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Sunday, August 13, 2017

August 14-18, 2017

It was a great first week in our class and I am looking forward to another fabulous one!  This week we will continue to learn and practice classroom procedures as we begin to dive into more academic content.

Monday
Students will take notes in their Science Notebooks about the steps of the scientific method. 
                Scientific Method
·         Ask – Ask a question to which you plan to find the answer.
·         Research – What background information do you have?  What can you find?
·         Hypothesize – What do you think is going to happen?
·         Test – Create an experiment to see what happens!
·         Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions – Did the experiment work?  Did it support your hypothesis?  Why or why not?  Did it work partially?  Why? What new questions do you have now?
·         Conclude and communicate – What do you think it all means?  Summarize your results and share the information in a written, visual, or digital way.
They will also create vocabulary index cards on key rings to be used as a study tool.  Our vocabulary this week will include research, evidence, analyze, interpret, communicate, hypothesis, and experiment.  Many students know these words, but need help understanding their meaning specific to science.

Homework: Review vocabulary flashcards for 5 minutes.  Complete any cards that were not completed in class.

Tuesday
Students will use their Science Notebooks for an open-notebook pop quiz on the scientific method. This will hopefully encourage them to be on task each time they take notes!  They will also review station rotation procedures before the end of class in preparation for exciting days that lie ahead!

Homework: Using the first 3 steps of the scientific method, describe how you would determine whether orange soda weighed more than grape soda.

Wednesday and Thursday
Students will work with their table mates to complete six Station Rotations (3 each day).  They will have 15 minutes to complete each rotation with one minute to transition in between.  These stations support our STEAM focus as students will use:
  • SCIENCE: DiscoveryEducation.com to explore current science topic, the Scientific Method
  • TECHNOLOGY: Scratch.met.edu to learn programming through MNPS’s platform Republic
  • ENGINEERING: A hands-on activity requiring them to use problem solving and reflections
  • ARTS: A foldable that contains helpful notes in a visually interesting way

In addition!  Students will complete stations to support their personal growth:
  • CAREER: Learningblade.com to explore careers in STEAM fields through real life scenarios 
  • LITERACY: NewsELA.com to read and understand articles related to our science content

Students have access to most of these websites via Clever Portal (clever.mnps.com/in/mnps) and will be required to document their work in their Science Notebooks as evidence of completion.   

Homework: Students will write a reflection about their activities each day and determine the Glows (things that they liked, went well, etc) and Grows (things they found challenging, or think would be better if done differently).

Friday
Students will take a trip outside with solar eclipse glasses to view the sun in its normal state.  They will make observations and formulate questions about what will happen during the eclipse. 

Homework: While I won’t normally give homework over the weekend, the eclipse is a rare opportunity!  Monday, students should make observations in their notebooks about the solar eclipse.  They should also formulate at least one new question.  We will review thoughts and questions when we return, while we continue to build upon our understanding of scientific method and begin to explore the objects of the solar system!

Have a great week and as always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, thoughts or concerns!

Mrs. Preston

Lisa.reed-preston@mnps.org

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