Grade 3 is inquiring into earth systems and the ways they interact and change. We are learning that natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis are sudden changes in earth systems and have been talking about how they can affect people and places. We visited the Abeno Life Safety Center to learn more about what people do to be safe in emergencies like this. Some parts were scary for us, and other parts were fun- but overall we thought the field trip was full of learning. We really liked learning how to use a fire extinguisher! Back at school, we have been thinking about the ways we can set up our class and school to be safer.

Grade 4 – The Abeno Life Safety Center was a great place for students to learn many things about different natural disasters in Japan and how to be safe. Students could experience an earthquake simulation, learn what to do if they are trapped in an elevator in an earthquake, see if their neighbourhood is at risk for flooding, and reflect on how to be safe in general. It was a good opportunity to see an application of our central idea: People apply knowledge to understand how Earth’s systems and human societies interact.