This week we have been busy working on our first science unit, Waste and Our World. We began by focusing on the learner outcome: Identify plant and animal wastes and how they are recycled in nature. We learned about how natural waste can be broken down by mold, fungi, bacteria and earthworms. We then created an experiment asking the question, What will happen to biodegradable items that are left in soil for one month? Will all items decompose at the same rate? The students worked through the scientific process identifying variables and forming an hypothesis. Each week the students are measuring, weighing and recording their observations.
Despite the rain, the grade fours had a fantastic time on our field trip to Heritage Park. It was wonderful to experience all of our learning in Social Studies first hand. We sheltered from the rain in a tipi, felt beaver pelts as we learned about the fur trade and rode a train like the ones that helped to make settlement in the West possible. Seeing the first settler homes, the "soddies", homes that housed families with sixteen children and sandstone buildings helped the students to better understand what life was like for early settlers. Most are happy that they are able to go to a school with hundreds of students and one grade per classroom rather than a one room schoolhouse of the past!
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