Two quick weeks came and went in March. Virtual field trips, science fair, an ice fishing trip, and finished up with a ski and snow science lesson.
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February has brought the beginning of science experiments, a lot of work learning operations with fractions, some amazing creations using the 3D printer, virtual field trips to the Long Island Science Centre, sharing our hydroponic plants with the Kindergarten class, making a Pelly River resin table, some incredible art sessions, and a morning of baking sourdough bread and making bannock.
After 4 sessions of skating as part of our Physical Education class, students are sliding and racing like pros. Way to go grade 4-7s - what an improvement!
The past two weeks were all about Space in Grade 7! We had an amazing virtual field trip with the remarkable role model and brilliant scientist, Laurie Rousseau Nepton. Her research on the interconnections between Indigenous knowledge and our understanding of the night sky was and inspiration. We also went on a virtual field trip to the Cleveland museum of natural history for an incredible journey through our solar system - a humbling experience! Students completed presentations on our solar system using art, technology and orbiting Ozobots. We turned the library into a mini planetarium, worked on some galaxy watercolour paintings, 3D printed NASA models, and spent a few early mornings looking at our beautiful night sky.
The last weeks of 2020 brought us exciting learning opportunities. Our class explored some key themes of the industrial revolution in a study of Dickens' Christmas Carol. We also filmed an awesome take on Winter Wonderland for our winter concert, made some cool things on the laser cutter, and got out a for a few great days of skiing and skating. Using our measurement and geometry skills, we worked with the 4-7 class on making giant dice. We were then able to use our newly made dice to check and complete some probability charts and answer questions around theoretical and actual probability. A special thanks to our amazing preservice teacher, Dana Beck, for her great work with our class the last two weeks!
The last week of school for 2020 also marked the finish of our cutting board fundraiser. With our Grade 7 class booth at the Faro craft market we sold our handmade cutting boards and made $1,000 in just one day. This put our total to just over $3,000. WOW. The little class that does big things! In 2021, we will be exploring the possibilities of sustainable food security in Northern Canada. This past week was science week. Tests, predictions, reiterations, and explorations! A week dedicated to focusing in on science was tons of fun and great new learning. We explored 4 of the major human body systems through watching videos, interactive online programs, and student research. We then worked on creating a poster and we finished the week with excellent student presentations.
Throughout the week we also dug into some STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tasks. This included exploring Ozobots (small robots that respond to color coding). This allowed us to develop our coding skills by setting commands for the Ozobots to follow and challenging each other with mazes that needed such commands. The Ozobots also provided us with an introduction to mathematical design for coding through using Excel. With lots of trial and error, all students navigated their way through mazes by utilizing coding skills. Other STEM tasks that we worked on this week were designing structures and pathways through using Keva Planks and Gravitrax. We also spent time outside for Science week to practice our cross country skiing. Skiing allowed us to make more science connections through a very practical way to think about force/friction and the transfer of energy. Skiing is no fun if we transfer our energy in the wrong direction. Understanding and learning how to transfer our energy from our functioning body systems to forward glide made skiing so much more enjoyable! Our November novel study has been a remarkable book called Home of the Brave. It is a narrative about a boy (Kek) who escapes the civil war in Sudan. He finds himself as a young refugee in America adapting to life - he sees snow for the first time, struggles with language and fitting in with other students. Through incredible resilience and perseverance, Kek finds his way. He makes friends with a girl in foster care and an old woman who owns a run-down farm.
This incredible story links themes of Quality of Life that we are learning about in Social Studies with core literary themes in English like resilience, determination, and friendship. Throughout this novel study, I have been reading aloud to the students while they sketched the scenes on mini whiteboards. They also responded to key themes in the novel through a journal response and comprehension questions. Today, we are finishing off this unit by watching The Good Lie. A similar story about the lost boys and girls of Sudan who attempt to find their way in a new country while overcoming the inevitable obstacles that such a journey entails. Chemical reactions are super cool! In class we have been making plastic using an Epoxy Resin. Epoxy is created when Resin is mixed with a hardener. The two substances cause heat production. The heat changes the epoxy from a liquid to a solid. As the epoxy was curing, it went through a very viscous stage. At this point, we were able to explore colours and designs. The plastic was used to fill holes for some special charcuterie boards we have been working on.
While this year's Remembrance Day ceremony looked a little different than those in the past, Tuesday at DVG was nonetheless an impactful, powerful day of remembrance. Leading up to Remembrance Day students had the opportunity to reflect on what peace means to them, explore life during both WW1 and WW2, research into Canada's role in both wars, some group reading time in the library, and art projects. We carried out a virtual ceremony in the classroom with powerful student readings, impactful videos, and 2 minutes of silence. All this lead to powerful conversation of what it means to live in Canada and ways in which we, as individuals, can honour the sacrifice made by others. Grade 7s also took on the role of creating a Remembrance Day wall display that serves as a visible daily reminder and showcases student research and art.
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February 2021
CategoriesMr. StaveleyHello, my name is Jeremy Staveley and I teach grade 7 at Del Van Gorder School. I have a Bachelors of Education and a Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies. I also have a certification in Timber Frame construction. I have worked as a teacher in K-12 schools in both the Yukon and Alberta. I have also taught seminars at UNBC and been a guest lecturer at the University of Calgary in place-based and experiential Education. |