We often say that doing something with a machine requires less work. In this design competition, grade 8 students were challenged to help upgrade the gymnasium and physical education programming here at OJCS. Using their knowledge of simple machines, they had to use the design thinking process to design, test, and build a simple machine prototype that enhances our physical education curriculum. Physical education equipment is expensive and gets used up with frequent use. PE is a favourite class for many OJCS students and anything we could do to help upgrade the gymnasium’s physical space or by providing more games and equipment would benefit the school and student Ruach.
EMPATHY – Display an understanding of the problem you are solving by gaining real insight into the needs of the end-users (the OJCS students)
DEFINE – Identify a key area that a product can solve and provide focused research that helps provide a solution to a specific goal (Research of Simple Machines)
IDEATE – brainstorm a variety of solutions to the problem (Documentation of all ideas)
PROTOTYPE – create a model based on rough drafts or blueprints (The physical build!)
TEST – the prototype is shared with others for feedback (Documented feedback)
How did they do it?
Students had to decide what to build, connect our simple machines learning from Science class as part of their research, and create a plan for their prototype. They then had to determine what materials they needed next by searching through Home Depot’s website and placing their order with their teacher. And then, the fun part…
Not only did the grade 8’s successfully link the Science and PE curriculum using the Makerspace to improve the PE department, but it also connected our OJCS students in the process. On Innovation Day they wowed the judges, parents, teachers, and definitely their younger peers, who were enthusiastically asking when they would get the chance to participate in the Simple Machines Project. The grade 8’s should be proud of the legacy they are leaving behind and for starting something new for younger grades to further innovate.
Welcome to the 2023 Innovation Day. A day to celebrate Science here at the OJCS. Find all the schedules for presentations in the graphic below. Innovation Day outlines and rubrics for the middle school projects are posted below as well.
OJCS students in grades 7 and 8 competed in the countrywide Hackathon this week put on by the JNF. The students were split into teams and tasked with ‘hacking’ a problem.
What is a Hackathon?
You might be asking the question, what is a Hackathon? And does it involve breaking codes with computers over an extended period of time? Not in this case. A Hackathon is a rapid, time-bound, pressurized problem-solving event. The JNF Canada virtual Hackathon is a non-technical Hackathon where students gathered virtually to collaborate and solve problems.
The Challenge for Each Team
This year’s challenge was to find creative solutions in order to offer “accessibility in nature” for all.
Mentors and Judging
Teams of students from across Canada worked collaboratively to come up with creative ideas and presented their innovative solutions to a panel of judges. Teams were provided with a mentor. The role of the mentor was to support and guide the team in developing their ideas and delivering their solutions with clarity.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Sarah-Amanda, Noah, Joel, Mia, Yossi, and Maor on their 3rd place finish for their amazing idea and presentation on Peddle Boats that even included a sign language aspect.
Makerspace Equipment: Introducing the Laser Cutter
As the OJCS makerspace team, we value and seek to prioritize collaborative PD time together. During our self-directed professional development day, we spent a portion of it setting up and developing our knowledge of how our Laser cutter works.
Here is our Glowforge Laser Cutter:
In-Progress:
Finished product: The OJCS difference… We’re a cut above the rest!
On Thursday October 20th, Science classes will participate in Global Maker Day. A day dedicated to learning, sharing, and playing while completing STEM-related challenges. Challenges will provide students to practice problem-solving, be creative, and have fun learning.
Students have been asked to collect items for the OJCS Globalmaker day, October 20th. We are looking for any cardboard boxes (think cereal boxes) toilet paper tubes, paint stir sticks, popsicle sticks, and plastic tubs (think yoghurt pots, sour cream tubs – clean please!) items to help with our creativity.
There are so many uses for electricity. But what happens when something isn’t working right? Maybe your computer speakers are not working or your refrigerator isn’t staying cold. What do people do? They often need to take their appliance in to be repaired or have a technician come to the house to repair the appliance. The technician has to figure out what is wrong and why the device is not working properly. This process is called troubleshooting. Let’s practice some troubleshooting skills to solve electrical problems.
Lesson 6: What is Static Electricity?
A form of Static Electricity is lightning… check out the video below of some amazing lightning strikes.
Lesson 7: How Do Batteries Work?
Lesson 8: Energy Conservation and at home Electricity Audit
All of our Pure Substances & Mixtures unit resources will be posted here and broken down into 3 sub units; Classifying matter, Solutions, and Separating Mixtures. Any extras (Could do’s) are located at the bottom of the page.
Lesson 1: Classifying Matter
1.1 – What is Matter? (Make a copy of all student textbook pages and add them to your Chemistry Folder)
1.2 – More About Matter (After adding to your Chemistry folder, read and answer questions #1 -4)
