Category: Math

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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!

In this art lesson students of Div 9 learned about the Japanese art form, Notan.  They used paper cutting, contrasting colour, and lines of symmetry to create unique positive and negative designs.  They also learned that space is the area above,  below, between, within, and around the main objects in a piece of art and that space is present in all 2D and 3D art.

In the fall Div 8 and 9 students planted daffodil bulbs that were donated to us by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC). Through the Planting a Promise program students gained hands-on gardening experience while exploring the life cycle of a plant and what it needs to grow. They were able to connect positively with nature and learn science through observation. Also the cheerful, yellow daffodil blooms that greeted the students when they returned from Spring Break, gave them a sense of pride in contributing to their school and community.  As the daffodils continue their lifecycle they will continue to beautify the school grounds year after year.

Right before Spring Break Div 9 students planted their seed potatoes.  When they returned to school after the break they were amazed by how much the potatoes have grown. Today they learned about the hilling process and how to check if their potatoes need water.  Students then hilled the soil around the young potato seedlings so that only the top leaves were sticking out of the ground and gave them some water.  They will continue this process every 2-3 days as the potato sprouts grow taller.  The hilling process will force new tubers and new potatoes to grow under the new mound of soil hopefully yielding more potatoes when it comes time to harvest them in June.

Today we celebrated International Pi Day with a mathematical investigation into circles.

After reading the story Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi written by Cindy Neuschwander and illustrated by Wayne Geehan students tested out the formula for calculating the circumference of a circle by measuring various circular objects in the room.  What they discovered is that the circumference of a circle, regardless of size, will always be 3.14 or 3 1/7 times the diameter of the circle.

Students also learned that Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π.

To end our investigations we tested the formula on some apple pies.  Not only did the pies taste great but they also proved that the formula to calculate circumference is accurate and works every time.

In celebration of National Literacy Day student from Div 9 along with their big buddies from Div 2 created their very own literacy equations after reading This Plus That written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  The book provided inspiration to help students come up with their own fanciful equations on literacy. Some examples they came up with were “book + quiet space = reading”, “writing + music = song writing,” and “reading + writing = literacy”.

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This week Div 8 and 9 students removed the mulch from our garden of daffodils.  Many of them were surprised that the daffodil stems have already pushed through the soil and are preparing to bloom.  Over the coming weeks students will track and document the growth of the daffodils, review the life cycle of daffodils, and investigate factors that can enhance or hinder growth.

Have you ever blown up a balloon and let it go? The air rapidly escapes the balloon making it fly away.

Students were challenged to harness this energy and design their very own car that could be propelled forward using a single balloon.

Engineering Design Constraints

1. The car must be propelled forward by the air escaping the balloon.

2. The car must be sturdy and not fall apart when in use.

3. The car must travel at least five feet.

4. The car must travel in approximately a straight line.

Materials Suggested

 Power: One latex balloon

 Car body: Plastic bottle, plastic cup, or cardboard

 Wheels: CDs, bottle caps, empty rolls of tape

 Axles: Wooden dowels, wooden skewers, plastic straws

 Other materials: plastic straws, hot glue, tape, paper clips, scissors, rubber bands

Math Connection

During the testing phase students were asked to calculate the average speed of their balloon cars. The equation they used to calculate the average speed of their car

was:

𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒/𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

Today students in Div 9 learned how to make three-dimensional snowflakes in an activity that incorporated math, fine motor skills, and art. Students also utilized their thinking and personal core competencies as they problem solved and persevered through each step of the process to create these impressive snowflakes.

As part of our Daily Physical Activity (DPA) program students in Div 9 will be keeping track of the kilometers they run throughout the school year. For every 25 laps (10 km) they run on the outdoor track they will get a bead to place on their KM Club bracelet.