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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
This weeek, the 5th grade STEM scholars went on a field trip to the Museum of Science and Industy. With so much to explore and learn, it was a very enjoyable experience for the whole class. First, the students went to an exhibit called “Extreme Ice”. The exhibit was all about global warming, and how some photographers have actually been documenting glaciers all over the world for several years. These glaciers have been receeding and melting over the years. But thanks to these pictures, we can see physical proof of global warming. Also, the exhibit contained a wall of authentic glacial ice. The students were able to put their hands on that wall, getting to feel ice that came from hundreds of miles away. Afterwards, the students went to the Brick by Brick exhibit. Brick by Brick is an exhibit based entirely around legos and engineering. In the exhibit structures like, The Golden Gate Bridge and The Colosseum are completely reconstructed with legos. These models are not easy to construct by any means. For instance, The Golden Gate Bridge model is over 60 feet long. These models are carefully crafed pieces of engineering. With no details being overlooked. They are truly remarkable and interesting to observe. Below is a slideshow with images of the 5th graders fun day at MSI.