Mrs. Maxham’s Newsletter

1/23/08

 

Dear Parents,

       This week the students had the opportunity to learn about sound during 4 Winds.  They learned that sound is a vibration that our ears hear and then the information is sent to our brains through the auditory nerve.  Our brains interpret the sound and let us know what we are listening to.  This all happens so quickly that we don’t even realize all of the steps that are involved.  Ask your child if he/she remembers how fast sound travels (1,100 feet per second).  We were also able to do some fun experiments and go outside to listen for the sounds around us.  We learned about the decibel scale and talked about how we shouldn’t turn the volume all the way up on things like Ipods or MP3 players because the sound could actually damage our ability to hear.  The students had a great time with this lesson and learned a lot too.

       We have also begun our next science unit, electricity and magnetism.  The students had a chance to experiment with a battery, a light bulb, and a wire.  Their task was to create a closed circuit so that the light bulb would light up.  They did a great job with this and found that there was more than one way to complete this task. 

 

Dates to remember:

1/26 – Mrs. Maxham is out at a grade level meeting

2/13 – No skiing – blacked out date

2/16 – 2/20 – Winter Recess

 

Have a great weekend!