Building Pop Bottle Ecosystems and Order of Operations

Announcements:

• Tomorrow is Halloween there will be a Halloween Dance along with other fun activity options during the last period. Students are allowed to dress up as long as they are not wearing masks and their costumes are not too violent or in any way derogatory towards other students.

Math:

We reviewed Order of Operations (BEDMAS) and practiced problems in groups. Tomorrow we will continue to work on this skill with a special Halloween Math activity!

Science:

We have been building Pop Bottle Ecosystems this week. 

Thanks to all students who brought in 2L pop bottles for this project. 

Also, special thanks to Ms. Chow for finding us snails, aquatic plants, and grass seed to perfect the ecosystems. 

Students will make observations for the next few weeks and will measure how well the grass seed grows. 

Math connection: they will have the opportunity to graph the grass growth. 

This project will re-emphasize the importance of each part of the ecosystem and the interconnectedness between abiotic and biotic components. 

Positive Human Impact and Ecosystems Presentations

Announcements:

• Tomorrow, Thursday, October 25th, is Curriculum Sharing Night. We look forward to this opportunity for students to showcase their learning to their family members!
• Thursday is a half day with early dismissal at 11:16am.
• Friday is a PD Day (No School)

Science:

Today was mostly a Science Day. We began by learning about a positive human impact on a beach ecosystem in Mumbai. We watched a video about this current event and discussed how much good we can do with intention. We also looked at an article about the turtles returning to this ecosystem after the cleanup. CNN also did a story on this beach cleanup. Students seemed to find this inspiring and motivating.


They did a wonderful job of presenting their Ecosystems Research Projects in small groups!

Question of the day:
Use this story about the beach in Mumbai to support your argument that humans have both positive and negative impacts on ecosystems. Please email your response to lebowen@cbe.ab.ca or bring in a written comment.

Math:

We briefly practiced multiplying and dividing decimals in preparation for tomorrow's multiplication and division of decimals computation quiz.

Decimals and Ecosystem Presentations

Announcements:

• Thursday, October 25th, is Curriculum Sharing Night. Students will have the opportunity to show parents and guardians what they have been learning.
• Thursday is a half day with early dismissal at 11:16am.
• Friday is a PD Day (No School)
• Students who have not finished Science assignments or would like extra Math practice should attend Mustang Drop-In Zone 2:30-4 in the Learning Commons or make an appointment to see Ms. Bowen for extra help.
• Still seeking 2L pop bottles for Monday's ecosystem project!!!

Math:

Multiplying and Dividing Decimals Quiz Thursday - Students have been practicing each day this week. They are encouraged to seek Ms. Bowen for extra help or take practice worksheets home. 

Students worked on decimal word problem stations today. They will continue to do this for another class or two before the assessment is complete. Students are allowed to work with their table groups to better understand what the problems are asking, determine the appropriate equation(s) and solve the problems. 

Science:

Ecosystems Research Project Presentations are tomorrow. Students will have 30 final minutes tomorrow morning to do last minute fix ups to their projects and practice. They have been put in groups of three projects and will have a chance to self- and peer-assess using the rubric below. Students are encouraged to write one positive comment and one area of improvement comment for each project. Guidelines for respectfully observing other students' work will be discussed before we begin.

Presenter(s):__________________________________________ Evaluator: _________________________________
All information assessed is specific to the chosen ecosystem	Always (4)	Mostly (3)	Sometimes (2)	Not Yet (1)
Where in the World?	It is very clear where this ecosystem exists and one or more map(s) is included that clearly shows the location	It is clear where this ecosystem exists and one map is included that clearly shows the location	It is somewhat clear where this ecosystem exists and a map is included that minimally shows the location	It is unclear where this ecosystem exists and there is no map included
Plant / Animal Species	More than 4 plant /animal species are illustrated and labeled	2-3 plant/animal species are illustrated and labeled	1 plant/animal species is illustrated and labeled	Plant/animal species are illustrated but not labeled, or forgotten all together
Abiotic Factors	More than 2 abiotic factors are illustrated and labeled	2 abiotic factors are illustrated and labeled	1 abiotic factor is illustrated and labeled	Abiotic factors not labelled or forgotten all together
Food Web	A complex food web (at least 2 food chains) is included with labels to distinguish producers, consumers and decomposers	A good food web (2 food chains) is included with labels to distinguish producers, consumers and decomposers	A simple food web is included but producers, consumers, and decomposers are not labelled	A food web is not included or a food web is mistaken for a food chain and is not labelled
Overall score for above criteria (STEM 1)	Always (4)	Mostly (3)	Sometimes (2)	Not Yet (1)
Symbiotic Relationships (STEM 2)	3 or more examples of relationships (1 mutualism, 1 commensalism, 1 parasitism) are illustrated and thoroughly explained	3 examples of relationships (1 mutualism, 1 commensalism, 1 parasitism) are illustrated and reasonably explained	2-3 examples of a relationships are illustrated but minimally explained	Symbiotic relationships are not clear or forgotten
Human Impact (STEM 4)	An in depth explanation of human impact is discussed with relation to more than 1 environmental factor.	An explanation of human impact is clearly discussed with relation to 1 environmental factor.	Human impact is mentioned with little relation to environmental factors.	Human impact is  mentioned without an explanation and with no relation to environmental factors.
Visual Presentation / Communication (STEM 3)	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is excellent	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is good	Visual and written presentation (poster, diorama, powerpoint, etc.) is adequate	Minimal graphics and written communication is incomplete or difficult to understand

Decimal Word Problems & Ecosystem Presentations

Announcements:

• Thursday, October 25th, is Curriculum Sharing Night. Students will have the opportunity to show parents and guardians what they have been learning.
• Thursday is a half day with early dismissal at 11:16am.
• Friday is a PD Day (No School)
• Students who have not finished their Ecosystems Research Project or would like extra Math practice should attend Mustang Drop-In Zone 2:30-4 in the Learning Commons or make an appointment to see Ms. Bowen for extra help.

Math:

This week students will work on solving word problems involving adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals. Some of the problems will have multiple steps. Students are encouraged to show their thinking with the following steps:

1. know/don't know chart
2. equation
3. solve
4. sentence

We have practiced a lot of word problem solving over the last couple of months. This is their opportunity to show what they have learned.

Practice Problem:

You and 5 friends go out for a treat. Three of you get Chocolate Milk and the other three get a lime freeze. You decide one friend doesn't have to pay because their his birthday. What do the other friends have to pay?

Chocolate Milk - $1.35

Lime Freeze - $2.25

*** email your solution to lebowen@educbe.ca or show Ms. Bowen in class.

Note: Many students could benefit from extra practice multiplying and dividing decimals. There will be a quiz on Thursday. Anyone who would like extra practice before then should come see me at lunch on Tuesday or after school. 

Science:

Monday students will have a final period to finish their Ecosystems Research Projects. They will have the opportunity to present their visual presentation to peers on Wednesday. Anyone who has not finished by tomorrow should attend Mustang Drop In Zone in the Learning Commons Monday and Tuesday 2:30-4pm.

Decimal Division and Ecosystems cont.

Math:

We have spent the week learning about Division. We began by creating area models of division problems to understand the concept of splitting a number into equal groups. We watched examples in a presentation and then did practice questions. 

We practiced using estimation to approximate the answer to decimal questions. See linked handout.

We also learned how to calculate decimal division problems. 


If there is only a decimal in the dividend, move the decimal straight up and do long division as usual. 

If there is a decimal in the divisor you have to move the decimal to make a whole number. Whatever you do to the divisor you have to also do to the dividend so that the division equation remains proportionally the same. 

Students practiced doing different examples of decimal division. Extra practice is available (Decimal Division.pdf) 

Science:

Together, we read about how changes occur in ecosystems (pages 55 to 57, and page 60 in our textbooks). We reviewed how ecosystems are altered by such concepts such as bio-invasion, competition, and predation and discussed human impact on ecosystems. We also watched a video about the World Health Organization's impact in Borneo (intended and unintended consequences) when attempting to cure Malaria. 

We are finishing this week by completing work on the Ecological Footprint and Ecosystem Research Project. Students will get extra time with computers tomorrow to complete their research and build visual presentations.

Welcome Back

Announcements:

• Curriculum Sharing Night is October 25th and students will have the opportunity to guide parents and guardians through their learning experiences so far this year. 
• Please bring 2L pop bottles for one more week!!!

Math:

We reviewed Decimals including ordering decimals, adding and subtracting decimals, multiplying decimals and word problems. The rest of this week we will focus on dividing decimals and word problems.

Science:

We began an Ecosystems and Interactions research project (I will post the assignment in tomorrow's post) to review key concepts and apply them to an ecosystem of interest. Students will have another research period tomorrow. After that they will create a visual display (poster, diorama, powerpoint, prezi, etc.) to show what they learned in this unit. 

Before beginning their research students watched a presentation on the Pacific Temperate Rainforest as an example of what this project should include.

Division Methods and Ecological Footprints

Announcements:

• Bring in your 2L pop bottles!
• Have a wonderful October Break!!! See you back on October 15th

Math:

Reviewed modeling decimal multiplication using area models. 

Practiced long division and the big seven model for division. 

If you missed, make sure to watch the video linked above or come in for extra help at lunch of after school.

Questions of the week: 

a) Solve 105 divided by 7 using Big 7 or Long Division

b) Draw an area model for 2.1 x 3.2

Science:

Students continued working on the Ecological Footprint project. Anyone who missed Tuesday's class had an opportunity to take the quiz to determine their footprint (refer to Tuesday's post). Students generated 10-15 ideas for how they can reduce their ecological footprint (e.g. turn the lights off, have shorter showers, buy local ...)

Importance of Soil & Multiplication Area Models

Announcements:

• October Break starts Friday. Classes resume October 15th.
• Please bring in 2L pop bottles ASAP!!

Science:

We had a special guest come and teach students about the difference between soil and dirt and the importance of worms. It was a very engaging, hands-on, and fun presentation.

Math:

Today we learned to solve decimal multiplication questions using area models. If you missed this class please watch. this video to understand area models. 

The model shows 1.3 x 2.2 = 2.86

Ecological Footprint

1)  Calculate your ecological (carbon) footprint?

a)   Go to: http://www.footprintcalculator.org

b)  Pick: Calgary -> Kids’ Version -> Basic Version

c)   Answer Quiz Questions

2)  How many earths does it take to support your lifestyle (if everyone on earth lived similarly)?

3)  How can you reduce your footprint?

“Your carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of your own energy needs.” 

a)   Research(below are a few websites that might help)

http://climatekids.nasa.gov/review/how-to-help/

http://cotap.org/reduce-carbon-footprint/

b)  Take notes(minimum 10 things you can do to decrease your footprint)

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4)  Use this information to design your foot 

a.    The toes are SOFEW (the needs of living things)

b.   The main foot is divided into all of your ideas for reducing your footprint

Multiplying Decimals & Nutrient Cycle

Announcements:

• Please bring 2L pop bottles in this week!! (so far we have 10 of the 30 we need)
• October Break starts Friday - Classes resume October 15th

Math:

Students practiced quick facts (multiplication tables), reviewed adding and subtracting decimals and multiplying whole numbers using several techniques. They also estimated products of decimal multiplication questions. 

Question of the day: Is 7.2 x 5.85 closer to 40 or 400?

Science: 

We learned about nutrient cycles (specifically the Carbon cycle and Water cycle) by watching a Khan Academy video as well as several water cycle videos.

Students answered questions on Plickers and drew their understanding of the water cycle.

Highlights:

• Students learned that energy decreases up trophic layers and only about 10% of energy is passed on to the next layer. 
• They also learned that matter changes form, but is never created or destroyed. 
• They reviewed the process of photosynthesis where the sun's energy, water, and carbon dioxide are used by plants to produce sugar and oxygen.

Question of the day: What is a highlight for you from today's class?