Mass Matters

We made predictions...

I think what will happen is that the golf ball is going to push the jello box further than the little bouncy ball because the golf ball is heaver than the little bouncy ball. One ball is huge and one is small. The bouncy ball is the small ball and the big ball is the golf ball.

- Jackson

In our team we did not change the jello box.

It was on it's side!

It was always flat!!!!

-Emma

Then we reflected and, sometimes were spot on or were surprise by the results!

I think the big one will have more impact because it is bigger and slower. The small one will have more impact because it is faster and smaller and lighter. Instead of the smaller one having bigger impact I was wrong because it actually went slower. I set the box sideways. I was not surprised at what happened because it worked just like I thought. The big ball had more impact. 

- Caleb

The golf ball/ ball 1 just went down and it pushed the Jello box 1 inch. Now the bouncy ball hit the Jello box 4 inches. My team placed the Jello box standing up straight. Then I was surprised that my guess was wrong. After my team and I were done we saw how much IMPACT the balls gave and my team and I saw that the most IMPACT made was by the golf ball.

- Karma

Forward movement

Please support us as we move further into new science areas! The books I have listed are focused in an area that we currently don't have many resources. Anything you can do to help, IF you follow the link enter the code SPARK and your donation will be matched dollar for dollar!!

Donor's Choose

Force and Motion

Yesterday we started our new science unit focusing on Force and Motion.

We looked at three different images and picked one to focus on. This was to get out brains thinking again about how objects move. After taking some time to focus our thoughts and ask questions, the students jotted their ideas and diagrams. We had a discussion and everyone shared out their ideas about motion. 

Today, I posed a question to the group: How does your force affect the motion of the bandana? The students had one minute, or until the bandana hit the taped mark, to "tug". Sorry for any hurting fingers at home tonight!! We were able to complete two GREAT trials. Discussing our observations and questioning what we saw.  In the videos, watch the X on the floor and the location of the bandana!

After the first trial, it was noticed that everyone had really red faces. Ben thought it was because everyone was pulling really hard. When he said that we watched the recording with a new focus: if everyone is pulling hard, what's going on with the bandana? Courtney noticed that, for the most part, it stayed where it was above the X. Balanced force is when force is applied to an object from both sides equally; it won't really move.

The second trial, we decided as a class to change the experiment parameters. The teams of 9 became 5 and some students opted to wear gloves, Levi was the only one to text what the rope felt like running through a gloved hand. This time, instead of 34 seconds Team B got the bandana to their taped line in 5! But what made the trials so different?? Even though the teams were even, how did they get so much more force? Unbalanced force appears when one side applies a greater amount of force to an object than the opposite side. 

Next week we will start exploring motion stations and what can affect the motion of an object!

Monday, Day 2

Welcome back! 

My hope is that everyone had a wonderful and relaxing vacation. 

I know I for one am excited to be back!

Homework:

Study Link 11.3

This evening's activity is one of exploration. They should be able to find cylindrical objects around the house to use for the activity- even if it's a can of soup! Today's lesson was a review of finding area of triangles and rectangles, so getting this much more practice with area of circles and 

volume of cylinders will be great!

I introduced the Digestive system today in a GREAT discussion where I was able to apply discussion strategies I have learned through my work with Talk Science! Using these strategies, I ask the students to tell me a little more about what they're saying, to explain their thinking. I rephrase their response to make sure I understand and check with them to make sure I'm on the right track. These strategies focus on giving the responses back to the students; I hope to be able to step away, when the time is right of course, and let each of the kids be the center of the discussion!!

 Everyone did an AWESOME job connecting this system to others in the body. More students to name connected function to organ after just a brief introduction that I was even able to introduce basic scientific names of functions!!

I am very eager to continue this system with the students. 

:)

Classroom Expectations

Right up at the front, like a shiny new penny! 

As I said before, I am doubly excited to have this opportunity because I have been learning all these great discussion strategies through Talk Science and hadn't yet been able to utilize them. Throwing questions back to the students, allowing them to answer each other's questions to use the language we have been learning; to state their opinions or predictions with support are just a few of the strategies I have brought in so far!

Cannot wait to continue digging deeper :) 

Classroom Expectations

Since last fall, I have been working with the Maine Science Partnership learning strategies to help deepen discussions around science. Part of those strategies include creating expectations that the students will be held to as they move through the grades. Now that I am working with a classroom, I am so excited to be able to apply what I have been learning all year.

Tomorrow I will be sharing with the students my expectations. My expectations are in place to support learning and help with the transition to my teaching; it is important to me that everyone to knows my expectations are the same as Mrs. Daniel's in order to maintain and respectful learning environment. 

Next week we getting more into our Motion and Design unit, not with a new build but applying different forces to our vehicles! As a class we will also be talking more about our predictions for the experiment, observations we noted and how the results differed, if they did so, from our predictions! The discussion we will have should help the student's get their thoughts organized and lead to thoughtful writing products!

I am very excited about digging deeper and looking forward to hearing their thoughts!