Calling all Greek Heros! Attention aux héros grecques!

Hello again grade 5s!

As you know, we have been learning about ancient civilizations, specifically about Egypt, and ancient Asian cultures.  Now, we will be exploring ancient Greece, home of the Olympics (the real ones, not the bridge-building ones), the Spartans, Greek mythology, and much more!

You have been called on an adventure to be a Greek hero - click THIS LINK and then click the link on the page for the "Greek Hero" game.  You must speak to people in the towns, as well as complete missions to up your "hero rating."

This really is a neat little game -- I wish they made it for Nintendo DS!  We may play this game during class, but I hope you'll try it out at home, and maybe learn a little bit about ancient Greece ahead of time.

For Parents and Guardians

Our grade 5 students have been studying ancient civilizations as part of the "Heritage and Citizenship" stream of the Social Studies curriculum.  The goal of this unit is to compare and explore the ways of life of many ancient cultures.

One of the overall curriculum expectations for this unit states that students will "identify and compare the ways in which people in various early civilizations met their physical and social needs, including how they interacted with and used the natural environment."  This game touches upon many of the aspects of this expectation, and quite a few elements in the specific curriculum expectations as well.

The above game is a highly engaging and interactive way for students to gain knowledge while having fun!  I was truly impressed with this website as a whole.  There are many more activities that would expand a student's knowledge of ancient Greece, including the Olympics, and ancient Greek theatre!

You may even learn something yourself - I sure did!

Have fun being a Greek Hero!

© 2011 K. Kerley

Bridge Building Olympics / Les Olympics de la construction

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Bridge Building Olympics!

Click HERE for the game.

The task for you industrious grade 5s is to design a bridge that will withstand the trampling of strange creatures, and fit within a certain building budget.  It really is a challenge!

You must select a type of material, and then build a way across, as well as supporting structures.  The game instructions gives you hints about what kinds of materials you might use, and what kinds of shapes you might use to make your bridge strong.

The game has many levels, and the difficulty increases with every level.  See how far you can get - this is the Olympics, of course, and there will be a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal winner for the class!



For Parents and Guardians

As part of the grade 5 Science & Technology curriculum, we are completing a unit under the Understanding Structures and Mechanisms strand entitled "Forces Acting on Structures and Mechanisms."  Throughout this unit, students will be exploring the forces that act externally and internally, how to measure those forces, and how natural forces (e.g., earthquake, hurricane, etc.) impact society and the environment.

Specifically, students will be expected to "use technological problem-solving skills to design, build, and test a frame structure (e.g., a bridge, a tower) that will withstand the application of an external force (e.g., a strong wind or simulated vibrations from a train) or a mechanical system that performs a specific function (e.g., a building crane)" (Science & Technology, p. 102). The above-mentioned game covers all of these aspects of the curriculum expectation, and in a very engaging way.

Those of you parents and guardians who enjoy a challenge, please play the game with your child, and encourage your child to push themselves to understanding some of the principles of design (i.e., triangles provide strong support).

Happy building!

© 2011 K. Kerley

Bicycle! Bicycle!

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike!" (Mercury, 1978)

Nigel Shardlow, Cycles, 16 Feb 2008, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharkstar/2269697430/

Hello Grade 5's and Parents!


As you may or may not know, in the past couple of years I have developed a strong interest in cycling.  It is an excellent way to see our beautiful Niagara countryside as well as save fossil fuels and get some exercise!

I thought I would share some of the online resources for cyclists that I have found particularly helpful.

First, you might want to visit Cycle Niagara's website (http://www.cycleniagara.com/).  Here you will find route maps of varying difficulties and lengths.  My favourite route is the Grimsby Mountain Loop.  It's a great training ride that I do in reverse direction.  I also climb the mountain as part of the ride, so it's a little extra challenging.

You might find Ontario Trails Council's website helpful if you go on family trips and might like to plan your destination according to good bike routes (http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trail-activities/cycling---roads-paths/).

And last but not least, you might need some gear to get yourself properly prepared for your ride.  One supplier I quite like is Mountain Equipment Co-op (http://www.mec.ca).  Everything that I've ever bought from this outfitter has always been of excellent quality and moderate price.

Hopefully we can organize a ride as a class, to experience some of the geography around us.  For now, visit Google Streetview to see what you might be missing!

Happy trails,

© 2011 K. Kerley

References

Mercury, F. (1978). Bicycle Race. On Jazz [CD]. Hollywood: Elektra

Be a better researcher! Soyez un meilleur rechercheur!

© 2004 K. Kerley

Many of you, parents included, use Google search engine on a daily basis.  Have you ever searched for something important or specific and ended up with thousands, and perhaps millions of search results that have little to do with what you're looking for? It's like trying to find the right piece of paper on the messy desk you see above!

Here's a tip:  Google has a search feature called "Advanced Search" which allows you to customize your search to get better and more accurate results.
Here is the link to Google Advanced Search: http://www.google.com/advanced_search

To learn how to use this very useful tool, you may want to do the activities on this website: Four NETS for Better Searching

I recommend that both parents and students complete this activity to make researching more efficient.  It will significantly reduce the time that you will need to find the website(s) you are looking for!

Happy searching!

©2011 K. Kerley

Welcome! Bienvenue!

© 2011 K. Kerley

Welcome students, parents, and colleagues! Bienvenue aux élèves, parents, et collègues!

This site has been created to guide us through learning with technology, as well as to keep us up-to-date with important assignments and announcements. Ce site est un outil pour l'apprentissage et pour nous informer des projets et annonces importants.

I will continue to update this site as often as possible, including any links that might be useful. Je continuerai à mettre à jour ce site aussi fréquent que possible. Je posterai des liens qui seront peut-être utiles.

Please feel free to comment on any of the posts you see here, but please do so in the spirit of respect and community learning (you may use any number of accounts, including a Google account to do so). Vous pouvez ajouter un commentaire après chaque poste, mais s'il vous plaît, soyez respectueux (vous pouvez utiliser votre compte de Google).

Yours in learning,

©2011 K. Kerley