Busy, Busy with Physical Science and Peek at my Week

Wow! I guess I am not going to get the chance to blog but on the weekends with school as busy as it is :)

As many of you have read, I wanted to redesign our science interactive notebooks this year. I had seen how many other teachers had done it and how I was currently doing it. We don't really have a textbook for 5th grade in Texas that is useful (ours is from '00-'0ish and still have some VERY old standards in it), so our notebook is what we create as our resource. Most students take a lot of pride in making it nice and neat and accurate. So this year I am doing a left side/right side notebook. On the left we put notes, foldables, observations, and then on the right we put diagrams, data tables, graphs, and write out answers to questions that show what we know.

With this new style, I am having to re-write EVERY single notebook entry, which is worth it, but very time consuming. Since I do most of my planning with my teacher buddy on Thursday, and we almost always have notebook entries on Mondays, I am always typing away on the computer during my kids nap time on the weekends or on Sunday evenings if we just had too much fun playing.

That being said, here are two new ones for forms of energy and light.

I won't really have my Peek at my Week because...we go to camp next week for 3 days! Woo hoo!

We will be watching The Incredibles this week on Monday and Tuesday analyzing superpowers to help us collect some info for our Physical Science Superhero Project. Are you doing the same? Here is the page I made to go with the movie, just for you!

A Peek at My Week #5

Welcome to another week of 5th grade science! I am linking up again for another Peek at My Week with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings.

This week, we are wrapping up physical properties with a little review from all the properties we covered over the last 4 weeks.

Monday:
WU Seeing Science Structures Understanding Models
Physical Properties Foldable and Mini Lab

This is a review of physical properties using the 5 senses to describe an item. It is new in my store.

Tuesday:
WU Seeing Science Structures Understanding Models
The Orange's Secret AIMS Activity

Wednesday:
WU Seeing Science Structures Understanding Models
Matter and Energy Test
The Orange Secret Conclusion

Thursday:
WU Seeing Science Structures Understanding Models
Review test

Friday:
WU Seeing Science Structures Understanding Models
Assign Superhero Project
Warm Up Wrap Up
Bill Nye Magnetism

Students love the superhero project every year. They get to design a superhero or use one that has already been created and show what they know about matter, force and energy by applying it to their superpowers. They make trading cards, too, that they get to trade after everyone has presented their superheroes. It is a lot of fun.

Enjoy your week!

Separating Mixtures

We worked on separating mixtures in class this week. We took notes on mixtures, solutions and separating them. Then, using the Separating Mixtures Lab, we looked at the physical properties of sand, salt and iron so we could use them to find a way to most effectively separate them. Students designed their procedure based on their thoughts with their lab group.

After we looked at everyone's procedures, we talked through what we decided as a class would be the best way. 

In our interactive notebooks on the right side, we described and illustrated our final procedure. Here is an anchor chart on what we put in our interactive notebook. 

Sorry my anchor chart handwriting is not beautiful, yet, but I am working in it :)

I hope to get to do many more anchor charts with my students this year! 

A Peek at My Week #4

I am linking up with Jennifer again at Mrs. Laffin's Laughings for A Peek at My Week.

This week we are getting further into properties of matter by looking at density, mixtures, and solutions.

Monday:
Warm Up from Seeing Science Structures: Using Tools to Investigate Matter
Mixtures and Solutions Notes
Mini Mixtures Lab

Tuesday:
Warm Up from Seeing Science Structures: Using Tools to Investigate Matter
Solutes and Solvents Lab

Wednesday:
Warm Up from Seeing Science Structures: Using Tools to Investigate Matter
Solutions Sort

Thursday:
Warm Up from Seeing Science Structures: Using Tools to Investigate Matter
Density Notes with BrainPOP Buoyancy
Coke vs. Diet Coke
Density Tube

Friday:
Warm Up from Seeing Science Structures: Using Tools to Investigate Matter
Bill Nye Buoyancy
Warm Up Wrap Up

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a tear's worth of weekly newsletters here!

Newsletters and a Giveaway!

Every year, I have done a weekly newsletter for my students. I have done just one for my subject, collective team newsletters, informal weekly emails. Last year was pretty easy to do weekly newsletters for my team because it consisted of only 2 people! This year, there are 5 of us.

The first 3 weeks of school, I had sent out weekly emails at the end of the week (that reminds me, I need to send one for this week! Oops!). I like the quickness of weekly emails, but I LOVE the cuteness of the formal newsletter. Here is what they looked like last year.

This year, I don't think I am going to be able to get this all together for my team like I have before, but who am I to keep the cuteness from anyone else? So I cleaned them up for selling and made an editable PowerPoint for each month. Then teachers can just add what they want to the boxes and save each week! They can be then emailed to parents, posted on your website, or printed and handed out to your class. So here is what the template looks like in PowerPoint.

I added text boxes to each section so you can just click and type. I have them for all 12 months (I had to make a July just to sell since we would hopefully NEVER have regular school in July!) for sale in my TpT store.

Have fun!

A Peek at My Week #3

It's time for another Peek at My Week with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings!

We have covered safety and tools and graphing, so now we are ready to put it all together and start Physical Properties and the Scientific Method!

Monday:
Seeing Science Structures Think Sheet Models
Scientific Method (6 Flap Fold)
Penny Drop Lab

Tuesday:
Seeing Science Structures Think Sheet Models
Changes in Matter (TpT States of Matter Flipbook from Lita Lita)
Temperature Mini Lab ( modified from Free Matter Notebook Activity from The Science Penguin)

Wednesday:
Seeing Science Structures Think Sheet Models
Mass and Volume Foldable (TpT Mass and Volume Foldable from my store)
Mass and Volume Lab (TpT Mass and Volume Lab from my store)

Thursday:
Seeing Science Structures Think Sheet Models
Length Foldable
Length Mini Lab (TpT Graphing Lab from my store)

Friday:
Seeing Science Structures Think Sheet Models
Bill Nye Measurement and video response
Warm Up Wrap Up

I am trying to add the links for these items, but Teachers Pay Teachers is having some kind of meltdown at the moment :) I will add them as soon as I can. In the meantime, I added in parentheses where on TPT you can find them in case you can get to the website before I can!

Have a great week teaching science!

Check back this week for some looks at our science notebooks and our new anchor charts!

A Peek at My Week and September Currently

Yea! Today is a holiday, so we get a nice long weekend after a full first week of school. I am doubling up the linkys today with A Peek at My Week with Mrs. Laffin's Laughings and September Currently with Oh'Boy 4th Grade.

For 5th grade Science, click on the title for a link to the activity...

Monday:
No School!

Tuesday:
Warm-Up: Lab Safety from Seeing Science Structures
Lab Tools Notes

Wednesday:
Warm-Up: Lab Safety from Seeing Science Structures
Finish Lab Tools Notes
Diagram Notes from Science Penguin (use Ari's notes on one side of our journal, then practice on the other. Love this!)

Thursday:
Warm-Up: Lab Safety from Seeing Science Structures
Graphing Notes and Foldable
Graphing Lab Practice

Friday:
Warm-Up: Lab Safety from Seeing Science Structures
Bill Nye Do It Yourself Science
Bill Nye Video Response
Wrap Up Warm Up

September Currently...

Listening: I love to cook for people. My team can no longer all eat all the goodness I bring them, so I am looking for great recipes to meet their new needs so I can still share what I love :)

Loving: I cannot wait o get these anchor charts started! I have found so many on Pintrest, which I finally joined after a few years of pushing from my friends. Glad I did! Feel free to follow me at Lilosmommy8014.

Thinking: I want to make sure all my new teachers are taken care of. I have one new teacher to our district, one new to our subject and one new to our district and subject. I don't want them to freak out about lessons :)

Wanting: All the foldables we put in our journals make them fat with construction paper. I am wanting colored copy paper that is cheap since it is nice and thin.

Needing: My 15 month old has been climbing out of his crib like a monkey. Right now, he is in his old pack 'n' play until we find a more permanent solution. We are open to suggestions. He is not ready for a toddler bed, unless we get the time to train him to stay in it. The crib is as low as it goes, and my aunt suggested we drill new holes to make it go even lower. We will see how this goes...

Loving: I love teaching science and I am happy to be at work again :)

Join in on the linky fun, and have a great week!

C.H.A.M.P.S

This year, already as week in, I would like to implement C.H.A.M.P.S in my classroom. I had seen a few of these floating around other blogs, and I thought this would be a great idea in my classroom. It is a classroom management tool that allows you to easily set up guidelines for basics like conversation levels, how to get help, activity level, movement allowed, and participation required during different classroom activities such as labs, testing, independent work, journaling, and other activities.

I will post a picture this week once I set it up, but I made the printables for it. You print them, and laminate them stacked on top of one another. Then you can put them on the whiteboard and use magnets to show what the guidelines are or stick them to a wall leaving the left side unattached and use clothes pins to show the guidelines.

 

The top page has a spot to write the activity you are working on (use dry erase markers after laminating). I also included a grid page that had the different activities we would be using in my classroom and the guidelines for those quickly so students could have a reference in their binders to refer to, too.

There are two different versions; a bright version, and a robot version (to match my classroom, of course!). You can get the bright version on Teachers Pay Teachers and the robot version up above!

If you download it, let me know if you are able to implement it and how it goes or if you already use this system :)