Category: Math

Grade 4 Class Code: JFXXQZUH

Grade 5 Class Code: 7VCT3WD7

Link: Math Makes Sense 4 Resource

Link: Math Makes Sense 5 Resource

Throughout our Planting a Promise unit students in division 4 and 12 will be learning that:
✱ Plants are diverse in the way they grow.  They are different in their appearance, in their use and in their life cycle.
✱ Seasonal changes happen in plants as well as animals.
✱ Plants have basic needs (air, water, soil and light) that must be met in order for them to grow.
✱ Air, water and soil have different physical characteristics that can affect the growth of plants.
✱ Personal choices have environmental consequences that can affect living resources, like plants.

With our little buddies from division 12 we learned how to use Japanese Notan to create haunted houses. We learned to balance dark and light using reflections to create positive and negative spaces.

“Together We Unite” student artwork inspired by the work of Canadian textile artist and designer Elizabeth (Libs) Elliott.

In Term 3 our class was learning about the importance of sleep, diet, and physical activity and how these things can have an impact on our health and well being.  We also learned how to conduct surveys and how to represent data in bar graphs.

Once students had the hang of conducting surveys and graphing their results we decided to conduct school wide surveys.  The students surveyed their peers to determine how much time screen time students are getting, how much physical activity they are getting each day, how many sugary drinks they are consuming per day, and how many hours of sleep they are getting each night.

After compiling all the results the students created graphs that they later presented to the whole school.  As they presented their  findings they also provided students with recommendations for how they can balance screen time with other activities, consume less sugar, increase their physical activity and make sure they are getting enough sleep.

Students enjoyed the challenge of building gum drop structures with their older buddies from Burnaby Mountain last week.  Students had to test their knowledge of engineering as they tried to figure out:

Which shapes made by the toothpicks and gumdrops were the strongest? Squares, rectangles, or triangles?

Did the width of the base make a difference?

When the structure collapsed, which portions stayed in one piece? Why did those parts not collapse?

They were then tasked with using their discoveries to create a stronger structure that would support more weight.

This week Div 4 and 8 students were surprised to see that the daffodils we planted in the fall have begun to sprout and are preparing to bloom.  Some students were also puzzled by how much they have grown already especially since the ground has been covered in snow for the past week or two.  Over the coming weeks students will continue to track and document the growth of the daffodils, review their life cycle, and investigate factors that can enhance or hinder growth.

Notan is a Japanese word meaning the balance between dark and light.  In this art piece students cut paper and used lines of symmetry reflections, and positive and negative shapes.

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OBJECTIVES

•  Design and construct a boat with only the supplied materials in 2 1/2hours
•  The boat should float
• Carry lots of weight and go fast

TOOLS AND MATERIALS PROVIDED:

• two 4 x 8 feet sheets of 1/8 inch cardboard
• 25 feet of string (8 meters)
• one roll of duct tape
• one roll of packing tape
• one retractable utility knife
• one laminated sheet with specified team number (we were Team 3)
• two pencils
• one pairs of gloves
• one pair of safety glasses
• 2 meter sticks
• a tape measure

RACE TIME

2 MINUTE WEIGHT CHALLENGE

HOW THEY DID

During the construction phase of this challenge the students worked cooperatively and used their creative and critical thinking skills to design and construct a well built boat.  Together they successfully completed the 25 meter race across Kensington Pool and their boat stayed afloat for the 2 minute weight challenge at the end of the race.  Even though they were the youngest in the competition and the first to compete, they finished in 67 seconds posting the second best time in the first round of races.  These students did an excellent job representing Twelfth Avenue Elementary and demonstrated that with planning, focus, and teamwork you can achieve your goals. Way to go team! You were amazing and should be very proud of your performance!