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Science/Social Studies- Ms. Chalstrom

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Science 5/24

Dear Families, 
This week we will continue working on our end of the year cumulative learning project! Students will use the skills they have learned this school year to investigate and teach others about dinosaurs. This week students will learn about carnivores and make connections between the needs dinosaurs have for survival, their habitat, and locate where we can find their fossils using maps. Students will research and complete an informational writing piece about a dinosaur that was an carnivore and include three facts, a diagram with labels, and a location on the map. 

Word List

herbivore - carnivore - dinosaur - habitat - survive - extinct - needs - wants - location - map - fossil - paleontologist - clutch

5/17/2021 Dinosaurs (Carnivores)

Dear Families, 
This week we will continue working on our end of the year cumulative learning project! Students will use the skills they have learned this school year to investigate and teach others about dinosaurs. This week students will learn about carnivores and make connections between the needs dinosaurs have for survival, their habitat, and locate where we can find their fossils using maps. Students will research and complete an informational writing piece about a dinosaur that was an carnivore and include three facts, a diagram with labels, and a location on the map. 

Word List

herbivore - carnivore - dinosaur - habitat - survive - extinct - needs - wants - location - map - fossil - paleontologist - clutch 

Science 5/9/21

Dear Families, 
We are so excited to begin our end of the year cumulative learning project! Students will use the skills they have learned this school year to investigate and teach others about dinosaurs. This week students will learn about herbivores and make connections between the needs dinosaurs have for survival, their habitat, and locate where we can find their fossils using maps. Students will research and complete an informational writing piece about a dinosaur that was an herbivore and include three facts, a diagram with labels, and a location on the map. 

Word List

herbivore - carnivore - dinosaur - habitat - survive - extinct - needs - wants - location - map - fossil - paleontologist - clutch 

Science: Moon and the Solar System 5/3/21

Dear Family,

This week we will continue learning all about space. We will move on from learning about the sun's impact on the Earth and continue to learn about the moon. Your child will learn the phases of the moon.  Your child will also be able to describe the effect the solar system has on our life.   We will be doing some fun crafts all week!!

Word List

crater – reflect – phase - asteroid

Supporting Your Student at Home

  • Discuss what your favorite activities are to do during the day.
  • Discuss activities that you like doing at night.
  • Are there any activities you can do during the day and at night?

4/27/21 Space and the Moon

Last week,  the students built a great foundation of how the Sun impacts the Earth.  This week, students will listen and explore to build and understanding of space. Students will compare and contrast day and night as well as learn how the moon gets light. We will talk about the phases of the moon and describe what causes them. 
 
Vocabulary:
-crater, reflect, phase, asteroid
 
Essential Questions:
-What are the phases of the moon?
-How does our solar system effect our lives?
 

Science: The Sun's Impact on the Earth

This week in science, students will learn about the Sun how how it impacts everything on Earth!  Students will observe shadows, learn about heat,  sun burns and how important the Sun is for living things. 
 
Essential Questions:
-What does the sun do for us?
-Can the sun harm us?  How can we protect ourselves from the sun?
-How is the sun's light important?
 
Vocabulary: heat-protect-shadow
 
At Home:
-Give your child a flashlight, have students make shadows and manipulate the light.
-Gather a heat lamp, ice cubes and 2 bowls. Discuss how the heat from the sun melts the ice...

Social Studies 4-12-21

Hello Parents,
 
This week we are finishing up our Economic Unit.  We will try and answer
"What are goods and services?  How do people attain them?"
"How is money earned, used, and saved?"
Students will learn about consumers and producers as well as supply and demand. At the end of the week we will partake in a real life experience of being producers and consumers. 
 
 
Supporting your Student at home:
1. Discuss with your child how we work to earn the things we want and need. 
2. Make a list of wants and look up their cost
3. Develop a savings plan with your child so they can save to purchase something they want. What will they do to earn the money they save? How long will it take?

Wants and Needs 4/5/21

This week we are going to continue our Economics Unit.  Students will continue to talk about wants and needs. Students will talk about supply and demand, understand money and spending, and goods and services.
 
Essential Questions:
- what are the benefits and costs of ownership?
- if you want to use someone else's item what must you do?
- what happens when someone wants to use something that belongs to you?
- what do we do if there is not enough of something we all want (scarcity)?
- what are things that everyone collectively owns?
- what are wants and needs?
- how do people make choices when they want something?
- how do people balance between wants and needs?
- what is the difference between a want and a need?
- How can money help people to meet their wants and needs?

Science: Leprechaun Traps

Hello!
This week in Science we are going to start sharing our leprechaun traps.  We will read all about leprechauns and write about them. Students will use their prior knowledge of force/motion and simple machines to design their trap. 
 
At the end of the week, we will "Catch the Leprechaun" and have a small celebration. 
 
Thank you for continue supporting your child at home!

Science: Force and Motion 3/8/21

This week students will be finishing their force and motion unit. Students will explore with magnets and learn about why things are magnetic. We will do our post test on Wednesday. 
 
Vocabulary
Force, Motion, Push, Pull, Magnet, Leprechaun
 
On Thursday a Leprechaun will come and destroy our classroom!  Students will learn about Leprechauns and start designing their "Leprechaun Traps."  The following week, students will bring their trap in to test out and display to the class. 
 
Next weekend, please start constructing a leprechaun trap with your child. 

Science: Force and Motion 3/1/21

Dear Family,

This week we will continue learning all about forces.  What is a force?  How do we use force in our everyday lives?  What is a push and a pull?  How do magnets relate to forces?  What are simple machines?  How do wheels help alleviate effort/force? We will learn answers to these questions and so much more this week.

Vocabulary

force – push – pull - magnet -simple machines- wheels

Supporting Your Student at Home: 

  • Test objects around the house to see if they are magnetic or not.
  • Identify objects around the house that you can push or pull.
  • Find simple machines around the house with wheels. 

Science 2-22-21

Dear Family,

This week we will be learning all about forces.  What is a force?  How do we use force in our everyday lives?  What is a push and a pull?  How do magnets relate to forces?  We will learn answers to these questions and so much more this week.

Vocabulary

force – push – pull - magnet - lever- pulley

Supporting Your Student at Home: 

  • Test objects around the house to see if they are magnetic or not.
  • Identify objects around the house that you can push or pull.

Science 2/17/2021

Dear Family,

This week we will continue learning all about the seasons and weather.  Your child will be able to identify seasons and the effect of the sun in each.  They will describe different types of weather throughout the week, too.

Vocabulary: 

season – weather - storm - severe

Supporting Your Student at Home: 

  • Talk about activities you can do in each season.
  • Talk about a time when you were in a storm. What happened? How did you feel?
  • What types of weather can you name?

Science 2/8/2021

Hello Parents, 
This week we will wrap up our Earth and  severe weather unit by digging deeper into 4 types of severe weather. We will research the causes and locations of tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and blizzards. We will also discuss what to do in the event of severe weather and practice a tornado drill in our classrooms. 
Vocabulary
rotate, revolve, blizzard, hurricane, flood, tornado, shelter

Science 2-1-21

Hello Parents! 
Over the next two weeks students will begin their investigation into the water cycle. We will observe how the heat from the sun influences the physical state of water on land and in our atmosphere and make connections to what we already know about weather and the 4 seasons. We will expand our knowledge through an investigation into severe weather as well. Students will learn about various types of severe weather and how to respond in cases of common severe weather in our area. 
Vocabulary:
evaporation - condensation - precipitation - flood - tornado - hurricane - blizzard
Supporting your student at home: 
You can support your student at home by asking them to illustrate or act out the water cycle. You can also talk with your student about your severe weather preparedness plan for your home. Where is the safest place in the event of a tornado? How do you prepare for a blizzard?