Hello Everyone,
We had a busy day of reading and writing, followed by Math. We studied and explored more concepts with magnets in Science, and in Social Studies we are looking into “Investigating Canadian Disasters” such as the flood in Calgary 2013. The flood was devastating to our environment and to the lives of many people. There are more updates to come as we study this topic further. Our lesson in resiliency today centred on attention to detail, and a commitment to doing things well. These ideas should apply to everything we do, whether it’s reading and writing, in PE, or in relationship with one another. We should strive to give our best. Why settle for mediocre? If you settle for “just OK” then we are short changing ourselves from deeper learning, more meaningful relationships, and greater self-confidence and achievements. We had an opportunity to turn our attention to detail and put forth a commitment to doing things well this afternoon when we made lots and lots of replica trees for our 3D model of Calgary. It was a fun process but you could not be sloppy about it or our trees would not turn out looking right. Check out the photo of our quality workmanship! Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
We began our day with reading and writing, while some of us completed video interviews to be forwarded to our next year’s teachers so they can learn about our achievements from this year, strengths, talents, and preferences in order to continue with the successes that we have experienced this year. The rest of the students who didn’t get around to the video interview will have time tomorrow to complete it. Our focus during Circle Time was on perseverance and discipline. We recognize that having the ability to “stick to it” and not give up is key to success. We talked about how success builds upon success and this is best done in small sequential steps, but it must start with a personal commitment to do the work. As we obtain achievements in Math, PE, or reading and writing, those achievements become stepping-stones for aiming higher, further, and deeper into the area of study. In Math we reviewed the reciprocal relationship between multiplication and division and worked in partners for an interactive Math assignment. During Science, we learned about electromagnets. We studied how they are different and similar to regular magnets. We also learned that the advantage of electromagnets is that you can turn them off and on, and adjust its power to attract other metal objects. Did you know that electromagnets are used daily in heavy-duty equipment in various industries? They are found in our daily appliances and also use in the medical field in surgical equipment. The uses and applications are wide and varied. After the research and study came the fun part! We made and tested our own electromagnets! Check out our photos and see how we did. Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
Our day began with quiet reading, and then got into a story at Circle Time that our teacher shared with us about “Never Giving Up.” The story carried a strong message about resiliency and how we all face challenges in varying degrees. We should not let challenges stifle our efforts to excel. In fact, what stifles us are not the challenges, but how we “choose”to deal with them. In this story a boy was caring for his family. He got up at 5 am every morning to cook and prepare breakfast for his younger siblings before he would go to school. He was eight years old. One day, after making breakfast he felt tired and decided to nap before going to school, but he forgot to turn off the stove. The house caught on fire, the roof caved in and fell on him and crushed his legs. The doctor said he would never walk again. However with determination he learned to shuffle, then walk, then run, then joined the high school track team, until eventually he represented his country in the Olympics and won. This is a fictitious story but the message is real. This story reminded us of two athletes that we learned about at the Sports Hall of Fame. One was Terry Fox, who turned his struggles into a springboard that benefited thousands of people. The other, perhaps less known was Silken Laumann, the 1992 gold medalist in the summer Olympics for rowing. She faced incredible odds. After having a devastating accident, then told she would never row again by her doctor, she replied, “You don’t know me.” And with that she spent endless hours, years in painful rehab. The pain never went away. She has a deep gouge that runs down the length of one of her legs from the accident. With these barriers and hurdles before her, she eventually competed and won at the Olympics in the face of chronic excruciating pain. She was literally, “Unsinkable.” Following this story we wrote our own reflective narrative about never giving up and resiliency. We had a chance to share our stories and got some peer feedback and editing. We also did some preparation for a video clip about what we like our next year’s teacher to know about each one of us. In Math we did some partner work with reviewing Math facts, and mental Math strategies. In Science, we were presented with the challenge of building a particular magnetic structure by using tape, string, 4 magnets, and some plastic Lego-type blocks. Fun stuff! Check out our photos! Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
For Daily 5 literacy we had fun with some creative writing today. We reviewed the importance of have a clear introduction describing the setting and characters, giving details on the events and building the narrative, followed by a conclusion that summarizes the main idea of the story and brings a sense of closure for the reader. During our Circle Time, we talked about the importance of taking responsibility for our own actions or inactivity. Both can be positive or negative, this was especially true for the frog that got cooked! He sat in a pot on top of a stove and as the water began heat up he simply adjusted his own body temperature and enjoyed the heat until to started to boil. By then it was too late to act and get out. He got cooked. The same lesson can be applied to our own lives. When we see things happening that will bring about certain results, we need to act constructively and promptly. We need to take notice of the circumstances around us and take action with consideration of positive outcomes, then act upon those steps that will bring about the desired results. Work on the 3D model of Calgary is coming along. Today we completed our constellations and they are ready to be put up on the walls. They look great because we finished them off using black cardstock with bright orange fluorescent paint. Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
We started the day with Daily 5 reading, writing, and followed by Math. In Math we spent time reviewing strategies for checking to see if our quotients are correct for the division equations. During Circle Time we talked about using our common sense to determine if the advice we get from others is worthy of our attention. We need to beware that sometimes the advice that we get from friends may seem like the right and even fun thing to do, but it may not contribute to our well being or to the well-being of others. In Social Studies we continued to research landmark buildings in Calgary. We want to find out when they were built and why they were built in that particular location. This information will come in handy as we “redesign” Calgary on our 3D map. Science was fun! We were given the task of designing and making a small model of a Maglev train. The challenge comes when we are limited to a certain amount of materials and supplies. For example, we were given only 6 magnets, a bunch of cardboard, tape, clay, and a template of the Maglev train. Hmmm? I wonder how my other classmates are doing with their Maglev design? Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
We visited the baby duckies in Grade 3 today. They look so fuzzy and cute. We were quite impressed at how well the Grade 3 students addressed all of our questions. We certainly put them to the test with our questions and curiosity. Our questions ranged from how do you know if it’s a male or female, to when they begin to develop their feathers and fly away. We learned that you could actually tell if the baby duck is a male or female by how they “quack”! During Circle Time we talked about leadership and what it entails. Leadership is taking responsibility for your actions, and sometimes requires the courage to go “against the current.” That means when others around you are off-task, you have to “deviate” from the rest and take the high road and lead by example. Leading by example could be by speaking out, acting and behaving differently and following what we’ve been taught about treating oneself, others, and our school with respect. It’s really not that hard to do when you think about it. The challenge occurs when sometimes doing the goofy things seems more fun and then we face the tough decision of doing what may be fun but inconsiderate or “doing the right thing” and possibly face being considered a “goody-goody.” Our Health Unit starts soon. Here is the link for parents who want a heads-up on what will be covered so they can support what will be taught in the classroom. https://teachingsexualhealth.ca/teachers/grade/grade-6/ Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
During our Circle Time today we spent a good portion of time talking about factors and situations that foster building relationships, which naturally led into reflecting upon our learning experiences at Camp Chief Hector. As we look back at outdoor school we noted a wealth of learning that had occurred. We certainly grew in our resilience. Hanging out with the same “guys” over four days at the camp, living in close quarters in a tipi, sharing meals together, hiking, canoeing, participating in obstacle courses and team challenges helped to solidify our friendships. Through this opportunity we got a glimpse into some of our peer’s life story, which gave us deeper insight into one another’s values and beliefs, paving the way for empathy and respect to grow. Some may think, “…living in a tipi for 3 nights and 4 days, you got to be kidding! I would never do that.” But many of us would say different. Many of us look forward to next year where we can experience Camp Chief Hector again! The friendships, rival challenges, rapport and encouragement from the camp counselors, sharing meals together went far beyond mere book learning. This was a valuable learning opportunity that we will treasure for years to come. A Big Thank you to our parents, guardians, All Boys Program, and sponsors who made this available for us! Regarding the 3D model of Calgary, we installed train tracks for the red, blue, and green transit lines, and put a prototype train onto it to see how it all looked and fit together. It’s pretty exciting and rewarding to see it all come together! The "electrical crew" is learning and fine tuning their soldering skills to eventually make a electrical circuit that will light up the train stations with LED's. Also, we began attaching small information posters to some of the clouds. Our next step is to look into why some of the landmark buildings in Calgary are where they are now. What were the factors that led the planners in the past to build there? Are these locations and ideas still relevant today? Why and where would we redesign and relocate them today? These are a few of the questions that we will be addressing in the days to come. Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
It’s another busy day of hands-on Science, Social, Math, and writing while working on the 3D model of Calgary. We hung up some of our clouds, measured and cut cardboard pieces for the train tracks, and completed and put on display the legend for the map. We also painted, and made more landmark structures. A few of us worked on our wood burning of our artifact from Camp Chief Hector. During Circle Time we talked about the importance of showing kindness to others and how random acts of kindness builds and sustains our learning community. While showing kindness is an important attribute, we must not lose sight of showing kindness to ourselves! Remember to take care of yourself while helping others. It would be a detriment if you benefit someone else while you put yourself out of play. Without your contribution our community would be at a loss. Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
We had a busy day with a big focus on the 3D model of Calgary. We were building and assembling parts and pieces in the classroom and will gradually install them onto the model. Today we made some landmark buildings from clay, and some were simply made from paper such as the control tower of the Calgary airport. We are also catching up on “authenticating” our artifacts from Camp Chief Hector. At the end of the camp, our teacher asked us to bring a piece of fallen branch home with us so we can etch a drawing of our favourite tree from Kananaskis, and write a poem onto the branch. It’s a fun and engaging process of “wood burning” by using a soldering iron. Our Circle Time discussion centred on each of our own flaws! That’s right, “flaws!” We learned that everyone has shortcomings and areas in our lives for further development and growth, and that’s OK. Some of us might be led to think that we are inefficient in certain areas of life, but somehow these flaws can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. A story that was shared in regards to this was called the “The Cracked Pot.” This story talked about a servant fetching water for his master. The servant would carry the pots over his shoulders with a stick across his shoulders. The cracked pot on the right side always delivered only half of the water retrieved because it leaked. However, the servant noticed the leak and spread flower seeds on the right side of the path, which gradually blossomed into beautiful flowers that the servant brought to decorated his master’s dinner table. This story provided each of us with a word of encouragement and furthered our growth in resiliency. Blog by Room 9 Students Hello Everyone,
We did some editing on our reflective writing and poems that we composed during Camp Chief Hector. It was nice to take some time to look back and ponder the successes, team challenges, and camaraderie that we experienced with our peers during the camp. During Science, we did some more research on the Maglev bullet train and gleaned ideas from watching a video hosted by engineers who developed the train. We learned that the Maglev has been in operation in different parts of the world such as in Asia. We have yet to employ this technology in North America. It is super energy efficient, fast and can one day be better than air travel. During Circle Time we discussed the notion of reaping what a person has sown. It is essential that we take a close look at our own thoughts and actions while considering our current circumstances. We are reminded that it is easy to overlook how our past actions dictate what we are experiencing in the present, and how we should concentrate more on how we are living and behaving to create conditions for success. Blog by Room 9 Students |