Wild Robot Protects Read Aloud

Last week we finished reading Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown. Ms Elder started reading us this novel on the fourth day of school! It was a story about a robot named Roz who tries to save the ocean from pollution called the poison tide. 

This book relates so well to what we were learning about in Science this term because we learned about taking care of water because it's a very important resource. As humans, we need to think about our impact on the environment. We even learned that there are communities right now in Canada that don't have clean water to drink. 

We also used it as a way to improve our Reading skills. As Ms Elder read, we kept track of our questions, predictions, tricky vocabulary, and story events in a journal.

This week, we practiced our summarizing skills by writing a story summary on the back of our journals. We also wrote a response about what we liked about the book, didn't like, and who we'd recommend the book to. 

We also learned that the Norwegian government has plans to start a deep sea mining expedition. This is just like the events in Wild Robot 3 because that's what is causing the poison tide! 

Student Quotes

"I really liked this book because it was focusing on the pollution in the water and how when people drop their garbage, they just leave it and don't think about it anymore." ~ Finnley

"I liked how this book taught us how to use our water correctly." ~ Viljo

"I liked how this book warned us what can happen in the future." ~ Nollan

"I like about the book that it has many characters and teaches me how to take care of water. If other people buys this book and sees what is going to happen in the future, they're going to get much more responsible." ~ SS

"I like about this book it was so nice! I see that it was so good. There are so many characters. It was so good." ~ Jaivivaan

"I liked how this book tried predicting the future." ~ Matin

"I liked this book because it teaches us a really valuable lesson because we can see how much AI impacts the world. I think Peter Brown is trying to send a message." ~ Felicia

"The story was good but the jellyfish was not good." ~ BB

"I like this story because it was about saving animals and it was telling us about the future and how water is very important to us." ~ DA

Our History - The Beginning of Our Inquiry

First we made predictions.  

When historians discover something, they take what they already know and try to figure out how the new thing fits. If we discovered this photo in a box in someone's attic with no writing to tell us what it is, what might we guess the structure to be? When might we guess it was taken?

We guessed ...

"A warehouse (Felicia), Fort Calgary (Milu and Meredith), the Stampede (Viljo), horse racing (Finnley), a farm, the beginning of Calgary, a house."

What was it?

It is Fort Calgary in 1881 (Nollan). 

 

Then, we walked up to Scotsman's Hill to the same place the original photo was taken in 1881!! 

Wow! We sketched what changes have happened in that time. There were A LOT.

What was interesting about this activity? What did you like?

"It was interesting because we got to see the old picture and see the actual view now to see how much it improved." - Felicia

"It was interesting to see how much Fort Calgary and Calgary have changed." - Finnley

"It was fun to see that the building is now the Fort Calgary museum." - Nollan

"It was interesting to see the changes in the land." - LD

"I liked seeing the train and the airplane." - Vivaan

What did you enjoy about sketching in our sit spots?

"I liked the view and the way we were sketching the past and the future." - DA

"I liked how it was nice and quiet and focus on what has changed." - Finnley

"I liked how we got to thank the land and how she let us use her." - Felicia

"I like how we got to sketch." - Meredith

"I liked how we got to sketch and at the same time connect with the Earth." - Nollan

Moving forward in our history, what do you want to know?

"I wonder what happened to the original Fort Calgary?" - Finnley

"I wonder Fort Calgary was used for?" - Matin

"I wonder how much things of changed, like how many buildings there are now?" - Viljo

"I wonder why Indigenous changed their traditions?" - Felicia

"I wonder why the Europeans came here and why the province is so rich in oil?" - LD

Design-Thinking Project

As a part of our Science curriculum, the Grade Fours have been learning how to design an invention to meet a need. 

We were each paired with a Grade One buddy. Our buddy told us about their favourite winter activity but also the problem they have with it. For example, “I like sledding but I don’t like pulling my sled up the hill.”

The Grade Fours followed the Design-Thinking Process. First, we listened to our buddies explain what they like and don’t like about the activity. We interviewed them and kept track of their answers on our interview sheets. 

Next, the Grade Fours did the Ideate step. We brainstormed two different invention designs to help solve our buddy’s problem. Then, we got feedback from our buddies about which design they liked the best. We had them explain why and give us suggestions to make our designs fit their needs better. We made changes to our designs based on their feedback.

Last, we built a prototype of our design with our buddies. We used a variety of materials and were allowed to use our imaginations, too!

Grade Four Science Curriculum Outcomes

• Plan and create an artifact to meet a need

• Provide and receive feedback during the design process

• Test a design/artifact to see that it meets the need

• Collaborate to design an artifact that solves a problem

Student Quotes

"I liked how we were forced to make it with the supplies we had. It was very challenging to do something with the supplies." ~ Fox

"I liked that we helped the Grade Ones with their problems and we made them smile." ~ DA

"I liked how we were building for our Grade One buddies and the materials we used." ~ LD

"I liked how it was challenging and fun but I didn't like when the foam material ran out." ~ SS

"I really liked this because it was really fun and creative and we got to do a big project and help the Grade Ones with their problems. The challenging thing was the white glue not sticking on." ~ Felicia

"I liked how we got to make it with our Grade One buddies." ~ Meredith

"I like the Grade One kids helped me and draw a lot of things. Great!" ~ BB

"I like how we had a large variety of materials to use." ~ Matin

"I learned that no matter how easy your design is, it's gonna be really hard to build it and you will run into a lot of problems." ~Hugh

"I liked how we were actually building a solution for the problem, not just building something for a made-up problem." ~ Milu

"I liked how we got to know new people and I like how it was really challenging to build the prototypes." ~ Nollan

"I liked how our buddies got to help us with it." ~ Finnley

Symmetrical Stained Glass Art

In Math, we have been studying Geometry. We learned the difference between a polygon (a shape with all straight lines) and a quadrilateral (a shape with four sides). We also know how to tell if something is symmetrical because it is the same on both sides. If you fold it in half, both sides will overlap perfectly. Something that is symmetrical is a reflection over a line of symmetry (it's flipped). 

Ms Elder decided that we would put all of this knowledge together to create a piece of stunning stained glass art. 

Yesterday, we planned our designs in our journals. We were allowed to use pattern blocks, if we want, to create our designs. Then, we traced our designs on the black good copy paper. 

It was tricky to cut out our shapes because you had to poke a hole in the paper and squeeze your scissors in to cut. You have to be really careful to not make a mistake and keep the black paper intact. This was good practice for our fine motor skills. 

Then, we taped translucent coloured paper to the back of each hole. When you put it up to a light or the window, it looks so effective!

When we were planning our designs, we also used our knowledge of colour to create a mood. Some of us chose to use warm colours and some of us used cool colours. We also knew we could use complementary colours to make them stand out. 

Student Quotes:

"It was really hard to cut out a circle because you have to cut around." ~ LD

"I feel nervous at first then I feel good. It was comfortable." ~ Jaivivaan

"It was really hard to cut out the translucent paper because you had to cut the right shape so there's no gaps in it." ~ Nollan

"It was really fun to trace all the little shapes and come up with the colours we were going to use." ~ Finnley

"It was really hard to cut out the triangles but they were really small." ~ Davyd

"The translucent paper was kind of sharp, especially when you cut it, so you had to be really careful." ~ Fox

"The activity was fun and it was challenging. When you finish, it looks cool!" ~ SS

Here are some pictures of our finished products! You can see them for yourself at our Ramsay Holiday Event on Thursday, December 12, 5:30-7:30.