Today was a day filled with science [and rain, but it's winter in Washington so that's no shocker!].
Today we continued our exploration of food chemistry by looking at how our food actually moves through our body - the digestive system! We watched a quick video that talks about the parts of the digestive system and the job that each part has. You can view it at home HERE. We looked at what inputs go into our body as well as what comes out - and yes, there is more than just poop (though the kids found it much funnier to think poop was the only thing!). On your planner for tonight, write the two types of energy that come out of our system for bonus points!
This afternoon we took at look at different nutrients we haven't studied yet. So far today we looked at fat, protein, and carbohydrates (starch and glucose). Today we broke into small groups and became "experts" on a vitamin or mineral that is important to our body. Students made posters that explain how the nutrient is helpful to our bodies and what foods contain the vitamins or minerals. Unfinished posters are coming home tonight to get finished and ready to present tomorrow - be on the lookout for those!
Tomorrow is also our first "walking" trip to the North Beach ravine. PLEASE make sure that students are dressed for the weather - we are going rain or shine! - with rain boots, an extra pair of socks, and waterproof jackets. Hats and gloves are encouraged as well!
Have a great evening and stay dry out there!
Showing posts with label Science Fair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Fair. Show all posts
Monday, February 10, 2014
Monday, March 11, 2013
Science Fair Photos
The science fair was last Thursday and I wanted to post some photos from the fair, for those of you that weren't able to make it. I can tell that fourth graders are fascinated by mold because boy, did we have a lot of mold related projects this year! :)
Jimmy studied what type of paper created the BEST paper airplane!
Josh (our 4th grade, 1st place winner!) tested electromagnets!
Julia tested how mold grows on bakery vs. name brand bread - WOW!
Nathan studied mold growth on cut vs. not cut fruits. Don't cut your fruit if you want it to last longer!
Hayley studied the electrical conductivity of different fruit and vegetables.
Jack tested different types of bubble solutions to find out what would last the longest!
Leslie tried out different liquids to mix with soap to create the best bubble. Milk?? I was so surprised!
Charlie studied the number of volts put out by various citrus fruits!
Stewart tested what types of flowers absorbed colors best.
Grant did a field study to decide which type of car (electric or gasoline) was the best value for its lifetime! Adults, take a peek at this one!
Ben wanted to find out how long it would take to teach his old dog a new trick!
Nico tested the senses of people vs. dogs!
Lily wondered what types of surfaces allowed marbles to travel the furthest!
Bailey also studied mold growth on bread with different liquids - I would hate to have to do her dishes with all that mold!
Kara explained all about different soils we could grow plants in best!
Hannah wondered what types of lights allowed plants to grow best!
Quinn studied which type of slime was best! Gross and fun mixed into one!
Taylor studied what type of footwear was best for soccer comfort and performance. I wonder if the Sounders would be interested in her research? I can't imagine they would all wear slippers to their next game though! :)
Mairead wondered what type of ball her dog could find best!
Yumi tried to find out what gender was best at discovering optical illusions!
Annalise grew yeast and used the yeast gas to blow up balloons!
Lauren tested the strength of different bridge designs. One bridge held her dad AND his toolbox! I sense a future architect!
Diego studied most comfortable gaming positions. Gamers - take notice!
Lilja studied where to go to find the most mushroom populations!
Keiana studied light's effect on plant growth!
We all had a ton of fun and can't wait to for next year's science fair!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Spelling/Vocabulary Test Tomorrow!
Our spelling and vocabulary has changed just slightly so that we are incorporating our spelling into our vocabulary and making our lessons last 2 week. All of that means that spelling homework is only due every other week - YAY! :)
This week we do have a spelling/vocabulary quiz - tomorrow, in fact!
Here are our words:
Tomorrow is the science fair judging and set up so please make sure your project is here at the start of the school day so that we can go and set it up together! The students did some great projects this year so I hope you all can make it to view the projects tomorrow night!
This week we do have a spelling/vocabulary quiz - tomorrow, in fact!
Here are our words:
- benefit
- complete
- develop
- dismay
- ease
- hail
- lack
- master
- patriot
- project
- recommend
- remark
- represent
- sufficient
- utter
Tomorrow is the science fair judging and set up so please make sure your project is here at the start of the school day so that we can go and set it up together! The students did some great projects this year so I hope you all can make it to view the projects tomorrow night!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Hypothesis Due Tomorrow
Science fair preparation is in full swing and students have a hypothesis due tomorrow. If you want to get a step ahead, start coming up with your science fair materials list to get a jump on your homework! :)
Students are also expected to have their rough draft of their informational article finished by tomorrow morning so some students may have that with them. It's important that students stay caught up on their writing so that they are getting practice and can use our daily lesson to help improve and continue their writing. Writing is a HUGE focus in 4th grade so it's great to have that support at home! :)
It's important that students are working nightly on their homework to keep up with the expectations in fourth grade. Students are given time to work on their class work daily so any unfinished work is taken home as homework. It is important for students to make sure that they are using their time wisely (as they gain independence) to prepare for middle school and beyond. As we are in the second half of the school year the expectations will be getting more rigorous for students, as I have high, yet achieveable expectations, to prepare for 5th grade. That means we will start transitioning to 5th grade expectations as the spring continues to progress. Make sure you're helping your student work on their homework little bits every night so that they are not overwhelmed with work the night before - procrastination is NOT our friend! :)
Students are also expected to have their rough draft of their informational article finished by tomorrow morning so some students may have that with them. It's important that students stay caught up on their writing so that they are getting practice and can use our daily lesson to help improve and continue their writing. Writing is a HUGE focus in 4th grade so it's great to have that support at home! :)
It's important that students are working nightly on their homework to keep up with the expectations in fourth grade. Students are given time to work on their class work daily so any unfinished work is taken home as homework. It is important for students to make sure that they are using their time wisely (as they gain independence) to prepare for middle school and beyond. As we are in the second half of the school year the expectations will be getting more rigorous for students, as I have high, yet achieveable expectations, to prepare for 5th grade. That means we will start transitioning to 5th grade expectations as the spring continues to progress. Make sure you're helping your student work on their homework little bits every night so that they are not overwhelmed with work the night before - procrastination is NOT our friend! :)
Monday, February 4, 2013
Science Fair Update
Just a couple quick reminders today!
Most of the class came home with their clay map today. Ask them what the different colors mean! If they can tell you, write SS on their planner for bonus table points! This is still valid tomorrow when the rest of the maps come home. :)
- Students should be coming home with a class list of names just in case you're interested in sending in Valentine's Day cards. Just a reminder that there must be one sent for everyone if you're sending them. Since Valentine's Day is on a furlough day, there will NOT be a party happening, just passing out Valentines. Thank you for not sending extra food.
- The Winter Beach Night is THIS Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 and there is an informational flyer that should be coming home with students today if you're interested in coming.
- Any student who is 10 years old is eligible to participate in safety patrol and applications came home today as well. If you're interested, sign the paperwork and turn it in to me so that I can sign it and give it to Mrs. Sherman so she can schedule a training for new patrol members.
- Wednesday is an early release for students - just as an FYI.
Most of the class came home with their clay map today. Ask them what the different colors mean! If they can tell you, write SS on their planner for bonus table points! This is still valid tomorrow when the rest of the maps come home. :)
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Science Fair Registration and Valentines
Yesterday students should have brought home a sheet for you to help them register for the science fair (it is required for 4th and 5th, but registration lets the coordinators know the exact number of participants for set up purposes). In order to do that, please go to http://www.eyesforward.com/fair/ by February 28th. All participants will receive a certificate of participation and the top three projects in each grade will receive an award. Students should have their topics chosen at this point and over the long weekend, their job is to explore their background information, find websites or books that may be useful for the project, and get any background information needed by Monday. Students will be forming their hypothesis by next week so it's important this is done on time to keep up with our schedule. Thanks for helping at home!
Today students will be coming home with a handout of student names in case you are interested in sending Valentines on February 14th. As many of you have realized, February 14th is an early release day with students leaving at 12:35. Due to the early release, we will not be having a Valentines "party" but students will have time to distribute and exchange Valentines. I do ask that if you're sending Valentines into class, that you send one for EVERY child in the class. Thank you for your support!
Well it's a long weekend - three relaxing days ahead so make the most of them and hopefully we can enjoy some of the (predicted) nice weather! See you Monday!
Today students will be coming home with a handout of student names in case you are interested in sending Valentines on February 14th. As many of you have realized, February 14th is an early release day with students leaving at 12:35. Due to the early release, we will not be having a Valentines "party" but students will have time to distribute and exchange Valentines. I do ask that if you're sending Valentines into class, that you send one for EVERY child in the class. Thank you for your support!
Well it's a long weekend - three relaxing days ahead so make the most of them and hopefully we can enjoy some of the (predicted) nice weather! See you Monday!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Class Pictures and Science Fair
Class pictures are scheduled for February 7th - next Thursday - and picture packets came home yesterday if you're interested in purchasing class pictures. Please try to make sure that your student is here next Thursday to make sure they will be in our class photo - there are no make ups!
Science fair packets also came home yesterday. Students should have a white packet (that is to keep at home for you to look over to have some background information in the science fair and what the expectations are) and an orange packet that is to be kept in their binder at all times. This is where students will keep all of their information during the science fair preparation. The science fair is REQUIRED of all fourth grade students so please make sure that students are working with you to have access to materials AND to plan/execute their science experiment or field study. The projects are due March 6th and the science fair is March 7th. ALL of the information you should need is in the packets students have, but if there are any questions, feel free to email me and ask. I will be giving students small due dates along the way to make sure they are staying on track - it seems like March 6th is a long ways away but it will definitely sneak up on us quickly so this is something that needs to be worked on in little bits along the way. The first due date is tomorrow (Wednesday) where students need to have a general topic picked out and an idea of what experiment or field study they plan on completing. No plans or hypotheses need to be done, simply a topic is all.
Thanks for your support of our 4th grade scientists!
Science fair packets also came home yesterday. Students should have a white packet (that is to keep at home for you to look over to have some background information in the science fair and what the expectations are) and an orange packet that is to be kept in their binder at all times. This is where students will keep all of their information during the science fair preparation. The science fair is REQUIRED of all fourth grade students so please make sure that students are working with you to have access to materials AND to plan/execute their science experiment or field study. The projects are due March 6th and the science fair is March 7th. ALL of the information you should need is in the packets students have, but if there are any questions, feel free to email me and ask. I will be giving students small due dates along the way to make sure they are staying on track - it seems like March 6th is a long ways away but it will definitely sneak up on us quickly so this is something that needs to be worked on in little bits along the way. The first due date is tomorrow (Wednesday) where students need to have a general topic picked out and an idea of what experiment or field study they plan on completing. No plans or hypotheses need to be done, simply a topic is all.
Thanks for your support of our 4th grade scientists!
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