Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Yesterday and today we discussed the Solar System. We reminded ourselves of the Acronym that helps us to remember the order of the planets: (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
My
Very
Educated
Mother
Just
Served
Us
Nachos

We discussed the fact that Pluto is not considered a planet, that it does not meet the definition of a planet because it is too small, it is now considered a dwarf planet. We discussed the location of the asteroid belt and how it separates the inner (rocky) planets from the outer (frozen/gas giant) planets.

Here is a picture we created in class that they put in their composition books.



Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Today is the Science Fair!! YEA!!! We had everyone turn in projects, and we did a great job. Hopefully we had fun studying and working through the Scientific Method and we will remember what the ever-so-important VARIABLE is for our big day.

Here is a lovely slideshow of our kiddos and their GREAT projects!



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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thursday, January 13th, 2010

Hey guys,

Since we have been back from break, we haven't made it to the computer lab with our day being the same as those that we have been off. We are currently wrapping up our Earth Science studies and will be moving on to Life Science in a few weeks. As you are reading, remember that any underlined words are linked to examples for better understanding.

This week we began Space Science, we started by discussing the terms ROTATE and REVOLVE and their meanings. We made a T-chart (see below) to help us classify the two terms and study their differences. We demonstrated rotating by spinning, or turning, in one spot, and revolving by going around, or orbiting, our chairs. We then talked about how the Earth is held in orbit around the Sun, found at the center of our solar system, by it's gravitational pull on us. We learned that the more mass and object has, the more gravitational pull it has. This is what keeps all of the planets in orbit around the Sun. We had volunteers demonstrate how the Sun, Earth, and Moon interact together. Today, we learned that this same concept is what keeps our moon in orbit around us. We learned that it rotates at the same speed in which it revolves, which is why we always see the same side of the moon. We began discussing the Phases of the moon, but will get more in depth on those tomorrow.

P.S. Don't forget to be working on your Science Fair Projects. Projects are due Monday the 24th, and the Science Fair Night is Tuesday the 25th. Let me know if you need any additional help or have any more questions.

Happy Star Gazing,
Mrs. E