Field trip

Yesterday the fourth grade went on our field trip to Patriot Place.  We spent the morning in the press box using the engineering design process to create better helmets to prevent concussions.  The students did such a great job...and I was one proud science teacher!

We ate our lunch out on the turf in front of The Hall and then got to go on a tour.  If you have never been to the Hall I highly recommend it!  The students received a pass to go back because they are doing major renovations since the Superbowl win.  The Hall is very interactive.  The fourth graders were able to try on uniforms, kick a field goal, climb on a duckboat and so much more!

The teachers had a blast and hope your children did as well!

Inquiry Projects

In science the students have been working hard to create their inquiry project presentations.  As you know, they completed the experiments at home, but the rest of the project was done in school.  They are using the scientific method to come up with the solution to a problem or answer a question.  I am so excited for the students to present all their hard work! These projects and our ecocolumns will be on display during our science week on Wednesday, May 6th from 1:30-2:15...please come see all their hard work!

Daisy!

Welcome Daisy the newest member of 4B!  Daisy is an adorable 2 year old chinchilla that was adopted over the weekend.  She is a blast to have in the classroom and she could not have come at a more perfect time...we are learning about ADAPTATIONS in science!  We have been discussing the features Daisy has that help her survive in her natural habitat, the Andes Mountains.  Thank you for your continued support.  I know your children were thrilled to welcome her to St. Agatha on Monday!

Terrarium update

We came back from Easter break to see some sprouting in our terrariums!

Naturally, we took some observations and added our pill bugs.  We were very excited to begin working on the aquarium piece!

 

 

Today we created the aquatic habitat!  We added the gravel, water, aquatic plants, fish, and snails. Check out the pictures below to see the groups hard at work.

This neat project will be ongoing.  We will be monitoring our columns closely and watching for change.  Your children are learning about habitats, life cycles, environments, adaptations, animal classifications and so much more through this fun and hands on activity!

The Makings of an ecocolumn

We have begun our life science unit.  We will be doing a lot of project based/hands on learning in science.    Ask your kids about habitats and ecosystems!

Thank you for sending in lots of 2 liter soda bottles!  We needed them, as you can see below, to create the boundaries for our habitats.

Each group was given three bottles.  We marked and cut the bottles then we put them together.

The top bottle will be the terrarium and the bottom part will be the aquarium.

I received word yesterday that our missing supplies for the project have finally arrived!  I opened the heavy box and saw all these fun goodies!

Inside I found the pill bugs for the terrarium.

I found our aquatic plants which will be a staple in our aquarium.

I unpacked the moss and put it aside in some planters.

And last, but not least, the fish and snails!  The children have been so excited about these.  They were thrilled to walk in the room and see our new pets.

Today with 4C and 4B we were able to create the terrarium.  We set it up, took observations, and planted the seeds and moss.  Pictures will be posted soon of our terrariums!

Science Week 2015

Get excited!  Plans for science week 2015 have been announced!  The students were introduced to their major assignment, the inquiry project.  This assignment will be mainly completed in school, aside from the actual experiment itself.  We have been sharing our ideas on Kidblog.org.  The students were given usernames and passwords to log on and share their plans.  I am so excited to dive right in to this project.  We will be working on our projects in school starting March 30th.  The final project will be put on display during the fourth grade science fair.  Students will also be presenting their results to the class.  This project will count as two test grades (1 for the project itself and the other for the oral presentation)!  Check back later for updates!

Space Review

We finished our space unit and have been diligently reviewing for our test.  To help the students prepare we completed a scavenger hunt around the classroom.

 Information cards were placed around the room and the students had to find the answers from their worksheets on the cards.

The completed sheets were corrected and are a great tool for studying!  We are going to be doing some fun things in the months ahead!  Stay tuned for a big science week announcement!