The fifth graders learned all about potential and kinetic energy by using pendulums. They used a pencil, string, and washers to set up the pendulums. Using a protractor, they measured the degree at which they had to pull the string. The students also used a simulation to learn about inclined planes and pulleys.
Category / 5th-Grade Post
Egg Bungee
Today, the 5th graders learned about the decimal system and place values. They participated in an activities that strengthened their knowledge of decimals and their values. During science, they conducted an experiment that included eggs, ziploc bags, and rubber bands. They had many trials and tests. They added more rubber bands each time to see how that would affect the distance the egg would travel downwards.
Simple Machines
The 5th graders learned about wedges and levers through a simulation! They were able to interact with the objects and move them, which showed the different results when a change was made. The students recognized that they use these simple machines in their daily lives, such as a door stopper, which is a wedge.
5th Graders at MSI!
The fifth graders visited the Museum of Science and Industry on October 13! They were able to explore the museum during the STEM Fair. They got to learn more about the different careers of those who work in the STEM fields and visited some of the other exhibits.
Measuring Lab
The fifth graders were introduced to the metric system by completing a measuring lab. The students all used linear measurement to calculate mass and volume. They measured the lengths, widths, and heights of block to be able to compute density as well.
Mini-Metric Olympics!
The 5th graders reinforced their measuring skills by competing in the Mini-Metric Olympics! The students had to go through six stations and complete an experiment. The six stations were Paper Plate Discus, Paper Straw Javelin, Cotton Ball Shot Put, Right-Handed Marble Grab, Left-Handed Sponge Squeeze, and Big Foot Contest. In each of the experiments, they had a task to do and like scientists, they had to measure using the metric system!
5th Grade’s First Day!
On the first day of STEM, the fifth graders got to know each other by completing escape rooms! They broke the ice by communicating with each other and working together to escape the rooms.
Who Stole Red’s Basket?
Today the class became forensic scientists. Someone has stolen Red Riding Hood’s basket, and it’s up to the 5th grade STEM scholars to find out who. Using methods such as analyzing DNA, fingerprints, shoeprints, hand writing, and chromatography to get to the bottom of this case. For example, the detectives had to compare a note that was found at the scene, presumably written by the thief. With 4 different samples of handwriting, the detectives compared the writng to the note that was found. Bringing them one step closer to uncovering the mystery. The detectives took turns rotating stations, filling out a packet detailing thier findings in this investigation. Clue by clue, the culprit of this crime became apparent.
The Carbon Cycle
To learn aboout the Carbon cycle, the 5th graders used beads. They had to fill up a string they carried around with them, with beads. After being sent to a station, they had to roll a dice to go to another station. Each student acted as a carbon atom. The beads corresponded with whatever environment the carbon atom went to for that roll. The beads were
Red=Biosphere
White= Atmosphere
Blue=Hydrophere
Black=Geosphere
The point of this activity was to see the journey of a carbon atom in the carbon cycle. Some atoms would move around from station to station with every roll. While others, would get trapped in one place. This exemplified how some carbon atoms, now our stuck within our atmosphere. The following gallery shows the 5th graders and the activity.
Parachutes Part 2.
This week, the 5th graders again had to build their own parachute. But this time, with a catch, the 5th graders had a budget. Last time, the students could use as much material as they pleased. But this time, they had to stay in their budget, giving them less materials. Additionally, they would have to protect an egg for their parachute to be considered successful. Each student had the same budget, the same amount of time to construct their parachute, and the same dropoff point(2.5 meters). So with the rules set in place, the students set off to build. Below are images of todays class.