Grade 9 Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Rick Mercer Rant Assignment
David Scott- Grade 9 Humanities

To gain a better appreciation of how The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is relevant to the lives of our grade 9 students, we asked our students to explore a court case where a Charter right or freedom was violated. The specific learning outcomes we sought to target in the Alberta Grade 9 Social Studies Program were as follows:



9.1.6 assess, critically, the impact of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms on the legislative process in Canada by exploring and reflecting upon the following questions and issues:

• In what ways has the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms fostered recognition of individual rights in Canada? (PADM, I) 

• How does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms support individuals in exercising their rights? (PADM, C, I)

Inquiry Task: Based on a recent court case involving the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, create a Rick Mercer style rant video outlining whether you think the outcome fostered recognition of individual rights in Canada.

Click here for an example of a Rick Mercer rant

Leave it to Beavers Project Update

Stakeholders in the Leave it to Beavers project met recently to reflect on fall visits and to plan ahead for spring and beyond.Rachelle Haddock from the Miistakis Institute summarized the fall program including the great news that a few 'nuisance' beaver were located and trapped to be introduced to the reservoir. http://www.rockies.ca/blog/?p=697

New Resident to Goodwin Pond by Rachelle Haddock

Recently volunteers at the site have seen evidence that the beaver are indeed still present and are busy logging the nearby forest. A blind has been built near the reservoir with a webcam focused on the beavers' dam, but we haven't been able to see the images yet. A new website for the project, which will include the scientific data produced by the grade 7 and 8 students, will hopefully host the webcam images.

Science Fair Judges Needed!

CSS will be holding our annual Science Fair on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, and we are looking for volunteers to help judge this event.

There is no experience necessary and it is a lot of fun. This is an important CSS event as it provides a forum for students to showcase their understanding and passion for science. In addition, volunteers are inspired and amazed by the quality of work and the interest that students have in their selected topics. 

Registration begins at 8 am on February 6th and judges will be finished around 12:30. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

If interested, please email Kevin Sonico at kevin.s@calgaryscienceschool.com. Thank you in advance for your continued support of this event.

Grade 7 Math Fair

Candice Shaw and Carolyn Armstrong~ Grade 7 Math/Science

On December 19 our grade 7 students hosted their Math Fair. Students were given the task of finding a challenging math problem that isn't easily solved at first glance and has possible extension activities. Students created their trifolds and activities to share with the rest of the school.

CSS Grade 7 Math Fair from Calgary Science School on Vimeo.

Arctic Games in Physical Education

Our Physical Education classes have been participating in 12 Arctic games this week. Some of our grade 9 students have been leading the different activities for the younger students.
 

Peace Festival at CSS

Monday December 17 saw the kickoff performance and assembly for our annual Peace Festival. The theme this year is 'Wellness'. A teacher committee, with the help of some grade 9 students, recruited parents and teachers as volunteers and experts to facilitate workshops that share the idea of physical, mental and spiritual wellness.

Exemplary Learning Formula

Margaret Leland-  Grade 5 Humanities

In a recent Learning Strategies class we had been discussing the interconnected nature of the pillars of our Exemplary Learning framework. The students were tasked with talking about two questions: How does relationships and communication relate to the other pillars? and, Do the pillars all connect to student success?

After about 10 minutes discussion one of the groups looked like they had found a 'big' answer. When I approached their group they stated that the only way they could really do it was to develop a mathematical formula to represent their thinking.

Trees and Forests Inquiry Grade 6

Does the Weaselhead Natural Area produce enough oxygen to sustain Calgarians?

Greg Neil~ Grade 6 Math and Science

Our grade 6 students investigated this question in their Math/Science classes this year. The question was developed as part of a brainstorming session with students. This inquiry required the use of numerous mathematical skills, introduced students to the idea of assumptions and bias in Science, reinforced the need for accurate data and provided an authentic investigation into an important natural region close to the school. A current proposal to build a ring road through this natural area, made this project even more relevant and engaging for students.

After introducing the question, students started the investigation by gathering important background information. Sources such as Environment Canada, Statistics Canada and NASA were useful in establishing some basic facts about Oxygen production, current population and average values of Oxygen consumption by humans.

ConnectEd Canada 2013

Registration Opens and a Call for Discussion Facilitators

The details are coming together for the second ConnectEd Conference. The discussion proposals that have been submitted so far have us very excited about round 2. We are looking for more proposals, please don’t leave it too late. We would rather have a tentative outline of a discussion now while we plot the schedule. We will be in contact with you for a more detailed description to print in the program early in the new year. The list of discussions from 2012 can be found at: http://connectedcanada.org/?page_id=74

Using Infographics with Student Learning Plans

Calgary Science School students have been learning more about themselves this year with their Student Learning Plans (SLP's). During the learning strategies time in the schedule, classes have been discussing their personal learning styles and work habits. The information gathered through surveys, quizzes, conversations and observations are adding up. We needed a way to encapsulate this information into a summary that the student can reflect upon and share with teachers and family.

Infographics have been popping up for some time now online and in the news. These graphics are a great way to present information in an easy to understand and visually engaging way.

The Struggle to be an Instructional Leader

Darrell Lonsberry Principal

I don’t know that there can be any debate that the primary responsibility of school administrators is to provide sound instructional leadership. Certainly, this aspect of administration is recognized in the Alberta Professional Practice Competencies for School Leaders. Our own superintendent, Dr. Garry McKinnon discussed the importance of this aspect of school leadership in a previous blog post. Additionally, I haven’t yet met a school administrator who doesn’t want to make a positive difference in the quality of teaching and learning in their school through working directly with teachers. With all of the reasons why school administrators must be focusing on providing sound instructional leadership, there continues to be significant restrictions and limitations in place that often prohibit leaders from realizing their potential as instructional leaders. I suffer that same sense of frustration from time to time as the Principal of the Calgary Science School.

Grade 8 Light and Optical Systems

Mission Impossible

Our grade 8's have been trying to avoid our motion detectors this week in their study of how light is reflected, transmitted and absorbed by different materials. Our school has several motion detectors as a part of our alarm system, the students were challenged by their teachers to avoid detection. A motion detection light was also mounted in their classroom for testing.

Using the scientific process, students hypothesized what movements or materials would enable them to get close enough to the treasure (candy) without the motion light being triggered. Each pair of students had to devise and submit at least 3 different hypotheses and test them.

National Philanthropy Day

On November 15, 2012 the Calgary Science School grade 9 students, along with the grade 8 ‘Me to We’ elective students, were invited to participate in the National Philanthropy Day Youth Forum in the Palomino Room at Stampede Park. This generous invitation was extended by the Association of Professional Fundraisers who also organized a simultaneous luncheon for Calgary’s philanthropic community to highlight and celebrate the generosity of our city’s many benefactors.

Inquiring into Plant Growth and Changes in Grade 4

Amy Park and Deirdre Bailey

Earlier this year we had a pretty cool opportunity to connect with Mount Royal University professor Dr. David Bird to co-present on Plant Growth and Changes for the Calgary Science Network. We were most eager for an opportunity to ask Dr. Bird what one one thing he wished his university students came in with that we might be able to foster in elementary school. His answer was unhesitatingly curiosity. He wished his students arrived at university with a desire, confidence and ability to ask scientific questions. Overwhelmingly, many of them arrived reluctant to explore, preferring instead to wait for instructions on what to think or how to deliver in order to "pass the course".

Launch of the Imperial Oil Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiative

Dr. Garry McKinnon

Dennis Sumara, dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary, talks with Grade 4 student Sasha Longley, left, as Bruce March, chairman and CEO of Imperial Oil talks with Grade 4 student Owen Leveille, right, during their science class at the Calgary Science School after Imperial Oil and the University of Calgary announced a major partnership.

Photograph by: Leah Hennel , Calgary Herald

One of the 16 descriptors of Exemplary Teaching in the Calgary Science School makes reference to a research focus where classrooms are thriving places of active research and teachers and students are learning together and from each other. Another descriptor highlights a focus on inquiry where students and teachers explore real-life questions to develop a better understanding of our world. These two descriptors and several others in the exemplary learning and teaching frameworks were very much in evidence on November 6 when some very special guests came to the school for the launch of the $2.5 million Imperial Oil Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics initiative (IOSTEM) in partnership with the University of Calgary. The members of the Calgary Science School community were very pleased to host the official launch of this exciting initiative.

Spelling with Substance

Mike Neufeld

As a teacher in an inquiry based school, I thoroughly enjoy approaching the curriculum with students in a manner that accommodates flexibility and open-ended exploration. This manifests itself easily in larger, inquiry-based projects, yet I always find that I ask myself, “What does Inquiry look like for smaller, day to day lessons?” With this in mind, I was curious as to how I might take spelling beyond rote memorization of lists and paragraphs and into something that was more individualized for the diverse students in my classroom.

Envisioning Exemplary Collaboration at CSS

Ivy Waite

Here at CSS, we are privileged in our school’s approach to collaboration and the time that we are given to work together. The inclusion of collaboration in the Exemplary Teaching and Learning frameworks is not just another indicator. Collaboration is at the heart of the amazing things that happen at CSS. That being said, the actual, lived experiences of collaboration are vastly different from one teaching team to the next. Teachers do, however, seem to agree that relationships are key to successful collaboration, and evaluating such dynamic processes is difficult. 

ConnectEd Canada

We are pleased to announce that the Calgary Science School will once again host the annual ConnectEd Conference on May 24-26, 2013.

The conference will begin on Friday May 24, 2013 at the Calgary Science School on a "regular" school day. Attendees are encouraged to visit classrooms, observe lessons, and speak with teachers and students.

Saturday and Sunday will have scheduled discussion topics hosted at the school. As was the case last year, the sessions will be built around discussions and conversations hosted by a facilitator. The event will provide the time and space for all stakeholders to discuss emerging topics, share practice and build relationships that will extend beyond the three days.

Dialogue with Alberta Education

Dr. Garry McKinnon

The members of the Calgary Science School leadership team (Superintendent, Garry McKinnon; Principal, Darrell Lonsberry and Assistant Principals, Phil Butterfield and Scott Petronech) were invited to make a presentation to the Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Ministers and senior Alberta Education staff in Edmonton on October 15. The purpose of the dialogue session was to share some background information in regard to the Calgary Science School with a specific focus on exemplars in learning, teaching and leading relating to the Inspiring Education agenda. The Calgary Science School leadership team members invited Dr. Pamela Adams, professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge to join them for the presentation. Dr. Adams is completing the second year of a two-year Naturalistic Inquiry research dealing with innovative practices to promote learner engagement, instructional leadership and professional learning.

The Calgary Science School: Our Story

Deirdre Bailey and Amy Park


The process of inquiry can seem "undefinable" at times, however, through the process of documentation, it becomes clearer and more tangible - for students, teachers, and parents.
Earlier this month as part of an Action Research project, we proposed to compile a comprehensive video that effectively identified who we are at the Calgary Science School, what we do, how we do it and why. Our schools Exemplary Learning and Teaching Frameworks were carefully woven throughout the video.  Footage from all grades and subject areas served as visual representation of who we are, what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.  We were able to make use of the numerous resources compiled by Neil Stephenson, Erin Couillard and others via the school's Connect blog, as well as some of our own artifacts and more recent interviews. Testimonials from staff, students, parents and visitors to our school were integrated with snippets from current research in the education field. The goal was to use student, parent and teacher voice to describe the work we do and to attempt to articulate what is most powerful about teaching and learning at CSS.