Elementary Science Newsletter
November 2, 2014
Free Hot Wheels Kits for teaching elementary physics
Hot Wheels is sending free kits to 4th grade teachers for use in meeting the 4th grade science standards that address speed and energy.
The kits include:
- 40 Hot Wheels® diecast cars
- 16 orange loops
- 16 track clamps
- 64 track connectors
- 100+ feet of orange track
- Complete 5E lessons (I LOVE 5E lessons!)
These kits could also be useful in Kindergarten for teaching about pushes, pulls, and collisions; and in 3rd grade for teaching about forces and motion.
For more information, or to request you free kit visit http://www.hotwheels.com/en-us/speedometry.html.
Cool tech tool of the week: Online timers
Projecting a timer on a screen is a great way to keep kids on task! A few timers can be found at:
Instructional Strategy of the Week: Random pickers
Keep students on their toes with a random picker strategy. Use popsicle sticks with students' names on them to randomly select students to respond to questions or other tasks. Or, use a digital such as http://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/.
Click here for more instructional strategies.
Need resources?
Safety Reminder
Please review the following documents before beginning any activity that may pose a risk to students (directions for locating these resources are in parentheses).
- Science Class Safety Information Sheet (R:\Safety Information\Internal Policies)
- Elementary Science Safety Notebook (R:\01 Elementary Resources\5th Grade\Science\Elementary Science Safety)
- Review all documents in R:\01 Elementary Resources\5th Grade\Science\Elementary Science Safety
If you have any questions at all regarding safety in the science classroom, please contact me.
Important Dates
- Fund for Teachers Travel Grants- opens October 1
- Inquiry Science Workshop- November 7 (contact me if interested in attending)
- PASCO STEM Educator Award nominations (provides funding to travel to NSTA conferences)- November 30
- Ag in the Classroom grants- due January 30
Workshop announcement: Learn about interactive science notebooks from the foremost expert on ISNs
Do you wish you knew how to incorporate essential components of Science Notebooking with literacy writing skills?
Or do you currently use Science Notebooking but want to learn more?
Learn essential components for implementing science notebooks in K–8 classrooms. Through active investigations you’ll explore how notebooks impact achievement by providing a tool for building students’ conceptual understanding and for finding evidence of learning. Additionally, science notebooks can be utilized as a vehicle in which to develop students' abilities to read, write, speak, and listen.
Here are the details:
Cost: FREE (I LOVE THIS WORD)
Date and Time: Tuesday, November 11, 2014, 4:00 – 6:30 pm
Location: Mustang High School, Mustang OK
Building J, J Conference Room
Please park in the main parking lot as you enter the campus grounds.
Check in through the main office for directions to the J Conference Room
(parking will be crazy as this is right after students are released)
REGISTRATION IS LIMITED TO 60 PARTICIPANTS – Register now using the link http://goo.gl/forms/69wCS4cga1 to hold your place at the workshop.
Additional information about the presenter:
Brian Campbell is a curriculum developer at the University of California, Berkeley where he focuses on creating instructional materials and professional development opportunities for science in elementary schools. He works with teachers and districts to refine the use of science notebooks in classrooms focusing on formative assessment and the connections to language arts. He enjoys learning especially from his two daughters.