T'was the week before Christmas: Science Immersion

This blog is written by a grade 1/2 teacher who continuously looks at ways to open up new opportunities for her children to learn.  She loves to pique their curiosity.  This year, she is pairing up with a secondary teacher for a number of different adventures.  Here is one.

We hope you enjoy this Christmas Science Blog… and that you have a wonderful holiday.

T'was the week before Christmas and all through the school,

The teachers and students were forgetting the rules. 
The kids were quite hyper and completely strung out,
In classrooms and hallways they were shouting it out.

And so … What better time to have an excursion?

Let’s walk to Pen High and have science immersion!

The children got nestled all snug in their jackets,

With visions of science experiment rackets.
And me in my mittens, my toque, and my boots

Met up with Mrs. Dietrich … as we’re in cahoots!

Now what should greet us when we came up the stairs?

But five different stations, and smoke in the air!

Station one had some borax and even some glue,

The children were wondering what they should do!

Next were the candles that somehow should float,

And lighting up matches for our new candle boats!

And some of the kids had fun with the milk,

When dish soap made colors psych-edel-ic!

Burners were risky, but with big kids great help,

Our hair and our eyebrows never quite smelt!

Ion sticks made flames some holiday colours

While small smiling faces turned to show others.

Hydrogen popper were scary and fun, 

The kids watched the bubbles and used fire when done.

The pop was so loud. . . it made many squeal.

To see science work was really surreal.

And when we were finished; our thankyous all said,

We walked back to school; kids ready for bed.

And after this trip was all said and done…

We knew science was cool . . . and learning was fun!

Merry Christmas to our big buddies.

Blog post by Nicola Korvin

Cross-Grade Connections Through Outdoor Learning Experiences

November 2 marked the first day of snow this season.  It also marked an outdoor adventure day for a group of grade 10s from PenHigh and the grade 1/2s from Queen’s Park Elementary.  The two groups were brought together to share in a special field experience at Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park.  Despite the chilly temperatures and unfamiliar surroundings the kids were fast friends as they stepped into the wilderness together. 

 Prior to the trip the grade 10s had recently completed a Wildlife Monitoring project based in the park.  The project focused on wildlife specific to the Bluffs and culminated with student-led data collection using motion-sensor cameras.  The scaffolding lessons leading up to the project were designed to connect the students to our community and the local landscape.  Some of the activities included meeting with a conservation biologist, researching local wildlife-conflicts and learning how the Penticton Indian Band is helping to restore the bighorn sheep population.  Needless to say the grade 10s had a lot of experience and knowledge to share, even though they might not have realized it.

For the grade 2s this outdoor experience would be the first of a series of field trips aimed at connecting students to the local environment.  The classroom content (adaptations, cycles and communities) they had been working on translated to a strong foundation of understanding and good preparation for our outdoor adventure.

The morning together was full of partnered activities that engaged the senses and promoted exploratory play.  From a teacher perspective the most powerful piece of this partnership was the leadership opportunity it provided to the grade 10s.  Not only did they orchestrate the set up the motion-sensor cameras (which is more complex and strategic than one might think) but they also got to role model behaviour that respected and honoured the wildlife within the park.  The enthusiastic and energetic grade 2s were the perfect audience (and partners) for the older students.  Their natural curiosity, wonder and desire to explore was infectious and energizing for the grade 10s.  More importantly, the grade 2s were unencumbered by cell phones which left them free to enjoy the experience, a shocking and novel concept to the grade 10s. 

The unintentional role modelling demonstrated by both groups during this outdoor experience was powerful and only a small part of the transformative work that can happen when we let the land be our teacher.  Thank you to HCTF Go Grants, the Vancouver Foundation who supports this work, and all of the students who allow experiential outdoor programming to happen.

Blog post thanks to Allison Dietrich and her work with Nicola Korvin 

Authentic Tasks - Busking and More

Recently, students from two of our secondary schools came together with other community musicians to hold an amazing concert.  This concert was a fundraiser to support the completion of a building project in an orphanage in Tanzania.  It is an orphanage that over 150 students from SD67 have worked and played in over the past years on an annual trip.  

Solos, small groups, and a community choir all played a part in the evening, as well as a 75 wind ensemble. It was a real concert, with the community invited to come and enjoy.  Concerts like these, especially when they are for a purpose and are performed with other community members are important.  

There’s a trend in some educational circles to ensure that students engage in a performance piece to share their learning. With youtube, twitter and easy to create webpages, students can share their learning with a global audience. 

Teachers often say that we are preparing students for the real world. Dr. Grant at Princess Margaret believes in this statement. While teachers can assign grades to a student, or friends can laud a student’s achievement, Dr. Grant wanted to let the world give them feedback.  The concerts that he involves the students in are not the only way he does this.

On a sunny afternoon last spring, band students from Princess Margaret Secondary ceased to be students. They became musicians. Dr. Grant had students bring their instruments to the bustling center of Nanaimo Square in Penticton to play music as buskers. At this point, no grades or teacher input mattered. Students would find out how a real world audience would appreciate their music – and pay up in the form of tips. Students set up in several locations around a two block radius. Business people, shoppers and locals walked by. Many stopped to admire the music being played by the students, bringing joy to a perhaps otherwise busy and stressful day. At one point, a man who had been collecting bottles walked up to two students and deposited some change in their guitar case after flashing them a grin.

Students were nervous. They had to set up in an unfamiliar – non school setting – and place themselves at the mercy of an eclectic audience. They had to seamlessly read the crowd. Was it a younger audience who might like pop music? Were they baby boomers craving classic rock? Were they elderly listeners who might appreciate some Elvis?

Students had to exercise skills such as judicious song choice, choice of location (was it at a busy thoroughfare, was it too sunny to read the music? Was it too close to a fountain which would drown out their singing?) and consider other factors.

School and concerts in gymnasiums are incredibly controlled affairs. As his students busked in the streets, adding to the flair of downtown Penticton, Dr. Grant looked on, commenting how this type of experience is the type that is just uncomfortable enough to help his students grow, gain self-confidence and develop many skills. 

Post Courtesy of Dr. Don Grant and Jeff Fitton