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Today, the Grade 5's enjoyed a great day at Springwater Provincial Park, learning how to locate water, build an emergency shelter and start a fire, using traditional First Nations methods.

Our instructor was park manager and Beausoleil First Nations elder Jeff Monague, who infused his teachings with the principles of taking only what is needed from the land, demonstrating respect for living beings, and showing gratitude for nature's provisions. Mr. Monague also gave us advice about animal encounters and taught us several Ojibwa words.

Here are some images from our trip:

This is a short video of students using a fire bow to start a fire (click the link and the video will open in a new tab):

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We want to thank Mr. Monague for his thoroughly engaging and very practical workshop. We are confident that if students in our class were ever lost in the woods they would be able to find water and build emergency shelters. (Fire-building might take a bit more practice!)

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

This year, we paired the Grade 4 Science topic Light and Sound with the Grade 5 Science topic Conservation of Energy and Resources.  Students in both grades read, watched educational videos, and participated in hands-on labs., exploring their respective Science topics.

These are photos of our device-testing lab., in which groups of students measured the wattage of everyday household items, using special watt meters. The Grade 4's took particular note of the conversions from electrical energy to sound, light, heat and/or movement with each device. The Grade 5's considered which types of devices used the most and least amount of energy.

The Grade 5's concluded that devices intended to create heat for the user (e.g. curling irons, blow dryers, curling irons, toasters and space heaters) use the most energy, and devices that create little or no heat tend to use a lot less energy (e.g. LED light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs, laptop computers, radios).

Another lab. involved testing a solar panel and a twig-burning stove that is capable of generating electricity to charge devices. Before going outside to test these devices, students watched the following videos, which explain how these alternative energy sources work:

These are photos of the class outside, testing the solar panel and electricity-generating camp stove.

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.caOpens in a new windowor to add a comment to this page.

During the month of January, outdoor educators from Geneva Park Outdoor Education Centre came to Rama Central twice, to teach our class about "Habitats & Communities," food webs and sustainability (Grade 4 Science topics). The background lessons at the school were followed by a day at the outdoor education centre, participating in a guided hike, looking for signs of wildlife in the trees and snow, and playing games including a food chain tag game.

Here are some images of our fabulous day at Geneva Park:

Wood shavings left by a Piliated Woodpecker:

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

 

 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  🙂

On Monday, students in our class were invited to bring commercially-made fidget spinners to class, so they could conduct trials to see how long they would spin.

Generally speaking, the heavier the spinner the longer it continued to spin.

Today, students tried making, timing and filming their own spinners (in slo-mo!) Students used a wide array of materials from the classroom and from home, to create some very impressive designs.

These are the results of our student-made spinner trials:

These spinners spun the longest. The one on the left spun 20 seconds; the one on the right spun for 24 seconds.

Here is a video clip of one of our student-made spinners (click the link to download and view):
https://blackdeer.edublogs.org/files/2017/06/1080p-1hg22zd.mov

A fun and educational time was had by all!

The lesson plans we used for this project are available through the "Teachers Pay Teachers" website:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fidget-Spinner-STEM-Challenge-3097680

Mrs. Black wants to take this opportunity to wish the students in our class a restful and safe summer.

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

Today, Rama Central P.S. students from Grades 3-6 travelled to Toronto, to visit the Ontario Science Centre. Our class attended two laboratory sessions that fulfill Grade 5 science curriculum expectations and spent the remainder of the day exploring the centre.

Here are some memories of our day...

THE SCIENCE ARCADE:

 

HUMAN BODY SYSTEMS LAB.:

 

BIOMECHANICS EXHIBIT:

 

ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS LAB.:

 

WESTON FAMILY INNOVATION CENTRE:

What a fun, educational day!

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

Within their Science program, Grade 5 students study "forces acting on structures." This Science unit includes reading and video viewing, hands-on building, the writing of lab. reports explaining the model building process, and a unit test.

This blog post showcases groups of students building model bridges, towers, roller coasters or strength bridges, with agreed upon materials and (in the case of strength bridges) agreed upon bridge spans.

These are the finished models, which were presented to the class:

Short video of roller coaster:  MVI_6590

Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.caor to add a comment to this page.

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In  November and December, our class had the privilege of hosting a teacher-candidate from Lakehead University's Faculty of Education.

Mrs. Tingey began her five weeks in our class with observation.  Then, she gradually assumed responsibility for teaching some of our lessons. By Week 5 she was teaching full-time, in consultation with Mrs. Black.

Here are some images of Mrs. Tingey's time with us:

MATH

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LANGUAGE

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SCIENCE

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GYM and DPA

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MUSIC

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VISUAL ARTS

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We want to thank Mrs. Tingey for the energy and enthusiasm she brings to her teaching. Her excitement about education is contagious and we are really going to miss her!

All the best to Mrs. Tingey in her future career as an educator!

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

For our Grade 5 Science unit "Conservation of Energy and Resources," we read background information, watched educational videos, completed home energy surveys, and engaged in some fun hands-on learning.

Our first hands-on energy lab. was an outdoor demonstration of two renewable energy devices:

  • a small photoelectric solar panel that converts light from the sun into electricity to charge batteries;
  • a "biofuel" camp stove that converts heat from fire into electricity, to run an internal fan and to charge electronic devices.

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Our second energy lab. had the class using wattage meters to determine how much energy a variety of small household appliances consume. Students found some of the results quite surprising. Many tended to overestimate the consumption of electronic devices, such as radios, pencil sharpeners and computers, while underestimating the consumption of heat-producing devices such as space heaters, toasters and blow dryers. Students were also surprised to find that the incandescent bulb that drew 60 watts of energy gave off the same amount of light as the compact fluorescent bulb that consumed 12 watts and the LED bulb that drew just 9 watts.

img_6018 img_6020 img_6021 img_6022 img_6026 img_6027 img_6028 img_6031Through this energy lab., we learned that "wattage" is not the whole story.  A device that consumes a great deal of energy but is only used for a few minutes at a time, such as a blow dryer, can actually use less energy per month than a lower-wattage television that is used for many hours each day. The same principal applies to large household appliances, which we explored using Hydro One's Appliance Calculator:
http://www.hydroone.com/MyHome/SaveEnergy/Tools/calc_main.htm

Our third energy lab. involved the construction of several types of solar ovens, and then testing them outdoors. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. The best day that week, the sky was partly cloudy. However, students did observe slightly higher temperatures in their devices when the sun was not obscured by clouds.

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As a writing assignment, students wrote lab. reports detailing their solar device experiments.

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Students enjoyed the opportunity to learn about energy use and alternative energy technology through hands-on projects. Their next step will be to consider how our class can encourage greater conservation of energy and resources, at home and school.

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.caor to add a comment to this page.

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This year, we had the privilege of hosting a teacher-candidate from Lakehead University in a May-June placement.  Miss Brew was a fun and engaging student teacher. She will be fondly remembered for her creative approach, which included a hands-on, centres-based science unit, a video introduction to persuasive letter writing, a poetry cafe, and the "get it together" classroom management system she developed to motivate students to stay on task.

Here are some pictures of Miss Brew in action, over the past five weeks:

LANGUAGE

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MATH

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SCIENCE

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

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DANCE

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MISS BREW'S "GET IT TOGETHER" BOARD

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MISS BREW'S GRADUATION PARTY!

Miss Brew completed her placement and her Bachelor of Education degree today! She also completed a Bachelor of Arts degree this year. We threw a graduation party for her:

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Mrs. Black's gift to Miss Brew:  "Me to WE" merchandise that provides assistance to children in developing nations:

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Congratulations, Miss Brew!  We can't wait to follow your future adventures as an educator!

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Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.caor to add a comment to this page.

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Last week, during Literacy and Social Studies periods, our class participated in an ice storm survivor simulation. The exercise was designed to consolidate learning in Social Studies and Science, while stretching students’ ability to work collaboratively in assigned groups, and providing them with an opportunity to engage in role play.

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Students were placed in "cabin groups" of four to six. They were asked to imagine what they would do if we were on an overnight school ski trip and, in the morning, they woke up to find themselves isolated, with their cabin power out and a freezing rain storm raging outside. Each cabin group was provided with a list of items they could use to help themselves keep warm, hydrated and fed for several days, and asked to create a plan that included a decision-making structure, rules, and strategies to ensure their survival while creating as little damage to the cabin and property as possible.

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These were their imaginary cabins:

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During the game, a few curves were thrown at each group. They were asked to choose from a deck of "calamity cards" that listed injuries and illnesses, accidental loss of tools or loss of food for which they needed to compensate with their plans. Then, "life imitated art" when Mother Nature dropped a major ice storm on Central Ontario... an ice storm that caused power outages, the cancellation of school buses, and delayed the completion of our ice storm survivor game!  🙂

These are pictures Mrs. Black took near her home, during the "real" ice storm:

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This map depicts extensive power outages, south of Barrie, the day after the ice storm:

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Once we were able to return to school, we shared our real-life ice storm experiences, and then continued with planning and problem-solving related to our fictional ice storm game:

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These are the maps that groups drew of their cabins and surroundings:

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After student groups were "rescued," they were invited to share their survival plans and experiences at "press conferences":
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"Life imitated art" a second time when this student, who was assessed as having a fictional hand injury during the game, later sustained a real-life hand injury (she's going to be fine!):

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Students in our class served as members of the press gallery, when they were not busy presenting. Members of the press gallery posed questions in the role of reporters, and evaluated group presentations and chances of survival.

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Students critiqued their collegues' chances of surviving more than a week on their own, based on the plans they presented:

  • Jesse:  52% chance of survival
  • Girl's Weekend Cabin and Ice Warriors:  54% chance of survival
  • Kiki-waka: 56% chance of survival
  • Ice Gladers: 64% chance of survival
  • Ice Crew: 70% chance of survival

Congratulations to The Ice Crew, winner of this year's Ice Storm Survival Competition!

IMG_3329"Ice Storm Survivor" was a fun, interactive team-building activity that helped students learn to cooperate, collaborate and seek consensus, while role playing themselves in a survival situation. Through our sharing of real and imagined ice storm strategies and experiences, students also took away some practical power outage preparedness ideas to share with their families, making "ice storm survivor" a valuable experience on several levels!

Thank you for visiting our class BLOG.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free e-mail me (Margaret Black):  mblack@scdsb.on.ca or to add a comment to this page.

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