Survey Results

Here are the results from the Spring Science Interest Survey and the STEM Playground Survey. 

STEM Playground

The overall results of 2nd-4th grade were to NOT to make the STEM Playground activities a competition. 

4th voted YES to make it a competition, 57% to 43%

2nd and 3rd (except for room 212) overwhelmed the 4th grade by voting overwhelmingly to not make it a competition. 

5th Grade and Mrs. Larkin’s class did not do the online survey. They voted by raise of hand. Those classes mostly voted for Bombs Away as their #1 choice.

The top five STEM Playground activities were: 

  1. Riding on Air
  2. Float a Boat
  3. Bombs Away
  4. Gondola Ride
  5. Ramp Race

Both Float a Boat and Bombs Away were tied.

Rooms 201, 203, and 212 did not take this survey, but when I asked about the activity they liked the most, Bombs Away was a favorite. (You can take the survey still. I posted it in Google Classroom.)

Science Interest Survey Results

First, I should explain that I changed the survey between when I gave it on Monday and then the rest of the week. It was hard to blend in the results from rooms 201, 203, and 212 with the rest of the classes. The results would be better if students from those rooms redid the new survey instead. I did put it in Google Classroom.

Continuing with Posters

Continue to work on your poster. Remember the answer you are trying to model is:

How does the inside structure of Earth affect the outside structure of Earth?

Work as a team to create a model that fully explains your answer. When you are done with your poster, your team will share it with the class.

During the sharing of posters, you will get a feedback form. While each group presents, you need to fill out the feedback form with the following information:

  1. Things they did well with their model/poster.
  2. Ideas for what they could improve in/with their model/poster.
  3. How clear was their explanation? Do you think they are correct? If not, what might be incorrect?
You may ask questions of the group after they present.
You will also give feedback for your own group at the end. This is when you can make comments about what/who worked well and who or what/who didn’t work well.

Continuing with our Oil and Thyme Question

Recap

Last time we explored links, interactives, and watched some videos to help with our scavenger hunt. We were looking for an answer to this question:

What does our oil and thyme experiment have to do with Earth’s structure?

Engage

This time, we will continue to explore for an answer to that question, but this time we have a new question that we will focus on:

How does the inside structure of the Earth affect the outside structure of the Earth.

Explore

You have 20-30 minutes to continue to explore the resources from last week (scroll down). While we still want to think about the oil and thyme demo, focus on finding evidence to help answer “How does the inside structure of the Earth affect the outside structure of the Earth.”

Explain

What did you find? You will work with your table partners to create a model on chart paper to explain your answer.

  • Work together as a team and talk about how to create the model before starting.
  • Use a pencil first before marker.
  • Use crayon for big areas of coloring.
  • Make sure everyone feels like they are a part of the poster. 
  • You may continue to use your computer as a resource while you work on your poster.

NGSS Standards

Science & Engineering Practices

  • I can develop and use a model to show my thinking and understanding.
  • I can analyze and interpret data and use it to show evidence.
  • I can gather data and communicate it to others.

Disciplinary Core Idea

  • Some Earth events happen slowly, while others happen quickly.
  • Some events happen over long time periods that cannot be observed in one life time.
  • Patterns of rocks and Earth formations happen because of the dynamics of Earth.
  • Tectonic activity shapes our planet.
  • Compare Earth to other objects in our solar system and space. 

Crosscutting Concepts

  • Structure and function
  • Cause and effect
  • Systems
  • Patterns

These are loose references to the DCIs for use in this enrichment classroom. They are a combination of standards in The History of Planet Earth across several grade levels.

SCROLL DOWN

The resources we are using today are the same from last week. See below or click the icon above to take you to that post.

Earth Dynamics

Remember our oil and thyme experiment. Let’s take a look at that again. Click on the video on the top left square.
What do you notice? What does it have to do with volcanoes and earthquakes?