This is a reminder that we will be going to the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park on Tuesday, June 5th. The weather forecast calls for 16 degrees celsius in Cochrane (the nearest town). Students are encouraged to:
- Dress in layers; - Bring extra water (there is NO RUNNING WATER on site); - Wear comfortable shoes (there will be a long nature walk); - Bring sunscreen and bug spray; and, - Bring a larger, garbage-reduced lunch (we will be eating on the trail) A big thank you to parents who have volunteered to join us on this excursion. Please arrive at the school by 8:30 to join us for our discussion on itinerary and expectations. Students are building their knowledge about the uses of different maps that will aide them in designing their wetland proposals for the City of Calgary. The type we focused on this week is the topographic map. Students went to the following website to conduct an inquiry into: the features of a topographic map, what the colors indicate, how the measurements are used to inform geographic features. Check out the website if you want to explore: http://en-ca.topographic-map.com/
We then went on a community walk to the Cranston storm pond to apply our understanding of how topographic maps can be used to represent the elevation in and around a wetland. Students will continue to work with these maps, and will apply their understanding in their final design proposal. We will be going on a community walk tomorrow, May 15th, from 1-2:30pm. Please note it is going to be 29 degrees celsius tomorrow. Students are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing, sunscreen, and bug spray. They must also bring a water bottle. We are going to the Cranston Storm pond to deepen our understanding of man-made wetlands and how to apply our understanding of topographical maps and how they can be applied to the design of a wetland. Please see the file below for the community letter sent to parents/guardians today.
Erika, an Urban Parks Conservationist with the City of Calgary, joined our discussion on natural vs. manmade wetlands. She provided her expertise on the construction and properties of different wetlands, and answered our students' pressing questions about what she does and what makes wetlands an essential geographic feature to our city's landscape.
This visit was an important event to build students' knowledge and deepen their understanding, in order to better prepare them for our upcoming design challenge: create a city proposal for a wetland. Students are building their knowledge about the diverse plants that make up the five zones of a wetland: upland, riparian, emergent, floating, and submergent. After conducting research on the life cycle, traits, and importance of various plants, students then had to consider if their plant should be incorporated into the design of their wetland.
What is a wetland? Why are they important? How are they constructed and maintained? These are a few of the questions students were asked to consider during their field study at Fish Creek Provincial Park. Students are learning about the various features of wetlands and deepening their understanding of the complex ecosystems within. Their day consisted of a 1.5 hour nature walk and a 1.5 hour pond dipping. They will take this new knowledge and understanding and apply it to an upcoming design challenge. Please be advised we will be going on a community walk this Wednesday, May 3rd, from 1pm-2:30pm. The weather forecast calls for sun. Please ensure your child has a hat and water bottle for this day.
This is a reminder that we will be going to Fish Creek Provincial Park tomorrow, Monday, May 1st. Our bus will depart at 9:05am and return at 2:30pm.
The weather forecast calls for 11 degrees and rain. Students are encouraged to wear waterproof shoes, hat and waterproof jacket. These are some of our completed math city projects. Students were tasked to think like urban planners and use the concepts of measurement and geometry to design a city section. Every city section had to have an area of 28 by 28 squares, a road system showing specific types of lines (parallel, intersecting, perpendicular), and buildings that cover a specified area (ie. a rectangle with an area of 600 mm2 and a length of 30mm). Students also learned about the features of rectangular prisms and created the unique nets for all their buildings. As an extension, some students also added triangular prism rooftops to the buildings, incorporated a fraction / percentage of green space into their city sections, and designed the map of a subway system that would run underneath their city sections.
Our Flag Day Assembly is tomorrow, February 14th, from 1:30-2:30. Students are asked to wear a red top, as we will be doing a "living flag" at the end of assembly.
Students have also asked if they can bring valentines to school tomorrow. They will have time at the end of the day for an exchange. |
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May 2018
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