This past week in science we explored how different properties of clothing materials are good for different situations.  In class, students imagined that they were on a remote island.  Using materials that washed ashore, they designed hats that would protect them from the sun. Students created hats, based on the material’s properties such as stiff, absorbent, soft, etc.

This coming week in science we will explore how different materials can conduct and insulate heat.  You can help you child’s learning by talking with them at breakfast about the different things your family uses to handle hot food.  Maybe you use oven mitts to take hot food out of the oven?  Maybe you use a plastic thermos for hot coffee?  Discuss how these materials insulate and protect your hands from the heat.

In class, students will imagine that they are still on a remote island.  On the imaginary island, they will need to cook an egg using a piece of metal as a pan and then have to figure out what materials they could use to pick up the hot pan and not burn their hands. 

This week, we will begin our second Science Unit, “Matter and Materials” in which we will be focusing on Physical Science.  In this unit, students will learn that matter exists as different substances that have observable different properties.

Our focuses for this week:

• Tuesday: We will first take a virtual tour of a foundry to make observations about the hot work that takes place there. We will generate observations and questions about how foundry workers stay safe around so much heat. We will write and discuss our initial thoughts about what foundry workers wear, and how it protects them.
• Wednesday-Friday: We will plan and conduct an investigation of the properties of various materials.
  • We will begin by exploring different materials and grouping them into categories.
  • We will then explore specific properties of materials used for clothing, such as texture, flexibility, and absorbency.
  • We use this information to design and build a hat that protects from the Sun.

We will continue to learn about biodiversity and ecosystems. This week we will focus on these concepts:

• Water, sunlight, and plant growth
• Different Needs of Different Plants
• Biodiversity in global habitats
• Biodiversity in local habitats

This week, we are beginning our first Science unit, “Biodiversity and Ecosystems.” In this unit, students will study of the needs of plants, how structures of specific animals aid in seed dispersal, and the diversity of life in different habitats.

On Tuesday, we will observe that Death Valley is a hot, dry desert with very little life. We will generate questions and create an initial model of why and how desert superblooms occur. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we will learn that plants produce different types of seeds in the process of reproduction, and how these seeds require wind, water, or animals to disperse (move) them. We will make and test models of seeds and discuss how models can be helpful in science.