Wind group's assessment

Angela has been away for the unit on Water and today was her first day back. The children thought that it would be a good idea to tell Angela what we learned about water in the last few weeks. 

On a big piece of paper, I drew all the things that the children remembered about water, such as: different bodies of water (snow, creek, river, lake, pond, ocean, etc), the water cycle and the three states of water (solid, liquid and gas).

Esme "I am sure that this is a lot for Angela to remember" 

The children will be painting the big mural and we will display it in the room for everyone else to view. 

At the end of group time, instead of playing with liquid water in the water table, we filled the water table with ice cubes. The children had an opportunity to experience the feel of ice and to share their observations: 

A: "What happens to the ice cubes if they are not in the freezer?"

Kesler "They will melt"

A: "What else did you notice?"

Esme "Ice cubes are very cold and slippery. Water needs cold temperature to stay frozen"  

Andrea "Brrr, very cold" 

Angela "It's fun to play with ice cubes." 

Jacob "Yes, look, all in a cup." 

Enjoy, 

Anamaria

Bodies of Water

Last week, we went on a field trip to Kitsilano Beach where the children explored the water in the ocean and observed its different uses, for example, boats use water for transportation, fish and shells use it as their home, etc. 

We also took a walk along the creek in the forest, and the children all wondered how the water travels and also what animals live in it. 

For this week, we gathered materials needed to build a landscape on which we will add different bodies of water*. During our project, to help us answer the children's questions, we will research outdoors, read books and search on the internet.

Esme "Why is the water in the ocean salty?" 

Kesler "How does the water get to our tap?" 

Andrea "Do fish live in the creek?" 

Esme "I know a little bit about the sun warming the water and the water evaporates and then it goes to the clouds, but does it happen all the time?" 

* A body of water is any significant accumulation of water on a planet's surface.

The Wonders of Water

This week during the formative* week the children shared what they know about WATER and what they WONDER about it. The children's excitement and knowledge was bursting as they all shared what they know and have experienced. From drinking water, to washing ourselves and everything else, to animals that live in rivers and oceans, to the inquiry of how does water get to our tap and how does the water from the puddles "disappear". All the information I gathered from the children will be used to guide and direct the next stage of teaching and learning. 

Our walk to the forest today gave the children a chance to explore water in nature. We observed the stream, the puddles and the water collected on the plants. 

* Formative week - The new unit of inquiry is introduced to the children in the first week and the children are provided with opportunities to demonstrate their prior knowledge and current understanding. All the information gathered from the children will be used to guide and direct the next stage of teaching and learning.