Task: Design a Wetland for your Community
There is great risk in innovation: the risk of failure, the risk of loss, and the risk of rejection. But what’s at greater risk is if a threat goes unresolved because of this fear. Students are passionate about environmental issues and conservation. Exploring issues in their own backyard and innovating solutions empowers students, fosters environmental stewardship, and develops a growth mindset.
Through this task, students will understand that people and animals can cohesively live together and there are efforts being made for this to become a reality, as well as the importance of understanding and conserving biodiversity.
They will know:
The zones of a wetland
Plant and animal life cycle, adaptations, and sustainability
Topographic maps
Current conservation efforts in and around Calgary
They will understand:
How this knowledge is connected to biodiversity and the sustainability of a wetland ecosystem
They will apply:
Using the design process, students will create a City of Calgary wetland proposal
Get into the woodshop to create a 3D topographic model of their wetland design
Through this task, students will understand that people and animals can cohesively live together and there are efforts being made for this to become a reality, as well as the importance of understanding and conserving biodiversity.
They will know:
The zones of a wetland
Plant and animal life cycle, adaptations, and sustainability
Topographic maps
Current conservation efforts in and around Calgary
They will understand:
How this knowledge is connected to biodiversity and the sustainability of a wetland ecosystem
They will apply:
Using the design process, students will create a City of Calgary wetland proposal
Get into the woodshop to create a 3D topographic model of their wetland design
The Problem Solving Process
Problem solving situations call for students to recall prior knowledge/skills and apply them to new situations. There are 3 parts to problem solving:
1) Knowing the relevant math skills/concepts
2) Knowing when to use those skills/concepts
3) Carrying out the math skills needed to solve the problem
The problem solving process outlined below is designed to engage students in the three parts to problem solving. The 'Understand' step encourages students to assess the situation for important facts and tap into prior knowledge of skills and concepts that can help them solve the problem, The 'Plan' step encourages students to decide what skills / concepts they have learned is applicable in that problem situation. The 'Do' step is where students show they can carry out the math skills needed and arrive at an answer. The 'Check' step encourages students to assess if their work is reasonable, accurate, and complete.
Problem solving situations call for students to recall prior knowledge/skills and apply them to new situations. There are 3 parts to problem solving:
1) Knowing the relevant math skills/concepts
2) Knowing when to use those skills/concepts
3) Carrying out the math skills needed to solve the problem
The problem solving process outlined below is designed to engage students in the three parts to problem solving. The 'Understand' step encourages students to assess the situation for important facts and tap into prior knowledge of skills and concepts that can help them solve the problem, The 'Plan' step encourages students to decide what skills / concepts they have learned is applicable in that problem situation. The 'Do' step is where students show they can carry out the math skills needed and arrive at an answer. The 'Check' step encourages students to assess if their work is reasonable, accurate, and complete.
CTF Integration: Become a Pastry Chef
Students have been developing their scientific reasoning, problem solving, and application of chemistry concepts in a CTF-integrated project: Become a Pastry Chef. We will be doing two baking iterations, in which students apply their understanding of physical and chemical changes to the formation of accurate procedural writing and hypothesis statements. Students are uploading their iterations to Iris. Their second procedural writing can also be found on a Google Doc. Please refer the rubric below to see how this task is being assessed.
Topic: Building Listening Skills through Media Literacy
Students are building their listening skills through the exposure to important events and issues in Canada. When listening to various topics, students are encouraged to:
- listen for key facts
- build their sketchnoting skills
- organize what they hear into key sections
- listen with attention to purpose
- consider the multiple perspectives surrounding the issue
- consider the impact these issues have on various groups
The important events and issues are also being analyzed through the lens of our concept for this term: Risk vs. Security.
Wichispa Oyade
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1259915
#EndThePriceHike
https://globalnews.ca/news/2447177/new-campaign-aims-to-shed-light-on-the-high-cost-of-food-in-canadas-north/
Thawing Permafrost
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/it-scares-me-permafrost-thaw-in-canadian-arctic-sign-of-global-trend-1.4069173
http://www.newsweek.com/thawing-permafrost-will-release-deadly-pathogens-have-been-locked-away-706488
- listen for key facts
- build their sketchnoting skills
- organize what they hear into key sections
- listen with attention to purpose
- consider the multiple perspectives surrounding the issue
- consider the impact these issues have on various groups
The important events and issues are also being analyzed through the lens of our concept for this term: Risk vs. Security.
Wichispa Oyade
http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1259915
#EndThePriceHike
https://globalnews.ca/news/2447177/new-campaign-aims-to-shed-light-on-the-high-cost-of-food-in-canadas-north/
Thawing Permafrost
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/it-scares-me-permafrost-thaw-in-canadian-arctic-sign-of-global-trend-1.4069173
http://www.newsweek.com/thawing-permafrost-will-release-deadly-pathogens-have-been-locked-away-706488
Topic: Predicting Weather
Have you ever looked up at the clouds and wondered what they all mean? Can clouds be used as a tool to predict weather? To what extent are they reliable in weather predictions? Students are trying to answer these questions through the creation and use of a cloud classification guide. Using this hook as a jumping off point:
|
and these websites to support students in collecting background information on the different clouds found in our troposphere:
students have embarked on a quest to uncover the mystery of our clouds. |
Risk vs. Security
Topic: Immigration
Students are exploring the concept of risk and security through the vehicle of immigration. As they learn about the stories of immigrants throughout Canadian history, they are guided by the following questions:
What risks were involved in immigrating to Canada?
What securities did immigrants rely on?
What securities were challenged/denied?
To what extent are securities re-created?
Security lies in how solid our ties are. Do you agree or disagree, based on the stories heard?
As we delve deeper into this concept, students will develop a deeper understanding of the risks (and securities) of immigrating to a new country, and how this shapes the identity of an individual and a nation.
Please be sure to check your child's Iris account for personalized learner updates around this concept as well as personal learner goals. The rubric below was used to assess "My Immigration Story 2", which was the fourth iterations (and second recording) of each student's story.
What risks were involved in immigrating to Canada?
What securities did immigrants rely on?
What securities were challenged/denied?
To what extent are securities re-created?
Security lies in how solid our ties are. Do you agree or disagree, based on the stories heard?
As we delve deeper into this concept, students will develop a deeper understanding of the risks (and securities) of immigrating to a new country, and how this shapes the identity of an individual and a nation.
Please be sure to check your child's Iris account for personalized learner updates around this concept as well as personal learner goals. The rubric below was used to assess "My Immigration Story 2", which was the fourth iterations (and second recording) of each student's story.