Science is Happening @LKDSB

 

Science Kits, Taylor Talks, Digital Video Library, and Additional Learning Opportunities are just a few ways that teachers can bring Hands-On learning experiences to LKDSB students.

Science Kits

UPDATE:  November 5, 2021 

Great news!  ALL science kits, with the exception of four titles, are now available for booking!  

Note that items requiring safety management beyond hand hygiene have been removed from all kits.

Out of an abundance of caution, the following four titles are NOT available for booking:  Kinder Bacteria, Kinder Bubble, Kinder Crystal, and Gr. 8 Microscopy​

Email the Science Centre to book.  sciencecentre@lkdsb.net ​  

We will need to know

1.  the kit title, 
2. when you want to start the unit, and 
3. where you teach. 

Orders will be confirmed with ship/due dates via email.  ​

 

Taylor Talks

Taylor Maris is the Energy & Environmental Coordinator for CKLASS, (Chatham-Kent Lambton Administrative School Services,) and our newest Science Discovery Squad Volunteer.   She is an Environmental Engineer and is excited to bring her passion for environmental awareness to our students through a series of monthly sessions organized by the SEP called “Taylor Talks”. Watch your email for an invitation!

 

​Coding Division

A virtual coding experience is available with a Science Discovery Squad Volunteer.

This is an activity offered to junior grades that helps students to “Develop the skills, strategies, and habits of mind required for scientific inquiry and technological problem-solving." (pg. 6 S&T document.).  It is also a way to introduce Coding in math learning.

This is an introductory activity recommended for students in Grades 4-6 with little or no prior exposure to coding.  

Truss Building (Grade 5)

Students will have the real-world engineering challenge of building the strongest truss they can with the least amount of material.

A construction equipment package will be provided by the SEP Science Centre. Classes can use the instructional videos to work through the activity at their own pace.

Each individual teacher is asked to register his/her own class independently and students can participate in the activity anytime between October and May.  This replaces the Bridge Building challenge.

Sign up at https://forms.gle/Q3EMzVk5FkBvSREU9

Digital Library

On-demand access to Science Discovery Squad inquiries and presentations. Click Here to access the Library.

Links and/or information cataloged in the library include:

• Agriculture
• Coding
• Science Demonstration videos
• Amazing Air Pressure – Gr. 6 Air and Flight
• Floating Egg Experiment – 3 versions with connections to Gr. 2, 5, and 7/8 Matter and Energy
• Pulleys – Gr. 4 Structures and Mechanisms
• The Plasma Ball – Gr. 5 Matter
• The Van de Graaff Generator – Gr. 6 Electricity and Electrical Devices
• ​Taylor Talks Environmental Science sessions

Explore all that the  Science Education Partnership has to offer and reach out to Wendy sciencecentre@lkdsb.net to make plans to have the resources accessible in your class.

Anti-Oppressive Education Resources

LKDSB Teachers have access to the rich resources supporting Anti-Oppressive Education:

Anti-Semitism: https://classroom.google.com/c/MzgxMjAzNDY1NjU2?cjc=wxm4h2k

Anti-Muslim Hate/Islamophobia: https://classroom.google.com/c/MzYxNjQwMDU1ODk2?cjc=l26u6nw

Asian Heritage and Anti-Asian Racism: https://classroom.google.com/c/MzM5NTEzMzczMjcw?cjc=6raqobj

Black History and Anti-Black Racism: https://classroom.google.com/c/MjU1NDM2MTY2ODgx?cjc=s32t6k2

Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy: https://classroom.google.com/c/MjU1NDMxNzE0NTU0?cjc=saqt4vf

Gender Identity: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTk1MDI5NTAzNDYw?cjc=vobyqbq

Book Study: https://classroom.google.com/c/MTg5MzkyNjQxMDY3?cjc=pmwpbmu

Supporting English Language Learners in your Classroom

Our classrooms in the LKDSBS are welcoming more and more students whose home language isn’t English. These students bring a wealth of experience and knowledge with them, but they also mean we must learn and adapt to support these students in our classrooms.  

English Learners are typically thought to be students coming from non-English speaking countries but the reality is that the largest number of students in the LKDSB are Canadian-born.  Another surprise for many teachers is we have students who may speak a dialect of English and they also need extra support while they are transitioning to school in Ontario.  

Students learning English join our classrooms with their age group peers regardless of their level of English proficiency.  It takes 5-7 years to become fluent in a second language and our students are learning the Ontario curriculum at the same time they are learning English.  In the early stages of English learning, our students need scaffolds and support to help them learn the structures and vocabulary of English.  They are able to have accommodations and modifications to the language of subjects without needing an IEP because these supports will fade as their language proficiency increases.  

A great document to help you support students and families is the Many Roots Many Voices document which has practical strategies for welcoming students and families into your school and classroom.  

Many times we aren’t sure how to support new English learners in our classrooms but there is a tool to help teachers understand and track how students are acquiring English.  It also helps teachers see what their students should be able to do in English as they acquire language.  This document is called “STEP” or “Steps to English Proficiency” and it is a continuum of language learning.  

STEP or Steps to English Proficiency isn’t a “program”, “rubric” or “plan” for ELs.  Our students are learning English while they learn their grade level curriculum, so think of it instead as a lens to look at the language skills your student has and to plan on how they will participate in the classroom as they move through the STEPS.   

STEP Overview Video:

The STEP documents for the LKDSB are located on the Portal “Quick Links” under “ELL - English Language Learners” and are clickable PDFs that you can download for each of your EL students.  

Download the STEP Continuua for your student here: https://portal.lkdsb.net/BoardDepartments/prog-elem/esl/SitePages/Home.aspx#/=

Click on the links below to see a quick overview of each of the 3 parts of STEP. 

STEP Oral Ongoing Assessment:

STEP Reading Ongoing Assessment:

STEP Writing Ongoing Assessment:

For more information about STEP please visit: STEP Steps to English Proficiency User Guide