Stimulating Science Simulations

Yes, there is a story here.  Our district professional development day in February was dedicated to science.  Exploding things in the name of science sounds like fun - right?  Wait a minute!  This explosive professional development didn't happen in February.  It happened at the March 8th, professional development for language arts and math.  As Paul Harvey would say... here is the rest of the story... 1 cold unopened diet pepsi can + 1 LCD projector (turned on and projecting away) = explosion an hour and a half later Our presenter placed her cold diet pepsi can on the cart next to the LCD projector.  Heat caused the molecules to move more quickly and finally popped the top clean off the top of the can.  A picture is worth a thousand words so here you go.  Well... that was one way to get our attention. The moral of the story... don't leave your soda can next to an LCD projector.  They put out a LOT of heat!!! BTW - no LCD proje...

I have just added a brand new simulation unit that matches NC Essential Standard 5.P.1 Bowling Ball Basics  is a 13 page unit with fun characters and scenario cards. It is a hands-on/minds-on simulation that works best when students are given plenty of time to test their theories using some basic supplies as models of a bowling alley. Check out the cute scenario cards. If you can use it, download it. If you know someone else who can use it share it with them. Pin it, blog about it, share it on facebook and twitter. In other words, you have my permission to spread the word so that many people can benefit from this fun unit. It would be greatly appreciated if you would take time to submit the feedback form after you have had a chance to try it out.

of Steve Spangler's Amazing and Captivating Science ideas and workshops.  He has a true knack for engaging learners.  When I heard he was performing (I mean presenting) a workshop in Greensboro, NC, of course I signed up.  As usual, it was time well spent re-energizing and re-building my science repertoire. Steve shared a cool new toy (I mean chemicals for studying properties of matter) called Vampire Slime.  It isn't your ordinary slime.  This slime appears to be a dark green color until you shine a light on it and then it turns red, but that's not all.  As soon as I got mine home, my kids wanted to check it out. One of the first things they asked was if it was red in a mirror. We all know that "vampires" can't see their reflection in the mirror right? So if this is vampire slime, we shouldn't see the red, should we? I shared the idea with Steve and he thought the results were just as interesting as my kids did.  In fact, he was so intrigued by ...

I love using Page Keely's books "Uncovering Student Ideas in Science".  The probes are written at an 8th grade level but with a little adjustment they work great with 5th grade students.  One of the probes is called "The Cookie Crumbles".  This is an excellent example of a probe that can engage students in a topic via critical thinking and discussion followed by the exploration as they re-enact the probe themeselves. Last week, I used this probe to introduce the concept of Conservation of Mass. Watch the video of one student pair as they explore and learn. Conservation of Mass - 4 min. video

This is a year of change. Our state adopted the common core and is implementing essential standards in science and social studies. The teacher evaluation system added a 6th measure. If this isn't enough, we (our school) moved into a different building this summer. The move prompted a really big DonorsChoose proposal, that I am excited to say was funded in August. You can read the proposal here. The art teacher and I were thinking alike.  The courtyard area of the "new" school would really look great with some stepping stones and the students would feel a sense of ownership with the addition of their stepping stones. The materials have arrived and we have begun the project.  It will take awhile to complete in full, but the first set of 21 stones have been designed.  The concrete will be poured soon and then the stones will need a month to cure before placing them outside.  The pictures show students tracing the shape of their mold onto  clear contact paper a...

Today we took the 5th grade students to Agape for an environmental educational experience.  What a blast!  If you have never gone into the woods with a group of urban kids, you have no idea what you're missing.  They get excited about the simplest things! Here's a brief run-down of our day and some pictures too. On the bus ride, students pointed out deforestation taking place and we took note of tornado damage that occurred in the north part of our city last year.  Believe it or not, most of the kids hadn't seen the damage even though it is in our own city.