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?