Solar Power!

Well we are two months into the 2012 - 2013 school year and the students are enjoying their time in the Science Lab.  This week we extended the distilling water experiment and made Solar Water Distillers. We discussed what solar energy is and where it comes from, then compared Solar energy effectiveness to the Hot Plates we used last week, which is converting electrical energy to thermal energy.  The students really enjoyed this experiment and are working better with problem solving in groups rather than asking me for all the answers (creating independent thinkers!).  Parents ask your student about this project, you can do it at home too!  Well until next time.............I wonder what experiment will we do next week, maybe something with Ice Cream.   O.O   ( :

                                                                                 

Need Distilled Water?

This week in the Science Lab students will learn what is Distilled Water, and how to make it.  Have you ever looked at the ingredients label on a store bought water bottle?  Well, most bottle water have chemcials in them to either make them more tasteful or added during the purfiication process.  To remove these ingredients you can distill the water.  Distillation involves boiling the water and then condensing the steam into a clean container.  To conduct this experiment, students will wear Safety Goggles and a Lab Apron, and they will also use the Hot Plate, Beaker, a pot and bowl.  Since we are using a Hot Plate, students must be extra careful not to endanger themselves or others.

BRE Eagle News Station is up and running!

This year is going to be great at Blue Ridge Elementary!  We are starting our very own news broadcasting news studio, and I have the privilege to be the sponsor. This year our morning announcement will be done through a live broadcast in the Science Lab, and streamed live to all the different classrooms at Blue Ridge.  In the next couple of weeks I will be interviewing prospective crew-men, anchors, reporters, and cameraman to be apart of this historic event.  Below are a few shots of the studio.

This week in the Science Lab!

This week in the Science Lab our students will still be reviewing safety lab procedures and getting to know the Lab equipment better with an hands on activity.  Students will be analyzing different rock samples in a group by determining each rocks Mass, Length, and a Description of the rocks using Lab tools such as a Triple Beam Balance, Hand Lens, and Ruler.  As a science teacher I want our students to be familiar with more science terms, so I shy away from using generic terms such as weight, and how long but use more grade appropriate terms like Mass and Length. Also, I am involving the students five senses in this experiment, they need to feel the surface of the rocks and hold them to get a good description of it. They are also using the Hand Lens to get a more precise view of the fine details of the rocks.  Charting their data is helping our students prepare for their Science Fair Projects in the spring also.

What's Happening in the Lab today!

This week our students will continue to lean about Science Lab tools while reviewing safety procedures as well.  I am a hands on teacher and like to see our students engage in the lesson while I am teaching, so this week we will be conducting an experiment using lab measurement tools to observe the Volume, Mass, and Temperature of two unidentified liquids.  Pictured below are the Science Lab equipment students will be using this week.

All Things Science Fair!

Greetings students, and parents,


      On this Blog you will find timely updates about the upcoming Science Fair for the 2012 - 2013 school year.  Please visit often throughout the school year, as I will post updates as the Science Fair nears closer.  The Science Fair is on Thursday, Feb. 21st.  All projects are due to Mr. Hill the week of Feb. 11th - 15th. 

Derrick Hill

BRE Science Specialist

Parent Conference Day & Early Dismissal

Hello Parents,

Wednesday, February 8th is Parent Teacher conference day.  Elementary students will be dismissed at 10:45am, so the teacher can plan their conference with their parents.  This year  Mrs. Bohannon-Webb and I will have an joint conference where we will discuss your students progress up to this point of the academic school year.  Conferences will start at 1:30 and conclude at 5:30.  Due to the large number of parents who signed up for a conference we will have to shorten each conference time to 15 minutes to make sure we can accommodate all of our parents.  I hope to see everybody!