This Week in Projects

This week students will start exploring and discussing the origins of slavery, the effects of slavery, and the civil rights movement. We will be using some of the short videos on BrainPOP, among other sources. Students will be using the primary source images on the slideshow "Images of Slavery" to reflect on, and make connections to these important topics.

Links about African-American History:

"Images of Slavery"
The Underground Railroad
African American Heroes Matching Game
Hoop Shoot: African-American History
Famous African Americans: Factmonster.com
Famous African Americans: EnchantedLearning.com
"Signs of Segregation"

Links about African Culture and Geography:

Discover Africa
Globe Project - Africa Map (Puzzle)
Detest a Pest! Become a farmer and defeat pests using natural methods (Game)
Do you know the countries of Africa? (Puzzle)
African Myths and Fables
In search of the "Ways of Knowing Trail" (Game)


Also this week, Experiment Design... what makes a scientifically testable question? These questions will lead to experiments with projects and results presented at our next Celebration of Learning, at our first "Aveson Science Exhibition".

In advisory we will be looking at Ecology, how humans are part of the environment, and how our decisions have an effect on our environment. We will first explore the effect waste has on our environment and how we can make positive changes in the way we live. Students can use the games and activities to the left to get familiar with these ideas.

Water Cycle Song

Water Cycle, Weather and Building Towers

This week in Projects...

• Water Cycle (continued)
• Weather
• The Tower Challenge (mini-project)

Study Island Science (5th graders)

• The Water Cycle (due Mon. 2/18)
  

Study Island Assignment for 5th graders

This weekend please work on the following sections of Study Island:

• Organ Systems (in Life Science)
  
• Collect & Interpret Data (in Investigation & Experimentation)
  

These sections are due by the end of Wednesday, January 30th

The Water Cycle

Students have recently completed work on the digestive and circulatory systems of the human body. Project work included diagrams, performances, posters, creative writing and presentations.

This week we are continuing our study of natural systems and cycles by looking at the water cycle. Talk to your children about what they are learning about this system by referring to this diagram... check their understanding by listening to them explain what is happening in this process.

CA Science Standards

5.3 Water on Earth moves between the oceans and land through the processes of evaporation and condensation. As a basis for understanding this concept:

1. Students know most of Earth's water is present as salt water in the oceans, which cover most of Earth's surface.
2. Students know when liquid water evaporates, it turns into water vapor in the air and can reappear as a liquid when cooled or as a solid if cooled below the freezing point of water.
3. Students know water vapor in the air moves from one place to another and can form fog or clouds, which are tiny droplets of water or ice, and can fall to Earth as rain, hail, sleet, or snow.
4. Students know that the amount of fresh water located in rivers, lakes, under-ground sources, and glaciers is limited and that its availability can be extended by recycling and decreasing the use of water.
5. Students know the origin of the water used by their local communities.

Nutrition + the Digestive System

What is in the foods I eat?
How does the body use different foods?
What happens to the food I eat?
What are the parts of the digestive system, and how do they work together?

These are some of the driving questions we will try to answer as we look at nutrition and the workings of the human digestive system. You can try some of the games, puzzles and interactive sites using the links in the left-hand margin. Here is a preview of some of the important vocabulary students should begin to know...

Important Vocabulary:

Digestion

Esophagus

Salivary Glands

Stomach

Liver

Small Intestine

Large Intestine

Colon

Kidneys

Rectum

CA Science Standards:

5.2 Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal, and transport of materials. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know many multicellular organisms have specialized structures to support the transport of materials.
c. Students know the sequential steps of digestion and the roles of teeth and the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and colon in the function of the digestive system.
d. Students know the role of the kidney in removing cellular waste from blood and converting it into urine, which is stored in the bladder.

Technology in Projects

Over the past week students have been learning how to use, and applying technology to present their project work. Students are using open source presentation software (very similar to PowerPoint) to present what they are learning about the earths different Biomes, including energy pyramids, food webs, and adaptations within these ecosystems. In addition, student teams continue to use internet resources to develop their understanding.

On Tuesday Lisa Mann, a parent, as well as a USC professor in animation will visit our class to conduct a workshop with our students. She will be teaching us how to use art and animation to show how energy is passed through a food chain. Student teams will create their own animation sequences to demonstrate this process.

Study Island

5th grade students: Please log into StudyIsland.com (students should already know their username and password) to complete the following Science lessons:

Pretest (required 1st)
3c - Ecosystems
5f - Observation vs. Inference

Goal: 80% correct (for 3c and 5f)
Due: December 17th

This is a 5th grade assignment, as it helps prepares for the CST (California State Test) in 5th grade science. It is optional for 4th and 3rd graders.