Category: Science

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In class students have been learning about simple machines and how to build their own.  Here are a few of their designs.

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Students were very excited to see that their spuds sprouted while we were away for Spring Break and began the process of hilling and caring for their growing potatoes yesterday.

Our daffodils are officially in bloom and beautifying the front of our school.

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.

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On Monday students in Division 4 and 8 had lots of fun playing in the dirt while they planted their seed potatoes.  After the break  we will continue to tend to the potatoes and observe their lifecycle before harvesting them in June.

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.

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Students have been learning that ecosystems consist of a set of interconnected processes that depend on each other for their function and today they had the opportunity to begin creating an ecosystem in a bottle. Since beginning our investigations on biomes and ecosystems students have been learning how materials, like water, are cycled through the whole ecosystem to benefit each part of it and how the fish and the plants and the soil are all affected by the same water and depend on one another.  They have also been learning that all ecosystems have a feeding hierarchy; energy source; producers, consumers, and decomposers; and non-living things such as minerals and elements.

In Science, we have been learning how plants and animals are interconnected and how they adapt to their environment over time.  We have also been learning about how water, sunlight, soil, and air help sustain life in our ecosystems.  Furthermore, students have been learning research techniques, questioning strategies, note taking, and referencing skills.

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Today Div 4 and 8 began our Planting a Promise project.  Students learned about daffodils and what they need to grow and survive and how the needs of plants and humans are similar and different. During this discussion students discovered that many of the basic needs for plants and humans are the same, however, plants are producers and humans are consumers.  They also learned the difference between annuals and perennials and learned how perennial bulbs provide food for the developing flower bud, stem and leaves throughout the winter before they bloom in the spring. Following our lesson on the daffodil life cycle the students then planted 50 daffodil bulbs, which hold the promise of beautiful flowers in spring.

Thanks again to Ms. Starling our volunteer gardening expert who assisted with the planting of our daffodils.  Your help was greatly appreciated!

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Division 9 had a great time today enjoying the sunshine and playing games in the park with their pen pals.