In Science Class . . . Week of 11/15

5th Grade: We have been discussing local weather and water systems as we wrap up our earth science unit. The students will have a quiz on Monday, and will be bringing home a completed study guide today.
Key questions:

• Where do our storms come from in CA? (Usually over the Pacific)
• Where does our drinking water come from? (Much of CA depends on rain and snow that falls in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Various water transportation systems bring the water to the coastal areas.)

4th Grade: The students this week learned about fast versus slow geological changes, and we watched a video about volcanoes (which are relatively fast changes to the landscape). They will also have a quiz on Monday on erosion and weathering.
Key questions:

• What are examples of "fast" geological changes? (Volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides)
• What are examples of "slow" geological changes? (Many types of chemical and physical weathering, including freezing water, tree roots, etc)
• What landforms did you learn about? (Meander, plateau, valley, canyon, delta, etc)

In Science Class . . . Week of 11/8

Because of the early dismissal, our science schedule has been a bit erratic! But here at the updates:

5th Grade: We have been working learning about weather maps using the internet. Students have been examining maps on www.weather.com. If you have some time at home, have your student show you the website - there are a ton on great features, including videos, a variety of maps, and pictures of current weather events from around the world. A sample weather map is pictured to the right!


4th Grade: The 4th graders have been studying erosion and deposition over the last few lessons. We have been using trays of sand to study how water changes landscapes. Last week, we looked at the landforms that result from water erosion (canyons) and this week, we've been looking at the landforms that form from deposition (like deltas). See below for pictures.

Samples of landforms resulting from erosion:

The Grand Canyon is an amazing example of a landform resulting from erosion on a huge scale. The river, over many years, has washed away rock, leaving behind a deep canyon. 

The ocean is a source of erosion as well. In this picture, you can see how the water has changed the rocks over many years.

Below is an example of deposition:

A delta forming where sediments are being "dropped" by the water.

Visual of the Water Cycle

Above is a great diagram of the Water Cycle, which is what we've been studying with the 5th graders.

In Science Class . . . Week of 11/1

5th Grade: This week in class, we'll be beginning of study of weather by studying weather maps, and then we'll be doing a reading about severe weather conditions. Key questions:

• What symbols did you see on the weather maps, and what do they mean? ( H= high air pressure, L= low air pressure, etc)
• Why does the California coast have more moderate temperatures than inland? (Because we are near the ocean, and the air over the ocean heats up much more slowly because the ocean itself does not heat up easily). 
• Where do our storms in Berkeley come from? (Primarily from out over the Pacific Ocean)

4th Grade: We will continue our study of weathering and erosion. The students studied physical weathering last week, and we continued with a review of biological and chemical weathering of rocks early this week. Later in the week, we'll be working with our stream table to observe how water erodes sand and clay.  Key questions?

• What do chemical and physical weathering have in common? (Both processes include the break down of rocks into smaller pieces. Physical weather can occur with water, wind, ice, other rocks, while chemical weathering includes a chemical reaction, like with acid rain.)
• What is erosion? (When rocks get carried to new locations)