4th Grade Science

WELCOME TO FOURTH GRADE SCIENCE

2015/2016

                  I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about some of the topics we will cover this year.  

         We will start off the year by studying about the Oceanography with an emphasis on interactions between living things.  Included will be topics such as animal and plant growth and adaptations, how living things interact, biomes, and the protection and preservation of ecosystems. The ecosystem that we study in depth is the ocean. This unit ties in with the field trip to San Francisco Bay on a research ship.

         Magnetism and electricity will be the topics during second trimester.  We will do activities involving magnetism, static electricity, and current electricity. We will even build an electric motor. We will look at how energy can be changed from one form to another. We will find out the differences between renewable and non-renewable types of energy, and the importance of conservation.

         The Earth unit will include the composition, structure, and dynamic processes of the Earth. We will investigate the different types of minerals and rocks and the processes that formed them. We will also see the changes that have occurred over the years to shape and reshape the Earth’s land surfaces.

         As always, I would love to have parent volunteers in the science lab, either during class time or during lunch time, when students come in to play with the animals. Let me know if you can help in this way.  A parent coordinator may also be organizing my volunteers. We could use donations of supplies and materials, too. A list is in the Locker of our SchoolLoop page. If you have any questions about the program, please call me at home. My phone number is available in the office. I know we will have a great year!

                                                               Val Lauer

Science Grading Policy    2015-2016

3^rd-5^th Grades

Students’ grades are based on test scores and the work done in the classroom on a daily basis, including workbook pages and lab reports. At the end of each unit, students will remove all of their work from their binders and workbooks and pass it in to me. I will go through their packets and give them a grade. If the work is incomplete or not done well for one reason or another, they will get a “2” or “incomplete”. I emphasize correct spelling. When the packets are passed back, students have the opportunity to finish and/or correct their packets at home and give them back to me. The goal is to get a “3” (which is grade level) on their packets. The “Demonstrates understanding of science concepts in lab” grade includes classroom behavior and activities done in the classroom, such as lab reports and workbook pages. Being absent is not an excuse for missing classroom work. Students should check with me to see what they have missed. They can makeup the work during lunch recess or at home.

There will be two or three tests per trimester. The average of the test grades will determine the “Demonstrates understanding of science concepts in the classroom” grade. Students will have at least two weeks to prepare for a test. I will send home study guides for students to use, and vocabulary flashcards that we will make in class. The study guides and test dates will also be on the SchoolLoop website. We talk a lot in class about the way to prepare for a test. I tell them to read the study guide every night and to use the flashcards as much as they can, and not to wait until the last night to study. The classroom teachers usually assign studying for the science tests as part of their nightly homework. Again, the goal is to get at least a “3” (80%) on the test. Students need to retake the test if they get below a “3”. Look for the corrected test to come home. Please help your student study the corrected test, and remind them to retake it any day the following week during lunch recess. I am counting on students to remember to come in for their re-takes.

Please call me with any concerns or problems. My number is 735-1669.

 Val Lauer

Support the Science Lab! Bring home a pet

                                                                  September 2015

            We have some animals in the science room that the children can handle during lunch recess, and before and after school. We will no longer be open at Snack Recess. For now, these include:  a ball python, a cockatiels, and two hamsters. At certain times, we have baby hamsters and chicks. The animals are very tame, but as a precaution, I have cotton gloves for students to wear while they’re holding them. If you have any concerns about your student holding the lab animals, please let me know.

            The animals can be taken home for the weekend with parental permission. We ask that the children sign up for a particular weekend and bring home a permission slip for you to sign. When the permission slip is returned, we write their name in ink on the sign-up list.

            I would like to ask parents to donate to the science lab any of the following items that you have available or would like to purchase.

                        1) Leftover pet food (bird, hamster, rat or chicken)

                        2) Bedding for the cages

                        3) Cottage cheese or butter-size plastic tubs

                        4) Lab equipment (specimen bottles, slides, pipettes, scalpels)

                        5) Latex gloves

                        6) D or AA cell batteries

                        7) School supplies (pencils, Sharpies, erasers, paper, tape, colored pencils, glue sticks)

                        8) Antiseptic hand wipes or gel

                        9) Kleenex

                        10) Paper towels

                        11) Old cloth towels (cut into one foot squares)

                        12) Dustbuster or small hand vacuum

            Because all the students have lunch recess at the same time, I am assigning a day for each grade to visit the science room during lunch recess as follows:

First grade – Monday

Second grade – Tuesday

Third grade – Wednesday

Fourth and fifth grade – Thursday

Closed – Friday

            If you have any questions or concerns, call me.735-1669