Torch - Spring 2016

The girls in 1G work together to build and modify their designs.

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The next step was for the students to gain a deeper understanding of the properties of the different materials that were available. Gulyas and McIntyre worked with Junior School STEM Co-ordinator Darryl Reiter to teach the girls about the characteristics of various materials, fasteners and structures. With this knowledge in mind, the students went to the Learning Hub to explore various non-fiction books in order to learn more about the materials they wanted to use for their structures. After their research, class 1G discussed how materials and structures have many important purposes in their lives such as houses, schools, playgrounds and toys. In 1M, students learned about what local birds like to eat and what the structure of their bird feeders should look like. In addition to their library research, the students in 1M also discussed birds with Head of Junior School Leslie Anne Dexter, Library Technician Erica Rodd and Technology teacher Helen Carayannis. “From this line of inquiry, they discovered that blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, mourning doves and sparrows were the target local winter birds in the area,” says McIntyre. This helped the students design structures that were appropriate for the kinds of birds that live on campus.

The goal was to respond to the learning needs of their students, which would help them move forward in their inquiry.

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22  HAVERGAL COLLEGE