Constellations and Galaxies

Sponge painting the galaxy

This week, in Science, we learned about constellations and galaxies. Constellations are groups of stars that make up a picture in the sky. They have imaginary lines between them. Two of the most important constellations for people in the Northern Hemisphere are Ursa Major (the Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper). They help people find which way is North because the Little Dipper has the North Star at the tip of its handle. The North Star is also called Polaris. 

We got to show our learning of constellations by making our own on a geoboard. Here are some pictures of our creations: 

Today, we learned that galaxies can have three different shapes: Spiral, Elliptical, or Irregular. Galaxies are made up of solar systems and billions of stars. We live in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Ms Elder decided that we should learn about galaxies in a creative way! Today, we painted canvases with our own galaxy! We got to choose the shape of our galaxy. We used sponges to do the painting, and splatter painting to make the stars. 

"I learned that there are different types of galaxies and all of the names of them." ~ Finnley

"I liked how we used sponges to paint a galaxy. It was interesting." ~ LD

"I learned some shapes of galaxies. I like the geoboard because I could make paper plane constellation on there." ~ Isar

"I liked how we splattered white paint on our art to create stars." ~ Fox

"I liked how we got to make our own galaxies using the splatter technique and sponges." ~ Nollan

"I loved the geoboard. I made a house constellation. It had a roof. It was beautiful." ~ Jaivivaan

"I liked the geoboard because you could make your own constellations and shapes." ~ DA

"I liked how we got to make the galaxies. It was very fun but also very tricky to make a spiral." ~ Felicia

"I learned how the words in a galaxy are interesting. The most I like is the Milky Way. And I liked the project because it was a colourful project. It was a lot of fun because you could splatter paint." ~ SS

"I liked the art we did today. It was really creative. We got to make a galaxy on the canvas." ~ MM

"I liked how we got to make constellations on geoboards." ~ Meredith

"I liked how we got to make our own galaxy because we got to pick if it was a spiral, elliptical, or irregular galaxy and we got to pick different colours." ~ Davyd

Splatter painting the stars

Space Flipbook

We started our new Science unit: Space! So far, we have learned about the sun, Earth in space, the moon, and the constellations. We've also made a list of all the Space vocabulary we need to know. 

As we learn about each topic, we are recording our learning in a flipbook. The flipbook is non-fiction because it is full of facts. We are even making a Glossary on the back page, which will have a list of the key words and their definitions (meanings). 

We are also learning Indigenous stories of the constellations from expert Elder Wilfred Buck.

We will be building in Science soon. Ms Elder has asked each of us to bring a shoebox by January 29.

Student Quotes:

"I like everything in Space because it's just so wonderous and the curiosity for me never ends." ~ Hugh

"I just love Space so much because there are so many interesting facts about it. You can explore new worlds that you can live on just like Earth." ~ Felicia

"I like Space because it's cool and interesting because some of the stars can be shining a lot and when you inside the Earth, there's not much shining but when you go outside the Earth it's a lot of shiny stuff." ~ SS

"I like Space because it's super interesting because there's a bunch of space in Space. It's like Art because there is art in constellations." ~ Viljo

"I like learning about Space because it's so interesting and we can learn about sun, moon, and planets." ~ DA

"I learned that Space. It makes my brain good. I love Space. I see my tablet the moon and astronauts and Mars." ~ Jaivivaan

"I learned that the sun has radiation and the constellations can look like something but also something else, like the turtle but the stars made a house." ~ LD

"I learned that the sun is a star and it's actually considered a small star. The stars seem smaller than it but they're just further away." ~ Finnley

"I learned different Indigenous stories for constellations. I didn't know Indigneous stroies before but now I know." ~ MM

"I learned that Space is a big vaccuum filled with beautiful things." ~ Hugh

Earth's Spheres

Grade Fours this year have a new Science curriculum! The first thing that we're learning about is the different spheres on Earth. We learned four key words and what they mean. The lithosphere means the land/ground. The hydrosphere means the water. The biosphere is all living things, and the atmosphere is the layer of gasses that protect the Earth. Here are some examples of each: 

Ms Elder taught us how to make an Earth's spheres flipbook to help us remember them. Here are photos of us working: 

At the end, we labelled and decorated them to show what each sphere is made up of.

Next week, we will be diving deeper (get it?!) in the Hydrosphere. 

"I liked this because it was really creative." ~ Felicia

"I liked how we could cut and glue our own spheres." ~ Milu

"I liked that we could make a flip book using spheres." ~ Viljo

"I liked that it was so challenging. I was staying focused and I got mine perfect." ~ SS

"I liked how I got to learn about the four spheres." ~ Nollan 

"I wanted to keep my sphere to bring it home." ~ Meredith

Nature Art Inspired by Andy Goldsworthy

Today, we completed some nature art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy. With Ms Brox's Class, we went to the top of the hill and left our creations on the grass for the community to enjoy. We know that over time, the items will spread by the wind, animals, and people walking by. This is an example of temporary art. 

We also know that these natural artifacts, like pinecones, will slowly decompose over time and their nutrients returned to the ground.

Here is our collection of creative artwork: 

"This was a really creative, inspirational way for us to express our feelings." ~ Hugh

"I liked how if you wanted something from the top of the hill, you could grab it and add it on." ~ Finnley

"I learned that nature can express your feelings through art." ~ Viljo

"I'm glad that I made mine in a way that animals can live in it." ~ Nollan

"I liked how we could create any shape or object with all of the nature items." ~ Milu

"It would be nice to see some plants grow at the top of the hill." ~ LD

"I liked it because it was creative and we could express our feelings." ~ Felicia

"Mine was the biggest art. If an ant finds the hole, it will make a giant house like a mansion." ~ SS

"I liked how everyone's art was different and unique and all expressing their feelings." ~ Fox

"I'm proud of everyone who remembered to bring their nature items and for all of the different designs you came up with." ~ Ms Elder