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Lake Ontario Project Collaboration

Leo the monster in the Lake Ontario interactive. which includes an Indigenous community and fishing.

In collaboration with three MCYU student facilitators, the Grade 4-5 students of Mrs. Croke’s class at R.A Riddell Elementary have been working together to learn more about Lake Ontario, gaining a deeper understanding of the lake’s past, present and future. With the help of our MCYU student facilitators, the students created an online, interactive science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) project to share their newfound knowledge about the lake. It’s an exploratory journey about the life around, within and of Lake Ontario, featuring quizzes, activities, games and even a rap!

Lake Ontario Project interface. Includes the great lake, an Indigenous community, museum, algal bloom, factory, house, buildings trees. fishing boat, fish, trash, a diver, people on the beach.Picture 1: An overview of the interactive project

We met with Mrs. Croke’s class to talk to her students directly about their experience working on this project. When we asked them what some of the highlights were, they said: being able to draw and write the script for the monster, making fish and collaborating with classmates. They also enjoyed learning about prominent figures, such as Harriet Tubman and Lincoln Alexander.

A woman with trash around her. Text: categories of rights and freedoms.Picture 2: categories of rights and freedoms

What was exciting about this project, was the multidisciplinary approach to learning. The students learned about the past and present of Lake Ontario through paintings. They discovered how deep Lake Ontario is and the different creatures that live in the lake. They created 3D models of fish using TinkerCAD. They even wrote to the mayor about cleaning the lake and received a response!

One challenge that students faced while creating their 3D models was figuring out the dimensions of their fish to create the bodies and skeletons. There was a lot of problem-solving through trial and error! It was also difficult to come up with the rhymes and tongue twisters for the rap, but this was solved through creative collaboration.

3D printed version of food web. Bottom of food web, Level 2 consumers, Level 3 consumers, Runner up monsters, food web quiz.Picture 3: 3D printed lobby

Before we concluded the interview, students wanted to let us know about the importance of saving the lake and ways that you could help continue their efforts:

  1. Don’t pollute the water! It affects both us and the fish, as we can’t live and use the dirty water.
  2. Don’t litter! Pick up your trash, and if there isn’t a trash can nearby, remember to bring it with you until you find one.
  3. Learn more about the different ways the lake can get polluted.

Thank you to all the students for all their hard work making this project! Remember to check out the interactive Lake Ontario Project.

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