Here is just a snapshot of some of the exciting STEM activities we have planned in 5th grade!
Science
Ice Cream Chem Lab! Students participated in the grand finale of our chemistry unit as they made ice cream! Who knew science could be so fun...and yummy?! Picture here. Colonial Science Did you know that even colonists used science in their daily lives? Students investigated what type of changes occur with the making of bread and butter. Picture here. Acids & Bases Lab Students became chemists as they worked to determine which fluids were acids and which were bases. Picture here. Discovery Education Board Builder Using the features of Discovery Education Board Builder (like old fashioned poster boards, but digitally!) to review 4th and 5th grade science topics. Students picked a topic and got going. They personalized everything including the background, text, images, and even included videos! Picture here. Student sample here. Flower Anatomy Lab Students "dissected" a lily flower to see its anatomy: pistil, stamen, ovary, and seeds. They also got to look up close at the huge flower of the banana plant. Quite the experience! Picture here. Plant Vascular Tissue Lab Students "dissected" celery to pull out the xylem and examine it with hand lenses and microscopes. Hands on science! Picture here. Plant Science Students planted a variety of seeds a few days ago. We came back from the four day weekend to a great surprise! Picture here. Candy Cane Science As part of our Candy Cane Themed Day, students did some scientific investigations in dissolving candy canes. Picture here. Rain Gauges at Work! Student created rain gauges finally got put to use with a much needed storm. Picture here. Weather Reporters! Lights, camera, action! Students create weather forecasts for the weather map they are given. Then they perform it and record it on the iPad. They found a bit of inspiration from famed weather reporter, Sunshine Sally, as seen here. Student videos can viewed here. Watershed Models Students created watersheds and observed the affects of pollution. Picture here |
Technology
EasyBib Use the add-on EasyBib in Google Docs to easily create a references page of sources for your report! American Revolution Gaming Style! Students get to explore the American Revolution in a first person "Choose Your Own Adventure type of game. This really helps them understand the decisions that the colonists had to make. Picture here. Click here to view the game. Virtual Field Trips We visited the Boston Tea Party and Ships museum (in Boston) twice this year to experience the trial of the Boston Massacre and the decision to throw the tea into Boston Harbor. We even boarded a replica of one of the ships, all thanks to Skype! Students took on the identities of real patriots and loyalists from the Revolution! Huzzah! Picture Google Drawing Importing a picture into Google Drawing and then labeling it on our own using lines and text boxes. Click here to see some in process. Google Slides Using Google Slides to create presentations about the Human Body Systems Document Formation Lesson #1 - the "undo" key is your friend. Lesson #2 - how to properly align text (left, center, right), indent, bold, italicize, change size, etc. Key to Keywords Students learn how to do efficient searches when researching a topic. The key is to use very specific words to minimize your website results and maximize your chance at getting an answer quickly! Hour of Code (and beyond) Why is coding so important? Check out this video. Then try out some of the coding fun the students experienced at code.org. More websites available in their Google Classroom. Google Online Assessments Students take tests created by the teacher using a Google Form online. Results are instantly emailed home and question types go beyond basic multiple choice. Big Buddy Editing Our 5th graders shared their writing with 7th grade honors students at Las Colinas. Cross-age editing buddies! Picture here. Webquests Students will participate in many online quests for knowledge. We've investigated the constitution, the water cycle, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Jr., the Periodic Table, Jane Goodall, and more! Typing Agent Typing is an essential school for school and life in the 21st century. Click here to practice! Google Accounts Each student has a Google account - accessible from home and school. Students will be using this account for a variety of reasons, including the Share feature for some collaborative, online work! What is a Chromebook? Trying to figure out what a Chromebook is? Check out this video! |
Engineering
Operation Egg Drop! Students engineered capsules with parachutes so that their eggs could safely survive the drop from 3 different heights. The ultimate drop was from the roof! Picture here Leprechaun Traps We used the Engineering Design Process to design a trap that would lure a leprechaun and safely catch him. Constraints: leprechauns are 4 inches high, they don't follow rules/instructions, & they like shiny things/cereal/candy. For Day 2 we completed the final step: Present! We presented to another 5th grade class. Picture. Dr. Seuss's Truffula Trees and Oobleck Using the Engineering Design Process to construct Truffula Trees measuring at least 6 inches. Then reviewing the states of matter with Oobleck, a non-newtonian fluid! Click here to see Oobleck! Check out the Truffula Trees here. Gingerbread House Engineering In correlation with our Holidays Around the World unit, students constructed gingerbread houses in honor of Germany's traditions. Picture here. Polar Express Engineering A cross curricular activity - create a bell with a Styrofoam cup, foil, and found metal objects. Create a sleigh and try to win the distance challenge. No limit in creativity! Click here to see! Turkey Transporters Students worked collaboratively to engineer a transporter to get their turkey safely out of the the reach of the farmer! Picture here. Haunted Houses Students used their knowledge of electricity, circuits, engineering, and measurement to construct Haunted House models with working lights! The lights had to turn on when the door was closed and turn off when the door was opened! Picture here, here, and here. Native American Dwelling After researching and working collaboratively to learn about Native American regions, students constructed dwellings from their region. They used supplies found in the Makerspace to design and construct accurate housing models. Picture here and here. Earthquake-proof Structure A culminating activity for the Nature's Fury reading theme. Which structures stood strong when the floor started to jiggle? Picture here Save Fred Challenge! Students worked together to engineer the best method to save Fred, the gummy worm. They had to get Fred into his life preserver (gummy Lifesaver), get him on top of his boat (cup), using only one paperclip! Picture here. The Engineering Process |
Mathematics
Coordinate Graphing with Angry Birds, Mario, & More! Students used ordered pairs to plot points on the x, y coordinate grid to reveal familiar images including Angry Birds and many other favorite characters! Picture Volume...what is it? Students took a hands on approach at the start of the unit to determine what volume measures. Picture Fraction Brownies! Real world application to fractions with baking! Students had to solve the fraction problems to unveil the recipe, then follow written instructions to ensure they didn't mess up! It was quite the experience! Picture here. About Me Dodecahedron Students worked in trios, learning more about one another. They applied their knowledge of polygons to assemble their dodecahedrons (12 sided three dimensional figure). Picture here. Why is Math So Different Now? Check out this video for an explanation regarding all of the changes. |