Overview

Special note:  Please bring in any fast food toys or cereal toys you no longer play with.  We will make good use of them in the science lab.

Third Grade:

Our monarch larva have arrived!  The third graders are well into their investigation of the life cycle of a monarch.  We will also be participating in Journey North's annual migration survey. (see link below)  They are going to be watching the migration to Mexico via the JN website and interactive maps.

4th GRADE

The City of Bridges--Pittsburgh--Our Home

In conjunction with the 4th social studies unit on Pittsburgh, we are starting our unit on bridges.  The students are starting the unit building cantilevers out of stir straws and spaghetti towers.  Building on the knowledge they gain from these activities, the students will design and build a toothpick bridge.  There will be budget constraints, design contest and a test of each bridge's load capacity. (THEY WILL BE DESTROYED!)

5th GRADE

Fifth grade also begins the year with a short review of measurement, the metric system and lab equipment.  However, the bulk of the first term is dedicated to the study of the human body.  From cells to systems, the entire body is put to the test.  The students will use microscopes to identify cell structures in their own skin cells.  Blood pressure and heart rates will be monitored along with lung capacity during the "Human Body--Guinnea Pig Trials."  The unit concludes with the traveling Wonder of Wonders and All About HIV program from the Carnegie Science Center.

Wonder of Wonders (WOW) + All About HIV
Specially-trained health science educators utilize three-dimensional models and audiovisual materials to convey important, accurate and age-appropriate information about puberty, reproduction, the development of new life and the facts about HIV. 24 school districts used WOW to supplement their health education programs in 2007-2008.

Carnegie Science Center offers free previews of WOW + All About HIV throughout the school year. Interested teachers and parents are invited to preview the program so they can be aware of how sexuality and reproduction will be presented to their children and classrooms. Previews end with a question-and-answer session. No reservations are required. All previews begin at 7 pm at Carnegie Science Center.
2008
Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 4, April 8, May 6

Make a Microscope

Water is full of plants and animals that are too small to see with the naked eye. Make a simple microscope to see if you can detect any tiny organisms swimming around in the water.

You'll need:

• empty matchbox
• piece of thin, transparent plastic (e.g., from a plastic bag or plastic wrap)
• matchstick
• petroleum jelly or lip balm
• dropper
• scissors
• transparent tape
• water samples (e.g. from an "island" pond)

What you do:
Cut out most of one of the large sides of the matchbox sleeve. Be careful not to cut it all out since the sleeve still needs to hold together. Next cut a piece of thin, transparent plastic the same size as the end of the sleeve (where the tray slides in). Tape the plastic across the end of the sleeve, taking care to keep the tape right to the edges. Cut a hole in the side of the sleeve to allow light to enter. With the plastic-covered end up, slide the sleeve onto the tray of the matchbox (as if to close the matchbox) with the hole on the open side. Using the matchstick, draw a circle of petroleum jelly on the plastic. Use the dropper to place a single drop of water in the circle. Put another drop of water (pond water) on the end of the tray and look at it through your magnifying water drop. Very carefully, slide the sleeve up or down to focus your microscope. This matchbox setup can also be used to view other items like small insects.

What's going on?
This is a simple type of light microscope that bends light reflected by an object to make a larger magnified image.

Activity adapted from "How to Build a Mini Microscope" at http://physics.about.com .

Announcements

Every wonder how to explain the universe to your children?  Not sure about it yourself? Then you have to download this free software from Microsoft.  The World Wide Telescope is an amazing tool using actual images captured in various wavelengths from telescopes on earth and in space.  Guided tours take you through popular concepts like; black holes, constellations, galaxies and on and on with audio narration.  The software only takes a few minutes to install and there are several tutorials to get you started.  Download link: 

www.worldwidetelescope.org

ROBOTICS CLUB

Links:

First Lego League Website

Carnegie Melon's Robotics Academy

Links

Links to Place Value and Metric Conversion Games

Place Value Games

Metric Conversion Practice

General Science Links

Einstein's Theories Explained on an "Elementary" Level--Great for Parents Too

Chemistry for Kids: Great site that introduces the Periodic Table of Elements

Website from the creators of the "How Stuff Works" books.

Mount St. Helens Live Web Cam. Could she erupt again? Watch and see.

Bill Nye the Science Guy

Pittsburgh Zoo

Smithsonian Air and Space

Fun site about biology. Cool online activities.

NASA Site for Children

Science Current Events

Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration: Monarch Butterfly

Build It and Break It is a great site to test your engineering skills (requires JAVA)

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