Mapping Energy
9/13/2019
We are now 3 weeks into the new school year. Routines are starting to fall into place, systems have been set up and school life is moving along briskly. At the start of the year, there is always hustle and bustle as things get figured out. Teachers have new students and students have new teachers. Everyone though, has a lot of energy after a long summer break and is eager to dive into learning. How apt then that our first science unit is on 'energy' itself. To introduce this science unit 4th grade was presented the question; 'How is energy transferred when objects collide?' After some discussion we explored Newton's Third Law "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." To have a tangible example of this law to to develop an answer to the posed question 4th Grade created their very own Newton's Cradles. Following on from our time capsule project and the use of grid references in our early exploration of map reading, we delved deeper into the many types and many uses of maps. Learning to read maps using grids, latitude, longitude and cardinal directions. Learning to read maps requires the understanding, comprehension and application of many new and complicated ideas and technical vocabulary. Understanding what each map is showing you, having comprehension of the data and what it means and being able to use and apply the data to solve problems and find information. Personally, I think maps are really cool, so this unit I am really enjoying teaching. Hopefully some of that enthusiasm has rubbed of on the students. Whenever I visit a new place on vacation or a trip, I always collect a map and spend hours pouring over it, much to the ire of my wife who greets me with a fanfare of sighs and eye-rolls whenever I pull my map out my pocket to check directions or locations. We haven't gotten lost yet though! Comments are closed.
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Martina HenkeMartina Henke has been a K-8 educator for 30+ years. A life-long learner, she loves working with kids of all ages, new technology, great books, fiber arts, and her wonderful family! Archives
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