Forces, electrcity and five senses

Below is a brief summary of what happened in science during the last two weeks:

Owls

Thanks to David Wittman (Linus’ dad), the owls were able to play with hover pucks to further their understanding of friction. Most kids had already grasped the concept while playing with cars on different surfaces, but they absolutely loved playing with the hover pucks! We also used these exciting new toys to explore what happens when things collide.

Teacher Juliette and I agreed that the kids have mastered the first part (forces and motion) of the set of science standards that we had planned to cover this year. So, on Friday, we had a final activity: the kids created their own obstacle course using pushes, pulls, friction and collision. It was great to hear the students using the vocabulary they learned while designing their obstacle course.

Next week we are starting a new science unit. The focus will be on a part of the life science standards - Energy flow in organisms and structures & functions.

Magpies

            The Magpies spent the last two weeks learning about electricity. We slowly built on the information they had learned during the flashlight activity. After reviewing the definition of electricity, the kids built their own circuits using battery packs, alligator clips and small LED lamps. Students were able to build a simple electric circuit in small groups – we just gave them the materials and asked them to try to make the light turn on. The kids were not only able to build a simple circuit, but they could also explain what was going on.

We continued our investigation of electricity by talking about conductors (materials that conduct electricity). The magpies tried to add different materials (straw, aluminum foil and pipe cleaners) to their circuits to see which would conduct electricity.  We finished this unit by building squishy circuits (http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/apthomas/SquishyCircuits/buildingCircuits.htm). The kids had a lot of fun making their LED lights light up with play dough. They were able to light multiple light bulbs (simultaneously) with the conductive dough. 

Crows

            The crows started their study of the five senses by learning about the eye. After learning about the structures and functions of the eye, and successfully completing a worksheet about it, the kids had a chance to dissect a sheep eye. They had a lot of fun, and definitely learned a lot with this particular dissection. I think their favorite structures were the lens and the tapetum lucidum

            The crows have also learned about the structures and functions of the ear, the nose and tongue. We finished the week with some fun activities that reinforced some of the concepts they had learned. You should ask your child about the role of smell and saliva in tasting. They had to taste a jelly bean with their noses plugged, and distinguish between salt and sugar after completely drying their tongues with paper towel. 

                                                                  Owls colliding hover pucks:

                                                              Owls building obstacle course: 

                                                              Magpies building circuits:

                                                                     Crows dissecting eye:

Brief summary

I can’t believe it has been almost two months since classes started. Time is definitely flying by, and I apologize for the delay in writing this summary. 

As you are aware, the school year started with a study of “what happens to our trash”. The owls learned where certain things should go – we worked on a sorting activity that included items that can be recycled, composted and thrown “away” (landfill).

The magpies and crows learned about what happens to trash in the landfill (methane and leachate production), and what happens to recyclable items in recycling facilities (sorted, melted and repurposed). The crows also learned about the average amount of time that certain items take to degrade in the landfill. We finished this unit by talking about reducing the amount of resources that we use and the kids came up with ideas of what they want to do at the school. On the last day of the “reduce, reuse and recycle” unit, the kids sorted the school trashcans – we started with 3 cans full of “trash” and ended up with 3 almost empty trashcans! The kids noticed that most things could be recycled, reused or composted. The head teachers and I have noticed that there is still some confusion on where things should go when kids are cleaning up after snack and lunch, so we will keep working with them on that.

Please note that we are also starting a “collection center” for our community at the school. Thanks to Mary Lynn, we already have a container for batteries that is located on the table by the front door. Batteries should not be thrown in the trash (go to landfill) since they contain acids and toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel that may harm people and the environment. We also plan to start collecting fluorescent light bulbs, plastic bags and possibly Styrofoam at the school for proper disposal. It would be greatly appreciated if some families would volunteer to help us take these items to the proper facilities.

The activities focused on “reduce, reuse and recycle” took place in the first two weeks of school. By week three each class started a new science unit. Below is a brief summary of what the kids have been doing in science:

Owls

The owls have been exploring pushes and pulls. This is a very simple concept, and all the K-1 kids are familiar with most of the ideas we covered so far. One of the reasons teacher Juliette and I chose to start the year with this unit was to help kids feel confident about their scientific skills, and to allow them to have fun with science!

The kids had to identify pushes and pulls in some everyday activities (they played indoors and outside, sorted images and drew their observations). They also explored the effects of small and big pushes and pulls on the distance traveled by an object, and on the speed in which things move. This week the owls started observing how different surfaces/textures affect the speed in which an object travels. We will continue our exploration of friction next week.

Magpies

The magpies spent a few weeks investigating why some animals live in groups (social behavior in animals is one of the third grade standards that teachers Brittany, Pa, and I chose to cover this year), and they have also been learning how to think like scientists.

I noticed, while doing a pre-assessment, that only a few kids had an idea of why some animals live in groups. Since it is difficult to observe the behavior of social animals in the wild, I chose some short videos to share with the kids. We watched videos, played games and had some very good discussions. With these activities, the kids were able to figure out the advantages of living in groups - protection, getting food, and helping each other/sharing tasks.

During our first science class, the kids helped me set up our first experiment. We had two bins with soil and carrots, and each kid added a worm to one of the bins (at the end we had one bin with soil, carrots and worms, and another bin with soil and carrots). Each kid made a prediction of what they thought would happen in each bin, and we made observations every three weeks. Last week, the kids noticed that all the carrots were gone from the bin with worms. We had a class discussion to address what happened, and the kids (divided into 3 groups) created and presented a poster summarizing the experiment.

In addition to this experiment, the kids had another opportunity to go through all the steps of the scientific method. I gave each kid a small cup of soda and a few raisins, and asked them to observe each item and predict what would happen when they dropped the raisins in the soda. They were surprised and excited to see the “dancing raisins” – the raisins sink, get surrounded by bubbles and float. After comparing the results with their predictions, a few kids volunteered to present their findings.

This week we started studying electricity. Each kid had the opportunity to assemble a flashlight, and teacher Pa had a first discussion with the kids about what happens in the flashlight for it to work (electrons flowing). We will continue exploring electricity next week.

Crows

The crows started their study of structures and functions by dissecting a squid. The kids had a lot fun finding the beak, the pen, the ink sac, the eyes, and feeling the tentacles. Some kids even  used the pen and ink to write their names on a piece of paper.

After this fun introductory activity, we started focusing our study on the human body. So far, the kids have learned about the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems.  I usually introduce the material (with presentations, videos and worksheets) on Mondays and Wednesdays, and have hands on activities (including dissections) on Fridays.

We were very lucky to have Dr. Callie Diamond  Lindsey (Lauren’s mom and neurologist) help us with the study of the nervous system. Not only did she clarify some misconceptions, but she also came to the school last Friday and answered a lot of questions that the students had. The kids are currently working on a short video about the nervous system, and we will start studying our five senses next week.

Below are some pictures for your enjoyment. I will be posting more pictures soon.  : ) 
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. If you would like to receive a notification every time  I update the blog, make sure to follow my blog (just type your email on the box at the top right corner).

Here you can see the kids sorting the school's trash (with gloves):

                                These trash cans were full before the kids started the sorting activity:

                                                Magpies working on their research posters:

                                         

                                                           Crows dissecting squids:

                                Owls learning about friction and drawing their observations:

New trimester - grades 1 and 2

During the last trimester of this school year I will be working with Teacher Pa's class. Teacher Pa and I have been working together to cover a few very important and related topics. The main focus in science classes will be on life cycles, plants and pollinators. The kids have been observing painted lady caterpillars and ladybug larvae. Both species are native to our area and we will be releasing the adults towards the end of the school year. My goal is to have the kids understand, and observe the connectivity between plants and insects.

During our first science class we discussed how humans need plants to survive and what plants need for survival. To address the importance of plants, I asked each kid to draw what they had for lunch or dinner the day before and trace every item back to plants. This part was really straightforward for them.

After the break, I asked each child to draw a plant and label the parts of the plant that was in their drawings. The kids included flower, stem and leaves in their drawings, but no root system. We talked about their drawings and drew a complete plant diagram on the board. We then used this diagram to summarize what plants need to survive. We discussed how plants use roots to get water and some nutrients and how they use leaves to get carbon dioxide and absorb energy from the sun.

During the last 20 minutes, we started an experiment with bean plants. I germinated a few pinto beans 3 days before our meeting, and let the kids observe how seedlings develop from seeds. We then used these seedlings to start an experiment to shed light on what plants need to grow. We have some seedlings growing in the dark, some with no water, some with no added nutrients (fertilizer), some with "no" carbon dioxide (plants are being covered with a glass container, getting less carbon dioxide) and some with everything  a plant needs (our control). The kids made predictions of what they think will happen to the plants in each treatment, and they have been observing and measuring these plants on a weekly basis.

First field trip to Jepson Prairie

Isabella and Jackie identifying some of the plant species.

Setting up the pollination experiment.

Tour with Jepson prairie docent.

Taking a closer look at tadpole shrimp.

Getting ready for the pollination experiment.

Getting ready for the field trip

Two weeks ago I had the final official class of the trimester with the 3rd and 4th graders. I will be going back to their classroom to talk about the pollination study after we are done, and I am always stopping by to check on the vernal pools and tadpoles.

My goal was to make sure that the kids were ready for our first field trip. Since we had talked about pollination the week before, I asked the kids to go through their notes and summarize on a piece of paper the parts of a flower and the process of pollination. I was very pleased to see how much they knew! Everyone had the male and female structures of the flower on their drawing, and they were talking about sperm/pollen traveling from one flower to another. Most kids were also able to make the connection between pollination and seed production. After giving kids enough time to think about what they had learned the week before, we had a class discussion about the process of pollination, and the importance of pollinators.

After this discussion we were ready to talk about the pollination experiment that they will be conducting. During our first field trip each kid will choose 3 individuals of the same species (specie to be determined). One individual will be left alone and marked as "control", another individual will be artificially pollinated by the kids, and the third individual will be caged (cage will be built with chicken wire covered with bridal veil). I asked the kids to draw the experiment and predict results. Predictions included comparisons between the relative number of seeds and plant appearance.

In addition to conducting the experiment, we will have a guided tour of Jepson Prairie Reserve.  This reserve protects one of the few remaining vernal pool habitats in California. Since this will be a unique opportunity for the kids, I talked to them about conservation and asked them to come up with a few questions that they might be interested in asking the docent during the field trip.

Taking a closer look at plants

           At the end of this month, we will be having our first field trip to Jepson Prairie Reserve. During our visit, we will be conducting a pollination experiment. The goal of this experiment is to help kids fully understand the purpose of pollination, and the importance of pollinators. In order to prepare the kids for this experiment, I wanted to ensure that everyone was familiar with the structures (and functions) of a plant.
           We started by dissecting a bean (pictures below) in order to take a close look at seed structure and function. The kids were able to see the seed coat, the embryo and its food storage. After this dissection, I showed them some bean seedlings that were growing in a container that allows them to see how seedlings emerge from the soil, and how roots grow into the soil (picture below). I showed them how the food storage (cotyledons) shrinks as seedlings grow, and each kid drew a diagram of a plant, labeling each structure.
           The next step was to take a closer look at flower structure and function. Each child had a flower (Lilium) to dissect (pictures below). I asked them to take the petals out, and we discussed the function of petals. They already knew that pollinators were attracted to the color or smell of petals but they weren't sure why. The kids noticed that the next set of structures were full of pollen, but they didn't know why plants produced pollen. Most kids thought that pollen was produced for insect consumption only. I told them that the remaining structures on their flowers were for reproduction, and told them that plants also use sperm and egg for sexual reproduction. I then asked them to take a closer look at the structures (stamen and pistil) and speculate which structure was responsible for producing each of the gametes. We then talked about how a seed is produced  - the pollen is transferred to another flower, after pollination the pollen grain produces a tube that travels down the female structure of the flower (style) until it reaches the ovary, where the ovules are located. At this point, the nucleus of the pollen tube produces a sperm cell that fertilizes the ovule leading to the production of a seed.
           Our last activity was centered around the botanical definitions of fruits and vegetables. After showing them how seeds are produced, I told them that the definition of a fruit is a mature ovary. This means that all fruits have seeds inside (unless they are genetically altered not to produce seeds). So what is a vegetable? Well, a vegetable is any other part of a plant that is not an ovary. A vegetable can be a root, a stem, leaves, or an inflorescence. We then played a game to help everyone see the difference between fruits and vegetables. I brought a few fruits and vegetables to the classroom, and showed them to the kids one at time asking them whether it was a fruit or a vegetable. If they guessed fruit, we had to find the seeds, and if they guessed vegetable, we had to identify what part of the plant that vegetable was.

Vernal pool food web and microscopy

One of my goals for this trimester is to make sure that students know that organisms need energy to live and grow, and that there are different trophic levels in an ecosystem. Since our project is about vernal pools (VP), I had kids create vernal pool food webs. I started by asking them how energy enters this ecosystem. After agreeing that algae and plants are the primary producers in vernal pools, I showed the kids pictures and short videos of other organisms that inhabit these temporary pools. This was necessary since this ecosystem is new to them, and they were not familiar with the species commonly found in vernal pools.

Once we were done looking at VP's organisms, we classified them as herbivores, carnivores, or decomposers. We spent some time discussing how energy moves through a system with all these trophic levels, and then created (as a group) a vernal pool food web. Working as a group in this activity wasn't a good idea. Some kids got really distracted and there were a few conflicts. After the break, we had a writer's workshop with Lorie. Sammy shared his idea for our vernal pool book, and everybody had a chance to make suggestions.

Last week some of the vernal pool cysts hatched - It was so exciting to see fairy shrimp, copepods, seed shrimp and tadpole shrimp swimming in the pools! On Friday, I brought a small microscope that connects to the projector so that we could take a closer look at these crustaceans. After having some fun with this simple microscope, I had a microscope station (with a compound microscope) for the kids to take a closer look at some of the microorganisms that are living in their pools. While one of the kids was with me at the microscope station, the other kids were working on two assignments with Brittany: 1) making their own vernal pool food web - it was important to give them the chance to do this activity on their own since not everybody had a chance to think about each relationship on the previous week; 2) start their field guide flashcards for some of the plants that we might see during our field trips to Jepson prairie.

The kids were really excited to use a compound microscope. I had each kid get a sample of water from one of their experimental pools, and prepare a slide for observation. Before letting them look at their slides, I talked to them about how a microscope works. We were able to see a lot of algae, and some rotifers.

Getting started!

          Two weeks ago we started the in-class vernal pool experiment. We had enough vernal pool soil (thanks to Jamie Kneitel) to  simulate 6 mini vernal pools. My goal was to let the kids choose two treatment groups so we could have 3 replicates of each treatment. Before letting the kids choose the treatments for their experiment, I talked to them about the importance of replication in scientific studies. I started by describing a simplified version of my husband's experiment - he is studying the effects of tadpoles (Pseudacris regilla) on vernal pool communities, and I asked them to think about a few possible reasons why a scientist would want/need to compare pools with tadpoles with pools without tadpoles. The reasons for having controls in scientific experiments seemed to be pretty clear to most kids. I then proceeded by asking them why we would want/need more than one pool with each treatment. The reasons for having replication in a scientific study weren't that obvious to the kids, so we spent some time talking about the importance of replication.

         After this discussion, I told the kids that our only independent variable in this experiment would be the amount of water, and I let them choose two treatments. Group 1 chose to simulate a heavy rain event, and filled up their 3 containers; while group two decided to simulate lighter, more frequent rain events - they have been adding a cup of water three times a weeks. Below are some pictures of the kids setting up their microcosms.

After we were done setting up the experiment, Lorie came into the classroom to talk to the kids about writing a book. As I have mentioned in my first post, we will be working on a children's book about vernal pools during the 3 months that I am working with the third and fourth graders. Lorie had a discussion with the kids about possible roles that they could have during this process. Although the kids will be working together on this project, we have some kids focusing on different roles: story telling, illustration, fun facts, scientific facts, and editing.

Last Friday, the kids started working on their field guides to Jeposon prairie vernal pools. My goal is to have each kid create their own field guide before we have our field trip to Jepson prairie so that they can use their own work to identify some of the species during their visits to the vernal pools. The kids worked on crustaceans ( clam shrimp, copepods, fairy shrimp, seed shrimp, tadpole shrimp, and water flea), and amphibians ( Pacific chorus frog, and California tiger salamander) last week. They did an excellent job drawing the species and summarizing fun facts about them. 

Vernal pools - 3rd and 4th graders

During the next three months, I  will be working with the 3rd and 4th graders. Students will be learning about vernal pools, conducting an experiment, and writing a children's book.

During the first three weeks, we have talked about some basic concepts - including a description of the three vernal pool phases, and a brief introduction to organisms that are found in these temporary wetlands. Each kid has a science folder with all the material that we have been using in science class. Please feel free to take a look at your kid's work if you are interested in learning more about what we have been doing in class.

Next week we will start our experiment, so today we spent some time talking about "what scientists do". We started with a brief discussion summarizing what the kids already knew about how scientists approach questions, and then we conducted a simple experiment to help the kids visualize the steps of the scientific method.

We started by making observations of raisins and sprite (any clear carbonated drink would work for that). The question we were interested in answering was what would happen to the raisins once they were dropped into a cup of sprite. Each kid had to develop their own hypothesis, write or draw how they were going to conduct their experiment, conduct the experiment, interpret and present their results.