engineering

2020/03/06 by Natalie

A STEM Challenge in Grade 3

This past January, our grade 3 students completed a STEM Challenge. Students were tasked with solving the problem of Algae blooms polluting our oceans. Our students put together a video with their inventions. Algae blooms are a result of charred vegetation, ash, and soot that get washed into the water bodies. This, in turn, compromises the quality of the water.

Presenting students with an opportunity to stretch their thinking, use the engineering and design process to come up with solutions to problems that occur from natural disasters is a great example of cross-curricular teaching and the use of critical thinking skills

With real world STEM challenges, students enrich their critical thinking and collaboration skills whilst they learn to apply their knowledge to problem solve. This exercise is extended outside of the classroom and into the greater world around them.

Filtering Out Algae Blooms in Grade 3

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2020/02/21 by Natalie

RMS Helps Create Engineers

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Rowntree Montessori Schools focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and our curriculum will help develop tomorrow’s engineers. Our students are constantly tasked with various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) challenges where they are engaged in researching, designing, and constructing their own bridges. This STEM challenge is designed to be a contest and creates friendly competition amongst students.

Recently, our grade 5 students used the Engineering Design Process to help design truss bridges. One student, Sidhant, won the challenge by building a truss bridge that held 47 Math textbooks; a new school record! Check out the photo below. Our students are constantly impressing us with their creativity and talent, using the Engineering Design Process.

A student with his truss bridge — A student shows off his Truss Bridge that he developed during a STEM Challenge

A New Record at Rowntree Montessori Schools for the tallest truss bridge, holding 47 textbooks, by Sidhant.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2020/01/14 by Natalie

Keep Calm and STEM On!

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969
Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Wondering What STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
Actually Look like in the Classroom?

STEM is curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world applications.

Want to see STEM in action at Rowntree Montessori Schools? Check out this cool video.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/11/26 by Natalie

Exploring the Problems with Global Urbanization in Grades 1 to 8

Nurturing Tomorrow’s Achievers Since 1969

Our AHA! Moments take place in our classrooms, every day!

Over the last few weeks, our Grades 1 through 8 worked on our monthly STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Challenge. Rowntree has regular challenges throughout the year to further integrate STEM principles and apply them into the everyday teaching and learning. This year’s overarching theme revolves around urbanization and the various issues associated with growing cities. Students explored problems such as land fragmentation, habitat loss, and the effects of urban living on physical health, and so on. After brainstorming a solution as a class or group, students create a model and present using various tech tools.

For a great article on the addressing urban issues, please click here.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2019/09/30 by Natalie

Developing Future Engineers

Rowntree Montessori Schools starts developing future engineers at a young age. Recently, in a grade 2 & 3 class at our Central Park Campus, students worked on an Engineering activity that involved creating a working zip line. Their teacher guided the students through the process of how to build a zip line and then the students were provided with an opportunity to try out their newly acquired skills, while working through the mechanics of this exercise.

Students tried multiple strategies; with trial and error. One particular strategy did not work as planned, so the students concluded that by adding weight to the moving part of their structure, it gave the object the momentum it needed to move. The students were ecstatic when they realized that their creation finally worked! Click here to watch their project in motion.

This Engineering activity was very hands-on and student-led. The grade 2 and 3 teacher was there to guide the students through their experiment, and to lend a helping hand, without providing the students with the solution to their problem. During this activity, students were able problem solve and work together as a team of future Engineers. Rowntree Montessori School students use the methodical Engineering Design Process when tackling such problems.

This learning opportunity allowed the students freedom to create while learning new terms about science and connecting these words to the real world.

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2018/11/28 by Natalie

Solving Problems with STEM!

At Rowntree Montessori Schools, we believe that as 21st century educators, it is our responsibility to equip our students with the knowledge and skill set that will prepare them for a fulfilling future and give them tools for solving problems when they arise. We do this by presenting students with a monthly STEM-Challenge box, that within it contains a real-life situation or problem that they need to solve. Students are instructed to complete a task, for example design a cleanup mechanism to solve the problem of water pollution, using basic materials such as duct tape, popsicle sticks, paper clips or other.

Each student is expected to collaborate with his or her peers to devise a creative solution to the problem, that will be judged each month by a panel of teachers. Our goal with these challenges, is to offer our students opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills, make decisions independently and collaborate with one another to find solutions to real-world problems. These challenges are a good first step to foster an interdisciplinary way of thinking about global issues. STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) as a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, and as a component of what we teach, is taking our students’ level of learning and preparation for life, to the next level.

In October, students were asked to design a structure that could transport people from Downtown Toronto to the Toronto Islands. One of the criteria was that the structure needed to be strong and stable enough to support a class novel (with the novel representing one family of people). Each class found a different, and at least somewhat effective, solution, and all projects were displayed in the hallway at the end of the month. The image below shows students in the research and design stage of their challenge, as they engineer a structure for people to travel across Lake Ontario.

Students collaborating on solving a real-world problem using science, technology, engineering and math — Students collaborating on the October STEM-Challenge

Utilizing a STEM approach to learning develops much more than a student’s problem solving, decision making and critical thinking skills. It shapes our students into persevering, committed and patient people who will embrace tomorrow’s challenges with flexible and open minds. Our students are currently working on a very timely and important problem: create a mechanism that can be used to extinguish large forest fires without causing significant damage to the environment. We encourage all students to keep thinking creatively to solve this problem, and we look forward to seeing the solutions you present!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:30am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2017/02/17 by Natalie

Rowntree Welcomes DASH & DOT!

Our Kindergarten and Prep-ONE students recently had the wonderful opportunity of being introduced to Dash & Dot robots. Dash & Dot are educational toy robots that make learning to code fun for young children. Used together with tablets, these robots can be easily programmed to complete a variety of tasks, all while teaching children the basics of programming. Over the course of several mornings, workshops were held in our kindergarten and lower grade classes to introduce students these wonderful little robots, while giving them the opportunity to participate in many hands-on activities.

Students Teaching Dash to play the Xylophone — Our kindergarten students teaching Dash
to play the xylophone

Here at the Academy, I had the privilege of being present for two of these workshops and got to see firsthand just how engaging, fun, and versatile these little robots are. The student’s eyes gleamed with excitement as they worked together to make Dash & Dot light up with different colours, move in specific ways, play sounds, and even play songs that the students created! Using a simple drag-and-drop interface on the tablet, students created programs using coding basics like sequencing and loops to control the robots and had a great deal of fun while doing it.

As educators, we are constantly striving to prepare our students with 21^st century learning skills, and programming is just one of the many ways that we can do just that! By teaching students coding concepts from an early age, we are instilling in them a curiosity and ability to problem solve and innovate that will carry them through the rest of their lives. Many people may be skeptical about teaching Kindergarten students to code and program, but watching them work together and solve problems during these workshops only proves that with the right tools, not only is it possible for these students to do it, but it is very likely they will excel at it, all while learning and having fun!

Learning with Dot & Dash — Kindergarten student having fun
while coding his friend Dash

Our Dash & Dot experiences were such a success that we recently purchased many more robots to teach these important programming principles. They will also be frequently utilized within other subject areas and across multiple age groups, to ensure our kids have the best possible hands-on learning experience from a young age . We could not be more excited.

Welcome to Rowntree Dash & Dot!

To see more posts about Science related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here .

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2017/01/17 by Natalie

Building Shelters using a “STEM” approach

The Grade One students have been learning about the various types of shelters that animals use and why it is important for animals to live in homes that meet their specific needs. As a class, we brainstormed different types of animal shelters like nests, caves, burrows and other underground homes.

Researching the different types of animal shelters

Once the children had formed a solid understanding of the various shelters, I presented the students with a challenge. Their challenge was to build a shelter for a dog. Together, we discussed what necessities would be needed in a dog shelter and what may not be needed. The students were put into groups and were given one material that they would be able to use to build the dog shelter; one group was given wooden blocks, another big pieces of Lego and the last group, foam blocks.

The students were instructed to take a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) approach when working on this in-class assignment. First, students created a blueprint of what they thought the dog shelter should look like, and then they got to build their shelter. While building their shelter, students were heard saying “we need walls to keep the dog safe”, “we need to make the wall longer, so the dog has more room in his house” and “we can’t use this block; it has a hole in it”. Each group was collaborating as young engineers, to solve a real-world problem using concepts learned in Science class.

Creating a blueprint — Determining what adjustments to make to their initial blueprint plan

One of the groups started making their house on the carpet, but they were having trouble keeping the wooden blocks up, so they asked if they could move to a harder surface so the blocks wouldn’t fall over so easily. Once the shelters were built, the groups presented their work to their classmates.

Adapting to their surroundings to produce a better end product! — Recognizing that they had to change their build location in order to succeed!

After lunch, we sat down and reflected on what went well, what was challenging, and what we could have done to make the shelters better. One of the groups spoke about how they were so focused on making the roof pointy until they looked outside and saw that the building next door had a flat roof; they then decided that their shelter could have a flat roof. Another group spoke about how the foam blocks were of different sizes and that they needed another foam block in the middle of the house in order for the roof to cover the whole shelter.

The Finished Shelter — Students proudly posing with their finished shelter

In the spirit of taking a STEM approach to complete the project, the students engineered and then re-engineered their original plans, as they saw fit, in order to improve their shelter for the dog. The students have carried on this project into their free time, and they can often be found building new shelters for other animals and discussing why various animals would need certain characteristics in their shelters. This lesson wasn’t just about animals’ shelters or about building structures. As a result of applying a STEM approach, the project transformed into a collaborative and inter-disciplinary activity that challenged and engaged the students’ imagination, creativity and scientific knowledge in solving a real-world problem.

To see more posts about Science & STEM related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here .

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2016/05/24 by Natalie

Science Re-Invented (Part 2)-Science Activity Day

The staff and students of Rowntree continued the development of scientific thinking and interactive learning by closing off our “Science Re-Invented” theme week with our annual Science Fair Activity Day. This year’s activity day featured twenty-five different activities both in and outside of the school. The Science Fair at RMS is unique because it is entirely student prepared and lead. Students from grades 4-6 are dressed in lab coats and protective glasses to act as tour guides for the students from JK-Grade 3. The grade 7-8 students, together with some of the grade 6 students, were scientists, and guided younger students through hands on activities. It was a day filled with excitement and learning, and a great display of the sense of community.

Preparation for this big day started about a month ago. Grade 7 and 8 students planned and prepared the activities they would be running for the day. Emphasis was placed on reusing items, so students collected many recyclable materials including empty water bottles, empty juice boxes, and toilet paper rolls. These were used for younger students to build various structures. Students were thrilled to construct their own toy trucks from toilet paper rolls, a lava lamp using plastic water bottles, and they even designed their own structure from toothpicks and marshmallows!

Students got a chance to investigate space through our planetarium. They explored how different forces acted on an object in flight, and tried to land a paper aircraft and a parachute safely to the ground. They designed and built boats from juice boxes, and sailed them in a pool of water to observe buoyant and gravitational forces.

Food Science was another popular topic of investigation. The students made pancakes, and syrup from strawberries! Then they moved on to the next food station where they explored sedimentary rocks by making Rice Krispy squares! Outside, students made a mechanical mixture by using ice cream and sprinkles. The younger students made goo from borax and glue, and play dough from flour. They tested the solubility of different substances, and watched fluids race down a ramp to determine the flow rate and viscosity.

Some of the biggest excitement of the day came from the explosions from the volcano, the wonders of the dry ice magic show, and the use of robots to complete a task. Of course, the day would not have been complete without our annual bake sale. The students had the opportunity to purchase a variety of treats which were baked, or bought, and then donated by the parents. The smell of cookies and cakes filled our school hallways! This was a delicious way to raise funds for our science department.

At the end of it all, students gained a great deal of scientific knowledge through interactive, hands-on activities. They did an amazing job in their inquiry-based approach to experiments and experiencing the “fun” in Science. This style of learning will foster a love for Science in students that will keep them interested during science class, and encourage them to explore, investigate, and be curious.

Click the link below to see the highlight reel of the science fair competition and activity day.

To see more posts about Science related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here .

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

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2016/04/20 by Natalie

“Nurturing Tomorrow’s Engineers”

Students often question their Math teachers as to why they have to learn certain concepts in Math. Concepts such as the Pythagorean Theorem can be quite challenging for students to connect to the world outside. Teachers strive to help students to see the real life applications of these concepts. With the use of technology in Math classes, teachers can now breathe a sigh of relief as we are able to bring the real world into the classroom, and have our students see these concepts in their practical use. According to an article in “Annamath”, the Pythagorean concept can be used when designing a baseball diamond, or for something as simple as picking apples from an apple tree. How many students are able to visualize this in real life? Not many. However, with the use of technology they will be able to explore this concept more clearly in real life. Teachers could take their students to the apple farm to teach Math or to a baseball diamond to fully explore and experience the application of this concept, but this is not always possible in our daily teaching. So, in the absence of these types of visits, technology can help to provide an excellent simulation.

At the end of the Geometry unit in Grade Eight, the students were asked to design a park called “The Pythagoras Park”. The goal of the assignment was to design a new city park that the Mathematics department of a university is sponsoring. The park would be constructed on a rectangular lot beside the department’s offices. The lot is 250m by 400m. The students were encouraged to assume the role of engineers, and apply the concepts taught in the unit to design this park. The park has to include at least five of the following geometric shapes: Triangles: equilateral, isosceles, scalene, right, Quadrilaterals: square, rectangle, parallelogram, rhombus, trapezoid, kite, and circle, semicircle. The designs must have at least five of the following features: median, altitude, angle bisector, right bisector, centroid, orthocenter, in centre, circumcentre, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, diagonal, chord, slopes.

An Example of Grade 8 design work during the planning and design stages

The students were placed in groups of two or three to design the park. They worked in the computer lab and used a computer software called Sketch Up to design the park. With the use of Sketch Up, the students were able to accurately make the scale diagram for the park based on their measurements, and design the park using 3-D shapes. The final product was a fully labeled scale diagram of their design and a written description of the features of the design. The scale diagram and written description had to include the location of any gardens, trees, walkways, lights, benches, fountains, gazebos, picnic areas, playgrounds and other features. With Sketch Up, the students were easily able to import these added features from an online 3-D warehouse.

Please click the link below to take a guided tour of a completed Geometry Park!

As a Math teacher who has experienced the evolution of teaching techniques and resources for over two decades, this is simply amazing! Technology has opened up a whole new world of Math for us as teachers and to our students on a whole. With these kinds of resources, our students are absolutely ready and equipped with the knowledge and skill set to take on the future by storm!

To see more posts about Mathematics related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here .

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

To learn more about Rowntree Montessori Schools (RMS), continue browsing our website and ideally drop by any of our welcoming, friendly and family oriented campuses for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm. If you prefer, call to book an appointment for a personal tour anytime Monday-Friday 9:00am-3:00pm.

More details about Rowntree Montessori Schools‘ approach to education can be seen by clicking here .

engineering

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We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

To see more posts about Science & STEM related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you the private school community of which we are so proud!

Please kindly SHARE this post with others by clicking onto one or more of the icons below. We would appreciate it and thank you in advance.

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To see more posts about Science & STEM related activities at Rowntree Montessori Schools, click here .