Electricity and Electrical Devices: Grade 6 Science Inquiry

The Grade 6 classes at St. Thomas Aquinas have begun their Science unit on Electricity using an inquiry stance. To activate the prior knowledge of the students, the teachers approached introducing the unit by playing a rendition of the popular game "Four Pics, One Word." The teacher posted four pictures: a light bulb, a metal spoon, a solar panelled house and a lightning bolt. In groups, the students discussed how the four pictures were related, then they shared their ideas with the class. They came up with the following words to link the four pictures: light, electricity, solar, energy and food. Through active discussion, the students eventually rationalized why the common link among the four pictures was electricity including that the lightning bolt was a form of electricity, the metal in the spoon helps conduct electricity, the light bulb needs electrity to light up, and that the house used solar panels to power up. Interestingly, although some students demonstrated that they had some prior knowledge or experience with electricity (i.e. - that the metal spoon conducts electricity), they also demonstrated that there were gaps in their knowledge (i.e. - that electricity produces the light in the bulb, that solar energy can be used to produce electricity, etc.). This activity enabled the teachers to find out what the students already knew about electricity and elicit questions they had about it. It was a good beginning what looks like an engaging inquiry on electricity!

Celebrating the 100th Day of School at St. Thomas Aquinas!

As a school community, St. Thomas Aquinas hosted a gallery walk to celebrate the 100th day of school. Each grade from Full Day Kindergarten to Grade 8 represented a multiple of 100 up to one hundred million in a variety of ways. The gallery walk took place in the gymnasium and each class had an opportunity to view each other's work across different grade levels. It was a great sharing and learning experience for all!

Celebrating the 100th Day of School at St. Lawrence!

To mark the 100th day of school and Valentine's Day, the Grade 1 and 2 classes at St. Lawrence created a banner to show 100 different ways they can show kindess to each other.  This is one of many fun activities planned to mark this momentous occasion at the school.

Let the Games Begin!

As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi got under way, the Grade 8 class at St. Lawrence embarked on an inquiry about the Olympic Games themselves. It began with the class brainstorming their questions and wonderings. In partners, students set out to find out about the questions to present them to the class. Here are the wonderings they compiled together:

Equipped with their laptops, the students embarked on their quest to find out more on their Olympic wonderings.