Exploring ancient stories of the night sky

Zareh Demirdji Community, Experiential Learning, Native Studies, Science and Math

Visitor to the YMCA Academy Astronomy class shares stories about constellations in the night sky.

Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences. As long as humans have been able to look up at the sky, we have done so, wondering what our place is in the universe, where we came from, and how the universe itself came to be. Many (if not all) ancient civilizations have creation stories of how the universe came to be, and of constellations and celestial objects. As we started our new unit of Earth and Space exploration, we had the pleasure of having master orator Jim Adams share Aboriginal stories about celestial objects, constellations, and the universe as a whole.

We first heard a story about Sky Woman, which connected the Earth and the sky. Next, we heard about Atima and Atchaksuk, the dog and light/star respectively. Lastly, we heard three stories about constellations. The first story was one about a wolf which related to the little dipper. The second story was about Mista Muskwa (the big bear) which is commonly known as Ursa Major which has the Big Dipper as part of it. The last story was about the Pleiades constellation. By the end of the class, students were still thirsty for more stories. We may have to call in Jim again in order to appease the students’ desire to hear more Aboriginal stories.

Chemistry students explore properties of compounds

Zareh Demirdji Experiential Learning, Science and Math

The atom is the basic unit of matter. All the elements in the universe are made up of atoms, each possessing its own set of physical and chemical properties. The grade 9 chemistry unit is all about exploring matter. Throughout the unit, students are introduced to the atom and the characteristics of its subatomic particles, the periodic table, and most importantly, the information the periodic table holds about the physical and chemical properties of elements.

The grade 9 science class set out to experiment and observe the physical and chemical properties of a set of four chemical compounds in order to determine which of them, if any, are part of the same family. Students ran a series of chemical reactions and recorded their observations in order to determine the answer and to justify it with evidence.

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Toronto musicians visit Academy music class

YMCA Academy Arts, Community, Experiential Learning

This semester, for the first time, The YMCA Academy is offering a music class. As part of the learning experience, the class welcomed two special guests in the first weeks of the semester: singer-songwriters Luke Correia-Damude from the band PEERS, and Graydon James of the group The Young Novelists.

Luke shared with students his approach to writing songs, and demonstrated how a song starts as an idea and builds into a finished product. “I liked the songs he sang,” says Lita, a student in the class. “They were real.” Ben, another music student at the Academy, agrees. “I liked the music that he made,” he says. “I’d never seen that before.”

Graydon focused his visit on the experience of being a live performer. He discussed stagecraft, and explained how musicians set up tours and make a living through their art. “He was a pretty cool guy to have,” Ben says. “I didn’t know you can travel to different cities. This was new for me.” Lita adds, “I just liked hearing stories about how he toured.”

Inviting people from the community into our school is a vital way to provide authentic, experiential learning opportunities. This is especially important in the arts; hearing a wide variety of creative voices helps our students shape their craft and discover their inner artist.

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Governor General visits the Academy

YMCA Academy Academics, English and Humanities, Experiential Learning, YMCA of Greater Toronto

On Friday, The YMCA Academy welcomed a very special guest: Canada’s Governor-General, the Right Honourable David Johnston, visited the school while on a tour of the Toronto Central Grosvenor Street YMCA Centre.

The Governor-General visited a Civics class and chatted with the students about Canada’s government, his memories of school days, and a recent trip to Alert, Nunavut.

Unique experiences like these have a discernible impact on learning; the Civics students are still buzzing about the Governor-General’s visit, and Monday’s class was filled with insightful questions about the structure of Canada’s government.

Grade 9 English – Y News

YMCA Academy English and Humanities, Experiential Learning

As part of their culminating assignment, the Academy’s Grade 9 Locally Developed English class created “Y News” — a student-created newscast.

Students used their research, planning, writing, editing, speaking, and collaboration skills to create the finished product. They were rightly proud of what they achieved; presenting a creative challenge is a great way to reach new heights as a learner. “I learned how write a newscast and to speak better,” said one student newscaster. “I learned that not too speak fast. I also learned about ideas that came into my head, and I found that I became more creative for the newscast.”

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