2nd Quarter update:

5th Graders are in a new unit called “Measuring Time.” We’ll have lots of interactive experiments and background to help students understand how and why we measure time, with connections to social studies, history and math. Our culminating project will be building our own clock escapement to show how and why clocks work.

All parents should see a student sheet called “What’s my grade” in their students binder. Each time we start a graded assignment students will be directed to record the assignment and grade when it is returned to help give them an idea of how they are progressing in class. There is a signature section on this sheet - I encourage you to use this. Keeping the sheet up to date and until the end of the unit is also a 20 point grade.

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Thanks!

Ms. Peterson

The 5th graders have an exciting year of science ahead. Our science curriculum focuses on hands-on experiments that are followed up by critical thinking practices to cement and connect the learning with larger themes and ideas.

Our first unit is called “Microsystems.” In this unit, we learn about observations, magnification, and what lies beneath what we see on the surface. Students will learn about the building blocks of all things, such as cells and atoms and will be able to identify the parts of cells. Students will also learn about various microorganisms.

Students in 5th grade have a number of requirements for science. We’ll be beginning our Science Fair projects in October. Students should have a project in mind by the first week in October. Students will need to do research on thier project, and begin compiling materials they will need by mid October. I’ll be posting a detailed science fair timeline soon, but the entire project should be done by late November.

Students are also required to find and summarize a current events article related to science twice a month. These articles can be from a newspaper, magazine, or printed off the Internet. But they should be recent (less than 3 months old). Possible articles can be related to chemistry, health and nutrition, astronomy, biology, zoology, physics, botany, environmental science, etc. The goal of this requirement is to make student aware of current events in science, and how science is related to various topics and issues in the world at large.

Finally, students will be graded on keeping accurate and thorough notes in class, occasional quizzes and tests, as well as classroom work. Students will also have a unit test at the end of each 10-week exploration.

We’re off to a great start this year, and the students have been enthusiastic and excited about science. You should expect your child to have homework in science everyday, with only an occasional exception. If you or your child have any questions about the requirements or work in science, please don’t hesitate to contact me for a quick email response, or a meeting.

Sincerely,

Ms. Peterson