June 15--We celebrated a birthday at this time.
June 13--We celebrated a birthday at this time.
June 10--We celebrated a birthday.
June 9--field day
June 7--We celebrated a birthday.
June 6--Students worked on their graduation gift for the eighth graders.
June 6--Students worked on their graduation gift for the eighth graders.
June 3--Talent show in the afternoon
June 2--Students worked on their own parts of the graduation gift to the eighth graders.
June 1--We celebrated a birthday today.
May 27--We celebrated a birthday in this time slot.
May 26--
3rd: continued "Do All Rocks Come from Earth?"
4th and 5th: read and discussed 8.4 and began worksheet for 8.4.
May 25--field trip to Soundbridge
May 24--
3rd: worked independently on a weather packet or reading and questions.
4th and 5th: track meet
May 23--
3rd: continued "Do All Rocks Come from Earth?"
4th and 5th: began reading and discussing lesson 8.3.
May 20--Students had art in this time slot. They painted or did other parts of a bulletin board scene.
May 19--
3rd: continued "Do All Rocks Come From Earth?" We looked at various rocks through a stereo microscope.
4th and 5th: continued reading and discussing lesson 8.2. We looked at various rocks through a stereo microscope.
May 18--
3rd: corrected "Are Some Rocks Valuable?"; began "Do All Rocks Come from Earth?"
4th and 5th: finished reading and discussing lesson 8.2 and answered the worksheet questions in class; began reading 8.3, "What Makes up Soil?"
May 17--We celebrated a birthday today.
3rd: corrected days 1,2, and 3 of "Are Some Rocks Valuable?"
5th: corrected worksheet for lesson 8.1, "What are Minerals?" and began reading lesson 8.2, "What are Rocks?"
May 16--Students began making a spiritual bouquet for Mrs. White. Deacon Ed White's funeral is tomorrow. Students who return the permission slip will attend the funeral.
May 12--
3rd: reviewed "Are Some Rocks Valuable?" with Mr. Egan.
4th-5th: read pages 304-309 and began worksheet.
May 11--
3rd: day 3, "Are Some Rocks Valuable?"
4th and 5th: test, chapter 7.
May 10--
3rd: day 2, "Are Some Rocks Valuable?"
4th and 5th: completed the study guide for chapter 7. Homework: study for chapter 7 test.
May 9--
3rd: began new packet "Are Some Rocks Valuable?"
5th: corrected worksheet 7.5 and started chapter review.
May 6--
3rd: Third corrected "Where Do Rocks Come From?" through day 5.
May 5--Students applied their knowledge of how to make three-dimensional looking rectangular solids and cubes to draw a house in colored pencils.
May 4--
3rd: corrected "Where Do Rocks Come From?" through day 4.
4th and 5th: corrected lesson 7.4 worksheet; read lesson 7.5 and began worksheet for lesson 7.5. Homework: complete worksheet 7.5.
May 3--
3rd: finished packet "Where Do Rocks Come From?"
4th and 5th: read pp. 277-281. Homework: complete worksheet for lesson 7.4.
May 2--We celebrated a birthday.
3rd: day 4, "Where Do Rocks Come From?"
4th and 5th: finished reading and discussing lesson 7.3. Students identified the main idea or topic sentence of each paragraph to summarize the lesson. We did the lesson worksheet orally.
April 28--We celebrated another birthday in this time slot.
3rd: completed day 3, "Where do Rocks Come From?"
4th and 5th: read lesson 7.3 to p. 271 and identified the topic sentence or main idea of each paragraph. Students explained the difference between climate and weather.
April 27--
3rd: corrected days 1 and 2 of "Where do Rocks Come From?""
4th and 5th: corrected and discussed worksheet 7.2 and began reading lesson 7.3.
April 26--
3rd: day 2, "Where do Rocks Come From?"
4th and 5th: reviewed lesson 7.1 and began lesson 7.2. Homework: finish reading pp. 265-267 and complete the 7.2 worksheet.
April 25--
3rd: checked "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?" and began day 1 of their new packet "Where do Rocks Come From?"
4th and 5th: read pp. 259-263 and answered questions in book.
April 22--lesson about color: primary colors (yellow, red, and blue), secondary colors (made from mixing two primary colors), and tertiary colors (made my mixing a primary color and a secondary color). Students made a color wheel.
April 21--Students created small works of art for our prayer table. Each one will be displayed for a day on our prayer table. They also practiced making a flower pot that looks three dimensional. Perhaps I need a tab at the left that says "art".
April 20--Third and fourth graders did a lab to discover which model of an aluminum boat can hold the heaviest cargo. They learned some factors that can influence buoyancy, made their boat, and tested it.
April 19--
3rd: completed day 5 of "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?"
4th and 5th: test today.
April 18--
3rd: day 5 of "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?"
4th and 5th: reviewed for tomorrow's test. Homework: test on chapter 6. Fifth graders had a camp meeting with Mrs. Blum.
April 15--We did art in this time slot--practiced drawing cylinders and sections of a cone. We also celebrated a birthday today.
April 14--
3rd: completed day 4 of "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?"
4th and 5th: review of chapter 6.
April 13--
3rd: completed and checked days 2 and 3 of "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?"
4th and 5th: completed chapter review and studied vocabulary.
April 12--
3rd: worked as a group identifying the vocabulary, identify the main idea of each paragraph, and answer the questions accurately from day one of "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?" Students did day two independently.
4th-5th: finished reading with a partner lesson 6.4 and studying vocabulary; began chapter review for chapter 6.
April 11--
3rd: corrected unit review; began new packet, "What's the Difference Between a Rock and a Mineral?"
4th and 5th: corrected worksheet 6.3; read with a partner lesson 6.4.
April 8--
3rd: continued working on unit review.
4th and 5th: continued working on worksheet 6.3.
April 7--
3rd: began the unit review.
4th and 5th: completed, discussed, and checked worksheet 6.2, read 6.3, and began worksheet for 6.3.
April 6--
3rd: finished science packet "What Causes Earthquakes?" and checked.
4th and 5th: finished worksheet 6.1; discussed ecosystems of Washington State; wrote definitions for the following words: predator, prey, producer, consumer, decomposer, food chain, food web.
April 5--
3rd: day 4, "What Causes Earthquakes?"
4th and 5th: read and discussed lesson 6.1 and worksheet 6.1; celebrated a birthday.
March 24--We watched the first 35 minutes of a documentary (found on YouTube for free) called Documentary: Jesus and the Shroud of Turin
by Daniel Bilodeau, which documents the scientific analyses of the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth widely thought to be the burial cloth of Jesus.
March 23--In this time slot we rehearsed for Holy Thursday.
March 22--We watched live webcam video of the American Bald Eagles' nest in Washington, D.C. We saw the mother eagle with her two hatchlings, who hatched last week. We also watched some of last week's video of the eagles. As the first of the two eggs in the nest was hatching, the father eagle arrived with a fresh fish, still alive.
March 21--In this time slot students practiced for Holy Thursday.
March 17--In this time slot students completed their St. Patrick paragraph.
March 16--
3rd: checked days 1 and 2 and completed days 3 and 4 in "What Causes Earthquakes?"
4th and 5th: Students read and discussed main point and supporting details, "Wetlands", p. 207 and read and discussed p. 208.
March 15--
3rd: continued "What Causes Earthquakes?"
4th and 5th: test.
March 14--
3rd: began new packet, "What Causes Earthquakes?"
4th and 5th: reviewed and quizzed one another on chapter vocabulary; practiced questions for test. Homework: study for test tomorrow, chapter 5.
March 11--All grades conducted a lab to test reaction time, which is a function of the nervous and muscular systems. They discussed whether reaction might be faster with a visual clue or an auditory clue and why.
March 10--
3rd: completed day 5 of "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?"
4th and 5th: checked chapter review for chapter 5.
March 9--
3rd: checked days 3 and 4, "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?"; began work on day 5.
4th-5th: completed chapter review for chapter 5.
March 8--[projected plan while Mrs. Murphy is ill.]
3rd: check day 3 and complete day 4 of "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?"
4th and 5th: continue chapter review for chapter 5.
March 7 - [Plan while Mrs. Murphy is ill.]
3rd: check days 1 and 2 of "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?" Complete day 3.
4th and 5th: began chapter review for chapter 5.
March 4--Students created a watercolor painting in this time slot.
March 3--
3rd: We worked together to fix errors on day 1 of "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?". We worked in a group to practice reading directions and finding answers in the text.
4th and 5th: continued reading and discussing lesson 5.5.
March 2--
3rd: began a new science packet, "What Makes a Volcano Erupt?"
4th and 5th: finished and corrected worksheet, lesson 5.4; began reading and discussing lesson 5.5.
March 1--
3rd: students turned in "Do Glaciers Really Move" and worked in third-grade science centers.
4th and 5th: continued reading and discussing lesson 5.4.
February 29--art this afternoon: glazing pottery
February 25--
3rd: checked days 4 and 5 of "Do Glaciers Really Move?" with Mr. Egan.
4th and 5th: completed and checked 5.3 worksheet, muscular and skeletal systems; began reading lesson 5.4.
February 24--
3rd: continued working on days 4 and 5 of "Do Glaciers Really Move?"
4th and 5th: read 5.3 and began worksheet.
February 23--The remaining students had their interviews with the science fair judges.
3rd: corrected days 1, 2, and 3 of "Do Glaciers Really Move?"; began work on day 4.
4th and 5th: corrected 5.2 worksheet.
February 22--Many students had their interviews with the science fair judges.
3rd: day 3, "Do Glaciers Really Move?"
4th and 5th: complete worksheet 5.2, respiratory system.
February 19--Students practiced drawing cylinders and celebrated the birthday of a classmate in this time slot.
February 19--Students had art in this time slot. They made pinch pots.
February 18--Homework: science fair presentation boards are due tomorrow. (If it is not reasonable for the completed board to be brought in Friday, it will be okay to bring it Monday. But it must be here Monday. Interviews with the judges begin Monday.)
3rd: completed days 1 and 2 of "Do Glaciers Really Move?"
4th and 5th: corrected worksheet from lesson 5.1; read pp. 167-171 and began working on the lesson 5.2 worksheet.
February 17--Students finished up their final draft of their research paper or helped another student finish.
February 16--
3rd: Completed and corrected "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?"; began ""Do Glaciers Really Move?"
4th and 5th: read pp. 161-165 and completed the lesson worksheet.
February 11--
3rd: completed their packet "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?" or learned from science center activities.
4th and 5th: Students reviewed one more time then took a test for chapter 4.
February 10--
3rd: worked on typing research paper or on packet "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?"
4th and 5th: reviewed for tomorrow's test. Homework: test tomorrow. Making sure students can answer questions on the study guide is a good way to study for the test.
February 9--
3rd: continued working on typing final draft of paper; continued working on packet "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?"
4th and 5th: quick review of study guide. The test will be Thursday. homework: study the study guide.
February 8--Students received their research papers back with corrections noted. They began typing their final draft.
February 4--Students created a second watercolor painting by watching an instructional video and following the instructions.
February 3--
3rd: days 2 and 3 of "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?"
4th and 5th: read and discussed lesson 4.4, metamorphosis.
February 1--We had a field trip today in this time slot.
January 28--
3rd: completed the third page of the unit review and checked; began working on the next packet, "How was the Grand Canyon Formed?"
4th and 5th: class discussion about the remainder of lesson 4.3.
January 27--
3rd: completed the matching page of the unit review and checked the first page and the matching page; began working independently on the third page.
4th and 5th: checked the study guide for 4.2; began reading lesson 4.3.
January 26--Today I gave students a packet with a letter to parents, an illustration of what should be on their board for the science fair, and a sample of the scoring card for last year's fair. We discussed each of these, and I answered students' questions. Below is the text of the letter.
3rd: continued to work on unit review
4th and 5th: continued to work on their 4.2 study guide.
Dear Parents,
This year’s St. Michael School Science Fair will be Wednesday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m. in the Small Hall. Students will need to come dressed in uniform and prepared to answer questions from parents, teachers, students, and other community members about their experiments. Awards will be presented at the end of the event.
Student presentation boards with research papers attached are due February 19, the Friday before the Science Fair. Judges will have the opportunity over the weekend to judge boards and papers. Judges will interview students during the school day Monday and Tuesday, February 22 and 23.
Students began working on this project in October. Each student has met with me several times as he or she chose a project, identified variables, conducted background research, wrote the research paper, and completed his or her bibliography. I will return their research papers with recommendations for improvements so that they can publish a final draft to attach to their presentation boards.
While students complete their experiments at home, it is important for them to keep careful notes and measurements. Taking photographs is not necessary, but it can be very helpful to have photos on the presentation board to illustrate the progression of the experiment.
Attached is an illustration of how to arrange the presentation board. This year, I will have tri-fold boards available at school for one dollar. If you would like to get the presentation board in this convenient manner, just send one dollar to school with your student.
Attached also is a copy of the judging form used at last year’s science fair. While the form this year may be slightly different, this will give you and your son or daughter an idea of how the experiment and the presentation of it will be judged.
Please let me know if you have questions. After so many months of preparation alongside your students, I look forward to seeing their results.
Mrs. Murphy
m.murphy@smpschool.org
January 25--
3rd: began working together to complete the unit review.
4th and 5th: corrected 4.1 study guide and began 4.2 study guide.
January 21--
3rd: finished day 5 of "Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Food?" and corrected it.
4th and 5th: read lesson 4.1 and completed the study guide for the lesson.
January 20--
3rd: corrected days 2, 3, and 4 of "Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Food?"
4th and 5th: test, chapter 3.
January 19--
3rd: day 3 of "Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Food?"
4th and 5th: chapter review for chapter 3. Test tomorrow. Homework: review the study guide for tomorrow's test.
The Science Fair is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24. Student presentation boards will be due Friday, February 19. Students should begin their experiments soon. Soon I will be sending home guidelines for the presentation board.
January 14--
3rd: day 2, "Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Food?"
4th and 5th: quiz, questions 9-12 from chapter 3 study guide questions.
January 13--
3rd: day 1, "Is it Safe to Eat Moldy Food?"; correction of day 1.
4th and 5th: review; quiz: questions 5-8 of study guide. Homework: study for quiz, questions 9-12 on study guide (see below).
9. Tell one thing about invertebrates. They have no backbone.
10. What are arthropods? They are animals with jointed legs, an outer skeleton, and segmented parts such as insects, spiders, lobsters.
11. Name two characteristics of plants. multicellular, make their own food, have features such as leaves, roots, and stems
12. Why does the classification system keep changing? It changes as scientists learn more.
January 12--
3rd: checked day 5 of "Are All Germs Bad?"
4th and 5th: quiz on study guide questions 1-4; checked quiz. Homework: quiz on study guide questions 5-8 (see below).
5. What is a dichotomous key? a tool used to identify an unknown organism by answering a series of questions about the organism.
6. Name two characteristics of animals. Move, cannot make their own food, multi-cellular.
7. Animals in the phylum Chordata all have a what? a backbone
8. Name the five classes of Chordata. fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals.
January 11--
3rd: corrected day 4, "Are All Germs Bad?"; worked on day 5 by themselves.
4th and 5th: corrected the study guide and the study guide questions for chapter 3. Homework: quiz on questions 1-4 on study guide questions. See below:
Which domain includes plants and animals? Eukarya
Name the four kingdoms of Eukarya. protists, fungi, plants, animals
What is a phylum? A phylum is the next classification level below kingdom.
Two organisms from the same species can do what? Two organisms from the same species can mate and produce offspring.
January 7--
3rd: day 4, "Are All Germs Bad".
4th and 5th: answered study-guide questions for chapter 3.
January 6--
3rd: day 3, "Are All Germs Bad?" and checked.
4th and 5th: checked dichotomous key homework; read and discussed study guide for chapter 3; filled out plant classification chart on study guide.
January 5--
3rd: day 2, "Are All Germs Bad?"; corrected days 1 and 2.
4th and 5th: review: Classification system and its levels: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. Students used a dichotomous key, which is a tool used to identify an unknown organism by answering a series of questions based on observing the organism. Homework: complete the worksheet using the dichotomous key to identify the leaves shown.
January 4, 2016--
3rd: day 1, "Are All Germs Bad?"
4th and 5th: review, lesson 3.1.
---------------------
December 17--Students completed and turned in their finished paper or at least sections A-D.
December 16--Students continued working on their papers. Some are finished; most are nearly finished.
December 15--Students continued working on their papers.
December 14--Music dress rehearsal today.
December 10--Music rehearsal took place in the afternoon; students worked on their research paper.
December 9--Students continued writing part C of the main body of their paper. Students had the opportunity to check their work with me and get direction or suggestions for improvement. Some students have moved on to parts B and D and the bibliography.
December 8--Students continued writing part C of the main body of their paper. Students had the opportunity to check their work with me and get direction or suggestions for improvement.
December 7--Students continued researching or began writing part C of the main body of the science fair research paper.
December 3--Students who finished paragraph A had it checked; other continued working on paragraph A.
December 2--Students continued working on paragraph A (of the outline shown below) and began searching for background information related to their science fair topic.
December 1--Students began writing paragraph A from the outline [shown below at November 30] for their research paper.
November 30--Students learned today how to format the research paper for their science fair experiment. They also listened to a model research paper which follows the format of this outline. The outline they received is as follows:
Outline for Science Fair Research Paper, St. Michael School
I. First Page: Title, name of student who wrote the paper, date
II. Body of the paper:
A. first paragraph: an introductory paragraph about the question you are trying to answer in your science fair experiment.
B. second paragraph: a paragraph about your hypothesis
C. third paragraph: explain what you learned in your background research. This part should include information you learned which helped you form your hypothesis. [I can help you formulate questions that you should answer in this paragraph.] **This part could be more than one paragraph.
D. fourth paragraph: This paragraph should describe and explain what you will do in your experiment to test your hypothesis.
III. Bibliography
Please note: you may switch the order of paragraphs B and C if you wish.
November 24--Students continued to search for background information regarding their science fair topic.
November 23--Students began to search for background information that will be useful in their experiments. Students watched a demonstration of how to search the catalog of the Sno-Isle Library System to find a book that would help them learn more about their topic. Here is the address for the library catalog.
November 20--Students continued to search for their science fair experiment; those whose proposals were accepted began searching for library materials for their research paper.
November 19--Students continued to search for their science fair experiment. These will be due Tuesday of next week.
November 18--Students continued to search for the science fair experiment they will do.
November 17--Students continued to search for the science fair experiment they will do.
November 16--Students began searching for the science fair experiment they want to do for the science fair. Students need to do a true experiment which has clearly defined variables. In our classroom I have several books which describe a variety of science fair projects. These websites also have a selection of true experiments: www.sciencebob.com, www.sciencebuddies.org, and http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/. Homework: continue searching for the right science fair project.
November 13--
3rd: checked day 5 of their packet, "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?".
4th and 5th: finished completing worksheet for lesson 3.1.
November 12--
3rd: corrected day 4, "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?" and completed day 5. Students are required to put the page where the answer could be found for each answer on day 5.
5th: read pages 98-101, answering questions in the book and completing the lesson worksheet.
November 10--Veteran's Day assembly today.
November 9--We celebrated a birthday today.
3rd: day 4 of "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?"
4th and 5th: reading about classification system, p. 92- .
November 5--
3rd: completed day 3 of "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?" Students had to identify the sentence which proved their answer to be correct.
4th and 5th: began chapter 3, "Classifying Organisms".
November 4--
3rd: completed day 2 of "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?" Students had to underline the sentence which proves their answer. We checked this page together.
4th and 5th: chapter 2 test; began reading chapter 3.
November 3--
3rd: Students completed day 1 of their new packet, "How Do Bacteria Create Cavities?"; They were instructed to underline the sentence that proved each answer. We discussed their work.
4th and 5th: We reviewed for tomorrow's test. Homework: test tomorrow, chapter 2.
November 2--
3rd: corrected "Why Does Garbage Smell?"
4th and 5th: p. 75: students worked on these questions on their own then we corrected and discussed. Tomorrow will be a review for the test; the test will be Wednesday.
October 30--We had our Halloween party this afternoon.
October 29--
3rd: completed day 4 and began work on day 5, "Why Does Garbage Smell?"
4th and 5th: began the chapter review, pp. 74-75. We completed p. 74 in class.
October 28--
3rd: met with Mr. Egan to do days 2 and 3 in "Why Does Garbage Smell? Students supported their answers by showing where in the text the answer could be found. Students worked independently to do day 4.
5th: finished writing completed sentences to answer six questions about lesson 2.3. Students checked their answers with Mr. Egan.
October 27--
3rd: redid day 1, "Why Does Garbage Smell?" Students supported their answers by citing the sentence in the text that told the answer.
5th: worked independently writing answers to these questions in writing: What is the design process (p. 61)? List the steps in the design process (p. 61). Why is it important to do research after identifying the problem (p. 62)? What should you consider before choosing one solution (p. 63)? What is a prototype (p. 64)? What does "communicate results" mean (p. 65)?
October 26--
3rd: day 1 of new packet, "Why Does Garbage Smell?"
5th: reviewed definition of technology, how robots are like humans and how they are not like humans, and the effect of the microchip in computers. Read "Design Process", p. 61.
October 22--
3rd: checked the unit review.
4th and 5th: read and discussed pp. 54-57; underlined topic sentences on p. 58 and 59.
October 21--
3rd: began working in teams of four to complete the unit review.
4th and 5th: discussed and corrected pp. 49-51; did pp. 52 and 53 together in class. Key definition: technology: using knowledge, processes, and products to solve problems.
October 20--
3rd: discussed and corrected "Where Do Animals Get Food in the Winter?"
4th and 5th: What is Technology, pp. 49-51. We did p. 49 together, reading, defining terms, and answering questions. Students read and answered questions independently pp. 50-51 and wrote at the bottom of p. 51 three kinds of technology which help us communicate. One of the three was to be an example of old technology, something that has been around and available for a long time.
October 19--
3rd: continued working on packet "Where do Animals Get Food in the Winter?"
4th and 5th: quick review; chapter 1 test.
October 13--
3rd: day 2, "Where do Animals Get Food in the Winter?"
4th and 5th: practice test, chapter 1
October 8--
3rd: began a new packet: "Where do Animals Get Food in the Winter?"
4th and 5th: practiced matching the vocabulary from chapter 1 without using the book.
October 7--
3rd: corrected "Do All Bees Make Honey?
5th: completed and corrected matching worksheet, science vocabulary.
October 6--
3rd: finished "Do All Bees Make Honey?"
4th and 5th: finished discussing and correcting pp. 40-41.
October 5--
3rd: day 4, "Do All Bees Make Honey?"
4th and 5th: continued working on pages 40-41.
October 1-- We celebrated a birthday today.
September 30--
3rd: day 3 of "Do All Bees Make Honey?
5th: began work on the chapter review, pages 40-41.
September 29--
3rd: began the packet, "Do All Bees Make Honey?"
4th and 5th: finished lesson 4; completed lesson 4 worksheet, studied vocabulary.
September 28--
3rd: finished and corrected "Why do Some Plants Have Fruit?"
4th and 5th: answered questions to the end of the lesson, p. 31.
September 24--
3rd: students continued to work on "Why do Some Plants Have Fruit?"
4th and 5th: students read and answered questions, pages 29-30.
September 23--
3rd: day 4, "Why do Some Plants Have Fruit?"
4th: checked pp. 24, 25, and 26. We did p. 27 together in class.
September 22--
3rd: checked days 1 and 2 of "Why do Some Plants Have Fruit?" Students completed day 3.
4th and 5th: checked and discussed pp. 21, 22, and 23. Homework: pp. 24, 25, and 26.
September 21--
3rd: checked days 4 and 5. Homework: days 1 and 2 in new packet, "Why do Some Plants Have Fruit?"
4th and 5th: Read pages 21, 22, and 23 and write answers to questions in book. Homework: Pages 21, 22, and 23. Read and answer questions.
September 17--
3rd: check days 2 and 3; do days 4 and 5.
4th and 5th: checked answers for eight questions; began writing answers in book for same lesson, lesson 1.2.
September 16--
3rd: checked day 1 and completed days 2 and 3, "Why Do Beavers Build Dams?"
4th and 5th: Read lesson 1.2 and began answering eight questions in complete sentences. Homework: Finish answering the eight questions below. These are the questions:
1. Scientific investigation begins with what? (p.13)
2. What is an experiment? (p. 13)
3. What is a hypothesis? (p. 13)
4. Why do scientists use models? (p. 14)
5. List the six steps of a scientific investigation. (p. 16-17)
6. What is a variable? (p. 16)
7. What is a control group? (p. 16)
8. What are procedures? (p. 18)
September 15--Students made personal invitations for you to attend Curriculum Night, tomorrow (Wednesday, September 16) at 7:00 p.m. Students should give these to you today.
September 14--
3rd: began their science curriculum for the year. The key concept of their first unit is that plants and animals depend upon each other and their environment for survival. The first week's work is the question, "Why Do Beavers Build Dams?" Today's assignment, week 1, day 1.
4th and 5th: independently completed the worksheet after completing lesson 1, "What do Scientists Do?".
September 10--
3rd: finished and corrected lesson about thunder storms. Some of the students need to pay more attention to the definitions given in the text so that the definitions they write are accurate.
4th and 5th: read pages 10-11 and began answering the questions. Homework: finish reading and answering questions pages 10-11.
September 9--
3rd: most students completed the lesson about thunder storms.
4th and 5th: read and completed pages 4, 7, 8, and 9.
September 8, 2015--
3rd: read a lesson about thunder storms and answered questions.
4th and 5th: read and discussed pages 2 and 4; group activity classifying questions according to whether they are good scientific questions or not.