In Grade 4, to celebrate our Brain Awareness Week, students researched an inquiry question of interest to them. They then researched this question using text and online resources, decided how they wanted to share their findings, and presented a final piece using a format of their choice to an audience of their choice. These projects were all very different but stemmed from our same Driving Question: How can we as Grade 4 students inquire into how the brain helps us live our lives? Here are two examples of the finished presentations. Emily and Claudia's Prezi about dreams and the brain. Marina's RSA animate about sleep and the brain.
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Today in assembly a group of Grade 4 Green team members shared their own interpretation of the story, Winston of Churchill, One Bear's Battle Against Global Warming. We learned that we can all make a difference in ending global warming. Today the Green Team has challenged us to turn out the lights for the afternoon to save energy. Tomorrow we will be on 'litter patrol', Wednesday we will be focussing on recycling, on Thursday we will try and use less water and on Friday we are encoureaged to walk or bike to school. Well done Green team. Thanks Caoimhe and Emily for creating the video below. What can you do to battle global warming?Please check out the 4J classroom designs. In your opinion, what makes an ideal classroom?We practiced mindfulness in assembly today. Mrs. Piazza explained to us that mindfulness is focussing one thing. Today we focussed on sound using Mrs. Piazza's 'singing bowl.' Also in assembly some members of the yoga club taught us some simple poses to help us calm our bodies and minds. When we practice mindfulness, how does it make you feel?Today we took a tour of Will's brain! A group of Grade 5's with the help of Mr. Barber shared a reader's theatre describing many different parts of the brain and the functions of these parts. Characters such as; Dopamine, Seratonin, and the Neuron Brothers described what happened in Will's brain when he tries to remember songs, when he gets a 'boo boo', when he needs to make a decision and when he rides a roller coaster. The audience enjoyed the skit and had many detailed questions which the Grade 5's answered brilliantly!
The video helps shows a small portion of the event. For Brain Awareness week today our Director of Learning, Heather Clayton, led an assembly asking the children to think about the brain in many different ways. Some questions she asked in her game were:
How is the brain like.... a cabbage? a raisin? a pillowcase? a grapefruit? After our game, we watched a video about how the neurons in our brain make pathways and make connections! This week April 8-12, 2013 is our Brain Awareness Week. We will be having assemblies and events throughout the week to learn more about the brain. In addition to our school wide events, the Grade 4 students will be completing a brain inquiry project about a question of interest to them. We look forward to an exciting week of learning. Be sure to ask your children about how the brain stretches and grows. The video below is from our Mad Science assembly which focussed on magic and how the brain makes connections. How does your brain grow and stretch?
Just before spring break and then again today we had 4 visitors from the Camosun College Nursing Program. The purpose of their visit was to introduce us to the Sip Smart program. This program teaches children why it is important to drink fewer sugary drinks and more water. The students had fun identifying which drinks contained the most sugar and how much sugar! The students recognized the value and importance of drinking water and made advertising posters to share what they learned. What could you drink more or less of? |