A classroom blog for parents and friends to let you know what is going on in Mrs. Wright's 1st grade classroom at Cypress Creek Elementary in Port Orange, Florida.
Showing posts with label Mystery Science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mystery Science. Show all posts
The study of rocks in 4th grade includes erosion and weathering. Often there is confusion on the concepts and hands on activities prove to make experiences stick out in a child's mind. In comes Mystery Science! The start of the unit is "Could a Volcano Pop Up in Your Backyard?" I love to see their faces when the question is posed and the video launches in to the story of Paricutin. We take a poll and they are pretty sure it could never happen but soon doubt creeps in and then you have them! Partners are picked and they must graph volcanos around the world and put the maps together.
This is a great activity and the discussion that comes from their observations is the best part. The lesson is so well organized and fits the time frame perfect. The next lesson deals with volcano classification and we experiment with thin vs thick lava.
Here they are in action.
They are so engaged and working with one another to test out the samples. Again the conversation that happens is my favorite part of the lesson. If you haven't tried out Mystery Science you can give it a free trial and then see for yourself how well likes the lessons are for all age groups.
The third lesson leads students to wonder will a mountain last forever? Just watch...
Why Do we Wear Clothes? is a Mystery Science lesson that always grabs the attention of 2nd graders. There are giggles and laughs but what a great introduction to properties of matter. We talk about attributes of materials and when we use various materials based on need. During the lesson we are stranded at sea on our cruise ship. We only have some miscellaneous supplies and we need to make a hat to protect us from the heat, water, and grueling sun. We needed to test which materials would be best and then use our creativity to build a hat with the best supplies to keep our heads and necks protected.
After we talk about which materials were soft as to not scratch our head. Which material was absorbent since we would sweat. Which material would extend past our heads so we could stop squinting. The reflection piece is my favorite tot hear their thoughts and what they would change next time. If they get stranded these 2nd graders know what to do.
You have heard that saying Could you really fry an egg on the sidewalk? This leads us into testing the cold and hot of various materials to be an insulator. What a great way to use water bottles, tin foil, socks, and styrofoam cups to test our best guess. The funniest is when you try to get them to put socks on their hands. Mind you these socks have never been on feet, they are only used for this experiment. The faces they make are priceless. Oh and trying to get them to close their eyes as their partner slides the hot or cold cup is tough for them, you know they want to be right. The lesson is on what makes the best insulator and they are having fun experimenting.
Our properties of matter unit ends with a challenge of making the tallest tower with only index cards and paper clips. Every group receives the same materials and we quickly learn that folding and bending can make the card stronger. With partners they are to build the tallest stack. I got to see teamwork, collaboration, problem solving, measuring and perseverance while their towers toppled over. They were a bit surprised how you could stack index cards by rolling them, folding them, or bending them.
Mystery Science is amazing! They have a lesson, "Why do Plants Grow Flowers?" and the students loved it! Every lesson starts with background and introduction to vocabulary. They pose a question and then there is a hands-on activity for the students to bring the learning to life. The students created flowers and we used coffee grounds and cinnamon to use as seeds. Students then created bees from pipe cleaners and pollinated flowers while buzzing around the room.
After the buzzing around we sat down to make some observations. The students observed coffee grounds and cinnamon on their bees. When asked about that they started with one in their flower and quickly saw that the other brushed when they buzzed other flowers. Then they looked at the center of their flowers and the sticky stigma-they were amazed at what they saw. It was such a great aha moment to be a part of with the kids. Great job Mystery Science!
A friend years back bragged about Mystery Science website. I checked it out and if you have heard the voice-"Hi, it's Doug." You know we are in for an adventure. Since I work with all students kindergarten to fifth grade I get a bit excited when it comes to hands on and standards related. EVERY single unit I have used has been informative and fun for the students.
Traditionally our 4th graders struggle with rocks, weathering and erosion. Mystery Science has a unit entitled the Birth of Rocks for 4th grade. It starts with the question Could a volcano pop up in your backyard? Doug weaves a story to provide photos and an interactive activity of plotting volcanos in regions around the world. As the maps come together...well you will need to do it to find out.
We go on to discover various volcanos and their differences.
Who says science isn't fun?
These students are interacting with one another and having a blast learning about thin vs. thick lava.
The next lesson had us all shaking...
If you haven't tried Mystery Science you need to. I subscribe each year and it is well worth the $. I will write more on some of the other lessons that ended up being our favorites over the years. They are constantly adding and improving so sign up today.
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