Electromagnets

Students in grade 6 made electromagnets. They chose a variable such as voltage, number of wraps or wire type. They measured how many nails they could pick up. They really showed progress in their investigation planning and analyzing skills. 

This was a super electromagnet with 600 wraps. We will use this one later this week to make an electromagnetic bell. Next week we will try to make a speaker. 

Thermometers and Compasses

Two simple tools that we take for granted. Grade 3 has been learning about significant people. Last week we talked about Fahrenheit and Celsius plus Carl von Linne's contribution to how we measure temperature. We made glass bottle thermometers. As the water in the bottle warms up it expands and moves up the straw. The was a great exercise in patience for these kids who are so used to immediate results. 

In grade 6, students explored magnets fields and learned about the magnetic field of the Earth. They used compasses and iron filings to see the magnetic field around a bar magnet. 

Today they made temporary magnets by  stroking a needle with a permanent magnet. They could pick up paper clips. They could also use the needle floating in water to see the Earth's magnetic influence. 

 These girls had a magnetized paper clip pointing to magnetic north. 

 Magnetic needles floating in water.  

We briefly discussed the connection between electricity and magnets. We were able to make a homemade compass move when put an electric current through a wire nearby. Next lesson we will investigate electromagnets. 

Lever Fever

Grade 4 is exploring simple machines. This week we looked at how a first class lever can change both the size and direction of a force. 

 Besides commenting on the fact that our levers were hard to balance, they did find out that they could balance the lever if the sum or products of the masses were the same. Above you can see 7 balances with 3+4 and below you can see that 3x7 balances 7x3. 

 We just started testing moving the fulcrum to lift heavier masses. We talked about Archimedes who lived over 2000 years ago and said, "Give me a lever and a place to stand and I shall move the Earth."

http://quoteimg.com/archimedes-lever/

Students should be looking around for levers in their homes this week. 

MRS Gren, cells and development

Grade 6 has been studying life and cells since we came back in January. They made some booklets about the characteristics of living things that we will share with grade 1 students. They also made posters about different body systems. You are welcome to come see them on the 3rd floor. Here they are working together to put some review cards in a sequence. They (6v) will write a test on these topics on Monday March 9. They have a review sheet on Managebac. 

Just another Monday...

Mondays are my longest teaching day.  I teach 6 lessons and they nearly all involve setting up and cleaning up practical investigations. I always end the day completely exhausted but also inspired. The excitement and joy I see from the students every week make all the hard work worthwhile. Here are a few things we have been up to on Mondays since the break. I will try to make sure to not wait so long between posts next time. 

The third graders are studying people who made a difference. In science we talked about van Leeuwenhoek and practiced using microscopes. 

Grade 4 students looked at electrical conductors and insulators and made a circuit to practice Morse Code in case they had to send an emergency message after a volcanic eruption or earthquake.  This sponge was not a conductor. To be fair this photo is from a Tuesday but the other grade 4 class did this activity on a Monday. 

On another Monday, we talked about the Nobel Prize in Medicine winners from 2004, Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck. They discovered smell receptors and helped us to learn more about how the brain processes smells. Students took turns guessing some smells from cinnamon to toothpaste to vinegar. 

 We practiced our observation skills and recorded our guesses. We talked about how important the sense of smell is. 

Grade 4 students used their knowledge of conductors and insulators along with facts from their Active Planet unit to make an electrical quiz game to test their friends. If you touch the correct answer a lightbulb glows. 

We had to use a conductor (foil) to connect the correct answers and an insulator (tape) to make sure the light only lit up when the correct answer was chosen. 

Finally here is a grade 3 student with her magnetic toy that we started making at the end of the Bright Sparks unit. 

Here are some of our learning goals. The first two had a little overlap because we have moved electricity from grade 4 to grade 3 but I wanted this year's grade 4 students to get a chance to learn about electricity. 

2.25 Know that some materials conduct electricity 

2.36 Be able to construct electrical circuits to make devices work  

2.1  Be able to use simple scientific equipment

2.34 Understand that different materials are suited for different purposes

2.1 Be able to carry out simple investigations: Using evidence to draw conclusions, Recording and communicating their observations and findings in a variety of ways. 

Periodic Table

Grade 6 learned about some of the elements and how they go together to make compounds. Each student in grade 6 researched an element and we put them together to make our periodic table. Some clever grade 6 girls made the title using only element symbols. They couldn't get it exactly right but I admire their creativity. You can come visit our periodic table on the third floor. We are hoping to add more elements soon. 

Nobel Coffee Morning

On December 8th class 6v celebrated Nobel Week by taking the role of a Nobel Prize Winner. We enjoyed some coffee and cakes and shared a lot of knowledge. 

Barry Marshall and Edvard Moser

Barbara McClintock, Irene Curie, May-Britt Moser and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein and Wilhelm Röntgen

An impressive group of winners.