Structures & Mechanisms
Grade 4: Structures & Mechanisms
Pulleys & Gears
For PDSB Educators: if you are looking to reach out to the Peel Field Centres for further ways to connect your learning to the environment visit the PDSB Field Centre Share Point site.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for students to observe their natural surroundings and focus on pulley and gears that affect the environment around them. Their nature journal allows them to write/draw their observations helping to cement the concepts being taught.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and "It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However the last statement becomes very important for connection making. Encourage students to begin writing using single words, simple sentences, lists, point form, paragraphs etc.. Please note that spelling is not a focus in the nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - please ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link feedback at the bottom of this lesson for tips on this. Using words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more ideas to get you started.
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encourage to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Knots - Survival With Ropes
Have you ever gotten lost, even for a few minutes? You likely wondered what you could use to help stay safe. The essentials for staying safe whether it be in a forested area or in your own community include:
Accessing a safe water source
Finding food that is safe to eat
Warmth or shelter
Lucky for us, our bodies can handle surviving without water for up to 3 days (though there may be other factors that make that time shorter) and without food for up to 3 weeks. If you are lost in a forested area you will want to build a shelter as soon as possible.
Being able to tie knots can help when you are in a bind. An extremely useful knot to learn is the Trucker's Hitch (using a 2-1 mechanical advantage pulley system). Check out the video to see this knot (and a few others) that can be used in a variety of situations, such as:
Shelter frame - put a tarp or other piece of material to hang over the line and create an A-frame shelter to protect you from the elements
Tying down loads - canoes or anything on top of a vehicle or trailer
Creating a clothesline or line for hanging heavy or wet objects