4th Nine Weeks

Kindergarten


In the Plant Lab, we continued our Living and Non-living unit with plant parts and life cycles. Students did centers investigating plant parts, learning the plant parts that we eat, seed matching, seed necklaces, and scientifically discerning living and non-living of common objects.

In the Oceans Lab, we will be exploring using our senses and animal adaptations. Students will do centers for sound and watch sound waves travel through the water, Investigating a real fish and Japanese fish printing art, Gyotaku, shark skin exploration, camouflage and coloration activity.  Each class will go back with their own Gyotaku fish print!

First Grade 

Students have been learning about animals, their basic needs, comparing and describing, in their classrooms.  I am hopeful that the weather will pemit us to go to our Edible Garden and do some planting for the summer.  Some classes have also joined me in the lab for a lesson on Recycling.

Second Grade

We have done a lab on Plants and Lifecycles encompassing plant parts, planting in the garden, a pollinator game, plant life cycles, and plant reproduction.  The next lab was about Fungus, how it’s not like a plant or animal, a “mushroom hunt” with fun facts, microscopic and hand lens investigation of real fungus and some fungus food treats!  The last lab will demonstrate the pollination process where the students created their own pollinators and then collected nectar at some “lab flowers”.  In addition we learned about the Scientific Method and utilized the process in a lab on surface tension.

 
Butterflies and their habitats were delivered to each classroom.  Students will observe the caterpillars as they pupate, and then metamorphosize into butterflies!This will show a creature's life cycle and basic needs.

Third Grade

In this unit week learned about Heat in 3 separate labs.  The first was an overview of matter and particles, the students also learned the "hand dance" of matter and can show particle movement of the three basic forms of matter using their hands.  We also learned what thermal energy and heat are, how this relates to atomic movement, the 3 forms of thermal energy and thermometers using Glow Sticks!  The second lab focused on convection and radiation, convection currents and how they influence the earth’s climate in England and Alaska, built solar ovens and made a radiated treat, and watched balloons expand from solar radiationdue to color variation of the containers.  The third lab we concentrated on conductors and insulators, what they are, why they are that way, and identifying them.  We constructed our own insulators with this knowledge to see who could keep their ice cube the longest.  We also explored these concepts with ice cream and milk as well as how “mood rings” are actually thermometers!

Fourth Grade

Most of this unit on and animal adaptation is done in the classrooms.  In addition we are having the children do a “Top-Secret” artifact investigation allowing them to investigate and record observations like a scientist.  The students learn the difficulty in not permitting their opinions to influence their science but to record only provable measurements and observations.  Then we do a tie-in to food webs and why a certain creature is the perfect indicator of the health of the world’s environments. Please be assured that everything the children bring home is safe and has been sterilized!

Fifth Grade

This 9 weeks is about Cells & Microorganisms and Classification.  In the first lab we learned about cells, organelles, the name and function of several organelles, as well as the differences in plant and animal cells.  Then we explored the history, parts, and use of the microscope using cheek and onion cells.  In the second lab, we extracted DNA from strawberries.  We critically investigated how to proceed based on what we know about cells and organelles instead of the students being told how to do the extraction. They were all given a sample of DNA to wear in an eppendorf tube.  During the third lab we explored bacteria and food safety (pasteurization).  We took samples from various areas around the school as well as from the lab and ourselves and grew them on Petri plates.  We also discussed how microorganisms can be helpful (as in our digestive tract) and harmful (food poisoning).  When time allowed we also viewed stagnant water under the microscope for single-celled organisms.  In the forth lab we investigate plant parts for vascular and non-vascular plants, their differences and classification.  We performed an experiment investigating which plant type absorbed more water and went to the garden if time and weather allowed.  We also used the micro viewers to identify the tissue differences in these two plant types.

ALP – Frog dissection is planned for 4^th and 5^th grades.  They will also be coming to do some additional labs in each of the ALP grades.

Pets– the lab pets are all doing well – the hermit crab is molting again, I have a plethora of Mexican beetles and their larva, the donated 3 frogs are doing well, and the cockatiel “Charles” has enjoyed coming out of his cage and riding on my shoulder.  The students are all thrilled and are enthralled will all our creatures.

Garden– We have great plans to plant for summer vegetables and herbs!  Unfortunately, the weather has not cooperated, but we will have it stocked so we can observe it over the summer and into next school year!