Science Projects

The class Science Projects were on display tonight for family members to see for a special program at the school.  I was so proud of all nine groups in my two classes.  They did a wonderful job designing their own display boards and carrying out their projects.  It was fun to be a part of each group's progress as they engaged in the scientific process.  Check out their results.

Insulators and Conductors

Today was our last day to work with electric circuits.  The students really seemed to get into learning about insulators and conductors.  It was fun to get to test different items to see if their light bulb would light up.  Here are a few pictures of what they did as well a sample of the Recording Sheet for the students' data.

One of the objects that produced mixed results was the pencil.  The students concluded that a pencil could be a conductor or an insulator depending on where the wires are placed.  If placed on the lead part, the pencil is a conductor, but if placed on the wood part, it would be an insulator.

Students made predictions before testing their objects and noted them on their Recording Sheet.  They also included their actual observations and made connections between objects that were insulators and objects that were conductors.  It was a nice way to end the unit.  The students are ready for their test tomorrow.

Series and Parallel Circuits

It was another fun day building circuits!!  The students made series and parallel circuits.  Every student group was successful in getting their circuits to work properly.  They started out making series circuits and drawing a diagram in their Science Journal.  Check out some of their work:

After making the series circuits, the students got to work on their parallel circuits.

 

The students made all sorts of observations such as what happens when you remove one of the light bulbs, the difference in the brightness of the bulbs, and what a fahnestock clip is.  Tomorrow, we are moving on to conductors and insulators.  Check back to see how that goes.

Simple Circuits

We had a blast in science today!!  The students got to actually make simple circuits.  Not only were light bulbs being lit up in the classroom, but there were light bulbs being lit up for lots of students.  They love this type of learning.  I put the students into groups of three and gave them one D-cell battery, two wires, and one light bulb.  They were then given the task of figuring out how to get the light bulb to light up.  Each group used the information that we have been learning about electricity and applied that as they came up with solutions.  I am pleased to report that all groups were successful in getting their bulbs to light up.  They were all so excited and felt such a sense of accomplishment.  Here are a few pictures.  Even though it is difficult to see, all of the bulbs are lit in the pictures.

After building their circuit, the students illustrated their creation in their Science Journals and wrote about what they did.

It was such a productive lesson.  The students helped each other to get their light bulbs to light up.  It was interactive learning at its best.  Next week we will be building series and parallel circuits as well as testing insulators and conductors.  Stay tuned for updates on what else the students will create.

Fractions Jeopardy

We are having a test tomorrow on fractions, so I made up a game of Jeopardy as a review for the students.  We played it today, and they really got into it.  It was fun to see them getting excited about math and eager to show what they know.  It was also a good opportunity for them to realize areas that they needed to focus a little more on in their preparations for tomorrow.  I am sharing the link to the game here.

Jeopardy Fractions

Static Electricity

Today I did a lesson with my students on static electricity.  We learned about atoms and electrical charges. The students participated in two hands-on activities.  In the first activity, students tested the effects of rubbing  a plastic ruler with cloth (transferring electrons) and then holding it over salt and pepper.  They determined that the plastic ruler was negatively charged and the pepper was positively charged because the pepper "flew up" to the ruler, and the salt was negatively charged because it did not move.  They learned that like charges repel and unlike charges attract.  Here are a few pictures of this activity.

  

After testing the ruler with salt and pepper, they blew up a balloon and watched to see if the balloon after being rubbed by a cloth (causing it to become negatively charged) would "attract" torn pieces of paper.  Almost all of the the students predicted that the balloon would pick up and move some of the paper.  Their predictions were confirmed.  

My students love science.  They really enjoy exploring and problem solving.  Several students came up with new questions while doing these experiments.  One of the things that they were the most curious about was investigating which types of materials would be more likely to become negatively charged after being rubbed and what materials were good materials to rub them with.  I thought these were very clever questions that showed how engaged the students were with these activities.

Water Festival

What a fantastic day!!  I had a wonderful time going with my students on a field trip to Pell City for the St. Clair County Annual Water Festival.  All fourth grade students from the county are invited to participate in this event.  My students got to learn all sorts of neat facts about the water cycle and keeping our water clean.  Area high school students led three stations where students got to participate in hands-on activities to learn about water conservation and protection.

Our first station taught us all about how easy it is for our water to become dirty and how difficult it is to clean it so that we can drink it.  The students learned about the filtration process and all had the chance to see and create an up-close illustration of this process.  This was a favorite among many of the students.  Here are a few pictures of them hard at work.

Our next station brought us to the "edible aquifer."  Here the students learned about the different layers (impermeable, permeable, water, bedrock, soil, pollution, and rain) by using ice cream, gummy bears, sprite, and sprinkles.  Students were able to visualize each layer and then used a straw to suck up the "water."  It was here that the students realized how easy it is for so much junk to end up in the water.  Here they are enjoying their aquifers.

Our last station brought us to the place where students learned about each step of the water cycle.  They made water cycle bracelets and sang the Water Cycle Song.  They even payed Simon Says to help them remember the steps of the water cycle.  They had a blast!!

The day ended with a magic show from the Fishin' Magicians reinforcing all that was learned.  The students had a wonderful time, and so did the teachers.  It was a fabulous community event that is a favorite for the 4th grade team each year.  I was blessed to be a part of it today.

Menger Sponge

The students in Mr. Wilder's 4th grade class have been hard at work over the past couple of weeks preparing to make a Level 2 Menger Sponge.  When I first began my student teaching in the class, this was all they wanted to talk about.  Everyone was eager to introduce me to the project.  They have been folding playing cards to make cubes and then assembling these cubes together to form a larger one.  They are very meticulous about the cards.  It is almost like watching a surgeon make an incision with perfect precision.  Here are some pictures of the progress they are making.

Right now, they have made the initial 20 larger cubes that they need to make the great big one - the Level 2.  I am very excited to see the final product.  Be on the lookout for more pictures.

Science Fair Preparations

This past week, my students have been working on their science projects.  They have been working very hard to conduct research on their topics and have been designing visually appealing displays.  Everyone is coming up with titles to capture the essence of their topics and go through the scientific process of developing a question, hypothesis, materials, and procedures.  Once the experiments are complete, they will finalize results and conclusion sections as well.  I have been very proud of their teamwork.  They are coming together nicely.  I am looking forward to seeing them continue the journey through the scientific method.  Here are a few pictures of their progress this week.