Science Night

The day has finally come!

It was the Family Science Night!

Brittany M and I had the paper airplane station!

We had learned so much about aerodynamics (drag, lift, thrust, and gravity) and were so excited to help the students learn about flight!

Flights of Fancy station in Room 801

extra visuals and information

we had different paper airplane models

the hoops 

we had propellors for students to take home!

extra resources in Spanish

some of the paper planes the kids left!

Must say, the Science Family Night was pretty busy and successful even with the poor weather!

I'm glad that families and students still wanted to explore science regardless of the rain!

Our Last Day

In class, we took a look at the CSTP's and TPE's to review what assessment is.
As teachers, we need to be able to progress monitor by using different measures including information from families, and assess students' academic growth of knowledge, skills, and behaviors.


There were so many good and super engaging lessons this week!

An amazing one involved the parts of a plant and the food that comes from the different parts.
We were even able to make guacamole and eat some chips!

categorizing food into plant parts

making guac

yummyyyy

We also got to play with Rocket Shooters involving Alka Seltzer!

sadly, ours did not pop!

We learned that it is due to a chemical reaction with the water and gas.

The less water there is, the more the gas can build up to pop!

Oddly enough, I was a little sad that this class is over.

I never thought I would appreciate science, much less enjoy it...but I am definitely starting to love it, not only in the classroom but in my daily life!

Bolsa Chica Wetlands

For the community resource project of field trips, Brittany M., Kelsey and I decided to go to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands! It was a beautiful and breezy day to enjoy the outdoors and take a moment to observe the world around us.

We learned so much from our visit about the organization and were able to see many birds that inhabit the wetlands. They also provide so many resources for students, teachers, and families to enjoy together!

Brittany M, Kelsey, and I

some birds

flocks of bird fly above the waters,
one of the prettiest and neat things I have seen

a heron on the water

the organization does their best to provide information to visitors 

there is an aquarium inside

also some birds to look at

enjoying the breeze~

Making Connections

Chapter 5 states the importance of taking science outside of the classroom to allow students to make connections. When students are able to see and recognize science at their homes or at the park, it will be so much more fun and interesting for them to learn. 

content & context

It is possible to connect real-life situations to learning science, such as how much milk (or resources) are we wasting? how much did it rain last week?

Field trips are also a great way to allow students to make connections. With my trip to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, I can see how students would love the chance to visit new and different places to explore the environment. Even the trip to the Fullerton Arboretum was great! It was a nice time to enjoy the outdoors and observe nature :)

Unit Plans

We have been asked to develop unit plans and concept maps, as well as write pages of background knowledge. Although it may be difficult at first, I can definitely see the benefits of creating outlines and sorting the information in a way that will make sense when taught.

I have been working on the 4 Seasons at the Kindergarten level. I focused on the season of Winter.

my concept map of Winter

Definitely a long process to make, but it was interesting to see what components I would focus on during my teaching. Now, I definitely know A LOT of information on Winter!

Owl Poop?

Last week in class, we got the rare opportunity to dig through owl pellets. Although pellets are thought to be poop, it is anything that the owl cannot digest which includes bones and fur!

I must say, I was pretty freaked out and did not want to break up the owl pellet because I was not interested in observing the pieces in it. We found a website that allows students to do so on the computer, which can be a great resource for the students who really do not wish to participate with the real owl pellets.

owl pellets

you can see the skull!

the online website

Luckily, Jackie was brave enough to open up our owl pellet and the first thing we saw was a skull!


Fun fact: Microwaving an owl pellet sterilizes it!

Model Lesson

Our model lesson was called "Renewable or Not?" and covered the content of renewable and non-renewable resources, sustainability, and how the Earth and its people must preserve the resources!

We used popcorn to be our resource and allowed students to take bit by bit. Soon enough, everything was gone! It teaches the students to learn to take only what is needed and to help save parts of the Earth for all the inhabitants, present and future.

vocabulary

the popcorn activity
and a poster of renewable vs. non-renewable resources

We also got a copy of the Project Learning Tree lesson plan book! It is such an AMAZING resource, I can't wait to use it!