Calgary Board of Education

School Showcase

Over the years, the students and teachers of Glendale school have been working on innovative and exciting projects. The projects archived here provide a starting point for further innovative projects to come.

School Year 2008 - 2009
	What does it mean to be "Normal?" We have been investigating the notion of normalcy and how our understanding of the world is filtered through our various experiential lenses. We have searched for an understanding of how those perspectives change through generational shifts and in the experiental development of our lives.
	Fueling the Planet The Grade 4 classes are looking into the question "What do we really need?" Our work has centred around the idea of food, or fuel. In this work, we have explored the social, environmental and health issues and concerns around food in the past, present and future. What are we eating and what does it mean for our world?
	Living Well Together Finding out about ourselves as Canadians is a rich starting point for understanding other cultures. Grade Five and Six students are exploring the questions, "What does our role in Afghanistan tell us about ourselves as Canadians?" and, "What does it mean to live well together?"
	Worlds Together, Worlds Apart What can we do as students to bring us closer together as global citizens? By understanding our own community, we can have a stronger understanding of other communities. We started by looking at our own learning community, learning about mathematics, patterns and robotics.
	Moonstruck! The Kindergarten students have been exploring the moon. There is so much to learn about the moon: from the scientific research to how the moon appears in stories across cultures. The students have been reaching for the moon!
	What is Childhood? The Grade one students have been exploring all aspects of childhood. Check out what we've done so far on colours and robotics. Our site will be changing regularly so be sure to check back frequently.
	Music 2008-2009 Music is such an important part every child's experience at Glendale School. Students sing, move, dance and play instruments to learn about the joy of making music in a supportive community and about the techniques. The music program reaches out to support the inquiry in the school.
School Year 2007 - 2008
	The Allegory of the Cave: How We Change as Our Experiences Change What do caves, shadows, robots and rainbows have to do with Grade 1? This year, EVERYTHING! Click here to see what we've been up to in Grade 1 in 2007/08!
	Beyond the Shadows: The Allegory of the Cave Our inquiry into what lies beyond the shadows has engaged and encouraged the Grade 5 students to look past the appearances and shadows of what we perceive and to strive to understand the multiplicity of things.
	Earth In Balance Look around... Do you notice how many people are recycling? Do you see people turning off lights? Do you see anyone conserving water? These simple decisions can change our ecological footprint. Is it enough? What more must we do? Grade four students are learning about and taking action to reduce the largest ecological footprint in Canada - Calgary's.
	What is Time? Unbeknownst to where this question would lead them, the grade 6 students asked their teachers, ‘What is Time?’ From the literal to the phenomenological, this inquiry continues to unfold.
	Do You See What I See? How does one make manifest what cannot otherwise be seen? In Kindergarten we are looking out of our new glass windows to see the world. In our study of the world, we find reoccurring themes, reoccurring types of people/characters and this knowledge better prepares us in dealings with others. If we turn the lens inward, we will be looking to better understand ourselves and others through the use of Carl Jung's archetypes, mandellas, a mini portrait inquiry, and so much more... As we learn more about what makes us unique, we can better appreciate our differences and celebrate our many special gifts. So now on closer look, “Do You See What I See?”
	Through the Glass Glass is everywhere and used for many different purposes. How can this one material be used for so many different things? How does man manipulate this material to fit with all these different purposes? The Grade 2’s will take a closer, in depth look at a material we look through every day. How does glass affect the way we physically see the world around us?
	How Does Art Tell a Story? Our inquiry, ‘How does art tell a story?’, encompasses many areas of the Grade Three curriculum. By looking at the lives of artists, such as Emily Carr, Leonardo da Vinci, and Vincent van Gogh, and studying the elements of Art composition, we are not only focussing on the Fine Art strands of the curriculum but also developing language skills and global awareness. The students discovered that research suggests that the average person only looks at a piece of art for less than thirty seconds. Understanding that our fast-paced society leads to only viewing things superficially, the students wanted to take the time and learn how to “slow down.”
	Glendale Music Program Music is such an important part every child's experience at Glendale School. Students sing, move, dance and play instruments to learn about the joy of making music in a supportive community and about the techniques and concepts important for students who wish to continue their musical education in Jr. High. The music program reaches out to support the inquiry in the school.
School Year 2006-2007
	Glentopia - A New World Order Imagine! Thirty-three new land masses have emerged from under the depths of our existing oceans. Through the minds of children we discover the true significance of Utopia and what it means to achieve perfection. Step inside and take a ride to “Glentopia” - a New World Order. The following is a continuation of the grade 6 “Remembering Our Future” inquiry.
	Glendale Music Program In the Glendale music program students are learning about and experiencing various aspects of music. Students are playing many different instruments, singing songs, and are enjoying many musical elements. Check out this website to see some of the things we are working on!
	FinS 2007 Fish in Schools has returned to Glendale for another year. We are currently raising 104 active and healthy little rainbow trout. Ideas are flowing in our grade three classrooms. We're really rock-in' with good work and egging our little fishies on.
	Number Devil The grade 4 students are exploring the adventurous world of numbers with Robert, the main character in Hans Magnus Enzensberger's book The Number Devil.
	Stop and Smell the Roses Too often we rush through our lives, seeing but not truly taking the time observe closely. What is beneath our feet? What world of mystery awaits us when we pay attention to the things that are so common and usual? With a magnifying glass, a surprise appears around every corner and under every rock. Come with us on an exploration of the normal and the usual... or so you thought!
	Calgary Reaches 1,000,000 What happens when a city that was designed for 250,000 people has to support a population explosion? How are lives affected when Calgary reaches and passes 1,000,000 people? Traffic jams, emergency wait-times, sewer and water concerns, recreation facility usage and a shortage of service employees all change the quality of our lives. What about those who have always found it difficult to find support in our city? How has the increase in population changed their lives? What can we do about it?
	Old World / New World When you move to a new place, you need to decide what you are going to take with you and what you are going to leave behind. This refers to both physical items as well as traditions. These queries are guiding the Grade 2’s studies throughout the year as we focus on the different Canadian communities. In order to have a deeper understanding of our present communities, we felt it necessary to look at the past. This led us to the study of the Renaissance Era.
	What do we treasure? From pirates to waste, from superficial to something of value, we have come a long way in realizing that what we treasure is something that we hold close to our hearts and we cannot live without. We have also recognized that all treasures have a story and it is this story that keeps history alive.
	Remembering our Future "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it." --George Santayana We are interested in looking at Utopia, can it be achieved and if we could, would we want to create Utopia? We're looking at the civilizations from Ancient Greece to modern day cities to answer our questions.
	Alice in Wonderland The grade one students are exploring literature, storytelling, mathematics, artwork, and robotics through the story of Alice in Wonderland.
	The Power of Place Have you ever wondered how your environment affects how you relate to the other living beings around you? By looking at endangered animals in four distinct countries, the Grade Threes have begun inquiring about The Power of Place and how animals and humans lives are interconnected through their shared environments.
School Year 2005-2006
	What Mark Do We Leave? The Grade 4 students presented What Mark Do We Leave via video conference at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The grade 3 and 4 students have been looking at the marks that we leave both on the earth and on each other. The grade 3's are exploring pollution of rivers here and in the countries of Peru, Tunisia, The Ukraine and India. The grade 3 and 4's together are looking at ways to help make change here and globally. We are studying Human Rights Issues such as child labour, poverty and overall quality of life.
	What's In a Name? We started the school year off involved in the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up. We were assigned to Griffith Woods. Students wondered if there was a Mr. Griffith? Who was he and why did he have a park named after him? Knowing that students needed to know the geography of this great province (the grade 4’s) and country (the grade 5’s) we thought – aha, we’ll ask them “What’s In A Name?”
	TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup Glendale School went to Griffith Woods in September 2005 to help refresh a local ecological space which had been impacted by the spring floods. There were many activities that children were involved in during that day. By picking up one piece of litter, one class suddenly discovered they were part of an international GPS game!
	Dualities in Nature Throughout history, our knowledge of the world seems to always sit inside the concept of "2". The Grade 2's have been exploring the dualities of me and you, chaos and serenity, truth and imagination, past and future, home and away and the consequences from our good and bad choices. Environmental literacy and the power of story has been a major focus in our work. Join us in our year long exploration!
	FinS 2006 The Grade 3 students have once again taken the position of foster parents of 100 rainbow trout. During our study of lifecycles we will raise these trout from eyed egg stage to alevin to fingerlings.
	Against the Stars At the beginning of the school year the grade 6 students, along with the rest of Glendale School, participated in the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean Up. Shortly after, Hurricane Katrina roared into existence having huge impact on the environment. Our students were so concerned about the impact of natural disasters that this developed into our inquiry: Against the Stars which originates from Latin: dis- (to move away from) + astro (star, from astrum).
	Graffiti: Art or Crime? The grade 6 students were asked to pilot a web site on Responsible Citizenship Through Safety Education, focusing on graffiti. What better way to study levels of government, particularly local government? We spent several months looking at the many viewpoints around the topic of graffiti. Is it an art? Is it a crime? Or is the truth somewhere in between?
	Flower Power Just as plants express themselves with flowers, so do people express themselves through art. The Kindergarten students have tackled the large questions including what is the relationship between people and plants, why is art a part of human existence and how are plants made known to us through the arts? Join us on our journey of discovery regarding this topic as we acquire knowledge on this subject.
	Perspective: Zoom In! Grade One students have begun an inquiry centering on PERSPECTIVE. Using the art of photography and exploring what can be captured through a lens, we are comparing what we see with what others see and pondering why people look at the world around them differently. Coming soon...
	Water: The Source of Life Our water study began with a visit to the Glenbow Museum. We were fascinated that there was a link with what is happening upstream with what happens downstream. Many questions developed about the many aspects of the Bow River. The study involved researching topics of interest, exploring artwork that tied in light and shadow, plants, and water, as well as constructing robots that could work around the Bow River. We learned many interesting facts through our study.
	The Eighth Wonder Who would have thought that the interests, and information shared from our pen pals in Dubai would lead to such an exploration in a Calgary classroom? Our class has been pen pals with a group of students at the Dubai American Academy since September 2004. It has been through this correspondence that we have all become quite intrigued with the current water developments in Dubai, namely The Palm Islands, The World Islands, The Burj, and the Hydropolis Hotel.
School Year 2004-2005
	It's About Time - Grade 3 Even though the understanding of time still eludes our grasp, time impacts everything we do. From the dawn of civilization, humans have struggled to understand the nature of the universe. People throughout the ages have formulated ideas of time and have created measuring devices to account for the passage of time. The Grade 3 classes embarked on an inquiry to examine their understanding of the concept of time and how it is connected to Math, Science, and Language Arts.
	Active Heroes Have you ever wondered what it takes to be the best in the world? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk in the footsteps of your hero? Do you have a hero? From Terry Fox to Wayne Gretzky…from Nadia Comaneci to Jonathan Dockman…explore the attributes of these and many more. You’ll come to understand that we all have many powerful attributes within ourselves; it’s what we decide to do with them that sets us apart from the ordinary.
	Kindergarten Storytelling It has been a busy year in the Kindergarten classroom. Our math inquiry led us into our storytelling work. During our work with storytelling the Kindergarten children created their own stories, acted it out and used photodraw to illustrate their work. The kindergarten children have been enthusiastic learners and are excited about sharing their work with you.
	Mysteries of the Maya Imagine a place where crossed eyes and slanted foreheads are considered beautiful. Where a ball game would determine if you lived or died. And where humans were sacrificed on a regular basis. The Grade Two students at Glendale School are exploring the mysteries of the Maya. They have been learning about the Maya writing and math systems, Maya beauty and daily life and how and why the Maya abandoned their beautiful cities two thousand years ago.
	Robotics - Grade 5 and 6 Join the Grade 5 and 6 classes for their latest Robotics Challenge! Can they get to the window in time? Can they find and repair the smashed wall? Enter and see!
	Ancient Egypt in Grade 1 Have you ever wondered about the secrets of preserving the past and the present? How is our world today connected to the mysteries of ancient civilizations? The Grade One students at Glendale School are exploring the world and secrets of Ancient Egypt. They are discovering how stories, myths, mathematics, ways of life, knowledge and rituals have been passed down through generations and kept alive.
School Year 2003-2004
	Boats & Robotics The grade 2 students were sent on a voyage. It began by listening to a storyteller spin a tale about Grace O'Mally. There was then a slide show of grandparents sailing from the Florida Keys into the Carribean. This interest in boats and voyages led into a closer study of the scientific principles of boats and bouyancy.
	FinS: Raise to Release Glendale is one of 3 C.B.E. schools participating a provincial education program conducted by the Bow Habitiat Station at Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery. Over the course of 4 to 5 months our students will monitor the development and growth of 100 rainbow trout; from egg to fry in a school aquarium. Look at our FinS page to see how our 100 foster fry are doing. We've named (almost) every one. (Note: This site has been updated and extended in 2004-2005.)
	Frankenstein A story comes to life in more ways than one. The grade 4/5 and 5/6 classes began their journey by reading the story of Frankenstein. Soon, conversation was flying – Do scientists have moral obligations? Who controls scientific knowledge? Is making a human okay? Just because we can, does it mean we should? Students soon began an anatomy investigation, holding debates around current moral issues, and decided to make a movie. “Everything in moderation Frankenstein. Nothing in moderation Clerval.”
	Greek Myths and Robotics Our inquiry into building and robotics began at the beginning of the school year when we were looking at what makes a good story with our Kindergartens, Grade Ones and Twos. As we began Our Journey we found that the kids were intrigued by Greek myths. When our students heard the story of Icarus and Daedalus in the story Wings they decided to become inventors themselves. This is a continuation of Our Journey Into the Unknown.
	Human Rights The grade six students have been looking at a variety of human rights issues. They have found at least two sides to every story to investigate the "grey" area between different opinions.
	Hundred Acre Wood The Stories of "Winnie the Pooh" have engaged children all over the world since they were first published in 1929. The reasons for this popularity are many. It has a universal charm, while teaching many of life's lessons. Bears and Teddy Bears have a lasting attraction in the hearts of children and adults alike. Our school being located in Calgary, Canada is very close to the Rockies, which is a natural habitat for bears (Grizzlies and Black Bears). We are not that far from the Polar Bears, as well.
	Kindergarden Storytelling "One day, once upon a time, a long time ago there were people who needed stories. There was nothing to learn..." The Kindergarden storytelling festival started with the story of Anansy. She must find the Mask of Adventure, Mask of Truthfulness and the Mask of Dreams and Imagination. There are some wild and scary Kindergarden stories here for you to read.
	Middle Ages In our busy, high tech life in 21st century Calgary, why would anybody be interested in learning about the Middle Ages? Well, we have some ideas. Did you know that if you learn about life in a medieval castle, you can learn many things about why we live the way we do today? Do you know that it took people in England hundreds and hundreds of years to learn to read and write? Today, we expect every 7 year old to be well on the way. In King Arthur's time, hardly anyone, including all the knights and King Arthur himself, knew the secrets of a written language.
	Swift Runner and The Monster Bear Kindergarten 2003/2004 After hearing and falling in love with the Native Legend Swift Runner and the Monster Bear, the Kindergarten students explored topics such as storytelling, symbols, and Native American Culture.
School Year 2002-2003
	Learning Art Through a Study of the Masters At Glendale we include art as a part of our every-day inquiry work. For example, when the grade six students were studying trees and forests, we looked at how the Group of Seven masters painted the forests of Western Canada.
The only thing on Grendel's mother's mind is... REVENGE!	The Art of Storytelling The Grade 1/2 A class has been working on a storytelling inquiry since January. We have read lots of amazing and interesting stories, including stories about dragons and about King Arthur. We had the opportunity to listen to some professional storytellers too. We heard "Beowulf" and some African folk stories. We decided as a class to create our own stories. We decided to showcase the stories we wrote by: acting out the stories, telling the stories, creating books.
	Graphing at Glendale Every picture tells a story. Graphs tell a math story in pictures. Young children need to learn about the concept of graphing but this is sometimes challenging. In our inquiry we wondered if we could facilitate this learning and make it engaging by using various technologies. For the students this inquiry is to answer the important questions: What are graphs? Why are graphs important?
	Greek Culture It's 2003 - The 21st Century. Why on earth would we want to look at a civilization that is 5000 years old? The current war in Iraq gives us some clues as to why it is important to study history. We take some aspects of our life for granted: democracy, trial by jury, the importance and rights of the individual, rational thought, public debate, scientific inquiry, writing, sports...It is tempting to think that everyone in the world should think, and act, the way we do. But our world view was shaped by Greek culture and values. When we understand the roots of our own thinking, it is easier to understand that cultures like Iraq have their own deep roots in Arab culture.
	Our Journey Into the Unknown Have you ever imagined monsters under the bed? If so, you are not that different from the early Greek explorers. To them, the unknown was full of monsters and strange dangers like crushing rocks that would trap unwary sailors. Website on Jason and the Argonauts, monsters and more... Planning using IO inquiry process
	Homesteading Students are researching and recreating imaginative journals to document a possible journey a young immigrant child may have taken from their homeland to Canada West. They have been reading historical fiction in order to understand how fact can be woven into stories to create a realistic setting. Students have attempted to include facts about the voyage across the Atlantic, the immigration process, colonist cars and covered wagons. They will continue this journal as they simulate life, for the first year, on a homestead.
	Mission to Mars For all of man's history, humans have wondered are we the only ones in the universe? Mars has been the object of speculation for centuries as to whether life exists there. Mars is similar enough to Earth in many ways. It has systems of air, water, ice and geology that interact to produce an environment in which life could possibly survive. It has captured the human imagination for centuries and this has led to the creation of mythology and science fiction stories. These events offer an excellent opportunity for students to inquire into a variety of questions and to tie into many curriculum areas.
	Out of the Ashes The summer of 2003 was devastating in western North America due to a series of massive forest fires. The Grade 4/5, 5/6 and 6 classes have undertaken an inquiry into the far-reaching implications of these forest fires. Join us as we look at both the negative and positive aspects of forest fires in our world.
School Year 2001-2002
	Hobbit In the spring of 2002, a class of spirited ten-year-olds informed their teachers they wanted to make a movie of Tolkien’s classic tale of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Shot in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, as well as on Calgary community and school locations, the story closely follows the unexpected adventure of Bilbo and parallels the journey of discovery the students made through the making of the film. This site chronicles their journey and invites you to think about the power of inquiry to change the world.
$Students solving a math problem.$	Math Fair Glendale School successfully held their first ever math fair May 16, 2002. The whole school was involved as parents and guests journeyed through the school exploring the world of mathematics through intriguing games and puzzles. Visit the puzzles and problems page to try some of the puzzles and problems that were presented at the math fair. Also be sure to visit the photo album from the math fair to see math in action.
	Robotics Robotics education offers a rich opportunity for students to engage in problem solving and cooperative learning. Although robotics is not mandated by the curriculum it integrates many specific learning expectations and objectives, especially in the areas of math, science and technology. Working with robotics materials, students have the opportunity to develop authentic experiences with pre-engineering concepts and a meaningful understanding of how technology works.
School Year 2000-2001
	Camelot Arthur was a legendary British King who is featured in medieval romances, along with the knights of the famous Round Table of Camelot. A unit of study was designed around this theme of Camelot and you are invited to join us in our learning journey.
	Clouds on a Bottle "We painted bottles with clouds because in Science we were leaning about clouds. In art class we painted surrealism paintings of daytime skies and nighttime landscapes," says Sydney M., a grade five student.