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.