December Newsletter

KINDERGARTEN

The children will continue their study of what animals do to prepare for winter during the month of December.  The children will explore the concepts of food gathering and storage, hibernation and migration by learning about different animals such as bats and arctic foxes!  The students will watch short video clips, view photographs and then finally act out the animal’s actions with paper puppets!  The children will also learn about the different threats that these animals are facing, such as White Nose Syndrome in bat populations of New York State. 

FIRST GRADE

First Grade entomologists will spend the month of December exploring the behavior of the different insect we have been studying.  The children will first form questions about the insects, such as “Do darkling beetles prefer dark or light?” or “What foods do the insects like best?”  The children will then act out experiments in order to test these questions.  Finally, the students will record what they find about the insects by drawing and writing in their science journals.

SECOND GRADE

Second Grade geologists will wrap up their study of Earth materials by learning about the rock cycle.  The children will act out the different ways that rocks are formed, by learning about erosion and deposition, as well as the Earth’s tectonic plates.  During this study, the children will become familiar with sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks and how each is formed.  

Bats and White Nose Syndrome

Kindergarten Scientists have been studying how animals prepare for the season of Winter.  This week, the students are exploring the concept of hibernation by learning about bats.  Sadly, large numbers of hibernating bat populations in NY State are being wiped out by a mysterious fungus, being called, "White Nose Syndrome."  The students learned about this terrible disease and what it is doing to our New York bats.  Please follow the link to an article about this disease!
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/12/bat-crash/quammen-text/1

Migrating Swallows

Kindergarten scientists have been learning about animals that live in trees and the different ways that they prepare for the season of winter.  This week the students learned about Barn Swallows.  They found that the swallows migrate to a warmer climate during the winter season and return for the spring and summer.  After making a swallow of their own, the students then acted out the long migration process in the classroom!

WAXWORMS!

First Grade scientists welcomed a new pet to the science lab this week!  The students will now be examining Waxworms in order to compare and contrast them to Mealworms!

Sorting River Rocks

The students started with a mixture of river rocks.

They then used screens to sort!

The students separated the mixture into pebbles, gravel and sand.

Second Grade scientists have been examining river rocks.  They used three different sized screens in order to separate the rock mixture.  The students found that there were three different sized rock materials in the mixture: pebbles, gravel and sand.

Lower Grade Science Open House- November 16

Since I was unable to attend Parent Teacher conferences this past Tuesday evening, I am hosting a Lower Grade Science Open House on Tuesday, November 16!  Please come in to say hello, see the science room and see what units of the study the children have been working on.  There will be descriptions of units, materials that students have been observing, as well as examples of student work.  Please stop by room 301 on Tuesday, November 16 from 8-9:15 & 3:30- 5:30.  I hope to see you then!
-Miss Marsh

November Newsletter

LOWER GRADE SCIENCE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

  Below is a short description of what each grade will be up to during the month of November!

Kindergarten

Now that the Kindergarten scientists have become experts on the different parts of a tree and how they function, they will begin to explore the different animals that live in trees.  After the children identify different animals that live in trees, they will examine what these animals do to get ready for the cold season of winter.  

First Grade

Now that the First Grade scientists have observed the complete life cycle of a mealworm, they will come up with a plan to care for the Darkling Beetles.  What do the Beetles need in order to survive?  The students will also observe wax worms in order to compare and contrast them with mealworms.  As the students observe these different insects, they will work on drawing diagrams of them, including the appropriate labels of insect body parts. 

Second Grade

Second Grade scientists will continue exploring rocks during the month of November.  The students will now work on sorting Earth material by size.  The students will use tools, such as sieves, to sort different rock materials into pebbles, gravel and sand.  Next, the children will mix sand and water together to find if there is an Earth material that is even smaller than sand.  Finally, the children will explore and discuss silt and clay.