Wonder of the Week and Answer

Congratulations to Dylan in Mrs. McLean's class for being the Wonder of the Week winner for the week of March 9-13! The wonder was "Why do microwaves heat food so quickly?" You can read all about this wonder by viewing the picture below.

The Wonder of the Week for this week is "Why are school buses yellow?" Make sure to get your answer in by Thursday afternoon. The winner will be announced on Friday morning!

Kindergarten Addition

The kindergarten students at C-FG are fantastic mathematicians! They have learned how to add numbers together and create addition equations! The students have even learned about the commutative property of addition! WOW! A few weeks ago, Ms. Whitaker and Mrs. Burcham's kindergarten students were learning how to make 7 using marshmallows and saltine crackers. Check out the pictures below to see the learning that was taking place! Thank you Mrs. Whitaker and Mrs. Burcham for inviting me to see this awesome whole group lesson!

Winter Break Wonder and Winner

Why do animals hibernate? 

Congratulations to Brooklyn Moua in Mrs. Cooksey's kindergarten class! She is our winner for the winter break wonder. She said animals hibernate because it is cold and there is not enough food. You can click on the link below to learn more about why animals hibernate.

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/who-takes-the-longest-nap/

Wonder of the Week: January 6-8

Why do fish have gills? 

Thank you Kaiden Price in Mrs. Hansman's 4th grade class for your wonder! Make sure to get your answer in by Thursday afternoon. The winner will be announced on Friday morning!

Wonder of the Week: December 15-19

Does salt water freeze? 

Explain your answer.

Congratulations to Andrew Combs in Mrs. Watson's class for getting the answer correct to the wonder "How do birds survive the coldest winter?" Click on the link below to find out the answer.

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-birds-survive-the-coldest-winters/

STEM in the Discovery Lab

STEM...Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

The first grade students here at C-FG were busy learning about force and motion through various STEM activities. All of the STEM activities were done in our Discovery Lab. The students rotated through 5 different stations, where they learned about force and motion. Below are pictures that show each station and capture the learning. 

Station 1: Rolling Balls

1. Use a balance and cubes to compare the weight of the balls

2. Test different balls (glass, wood, plastic, and foam) on a bare ramp to see which one goes the furthest. How many tiled did each ball go? How was it different from the others?

3. Did the difference in the weight of the balls change the results?

4. Is there anything you could do to the ramp to change the results?

Station 2: Gears Station

1. Line up several gears and apply force to the first gear. How does the energy transfer?

2. Do all the gears in a row move in the same direction? Do you see a pattern?

Station 3: Rolling on a Ramp

1. Release a toy car from the top of the ramp and mark where it stops. 

2. Measure the distance it traveled on the floor.

3. Repeat and record your best distance.

4. Choose a new material to cover the ramp.

5. Test and record your best distance for each surface. 

6. Which material worked best? Is there anything else we could do to improve our results?

Station 4: Dominoes Station

1. Line up dominoes and apply force to the first domino. Watch the energy transfer!

2. Line up dominoes to form the letter S.

3. Line up dominoes to form the letter Z.

4. Can you know them all down with just one push?

Station 5: Marble Run

1. Combine several pieces to create a tower, then test marbles to complete the run.

2. In what direction does the marble need to move?

3. Is there anything else we could do to improve our results?

Wonder of the Week December 1-5

How do birds survive the coldest winter?

Don't forget to get your answer in by Thursday afternoon! The winner will be announced on Monday, December 8. Happy Wondering!