Measures for Measuring

Fourth graders were treated to a special presentation by the Scotia-Glenville Children's Museum called "Measures for Measuring." Students worked in small groups on a series of tasks where they were asked to use both the metric and US Customary systems of measurement. Students had to measure their foot and ring size, how high they could jump and their arm span. New tools were introduced that some had never used before: food scale, postal scale, balance scale, beakers, and even a trundle wheel. Students loved the special time machine that kept track of the time of day using marbles. Ask your fourth grader to fill you in on some of the fun we had!

Fun with Circuits

We had a blast this week in science. Students are learning about circuits and are building different kinds of electrical circuits. Students LOVED our lesson with the "Energy Ball." Did you hear about it at home? This cool ping-pong looking ball demonstrates how a circuit works and how electricity can pass through our own bodies. We also created circuit testers which allowed us to experiment with a number of materials to see if they were conductors or insulators.

Turn on your light!

D. gets his bulb to light first!

Have you heard about the fun we've been having in science? Our electricity unit has us exploring circuits. This week students were given a few items and only one instruction--turn on your light! Students were each given a D-cell battery, wire, and a lightbulb. There was silence as kids began to look at their materials and plan a way to make the bulb light. It took only a minute before we heard students saying, "I can't get it!" or "I need help!" I encouraged them to keep trying and experimenting with different configurations. I explained that any minute someone would get their bulb to light and soon after, word would spread around the room about how he/she did it.

By the end of the lesson, students had discovered several different ways to use their materials to turn on their lights. We created a class anchor chart that we will refer to as we continue our study of electrical circuits. Check out the video clip of the electricians at work!

Coming soon~ELECTRICITY!

Watch this classic Schoolhouse Rock video about electricity.  Ask your parents if they have seen it!  Be ready to talk with your science partner about 1 fact from the video.  For those who like an extra challenge...try one of these activities and bring your research to class!

1. Find a satellite image of the world at night online.  Try looking for just the United States, or New York State.  Print it out and bring it into class OR email Mrs. Martone the link to share on the projector---martonet@guilderlandschools.org
2. Research the kinds of lightbulbs your family has in your house.  Bring one in to share! 
3. Find out what these acronyms stand for:  CFL and LED.  Can you find an example of these to share with the class?  
4. Most people think of Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison when they are learning about electricity.  But, what else can you find out about the history of electricity?