Week 13-November 16-20

Monday- We did a lab on the rock cycle.

We took crayons, and the kids used pennies to shave pieces from them. I used 3 colors at each station.

The kids shaved about half a crayon each, combined their shavings, and dumped them in aluminum foil.

They then squashed the shavings inside the foil. This created sedimentary rock. They took a sample.

They then squashed the remaining shavings harder and heated them up using their hands and hot breath. They took a second sample.

They then brought the foil to me, and I dunked it into a beaker of boiling water. After making sure it was cool enough, I handed it back to them to squash more. They took their final sample.

The kids really enjoyed this lab.

Tuesday- I got called into ARDs all day, so I left my sub with a rock cycle quiz.
I gave the kids a copy of the completed rock cycle and asked them questions like:
How does sedimentary rock become metamorphic rock?
When magma cools and hardens, what does it become?

Wednesday- We took notes on fossils and fossil fuels. The kid then read a short story and had to draw a 4-step diagram on the formation of coal. I used this lesson from The Science Penguin


Thursday- We have SO MANY kids that needed ARDs, we had to spend a second day on them. I left my kids with a video. I can't for the life of me remember which one.

Friday- I cannot for the life of me remember what we did on this day!

Two more weeks and I'll be all caught up!
~Ms. Kat

Week 12- November 9-13

Monday- We began our new unit in earnest. We took notes on the 3 main types of rocks, and the characteristics of each. After, I gave the kids a packet with facts about each of these types of rocks. They had to complete a table and answer questions using the fact pages.

Tuesday- We took notes on the Rock Cycle. We filled in a rock cycle diagram (which I found in this bundle). They then practiced answering questions that require them to read the rock cycle diagram.

Wednesday- I went to CAST for the rest of the week. I left my sub with a Measuring up on Sedentary rock.

Thursday- My kids took a vocab quiz, and afterwards, they finished their measuring up and homework for the week.

Friday- I left them with a video. I showed them an old video called "Lost worlds, vanished lives"

I'm getting close to being caught up!
~Ms. Kat

Week 11- November 2-6

I keep thinking that we accomplish absolutely nothing in the span of a day or two. Then I look back and we've crossed the universe of knowledge. Scary.


Monday- Students completed a measuring up on Circuits. They did better on this one than many of the others we've done before

Tuesday- We played Trashketball  to review for our Test. The review game can be found here

Wednesday- We took our Tests. My kids did really well!

Thursday- We completed our vocab for the Earth Systems unit

Friday- This was an end-of-the-6-weeks early release day. I showed an episode of Bill Nye. The Archaeology one, I believe.

Until next time,
~Ms. Kat

Week 10- October 26-30

Somehow, I got off in my lesson plans. I believe that the lab I posted for last Friday was actually done on Monday the 26th. That's what I get for not updating my eduphoria *face palm*

Monday- See last Friday's entry

Tuesday- We talked about light and sound waves, and compared how they moved.

I didn't have a side activity that went with this lesson, unfortunately. We spent our “output” time catching up on missing work and doing homework

Wednesday-We took notes on reflection and refraction. We also covered words like Transparent, Opaque, and Translucent.

Today's output was really fun, but complicated (execution-wise). I gave each group two folders, 3 mirrors, and a laser pointer (I found mine at Walmart, they are part pen, part stylus, part laser, over by the office supplies)

The kids had to set the folders up according to the diagram, and use the mirrors to guide the laser in one side and out the other, projecting it on the back wall. They had a difficult time until they learned to take it one mirror at a time, and angle them level with the desk (not pointing up or down)

Thursday -  We worked on our review. The kids didn't remember how to utilize their science notebooks to complete it (despite the fact that the review is in exact order, and they have a self-created, teacher-guided table of contents), so I had to go over it again.

Friday- HOLIDAY!

I'm carving out some time today, so expect a number of posts to pop up.

Hope your last week before the Holiday break goes well!

~Ms. Kat