Science
These friends used the body features of different birds to design and create bird feeders suited for them.
In all of our science units we help students to
brainstorm prior knowledge
generate testable questions
draw and record realistic results
determine cause and effect
discuss observations with other students
design and engineer projects, choose appropriate materials
Mystery Science
is a great technology based program we use that is matched to our standards. It engages students in questions they must work together in a hands-on experiment to answer big questions. The experiments are done alongside the video with follow-up questions, recording sheets and a conclusion connecting the scientific phenomena to our models.
Mystery Science Mini Lessons
are 5 minute interesting questions that are posed to students. They practice predicting using evidence presented and coming to a scientific answer. Many of these questions connect naturally to our units of study and are high interest
Plant LifeCycles/Pollination
We plant our seeds and observe them growing. We look for all the new parts and stages of the life cycle.
We finally see reproduction - seed pods growing!
We practice realistic drawings, labeling, and written observations at different stages.
We created pollinators whose bodies have features that would pick up and drop pollen - Biomimicry
Students create a model of a flower and practice pollination to understand the concept
Then they do it for real with their actual flowers using dried bees
Landforms - Erosion and Weathering
Why is sand at the beach?
We act out the natural phenomenon to understand the steps of what is happening.
Why does a river flow?
We use hands-on models and discovery methods, asking students about what they see and inferring why that is happening.
Wind Power
We explore with sped up models how wind affects landforms over time. Safety goggles a must!
Power of Water
We create plateau models and rainstorms that shows how canyons are created
Materials and Properties - Solid and Liquid States of Matter
Observation
We have a variety of interesting objects from nature to launch our first science unit. We're learning to look closely and describe what we see.
Fact versus Opinion
We learn to use our senses and write facts (The snail is black) instead of opinions (The snail is cute).
Recording Skills
We are learning to draw realistic models with labels, steps, cause and effect in each unit. We write predictions and observations
We test materials to determine their properties and choose the right ones for different parts of a hat we need for our desert island.
Engineering incorporated
We revise our designs as needed and test out our hats for functional design.
All science is hands-on. Learning how small solids/mixtures (connecting blocks, pipe cleaners, etc) can be combined in one way, taken apart and made into other combinations.