SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER- WELCOME!

Happy September!  It has been another wonderful start to the school year.  I cannot believe that this is my 8^th year as the Lower Grade Science teacher at PS 58!  The children continue to be interested and enthusiastic about science, which fuels me to bring new and exciting things to the science program. 

This year my classroom has moved to the first floor in room 112.  I hope to see many of you at the orientation meetings and around the building.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by email at marshdiana730@gmail.com.  THANKS!

Sincerely, 

Diana Marsh

Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-K students will visit the science room once (Pre-K-129 meets twice) a week for a 45-minute session.  The students will begin the year exploring what a scientist is and what they study.  The children will then participate in many hands-on activities in order to learn about their five senses.  They will begin the 5 senses study by smelling, tasting and describing different kinds of apples!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten scientists will visit the science room once a week for 45-minute sessions.  Some of the general science skills that the children will work on throughout the school year are classifying, comparing and contrasting, observing and communicating ideas through drawing and simple writing.  They will start the year exploring what a scientist is by examining many of the different tools scientists use, such as hand lenses and balance scales.  The students will then begin their first unit of study about trees.  The children will identify the different parts of trees and how they function.  

First Grade

First Grade scientists will visit the science room once a week for 45-minute sessions.  Some of the general science concepts that the students will work on throughout the year are questioning, predicting, comparing and contrasting and recording data.  After a general exploration of what scientists are and what they do, the children will then begin their first unit of study on insects.  The children will make observations of many different kinds of insects, such as meal worms, and their life cycles.

Second Grade

Second Grade scientists will visit the science room once a week for 45-minute sessions.  

Some of the general science concepts that the students will work on throughout the year are 

questioning, predicting, measuring, and recording and interpreting data.  The students will begin the year by looking at what a scientist does.  They will practice forming questions, making observations, acting out experiments and recording what they find.  The students will then use those skills in order to observe the differences between rocks and shells.