How We Express Ourselves

An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.

Central Idea: People discover and express ideas through the design process

NGSS - Physical Science: - Structures and Physical Properties of Matter

1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.2-PS1-1
2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. 2-PS1-2
3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object. 2-PS1-3
4. Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot. 2-PS1-4

Resources

Books in the iCommons:

1. The wonderful Towers of Watts by Patricia Zelver ; pictures by Frané Lessac. Summary: Describes how an Italian immigrant built three unusual towers in his backyard in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

2. Engineers build models by Reagan Miller. Summary: Text and illustrations look at how engineers use different kinds of models and what makes them alike and how they are different

3. Rosie Revere, engineer by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts. Summary: A young aspiring engineer must first conquer her fear of failure.

4. If I built a car by Chris Van Dusen, Summary: Jack describes the kind of car he would build--one with amazing accessories and with the capability of traveling on land, in the air, and on and under the sea.

5.T he biggest bed in the world by Lindsay Camp ; illustrated by Jonathan Langley.Tired of sharing his bed with his children and never having enough room for himself, Ben's dad builds the biggest bed in the world, but it is also the heaviest bed, which causes some problems.

6. Henry builds a cabin by D.B. Johnson. Summary: Young Henry Thoreau appears frugal to his friends as he sets about building a cabin. Includes biographical information about Thoreau

7. Iggy Peck, architect by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts. Summary: Ever since he was a baby, Iggy Peck has built towers, bridges, and buildings, which comes in handy when his second grade class is stranded on an island during a picnic.

8. Papa's mechanical fish by Candace Fleming ; pictures by Boris Kulikov. Summary: In the summer of 1851, with encouragement and ideas provided by his family, an inventor builds a working submarine and takes his family for a ride. Includes notes about Lodner Phillips, the real inventor on whom the story is based.

9. The magic school bus gets baked in a cake : a book about kitchen chemistry by Linda Beech and illustrated by Ted Enik Summary: Ms. Frizzle and the kids on the Magic School Bus find themselves inside a cake when they go to a bakery to learn about chemistry.

10.From wheat to pasta : a photo essay by Robert Egan. Summary: Describes, in text and photographs, the steps in making various kinds of pasta from growing and harvesting the wheat through the grinding of the flour to making the dough and shaping the final product.

11. From wax to crayon : a photo essay by Michael H. Forman. Summary: Describes how crayons are made, inspected, wrapped, sorted, and packaged for use in drawing and coloring just about anything on earth.

12. Freezing and melting by Robin Nelson. Summary: Summarizes how water changes from a solid to a liquid and back again, and introduces related facts such as water freezes at thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit and ice floats.