Water wonders - summative assessment

During the last week of our unit of inquiry on Water, the children worked on creating a mural or painting and the following questions guided their planning. 

What do you know about water?

Why is water important to people? (what do they use it for)

Why is water important to animals?  

Why is water important to plants?  

What would happen if there was no water?

How can we make sure this never happens; how can we save water?

* Summative assessments evaluate the learning that happened during the weeks of inquiry. The children are given the opportunity to show their understanding of the central idea and to share their knowledge about Water through a final project. 

Together we can impact our water sources in a positive way

After discussions about the importance of keeping our water clean, the children made posters to help raise awareness on the significance of being responsible when it comes to discarding garbage and recycling in their designated areas in order to reduce waste. 

We simulated an oil and garbage spill in the water table and the children manipulated the fish and boats in a way to get an understanding of the difference of living in clean water versus polluted water.

Grace "My feather is so oily. The birds wouldn't be able to fly anymore. Their bodies would be too heavy from the oil." 

Kesler "My fish is eating crackers. He's getting a tummy ache." 

Zoe "The oil makes my hands slippery and difficult to wash." 

Eva "I wouldn't like to shower with this oily water. The dirt would keep me from staying clean and the oil would make it hard to wash the germs away." 

Enjoy, 

Anamaria 

A child's inquiry

At the beginning of the unit, Kesler shared his knowledge about Water and one of his inquiries was about animals that live in rivers and oceans.

On our walk in the forest last week, we found some eggs in the water. After deeper research, we came to the conclusion that they might be frog, salamander or newt eggs. The children also saw a sign in the forest, informing us that Salmon live in the creek.

Kesler "Are there any salmon in the ocean?"

To answer Kesler's question, we learned more about salmon in the last few days and watched a video on "The life cycle of a Salmon".

The children's drawings show the life cycle of a salmon and its different stages.

Esme would like to know why Salmon turn pink when they swim back to the river and Kesler wonders why Salmon die after they lay their eggs.

Next week, we will focus on how people impact water sources and talk about taking responsibility towards this matter. We will discuss different ways of sharing our knowledge and raising awareness in the community about the importance of keeping the water free of litter.

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.

Art on Fridays - Finger painting

Individually, the children added their ideas of what a tree can be to the mural. In the end, we gathered and described what each of them had painted. The children were surprised to see what fun it can be to add more to a picture. They each looked at what the other children painted before they added their own ideas. A beautiful story was created.

The story: 

On a beautiful sunny morning, a little girl decided to take a nap under a tree. She ate a freshly picked apple first and listened to the birds while falling asleep. After she wakes up, she will invite her friends to play together in the tree house. Going up the wiggly ladder was always scary, but also exciting. 

Trees can be a beautiful place to spend your time."

 (by Grace, Luca, Andrea, Kesler and Janet) 

Grace "A tree can be a place to rest in the shade. Can you spot the girl sleeping under a tree?"