This week we will gain a deeper understanding of the living things that we focused on previously. In class your child has chosen a living thing and learned researched the lifecycle of that living thing. Some of the more popular choices were honey bees, butterflies, and frogs. Please visit our classroom to see the creative and original displays that your child’s group has put together to demonstrate the life cycle of their choice. Below you and your child can find several websites that will help reinforce what we have learned about various life cycles of living things.
On this site you can see some fabulous photos to help your child visualize the life cycle of the butterfly. Use some of the links to the left of the screen to learn more about butterflies including searching for butterflies commonly seen in Potter and Randall counties.
Here is a cute frog life cycle craft that your child can do at home. The site suggests cutting a blue circle or downloading a template, but this craft could easily be completed on a paper plate. Have fun and be creative. Perhaps you and your child could think of other life cycles to demonstrate using a paper plate?
Here you can watch a short You Tube video about honey bees. It doesn’t focus specifically on the bee’s life cycle, but it does show some up close footage of a bee hive that I’m sure you and your child will be fascinated with.
Next week we will investigate cycles of nonliving things such as the water and rock cycles.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Is living or nonliving?
This week we will be learning about living and non-living things. On our “Spectacular Word of the Week” list we have added the word “characteristic” and discovered the main characteristics of living things. This information can help us sort living, from non living things. As usual, I have found a few websites that follow the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) and reinforce what we’ve learned about sorting living and nonliving things.
On the BBC school site you can look at an average park and find eight living things. Be sure and pay attention to where you find them because you will be asked! On sorter #2 your child can review many life cycles of living things by identifying where the living things came from. Finally, you can help your child take a short quiz that can allow them to use critical thinking skills. For example, what type of animal would most likely not be found in the park? Think carefully.
During our investigations the students have wondered about fallen leaves, animal bones, and other similar items. I found a website that asks the same question that we have often asked ourselves in class, “Yes…but is it alive?” Here your child will be challenged to decide on whether the picture they are looking at shows items that are living, nonliving, or were once living.
Finally a game that can be very challenging! At DynaMo’s Lab you can play a game called Odd One Out. Here your child will see several pictures and will have to choose which one doesn’t belong. Making this type of decision is an important scientific process and can be tricky. Sometimes all four pictures will be animals, but you must decide which one has characteristics that are different from the others. Your child should understand the basic idea because we have covered this information in class. Good luck, and don’t worry too much about the timer. If you get a few correct then you are doing great!
On the BBC school site you can look at an average park and find eight living things. Be sure and pay attention to where you find them because you will be asked! On sorter #2 your child can review many life cycles of living things by identifying where the living things came from. Finally, you can help your child take a short quiz that can allow them to use critical thinking skills. For example, what type of animal would most likely not be found in the park? Think carefully.
During our investigations the students have wondered about fallen leaves, animal bones, and other similar items. I found a website that asks the same question that we have often asked ourselves in class, “Yes…but is it alive?” Here your child will be challenged to decide on whether the picture they are looking at shows items that are living, nonliving, or were once living.
Finally a game that can be very challenging! At DynaMo’s Lab you can play a game called Odd One Out. Here your child will see several pictures and will have to choose which one doesn’t belong. Making this type of decision is an important scientific process and can be tricky. Sometimes all four pictures will be animals, but you must decide which one has characteristics that are different from the others. Your child should understand the basic idea because we have covered this information in class. Good luck, and don’t worry too much about the timer. If you get a few correct then you are doing great!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Insects
Dear Parents,
Our class this week will be focusing on insects. We have taken nature walks to see how many insects we could find, we are labeling the different parts of an insect, and looking at the life cycle of a butterfly. Again I've located some fun sites online that you and your child can visit to learn more about the wonderful world of insects.
Help Archibald the Ant as he searches for food for his colony. But be careful! There are hazards along the way and you must be careful to avoid them.
Do you know the difference between a Luna moth or a gypsy moth? On this site you and your child can click on pictures of different insects to find out each insect’s common name. click here.
One of my favorite learning websites is The Magic Schoolbus. Here you can build your own bug and choose for yourself if you want it to be an insect that you might find in the garden, or a monstser bug derived of many parts. As you click on each new bug part you can learn a new interesting fact about the type of bug that the part belongs to.
Our class this week will be focusing on insects. We have taken nature walks to see how many insects we could find, we are labeling the different parts of an insect, and looking at the life cycle of a butterfly. Again I've located some fun sites online that you and your child can visit to learn more about the wonderful world of insects.
Help Archibald the Ant as he searches for food for his colony. But be careful! There are hazards along the way and you must be careful to avoid them.
Do you know the difference between a Luna moth or a gypsy moth? On this site you and your child can click on pictures of different insects to find out each insect’s common name. click here.
One of my favorite learning websites is The Magic Schoolbus. Here you can build your own bug and choose for yourself if you want it to be an insect that you might find in the garden, or a monstser bug derived of many parts. As you click on each new bug part you can learn a new interesting fact about the type of bug that the part belongs to.
Weather
This week we are focusing on the weather. We will predict what we think the weather may be each day and compare it to the actual weather. We will chart and graph our findings, write about our favorite experiences that go along with seasons and weather, and go visit a local weather station to see for ourselves just what a meteorologist does. We will also have a local farmer visit our classroom to talk to us about how he predicts the weather and why he is so dependant on it.
I have found a few things that you might like to do with your child to reinforce some of the things we are learning.
Make your very own snowflake using paper or a coffee filter and scissors. See how many different patterns you can create. You may bring some of your creations to school to add to the weather mural we will be making.
Even better is to make your own weather. Your child can learn how differing temperature and humidity react to create different weather patterns. Do you need low or high humidity to make it snow? What about the overcast days? What is your favorite type of weather? Can you create it here?
Our class will also spend some time learning about severe weather and how we can be prepared for it. If you and your family wonder how be prepared for severe weather then this site is the one for you. Here you can get tips on things you need in order to be prepared, and to keep it fun, each clue is a jigsaw puzzle for you to put together.
I have found a few things that you might like to do with your child to reinforce some of the things we are learning.
Make your very own snowflake using paper or a coffee filter and scissors. See how many different patterns you can create. You may bring some of your creations to school to add to the weather mural we will be making.
Even better is to make your own weather. Your child can learn how differing temperature and humidity react to create different weather patterns. Do you need low or high humidity to make it snow? What about the overcast days? What is your favorite type of weather? Can you create it here?
Our class will also spend some time learning about severe weather and how we can be prepared for it. If you and your family wonder how be prepared for severe weather then this site is the one for you. Here you can get tips on things you need in order to be prepared, and to keep it fun, each clue is a jigsaw puzzle for you to put together.
Welcome
Dear Parents,
I am excited to have your child in my classroom this year. I believe that children are natural scientists as they strive to learn about the wonderful world around them. In my classroom I love to integrate all subject areas as I follow the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and find that teaching science is a perfect way to do this. My students will write, read, create art, and learn math and computer skills, discover history and and more all through exciting hands on learning in a science based curriculum. Please check this blog regularly to find fun learning games and activities that relate to the science area that we are studying.
Thank you,
Mrs. Jones
I am excited to have your child in my classroom this year. I believe that children are natural scientists as they strive to learn about the wonderful world around them. In my classroom I love to integrate all subject areas as I follow the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and find that teaching science is a perfect way to do this. My students will write, read, create art, and learn math and computer skills, discover history and and more all through exciting hands on learning in a science based curriculum. Please check this blog regularly to find fun learning games and activities that relate to the science area that we are studying.
Thank you,
Mrs. Jones
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