Suvaitsevaisuus ja auttaminen - Tolerance and assistance

During February and March, the 5th and 7-9th grade pupils explored the topic of tolerance and assistance through phenomenon-based learning. Phenomenon-based learning is a pedagogical approach, which is free from the subject boundaries and studies real-life phenomenons in their authentic context. This means that the pupils can freely choose how to study the topic and how to report their project. 

We started the project by watching a video about helping others and having a discussion about how anyone can help others in everyday situations. The pupils planned how and where to help and how to report the project. The format of the report could be almost anything; a photo, a video, a song, a dance...

The pupils had a couple of weeks time to finish their project and report. After this we got together to view the results. Many of the pupils helped at home by cleaning the house, taking the dog out, doing the dishes, taking the rubbish out and shoveling snow. The reports were made using photos, drawings, cartoons and writing. There were also a couple of videos and one pupil made a presentation about the benefits of helping others.

Food pyramid is ready!

Finally our food pyramid got ready! Sanna-Pauliina shows how all the project countries have made theirs.

Earth Day 22.4. 2013

On Earth Day we visited in the fourth class were pupils were planting flowers and plants. We asked few questions about what they were doing.
Why are you planting ?
- We try to add knowledge about global warming. Small things matter.
What are you planting?
- Marigolds, watermelons, chilis, pumpkins, cloves and tomatoes. It's part of Comenius project, where we chanced seeds with other countries: Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Greek, Italy, France, Bulgarian and Turkey. From Finland we took turnip's seeds. The pupils took plants home, and later they will bring pictures of the growing plants to school. Some pupils wanted to plant more plants. We interviewed two of them, Elli and Ada.
What are you planting?
Elli and Ada: -Chili, rosemary and dill.
Why those plants?
Elli: -Mom wants to grow chili.
Ada: -Grandmother wants these plants.
Where are you going to grow the plants?
Elli: -At home.
Ada: -I will give them to grandmother as a gift.
How are you going to take care of the plants?
Elli: -Water them.
Ada: -Grandmother will take care of them. Thank you for interview.
By Nea, Sanna and Vilja, 8A

Water posters II

Water posters made by 4th grade pupils:

Don't pollute water! by Okko, Eetu and Tuomas

Use rain water! by Jaakko, Eetu and Rony

Enjoy clean water! by Riikka, Katariina, Aada and Iina

Wash your hands! by Niina and Johanna

Don't waste water! by Julia, Jenna, Tuulia and Jenni

Water

During January and February 2013, the pupils from 1st  grade, 4th grade and 6th-9th special education class worked together studying water from different perspectives.

All pupils were mixed and divided into nine groups, and each group had a name that had something to do with water.
Here's what we learned...

1. The importance of water

Approximately 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. Only 3% of this amount is fresh water. Most of the fresh water is in ice sheets and glaciers.

Earth seen from Apollo 17 — the Antarctic ice sheet at the bottom of the photograph contains 61% of the fresh water, or 1.7% of the total water on Earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_water

  
Clean water is a valuable natural resource. At this moment, a billion people on Earth suffer from the lack of clean fresh water. Four million children die every year because of lack of clean water or because of diseases transmitted through dirty water.

2. Water consumption in households

Finnish people typically consume 90-270 litres of water every day. The average water consumption is 150 litres/day. Approximately 20% of energy used in households is used for heating water.

Water consumption
at home / day / person

The unit used for measuring water consumption is a cubic metre = 1 m3
A cubic metre is thousand litres (a thousand milk cartons)
1 m3 = 1000 l.

Homework: Study water consumption at home for one week.

After collecting the results, the pupils worked in groups and thought of different ways of saving water at home.

WATER SAVING TIPS by Hepola Comprehensive School

• Pack washing machines and dishwashers full.
• Use energy saving programmes.
• Avoid pre-wash.
• Don’t use running water for washing dishes by hand.
• Make coffee and tea only the amounts you’re planning to have.
• Don’t let the water run unnecessarily while washing your face, brushing teeth, shaving…
• Take a shower instead of taking a bath.
• Flush the toilet with less water.
• Reduce the use of warm water.
• Collect and use rain water for watering plants, washing car... 
• EXTRA TIP: You can use the water from a tumble dryer in the sauna for having ’kunnon löylyt’

Water saving tips in action

We sent a letter to all pupil’s homes, asking for voluntary families who would try out our tips in practise
Three families volunteered to monitor their water consumption for two weeks; first week with normal water consumption and second week according to our tips

Family #1: Mother, father and four children, ages 10, 8, 6 and 4.

Family #2: Mother, father and three children ages 7, 5 and 3

Family #3: Mother, father and one child, age 13.4.

3. Experiments with water

1. QUALITIES
What does clean water smell/taste like? What colour is clean water?

2. FLOATING
What objects float/sink in the water? Experiment and write a report.

3. WATER & GRAVITY
Fill a bottle with water. Turn the bottle into different positions. Look at the surface of the water. How does it position? Draw a picture.

4. SURFACE TENSION
Put some yarn/paper clips floating on water. Pour a couple drops of washing liquid in the water. What happens? Why?

5. FLOATING
Put a piece of plasticine in the water. Does it float?
Shape the plasticine so it floats.

6. BUOYANCY
Put an empty, closed bottle in a bucket full of water. What happens? Fill the bottle with water, close the bottle and try to sink it into water. What happens now? Why?

Because of buoyancy, a tin feels lighter when held in the water than in the air.
This also explains, why it's easier to carry a friend in a pool than on land.

7. WATER DISSOLVES
Fill one cup with hot water and one cup with cold water.
Put a sugar cube to each cup. Mix.
Which cube dissolves faster?

8. DENSITY
Pour ½ desilitres of water, syrup and olive oil in a cup.
What happens?

Each liquid has its specific weight. Water is heavier than oil but lighter than syrup.

9. WATER HAS PRESSURE
Take a milk carton/plastic bottle and make three holes vertically in line. Cover the holes with tape. Fill the bottle with water. Remove the tape over a sink. From which hole flows the most water? Why?

4. Hydro power

There are approximately 200 hydropower plants in Finland. Hydropower accounted for about 4% of Finland’s total energy consumption in 2008.
Hydropower is Finland’s second most widely exploited renewable energy source, after bioenergy.

In 2007 hydropower provided 14% of the renewable energy produced in Finland.

 

Visit at the Isohaara hydropower plant

Isohaara hydroelectric power plant on the river Kemijoki in Kemi, Northern Finland.

 The current capacity is 106 MWe.