Social Studies Inquiry project

Students working hard on their Social Studies Inquiry project in groups. For this project they need to:

*formulate questions to guide investigations into social and/or environmental issues in Canada from various perspectives, including the perspective of the level (or levels) of government responsible for addressing the issues

*gather and organize a variety of information and data that present various perspectives about Canadian social and/or environmental issues

 *interpret and analyse information and data relevant to their investigations, using a variety of tools

Right now, they are at the gathering phase. They're still collecting information and data and learning independently of the teacher while developing good research skills. Quite impressed with what they have come up with so far!

French Play -L'arbre Ungali

Getting ready for the BIG presentation tomorrow of our French play - L'arbre Ungali. The students were busy this past week making props. Will definitely post pictures of the final production.

Data all around!

Graphs and charts representing data collected from students' surveys and other sources (magazines, newspapers, Internet).

My students did a good job interpreting the data. Way to go!

Waste Audit Presentation

Waste management, global warming and energy and water conservation as integral parts of environmental stewardship, are dependent on an active citizenship. For this reason, many of the educational activities developed by Brampton Clean City are aimed at youth. 

Thanks to the City of Brampton and to Ms Quinn for organizing this wonderful opportunity for the students at Eldorado. The Waste Audit Presentation was well received!

Weighing our garbage

Weighing our recyclable waste

Bridge to Terabithia

In Health class, my students viewed the movie "Bridge to Terabithia". In keeping with our focus on Personal Safety and Anti-Bullying, we discussed the impact of bullying and the importance of creating friendships.

Here's a summary of the movie. The kids loved it!

         Jess is an outsider, ignored by his parents and bullied at school, while Leslie is the new girl in town  and an oddly-dressed free spirit. Outcast by their classmates, they hide away in the woods near their homes and create an imaginary world called Terabithia. As their adventures in this land of monsters, trolls and giants become more weird and wonderful, their lives change for the better. But this imaginary world can’t last forever… Getting to grips with friendship and growing up, director Gábor Gsupó reveals you can’t escape the real world but having good friends and a healthy imagination will get you through. 

See the link to the movie!

Bridge to Terabithia

Math - Data Management is fun!

Our entry lessons on Data Management was a lot of fun - discussing the scenario given, surveying classmates, presenting the findings, discussing the importance of surveying a sample from a large population, representing the data and analyzing it.

Before teaching the traditional algorithm of “dividing the sum of the numbers by the number of numbers in the set”, students were provided with many concrete opportunities  to calculate the mean. Hands-on activities allow them to develop a deeper understanding of the value of the mean and its relationship to the other numbers in the set. 

Testing the Bridges

How did the bridges stand up to the 500 grams challenge? Take a look!

What better way to test a structure after 500 grams was simply way too easy? Sit on it! Here is the Beam Bridge undergoing a serious challenge :-) Yes, I sat on it as well and another teacher and it's still standing!!!!

Science Bridge Challenge Part 3

Beam Bridge

More bridges .....

Truss Bridge

Science Bridge Challenge Part 2

More pictures .....

Suspension Bridge

Cantilever Bridge

Science Bridge Challenge

Continuing with our unit on Forces acting on Structures and Mechanisms, my students engaged in interactive activities that allowed them to be able to:

- identify internal forces acting on a structure (e.g., compression [squeezing], tension [stretching]), and describe their effects on the structure
- identify external forces acting on a structure (e.g., the weight of people and furniture in a classroom, wind blowing on a bridge etc.)
- use technological problem-solving skills to build and test a frame structure ( a bridge) that will withstand the application of an external force (500 grams).

Here are the pictures. I'm sure you'll agree they did an AMAZING job!

Arch Bridge

Our Thankful Tree

Bonne Année! Happy New Year!

On the first day back from the Winter Break, my students came back buzzing  with excitement about the many wonderful experiences they had during the holidays - the food, the gifts, the money, visits to loved ones etc. The best thing, however, is that they all showed a deep awareness of how privileged and fortunate they are to have had these experiences. Explicitly reminding and teaching children about gratitude is important. Learning to develop a grateful mindset gives life a new meaning and appreciation. It creates a certain stillness, peace and joy that cannot be robbed no matter the circumstances.The Thankful Tree in our classroom will serve as a constant reminder throughout the year of all our many blessings.

For 2015, I wish everyone a purpose-driven life steered by gratitude. In all things, be THANKFUL!

Our Thankful Tree :-)

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” 
― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

“Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness.” 
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free