5th Grade Science End of Grade Review

I was given the honor to share resources with my district regarding my students' academic success on their End of Grade 5th grade science assessment.

Attached is a Google Slide highlighting methods and resources to share.

8 Week old Cooper

Augmented Reality Black History Month Door Project

This year, our Black History Month project was to decorate our door based on an era in time. 5th grade was given the 1950's. A large aspect of this project was for the students to have a large amount of independence. First, students investigated accomplished persons of that era they were interested in. Next, using Google Classroom, students researched the persons and supplied information on each. Some chose to contribute to all of them, others just collected information one or two. Using the information, the class worked in groups and wrote a summary of each.

 Once completed, students presented their summary with any technology tool they wished: a Greenscreen video using Doink, Chatterpix, Ifunface, and Split Lens 2. Next, they augmented the images of their selected person using Aurasma to launch their project.


Follow the link or QR code to follow the channel to view their project.

http://auras.ma/s/gX63K

Ultimately, for all my projects, I rather have students create their own to display and share instead of teacher made.

Cooper

Min Golf Course using Cardboard to teach Physics

I always loved mini golf courses as a kid and I thought it would be a great idea for the students to create their own.

During our 5th grade force and motion unit, students learn the concepts and they design a simple course to demonstrate each concept in isolation.  The purpose is for the students to create a working model that best explains what they learned about Newton's Laws.

At the end of each week, students get into small groups and in one a class period, they are to design and create something they learned from the lessons.  Through trial and error with various materials including different types of  paper and tape, I concluded that cardboard and hot glue worked the best.

Some of the concepts to create include:  Potential/Kinetic Energy, Inertia, Force, Friction, Velocity, Slopes, Mass/Acceleration and Action/Reaction.

Once completed, they demonstrated their design using the appropriate terms and justifying their product with learned content.

At the completion of the unit, we have a running course for each lesson, students get into groups of their choosing and they can create a course of their own design.

There are some stipulations for the project:

1. They must be able to explain the physics of their project using the correct terms
2. Commit to their project and problem solve while working collaboratively
3. It has to be a game to be played (mini golf format, one group did skee ball).  Players will use a golf club to hit the ball in attempts to obtain a hole in one.  So include a level of difficulty or amazement for entertainment.  some have alternate routes the ball can travel including traps, while others earn points when reaching a certain destination within the course.

What makes this project such a huge success is students whom are not usually academically strong perform very well on their End of Grade State Assessments in Science by learning through hands-on projects.



This project has given me some celebrity status as the First Tee of Charlotte found out about the project and shared it on The Golf Channel.
http://www.golfchannel.com/media/first-tee-charlotte-north-carolina/

Cooper Tees Off

Escape / Breakout Room for Math and Science Night

I always wanted to create my own breakout / escape room for months and we decided to create one for math and science night.

The event was from 6:00 to 7:30 so the sessions had to be very quick to get as many students involved so we created a 20 minute game.

The game was based on math concepts which included:  number sense, order of operations and geometry.

Successful breakout rooms have a theme that carries the story of the room so myself and Mr. Blackwood the music teacher generated ours around two evil scientists testing students to become our minions.

First, we created a teaser video to for teachers to play to their classes to encourage them to attend the event and more importantly, to come to our room :)

Three stations were created for the maximum amount of participants to work collaboratively in order to escape.

Their mission was each team to unlock their own combination lock to the box which contains the secrets to becoming an evil minion like us.

To maintain on task behavior, all of the clues lead to the next clue.  However, ONLY three lead to the correct combination to the locks to ensure they cannot randomly select items and escape on luck.  They had to work on their math skills correctly.

The session started and followed a 18 minute video on the projector of us in costume setting up the scenario along with the rules and hints to the first clue.  It continued to play as it also served as a countdown timer of 15 minutes to escape which also had some silly moments of us in front of the green screen.
Each table had the following items:  white board and marker for computations, ipad, and the evil scientist photo album.

The video plays the first clue "Come Sail Away" and the progress through to escape.

BELOW THE TWO VIDEOS WALK THROUGH ALL THE STEPS TO THE GAME

PART II

The grand prize to receive when they opened the box was to become full fledged minions like us.

We had an overwhelming amount of people in our room and it was very successful.  Hope to create another one soon.

Kids

Show Me What You Learned using Green Screening, Augmented Reality, Paper Slides and Scavenger Hunts

UNCC STEM Conference in January, I presented how students can share what they have learned in some innovative ways that I have learned through Discovery Education.

The first is Paper Slide Videos, a method I learned from Dr. Lodge McCammon.  It is one of many Spotlight on Strategies (SOS) you can find in Discovery Education.  Paper Slides is a quick and easy method for students to share content in a collaborative group for all grade levels.

Another favorite of mine is using Augmented Reality.  Augmented Reality is a hidden QR code inside images/drawings that can launch most anything including images, videos, websites, using either a tablet or smart phone.  It is a great way for students to generate a writing piece that is augmented to support their learning through digital media.

In class, we created interactive word walls, timelines, student biographies, study guides and more.

Aurasma is a popular choice for many educators due to its ease of use and it being free.

Below are videos to create your own.  For the full experience, create your account FIRST in Aurasma Studio and login to that account in your phone/tablet.  That way you do not need to bother with creating channels and whatever you create either through your device or studio will be in the same channel.

AURASMA STUDIO

AURASMA ON YOUR PHONE/TABLET

Cooper

Hands on Activities for every 5th Grade Standard

PROPERTIES OF MATTER

States of Matter - Use songs found online / Discovery Education for students to perform portions of the lyrics to review learned concepts - Dr. Lodge Mccammon, Mr. Parr, They Might Be Giants are a few.

Sum of the parts of the Whole - place a 10g weight on one side of a spring scale while determining the amount of unifix cubes for an equivalent weight.  once found, remove cubes to determine the weight of one cube

create a construct of a set number of cubes while placing the same amount separated on the other side of the scale to understand its equivalency

Physical / Chemical Changes - prepare many situations for students engage to identify and explain whether it is a physical or chemical change.  some may even be extended to determine if its a mixture or a solution

examples include:  nails / rusty nails - chemical, ice melting - physical, sharpening pencils - physical, vinegar and baking soda - chemical / solution, playing with clay - physical, popping balloons with a thumbtack - physical, light a match and using a lighter - chemical, drawing on paper with crayons - physcial, blowing bubbles - physical / solution, eating candy - physical (chewing), chemical (digestion), potted plant - chemical (photosynthesis)

Solution - create tye dye name tags with shaving cream and food coloring.  Stir in the colors into a pattern and place the name tag paper down onto the colored shaving cream.  Scrape off the excess with a ruler

Physical / Chemical Changes with Elements 4d by DAQRI - free app with printable paper cubes when scanned show what the element looks like plus more.  Combine two elements (H and O) and watch it turn to water

Chemical Change / Solution - use the small film containers found in most science kits and TAPE alka seltzer tablets to the lid of the cannister.  Add water, close the lid and flip the canister over, to watch the show.

HEAT TRANSFER

Conduction vs Insulation - gather different types of containers - paper cups, styrofoam cups, soup can, etc and place ice water and very warm water in them for students to feel the outside of the cups to ascertain whether the materials are decent conductors or insulators.  you can extend by measuring the temperature inside and outside the containers to compare.

Conduction / Insulation with Makey Makey - Attach Makey makey to anything in the classroom to identify and explain which materials can conduct and which are good insulators

Transfer of Energy - place ice cubes on top of several different types of materials and time it takes for the cube to melt:  piece of metal, plastic, rubber, fabric (metal will melt the fastest)

WEATHER

Air Pressure - Using a Coke bottle and a quarter, place the bottle in ice for a few minutes while a partner rubs his/her hands together to generate heat from friction.  Place the bottle on the table with a WET quarter you dipped in water, resting on top and keep hold of the bottle with your warm hands.  Watch the quarter move

Air Pressure Hover Tanks -  using balloons, tape, straws and Styrofoam from packaging and create hover crafts.  Attach the straws to to the balloon and tie to ensure no air escapes.  Tie the straws onto the Styrofoam and blow into them to inflate the balloon.  Place the “tanks” onto the ground and let go and watch them move about the room.

Coriolis Effect - using small lazy susans found cheap at bed bath and beyond, cut circles from file folders that match the circumference of the susans.  Students draw straight lines across when it is NOT spinning and try again when it is spinning to demonstrate the effect.  

Coriolis Effect 2 - roll marbles across when not spinning and when it is spinning for same effect.  Try spinning the marble while the susan is spinning for different effects

Severe Storms - place a large map on the floor with some assorted toy trees, houses, people etc. Simulate severe storms using a top and a frisbee.  The top represents the short uncontrollable bursts of a tornado and the frisbee represents the large but predictable direction of a hurricane.  The hurricane can be tossed almost to the same spot repeatedly making tracking by satellites easier as they follow a straight path while tops are very random and impossible to replicate the same results.

FORCE AND MOTION

First Law of Motion - try to drop a bag of beans onto a target as you quickly move past.  figure out when you need to release the bag as you cannot aim and throw, it has to be a dropped.  Law of inertia depicts the bag needs to be dropped prior to approaching the target.  Approach at different speeds to justify.

Second Law of Motion - use double sided tape along a desk in several places and using different types of balls (ping pong, golf, marble), plick a ball across the table using enough force to pass all the strips of tape.  Use less force for the balls to pass the first strip of tape but be stuck on the second or third strip of tape.  Use different balls so students will understand they will need more/less force to complete their tasks

Distance over time / Acceleration / Slopes / Laws of motion - using battery powered thomas trains, have them measure their distance over time as they loop around the pre made track.  Add heavy bolts to their cars and measure the cars weight as you run the trial again.  Create tracks with vertical hills to increase the difficulty and discuss the different laws of motion.

Force and Motion -  Purchase Paperrollercoasters.com templates for students to create their own coasters and explain the concepts learned in class.  Add a theme with decorations and colors with a writing piece to explain their learned concepts and the name/theme of the coaster and how their design supports it.

LIVING SYSTEMS

Systems of the Body - Using butcher paper and the same student volunteer, trace his/her body several times for students to illustrate all of the major organs for each system.  Using the same student and butcher paper assists as you can hang it by a window for it to be transparent and lay a few on top of each other to compare how 2 systems work together to perform tasks.

GENETICS

Animal Traits and learned behavior - Place cards of several common animals along with inherited traits and learned behaviors.  Students match the appropriate ones to those particular animals.  Students can find connections between different animals similar traits and behaviors.

ECOSYSTEMS

Student Energy Pyramid - organize class into a pyramid sitting on the floor.  Teacher is the sun, 9 students are the grass 7 students are grasshoppers, 6 mice, 4 snakes, 2 hawks.  the sun provides energy which is 5 unifix cubes to each blade of grass.  Each layer keeps one cube for their energy while the rest are passed on to the next row as it is consumed.  Observe the amount of energy each layer needs to survive and how energy is transferred.  The hawk dies and decomposes giving its cubes back to the grass to continue the cycle.  - Try variations by adding and removing species due to overpopulation, pollution, and other ideas and determine if everyones needs are met.

Survival of the fittest - Students are different species of birds assigned to pick up as many unifix cubes on the floor within a set time.  Each group of students has a specific beak in which to pick up the cubes.  One can only use two spoons, use cups, file folders, etc.  “Birds” that did not eat enough cubes 2-3 die off.  Those that die become offspring to the most successful bird.  Eventually certain species disappear and the dominant trait survives.  

Biome Tableau - groups of students select a different biome and using their bodies with no moving or sound depict a scene in their biome.  Students standing on chairs with their bodies covering the rest can be canopy trees while another student is on a chair being a monkey while a snake is on the ground, etc.  groups need to justify their choices and explain the different layers of a food web within their community.

VOCABULARY CENTERS

Use 3 index cards for each term.

1. term 2.  definition 3.  example - have students sort all the cards to find their 3 matches

I have, you have - type and print the terms and meanings for a class activity

Have an index card for each term and students randomly select 3 of them to demonstrate how they are all related.  They can draw an image identifying the terms and defining them.  They can physically demonstrate them in a skit or example.

Cooper

Best 5th Grade Science Conference Ever!!

I hosted two events; "Resources for Passing the End of Grade Assessments" and "Writing in the Content Area."  Below are two summarized versions of the Slides I presented along with additional notes to support.

All of the resources mentioned can be found HERE.

My science lessons are roughly 45 minutes to an hour so I move through those six steps at a decent pace.

In the video I mentioned Page Keeley Assessment Probes and Discovery Education SOS Strategies as great resources for kinesthetic activities to review.

To clarify what I meant by using authentic questions for the cumulative review.  I do not generate my own questions, I only use published ones so students are familiar with the language of the test.  I am not teaching to the test, I am just preparing them how the content will be presented to them.

Paper Coasters with Makey Makey and Scratch

I truly believe students take more ownership with their learning when they are a part of the learning process instead of being a spectator.  Students will retain more with project based learning than reading concepts found in a textbook and completing a worksheet.  Especially in science, students need to touch, manipulate and experiment their learned concepts to fully comprehend them.

Therefore to demonstrate the laws of motion, students created original marble paper roller coasters using a template purchased at paper rollercoasters.com.

For $20 you receive a pdf file you can repeatedly print.  Besides the template, you need marbles, lots of paper, cardstock and scotch tape to construct the coaster.  The file also includes instructions how to use the templates to build many types of tracks including straight, curves, loops, and more.

Once my class understood the concepts of Newton's Laws, they designed coasters based upon a theme eg., underwater adventure, speed freak, candy land, etc.

While each step of the process, they explained their designs applying what they have learned in science.  The project also exercised collaboration along with trial and error as students had to continuously test their coasters and make modifications throughout the project.



Besides  industrial engineering, students then learned basic coding using Scratch and wrote programs based upon their theme to supplement their coaster.  We placed conductive tape on the track with a second thin layer hovering over the first so when the marble rolls over, it will apply enough pressure to push them together to complete the circuit.

Makey Makeys are connected to the tape to run their scratch program which includes animation, music and sounds.

It was a rewarding project which tested them on many levels and they were very proud of their accomplsihements as they invited many classes to try out their coasters and were very eager to explain the physics behind their project.

Cooper at camp

Student PSA's

Student videos about animal awareness

Two teachers and I host an after school PBL group for grades 3-5  that meets once a week.  The emphasis was to generate a passion project the students can accomplish on their own.

We started by brainstorming concerns our community encounters and even thinking globally such as destruction of rainforests, famine and more.

The group was most passionate about animals, primarily pets.  They came up with many ideas including raising money for a nearby shelter, running an adoption at the school, even volunteering their time at a shelter.  As a whole they wanted to reach as many people as possible and decided on videos to be shared on social network sites due to their interest in video media and the fascination on how videos can be shared globally and the amount of views they receive.

In small groups of their choosing they used a STORY MAP GRAPHIC ORGANIZER found on DE to plan out the events of their video.

Through the writing process, they developed their skit and studied their lines.

The students filmed their own videos using an Ipad and with Greenscreen by DoInk, and IMovie, they edited their videos.  Students used ICabMobile to download background videos or found images on Google to use as their backgrounds.  Most of the videos were done directly on the Ipad.  Two groups wanted more so we uploaded them to Google Drive and downloaded them to the Macbook Pro and they worked from there.

Ultimately we shared the commercials with their parents and the groups presented their videos along with a speech they wrote to explain the project.

Here are two of the five videos we created.

Click the CAPTION of each video to view.

Animal Adoption

Guide to Owning a Dog

cooper

Properties of Matter Pinatas

Students created pinatas while learning matter, properties, mixtures and solutions.

I collaborated with the school art teacher to combine our skill sets.

I documented the project in a Google Slide because a science teacher in another school needed some project ideas to share at her school.

Click below to view the slide show.

Pinata Slide Show

Cooper and his badge of honor.