Full STEAM Ahead Friday!

Welcome back to Mrs. Henderson's STEAM updates!

In 1st Grade we continued our exploration into SOUND by taking a sound field trip right here at Cove. To start our lesson we quietly sat in our STEAM classroom, shut the lights off, closed our eyes and began focusing solely on our sense of hearing. It's amazing how strongly our senses work when we focus our attention on that particular sense. Within the four walls of our classroom we heard nothing but silence, but as soon as we opened the hallway door we heard a flood of sounds. Being able to suddenly hear an abundance of sounds sparked excitement in the 1st graders! We quickly got into pairs, grabbed our clipboards and pencils, and set out on our field trip. As a group we silently walked through the halls and wrote down/drew everything we heard. Once we had navigated the whole school we set out on an outdoor expedition not only to see what we heard outside but also to see which sounds were present both indoors and outdoors. Students loved being able to be up and actively learning about the sounds around them. Ask your 1st grader what their favorite part of our sound field trip was. 

1st Graders exploring sounds

in the Cove School Children's Garden

Here is our data sheet

In 2nd Grade we began exploring how to compare and contrast properties of matter using a venn diagram. To begin our lesson we worked as a whole group to compare the contrast the properties of a Pencil and a Marker. Each student was given a certain color sticky note that indicated which property they were responsible for (pencil, marker, or both). Together we created one large venn diagram outlining what made the pencil and marker both unique and similar. Then, using our scientific language we wrote down a few sentences starting with the phrase "I observed". I wanted students to be able to explain what they discover by doing this activity so they could try it independently later in the class. Once students felt comfortable, I sent them to their tables to begin their investigation. Each student was given a cotton ball and a different marble so we could have a variation in our data. I was so thrilled to see that many students identified that both the marble and the cotton ball were solids, spheres, matter, and that they both had a bounciness to them. Please ask your 2nd grader what observations they made using their scientific language! 

Our worksheet under the document camera

In 3rd Grade we continued working on our weather projects. This week all groups have moved on to writing their weather scripts! Students are very excited to start building their pro-types and begin recording their news broadcasts. Please check in with your 3rd grader to see what their role is and which region they are researching. 

In 4th Grade we began our ENERGY unit by taking a pre test. After administering the pre test I took a quick thumbs up survey and found that most students didn't know much about the scientific method or energy, but they were excited to start learning! To kick off our unit we watched a science video on energy to give us a broad introduction into the topic. While watching the video students completed a video worksheet and shared their newfound learning with me. Check in with your 4th grader and feel free to message me any questions they may present to you : )

Last but not least, In 5th Grade we finally wrote, filmed, and edited our first news broadcast and sent it out to the entire school! I am so proud of them all and I cannot wait to slowly hand over all of the responsibility to them as they become one cohesive news team. 

-Mrs. Henderson : )