Bridges Internet Research Project

This week we are exploring forces along with practicing our internet research skills.

Intro Activity: Internet Scavenger Hunt

Students began with an introductory internet scavenger hunt followed by a presentation about Bridges.

They then researched a cool bridge of their choice and answered questions about their bridge on a

Google Doc

Ms. Baillargeon helped support this class and to offer further insights about how to assess web information and make citations correctly. 

Helpful Websites to get you started on your Bridge Research:

Basic Bridge Types: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-bridge-p3.html

Explain That Stuff! Bridges: https://www.explainthatstuff.com/bridges.html

Ten Cool Bridges: http://mentalfloss.com/article/30465/10-cool-bridges-around-world

Bay bridge information http://baybridgeinfo.org/#content

Online Bridge Building Simulation:

https://www.learn4good.com/kids-games/simulation/build_bridge_across_canyon2.htm

This libguide is designed to help guide high school students when researching and building bridge structures:

http://uwsslec.libguides.com/content.php?pid=190501&sid=1718522

Building Bridges instructions: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/bridges.cfm

Building Big Labs and Data Analysis and Circle Graphs

Announcements:

• Enjoy your Victoria Day long weekend! (no school Friday, May 17th or Monday May 20th)
• Track and Field Meet Tuesday, May 21st - Good luck to all participants!
• Students who missed work this week can find links to assignments and labs below
• Ms. Bowen can be reached by email at lebowen@cbe.ab.ca if students have questions about missed work

Math:

Today we continued surveying the class in order to practice creating circle graphs. Each student put a tally in the appropriate month of their birthday and then they converted fractions to decimals to degrees of a circle and used protractors to draw circle graphs. They also converted the decimals to percents in order to label the circle graph sectors.

Students who missed this lesson can imagine the class data using this table: 
The next table will help them convert their numbers from fractions, to percents, to degrees.

This circle template is what most students used to draw their circle graphs. This can also be done using a compass or a circular object if you do not have a printer. A protractor is a necessity for drawing the graph. Don't go out and buy one. Complete the table and we will practice again on Tuesday.

This week students have also had quite a lot of practice calculating the measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode). Khan Academy is a great site to visit to learn what these terms mean and how to calculate them. We looked at how outliers (a number that lies an abnormal distance from the other data/numbers) effect the mean, median and mode and did practice questions. Again Khan Academy has some good videos to show the impact of outliers.

Students who missed the Data Analysis assessment or need extra time will be given time on Tuesday.

I have attached a good practice worksheet that will help students remember vocabulary, calculate mean, median, mode and range, and reflect on what the data represents and how outliers impact data.

Science:

This week students did a self-directed exploration of many Structures and Forces Concepts in the Building Big Labs. 

Students who missed this opportunity (and have a home computer) can access the website and fill in the spreadsheet as they go through the activities. Most students seem to really enjoy this self-directed exploration of Forces, Loads, Shapes, and Materials.

Students also learned about the difference between Mass and Weight and did a worksheet to apply their understanding.

Mass and Force Worksheet

Initial Marshmallow with grid lines

Today students continued exploring their understanding of forces with the Marshmallow Lab. If many students are away and have a felt pen and a marshmallow at home, you may be able to give this a try on your own. Here is the lab sheet that accompanies the lab. 

Below are photos of applying the different forces to the marshmallow. Students draw the change in the marshmallow when undergoing each force.

1. Compression (squeezing)

2. Tension (pulling)

3. Torsion (twisting)

4. Shear - Attempting to push one half past the other in opposite directions (not a great photo)

Critical Consumers of Digital Content

Announcements:

• Congratulations to those students who participated in Badminton Divisionals!!!
• Jersey Day on Thursday, May 9th, 2019
• Remember to be mindful of the PATs being written in the GR. 6 & 9 hallways
• There is Choral Practice Friday for the spring concert on May 16th

Math:

We are learning to interpret and draw circle graphs. Through this process we are also reviewing how to convert fractions to percents and how to convert percents to degrees for drawing our circles. 

Today we drew graphs about favorite sports and favorite cup cakes. Students practiced drawing circle graphs using protractors.

We also learned about measures of central tendency including mean (average - add numbers together and divide by the number of numbers), median (put the numbers in order from least to greatest and find the middle number) and mode (the number that occurs most in the data set). Students practiced determining mean, median and mode for a variety of sets of numbers.

Khan Academy is a good place for extra practice. 

Science:

Yesterday we continued exploring how to be effective consumers of online information with Ms. Baillargeon.

Some of the Online Research Skills we acquired:

• Tips and Considerations for Online Research
• Analyzing Websites (fake vs. real)

Google a Day is a fun way for students to practice their researching skills.

How do we evaluate websites and online sources?

• who can edit?
• who wrote the website? (reputable source?)
• compare several sources to find similar information (check multiple sources)
• security (not secure? may be suspect?)
• a lot of banner adds (trying to sell things rather than educate)

Students visited six websites and determined whether they were true or fake sources of information.

1. https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z6btng8
2. http://www.thedogisland.com/
3. https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
4. https://www.britannica.com/place/Moon
5. https://www.allaboutexplorers.com/
6. http://www.dhmo.org/
   The poster below gives some hints of how to effectively evaluate websites.

Critical Thinking and Evaluating Online Sources

Announcements:

• Ramadan Mubarak to all participating students
• Tomorrow is grade 7 Badminton Divisionals - Good luck to all those participating!
• The Sustainability Challenge runs from today until May 31st. Students are encouraged to pick a behavior change that will challenge them but will also be something they can achieve. 

Science:

Today Ms. Baillargeon was a guest in our class teaching about Online Research. This will be an ongoing series of classes to help students improve their research skills as well as their ability to put information into their own words and cite sources properly.

For those who missed class or anyone who wants to revisit Ms. Baillargeon's suggestions, visit her presentation.

"Google a Day" was a particularly fun challenge! The three questions Google asks each day are complex, so this is a good way to breakdown key ideas / concepts and use search terms and key words effectively.

We also practiced note taking from relevant sources.

Math: 

We started a new unit today: Data Analysis

We began by collecting data about what students are willing to do for their Sustainability Challenge to reduce waste, energy consumption, etc.

We then combined their pledges into categories including no plastic/paper, decreased use of technology, decreased food waste, decreased use of water, and decreased use of motorized vehicles. We created a tally chart with this class data and then drew a circle graph to show the fractions / percentages of the class that chose each category in the Sustainability Challenge.