Skulls Project: Student Voice

Hello, Grade 7 students and families! I’d like to formally welcome our first post from Div. 2’s ‘News Crew’. They will be periodically updating our class blog with information about projects, assignments, etc.

Below an excerpt from their overview of the clay skulls activity our class completed for Socials:

“This project was a great overview of what we learned in Socials. Creating skulls that represented our earlier ancestors. These skulls ranged from early Ardipithecus to our generation Homo sapiens. We started by using clay to put together our skulls. We needed to round out the clay and then use tools like chopsticks to help make the eyes. Ms. Jesse Lyn (our artist in residence) taught us about clay making and how ceramic is made.

To make the ceramic skulls we first need to learn how it happens. The first material is clay which can be found at the bottom of streams and riverbanks. Then we need to model the clay like we did with our skulls. After the clay sculptures or in this case skulls, gets taken to a giant oven [kiln] that warms up between 2124’f and 2264’f (1162-1260’c). After it is done being fired it is given back to us to glaze.

After about 2 days or so Ms. Jesse Lyn brought back out hominid pottery. As we were going to start the 2nd phase, glazing. (Please note: glazing is a pottery term of when you put color into your pottery, but it could also be the icing on a cake. The first phase is what we’re going for!).

You grab a brush of a color you think fits your skull and then you paint. There is red paint, a couple of different grays, [beige and white], and a darker color. “Why would you paint your skull red?” you might ask. Well, the reason is quite simple. When the clay gets fired the colors change drastically so when you get your skull back the red will now be a pinkish-gray. Each group took about 10 minutes, so with 5 groups the glazing took roughly 50 minutes. And so, we had to wait 2 more days. There would be a chance that you wouldn’t recognize your pottery after it was glazed, but that’s why the teachers thought ahead (like they always do from years of experience) and made us engrave our initials into the back of the skeleton’s skulls.

So, we wrapped out skeletons into some wrapping paper and brought it home. It should now be at your house and you’re staring at it while you’re reading this. Or, your kid might have lost it.”

Thanks so much, News Crew!

-Ms. Ward

Skull Sculpting: Blending Art & History

Did you know that some historians have found evidence that sculpture as an art form has been around since 25000 BCE? Today, we had the privilege of learning the fundamentals of clay and sculpture from our artist in residence. Our classes began creating a clay model of hominid species of their choice. Later, we will glaze them and reflect on our experience. Take a look at some of our progress photos below:

Behind the Scenes: Animating Over the Garden Wall

Have you ever wondered how animations are made? In Over the Garden Wall, they used many different techniques to create their animation. One scene in particular required many tests and tweaks… the Highwayman’s song! Feel free to check out the video below to watch the process of creating this scene:

Lunar New Year: Making Dumplings

Today, Ms. Lee came to talk to our class about Lunar New Year. We discussed how many cultures and countries celebrate the Lunar New Year, often with a special meal with family and friends. While not all people eat dumplings during this time of year, many families may choose to make dumplings as a symbol of wealth and fortune. Our classes created our own dumplings using pork, cabbage, green onions, eggs, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, and dumpling wrappers.

Here are some photos of the process, below:

Stay tuned for the recipe, which will be posted later this week!

Best wishes,

-Ms. Ward

History Mystery: Death in the Ice… Exploring the Franklin Expedition

Have you ever heard of the mysterious disappearance of the Franklin Expedition? This History Mystery involves two ships, sailing from Britain to the Artic of Canada on a search for the Northwest Passage. Despite being well-equipped with food, water, and technology, the ships (and crew) disappeared, and even over 150 years later people still cannot agree on what happened to them!

Check out the trailer, above, for an introduction to this History Mystery, and click the link below for our evidence (so far):

Death in the Ice_ History Mystery Pt. 1

Our First Read-Aloud: The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Be careful what you wish for! Our class completed our first read-aloud, the horror novel The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. In this story, a boy named Steven makes a wish to heal his baby brother’s illness. However, his wish costs him much more than he anticipated when he realizes the ‘angels’ he has been talking to are really a hive of supernatural wasps!

We thought this novel had many twists, turns, and suspenseful moments. The dark, creepy illustrations added to the experience. While some of us weren’t entirely satisfied with the ending, this was a great first read-aloud to kick off our school year!

In 2020, the authour Kenneth Oppel shared that The Nest could potentially be made into a film one day! Here is a sketch of the concept art:

Some questions to discuss at home:

Would you watch a film adaptation of this novel? Why or why not?
Who might you cast in the role of Steven, the Queen, and Mr. Nobody? Why?
What songs/soundtrack would you want to include in this movie?

Over the Garden Wall: Creating Our Theories

Our analysis of Cartoon Network’s mini-series Over the Garden Wall has come to an end! Throughout this month, we have been exploring: important characters, clues and symbols, changes in settings, and key plot events. We also began analyzing the musical soundtrack for different tones, themes, and lyrics. Now, our classes are crafting our own theories about some unanswered questions within the show!

Non-Newtonian Fluid: Examining Solids and Liquids

As part of our ‘Spooky Science’, our class investigated a mysterious substance. Not quite liquid, not quite solid, but a little of both… this is a non-Newtonian fluid! You can make this substance at home by mixing a 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to water. Once mixed well, this substance can behave like a solid and like a liquid!

We tested this substance in a variety of ways, including: slapping/poking the surface, sinking a spoon into it, rolling it into a ball, and trying to pour it into another container. We learned that when we kept the substance still (ex: holding it in our hands without moving), it often would pour or drip like a liquid. But if the substance was being moved (ex: rolling it between our hands), it would take on a more solid appearance.

Check out the video below to see how this substance behaves when placed on top of a speaker cone:

Some questions to discuss at home:

Could we use ingredients other than cornstarch and water to create other non-Newtonian substances? Why or why not?
What if the ratio (2:1 cornstarch to water) was different?
Are there other substances that are not really a solid or a liquid, but a bit of both?
What variables or human error might have impacted our tests?