Air and Flight

As we move into our next Science unit, we will be looking at the properties of air and flight.  We will be doing a number of experiments that explore the properties of air and aerodynamics, and then applying our findings to the way that airplanes work in relation to the four forces of flight.  The first part of the unit will also concentrate on the way that we write up lab reports, using the scientific method.  A copy of the checklist we use to guide our lab report format can be found here:
https://files.pbworks.com/download/vYTWqsJGkP/husky67/25751252/Lab%20Report%20Checklist-feedback.pdf

The second half of the unit will deal with how airplanes operate, and with the construction of different types of paper airplanes to accomplish various tasks, based on what we have learned about air and the four forces of flight.  We will focus on trials and improvements, using an experimental model.

Additional information and practice can be found here:
http://www.gsc.amdsb.ca/grade6/grade6_science.htm

Science timeline

The Grade 6 class is putting together an online timeline about the history of the development of electricity.  We are experimenting with a few different tools, including XTimeline and Time Toast.  We have talked about some of the important scientists and advances that led us to our understanding of modern uses of electricity.  It is the job of the students to put these points in order and present brief (2-3 sentences) summaries of each event.  They will also be adding 1-3 events of their own to our findings.  More info can be found here.  They will be meeting the following learning goals:

- evaluate the importance of events that led to the modern electrical system
- communicate their findings appropriately and clearly using on online timeline

Classroom updates

Here are some quick classroom updates:

*   Our QSP magazine sales wrap up next Wednesday, so get the orders in.  This fundraising helps pay for a lot of great equipment around the school, from SmartBoards to soccer nets, as well as contributing to class trips, so make sure you ask friends and family this long weekend to see if they are interesting in something new to read!

*   Tomorrow is Laps for Lungs.  It is expected that students will bring in a loonie or twonie as a contribution to this worthy cause.

*   Next week, we have District Cross Country on Tuesday for those students that qualified.  Tuesday after school, the Sr Boys will be playing an exhibition soccer match against Clinton PS.  Finally, on Thursday we have  the Regional Soccer tournament in Goderich.  The Juniors will be playing at GPS, and the Seniors will play on the 2 fields at GDCI.

*   For Gr 6, the Classifying Tree Leaves project is due on Wednesday Oct 13.  Also, we need some students to bring in pond water next Tuesday, as we will be using microscopes to look for protists in class next week.

*   Students can now access the class calendar, which will be updated on a regular basis.  They should click on the link to the right of this post, then log in to Google apps, using their full email address (i.e. holstudent20@ed.amdsb.ca) and then their password.  When they get to the Calendar page, they can add a coworker's calendar (about halfway down on the left) by typing in my email, the same way they do when they are sharing.

Classifying Tree Leaves project

Today the Grade 6 students received the instructions for their first Science project.  They will be collecting tree leaves and then classifying them using a tree diagram on a piece of bristol board.  While this project will take some time, the students have been given a month to complete it, and it will be handed in on October 13th.  If the students do a bit at a time, they should be able to complete it easily with proper time management, and with little assistance from parents.  They were given a bunch of information, copies of which can be found here: https://husky67.pbworks.com/Diversity-of-Living-Things. The first deadline is to collect the leaves they will be using by next Tuesday (or at least to identify which leaves they will be using, and collect them soon after). They then need to press them using a book, and to preserve them for use on the bristol board.  A number of options were discussed with the class to achieve this.  Finally, they need to create the tree diagram on the bristol board, and then attach the leaves.  Decoration will be appreciated, but it is the organization of the diagram and leaves that is most important.  It should be clear and easy to understand, and neatly and carefully done.  Samples of past projects are also available here: https://husky67.pbworks.com/Sample-Tree-Leaf-projects.