Science Update
Hello!
The students began an entirely new unit of study a few weeks ago. We spent most of the year until recently studying Earth Science; we shifted our focus and we are now learning about Life Science. We began our unit of study by thinking about how we know if something is living or non-living or dead. The students did some exploration and thinking about this both in the classroom and at home. We then dove right into the needs and characteristics of living things. All living things have the same six characteristics and the same four needs. The students used their knowledge of those needs and characteristics to create their own living organism. They were so creative and really thought outside the box when creating their creatures. They are hanging up on a bulletin board in my room and the students love walking over and taking a look at what their peers created.
We then moved on and the students started learning about binomial nomenclature and the idea of classification. We discussed what things in our every day lives we classify - silver wear, clothes in closets, school supplies etc. We started out by classifying shapes in as many ways as possible so that the students can see that there is usually more than one way to classify objects. The students became taxonomists and had to classify "creepy critters" based on observable features. They realized how difficult it is to classify and come up with a system that makes sense. We discussed how scientists today classify based on a common ancestor and similar structures. The students learned about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution and how that helps scientists classify organisms today. The students have a quiz on either Wednesday or Thursday (depending on their class period) on sections one and two of their book. Study with your child and have them teach you what they're learning in class.
The students began an entirely new unit of study a few weeks ago. We spent most of the year until recently studying Earth Science; we shifted our focus and we are now learning about Life Science. We began our unit of study by thinking about how we know if something is living or non-living or dead. The students did some exploration and thinking about this both in the classroom and at home. We then dove right into the needs and characteristics of living things. All living things have the same six characteristics and the same four needs. The students used their knowledge of those needs and characteristics to create their own living organism. They were so creative and really thought outside the box when creating their creatures. They are hanging up on a bulletin board in my room and the students love walking over and taking a look at what their peers created.
We then moved on and the students started learning about binomial nomenclature and the idea of classification. We discussed what things in our every day lives we classify - silver wear, clothes in closets, school supplies etc. We started out by classifying shapes in as many ways as possible so that the students can see that there is usually more than one way to classify objects. The students became taxonomists and had to classify "creepy critters" based on observable features. They realized how difficult it is to classify and come up with a system that makes sense. We discussed how scientists today classify based on a common ancestor and similar structures. The students learned about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution and how that helps scientists classify organisms today. The students have a quiz on either Wednesday or Thursday (depending on their class period) on sections one and two of their book. Study with your child and have them teach you what they're learning in class.
No comments:
Post a Comment