Category: Science

Save the Date: Thursday May 11th 

*Please Check the Assignment Deadlines Page for Important Deadlines

Quotes to Consider:

“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Art takes nature as its model.” ~ Aristotle

“Nature does not create works of art. It is we and the faculty of interpretation peculiar to the human mind, that see art.”~ Man Ray

“Science, like art is not a copy of nature but a re-creation of her.”~ Jacob Bronowski

“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want.”~Andy Warhol

Questions for further thought when you discover found art in nature:

What found art have you discovered in nature?

How did you react to it? How did it make you feel?

What does this type of art make you think of?

How do you think the artist wants you to engage with their artwork?

What challenges do you think the artist would have with creating land art with items found in nature?

What natural elements were used to create the artwork?

What elements or principles are depicted in the art?

Are there any negative and positive spaces depicted in the artwork?

What significance or meaning might the artwork have?

How will the art change as it is exposed to other natural elements and processes? Would this then change how people view and interact with the art?

Recently in class students participated in a climate justice and climate change simulation.  In this simulation students learned about the consequences of climate change, the injustice, and effects of climate change often experienced by vulnerable populations around the world.
Students work in groups to build communities and attempt to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies while experiencing the impacts of climate change (droughts, tropical storms, rising sea levels, and other impacts of climate change).

Some of the takeaways were:

Climate change is affecting those who are often contributing the least. The people hit the hardest are those already living in poverty and at higher risk.

The simulation also highlighted the affects that climate change is going to have on people.

– Climate change is affecting our ability to grow food. Growing seasons are disrupted or shortened and storms, droughts, and floods all
affect harvest outcomes.

– Climate change is affecting where and how we live making people relocate and find new homes after generations of living in one area. It is also causing extreme storms, rising sea level, melting permafrost, etc.

-Climate change directly affects human health and safety and can lead to the spread of diseases (like malaria), heat waves, wild fires, air pollution.

This lesson is going to be one of many climate change lessons as we explore more sustainable ways of being and doing in our world in an attempt to protect the planet.

After Spring Break students will also be participating in Indigo’s Read for the Planet Program and as a classroom we will be exploring ways we can take action in our school and the broader community to combat climate change and keep our planet healthy for more years to come

Students are naturally curious about the world in which they live. They want to know more about their planet and are concerned with the challenges we face. Reading and learning together with your child is a safe and supportive way to develop awareness and ideas for ways to care for the planet. Reading about how to care for the planet can also help deepen connections to other people and the planet—connections critical for understanding the challenges and opportunities being faced in communities around our planet.

The attached resource was designed by the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation in partnership with our curriculum partner, The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2) as an extension of our school-based Read For The Planet learning modules. We know that schools are just one place students learn and that home is a critical space for expanding on and practicing what happens in the classroom. This guide provides parents and caregivers with book suggestions, worksheets, discussion prompts and a template for a home-based action project all to help you and your little changemaker to get inspired through reading and have fun while learning about the environment together.

http://This lesson will invite students to examine the qualities of people or actions intended to address climate change or other environmental issues. The focus will be on helping students explore and decide what actions they might take.

Lesson Retrieved From: http://www.mcic.ca/uploads/documents/Climate%20Justice-Final%20PDF%202022.pdf

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0d5DTy3Mc_sPIHJYBqvrIhkHA

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Students from Division 3 and 5 had a fun filled day at the Vancouver Convention Centre as we wrapped up our MineralsEd Rockhounds program. Throughout the day they learned more about geology, minerals, new technologies, and careers in mineral exploration and mining. They learned more about how Canada’s critical Minerals are used and why they are important to the global economy. They also had the opportunity to pan for gold with Yukon Dan and learned how geologist determine the location of mineral resources based on ice movements.

Thanks again #MineralsEd for this opportunity. We had a great time and learned so much.

Today all the intermediate classes visited Grouse Mountain for an unforgettable learning experience.  We started our day at the base of the mountain before taking the scenic Skyride to the Peak of Vancouver. At the Peak students went snowshoeing, enjoyed a First Nations presentation, and explored how wildlife adapts to their environments. Through hands-on activities, students learned about some of Grouse Mountain’s most fascinating animals and how they adapt to escape predators, find food, and survive the changing seasons. They also learned about the three types of adaptations (structural, behavioural, and physiological) and different forms of camouflage (concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, disguise and mimicry).

During the First Nations presentation Led by a Squamish First Nation Elder, students interactively learned about traditional First Nations customs, legends, dances and the rich history in the hiwus Feasthouse, an authentic Pacific Northwest Coastal Longhouse. The Elder presented:

Chief Dan George Song – a prayer song given to the Coast Salish First Nations people to use.

Snowbird Song – Sung by Willie’s great grandmother, healing song.

Seagull Story – sharing, generosity, doing one’s best, caring for one another.

Cedar Basket Story – learning, listening to one’s elders, patience, friendship, sharing our own special gifts.

Furthermore students were taught about the characteristics of indigenous spirit animals as they learned and practiced traditional dance moves around the fire in the centre of the Feasthouse.

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Students have been learning about the mining process and about different types of mines.  Their work and models of open pit, placer, strip and underground mines along with their oversized visuals outlining the mining process and resources we mine for in Canada will be on display this week at the Vancouver Convention Centre for AME Roundup which is the premier gathering place for thousands of geoscientists, prospectors, financiers, investors, suppliers, governments and Indigenous partners to engage, share knowledge, and look at opportunities and challenges shaping the mining industry.

Today in class we learned about the characteristics of relationships and what makes a healthy versus an unhealthy relationship.

It was a wet day but we had so much fun at Britannia Mines today learning more about the rock cycle, types of rocks and minerals and the mining process.

Students, teachers, EA’s and parent volunteers participated in a one hour underground tour where they learned about how copper was mined and extracted from the earth when Britannia was a working mine.

After the underground tour we participated in a lab where we learned how every rock has a story. We learned more about how rocks tell us about the history of our planet, both distant and more recent. We also learned how rocks move through the rock cycle transforming from one type of rock to another.

To wrap up our visit we ended with an international award winning presentation called Boom where we were able to discover the thrilling light, sound, and special effects experience inside the historic mill.  We experienced all 20-storeys coming back to life with a thunderous roar and even saw some Britannia ghosts 👻

Here are some pictures and videos from today. Enjoy!

Video Links:

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