The Science Fair is Coming!!!!

To all Science Fair participates, below is the Science Fair Student packet you have received from me.  Please pay close attention to the 2012 Science Fair Project Timeline as it details what specific components are due to either your Science teacher or myself and the date that it is due.  Remember what I said about the Science Fair, have fun creating your project but do not wait until the last minute to complete it.  The first item due to your teacher is Your Purpose (due 12-17-12).  Parents if you have any questions regarding the Science Fair, please contact me via email or telephone.  Also this Science Fair Website is very informative as well!  Have Fun!

What do you prefer, Open Ciruits or Closed Ciruits?

     As we approach the Christmas Holiday, I hope all my readers have time to reflect on all the great things that happen to you and our country this year, and also enjoy spending time with your family and love ones over the Winter Break.  Now onto the Science Lab!  For the last two weeks I have focused my lessons on electricity. Students are learning what exactly is electricity and how to use it to power devices we use everyday. Doing this lab investigation I gave our students a  1.5 volt battery, a small lightbulb in two insulated wires.  Using their knowledge of what conductors and insulators, students constructed a Closed Circuit and discussed among themselves what Closed Circuit are.  Next,  I gave them a "Bag-O-Stuff" (simply a small zip lock bag with small materials in it) which they tested with the battery & wire to see if those item were conductors or an insulator.  Conductors allow electricity to pass through them, which resulted in the light buld coming on.  Insulators holds in electricity, which produced the light buld not coming on.  The students final project was to design a complex Closed and Open Circuit.  This required for the students to use (4) 1.5 volt batteries, (7) insulated wires, (2) lightbulbs and (2) throw switches, and a sound box.  It took some students a while to construct this circuit, but through teamwork and tapping into their problem solving strategies most students prevailed.  Below are some snapshots of the two week lab assignment. Also, if you want to learn more about electricity, check out this kid friendly Website

Its Heating Up in the Science Lab!

Its typically known that the boiling point for water is 100 C (Celsius) or 212 F (Fahrenheit); however, must liquids boiling point vary based on what chemicals and elements are in them.  This week in the Science Lab, students were given three unknown fluids in test tubes and determined each liquids boiling point.  For this experiment students recorded the room temperature of each liquid and the boiling temperature of each liquid.  They also recorded the time it took for each liquid to boil.  Using other physical properties of matter such as; smell, color, and viscosity the students determined which liquid is cooking oil, corn syrup, and dish liquid.  Like true scientist the students charted their data and collaborated with each other prior to making their predictions.  Since we were using the Hot Plate and several glass science tools (Flasks and Test Tubes) students exercise great caution while conducting this experiment. I’m proud to announce that nobody broke anything this week = ) Below are some picture of Blue Ridge’s young scientist.

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.