In Science Class . . . Week of 12/12

4th Grade: Quizzes will be going home this week. The material was a struggle for some students, so if your student would like to retake the quiz, I am available before and after school and during lunch on Wednesday and Friday. (Unfortunately, I teach through morning recess so that's not an option). We went over the quiz, and correct answers are written down. If students are still confused, please have them come visit me and we can go over it!

We also will be continuing our explorations of wind energy and turbine design! See the previous post for more details. It's been a huge hit with the students, and many of them are working very well in pairs to design interesting and efficient turbine blades!

5th Grade: The students are finishing up their planet advertising campaigns. We've been imagining that there is now a booming space tourism industry and they were in charge of creating a brochure or poster to attract tourists to their planet. This has helped students understand how planets in our solar system are unique and similar, and has helped them envision what it would be like to have humans visit and stay on their planet. Many of the planets create challenges for life, including very hot or very cold temperatures, differences in or lack of atmosphere, radically different surface compositions and gravitational pull.

• What planet did you study?
• How is this planet similar to or different from Earth?
• What sort of "attractions" did you create for your tourists?
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 12/5

4th Grade: The fourth graders this week have been wrapping up our unit on magnetism and electricity. The students took (or will take) an open notebook assessment on circuits, magnetism, and electromagnets. For the fun stuff, we are spending the rest of our science time before break designing wind turbines and testing them for electrical output! As part of a teacher education program at Chabot Space and Science Center, I acquired supplies for building wind turbines. The students will be testing different sizes and shapes of blades, and using a multimeter to measure how much electricity is generated when the blades are tested using a fan. So far, it's been great!

• How does motion generate electricity? (The motion can move a magnet in an electromagnet to generate electricity.)
• What blade shape on your wind turbine worked the best?
  
• Why is wind energy a renewable energy source? (Unlike fossil fuels, wind energy does not get depleted. It is also beneficial because it doesn't release pollution.)

5th Grade: We continue our work on understanding the solar system. We are creating advertising campaigns for each planet, envisioning that tourists may actually be able to visit other planets. Students are making posters and brochures that explain why each planet is unique.

In Science Class . . . Week of 11/28

5th Grade: This week, we started investigations in the solar system. Students worked with cards with each of the components of our solar system on them, including comets, planets, satellites, asteroids and the sun. On the back of each of these cards is important information about the object's mass, diameter, composition, distance from sun and temperatures. We worked on organizing them in order from the sun, and next week will work on other sorting skills. Key questions to ask:

• What is the order of the planets? (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Pluto is now classified as a dwarf planet.)
• What is the difference between the inner and outer planets? (Inner planets are rocky and solid, while outer planets are made of gas.)
• What is the largest planet? (Jupiter) The smallest? (Mercury)
• What planets have very high surface temperatures? (Those closest to the sun, though Venus is hotter than Mercury because it has an atmosphere that helps it retain heat.)
• Why don't the earth and other objects fly off into outer space? (Because of the sun's gravitational pull)
• Why do the moon and man-made satellites continue to orbit around the earth? (Because of gravitational pull of the earth.)

4th Grade: This week, we will review series and parallel circuits and began some exploration of electromagnets. Later in the week, we'll look at how the number of winds of the wire of an electromagnet affects it's strength. We'll also discuss the uses of electromagnets in engineering many of the gadgets we use every day!

• What are the differences between parallel and series circuits? (Parallel circuits allow for multiple pathways of electricity, which results in more electricity going towards the bulb or motor. Series circuits require that multiple bulbs/motors share a pathway, which means the bulbs are dimmer or the motors go slower. For reference, the bulbs in your house are on a parallel circuit - they can be bright at the same time, and if one goes out, they don't all go out! By comparison, those old Christmas lights are on a series circuit where if one bulb goes out, none of them work. )
• What is an electromagnet? (One can induce magnetism in an iron object by wrapping a wire around it and hooking it up to a electricity source. We used a iron needle-like thing hooked to a battery to pick up washers.)
• What is the advantage of an electromagnet? What are they used for in every day life? (Electromagnets can be turned on and off, unlike permanent magnets. They are used in everything from doorbells to junk yards to many electronics.)
  

In Science Class . . . . Week of 11/14

4th Grade: This week, the 4th graders will be studying series and parallel circuits. They'll find that, in a series circuit, the light bulbs are dimmer because the two bulbs have to share one pathway of electricity. In a parallel circuit, the two lights are brighter because they each have their own pathway of electricity to the d-cell (battery). For example, in the older strings of Christmas lights, the bulbs are often on a series circuit. When one light bulb goes out, the whole string of lights does not work because the one pathway of electricity is not complete. By comparison, lights in your house are on a parallel circuit - there are many pathways of electricity that allow the lights to operate independently of each other.

• How are parallel and series circuits similar and different? (Both are circuits that can carry electricity. A parallel circuit allows for multiple paths of electricity, while a series circuit just has one)

After Thanksgiving break, the 4th graders will be studying electromagnets. I hope to wrap up this unit on magnetism and electricity by mid Dec.

5th Grade: This week, the students will be taking a quiz on mixtures, solutions, chemical reactions, periodic table, etc on Friday. Today (Wed) we will complete a study guide that has all the required information. This will go home and students can study at home. The quiz will also be open-notebook so students can use their notebook as a resource, too.

After Thanksgiving break, we will be starting our 5th Grade Earth Science unit that includes the water cycle, solar system and weather.

In Science Class . . . Week of 11/7

4th Grade: The 4th graders continued their exploration of electricity by finding out what materials conduct (carry) electricity and which do not. The students used a circuit board with a motor hooked up to a d-cell and put various objects between the wires. We also walked around the classroom to see which materials in the room would complete the circuit and turn the motor on.

• Which materials conduct electricity? (All metals - copper, brass, steel, iron, aluminum)
• How is this different from what materials are magnetic? (Only iron and steel objects can become magnets)
• What materials did not carry electricity? (Cardboard, paper, plastic, wood, fabric)

5th Grade: We had an exciting week! On Monday, students investigated properties of materials. We found that, unlike plastic or wood, metals can conduct (or carry) heat and electricity. We used the materials to complete a circuit and found that all metals will allow the motor to go on. We also put strips of material in a container with shallow hot water. The tops of the strips had butter on them. We watched as the copper and aluminum strips had butter that melted FAST! Steel and brass were slower. Heat was not conducted with the plastic and wood strips.

On Wednesday, we had visiting graduate students from the Cal chemistry department teach a lesson about chemical reactions and glow in the dark science! Students watched as they mixed two chemicals together to produce gas and light in a reaction similar to that which happens in a glow stick. Next, students mixed water, Elmer's glue and Borax to make a putty material. The material also had a little glow-in-the-dark paint which made it fun! Families, this stuff is not toxic, but please don't let your kids eat it! It will last for quite a while. If it starts to dry out, just add a little water. For optimum glow, re-charge the putty by exposing it to light.

• What properties make metals different than other types of elements on the periodic table? (Metals conduct heat and electricity much better than other elements. They also are mostly solid at room temperature and won't break when hammered into thin sheets. These properties make them extremely useful for building things)
• In the two experiments with the grad students, how did you know a chemical reaction occurred? (In the first one, gas and light were produced. In the second reaction in our zip bags, the material turned from a liquid to a solid with the addition of the liquid Borax solution. This unexpected phase change is often indicative of a chemical reaction.)

PLEASE: If you have any old food or household packages or bags (that aren't gross) that have the ingredients listed on them, send them in with your student for class on Wednesday, 11/16. Anything would be great - chip bags, cereal boxes, bread bags, toothpaste boxes, soda cans, etc. We'll be looking for elements on the package. Cereals are especially fun since there are often minerals added for nutritional value like iron, zinc etc. Thanks!

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/31

Happy Halloween! Here's what we've been up to in class:

4th Grade: The students this week continued their exploration of magnetism and electricity using some mini-investigations. Stations included

• Hand crank generator that produced power for light bulbs (one energy efficient and one regular)
• A energy ball (called a UFO ball) that lights up and makes noise when you make a complete circuit with your body and it's metal pieces
• A basic electromagnet that can pick up small washers
• A magnetic generator that produces electricity by sliding a magnet through a tube wrapped with wire
• Review of poles using doughnut magnets
• A basic circuit with d-cell and light bulb
  

It's been really fun! Ms. Sinai's class also investigated conductors and insulators by putting objects into a circuit hooked to a motor. If the object could carry the electricity, then the motor ran. If not, the object was an insulator and the motor would not go on. Conductors included all metal objects - nails, paper clips, chair leg, washers, etc. The rest of the 4th grades will do this next week!

5th Grade: Students this week completed their presentations on a group of the periodic table. Next week, we'll look closely at the properties of metals and do some other fun chemical reactions!

Bay Area Science Festival Starting Soon!

Hi, everyone,

For the first time, there will be area-wide science festival that has a number of free programs for families and adults from Oct 29-November 5. This is a coordinated effort between a ton of organizations! I'm really excited about it, and I hope to see of you out there as well. Here's the link to the website:

http://www.bayareascience.org/

Go Science Education!
Ms. Jenkins

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/24

5th grade: This week, we are continuing our research and preparation of a project on the periodic table of elements. Students are researching a particular group and preparing a poster or PowerPoint to share information.

• What group are you studying?
• What are the key properties of the group?
• What are some examples of elements from this group?

4th Grade: This week, the 4th graders will learning that electricity can be converted into motion as well as light. We'll be putting together simple circuits with a switch, d-cell and motor. We also will be doing centers later in the week. One of these is a hand crank generator which powers two lights - one energy efficient and one traditional light bulb. Students will see that it takes a lot more energy to light a traditional bulb! We also will be looking at the way that electric currents can create magnetism (as in electromagnets).

• How did you hook up the motor? What are other examples of where electricity is converted into motion?
• What did you find out when you wrapped a coil around an iron rivet and hooked the wires to a d-cell?
• What are electromagnets used for outside of science class?
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/17

5th Grade: This week in science, we've been discussing the periodic table. The students have now started a research project. Each table group has been assigned one group of elements (ie. noble gasses, metals) and is working on researching key properties, examples, uses, and fun facts. We are using computers and books for our research. Students will either be presenting to the class using a poster or a PowerPoint presentation.

• What group of elements is your table researching?
• What have you found out so far?

4th Grade: The fourth graders are continuing their exploration of electricity. We made a simple circuit with a battery, bulb and wires early in the week, and then we will be moving onto a more complex circuit with a switch.

• What can electricity be converted into? (Light, motion, heat)
• When there is a break or opening in a circuit, what happens to the light? Why? (It won't go on because electricity travels in a circle.)

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/10

5th Grade: Ok, things got held up a bit and we just started looking at the changes on a particle level in a chemical reaction. So, see last week for questions! We also spent time discussing examples and non-examples of chemical reactions, so you can ask your student about that!

4th Grade: This week, students were introduced to the concept of electricity. We wrote about our own experiences with electricity - gadgets that need it, where it comes from, how it feels to be shocked, etc. We looked at a battery as a source of electricity and attempted to get a light bulb to light up. (No worries if your student didn't get it to work as we'll work on it lots next week!)
Key questions:

• Where does electricity come from?
• What things need electricity to function?
• Why do you get shocked when you go down the slide?
• How did you try to get your light bulb hooked to the battery in a simple circuit?
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/3

5th Grade: This week in science, we will be looking at chemical reactions! During a chemical reaction, a mixture of chemicals changes to produce new substances. We will do several chemical reactions on Friday and observe changes. The evidence we will see of a chemical reaction includes a color change, a temperature change and/or production of a gas (bubbles). (A common chemical reaction that produces a gas is mixing baking soda and vinegar. ) Next week, we'll dive into atoms and molecules and the periodic table.

Key questions:

• What is an atom? (The smallest particle of matter)
• What is a molecule? (Two or more atoms bonded together)
• Why are there so many different substances on Earth when we only have about 90 naturally occurring elements? (The atoms can combine in infinite arrangements)
• What happens in a chemical reaction? (The atoms rearrange to form something new).
• What are common pieces of evidence for chemical reactions? (Change in color, change in temperature, bubbles)

4th Grade: This week the students detected magnetic fields using compasses, iron filings, and washers. We hid magnets in small boxes, and had other students try to find them using our tools. We also made our own compasses using straws, thread and a steel pin. By rubbing the magnet on the pin, we induced magnetism. Our pin then had poles and had it's north pole point north (as our Earth's north magnetic pole is actually a south magnetic pole.) Because of the field trip, Ms. Khare's class won't be able to make their own compasses. Sorry!

Key Questions:

• Why did your tools work to find the magnet? (All are iron, and can be used to detect magnetic fields)
• How did you make your compass?

In Science Class . . . Week of 9/26

5th Grade: This week, we read about how solids dissolve, and what is happening on a particle level. We also will identify a substance based on how much can dissolve in water (also known as its solubility).

• What happens when a solid dissolves? (The water molecules break up the solid molecules)
• How did we identify the mystery substance? (We saw how much could dissolve, and compared it to a list of known substances and there saturation points.)

4th Grade: This week, we did a fun activity that showed that the force between magnets decreases the further they get apart. We used balances to see how many washers the force of two magnets could hold. The number of washers required to break the force between the magnets decreased as the space between the magnets increased. We also graphed our results, which was a great way to integrate math concepts in a practical way!

• How many washers could the scale hold when the magnets where together? (Usually 15+)
• What happened to this number as we added plastic chips between the magnets ? (The number decreased with each chip, usually getting as low as 3 washers with 6 chips.)
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 9/19

5th Grade: This week, we'll be learning about saturation. For each solid that is mixed with water, there is a point in which the water cannot hold any more of the solid. This point differs based on what the solid is. On Wednesday, we'll be saturating a salt solution and then on Friday, we'll be working with Epsom salt. Both dissolve in water, but have different amounts before reaching saturation.
Key questions:

• What is saturation? How did you know that your solution was saturated? (No more solid could dissolve no matter how hard we shook the bottle of water.)
• How did Epsom salt's saturation point differ from regular salt? (About 14 grams of salt saturate 50 ml of water, but 48 grams of Epsom salt are needed to saturate the same amount of water. Therefore, Epsom salt has a higher solubility than regular salt.)

4th Grade: This week, we'll be examining the concept of poles and induced magnetism. Students will experiment with magnets to find out two key concepts:
1) Magnets either attract or repel based on how they are facing each other
2) A permanent magnet (like the one on your fridge) can make something iron a temporary magnet.

Key Questions:

• What type of objects did your magnet stick to? (Any object with with a lot of iron, including stainless steel objects)
• What happens when two magnets are pushed together? (If the opposite poles are facing each other, then the magnets will attract. If like poles are facing each other, such as north and north, or south and south, then the magnets will repel.)
• Can the force of magnetism act through other materials? (Yes, unless the material is really thick! Magnets stick to each other through paper and other thin materials, but many of the tables in the science room were too thick for the magnets to attract each other.)
• What happens when you stick a paper clip to an iron nail that is touching a magnet? (The iron nail becomes a temporary magnet and will act on the paper clip, making a fun chain of objects! FYI, magnets that stick to the fridge and are always magnets are called permanent magnets. )

Here is a diagram. We used "doughnut" magnets instead of bar magnets, but you get the idea! The iron nail and paper clips become temporary magnets.

In Science Class . . . Week of 9/12

Yay! We are in the full swing of science class!

5th grade: This week, the 5th graders are working on putting together mixtures and then separating them using filters, screens and evaporation. Last week we mixed gravel and water, powder and water, and salt and water. The screen and filter were able to separate the gravel mixture and the powder mixture, but the salt dissolved in the water and passed through both. Over the weekend, we used evaporation to get rid of the water, leaving behind salt crystals. On Friday, we'll investigate how to determine the mass of salt in water without measuring the salt directly on a balance.
Key questions to ask your student:

• What is a mixture and what are some examples? (Any two or more substances put together. Examples are infinite! )
• What is a solution? (A special type of mixture where the solid dissolves, like salt in water.)
• What tools can we use to separate mixtures and solutions? (Screen, filters, evaporation)
• How did you find the mass of the salt on Friday?

4th grade: We are finally done setting up science notebooks and will have our first lesson on magnets this week. For starters, we made predictions about what objects would stick to a magnet, and then tested our prediction and recorded results. We also became iron detectors and walked around the classroom finding things made of iron and steel. Later in the week, we will investigate other magnetic properties (such as poles) and introduce the terms of "attract"and "repel."
Key questions to ask your student:

• What types of objects stuck to the magnet? (Objects made of iron or steel.)
• What objects in the room are made of iron or steel?
• What happens when you put two objects together? (Sometimes they attract and sometimes they repel - it depends on which way the poles are facing. Like poles attract and opposite poles repel. Poles are either called "north" or "south.")
• What surprised you most about our activities?
  

Welcome to 4th and 5th Grade Science!

Yes, friends, it's that time of year again! Welcome to my blog about all of our fabulous explorations in science class. On this blog, I'll post our weekly topics and some key questions you can ask your student to review material and extend thinking. I'll also try to add some links to science -related community events.

A welcome letter from me went home with Thursday folders today, but feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like another copy. My new BUSD email is caitlinjenkins@berkeley.net.

Here's what we've been up to in class:

5th Grade: In the first week of class, we did a fun activity that tested our sense of smell. I put common items in containers covered with a paper towel. Students smelled and reported what they thought was in the cup. The idea was to have some fun on the first day, and to also introduce some key parts of the scientific method - focus question, data collection, conclusion.

Since then, we've been working on getting our science notebooks set up. I have a grand vision for them this year - they now are more organized, have sentence starters to help kids and a work habits self reflection section.

Our first activity for our physical science unit was yesterday. Students conducted observations of some solids (gravel, powder, salt) and then mixed them with water to create a mixture. We then attempted to separate these three mixtures using a screen and a coffee filter. We had success with two of the mixtures, but weren't able to separate the salt and water. We'll work on this on Friday and next week!

Key questions to ask your 5th grader:

• What smells were the hardest for you to identify?
• How did you separate the three mixtures?
• What are some other mixtures you know?
• How is your science group working? What grade did you give yourself on science work habits? (1-4, with 4 being excellent)
  

4th Grade: The 4th graders also practiced science notebook skills with the activity described above on the first day. Much of this week is going to be spent on organization of notebooks, and next week we'll start our physical science unit on magnetism and electricity.

Key questions to ask your 4th grader:

• What smells were the hardest for you to identify?
• What do you think magnets stick to?
• How is your science group working? What grade did you give yourself on science work habits? (1-4, with 4 being excellent)

In Science Class . . . Week of 3/28

5th Grade: This week in science, we have been looking at chemical reactions! During a chemical reaction, a mixture of chemicals changes to produce new substances. We did several chemical reactions on Monday and observed changes.  The evidence we say of a chemical reaction included a color change, a temperature change and/or production of a gas (bubbles). (A common chemical reaction that produces a gas is mixing baking soda and vinegar. )  On Wednesday, we dived into atoms and molecules and looked briefly at the periodic table. Student should understand that, in a chemical reaction, the atoms of the reactants rearrange to form new molecules (and thus substances).

Key questions:

• What is an atom? (The smallest particle of matter)
• What is a molecule? (Two or more atoms bonded together)
• Why are there so many different substances on Earth when we only have about 90 naturally occurring elements? (The atoms can combine in infinite arrangements)
• What happens in a chemical reaction? (The atoms rearrange to form something new).
• What are common pieces of evidence for chemical reactions? (Change in color, change in temperature, bubbles)

4th Grade: This week the students detected magnetic fields using compasses, iron filings, and washers. We hid magnets in small boxes, and had other students try to find them using our tools. We also made our own compasses using straws, thread and a steel pin. By rubbing the magnet on the pin, we induced magnetism. Our pin then had poles and had it's north pole point north (as our Earth's north magnetic pole is actually a south magnetic pole.)

Key Questions:

• Why did your tools work to find the magnet? (All are iron, and can be used to detect magnetic fields)
• How did you make your compass?

Have a great vacation, everyone!

In Science Class . . . Week of 3/21

Fun Event: This Thursday, Berkeley Public Education Foundation will host a free Lawrence Hall of Science Night. It will be from 6-8:30 pm on Thursday, March 24. For more info, go to http://www.bpef-online.org

5th Grade: This week, we implementented our plans for separating a dry mixture of gravel, power and salt. Most groups realized that to separate the powder and salt, they needed to add water so the salt would dissolve and thus pass through a coffee filter (unlike the powder). Because it dissolves in water, salt and water together are an example of solution.

On Wednesday, students saturated two solutions - one of kosher salt and water, and one of Epsom salt and water. To saturate it means to dissolve as much salt in the water as possible. Students found that 50 ml of water could hold about 10-15 grams of salt, while the same amount of water could hold 40+ grams of Epsom salt. The idea behind this is that solubility is a property that distinguishes different chemicals.

On Friday, we'll be identifying a mystery substance based on it's solubility! In the week before spring break, we'll be looking at chemical reactions.


4th Grade: This week, the students performed an experiment to measure how magnetism decreases based on the distance between magnets. We also used a hanging magnet to detect the magnetic field of the earth! (All N poles of the magnets faced north, because our "North Pole" is actually a south magnetic pole and opposite poles attract!)

In Science Class . . . Week of 3/14

Thanks for a great Family Science Night! So wonderful to see so many students and families there. Thanks for your support of science education!

5th Grade: The students have started a new unit entitled "Mixtures and Solutions." We've practiced and discussed different ways of separating mixtures (which are two or more things mixed together). This week, we are investigating solutions, which is a type of mixture where the solid dissolves. We made a salt water solution, then separated it by evaporation.
Key Questions:

• What is a mixture? What are some examples?
• What is a solution? What are some examples? How do you separate solutions?

4th Grade: The students have also started a new unit on magnetism and electricity. This week, we spent a lot of time investigating which objects will stick to a magnet (objects made of iron). We also will be investigating the property of poles and the concepts of "attract" and "repel."

Key Questions:

• What objects stuck to your magnet? Which did not?
• What happens when you bring two magnets together? What if you flip one the other way?

In Science Class . . . Week of 2/28

Hi, everyone! So sorry for the delay in blog posts - I have been on the overnight outdoor science field trips with both schools, as well as being swamped with grading and report cards. But here's the update:

5th Grade: 5th graders wrapped up their Living Systems Unit last week and took a quiz. Those graded quizes will be coming home with your student this week. We started our new unit, called "Mixtures and Solutions." Our first experiment had us making mixtures of a liquid (water) and various solids (gravel, powder, salt). A mixture is any combination of substances (either liquid, solid or gas) that can be separated. In class, we separated the water/gravel mixture using a mesh screen. The powder/water mixture could be separated using a coffee filter. Because the salt dissolved in the water, it is a special type of mixture called a solution. We will be looking at this further over the next couple weeks.

Also, the 5th graders will be planning stations for Family Science Night, happening on March 9 at 6:30. We'll be putting these together over the next few classes, and hopefully at least a few students from each group will be able to attend in the evening and show off their experiment.  I am also in need of a few more adult volunteers to help pull this off, so please contact me as soon as possible at caitlin_jenkins@berkeley.k12.ca.us if you are able to help! Thanks!


4th Grade: The 4th graders took a brief quiz last week on environmental preference, food webs, and biotic and abiotic factors. These have been graded and will be going home this week with your student. Most students did quite well! We are wrapping up our Environments unit this week with a study of brine shrimp. We'll be investigating the range of tolerance of salt concentrations for our brine shrimp to hatch!

In Science Class . . . Week of 1/24

5th Grade: This week in science, we've continued our learning about how plants make energy (and gain mass) and how other organisms use that energy. We did an experiment with yeast. By giving the yeast sugar (in the form of crumbled up Chips Ahoy cookies), they became active and started cellular respiration. This process produces carbon dioxide as a waste product, which caused our bags of yeast and warm water to puff up! We used a tool to measure that gas produced as well as the amount of gas produced by the control experiment (no cookies), which was zero in most cases.
Key questions to ask your student:

• What organisms make their own energy? How can we tell that they are making energy? (Gain mass, grow)
• In the experiment with yeast, how did we know that the yeast were burning sugar? (They produced carbon dioxide as a waste product)
• Can you think of other organisms that produce carbon dioxide as a waste product of cellular respiration? (Most animals, including humans!)

4th Grade: This week, we have focused entirely on designing experiments to determine what sort of environment our beetles and pill bugs prefer. We placed the animals in runways with two types of conditions and watched to see which condition they moved to. Early in the week, we examined sunlight versus darkness and later in the week, we had the animals choose between dry and moist soil.
Key questions:

• What abiotic factors can influence the isopods and beetles? (amount of light, temperature, amount of moisture, soil quality, etc)
• What environments did your isopods prefer? (They prefer dark, moist environments)
• What environments did your beetles prefer? (They preferred dark environments, but didn't seem to have a preference about soil moisture.)
• What other experiments could you set up to explore environmental preference? (Answers may vary, but we discussed in class exploring temperature, food, and soil type preferences)

In Science Class . . . Week of 1/17

5th Grade: The 5th graders have been wrapping up our study of vascular plant systems. We've done some reading about vascular plants this week, and today, we'll be studying different vein patterns in leaves we find around the school yard. Here are some examples:

Palmate:

Pinnate:

Parallel:

Key Questions:

• How do vascular plants get water and sugar to cells? (Xylem transports water up from the roots, while phloem transports it downward to other cells. Both xylem and phloem are part of "veins" that we see on leaves.)
• What leaf patterns did you see in your leaves that you collected?

4th Grade: The fourth graders are starting to work with living organisms. Besides the class gecko, we now have a mini aquatic ecosystem. Our fish tank includes goldfish, pond snails and plants. The plants provide oxygen to the water and the snails are cleaning up after the goldfish, so it's a nice balance!  We also have started our observations of live beetles and isopods.  Here are some pictures for reference:

Darkling Beetle:

Isopod:

This week, our focus has been on simple observations on behavior and physical appearance. In the next few weeks, we'll use the critters to explore environmental preference.
Key Questions:

• What did you notice about your isopods and beetles? How were they similar? How were they different?

In Science Class . . . Week of 1/10

Hi, everyone! Happy New Year! Apologies for not getting this out to you last week. We had a major power outage during the time I normally update the blog! Anyway, here's what we have been working on:
4th Grade: The fourth graders have been reviewing food webs and studying the different types of elements that make up an ecosystem. We played a game called "Who am I?" where students had to guess what part of the ecosystem they were (written on a card on their backs) by asking others yes and no questions.  Key questions:

• What did you have on your card? Was it a consumer, producer, decomposer or abiotic factor?
• What provides energy to most food webs? (Producers, usually plants or, in aquatic ecosystems, phytoplankton)

5th Grade: We've just wrapped up our human body systems and have started looking at the ways plants get energy, water and gas to their cells. This week, we've been experimenting on celery. We set up an experiment to see which type of celery uses more water - celery with leaves or celery without leaves. Students also got to put red food coloring in the water so that we could track the flow of water up the stem and into the leaves. Here are some key questions:

• What do plant and animal cells have in common? (All need food, water, gas exchange and waste disposal)
• How do vascular plants transport water? (There are tubes in vascular plants called xylem that bring water from the bottom up into the leaves. These tubes turned red in our celery experiment due to the red water we used.)
• What would be analogous in the human body to xylem in plants? (Probably our circulatory system of veins and arteries, though we obviously have a heart that pumps it around, while plants depend on evaporation out of the leaves to draw water upwards.)
  
• What did you find from your experiment? (Celery with leaves used more water. This is because the evaporation out of the leaves "pulls" water molecules from below. )

Here's a nice cross section photo of what we worked on. This photo also includes some celery where blue food coloring was used. We only used red, but using other colors would be a great at-home project!