Soil Erosion

Today my students participated in two activities that demonstrated soil erosion and how we can prevent it from occurring.   For the first activity we went outside and watched it 'rain' (poured water from a watering can) on bare soil.  We observed the run off and determined that we lost quite a bit of soil.  Before the second rain, we brainstormed ways to prevent the erosion.  They decided we needed plants so we placed grass clippings on the bare soil.  The second time it 'rained', the run off was much cleaner. 

The second activity was a conservation play.  The objective of the play is to show the importance of conservation.  The students have different roles to play such as raindrops, soil, lake and conservation.  The first time through, there isn't any conservation so the raindrops move quickly and they take the soil with them.  When they end up at the lake, the soil stays in the lake while the raindrops end up in the ocean.  This makes the lake dirty and the plants die because the soil was washed away.  The second time through, the conservation student only lets the raindrops go one at a time so they can't pick up the soil students.  The lake stays clean and the plants survive.  After the play, the students watched a powerpoint showing various conservation techniques. 

The lake is clean!!! :)

AR Reading Goal Dates

25% April 3rd
50% April 17th
75%  May 1st
100% May 10th

Adventures in Science

4^th graders are busy preparing for the state science assessment. The students will take the test on April 23^rd and 24^th. During computer time, we are using the science section of Study Island to help prepare for the science assessment.  If possible, please encourage your child to utilize Study Island at home as well.

In science, we have been studying the water cycle, rocks and conservation. During our water cycle unit, students became raindrops and went on a journey to better understand how the water cycle works.  Each student wrote a story about their adventure as a raindrop.  In order to help the students prepare for the math and science assessments, they observed, classified and measured rocks.  For our conservation unit, the students first cut apart an apple to show how much of the earth’s surface is actually used for food production.  The students also watched an experiment showing soil erosion by water and they participated in a conservation play.  After the science assessment, the students will create a conservation poster for the Greenwood County Conservation District poster contest.  

Capacity

Last week my math class learned about capacity.  The students first arranged 5 containers in order from least to greatest and then they used beans to determine if they were right.  I didn't tell them how  to use the beans.  It was really interesting to listen to the groups' discussions about how to use the beans in order to figure out if they had their containers in the correct order.  Next, they had to find containers that had a capacity of 1 cup, 1 pint, 1 quart, 1 gallon and 1 liter and use the beans again with various measurement tools.  For the last bean activity the students had to first estimate and then prove how many cups are in a pint and so on. 

Sounds in Science

We have been studying sound and how sounds are made.  For one lab we made a straw whistle and experimented with the pitch by making the straws shorter.  The students concluded that as they shortened the straw, the pitch of the whistle got higher.  To take this a step further we examined the strings on a guitar.  The thinner strings had a higher pitch while the thicker strings had a lower pitch.  The students also discovered that shortening the string on the guitar also yielded a higher pitch.

To experience the vibration of sound, pairs of students tied two pieces of string to a wire hanger.  Then one partner wrapped each string a couple of times around their index fingers and put their fingers in their ears. When their partner gently tapped the hanger with a pencil, the other student could feel and hear the vibration.  The partner with the pencil could gently touch the string and feel the vibration as well. 

AR Dates

January 23rd-25%
February 6th-50%
February 20th-75%
March 6th-100%

Math Quest

My math group is starting an adventure called Math Quest.  It focuses on 6 problem-solving strategies.  The students earn travel dots for their team based on teamwork, written work and oral presentations.  Each day the teams also choose fate cards that either help or hinder their progress. Hopefully all the teams make it to the treasure chest in 6 weeks!