During this unit, students had a STEM activity that related to our Social Studies topic for that week: the Boston Tea Party! Students were given a set of materials (popsicle sticks, wax paper, string) and a tea bag. They were give the challenge of creating a tea crate that would keep their bag of tea dry the longest. (Students were very creative and some were pushing the rules a bit by creating a raft, covering everything in glue to 'waterproof' it, etc, but they didn't blatantly break the rules!)
The students were given a STEM activity during this unit. The challenge was to create a "flinker" using a baggie of objects. A "flinker" is a silly name given to an object with neutral buoyancy- it doesn't float or sink...it "flinks"! The objects included paperclips, styrofoam, beads, string, bubble wrap, a sponge, and other items. During the activity, students kept a tracking sheet with the design and result. They then revised the design and tried again each time. Here are the students working and some of the creations:
Our last big science activity for the year was with the densities of liquids. They had seven liquids: syrup, honey, dish soap, water, vegetable oil, isopropyl alcohol, and baby oil. (The water was dyed blue and the rubbing alcohol dyed red so that the students could easily see the layers. The baby oil is on top and is clear.) The students predicted the order of the liquids, from most dense to least dense. We then poured in each liquid and observed the order. Next, I gave them the seven densities (as decimals), and they had to match them to the correct liquid based on the layers. Afterwards, we placed in four small cylinders made of different materials and observed where they stayed in relation to the liquids. Our discussion included using our math knowledge of decimals to give the approximate density of each solid cylinder based on the given density of each liquid. Here are some pictures from that day:
In this unit, students experiment with materials that float and sink, and WHY they float or sink. The unit also includes some activities with volume, mass, weight, and density. Our first activities involve using graduated cylinders. First, students learn how to read the measurements, then they learn how to find volume of irregular objects using displacement of water. Below are some pictures of this intro activity.
The students did an activity where they drew cards with three random adaptations: one for shape, one for coloring, and one for mouth/feeding. For some, the cards they were given worked very well together and could be a real fish. For other, they didn't quite complement each other. For these, we had discussion about which parts did not work well, and why.
The students also chose a habitat that would be suitable for the newly created fish, as well as its likely diet. Below are some of the creations! We have just started our last topic of the school year: Environments! This unit begins with very basic information and vocabulary, such as producer/consumer/decomposer, biotic/abiotic factors, herbivore/omnivore/carnivore, and predator/prey. Once students are comfortable with the vocabulary terms, we will move to food chains and food webs. Throughout this unit, we will be discussing various biomes around the world. There are slightly different biomes based on where the information is coming from, so we will use the ones in the textbook for our current unit. One very important part of this unit is the importance of each factor (plant or animal) within that single environment, and the effects of even one factor being removed due to disease, hunting, or similar situation. We will also spend time talking about animal adaptations, which allows us to watch some amazing videos that show another side of animals. Many are way more intelligent than they may seem! We watched a video on decomposers early in this unit because that was one that the students seem least familiar with. Many were confusing decomposers with scavengers. You can view the video here. Here is another video that the students will watch about predator and prey interactions in the ocean. This link gives a thorough overview of the initial part of this unit, and this link will take you to a game that helps students identify producers, consumers, and decomposers. This game will help students understand the dynamics in an environment, and how the various levels of the food chains interact and affect one another. Additional VideosThe students watched additional videos on animal intelligence and animal adaptations. The discussions about adaptations focused on both physical and behavioral/learned adaptations. There are LOTS of amazing videos available! Here are a few: Paul Nicklen TED Talk about Arctic wildlife interactions Are Crows the ultimate problem solvers? Excerpt from Nova's Inside the Animal Mind How Smart Are Animals? (NOVA) Why You Can't Outrun a Cheetah (Smithsonian) Dolphin Mud Rings (BBC One Life) Whales Feeding as a Team (PBS Fellowship of the Whales) Shark vs. Octopus (National Geographic) Beneath the Waters of Cocos Island (NOVA: Island of the Sharks) The final video if the unit is not one available online. It is the PBS NOVA video titled "Wild Predator Invasion". The students watched it on DVD in class. The focus is on the effects of removing apex predators from an environment (such as the wolves from Yellowstone), and then the process of reintroducing the predators back into that area. There are also sections about introducing non-native species to an area. Live Animal CamsThe Monterey Bay Aquarium in California has several live animal cams so that the public can view the animals any time during the day. I have linked those cameras below. There are also several Eagle Cams from around the country. Some of these will have nests with baby eagles so that the public can watch them grow. Below are a few options.
This week, the students did an activity to experience a bit of what it is like to not have a thumb for everyday tasks. They taped their thumbs down, then attempted various tasks around the classroom. These included buttons & zippers, writing, stacking coins, tying a shoe, and others. They were relieved to get their thumbs back after a half hour, but they were able to see how important those joints are! Our discussions about joints will continue into next week.
The students started the owl pellet dissections. Here are a few websites with helpful information: KidWings - Information and Virtual Dissection Owl Pellets - A Video Explanation Here are some pictures of the students working in class:
Students were given the pieces to a skeleton and needed to put it back together. Since we can't send the skeletons home, here are some pictures instead!
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