Last Friday, we said goodbye to Ms. Vijan, who students will miss. We celebrated through learning by using our last day together to complete a stem challenge related to our structures and materials unit. Students were asked to create a structure "for Ms. Vijan to sleep in".
The success criteria were:
1. Ms. Vijan had to be able to fit into it.
2. It had to be able to survive Ms. Vijan getting into it.
Other qualities we looked for were the relative comfort of the position and the stability of the structure. We tutored students on the strength of tight versus loose paper roll and reinforced the idea of "the strongest shape": the triangle. When structures began to collapse, we looked for places to add triangles, which surprised students, when they really worked.
3 of the 5 structures survived to the testing stage, so this was a hard challenge, but it was also an opportunity to experiment with building structures mid-unit, as we've still got a ways to go in our learning.
I also loved the self talk the students had amongst themselves. When some teams got frustrated about their structures not standing, other students were quick to jump in with comments like, "It's okay, we're still learning!" and "This is a hard job and we're only in Grade 1. Don't worry, we'll get there." When one group completed their structure early, they automatically went to help the other teams as well. It was kind of heartwarming in general and it really made me reflect on how good they are at supporting each other, sharing their learning, and allowing each other to take risks.
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| Brainstorming |
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| Beginning to construct |
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| The triangle is the strongest shape |
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| Demonstrating a tightly rolled strut |
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| Working together to hold and tape |
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| This one was a square based pyramid |
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| This one had ambitions of being a tall house |
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| This one was closer to a geodesic dome |
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| This one resembled a pup tent. |
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| Gotta test it out |
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| Gotta test the struts? |
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| This one was a bit like a fancy sarcophagus |
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| Trying to get into the geodesic dome |
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| In the pup tent |
Today, we had a completely different science experience when students from the U of T medical school came in to do some experiments and discussion on DNA and biology. Students extracted DNA from a banana, used magnifying glasses to compare different fruit flies, and looked at a genetically modified mouse that glowed under ultraviolet light because some jelly fish genes had been inserted in its DNA.
Students enjoyed the process, and asked some good questions along the way, but my favourite question came at the end, when Felix asked if the mouse's babies would also glow in the dark. (They will.
First we mushed the banana, then we added a dish soap and salt mixture to break down the cell walls which are made out of lipids (ie. oils) :
Then we filtered out the plant matter by pouring it over a coffee filter, which let the water and the dna filter through:
Next, our scientist poured rubbing alcohol over the remains to help separate the dna material into long stringy visible clumps:
Which we packed into little containers and sent home with the kids.
Next, we put on special glasses and looked at that mouse--a magical experience that didn't photgraph very well:
To learn more about how to do this at home, with other fruit perhaps:
http://imaginationstationtoledo.org/educator/activities/extract-dna
http://www.instructables.com/id/5-minute-DNA-Extraction-in-a-Shot-Glass/
So, along with our dance workshop, that was a busy week! I hope you have a wonderful long weekend.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
