Kindergarten is learning about structure and function--why are the things we use shaped the way they are? How does their shape help these items do their job? Students start off their unit of study with a task of building a beanstalk out of 10 pipe cleaners. They don't have to use all 10, but they can't use any more than ten--how tall can they get a beanstalk that stands on its own?
1st grade has been studying Light and Sound. Their unit centers around fictional characters who are lost in the forest and are going to build a device that uses light and sound to send a rescue signal. Our 1st graders will eventually be working in groups to build that device but first they have to learn how light and sound work. They have experimented with cups and rubberbands, metal water bottles, and tuning forks to see how they can get a sound out of these objects. They also experimented with cup phones and stethoscopes to see if they can hear their own heart beat! These investigations helps students to see that when things vibrate, they create sound! Then students investigated how light behaves when it shines on different objects-- mirrors, transparent, translucent, and opaque objects, and even diffraction gratings so they can see how white light can be separated!
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