Maker Day

On Friday December 9th, we participated in Maker Day with the rest of our school community.  Many schools in our board, as well as nationally and internationally participated in an Hour of Code.  https://hourofcode.com/ca explains this movement as: "The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science".  Thank you Mme Taparluie for arranging this day at SWPS!

For our verstion, we chose a STEM activity (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  Students were encouraged to design snowflakes.  They were given pattern blocks and sample planning sheets to start, they had the option of drawing a plan or planning to draw a snowflake of their own design.  Check out some of their work below:

Problem Solving in Math

On Friday Mlle Oliver provided us with a math question where we had to decide which container would provide us with the most water to bring on a walk.  The students used cubes to test which container would hold the most, then counted to compare their results for each container.  They used pictures, words and numbers to show their findings. They then tested their findings for accuracy, using water to fill and pour from one container to the next to see which containers overflowed, and which containers were not filled by the other containers.  Working in two groups allowed for each student to have an opportunity to share their thinking and to participate as they were able, at their current level of understanding.  Each student was invited to draw and write their findings on the shared chart paper to represent their thinking.  By listening to other students talk about their thinking, others were given the opportunity to hear different ideas, that builds on or changes their own thinking.  Check out a few pictures of the problem solving process below: