Weather Unit

We've been learning all about weather. Students experimented with the wind by blowing bubbles and flying kites. We discussed wind direction, what makes wind, and the impact wind has on our changing weather.

 Students also had to work with a partner to design, build, and test a parachute when learning about air pressure. Here is the designing process. 

In this video, they are testing their parachutes to see if they fly, how fast they fly, and if the "food" they're bringing to firefighters stays in the basket."

We also learned about temperature and how to read a thermometer. We discussed the weather patterns throughout each season, and students learned about the impact weather has on our daily lives.

Sound and Light Investigations

We just finished a fun unit on Sound and Light. The first part of the project focused on sound. The learning goal of the sound unit was for students to be able to identify sound sources, explain the difference between volume and pitch, and understand that sound travels from the source to the receiver.

First, students practiced identifying sound sources. They took turns with a partner to drop objects and identify what object (i.e. coin, pencil, ball, etc.) made that sound. 

Next, we practiced making sounds and changing the volume and the pitch. We learned that the longer the tube or string, the lower the pitch. We also learned that the harder we tap the tube or pluck the string, the louder the volume will be. 

Last, we learned about how sound travels from the sound source to the sound receiver. We made spoon gongs and played telephone.

The second part of our unit focused on light. The learning goal of this portion of the unit was to identify how shadows are made. Students were given flashlights and a variety of objects and given the task to make a shadow. They really enjoyed making different shadows. They learned that shadows are made when an object is placed in front of a light source. 

The students learned so much in this unit! It was a lot of fun to teach, too! 

Fall Party Day

We had so much fun on Friday! We celebrated our Fall Party in the afternoon--complete with a donut competition (Ghosts vs. Bats), eating witch's brew, spider hat craft, and pin-the-nose-on-the-jack-o-lantern! However, we didn't wait until the party to have fun... In the morning, we had a school-wide assembly, celebrating students with perfect attendance, Students of the Month, and Character Kids. Then, we dissected plants to identify and label plant parts. We also wrote about How to Carve a Jack-o-Lantern. Of course, in order to do this, we had to actually carve a pumpkin, with the help of Ms. Foster! The kids had so much fun, especially on the "scooping the guts" part. See the video for some highlights of the fun day! Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween weekend!