I just realized I never uploaded the videos from last month. Sorry about that!
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Over the past couple of days, students created their own math story problems. Today students got to "shop" around the classroom and pick which story problems they wanted to solve. One interesting property of materials is whether they are an insulator (a material that does not allow the movement of heat) or a conductor (a material that moves heat easily). If you know which property a material has, you can choose the best one for your purpose! In this Mystery, students consider the insulating and conducting properties of different materials. Students carried out an investigation to test if a material is an insulator. Analyzing the data, they determined which material they would use to pick up something hot, and in turn would be a good material to use for making an oven mitt. This investigation centered around our big idea for that unit, that different materials are best suited for different purposes based on their properties. Although we continue to practice fluent reading (see our previous post for more information on what this looks like), we have now started learning about literary language. Many of the books that we read often contains inventive, playful language. When authors use language in inventive and playful ways, we should notice it and think extra hard to make sure we understand what the author is trying to say or show. Making comparisons is one way that authors can use words to "paint" a better picture in our minds. Metaphors and Similes are two examples of comparisons that authors might use. We read the story My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven. This story is full of playful language! A young girl sketches a portrait of her family for school, but the young girl doesn't like the portrait. She feels that there are so many things about her family members that can't be seen in the sketch. So she makes her picture better by creating portraits of all her family members — and their dog — using a variety of objects that describe their personality traits. She uses metaphors and similes to teach us that her dad is "as stubborn as a knot in a rope," and "as fun as a party favor." We are going to begin writing our own version of this great book to have some practice using literary language. This science unit develops the idea that by taking advantage of the properties of materials, we can solve many problems in our lives. Students will develop an appreciation for the manmade materials of everyday objects, and learn to recognize that those materials are chosen based on their properties. We choose to make things out of materials that have the properties we need or want. Today students explored four different materials and tested different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose -- a hat that protects us from the sun and absorbs sweat. We tested materials for softness, stiffness, and absorbency. Everything on this planet is made of matter. All matter has properties that help distinguish it from other types of matter. The Properties unit explains how shape, color, texture, weight, state of matter, and other properties can be used to identify, describe, and compare matter. The unit also explains that we choose to make things out of materials that have the properties we need or want. In this unit of study, students look for patterns and cause-and-effect relationships as they describe and classify materials using physical properties. In addition, students collaboratively plan and carry out investigations and analyze and interpret data in order to determine which materials are best suited for an intended purpose. Today we did an investigation for the testable question: How can we sort materials into groups that have similar patterns? This investigation is important to start our unit because it sets the students up for the understanding that materials have different properties. And when these properties are discovered by the students, deeper learning will happen! Students already have a lot of vocabulary words to begin describing properties of materials including: bendy, slimy, magnetic, shiny, rough, soft, sharp, etc. |
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