Planetary Learning

District Goal #1: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

Kindergarten has been busy studying planets. The class broke into small groups to research a planet and then drew it for a wall display. Then they picked a planet and wrote a report. We have a class full of future astronomers. The kindergarten students are able to share facts and information regarding all of our planets. If you want to explore more about planets with your student, check out Nasa’s Kid’s Club at http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

Planting a Seed to Succeed

District Strategic Goal #1: Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

First grade is learning about Living and Nonliving Things as part of a science unit.  Pairs of students have planted seeds in cups. Each pair of students has a different set of seeds than the rest of the class. The objective is for students to be able to identify living and nonliving things and to know the parts of a plant while working collaboratively to develop key communication skills. What better way to learn than through a hands on approach! The students will be studying and observing their plants until Spring Break. They have also incorporated the unit in their writing by creating books based off our procedural text organizer.

First Grade Plants

Science of Simple Machines

District Strategic Goal #1:

Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

The students of 3M and 3L are seeing firsthand how simple machines make work easier! After learning about the six simple machines, the students were asked to construct a figure (3M: the face of a clown/3L: a frog) using LEGOS. These figures contained one of the six simple machines. The students were able to see how the simple machine helped complete a task. For example, by using a wheel and axel, the students of 3M were able to move the eyes and the mouth of the clown at the same time!

 

Hands On Science

District Strategic Goal #1:
Continuously Improve Student Growth and Achievement

Students in 4th grade are learning about the properties of water as it is heated, cooled, and frozen. Students were placed into groups for this activity and were told to construct a thermometer using a bottle filled with room-temperature water, a rubber stopper, and a straw. The straw showed the water level of the room-temperature water and how the water level changed as it was placed into hot and cold water. Students collaborated to place their thermometer in a cup with hot water and then placed it in a cup with cold water. They discovered that as water gets warmer, it expands, (the water level increased) and, as it cools, it contracts (the water level decreased).