A Design Task About
“How are we connected through water?”
We began our year long focus into water through building empathy with other Canadians and seeing how people’s lives are affected by water today and in the history of Canada.
Thank you for the grants and support from:
Bow Habitat, Parks Canada, CAWST, Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants, Canada Geographic, C3 Canada (Kids on Ice Program), and our parent association.
Thank you for the grants and support from:
Bow Habitat, Parks Canada, CAWST, Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants, Canada Geographic, C3 Canada (Kids on Ice Program), and our parent association.
The students learned about how water affects people across Canada today by listened the CBC's Day 6 -Facing the Change podcasts. The 6 cities and issues are: Rising Sea Levels (Lennox Island PEI), Increasing Rainfall (Toronto, Ont), Wild Fire and Lack of Rainfall (Prince Albert, Sask.), Floodplains and Rising Water Levels (Richmond, BC), Permafrost Thaw (Old Crow, Yukon).
The students made info- graphics to show their understanding. We recorded and discussed their questions and wonders around the podcasts.
The students made info- graphics to show their understanding. We recorded and discussed their questions and wonders around the podcasts.
Other activities we did in class to develop our understanding of the geography of Canada and water.
(click on image for more details).
(click on image for more details).
The Grade 5 students also examined different perspectives of Canadians to water. This included making connections between their scientific learning and traditional Indigenous knowledge. The students enjoyed the video: “Water. The Sacred Relationship”.
We also read the book Nokum is My Teacher by David Bouchard.
We created paintings inspired by an Alberta Indigenous artist, Alex Janvier's painting, Water.
We participated in a workshop around global water development perspectives from CAWST (a non-profit organization).
The students examined different aspects of Canadian water history: from the first introduction of people to Canada through crossing the Bering Strait, to explorers who used the waterways to explore Canada. We read the book Across Frozen Seas by John Wilson that tells the story of the Franklyn expedition. We also read parts of the very long poem The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner (which the students loved).
We regularly video conferenced with the crew onboard the C3 ship sailing the Northwest Passage visiting Canadian communities from Toronto to Vancouver. The students had so many questions and curiosities about the difference between early explorers experiences verse modern day voyages and exploration. Also, as only kids can come up with, they had peculiar questions (for example: wanting to know if the modern ships had a ship's dog like Franklyn's expedition. -They were told only a visiting dog one day of the trip).
The students became more aware of the stewardship of water, through a loan of a giant map from the Canadian Geographic and Parks Canada. The students explored this giant map of Canada realizing how much of Canada is water!
They also raised trout through the FinS Project from Bow Habitat Station and became passionate about environmental stewardship of Canadian waters as they released their fish in Kananaskis Park.
Releasing the fish in Kananaskis Park was an amazing experience! Being able to see the habitat and water system we had learned so much about was very rewarding. Plus, it was a lovely sunny day in the mountains!
Through these studies the students choose issues that they were deeply interested in to research. Topics were a range including: impacts of invasive species, watersheds, flooding, and drought.
The grade 5’s learned from their experience at Telus Spark Science Museum about interactive exhibits. They also participated in STEAM challenges that continued to develop their design thinking. Through this understanding, the students were given a design task of building an interactive display that taught others about their water issue.
Below are examples of design challenges:
The students were asked to create an interactive exhibit teaching about a water issue of Canada to teach each other and their parents.
(It was important for us as teachers in our planning that the information the students presented was interactive. We did not want tri-folds and posters, but for the kids to think deeper about how they were sharing their information). We visited Telus Spark Science Centre to investigate how they make interactive teaching displays.
Here is what we came up with as a class that students agreed they needed to show:
The grade 5’s used their design knowledge and developed prototypes (made of paper) to test with other students before building the finished product. Through this process the students: reformulated goals, questioned, considered divergent solutions, and validated designs with real-world purpose.
Examples of prototypes and planning below.
(Note: all the details did not have to be written out. This was the planning process on a basic model to determine how the interactive display was going to work and what information and materials they needed to collect).
(It was important for us as teachers in our planning that the information the students presented was interactive. We did not want tri-folds and posters, but for the kids to think deeper about how they were sharing their information). We visited Telus Spark Science Centre to investigate how they make interactive teaching displays.
Here is what we came up with as a class that students agreed they needed to show:
- What is… (5 W’s) of your Canada water issue (for example, flooding, invasive species, dought...)
- How does it IMPACT people, animals, and the environment
- When and where does it occur?
- How does it occur?
- How can you predict the water issue?
- How does it impact my safety? Tools and methods to protect in an event
- EVENT OF THE WATER ISSUE - TO ANALYZE IMPACT ON PEOPLE/ENVIRONMENT
- Experts? Specific locations?
- How could I demonstrate my topic? How can I make my project interactive?
The grade 5’s used their design knowledge and developed prototypes (made of paper) to test with other students before building the finished product. Through this process the students: reformulated goals, questioned, considered divergent solutions, and validated designs with real-world purpose.
Examples of prototypes and planning below.
(Note: all the details did not have to be written out. This was the planning process on a basic model to determine how the interactive display was going to work and what information and materials they needed to collect).
This final project was for participants to learn from interacting with the display the students had made.
The students built a full scale model of their exhibit to display their water issue/research.
This final project was for participants to learn from interacting with the display the students had made.
The students built a full scale model of their exhibit to display their water issue/research.
Students presented their exhibits for the Celebration of Learning.
By sharing our exhibits, we hoped to bring a larger understanding of why we should care about water issues occurring in Canada and the world.
We showcased our work to parents, our school community, participants and supporting members (biologists, CAWST members, Parks Canada reps).
By sharing our exhibits, we hoped to bring a larger understanding of why we should care about water issues occurring in Canada and the world.
We showcased our work to parents, our school community, participants and supporting members (biologists, CAWST members, Parks Canada reps).
Our celebration was written in the CAWST newsletter:
| wavemakers_annual_report_2017.pdf |
Feedback:
"Love the mix of science and art. Fantastic work grade 5!"
"AWESOME!"
"Loved to see the effort and time spent by all students. I learned many things today"
"EXCELLENT JOB"
"Excellent job by students and the teachers."
"Great job to all the Grade 5's! Great learning and fun! Wonderful ideas!"
"Great ideas! Not only my kids but also myself learn some knowledge from it!"
"LOVE THIS! It will be great to see more of this in the future"
"I love seeing how the work progressed! Great connections to art and the real world!"
"Loved the hard work all the children did. I feel this is a very good way to teach children and learn about the environment-good job!"
"EXCELLENT JOB- reviewing all natural process, weathering, erosion, and transportation -flood/ water problems, great shows of natural science. Thanks for the great job!"
"So many great projects and enthusiasm from the children (grade 5) is so much positiveness".
"I am just amazed by all the current topics/ issues that the kids are addressing. Very interesting manner of involving and teaching them."
"I am so proud of the grade 5 girls and boys. Their projects were amazing! I know I learned so much from my girl. Very inspiring!"
"We love the projects. Kids did amazing work on this project! Very impressive and I liked I could touch the projects. Thank you kids and thanks teachers!"
"This is a great idea to let us know on what and how kids think of in their minds"
"Love the mix of science and art. Fantastic work grade 5!"
"AWESOME!"
"Loved to see the effort and time spent by all students. I learned many things today"
"EXCELLENT JOB"
"Excellent job by students and the teachers."
"Great job to all the Grade 5's! Great learning and fun! Wonderful ideas!"
"Great ideas! Not only my kids but also myself learn some knowledge from it!"
"LOVE THIS! It will be great to see more of this in the future"
"I love seeing how the work progressed! Great connections to art and the real world!"
"Loved the hard work all the children did. I feel this is a very good way to teach children and learn about the environment-good job!"
"EXCELLENT JOB- reviewing all natural process, weathering, erosion, and transportation -flood/ water problems, great shows of natural science. Thanks for the great job!"
"So many great projects and enthusiasm from the children (grade 5) is so much positiveness".
"I am just amazed by all the current topics/ issues that the kids are addressing. Very interesting manner of involving and teaching them."
"I am so proud of the grade 5 girls and boys. Their projects were amazing! I know I learned so much from my girl. Very inspiring!"
"We love the projects. Kids did amazing work on this project! Very impressive and I liked I could touch the projects. Thank you kids and thanks teachers!"
"This is a great idea to let us know on what and how kids think of in their minds"
Teaching Resources: