To our Grade 7s (and the parents and guardians of our Grade 7s),

Just a reminder that tomorrow, representatives from Burnaby North will be meeting with us at school. These school counselors will be providing us with information about course selection and answering some questions we might have about Grade 8!

After the seminar, students will be sent home with 2 forms: a course selection form and a medical information form. These forms must be returned to me (Ms. Ward) by February 17.

While I am looking forward to the excitement of planning for Grade 8, it makes me very aware that our time together is limited… let’s make the most of our last few months at Lochdale!

Best,

Ms. Ward

Copy of Mars Unit

Our class is investigating what humanity might look like in the future as part of our exploration of utopias/dystopias. We discussed how some people think that Mars may be the future home of humans if Earth is no longer a sustainable, habitable environment. For us to live on Mars, we would need to prepare for many harsh realities including: no breathable atmosphere, extreme climate, travel concerns, food and water, etc.

Click on the link above for our PowerPoint, and watch the video below for some basic facts about our potential new home:

Draw a Dinosaur Day

Did you know January 30th is ‘Draw a Dinosaur Day’? Our class learned about different representations of the T.Rex and how they have changed throughout time. ‘Paleoartists’ (artists and scientists who are responsible for creating 2D or 3D representations of dinosaurs) do the best they can with the information they are given from fossils. We discussed how our understanding of dinosaurs has changed over time. Please feel free to click the link above for more information!

Copy of Infer Grade 6_7

Our class is investigating the significance of photography! We know there are many types of photography (ex: wildlife photography, portraits, telescopic photography, food photography) that all serve different purposes. We discussed how we can use our observations to make inferences about what is happening in the photograph! Check out the PowerPoint (linked above) to test your own observation skills!

Watch the video above to see an ‘underwater dog photographer’ in action!

Last week, Ms. Cummings (our Indigenous Learning and Resource Teacher) began discussing land stewardship with our class. We discussed how humans can have positive and negative influences on our environment, and learned about how Indigenous communities have served as stewards and protectors of land since time immemorial.

In the video above, the N’we Jinan Artists, from the Tsleil-Waututh nation, sing about their hopes, commitments, and concerns to protecting their ancestral territories.

Some discussion questions for at home:

1. What are some ways that humans have harmed or helped the environment? Are these changes reversible or irreversible?
2. The N’we Jinan artists use music to get their message across. What are some other examples of songs that help to spread a message?
3. What does it mean to have sovereignty?

Black Excellence_ Katherine Johnson and Jesse Owens

We know that acknowledging and amplifying stories of Black Excellence goes beyond one day or one month, so we are continuing to learn about influential people in Black history. Today, our class read short biographies about Jesse Owens and Katherine Johnson. Both Owens and Johnson overcame prejudice through perseverance and excellence. Please feel free to click the link above to read the biographies, and watch the videos below!

Video below: A short documentary about the importance of Katherine Johnson to the NASA program

Video below: historical footage of Jesse Owens competing in the Berlin Olympics (TW: this footage was taken in Germany during the Nazi regime and, while not graphic, does include brief footage of fascist symbols)

 

On January 15th, our class celebrated Black Excellence Day! Black Excellence Day is observed as a day to “rejoice Black history and learn about Black stories, Black art… and a day to stand in solidarity”. For more information about Black Excellence Day, feel free to see the website linked here: https://blackexcellenceday.ca/

We began our explorations through celebrating and learning about influential activists, politicians, musicians, scientists, authours, athletes, influencers, etc. from both the past and present. So far, we have read short biographies about Stevie Wonder, Serena Williams, and Harriet Tubman. Please click the link below to if you would like to read a brief summary:

Black Excellence_ Stevie Wonder and Serena Williams and Harriet Tubman

Video(s) below: Stevie Wonder’s performance of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours

Oprah and TSN’s farewell to Serena Williams

The song “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo, written for the biographical film Harriet about the life of Harriet Tubman

 

History Mystery_ The ‘Myth’ of the minotaur’s labyrinth

As part of our exploration of fairytales, folks tales, and myths, our class will be embarking on another History Mystery! This time, we are investigating the myth of Theseus and the minotaur! Though this story might seem completely unbelievable, could there be truth hidden in this epic tale? Click the link above to see what we have already investigated, and stay tuned for more evidence!

Ms. Ramen came in to our class today to chat about the differences between dystopias and utopias. A dystopia usually involves many negative aspects (ex: a totalitarian government, environmental destruction, natural disasters or unsafe living conditions, violence or conflict). A utopia is a proposed future with positive attributes (ex: amazing technology, a safe and healthy environment, human rights and freedoms, elimination of illnesses and war). Often, you will see different representations of these in science fiction and post-apocalyptic novels, movies, etc. We began watching the Disney film Wall-E and analyzing how it represents a dystopian/utopian future.

Check out the trailer below:

This week, our engineers tried to create the tallest structure using only masking tape, spaghetti noodles, and plasticine. Many of us found this challenging, but our record-breaking structures were almost 1 METER in height!

We know that humans have continued building bigger, taller, and more expansive structures throughout history. We discussed how most monuments in history not only have a financial cost (money), but a human cost as well (enslaved peoples or workers being paid unfair wages/working in unsafe conditions).

We also discussed plans for the next ‘biggest’ structure (which, if built, would cost around $1 trillion and could house over 1 million people). Check out the video below for some size comparisons [please note: the last 2 structures are not yet built but are just proposed blueprints]: