Week of 2/16/26

Science Update:

Students have been reading several nonfiction books about volcanoes. As they read, they summarized important information on Post-it notes to help organize their learning.

This week, students will use their notes to create their volcano posters. They will present their posters to the class on Friday, February 20th.

After presentations, we will begin Unit 4, Lesson 3. Please see below for more details.

What We’re Doing

How can people help prevent changes to Earth’s surface? They can use solutions to prevent changes. By the end of this lesson, your child will

·       make a model of a windbreak to show how a windbreak can protect land

·       make a solution that prevents water from changing land

At-Home Activity

To prepare your child for this lesson, try this short activity:

·       Walk around a park, neighborhood, or body of water to observe signs of how wind or water have changed the land.

·       Discuss what you see with your child.

Engage your child by asking these questions:

·       How did wind or water change the land?

·       How do you think a solution could stop wind or water from changing the land?

Science Summary

·       Wind or water can change the shape of the land by washing away soil or sand.

·       People can build solutions that prevent wind or water from washing away soil or sand.

Preconception Alert!

If your child has one of these preconceptions about solutions that prevent wind or water from changing land, here’s how you can help.

·       Preconception 1: Solutions that prevent wind or water from changing land are always built with man-made materials.

To address this, show your child a picture of a windbreak on a farm. Explain that the trees and shrubs are planted to block wind from blowing away soil. A person planned where to put the trees and shrubs, but the windbreak isn’t built with man-made materials.

·       Preconception 2: Solutions that prevent wind or water from changing land are always successful.

To address this, explain that solutions that solve a problem are not always successful. People must test a solution to see if it works. If the solution works, people may still make improvements to the solution.