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.
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