In the morning we played a food chain tag game with some of our grade 7 buddies! We took turns being carnivores, producers, decomposers, or herbivores. We learned how a food chain and ecosystem works.
Then we got to release our fish! First, we tested the water quality. We checked the dissolved oxygen content. Then we used litmus paper to do a pH test. Also, we used a thermometer to measure the water’s temperature. We did all these tests to make sure the water was safe for our fish. Steps for releasing fish:
In the afternoon, we got to use iPads to do a scavenger hunt and learn about the animals in that environment.
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In the morning we walked through the Canadian Wilds and saw Mountain & Big Horn sheep, bison, bears and more. We had snack with the river otters!
At the Cequel lodge we had a class about amphibian life cycles. We learned about wetlands and the animals that live there. They showed us some artificial frog eggs and skin. Their skin has to stay wet and they lay a thousand eggs and about 60 survive to become adults. At one station, we tried to build around a wetland without disturbing it. Then we performed a play about the wetlands. We learned about the frog life cycle and the threats to wetlands. Students got to wear costumes—frog eggs, tadpoles, frogs, garbage girl, Bossy the cow, fungus, and Pave-atron, superheroes (scientist, ranger, and the recycling kid). In the African savannah we watched and journaled about the giraffes and hippos. We also saw porcupines, meerkats, tortoise, lizards, and tilapia. Then we classified the animals into 6 categories—reptiles, birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. At the rainforest exhibit we saw mandrils and the gorillas. The gorilla family does not have a male silverback right now. There is a young gorilla that seemed shy. In the butterfly conservatory, we sketched a chrysalis and an adult butterfly. It was really hot in there! We were able to get really close to some of the butterflies. During the day we also talked about the different animal enclosures and how they are designed specifically for that animal. At the start of the day we had a class and learned about timbre, pitch, and volume. We got to build an instrument—first we blew into a mouthpiece, then we added a plastic tube, and then a cone at the end.
We had time to explore all of the floors of Studio Bell. They were lots of exhibits. Some of our favourites were: -Playing instruments -The Kimball Theatre Organ—it took up a whole room! -Sound mixing -Music from different artists through the decades -The screen where we moved our hand to make notes -Headphones where we got to listen to different types of music like throat singing! -The dance floor and screen -The instrument room We also got to make “sound sandwiches”—kazoos made of popsicles and elastics. In our last workshop we got to explore more instruments like the double bass, guitars, violin, Theremin, electric drum pad, voice changing microphone, tubla, and a bunch of other cool instruments that we don’t know the name of! We walked down the street to Pin Drop Hearing Centre to learn about hearing loss and hearing aids. We tested our hearing in a neat room with special egg shaped foam to silence sound. We also got to hear sounds (phone ringing, birds chirping) as if we had hearing damage or loss. We looked at and test out hearing aids. We also saw how hearing aids have evolved over time. They used to use horns in their ear!
We learned a lot of new things about our ears and hearing! The hair cells in our ears vibrate, and if we are exposed to too much loud sound those cells get damaged. Some people have stronger ear cells than others. Once our ear cells are damaged, they cannot be fixed or regrown. So we need to take care of our ears! No matter how much you pay for a hearing aid, our natural hearing is still best. We can lose our hearing from aging and exposure to loud sounds for a long time. Some people can be born with hearing loss. We should start getting regular hearing tests at age 50. At the start of our day we had a “Good Vibrations” presentation and demonstration by Joe. He used an oscilloscope on a big screen to show us what sound waves look like, and how different pitches and volumes look. He used a slinky to show us how sound waves travel. It also made cool laser sounds! He inhaled helium to make his voice a high pitch. Then he inhaled sulfur hexafluoride and made his voice a really low pitch. A student volunteer played notes on wine glasses. The glasses with more liquid would make a higher pitch and the glasses with less liquid would make a lower pitch. We learned that humans can hear 20-20 000 Hertz, and whale songs are between 10 and 40 Hertz. Hertz is how we measure frequency. We measure volume in Decibels.
For the rest of our day, we explored the whale exhibit and the rest of Telus Spark with a backpack scavenger hunt. We learned that the blue whale heart is the size of a small car. The first type of whale lived on land. We saw whale skeletons and noticed that their fins looked like hands with five “fingers.” We saw a lot of Maori artifacts. There was a really cool whale video game. There was a sound chamber where we could hear the pitches of different ocean animals. We built phytoplankton and tested to see if they would float. We learned about blubber and got to put our hand in a “blubber glove” to see how it insulates animals. At the end of the day we had a wrap-up demonstration. We learned about the plastic pollution in the ocean and how it is hurting marine life. We saw videos on ways they are trying to clean it up. Alaynna and Sahib got to take plastic garbage out of water but our model plankton got hurt and they couldn’t get the microplastics out! Meet MILO! We have had two STEM lab classes with our coding instructors to build and then program Milo.
And meet the fish eggs! We have begun learning about aquariums and the life cycle of a Rainbow Trout. The eggs are already changing! Jan. 23
Ms. Sally from Teacher's Pet came in to teach us about Tunisia. We had 4 different stations that we worked at. There was a board game with trivia questions about Tunisia and a money game where we learned about Tunisia's imports, exports, services (and practiced our skip counting and addition!). We learned that Tunisian money is called dinars. We also learned about rights and that we all have rights to speak and act freely. At another station, Ms. Sally showed us Tunisian artifacts like oil bottles and fabrics. Many things were made out of olive wood because they have a lot of that type of tree in Tunisia. At one station we learned about Tunisian mosaics and got to make one of our own! At the end, Ms. Sally read us a story called Galimoto where a boy made a neat toy out of scrap wires. She brought a Galimoto with her! We talked about how we could make a toy at home (instead of always buying new ones). Jan. 17 was Kid Inventor Day! We worked with our grade 7 buddies to create something that would improve life (in our school, home, or community). We used upcycled plastic. On the Monday and Tuesday before K.I.D., we got to plan and design with our buddies. We also learned about plastic and how it pollutes our landfills and water. We built all morning on Wed. Jan 17th and then got to eat popsicles (a kid invention)!
The grade 3's are reading a poem at the Winter Solstice assembly. Each student has been practicing one stanza.
Winter by Barbara Vance 1 When the geese are flying south And the sky is grey, my dears, Close your eyes, and lift your nose; Listen with your careful ears. 2 Feel the winter coming on, Hear it in the crackling trees; Note the crisping, quivering wind Sharply snapping at their leaves. 3 Feel it on the windowpanes – Chilly glass on fingertips – Mark the biting of the air, Heated breath on numbing lips. 4 See it in the early eves, In the glowing sunset where Shadows of the naked trees Rattle in the biting air. 5 Watch the nuthatch and the wren; They know it is time once more To abandon careful nests, As they’ve done each year before. 6 Let the frost rest on your face, Sense a shiver on your skin. See how pretty nature is When she ushers winter in. On Thursday, December 21st, students may bring in a donation of $2 (or more) and may choose to not wear their uniform. Our theme for that day is "Dark, light and sparkly."
We are currently collecting donations of money, gift cards, and items for the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. And Thursday, December 21st is our official Winter Solstice celebration. On Thursday, December 21st, the day will run as follows: 8:15 – 8:50: In Homerooms 9:00 – 9:45: Buddy winter STEAM challenge 9:45 – 10:00 Recess/Nutrition Break 10:00 – 11:00: School gathering in the gym 11:15 – 12:00: Potluck Luncheon with families in classrooms We are inviting parents and family members to join their children for a potluck lunch in their classroom from 11:15 am – 12pm. We encourage families to bring a cultural or favourite family recipe. Please remember that all items must be nut free. In order to be as environmentally conscious as possible, we ask you to send your child with a reusable plate and cutlery on that day. Regular classes will continue until our 3:00 pm dismissal, however parents are free to take their student home after lunch if they wish to do so.” |
AuthorMrs. Karr Archives
April 2018
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