Week 9- Apr 10, 12

Atoms and Matter- and Oobleck!!!

This week students will learn about the smallest units of an element in the universe- atoms! I know, this is a group of students ranging from prereaders to advanced readers so making high school level chemistry understandable and enjoyable is a pretty grand undertaking. But, I plan on making this week very interactive. We will be breaking down the advanced ideas of protons, neutrons, electrons, periodic tables and chemical reactions into graspable concepts that all the students will enjoy.
We will be making a "semi-liquid" called oobleck (click on the word to see the definition and how to make it). This substance is best known for it's short stint on The Big bang Theory (see video here) and also on the Ellen Show with guest scientist Steve Spangler (see video here).

Oops- I was ahead of myself last week :) Next week is our last week together. Though some days we struggled I have been very fortunate with the class this semester. Hopefully, your student has enjoyed their experiences as much as I have. Thank you for your support :)

Week 8- Apr 2, 4

Disaster Week- Tornadoes

Last week went so well that I decided to move forward with another disaster week. As the odds would have it, this week has actually seen tornadoes in Texas which we will be discussing. Students will have the chance to see the real footage coming out every day as well as learn about scientists who are working to explore and define tornado science. We will make our own tornadoes on Thursday.
Two More Weeks!!

Tornado in a Jar (Tuesday example):
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/tornadoes/experiments.htm