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.

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.

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.

Selected Older Projects Archive

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.”

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.

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.

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.