Can you believe it is already November?  The holidays are just around the corner! Over the past few weeks, the students have continued to dig deeper into their grade level’s first semester STEM unit. Lots of noise and excitement can be heard outside of our room as the students explore, discover, and design! Here is a quick update about where each grade level has been and where we are headed leading into the holidays.

• Sixth Grade: These engineers are now hard at work brainstorming and planning their group instrument for our Rising Star Competition.  As mentioned in the previous post, each class will be designing six innovative instruments.  Together, they will play along to a song and audition for the competition (against the other sixth grade classes).  In the next few weeks, your child may be asking for help or a few materials.  We should be ready to record the audition videos by the beginning of December. Contact me if you have any questions.
• Fifth Grade:  By working through a controlled experiment, the students have identified the variables that impact how many cycles a pendulum makes during a unit of time.  Currently, we are experimenting with the speed of various size steel balls using a ramp/runway system.  The students have tested the variables of size and release position to learn about kinetic and potential energy.  Fifth graders will be applying this knowledge when we explore collisions, energy transfer and momentum.
• Fourth Grade: Over the past few weeks, the students have enjoyed investigating a variety of systems: tone generators, hand-crank generator, motors with solar cells, rubber band banjos, and much more.  Through their investigations the students learned about how energy is transferred, how to identify the energy source, and what observations can be made to show evidence of energy.  In the next few weeks, the students will be creating and exploring series and parallel circuits.
• Third Grade: Continuing with our study of measurement and matter, the students used a balance and gram mass pieces to make accurate measurements of small objects.  After learning how to measure volume and mass, the students are beginning to apply this knowledge to different collaborative investigations.  This week all third graders will determine how to test and prove whether or not a dry sponge can soak up more than its own mass in water.
• Second Grade: These geologists absolutely love learning about rocks and Earth’s materials.  We recently investigated whether or not there was an Earth material smaller than sand.  And after a week of waiting, the students discovered SILT.  They were super excited! This week the second graders are exploring clay. Could it be possible to have an Earth material even smaller than silt?
• First Grade: Our explorations have led to the understanding of solids and liquids, focusing on how we can describe them by their properties.  Now, the students are applying their knowledge of properties through challenging investigations and engineering tasks.  This week the students need to construct a bridge using only one piece of paper to support a plastic 1/4 L container of pennies. The design that holds the most pennies wins!
• Kindergarten: Recently, we went on a leaf hunt and observed the seeds of fruits.  The students are learning how to compare and use their comparisons to learn about trees and plants.  These scientists are becoming experts on trees and are getting ready to begin investigating weather.
• MDS: We are learning about trees and plants.  The students have used their senses and matching skills to learn about leaves and their shapes.  Now, we are focusing on the plant life cycle.  Each student created a “Little Sprout House” to watch how a seed sprouts.  Hopefully, we will see something new in our “houses” after the weekend!

Thank you!

~Mrs. McCabe