5th and 6th Grade Science

I have the extreme pleasure of teaching both 5th and 6th grade science at MTA. I'm so excited to have my 5th grade students back as sixth grade scientists during the first semester! I will then meet a new group fifth grade students after winter break for the second semester. During the 2021/2022 school year, I will be teaching McGraw Hill curriculum which aligns with Next Generation of Science Standards. Many of the activities in both grade levels will be available online. The new "3-D" of the science standards include many STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) based activities and projects. All designed to prepare our students fo an ever-changing world.

In sixth grade there are four main units of study. Will will begin with "Exploring Space". In this unit students will review concepts about the Sun/Earth/Moon System and revisist the concepts of gravity and our Solar System. The second unit is "Life Science - Life Structure and Function" where we learn about the characteristics of living organisms such as cell structure. In the third unit "Physical Science- Understanding Matter" students will study energy transfer and how matter is affected due to changes in temperature and pressure. We will end the first semester with Earth and Space: Impacts on the Environment. Students engage in activities investigating human impact on Land, Water, and the Atmosphere.

In fifth grade, we will also cover four units beginning with "Investigate Matter" where students identify the properties of matter and investigate physical and chemical changes in matter. The second unit of 5th grade will be "Life Science- Ecosystems" where students will study the interactions of living things. The third unit of 5th grade is "Earth's Interactive Systems". Students will study water distribution on Earth, human impact on water resources and the effects of the hydrosphere. In the final unit of 5th grade, "Earth and Space Patterns" the students will be learning about the role of gravity, Earth's motion and stars and their patterns.

I also facilitate and elective class of Computer Science- Coding. Students in both 5th and 6th grade will have the opportunity to learn javascript through a fun series of interactive puzzles on Code.org. I feel very lucky to be able to expose these students to the fast growing area of Coding and quite possibly encourage them to seek out the career of a lifetime in Computer Science!