Wednesday 29 October 2014

Learning about Light

Currently in Science we are learning about light.  In particular, we're talking about the properties of light, or the way light "behaves". 

The first thing we discovered is that light always travels in a straight line.  We tested out this property by lining up four cards with holes punched out of the middles.  Then, we shined a flashlight at the first card, and observed how the light could travel all the way to the last hole and beyond.  Next, we tried moving one of the cards slightly.  We saw that when we did this, the light would be blocked by this card and it would not shine through to the cards behind.  This is because the light could not bend to go through the hole of the card that wasn't lined up properly.



 
 

The other property of light we have explored is how light behaves when it hits different materials.  We learned that some materials are transparent.  The light passes straight through so you can see clearly through the material.  Water is transparent.  Other materials are translucent.  This means that light can travel through the material, but the angle of the light changes so when you look through the object, it looks blurry.  A milk jug is translucent.  Finally, some materials are opaque.  The light is absorbed by the material, so you can't see through it at all.  A wooden door is opaque.  We tested many different materials and classified them as transparent, translucent or opaque.


 
 


 What is an interesting fact you have learned about light?

Sunday 26 October 2014

Sensational Similes


In Language Arts over the last couple of weeks, we have begun exploring techniques to make our writing more interesting for our readers.  One technique we have learned is how to use similes.  A similes is when you compare two things using the words like or as.  Using a simile can help make a picture in your reader's mind.  Here are some examples of the sensational similes we created:

As brave as my dad wrestling a jaguar – James
As fun as a bouncy castle – Menura
Loud like a monster truck roaring its engine – Trista 
As loud as an Arctic wolf howling – Jessica
As boring as a joke that’s not funny – Erika 
Annoying like crying all day – Justin
Annoying like the horrible sound of Velcro – Erreeze 
Hot like a summer day in California – Leah
As brave as a bear – Kayla 
Rough like my sister - Alyssa
Quiet like a tree – Drin 
As angry as a defeated wrestler – Nisha
As brave as Puss ‘n Boots – Shayoni 
As angry as Godzilla – Jeco
Slow like starfish – Najla 
As boring as my dad using Facebook – James
Hot like when the Sun burns, rising in the sky – Liliana 
Rough like rocky road ice cream – Matheus
As boring as the white nothingness of the wall – Matisse  
As black as a PS3 – Jonas  
Slow like a computer with a virus – Julie 
As brave as a walrus fighting for its life – Marcus


As boring as watching a security camera – Trinity 
As hot as being inside an oven on the Sun – Amrit 
As annoying as wrestling a shark - Kallina

Sunday 19 October 2014

Kiva

We are off to a terrific start this year, thanks to an amazing new group of students!  I have been so impressed with their effort, teamwork and love of learning so far. I think that they will be the perfect group to begin a new project that I have been planning for some time. 

We will be working with the organization Kiva.  Kiva is a wonderful micro-finance organization that helps people (like us!) make loans to people around the world. They use the loans to support their small businesses which, in turn, helps them better their lives and the lives of their families.  Check out the video below to learn more:



After our first lesson we  realized that our lives here in Canada are very different than the lives of many people around the world.  We are fortunate to have things like clean water, food, shelter and education.  As we continue, we will learn more about how we can help make a difference by raising funds for Kiva and making loans.  Along the way, we will also be learning about world geography, money math, persuasive writing and using criteria in decision-making.  I am excited!  In what ways have you made a positive difference in your community or the world?