Welcome to my Science class :)
I hope you found your summer enjoyable and are excited to be back! I am SO excited to teach you wonderful new things this year and cannot wait to meet everyone and learn more about you as the year progresses. I hope that you will also be excited to learn more about me, your teacher, and about all the interesting science curriculum we will be exploring and testing this year. I believe in a classroom that is fun, interactive, project-based, and a friendly learning environment that strives on collaborative efforts. I will be helping you master tons of old and new concepts, and will be using lots of hands-on methods to teach you them best! Science should not be learned out of a book, it should be learned with your hands, feet, mouth, nose, ears, hair...... you get the point. See you in a short week!
Here is a brief overview of what we will be covering this year, enjoy!
Unit 0: The Practice of Science:
Here we will explore and conduct different types of experiments and learn the process of setting up a successful experiment. We will practice this unit all year and it will be embedded throughout all the units. This will be extremely helpful come science-fair-project time! What is the difference between repetition and replication? What are the steps of the Scientific Method? How can I use the scientific method to make those yummy gooey marshmallowy peeps to dissolve????
Unit 1: Earth's Changing Surface:
Shake! Rattle! & Roll! Here we will learn all about plate tectonics and how our Earth's surface is constantly moving! (yes, our continent is moving right now!) Hands on exploration of different layers of the Earth. What creates these layers? From the solid dense core to the fiery hot convecting mantle.We will learn about "Pangaea" (what Scientists theorize that the Earth looked like when it was first formed), gather & explore interesting animal, fossil, and plant evidence that supports Pangea, Discover why earthquakes and volcanoes exist and how they are continuously shaping our Earth. Oh yeah, did I mention FOOD? Geology Kitchen is in full swing this unit! We will also be creating yummy edible tectonic plates in a fun class lab.
REUNITE PANGAEA!!!!!!!!
Unit 2: Rock Cycle:
Which rock appears the MOST on our gorgeous planet?
What in the world are those volcanic rocks called? How can we classify them? How do I really know that the rock I found in my backyard is not really something more valuable? Crayon rocks....? Let's see if we can turn a couple crayons into rocks using the rock cycle during a fun class lab.
Unit 3: Age of the Earth:
Did you know that Earth is 4.54 BILLION years old? A lot has changed over those billions of years! Find out what & how scientists determined the age of our wonderful planet. Also, we will introduce ways to make sure we keep our Earth beautiful and clean :) Oh yeah, and what in the world is a COPROPLITE???????? :) (you will be SHOCKED when you find out and get to see/hold one yourself!)
Unit 4: Energy Transfer and Transformations:
My favorite thing in the whole wide world...ROLLERCOASTERS!!!!! (Especially Disneyworld!)
In this unit, we will take many virtual trips on some of the coolest rollercoasters in our country (including many found right here in Florida) to learn about all the interesting physics behind the rides! Potential vs Kinetic energy, Electrical, mechanical, heat, thermal, and chemical energy! We will create a LARGE scale model of our own amusement park!! Let's test these types of energy transformations out on the Rock'n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror.....
Unit 5: Forms of Energy:
sound waves, light waves, visible waves ...oh my! Lets learn about the spectrum of light and determine how waves move at different speeds.
Here we will get a chance to try on my special-never before seen-once in a lifetime 'refraction glasses' that will turn all the light you see into........ well you'll find out.
We will discover what makes the colors of the rainbow the colors they are. Guess what else, you will get to do lots and lots and lots of coloring in this unit.
Unit 6: Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms:
Fossils fossils fossils, whoopee! Here we will learn about different species and explore how some became extinct while determine how animals and plants have to adapt, or die!
Unit 7: Heredity and Reproduction:
Let's learn about DNA & what makes us, US! How do genes inside our bodies help determine what we will look like? Why do some of us have blonde hair, brown hair, black hair, or red? Are we genetically at a disadvantage to being "color blind"? What are these cool 'Punnett Squares' I keep hearing oh so much about & how do I make one? Find out! oh yeah..... & there is a playdoh and edible food lab... what more could you possibly ask for!?!?!
Unit 8: Interdependence:
How do organisms compete in the food chain? How does our ecosystem strive with predators, consumers, producers, hosts, and prey? What diseases and parasites are out there? FIND OUT
By the way.... I recently worked with National Geographic Writers/Photographers as well as Marine Biologists from Florida/Caribbean Islands/ and the Smithsonian Institute to come up with an awesome hands-on BIOCUBE project for this unit. Yes, there will be bugs, dirt, grass, and digging up the land involved in this extensive (but really really cool) project. I think this will be the best project to wrap up the best science school year with! Hope you enjoy!
I hope you found your summer enjoyable and are excited to be back! I am SO excited to teach you wonderful new things this year and cannot wait to meet everyone and learn more about you as the year progresses. I hope that you will also be excited to learn more about me, your teacher, and about all the interesting science curriculum we will be exploring and testing this year. I believe in a classroom that is fun, interactive, project-based, and a friendly learning environment that strives on collaborative efforts. I will be helping you master tons of old and new concepts, and will be using lots of hands-on methods to teach you them best! Science should not be learned out of a book, it should be learned with your hands, feet, mouth, nose, ears, hair...... you get the point. See you in a short week!
Here is a brief overview of what we will be covering this year, enjoy!
Unit 0: The Practice of Science:
Here we will explore and conduct different types of experiments and learn the process of setting up a successful experiment. We will practice this unit all year and it will be embedded throughout all the units. This will be extremely helpful come science-fair-project time! What is the difference between repetition and replication? What are the steps of the Scientific Method? How can I use the scientific method to make those yummy gooey marshmallowy peeps to dissolve????
Unit 1: Earth's Changing Surface:
Shake! Rattle! & Roll! Here we will learn all about plate tectonics and how our Earth's surface is constantly moving! (yes, our continent is moving right now!) Hands on exploration of different layers of the Earth. What creates these layers? From the solid dense core to the fiery hot convecting mantle.We will learn about "Pangaea" (what Scientists theorize that the Earth looked like when it was first formed), gather & explore interesting animal, fossil, and plant evidence that supports Pangea, Discover why earthquakes and volcanoes exist and how they are continuously shaping our Earth. Oh yeah, did I mention FOOD? Geology Kitchen is in full swing this unit! We will also be creating yummy edible tectonic plates in a fun class lab.
REUNITE PANGAEA!!!!!!!!
Unit 2: Rock Cycle:
Which rock appears the MOST on our gorgeous planet?
What in the world are those volcanic rocks called? How can we classify them? How do I really know that the rock I found in my backyard is not really something more valuable? Crayon rocks....? Let's see if we can turn a couple crayons into rocks using the rock cycle during a fun class lab.
Unit 3: Age of the Earth:
Did you know that Earth is 4.54 BILLION years old? A lot has changed over those billions of years! Find out what & how scientists determined the age of our wonderful planet. Also, we will introduce ways to make sure we keep our Earth beautiful and clean :) Oh yeah, and what in the world is a COPROPLITE???????? :) (you will be SHOCKED when you find out and get to see/hold one yourself!)
Unit 4: Energy Transfer and Transformations:
My favorite thing in the whole wide world...ROLLERCOASTERS!!!!! (Especially Disneyworld!)
In this unit, we will take many virtual trips on some of the coolest rollercoasters in our country (including many found right here in Florida) to learn about all the interesting physics behind the rides! Potential vs Kinetic energy, Electrical, mechanical, heat, thermal, and chemical energy! We will create a LARGE scale model of our own amusement park!! Let's test these types of energy transformations out on the Rock'n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror.....
Unit 5: Forms of Energy:
sound waves, light waves, visible waves ...oh my! Lets learn about the spectrum of light and determine how waves move at different speeds.
Here we will get a chance to try on my special-never before seen-once in a lifetime 'refraction glasses' that will turn all the light you see into........ well you'll find out.
We will discover what makes the colors of the rainbow the colors they are. Guess what else, you will get to do lots and lots and lots of coloring in this unit.
Unit 6: Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms:
Fossils fossils fossils, whoopee! Here we will learn about different species and explore how some became extinct while determine how animals and plants have to adapt, or die!
Unit 7: Heredity and Reproduction:
Let's learn about DNA & what makes us, US! How do genes inside our bodies help determine what we will look like? Why do some of us have blonde hair, brown hair, black hair, or red? Are we genetically at a disadvantage to being "color blind"? What are these cool 'Punnett Squares' I keep hearing oh so much about & how do I make one? Find out! oh yeah..... & there is a playdoh and edible food lab... what more could you possibly ask for!?!?!
Unit 8: Interdependence:
How do organisms compete in the food chain? How does our ecosystem strive with predators, consumers, producers, hosts, and prey? What diseases and parasites are out there? FIND OUT
By the way.... I recently worked with National Geographic Writers/Photographers as well as Marine Biologists from Florida/Caribbean Islands/ and the Smithsonian Institute to come up with an awesome hands-on BIOCUBE project for this unit. Yes, there will be bugs, dirt, grass, and digging up the land involved in this extensive (but really really cool) project. I think this will be the best project to wrap up the best science school year with! Hope you enjoy!