STEM Week - Building a School on the Moon

 This week was all about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as DSKI students focused on what it would be like to live on the moon.

In connection with our unit on Structures, Grades 1 and 2 created a model of a school on the moon. In discussing the dangers of living on the moon, a large concern was meteors. Sio suggested that we build the school underground to protect us from meteor strikes. 

The Grade 1 students created living quarters - sleeping area, play area, washrooms and dining area. 

Meanwhile, the Grade 2 students were in charge of the school and learning areas -  classrooms, school office and a greenhouse to house the plants for the Preschool class. The greenhouse would supply food and oxygen which would be pumped around the whole facility and then carbon dioxide would be returned to the greenhouse for the plants.

The Grade 1 students also suggested that the entire structure would be covered by a dome that would be filled with breathable air so that they could explore around the area without the need for space.

Thank you to all the parents who came to check out the different exhibits from all of the DSKI students. If you were unable to make it, you can still check out your child’s work in their Seesaw account, as well as the displays from other Grade 2 students by viewing the QR codes below. If you have trouble accessing the QR code links, please try logging in with your child’s school account and then scanning the QR codes.

Building Our Understanding of Buildings

 The students continued to build their understanding of how structures are built. On Monday, we continued experimenting with the properties of paper as a building material as the students tried to create structures that were at least 15cm tall and could withstand the weight of a heavy book. 

During language time, the students read about the construction steps in building houses, bridges or tunnels. Meanwhile in math, our new unit focuses on multiplication and we will also be learning about measurement and area over the next few weeks, and will be very hands on next week as we will build a model of a school on the moon for STEM week. We began discussing the topic, and the students put together lists of materials that they would like to use for the project. If you have some materials for recycling: styrofoam trays, plastic and cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, etc. please send them in with your child this week. Monday will be a planning and preparation day as we design our building and decide on different roles for the project and construction of the model will take place from Tuesday to Thursday with Friday being the STEM showcase day for parents to come in and check it out.

We also read the story of the Three Little Pigs and discussed the different building materials that were available to the pigs and as an engineering project the students built their own houses out of straws to protect a little piggy from the Big Bad Wolf’s powerful huff and puff! You can check out videos on your child’s Seesaw account.

In PE, we continued working on our running, throwing and jumping in preparation for Sports Day on April 28.

A House is a Home, but not All Homes are Houses

 This week we began to dig into our central idea, People around the world construct structures differently for different reasons. To do so, the students shared what they already knew about our three lines of inquiry:

- Different types of structures around the world

- How structures are built and designed has change

- Why structures are built the way they are

In a connection to our last unit of inquiry, the students identified the different types of materials that we use for building - wood, brick, concrete, glass, metal, etc. We looked at different images of homes from around the world and completed a See, Think, Wonder chart and shared some of our thoughts orally with the rest of the class.

We also did some reading and comprehension work about the different types of homes, and discussed the differences between a house and a home, as well as the meaning of the word structures and how all buildings are structures, but not all structures are buildings.

We even had the chance to experiment with an unconventional building material…paper! Using only paper and paper clips, the students tried to build the tallest paper tower that they could.

In PE, our focus has been on athletics as we practiced javelin throwing, ball throwing, long jumping, skipping, hurdles, and running. Our sports day will be Friday, April 28th and we are looking forward to showing off our athletic abilities.