BECOMING A CHEMIST! Igniting Curiosity through the power of observation. Jocelyn Monteith ~ Grade 5 Math/Science Last week students spent time in the science lab testing a variety of materials (salt, sand, oil, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet) to see what happens when they are mixed with water: what dissolves, what reacts and what remains unaffected.… Continue reading Grade 5 Classroom Chemistry
Our grade 8 students and teachers are very fortunate to be working with Telus Spark and schools from the Rocky View School Division in the Science Communication Mentorship Program. Our students will be working with Telus Spark Exhibit Developers, members of APEGA, and Telus Spark Facilitators in creating exhibits for a public celebration of learning… Continue reading Science Mentorship with Telus Spark and RVSD
-by Carolyn Armstrong, Grade 6 Math/Science*originally posted in February 2012 Objective: Students work as true scientists through rigorous scientific exploration and experimentation. The Project in a Nutshell: Test and compare the water absorbency of yellow (healthy) pine and blue (fungus-stained) pine wood. How it came to be: One our parents approached me about taking on… Continue reading The Blue Wood Project
Deirdre Bailey Traditionally, Grade 4 “Wheels, Levers and Devices that Move” units involve hands on investigations in which students have the opportunity to build something. Often however, these building opportunities are heavily regulated and have students follow a specific set of instructions, put pieces together sequentially and then showcase a collection of virtually identical products. While I… Continue reading How To Build an Awesome Car (Engineering Thinking in Grade 4)
Candice Shaw The Grade 4 and 7 Math and Science teams were fortunate enough to attend the Calgary Science School/Rocky View Schools Cross Authority STEM planning days in April. During these days, we were able to brainstorm, collaborate, and “flush out” a cross-grade collaborative unit. Both Grade 4 and 7 Science have units on Plants… Continue reading Grade 4/7 Plants Collaborative Project
Greg Neil ~ Grade 6 Math/Science I signed up for the Environmental Planning Institute in order to have the opportunity to collaborate with teachers from other schools. After five years of teaching at the Calgary Science School, I craved the opportunity to see what was happening in other classrooms and how other teachers approached inquiry-based… Continue reading CSS/RVSD Collaborative Planning
John Cadman & Greg Neil~ Grade 6 Math/ Science Teachers Calgary Science School This is a design for an open ended wind tunnel. This means the fan pushes air into the tunnel instead of pulling it out the end. Assembled it is 4ft long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high. Our hope in building this… Continue reading Grade 6 Wind Tunnel: Air and Aerodynamics
Deirdre Bailey and Jenna Callaghan We began a recent investigation into Light and Shadows in Grade 4 by posing the question “What is Light?” to our students. Before beginning the conversation, we reminded students that the world is not nearly as concrete or easily-understood as over-simplified statements of “fact” might often imply. We talked about how… Continue reading On Light, Shadows and Experience
Kathryn Desrochers ~ Grade 5 Math/Science Student Teacher University of Lethbridge Just before spring break, our grade 5 students (and teachers) had an opportunity to learn from an expert. Emily Marasco is a University of Calgary student working on her Graduate Degree in Electrical Engineering. As part of her Master’s research, Emily has gone around… Continue reading Grade 5 Electricity Collaboration
Erin Couillard- Grade 5 Math/Science Big Question: Are we seeing a dangerous shift in climate? Or just a natural stretch of bad luck? This question was inspired through question brainstorming with students at the beginning of the Grade 5 weather unit as well as a National Geographic article I read in the fall. Supporting Questions… Continue reading Grade 5 Wild Weather Inquiry
