Liquids!

As part of our Gems-Net Science Kits, we are exploring solids and liquids.  We finished up solids, which you can read about here, here and here!  The students had a great time with all the hands-on experiments.  Now it's time for liquids.

We learned that the properties of liquids include transparent, colored, translucent, viscous, etc.  Big words for second graders!  They are soaking it all in, though (haha, get it?).

Today we learned about liquid levels in a bottle.  We explored what happens when a container is tilted, placed on its side and then upside down.

We recorded our results on the template provided by the kit:

Then we answered the question, "How do liquids change in a container?"  A major part of these kits is writing in response to their discoveries.  My students are definitely becoming better writers!  The vocabulary they use is just as impressive.

Here's a picture of one our liquids rolling around!

Happy {almost} Friday!

Nature's Classroom

This week I was offered an awesome teacher opportunity.  I got to accompany 120 5th graders on a 4-day, 3-night field trip.  Sounds like a great time, right?!?  Haha actually it was a lot of fun.

We got to go to Nature's Classroom, which is a residential, environmental educational program.  Basically, the students (and 8 teachers) got to live on the campus for the week and learn about science from the leaders that work at the site.  I really wish I had taken more pictures, but I have about 3, which I posted yesterday.   I'll just have to tell you about it instead!

The kids arrived at school and we loaded them onto the bus.  We loaded all their stuff onto another bus.  Yes, their luggage filled an ENTIRE school bus!  They had to bring really warm clothes since they were going to be outside for almost 12 hours each day and it's only about 40 degrees here in New England.

When we arrived at Nature's Classroom, all the leaders were there to greet us as we pulled in.  They jumped on the bus with this incredible energy.  I want to know what is in their coffee since they kept this energy up ALL week - it was amazing!  The students got off the bus and formed a line from the bus to the dorm and unloaded the luggage assembly line style.  So funny to watch!

The students were assigned "field groups."  There were about 12 students to each group and one Nature's Classroom Field Group leader.  They would meet with their field groups a few times a day to hike through the woods and learn about nature.  They learned about animal tracks and sounds, how to build shelters, how to camouflage themselves and much more!

In the afternoons, the students got to pick classes to attend.  These were also taught by the field group leaders.  They got to do the coolest experiments!  For example, there was pig, shark and turtle dissections.  One class was how to make hot air balloons (then they got to actually fly them).  In another, they got to make a maze for a rat and then tested it with a real rat - so cool!

At all the meals, there was one student in charge of each table (they signed up a for a meal at the beginning of the week).  They were called waitrons.  The waitron was in charge of bringing the food to the table (served family style) and cleaning it up when the meal was over.  If a student wanted to get up to use the bathroom or to get a drink, they had to ask their waitron for permission.  It was great to see the students have so much responsibility!  Each teacher and field group leader chose a table to sit at for each meal.  It was a great chance to interact with the students and learn about their day.

We had a great time and the kids talk about it for weeks.  I definitely didn't do it justice with this post.  If I get to go again next year, I will bring my camera and be sure to take lots of pictures!  I highly recommend this program if you are ever given the chance.

And don't forget!  Today is the start of the Spring Cleaning Sale - clean out those TpT wish lists!  My TpT store will be 20% off today and tomorrow.

My friends are also having sales!  Check out their great deals!

We are Scientists!

I have shared some information on our new science kits here and here.  It's a lot of fun so you will probably be hearing a lot more about it!  There are so many experiments and it incorporates reading and writing as well.  It's a little overwhelming since there is so much to the kits, so I haven't quite figured out how to schedule it all in at the appropriate times yet.  It's a work in progress!

Since we have become scientists, we need a place to record our notes from all of our experiments!  Some schools that use the kits, use composition books for the students as science notebooks, but our school didn't order them.  I contemplated asking the students to bring one in from home, but we are only doing one kit this year so that wasn't worth it.  I'll put it on their supply list for next year though!  Instead, I just created books for them using good-ole-fashioned card stock and paper.  Simple!

 Inside, we place our charts that are provided with the kit:

 Right now we are completing the charts together as a class as the students get used to the program.  Eventually, they will be doing this on their own.

As I mentioned before, there is also a writing component.  Each experiment comes with an essential question, which we answer at the end.  Here is our first one that we did (not much writing though):

Then last week, we did one on the towers that we built.  We incorporated a lot more writing into this one.   This was the start of it:

Again, we've done the first few together, but the students will become much more independent with this.  My students are loving science!

Too Tall Towers

Last week's science experiment was all about what materials make the tallest towers.  We discussed how a tower must have a wide-base in order for it to not tip over.  We came up with some important properties for towers such as; rigid, strong, solid, and tall.  Then we became engineers and created our own towers!

Some of the materials that the students were able to use included 2 paper cups, 2 pieces of cardboard, a straw, an elastic band, tinfoil and a popsicle stick.

Their towers were very unique:

Some got a little distracted and started "decorating" their towers.  We had gardens, draw-bridges and guards.  I quickly roped them back in and explained that we were trying to make the tallest tower, not the fanciest one!

I wish I could share the pictures I have of the students.  Their faces are priceless!  I caught some photos of towers as they were falling.  Luckily, there were no tears!

What's the Matter?

We started our Science Kits last week!  I was so excited to do this...and a little nervous.  Each kit contains everything you need for a for a whole science unit except for the kitchen sink, literally.  Water is the only thing that doesn't come in it!  We get the teacher's guide, the activity sheets and ALL the materials.  Yes, all.  How awesome is that?!  It is very hands-on.

We will be teaching 3 kits a year in second grade.  The teachers get trained in one per year.  We are starting with Matter this year.  

We began with discussing the three types of matter - solids, liquids and gases (that got a few giggles).  Our first experiment was to come with the properties of solid objects.  We came up with a great list after observing (that's what scientists do!) 7 different solid objects.

It was a pretty simple experiment, but the kids loved it!  Our next step is to write in our Science Notebooks about how we observe solid objects.  Another positive aspect about these kits is that there is a lot of writing involved.  We can't wait to do our next experiment!

Science Training

 Our district is adopting a new science program and I'm pretty excited about it!  It's a program called GEMS-NET and it stems from our state college.  I used the program when I was student teaching (about 5 years ago) and the students loved it.

I'm not completely versed on it yet, so I think this is how it will work.  Every 3 months or so, all the second grade teachers will get a kit.  The kit is a large box full of materials and a teaching guide.  In the guided are a unit's worth of lessons on a certain science topic for our grade.  ALL the materials (except water) for EVERY lesson are included in this kit.  How awesome is that??  

When we finish teaching the lessons, we pack the kit back up and send it back to the college.  Then we get a new kit with a different topic.  I'm a little nervous because this is wayyy more science than I have ever done and I know that there is a lot of set-up involved.  Here's to hoping it goes well!

In December we went to our first training and learned the basics about how to teach from the kits.

The best part of the training?  We got to do the experiments too!  Check it out:

Yesterday's training was about writing in science.  Writing is a HUGE part of these kits, as I quickly found out.  We learned how to teach the students to put their ideas, findings and conclusions into words.  These are two of the books that we are going to use to guide us:

The students will be creating Science Notebooks to record their experiments and their writing.  This is my first experience with these notebooks so there will definitely be a learning curve for me, but I am looking forward to trying something new!  Here is the {pseudo} Science Notebook I made yesterday:

As we do the experiments and create our notebooks in class, I will definitely share what is working (and what might not be!).