Past projects 2
Mighty Meteorologist!
Funded May 23, 2013The students were very excited and had many questions as I carried the boxes of equipment into the school room. Of course they wanted to start using it immediately. We had some trouble getting it installed, but the students began immediately to check the readings on the monitor, especially the wind chill factor to see if they would be going out to recess. They do not hesitate to inform the principal of the wind chill as they enter the cafeteria for lunch.
We are using this equipment along with other weather equipment that I have collected through the years, as well as using the reading material in our science books and Internet programs to help us understand the readings. We are charting the various data for comparison to the weather outside and will summarize at the end of the month. I plan to use the data to reinforce math skills such as fractions and percent. We will look at the percentage of sunny days vs rainy days, etc. Since I ordered two other barometers to go along with the this weather unit, I often see the students check the dial barometer and the globe barometer to see if they support the monitor.
This has helped the fourth grade as well as the sixth grade. We have quarterly test to determine what the students have learned, and what they need to review. The fourth grade students were tested over weather this quarter. Even though the equipment installed a little late, we have watched the weather and compared barometer readings enough so that they did very well on the second quarter test. By the time the sixth graders have completed the unit, they will have had time to get more acquainted with the equipment. It will make passing their quarterly test much easier.
Thank you for taking the time to support our school and for making it a little easier to help my students understand the weather conditions. I teach ninety-eight students daily. Whether they are working on this unit, or some other unit, they check the weather. I hope this becomes a habit for them all. Spring is coming soon, and we will experience drastic drops and rises in the barometric pressure as the weather changes. I can't wait to see how they react!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Waddell
This classroom project was brought to life by UPS Foundation and 11 other donors.Understanding the Nature and Conservation of Energy
Funded Oct 16, 2012We have begun our unit on energy. Our first activity was with the magnets. I chose to use them first with the sixth grade class. I wish you could have seen the excitement as they tried the activities in the books that came along with the magnet sets. I think they had the most fun with the levitation kit.
We are going to study potential and kinetic energy next, and we will build cars with the K'nex Lego sets that were included in the grant. Each group will build a different type of race car to look at the effects of friction on movement. These cars are battery powered, and it should be a fun experience to see how each can be improved for faster speed.
To finish up this unit, we will study how magnets and electricity are related. The students will learn how magnets, in a motor, affect the direction of the flow of electric current and how current moves through various circuits. We will build several types of circuits.
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share this with these students. They have already had fun learning, and I think we are in for quite a bit more.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Waddell