Inquiry in Real-World Contexts

Grade 1 explored how people develop systems to meet their needs. The Grade 1 inquiry centred around the real-world challenge of creating a culminating market that they held for their teachers and Grade 8 reading buddies to attend as customers. Students collected and analyzed data to identify the preferences of their target audience. With the help of parent volunteers, Grade 1 students prepared a range of goods and services and created signs and advertisements. Market Day was alive with excitement as each group of Grade 1 retailers sold their real goods and services to their real customers. The students weren’t collecting play money or playing make-believe. This learning experience put the Grade 1 learners at the centre of real-life economics where they learned about counting money, the difference between needs and wants, goods and services, and how people earn, spend and save money. The Grade 1 classes earned $340 and collectively made the decision to spend their earnings by donating to the Breakfast Club of Canada for local children to access food for their basic needs.

Grade 3 students inquired into systems and structures within the real-world context of SJK’s own learning community. Mr. Pereira, Assistant Head of School, Community, spoke to Grade 3 students about how schools think about planning for growth in their buildings and infrastructure and posed the problem to Grade 3 students of how SJK might foster community and belonging in its systems and structures as the School’s enrolment changes over time. Students took this authentic challenge seriously and engaged in in-depth research to learn about systems and structures in schools worldwide. This Grade 3 inquiry culminated in a showcase of proposals from highly engaged students of potential additions to SJK’s learning environment. Their inquiry wasn’t solely for the sake of learning about systems and structures; it was for the very authentic purpose of improving the SJK community, something which the Grade 3s are highly invested in. 

The youngest scientists to participate in this year’s Science Fair were the Senior Kindergarten (SK) students. Their unit of inquiry led them on an exploration of the scientific method and what scientists do to learn about the world around us. Science is not just for big kids and grown ups! In fact, anyone can be a scientist if you ask questions, make hypotheses and observations, draw conclusions from data …. and wear a lab coat and goggles! During the SJK Science Fair, SK students showcased their scientific investigations, born from their own experiences and curiosities, alongside the Science Fair projects of Upper School students. Our youngest scientists confidently explained their questions and findings for the authentic purpose of communicating their scientific thinking to visitors and judges. Their scientific investigations included:

Grade 6 participated in small group, on-campus field trips this week as part of the Maple Syrup Project to support their How the World Works unit of inquiry about how scientific principles can be applied to innovation and development. Each group of Grade 6 students had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on, in-depth exploration of each step of the maple syrup process through a scientific lens. They learned about the process of measuring, filtering, and sterilizing sap and reflected on the application of scientific principles to further develop the process from traditional and modern Indigenous perspectives. These hands-on, real-life experiences further provoked student thinking and wonder about other innovations in the world around them.