Living Things Big and Small

John Cuthbert Experiential Learning, Science and Math No Comments

Middle school students at the Academy have started 2021 learning about life sciences. Students learned about the qualities that we use to define what is living and explored how certain living things interact within ecosystems.

Since then, they have honed in on the basic unit of life, the cell! They investigated tissues using virtual microscopes and discovered variations between the structures found in plant and animal cells. Next, they demonstrated their learning by making cell models, using a legend and written descriptions to highlight functions and interactions between the structures making up these microscopic marvels.

Moving forward, they’ll continue to build on their understanding of cell processes and learn how cells can work together to form functioning tissues, organs and systems in multicellular organisms.

When Life Throws you Lemons, Sell Them

Luka Ilic English and Humanities, Experiential Learning No Comments

The Marketing class has been exploring and learning about ten important components of marketing. This week, students took on the challenge of running a lemonade stand in an online game. Through the game, they were able to learn about the importance of research, product development, pricing, sales and inventory management. They had complete control over pricing, quality, inventory and supplies, and their goal was to make as much money as possible over a 14 day period. It’s not as easy as it sounds though, as students needed to account for the weather, customer satisfaction and feedback, popularity, money, and inventory.

Although some students were more successful than others, everyone had fun trying to find the perfect balance between all the different factors at play. In addition, the game did well to demonstrate that marketing is more than just about sales and advertising. Soon enough, students will take these newly learned skills to put together a marketing plan of their own.

Applications of Acid-Base Reactions in Everyday Life: Antacids

Zareh Demirdji Experiential Learning, Science and Math No Comments

Acid-Base reactions are a part of everyday life. In the previous lab, students identified everyday substances found in the home as acids or bases. In their second chemistry lab, the grade ten science class explored the practical applications of acid-base reactions, specifically looking at the use of antacids to stop acid reflux (“heartburn”). The antacids used were: Alka-Seltzer, Tums, Rolaids, and Life Brand.

In the experiment, the different antacids were reacted with an acid (soda pop – coke) to determine which one neutralizes the acid best (increases the pH). After the experiment, students explored the results, and reflected on the effectiveness of the antacids and considered possible explanations for their observations.

Identification of Acids and Bases

Zareh Demirdji Experiential Learning, Science and Math No Comments

Although we have temporarily returned to fully online learning, the show must go on. One of the more “colourful” experiments in chemistry is the one where students try to identify everyday household items as either acidic or basic, and not having access to a lab wasn’t going to stop the grade ten science class from the experience. Having “commandeered” some basic pieces of equipment (test tubes, litmus paper, and a funnel) the identifying acids and bases lab was relocated to my kitchen. Students were given a list of everyday household items (vinegar, pepsi, lemon juice, liquid soap, baking soda, orange juice, mouth wash, and milk) and had to hypothesize whether they were acids or bases.

Each substance was reacted with a bit of red cabbage juice, which contains a natural pH indicator that changes colors depending on the acidity of the solution (very acidic solutions turn the indicator a red color, and basic solutions a greenish-yellow color). This gave students a quick, surface level indication of whether the substance was an acid or a base. To be a bit more accurate, however, we also tested the pH of each substance using a piece of litmus paper. This lab nicely sets up our next experiment where we will look at the applications of acid base reactions.

What has Cooking Club Been Up To?

Katie Clay Community, Experiential Learning No Comments


Cooking Club continues to meet weekly and has been putting together some new and healthy recipes. In the days leading up to each session students are told what type of food they will be preparing and given some ideas and recipes. Some choose from the provided recipes, but many research their own or use a family favourite.

A few weeks ago we made soup and we had everything from chicken noodle to pea soup to carrot/sweet potato to tomato and more! This past week we made veggies and dip, which was a good opportunity for students to practice their knife skills and slice vegetables into uniform sticks. They also practiced their presentation skills to create pleasing veggie platters. Again we had a variety of recipes from hummus to thousand island to roasted cauliflower to cheese dip, and even spinach dip in a bread bowl!

Last week, we did things a little differently and one of our students chose the recipe for everyone to follow. He had suggested we make Korean Vegetable Pancakes, which was something most students had never even tasted before, so it seemed like a great idea. Students learned about this popular dish and worked to create savoury pancakes with a slightly chewy, yet crispy texture. It was fun to experiment with something different and try new foods!