together with the contents of the other burst globules, which causes the freed fat to separate from the water. As this process continues, two new substances are formed: a solid (butter) and the remaining liquid (buttermilk)!

Last week in class we learned about crystals and the process of crystallization. A crystal is a solid substance with a symmetrical pattern of faces and angles with a repetitive arrangement of atoms in a substance. Snowflakes are one type of crystal. They are formed when air and water cool and molecules move closer together. Crystallization is a natural process when the materials solidify from liquids, or they precipitate out of liquid or gas. Crystals can be made of 1 species of atom, different species of ions, or even from molecules like proteins.

During the lab we learned how a solute(borax) and solvent(water) interact to form crystals. We also learned that different conditions affect how crystals grow. We tested making crystals from different materials like epsom salt, paperclips and string in a solution. During the experiments we discovered that materials like epsom salt and paperclips do not provide the proper conditions to grow a crystal, but borax, pipe cleaners and string do. We also noticed that the crystals that grew on the string were larger than the crystals that grew on the pipe cleaner.

Following the lab, we had an opportunity to record our observations and use magnifying glasses to determine the shape and size of our crystals. We learned that crystals grow together and the surfaces are either be flat or curved. We also learned how to define unsaturated, saturated, and supersaturated solutions and were able to point out in the lab when our solution went through each phase.

Blog Post Written By: A.W

The following is information on Capitol Hill’s French Late Immersion program for Grade 5 students going into Grade 6 in the fall. If you are interested in the program or would like more information please let me know.

We were tasked with designing a newspaper advertisement for the Burnaby Now newspaper. Our class was asked to design an ad for The Valley Bakery in North Burnaby. The Valley Bakery bakes fresh every day. They bake breads, buns, cookies, muffins, pastries and more. They have beautifully decorated cakes for all occasions too!

Here are some pictures of us in design mode:

Blog Post Written By: A.W.

Link to Read-Aloud: https://youtu.be/Nw5KQMXDiM4

Today, in class Ms. Knowlan our student teacher taught a lesson based on the book The Great Realization written by Tomos Roberts. The book is about the pandemic, times of crisis, and the many  global issues we are facing today. It also highlights how the pandemic has helped us open our eyes to some of  these global issues during the global pandemic.

A few questions we discussed as a class were:

What do you think the meaning of this poem is?

What are some things that resonated with you?

In the video how does the relationship between Roberts and his siblings influence his message, choice of words, delivery and impact?

Does Tomos Robert paint a positive or negative picture?

Do the illustrations from the book change your perception or understanding?

Why do you think the author chose the title “The Great Realization”?

What are some key issues he identifies?

How does he portray the world after lockdown?

What does he mean by “hindsight’s 2020”?

For the next lesson we will be partnered up and asked to write and illustrate our own poems on global issues affecting us today (poverty, pollution, climate change, inequality, technology consumption, war, natural disasters, over population, corruption, etc.).

Blogpost written by: A.W.