In Science Class . . . Week of 4/9 and 4/16

4th Grade: Last week, students set up terrariums with soil, water, and seeds from various plants. Most of the seeds have since germinated and are looking great! The seedlings range from 1 to about 12 cm tall. We discussed the biotic and abiotic environmental factors that can influence plant growth, such as light, temperature, soil, water, insects, other plants, etc. We've also been focusing on measurement in the metric system, using our rulers to find the height of the seedlings in centimeters. This week, we continued our terrarium observations and also started to look at live beetles and isopods (aka "rolly pollies").

• What factors could influence plant growth?
• What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors? (Biotic factors are living, while "abiotic" means nonliving)
• What do plants need to survive?
  
• What did you notice about your beetles and isopods?

5th Grade: Fifth graders have been continuing their study of living systems. Last week, we wrapped up the human body systems and this week have been studying plant systems. On Monday, students designed an experiment with celery. Experiments varied, but many students are comparing water intake between plants with leaves and plants without leaves. We'll continue to monitor the celery through out the week. We also have a demonstration going that has celery in water with red food coloring!

Also, know that the 5th graders will be taking a state test in science in a few weeks (along with language arts and math). The test will cover 4th and 5th grade content. Because 4th grade was so long ago, I'm spending a bit of time each week reviewing material. If you would like more information on the science standard framework and released questions, please visit

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/documents/cstrtqscience5.pdf

In Science Class . .. Week of 3/19

4th Grade: Over the past few weeks, the 4th graders have been studying weathering, erosion and deposition. Students experimented with weathering granite (creating sand by shaking granite pieces in a jar) and have since been using stream tables to study how canyons and deltas are formed by moving water.

Key questions:

• What is weathering? What did you notice about the granite pieces that had been weathered? (Weathering is the breaking apart of rocks. Our granite was smoother and smaller as a result of weathering, and sand was created by the process)
• What other forces weather rock? (Acid rain, wind, rain, moving water, ice, foot traffic)
• What did your stream table look like when we poured water on it? What is erosion and where can we see it occurring? (Erosion is the moving away of earth materials by water, wind, etc. Canyons and valleys are the result of erosion, but smaller examples can be seen in gardens, yards and by the sidewalk)
• What is deposition? (The "dropping off" of eroded earth materials, which can result in landforms such as a delta).
  
• How are erosion and deposition affected by a flood? (The canyons are straighter and wider and erosion/deposition are increased)

Fourth graders will be taking a quiz on these concepts next week. A study guide will go home later this week to help them review.

5th: The 5th graders wrapped up their unit on weather, atmosphere and the water cycle early this week, and we are moving on to our life science unit. This week, we learned about cells and cell needs. Later this week, we will be studying circulation as a means of getting key components to and away from human cells.

Key questions:

• What is a cell? (A cell is a small unit of living organisms. Some organisms are made of just one cell, which complex, large organisms such as humans are made of tens of trillions of cells!)
• What do all cells need to survive? (Food, water, gas exchange, waste disposal)
• How do humans get all of these needs to their cells? (The heart pumps blood around the body, and the blood carries sugar, nutrients, water and oxygen to cells and takes carbon dioxide and other waste away.)
  

In Science Class . .. Week of 2/27

4th Grade: This week, the students have been studying the structure of the earth and the types of rocks (and how they form). We took some notes, discussed and played a game to reinforce vocabulary. Next week, we'll be moving on to weathering and erosion.
Key questions to ask:

• What are they layers of the earth? (Core, mantle, crust)
• What are the three types of rocks and how are they formed? (Igneous rock is rocked formed from the cooling of the mantle. Sedimentary rock is rock formed when bits of other rock are pressed together. Metamorphic rock is rock formed from heat and pressure.)
• What processes are important in the rock cycle? (Weathering, melting, heat and pressure are important ways that rocks can, over a long time, be changed into a different type of rock.)

5th Grade: Last week, we looked at how the energy from the sun heats water and soil. We took containers of water and soil outside and measured the temperatures over time in the sun and the shade. Students found that the soil heated and cooled much more quickly than water, which maintained a pretty even temperature throughout. On Monday, we practiced line graphing with our results. This activity will provide a basis for how the sun's energy affects the heating and cooling of the earth, weather, and atmospheric conditions. On Wednesday, students where officially introduced to the earth's atmosphere through a writing activity about photos of the earth. We then observed and discussed atmospheric pressure by putting various objects (balloon, marshmallow, bubble wrap, water) in a vacuum chamber. Kids LOVED watching the objects expand and the water change phase. It was so much fun! Next week, we're on to weather.

Key questions:

• What where the results of your heating soil/water experiment? (Soil heated and cooled much more quickly than water.)
  
• What happened to objects in the vacuum chamber? Why? (The objects expanded due to decreased atmospheric pressure on them. The balloon and bubble wrap stretched and then popped. The water started to change to a gas because of the decreased pressure as well.)
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 2/6

5th Grade: Ask your child about outdoor science camp! Kids should have a good working knowledge of redwood ecology, gardening, adaptations, etc. I was with them for part of Tue and all day Wed - it seemed like they were having a great time, and the weather was overall beautiful. What an amazing opportunity for them! If you have a minute, thank Mr. Weis, Ms. Klein and Ms. Delgado for putting so much time and energy into getting the kids there!

4th Grade: This week, we examined some new minerals and discussed the properties of magnetism, luster, cleavage, and streak color. We filled out a mineral property table and compared it to a table of known mineral properties.

Key Questions:

• What knew properties did you learn about? (Magnetism. Luster = metallic or nonmetallic. Cleavage = mineral breaks apart with flat surfaces. Streak color - color of the streak of mineral pieces when a mineral is rubbed against a tile). Why did you study this? (It helps us understand how geologists identify a mineral and also helps with our table-reading skills.) FYI, the new minerals were hematite, pyrite or Fool's Gold, galena and magnetite.

In Science Class . . . Week of 1/31

5th Grade: Since wrapping up our study of evaporation and condensation, we have started to look at the water cycle as a whole. Today, students played a game in which they "became" a molecule of water and traveled to various locations (and through various processes) on planet earth. It was fun, and kids were engaged. There was a little bit of mild frustration about being "stuck" in the ocean from a few "molecules" though : ) We'll debrief a bit more on Friday, and then it's off to science camp next week!

Key questions:

• Where did your molecule "travel?" How did it move to each location from the previous one? (Evaporation, condensation, flowing rivers, sinking into the ground, freezing into a glacier, being ingested by an animal, etc)
  

4th Grade: This week and last, we've been exploring new mineral properties. We found that calcite, a mineral, reacts with acids to form a chemical reaction that results in bubbles. Last week, we tested several rocks for calcite by putting the rocks in vinegar. Two rock types - marble and limestone- bubbled. This week and early next week, we'll examine some new minerals and discuss the properties of magnetism, luster, cleavage, and streak color. We'll fill out a mineral property table and compare it to a table of known mineral properties.

Key Questions:

• What rocks contained calcite? How did you know?
• What knew properties did you learn about? (Magnetism. Luster = metallic or nonmetallic. Cleavage = mineral breaks apart with flat surfaces. Streak color - color of the streak of mineral pieces when a mineral is rubbed against a tile). Why did you study this? (It helps us understand how geologists identify a mineral and also helps with our table-reading skills.) FYI, the new minerals were hematite, pyrite or Fool's Gold, galena and magnetite.

In Science Class . .. Weeks of 1/16 and 1/23

5th Grade: Last week and this week, we've continued our study of evaporation. Students put the same amount of water in different sized containers (with different surface areas) and measured how much water evaporated over the weekend. We found that the containers with the most surface area (water spread out) had highest evaporation rates, while our tall, thin vials barely lost any water to evaporation. Next up, we'll be looking more closely at the atmosphere and water cycle.
Key questions:

• What did your group find out about evaporation? (Evaporation happens more quickly in areas with higher temperature and in containers with larger surface area)
• What process is the opposite of evaporation? (Evaporation is the process of a liquid changing phase to a gas. Condensation is the process of a gas turning to a liquid. Freezing is liquid to solid while melting is solid to liquid.)

4th Grade: Last week, we examined the mineral property of hardness. Student experimented and found that "harder" minerals can scratch softer ones. We scratched four minerals with our fingernail, an aluminum nail, and a paper clip. The hardest mineral, quartz, could not be scratched by any of the tools, while gypsum, the softest, could be scratched by all three tools. This week, we discussed the Mohs Hardness Scale, which ranks minerals on a scale of 1-10 based on their hardness. Gypsum was a "2" while quartz was a "7." Often times, gemstones like emeralds, rubies, etc are high up on the hardness scale. Diamonds are a "10."

• What minerals were softer? How did you know? (Gypsum and calcite were softest and could be scratched by at least 2 of the tools. Fluorite and quartz were harder and couldn't be easily scratched.)
  
• What mineral was the hardest? (Quartz was hardest and could not be scratched by anything. FYI, it's a "7" on the Mohs hardness scale.)
  
• As we look at the hardness scale, can a "3" scratch a "5" mineral? What about the other way around? (A "3" mineral cannot scratch a "5" mineral because a "5" is harder, but a "5" mineral can make a mark on a "3" mineral.
  

In Science Class . . .. Weeks of 1/3 and 1/9

5th Grade: This week, the students will be focusing more on evaporation and recording data. We will examine our paper towel experiment, and then design an experiment to investigate how different locations in the room affect evaporation. Key questions:

• What happened to the scale with the paper towels? (The paper towel without the lid dried, meaning the water evaporated. The paper towel with the lid did not dry because the water was contained, though there was some condensation on the inside of the cup. The scale tipped toward the side with the lid because it still contained water, whereas the water on the other paper towel had escaped into the atmosphere.)
• Where did your group place the cups with water? What predictions did you make? Which cups will have the highest evaporation rates?

4th Grade: Our new unit is on earth science. Last week, we examined some fake and real rocks and discussing what sort of information geologists collect. Students will be working with the measuring tape and balances to collect data on the circumference, mass and diameter of their rocks.

• What sorts of information do geologists collect when they study rocks? (They look at the size, shape, texture, location, color, luster, etc. They also will weigh and measure the rocks)
• What did your rock look like? What did you notice about your rock? (Most of the fake rocks are gray with green and blue "minerals.")
• What tools did you use to collect information? (We used a measuring tape for circumference and diameter. The unit of measurement being centimeters. For the mass, we used a balance and took the mass in grams.)

This week in science, we acted like geologists and broke apart our fake rocks to see what "minerals" were inside. The students were able to identify several different ingredients, including red and green gravel, shells and some gray material. We then used water to see if we could separate the gray material. Key Questions:

• What is the difference between a rock and a mineral? (Minerals are the ingredients of rocks and are just one type of substance, while rocks are made of many types of minerals.)
• What types of "minerals" did you find in the "mock rock" Ms Jenkins made? (Most groups will find red and green gravel, shells, and gray material that we separated with water)
• What do geologists do? (They study rocks and make observations about the shape, size, texture, color, shininess, mass.)
• How are rocks and minerals used by humans? (We use them in various mixtures for roads, houses, jewelry, etc)