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