Friday, September 25, 2009

Edible Science!

To sum up our unit on mixtures and solutions, we enjoyed a treat! We all got to taste a mixture and a solution.

Some students even demonstrated that the mixture can be separeted!

I will be compiling all of the "mixture recipes" that the students brought to school. Each fifth grader will recieve a recipe book full of mixtures that they can make at home.

Just a yummy day in science class!
Mrs. M

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Crazy...mixed up...

Today we mixed! Students were given 8 different mixtures to make in class. They had to decided if the mixtures were solutions or not. If something dissolved, it was a solution. I would say the kids had fun doing this.
Of course, it wouldn't be safe if we didn't wear our goggles to do this experiment! :)




We also learned ANOTHER song! I told the kids we would sing a new song for every topic they learned this year...little did I know, I would become a songwriter! There just aren't too many songs out there about mixtures and solutions...in fact, I don't think there are any at all! So, here you go, the mixtures and solutions rap song! Enjoy!

I love my job!
Mrs. M

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Mixtures and solutions!

Today we are continuing on with our mixtures and solutions study! The kids all brought their mixtures to school today! Some of them were yummy, gross, and interesting...to say the least! It was fun to see what they came up with! The students presented thier homework to the class and explained if it was a mixture or a solution.



We also made a foldable today. The students had to cut out pictures and decide if it is a mixture or a solution.



Here are the pictures we used!





Here is a foldable that was completed in class.




Remember students, if you did not finish your foldable in class, it is homework! Please complete it and bring it to school tomorrow!




Homework Assignment! ( Can you believe it? 2 in one week!!!)
Students are to bring a recipe to school tomorrow. The recipe must be for a mixture! Remember, a mixture is easily separated and you can see most of the ingredients! Spaghetti is a mixture because you can separate the noodle, meat, and sauce! But, don't use that one!


I can't wait to see your recipes and put together our mixture cook book!


Love,

Mrs. M

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Solutions!

In class today students had to think and problem solve. They were shown several different mixtures and had to separate them into two groups. The students did very well and most groups began grouping them by mixtures you can separate and mixtures that you can't separate very easily.
We discussed that a regular mixture is easy to separate and you can see each ingredient. It is also very easy to separate out the ingredients. The mixtures we looked at today were pepper and salt, chunky applesauce, chicken noodle soup, Italian salad dressing, and salad.
We also discussed that a solution is also a combination of ingredients, but when you look at it, you can't see each ingredient because they are dissolved. It is also difficult to separate the ingredients out. The most common solution that fifth graders face is salt water. When you look at salt water you can not see the salt because it is dissolved. If we really wanted to separate the solution, we could heat it and cause the water to evaporate, leaving the salt.
Students also brainstormed different mixtures and solutions that we eat! They came up with some great things!

HOMEWORK!
Tonight students are to create their own mixture or solution in the provided baggie! Tomorrow students will write about and present their mixture to the class.

Get ready students...tomorrow you will need your serious rhyming skills!

Just another crazy mixed up day!!
Mrs. M

Monday, September 21, 2009

Mixtures

Today we learned that a mixture is a combination of 2 or more ingredients that is easily separated. We experimented with different mixtures and even practiced choosing the correct the tool and separating them. Some mixtures can be separated using tweezers, magnets, strainers, and our hands!
Here are some of the mixtures we "played" with today!
Just another mixed up day in Science!
Mrs. M

Weekly Vocabulary

Septemeber21th -September 25th
Your spelling and vocabulary test will be on Friday, September 25th . You will be responsible for knowing how to spell each word correctly and the definition for each word.

1. Dissolve – to form a solution with another substance
2. Heat Resistant – able to withstand heat
3. Ingredient – any of the things that a mixture is made of
4. Mixture – a combination of two or more substances that do not form a new substance and can be easily separated
5. Matter – the material that everything is made of
6. Solution – a mixture with one substance spread out so evenly that you cannot tell one from the other and is not easily separated.
7. Substance – a particular kind of matter
8. Inference – an explanation that you can figure out without observing something directly
9. Solute – the substance dissolved in a solution
10. Solvent – a substance that dissolves another substance

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Fixed It!

Okay...Some of you have been asking about how to comment. I just realized tonight that there was a little button I could press that would allow anyone to comment! It is now taken care of!!! Anyone can comment. If you don't have a google ID, just click anonymous and make sure you sign your name!
Lets try it! Leave me a comment!

Mrs. M

Friday, September 18, 2009

Noisy Friday!

Today we studied Sound. Sound is caused by vibrations. Our different sound stations proved that!

Mrs. M does not even have a headache! Woohoo!

Today the fifth grade teachers unveiled our new t-shirts! We loved wearing them and showing off the fact that our students rock!

Just another happy day!
Mrs. M

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sick...

Mrs. M has some sort of stomach virus. I missed my kiddos today and will unfortunately have to miss them tomorrow too. I need to build my strength back so that I can be the best teacher I can be. Be good for the sub. I left an experiment for you to do without me, and we can go over it when I get back!
I love my sweet students!
Mrs. M

Monday, September 14, 2009

Conductors and Insulators!

Today we did an experiment to test the conductivity of different materials. A conductor will allow heat to flow through it easily. A material that does not allow the flow of heat is called an insulator. Today we found out which materials would be good insulators or if they would make better conductors!
To do this, we covered bottles of hot water with different materials. We found the temperature of the water, then covered our jars securely. After twenty minutes, we uncovered the jars and took the temperature again. We then had a class discussion about which materials helped hold the heat in better and which materials seemed to let the heat flow out of the jar. The materials we used were
foil


felt


fabric


bubble wrap


paper bag


and wrapping paper.



While waiting the twenty minutes, we put a wooden, plastic, and metal spoon into a bowl of hot water. We all felt each spoon and found that the metal got pretty hot! We concluded that metal is a very good conductor of heat! I guess that is why we cook with metal pans!

We also learned a new song! The Magnet Family! I will get a video of this and put it on soon!

Science was fantastic today!
Mrs. M

Friday, September 11, 2009

Fabulous Friday

Today in class we had our spelling and vocabulary test. Make sure you study every night for the weekly test!

Study tip: Don't have your child spell the word out loud to you while studying. In class, I call out the word and they have to write it down. The most effective way of studying would be to have your child write the words down as you call them out! Sometimes it is easier to say the word outloud, but getting it down on paper is more difficult!

We made a model of the water cycle in a jar today! (I will post pictures Sunday because I am out of town for the weekend!). We boiled water on a hot plate, then poured the water in a glass jar. The water was still evaporating and we saw a cloud in the jar. We put ice on the lid and watched as the water vapor turned back into a liquid and "precipitated" back into the water. This is a great experiment to do at home, with parent help of course!

We also put our water cycle song in our journals and drew a diagram and labeled the water cycle.

We have tons of experiments next week! Get ready for some super cool science!
Mrs. M

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Attractive Science!

Today we learned about magnets! We had a science experiment in our super-cool lab! The students were given trays loaded with various items.



The students had to list their items on their lab sheet and make predictions. Students had to discuss whether or not they thought each item would attract to a magnet or not.
After students made their predictions, they got to start testing! Some students were shocked to find out that not all metals are magnetic! I love watching kids learn!

When we went back to our classroom, we discussed magnets! We talked about how magnets have a north and a south pole.
We discussed that opposite poles will attract to each other.



We discussed that like poles will repel from each other.

We also looked at the periodic table! It was amazing to see that most of earth's elements are metals, but only three of those elements are magnetic! Iron, Nickel, and cobalt are the magnetic metals. Steel is also magnetic and is made up of a mixture of metals including iron.



Tomorrow we will have our spelling and vocabulary test, see a demonstration of the water cycle, and even learn a new song!

Science is so fun!
Mrs. M

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

What's the Matter?

Today in Science we learned about how matter can change in state. We talked about how adding or taking away heat can make matter change. If we add heat to an ice cube, it will change from a solid to a liquid. If we continue to add heat to water, it will turn into a gas, called water vapor. To turn the water vapor back in to water, it needs to be cooled. We made this to help us remember all of this information!




Then we wrote about it.





Since we were talking about evaporation and condensation, I thought it would be a good idea to throw in a quick introduction to the water cycle. We discussed the steps to the water cycle and then learned our second song of the year! The water cycle song!




And boy was it a good day to learn about the water cycle! It poured after school!


It was also Mrs. M's birthday! I received a special treat and my students sang happy birthday to me! It was a special day. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people to teach!


Just another busy day in science!

Mrs. M

Week Two Vocabulary

Septemeber 8th -September 11th
Your spelling and vocabulary test will be on Friday, September 11th . You will be responsible for knowing how to spell each word correctly and the definition for each word.

1. Mass- the amount of matter in an object
2. Evaporation- the process of a liquid changing to a gas
3. Condensation- the process of a gas changing to a liquid
4. Physical property- a property that can be observed, measured, or changed without changing the substance itself.
5. Magnetism-a force that pulls magnetic materials across a distance
6. Metal- a shiny solid that can conduct heat and electricity.
7. Physical change- a change from one from to another from without turning into a new substance
8. Melting point- the temperature at which something turn from a solid to a liquid
9. Freezing point- the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a solid
10. Boiling point- the temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid to a gas

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Our First Sub!

There was a sub in science class today. My little girl was sick and had to go to the doctor. I missed my students today and I am ready to get back to school! We have some catching up to do in science class. I will post the spelling list tomorrow. I will be glad to be back at work and with my students!
Happy Tuesday!
Mrs. M

Friday, September 4, 2009

Fabulous Friday

Today we had our first spelling and vocabulary test. It went well. I am always glad to have the first one out of the way so that kids now know what to expect!

We also watched a video introducing us to physical science!

Have a very safe labor day weekend!

Mrs. M

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Three States of Matter!

Today we learned about the three states of matter! They are solid, liquid, and gas. We also learned about the molecule arrangements of the different states of matter.
A solid has molecules that are very tightly packed together. A solid will not take the shape of its container and has a definite volume.


A liquid has molecules that are loosely arranged. They move quickly and sometimes bump into each other! A liquid will take the shape of its container and it also has a definite volume.



A gas has molecule that move very quickly and are spread far apart. A gas has no definite shape or volume.


Can you think of any examples of a solid, liquid, or gas? Leave me a comment for extra credit points! I think you can post a comment as "anonymous". Don't forget your name!

This is the foldable we made in class to help us remember the three states of matter! No! those aren't happy face stickers...they are molecules!
Mrs. M

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bubblegum Lab....and a little song!

Today was awesome! We did an experiment in the science lab!
Our experiment involved this:
We were wondering if the mass of the gum would be greater before chewing or after chewing it.



So, we experimented!




Here are our results.




Then we sang this song!


sorry it is sideways!

Another great day in science!
Mrs. M

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Scientific Method

Today we learned about the scientific method!


We made a foldable to help us remember! Tomorrow we will fill this foldable with information from our super cool science experiment!


We also learned our first song of the year! There will be many more to come! Check out the scientific method rap....

It was just another fun day in science!
Mrs. M