Observing Soils

Posted on September 26, 2023 by cindyhackett

Over the past 2 days students have had a chance to investigate four different soil samples. They took time to use magnifying glasses to observe closely and record with drawings and words.

Then we came together to share the words we used to describe the samples and students had the opportunity to add more to their own recording sheet.

After that we looked at 4 location pictures and completed a shared writing activity, listing words to describe each location and deciding on a name for each.

The last step was to decide where each soil sample came from. Students used their knowledge of writing complete sentences using the conjunction “because” to record their thoughts.

Abstract Painting and Reflections

Posted on September 25, 2023 by cindyhackett

For this project students first learned a little about non-objective art. We watched a video about a well known artist, Wassily Kandinsky. We then looked at several of his paintings and identified the lines and shapes he used to create different sounds and feelings.

We talked about these elements of art: line, shape, colour, space.

Students used a variety of lines and shapes to fill their paper space. Then they were given white paint as well as 2 other colours to create tints to fill the spaces on their paper with colour. The last step was to use a sharpie to go over the pencil lines.

The students certainly rose to the challenge of this creative project!

The last step was to write about their art, being sure to use complete sentences. What sounds do they hear when they look at their artwork? What feeling does their piece create? Note: This was our first attempt at writing with the chromebooks. Students were told to focus on their ideas and writing complete sentences. Spelling was to be “Have-a-go”.

Me In Math

Posted on September 21, 2023 by cindyhackett

As our journey into math began this year, students completed a fun activity to help reacquaint themselves with the various math manipulatives within the classroom. It was also a time to remember that math can be fun and creative! Here are the characters students created:

Welcome Class of 2023-24

Posted on September 19, 2023 by cindyhackett

Hello families and students! Welcome to a new school year at Mundy’s Bay! This classroom blog is a space for our class to showcase our learning. Posts will be added weekly so be sure to check back frequently. Students will also use this blog to write and respond. They love to see comments about our posts so please take a few moments, when you can, to give us some feedback and ask questions!

This is a space where you can be informed about the learning that is happening in our classroom. I will try my best to keep the Google Calendar up to date so be sure to check that page for special events. Have fun exploring all that is here!

Cindy Hackett

Probability and Graphs

Posted on May 16, 2023 by cindyhackett

We had a very energetic math lesson today! We started out with a look at a probability line and discussing the meaning of these probability words:

impossible, unlikely, equally likely, likely, certain

Students debated the likelihood of various scenarios to demonstrate their understanding of each probability word. Oral language skills were put to good use as students argued their points of view.

Then, students were given the task of rolling 2 dice 30 times and recording the sum. They worked in pairs to collect their data.

The next task was to choose an appropriate graph to display their data. Some students chose to create a stem and leaf plot with the reasoning that it was quick and easy to do.

But then, our discussion lead to the conclusion that this was not the best way to display the data as it was difficult to answer questions about the data. Students concluded that a bar graph or a line plot were better choices.

We discussed the similarities in the shape of the data and discovered that the sum of 6 has the greatest chance and the sum of 2 and 12 have the least chance. We created a frequency chart as we investigated the possible dice combinations and students made observations about patterns! It was a very rich discussion!

Lastly, as one group had mistakenly recorded differences instead of sums, we turned the mistake into a learning opportunity and we compared their graph to the rest only to discover a similar shape in data!

It was an extremely fun, learning inquiry in math today!

Tumbling Silhouettes

Posted on May 10, 2023 by cindyhackett

Students combined their knowledge of colour, using water-colour paint, body shape and proportion to create this project. After having created foil sculptures students had some background in creating movement in a figure, thinking about body parts and joints.

The final projects are fantastic!

What’s Going On?

Posted on May 10, 2023 by cindyhackett

Tin Foil Sculptures

Posted on April 19, 2023 by cindyhackett

For this art project students explored:

Elements of Art:
Form: a three-dimensional object that has height, length, width, and depth.

Principles of Design
Balance: an equal distribution of weight through the sculpture. In this lesson it’s literal balance, in
which the sculpture has a solid base and won’t tip over.
Movement: the use of the elements of visual arts to draw a viewer’s eye from one point to another
in an artwork. In this lesson, it’s “implied” movement which draws a viewer’s eye from one point to
another.
Positive/Negative space: the object and the area around it. In this lesson it’s the figure and the
space around it.
Proportion: the relationship of parts to the whole. In this lesson, it’s body parts in proportion to
the body

Students first watched a demonstration of how to turn a flat sheet of foil into a figure. The steps were written so students could follow the directions independently when creating their own project. Students had to think about a sequence of steps. They used themselves as real-life models to explore the shape of body joints, using observation and connecting skills. Once the figures were formed, students used a flashlight to explore the shape of shadows and then drew and coloured a shadow of their figure as they considered point of view. They named their sculptures as a final step.

Pop Art Donuts

Posted on April 19, 2023 by cindyhackett

Students had a lot of fun with this “sweet” art project. It began with a look at the artist, “Wayne Thiebaud”. Students identified the subject of his paintings and discovered why he is called a Pop Artist. They looked closely at some of his paintings and identified the techniques he used – exaggerated colours, heavy shadows, and bold outlines.

The students started out with some read donuts for inspiration. They looked at them from different perspectives and had a go at sketching a bird’s eye view and a side view.

Next, they used oil pastels to colour both a wall and a table in large coloured sections. Then they painted over the pastel and used cardboard combs to pull through the paint and create texture. The next step was to create their donuts, thinking about a side perspective. They drew, coloured, glittered, and cut them out.