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Ms. Keating, Science, 2nd

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Science Week of November 11th

Science 

This week we will continue our science unit, “A Changing Earth,” which focuses on earth science. 

  • On Wednesday, we will complete the second part of our hands-on river activity, where students observed how water flows from high places to low places. We will discuss what we discovered and connect it back to our anchor phenomenon — the two rivers that meet but are different colors — adding new ideas to our initial explanations. 

 

  • On Thursday and Friday, we will investigate the mystery, “Why is there sand at the beach?” Students will explore how rivers can carry rocks and break them into smaller and smaller pieces over time. This leads to understanding how sand is formed and how water slowly changes Earth’s surface. 

 

This week’s Science learning targets are:  

  •  I can explain that rivers start in high places and flow down to lower places, like the ocean. 
  • I can explain that sand is made of tiny pieces of rock that break down slowly over a long period of time. 

Science Week of November 3rd

This week we will continue our science unit, “A Changing Earth,” which focuses on earth science. We spent a little extra time on our first science lesson this week because students were so engaged in the investigation and discussion. As a result, that lesson took two days instead of one. We also had the opportunity to include our planned Service Learning lesson, which we were excited to fit in. Because of this, our upcoming science lessons will shift forward slightly into next week. 

  • On Monday, we will investigate water around the world. Students will explore the many places water is found on Earth—such as oceans, rivers, lakes, and frozen regions like the Arctic. They will observe that water can appear in different forms, including liquid water and solid ice. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe where water is found and explain that it can change forms depending on temperature. 

 

  • On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will begin the investigation, “Where’s The Best Place to Hide a Treasure?” This week, students will go on a virtual treasure hunt to complete a map filled with clues! As they solve riddles, they’ll identify different landforms—like hills, mountains, and islands—and bodies of water—such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. They’ll also use the compass rose to help them follow directions on the map. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to recognize land and water features and use them to locate places on a map—just like real explorers! 

 

  • On Thursday, we will begin the investigation If You Floated Down a River, Where Would You End Up? In this lesson, students will explore how water moves across Earth’s surface. They will learn that rivers usually begin in high places like mountains or hills and flow downhill, eventually making their way toward larger bodies of water such as lakes or the ocean. We will do the second half of the investigation next week.  

This week’s Science learning targets are:  

  • I can describe where water is found on Earth and explain that water can be a liquid or a solid. 
  • I can use a map to find landforms and bodies of water and use their shapes to understand where things are located. 
  • I can explain that rivers start in high places and flow down to lower places, like the ocean.

     

    Service Learning:  

    Last week, we were able to include a service-learning lesson after all. Students brainstormed service project ideas and discussed how some parents will be visiting our class to share how they help our community. Students learned that these visits may inspire our own project! 

     
    There will be no service-learning lesson this week due to the half day; we will continue next week. 

Science Week of October 27th

On Wednesday, we will be starting our next science unit, “A Changing Earth,” which focuses on earth science. In this unit, students explore how the Earth changes over time by studying landforms, bodies of water, and where water is found on Earth. They will build models to observe how water flows downhill and causes erosion, sometimes slowly and sometimes very quickly. Using what they learn, students will design and test solutions to help slow down erosion and prevent landslides. 

Where’s The Best Place To Hide A Treasure? This week, we will go on a virtual treasure hunt, solving riddles along the way to complete our mysterious maps! Each riddle will help us identify different landforms, like mountains and islands, and bodies of water, like rivers and lakes. We will use these natural landmarks — along with directions from the map’s compass rose — to find where the “X” marks the final hiding spot. By the end, students will be ready to identify land and water features in places all around the world. 

This week’s Science learning targets are:  

  • I can make careful observations and ask questions about why two rivers look different. I can use a model to show my thinking. 
  • I can describe where water is found on Earth and explain that water can be a liquid or a solid. 
  • I can use a map to find landforms and bodies of water and use their shapes to understand where things are located. 

Service Learning:  

There is no service learning this week, due to the Halloween Party on Friday.