Water, Water Everywhere?
9/8/2019
As we gratefully enjoyed some much-needed rain during this Labor Day week, our fifth grade scientists began to consider our watery planet. Our first science unit of this year will focus on interactions within Earth’s various systems, and in particular, Earth’s hydrosphere. Students were introduced to the concept of a hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere and then began gathering important data to further their understanding of Earth. They began their yearlong collection of data about the length of days in Alaska, calculating elapsed time and graphing our hours of daylight on a giant graph that we will update weekly. Later in the week, more calculation and careful graphing of data led students to the conclusion that only about 1% of Earth’s water is actually fresh water that we can use for important functions such as eating and drinking! The figures were surprising to students; although Earth is 75% water, most of that water is salt water! Next week they’ll start to think about how Earth’s systems interact, and what impacts we humans have on them. We continued to build routines and learn the ropes of fifth grade this week, too. Students launched into our Reading Workshop unit on Interpreting Character, learning about expectations to think deeply about their reading. (They should be reading 20-40 minutes a day for homework whenever they can!) We began to learn about Word Study procedures and practiced some cursive. We talked geography and drafted a poem. And we closed our week with some fun reading and game playing with our 2nd grade buddies. It was a short week, but it was busy and productive…and fun. Comments are closed.
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Elizabeth FerryMs. Ferry's experiences include teaching with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, teaching high school English in Maine, and this is her second year at PNA. She loves moose, outdoor activities, and being with her students. Archives
April 2021
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