Fourth Grade Videos
I hope you enjoy these videos from our school year.
2018 - 2019
*FYI - THIS WEB PAGE IS BEST VIEWED FROM A LAPTOP OR DESKTOP - WHEN VIEWING FROM A MOBILE DEVICE SOME IMAGES MAY APPEAR TO BE CUT OFF.
Some formats that I use to create these videos give me control over the music volume when students are talking and some do not. I apologize if some students are harder to hear.
Ecosystems AIS & HAVERFORD
DRIVING QUESTION: How can we, the 4th grade girls at Agnes Irwin and 4th grade boys at The Haverford School, collaborate to create an animal that can survive and thrive in two different ecosystems? In science class the girls worked in groups to create 6 ecosystems. The boys at The Haverford School also worked on this project with Mrs. Joloza, Lower School science teacher. The students from both schools came together, combining 2 different projects and then created an imaginary animal that has adaptations to enable it to live in both ecosystems. The combined groups presented their projects. We learned a lot and had a great day!
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End of Year Science Video
Although I am very sad to see the year come to a close, we had an amazing year of science filled with investigation and exploration. Thanks for a great year in science together! XOXO -Ms. Haines
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4th gr. Play: Agnes Irwin the Musical
Here is a video of the girls in the fourth grade play: Agnes Irwin the Musical that was written, directed, and produced by the uber talented Mr. Savar and the incredible scenery created by the girls at that direction of the wonderful Ms. Siembora. I hope you enjoyed it live and enjoy the video recap. The girls were AMAZING!
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Grandfriends' Day
We had a wonderful morning with our Grandfriends! Thank you for sharing part of your day with us! Since the videos are longer than usual I made a separate video for each homeroom. The girls and their grandfriends used invisible ink to write a secret messages. (Warning: You may need tissues before watching!)
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Upper School Eco Board Presentation
Since this week is Earth Week, students from the Upper School Eco Board came to the Lower School to do an activity and presentation. The girls learned about carbon footprints and how they can reduce their own carbon footprint. They made paper footprints to show what they learned. What a fun experience!
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Watershed Field Trip
The 4th graders took a field trip to Woodmont run by Riverbend. The girls studies and explored watersheds, sustainability, and ecosystems. We conducted a stream investigation, sampled water, and hiked a watershed trail. We had a great time!
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Dissecting Owl Pellets
We have been learning about owls in science class. Dr. Hill gave a special presentation to the entire 4th grade about owls and asked what they already knew. I was so proud of their answers and to see how much they have learned already. After Dr. Hill's presentation, she stayed and helped as the girls dissected owl pellets. The girls examined the bones they found and used the referencing guides to determine what kind of food it ate. We will continue to work in our owl pellet journals in the days to come. My favorite quote of the day, "This is the coolest thing I have ever done in my whole life!"
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Calling All Scientists!
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, please see a sample of all the visitors from the month. What an amazing experience for the girls! We have a wonderful community! THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR VISITORS FOR SHARING YOUR PASSION WITH US!
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Calling All Scientists! - Mrs. Slayton
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Mrs. Slayton (Amanda's aunt) talked to the girls about working in connection with NASA.
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Calling All Scientists! - Dr. MacIntyre
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Dr. MacIntyre (Emily's mom) talked to the girls about being a Psychiatrist.
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Calling All Scientists! - Mrs. Kain
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Mrs. Kain (Colette's mom) talked to the girls about being a Marine Biologist.
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Exploring Mystery Powders
Over the course of several lab periods, the girls explored the properties of different powders. They compared and contrasted characteristics of salt, cornstarch, baking soda, and alum. They tested for solubility, as well as for interactions with vinegar, iodine, and cabbage juice. We also used cabbage juice as an indicator for acids, bases, or neutrals. We tested vinegar, soda, water, baking soda, milk, soapy water, lemon juice, and hand sanitizer. The girls loved seeing the rainbow of colors and recording their findings in their lab journals.
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Calling All Scientists! - Dr. Parish
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Dr. Parish (Alexandra's mom) talked to the girls about being a Dermatologist.
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Calling All Scientists! - Mrs. Bongiorno
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Mrs. Bongiorno (Gabby's mom) talked to the girls about being a Physical Therapist.
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Calling All Scientists! - Dr. Amirault
During the month of March, I invited parents (who work in the science field) to come in to our Lower School science classes as guest speakers. The focus is for the girls to see how adults use science in their everyday lives. Mothers, fathers, and other family members were all invited to schedule a time to come in, but since March is Women’s History Month, we had a special focus on WOMEN in the science field (either presently or in the past). In this video, Dr. Amirault (Amelia's mom) talked to the girls about being a Pediatrician.
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African American Women in S.T.E.A.M.
During the month of February (Black History Month), we took some time to research African American Women in the S.T.E.A.M. field. The girls worked well in groups to research an assigned woman. Each group created a poster sharing the information they learned, and presented their findings to their class. The posters are hanging on a bulletin board outside the science hallway through the month of March which is Women’s History Month. Here is a video with pictures of each group's presentation.
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Measurement Mania
In connection with the 4th grade math curriculum, the 4th grade scientists are experimenting with different types of measurements. The girls measured and recorded the temperature of hot and cold liquids, the volume of liquids, the length of objects, the amount of time it takes to do tasks, the volume of solids, and the weight of several objects. They also classified objects and made detailed observations using a hand lens and a flip-top magnifier. I am so proud of their hard work and their diligence following directions. Well done!
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Learning Stations: Physical and Chemical Changes
The girls worked at rotating stations to to experiment and explore some chemical and physical properties.
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Changing States of Matter:
(Soda and Mentos)
Many people have heard of the Mentos in soda experiment. Today we took a very quick trip outside (to minimize the mess) to do this experiment. We were determining if this reaction was a physical or chemical change. Although there were carbon dioxide gas bubbles that were overflowing out of the soda bottle, we did not create a NEW substance so the girls determined that this was a PHYSICAL CHANGE. (By accident I have one short video clip of the other experiment from today in this video...sorry for the mistake.)
(Balloons- Solid, Liquid, & Gas)
Groups were given 3 balloons. You could not see what was inside the balloons but the girls quickly predicted that one was solid, one was liquid, and one was gas. We needed to open them up to test their hypotheses.
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Solid, Liquid, & Gas - (Root-Beer Float)
We are learning about the states of matter. Our experiment today shows how you can have a solid, a liquid, and a gas all at the same time in one drink. (Ice cream - SOLID, root-beer - LIQUID, carbonated bubbles - GAS) The girls loved sampling all three forms of matter in science class today. :)
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Invisible Ink - (Chemical Reaction)
The girls wrote a message for a friend in invisible ink (baking soda and water). Each student gave a message and each student received one. When the student received her invisible message, she rubbed blackberries on her paper to reveal her message. The chemical reaction between the baking soda and the blackberries turned the message a different color.
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Plate Tectonics Lab
After learning about plate tectonics, the girls simulated a variety of interactions at the plate boundaries. Plates may CONVERGE (collide), DIVERGE (separate), or slide past each other (TRANSFORM BOUNDARY).
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Starburst Lab
The girls used Starburst candies to demonstrate the stages of the rock cycle. We started by weathering the "rock" (Starburst) into smaller pieces. We used that sediment and applied pressure to create sedimentary rocks that shows the different layers of sediment. We then added some heat and more pressure to mold the sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock. We then heated the metamorphic rock to create "magma" which cooled and became igneous rock. We could then break the igneous rock into sediment pieces and continue the rock cycle. The science classroom smelled great today and we had a great time!
*If you click this video and it doesn't work, try clicking the YouTube button on the bottom right of the video.
Making a Shield Volcano
Fourth graders learned how a shield volcano is formed by creating our own models. We began with flat land (a tin tray) and a volcanic creator (bottle cap). We added baking soda and vinegar to create the first eruption. The girls traced the outline of the lava eruption and replaced it with play-dough to simulate how lava turns into new land. We repeated these steps several times simulating multiple eruptions in the same place over time. After each eruption, the lava flow is replaced with a different color play-dough. After several eruptions a shield volcano is formed. At the end we cut into the shield volcano to see the layers beneath the surface. I also took a small sample out of each slice as scientists often do to see how it is possible for one volcano to have different layers in different locations...no two samples are exactly the same.
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Corn Meal Erosion
Throughout this week, the girls have been experimenting with corn meal landforms to demonstrate erosion and design ways to protect the land from erosion. I was so pleased to see the girls use so much of the knowledge we have been learning about in class to create a structure to protect their corn meal landforms from erosion. This was really great work, girls!
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Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition Demonstration.
This video is significantly longer than my usual videos. You may scroll through the video to watch your daughter's response without watching the entire video. The beginning of the video shows our group demonstration. I hope you enjoy a peek at our classroom experience.
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International Day of the Girl
Today is the International Day of the Girl. Please watch this video to hear the fourth grade girls' reflections of what it means to them to be a girl at the Agnes Irwin School. <3
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Learning about Weathering, Erosion, and Deposition from Overview
My cousin, Benjamin Grant, published a book called Overview and today we used images from his book and Daily Overview Instagram site to show the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition. The visuals help the students to understand the information with a different perspective. Today he posted before and after photos of the same location to see the effects of an earthquake and tsunami. It was PERFECT for our deposition lesson. The girls recorded this message for my cousin Ben.
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Daily Overview side by side comparison to see Palu, Indonesia, before and after it was hit by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and a roughly 30-foot-high tsunami. You are clearly able to see that a considerable amount of sediment and debris from the storm has been deposited into the bay.
UPDATE: Ben Grant, author of Overview recorded a message for our class. See video below. :)
Daily Overview image showing deposition!
This is a tributary in northeastern Ontario, Canada. James Bay is a body of water within Hudson Bay, which extends south from the Arctic Ocean.
Chemical Weathering
Questions: How does acid rain weather rocks? The girls etched their name in the side of a piece of chalk. We then submerged it in vinegar over night. We used both regular chalk and sidewalk chalk. We then observed how the chalk changed after being submerged in the acid for 24 hours.
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Ice Weathering
Questions: How does ice weather rock? We used plaster of paris to act as our rock. We placed some in an empty milk container as our comparison. Then we put water in a balloon and placed the balloon in a separate milk carton and covered it with plaster of paris. When that hardened, we placed them in the freezer to see if when the water became ice (and expanded) it would weather (or crack) the plaster of paris.
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Sugar Shake
To study weathering, students used sugar cubes to represent rocks. We colored an edge to see what the "rock" looked like to start and then we shook the sugar cubes in a container. We paused after every 40 shakes to observe any physical changes. Did the color on any of the edges wear off? We shook 200 times total and recorded our observations.
I am sorry that the first part of this video appears sideways. I don't know how that happened.
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Water Weathering
Students explored the concept of water weathering. The students used sugar cubes to simulate rocks that are weathered by water. They put drops of colored water on their "rocks" and observed the changes.
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Color & Milk Experiment
Question: What will happen when you put a drop of soap into a container with milk and food coloring? Watch and find out!!! We followed the scientific method starting with a question, then charting our hypotheses, doing the experiment, discussing our observations, and taking note of the conclusion.
Bonus: Hear what the 4th graders think about science!
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