3rd grade students have started learning about the habitats of Georgia. Part of what they study is how animals and plants adapt to their environment. We have done lessons in the STEM Lab about animal adaptations, and they are taking part in a STEM activity building a better bird beak. Next time in the STEM Lab students will test out the beaks that they built.
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Students took part in a STEM activity called Don't Blow Me Away. They designed and build a wall that would stop sand from blowing away. This was a culminating activity to the unit on Weathering and Erosion. 3rd graders get to learn the most amazing things in Science. Adding to what they learn through STEM gives them even more of a chance to learn and grow. 3rd Grade STEM Lab Activities: *Introduction and STEM Challenge *Lab Safety & Scientific Method *Edible Rock Cycle *Fossil Fun Stations *Chocolate Chip Cookie Mining STEM Activity *Soil Stations *Weathering and Erosion 3rd Grade students get to learn all about how magnets work. We are putting that knowledge to work with a STEM Challenge. The students are designing, building, testing and racing cars that will be pulled with the attraction of a magnet. They have lots of supplies to choose from. Including items that will be attracted to a magnet are important. Today the students designed, collected supplies and began to build. The next time they are in the STEM Lab they will finish building, test their designs, make changes and race. Mrs. Karantonis Mrs. Callahan Ms. Griscti Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Culpepper One of my FAVORITE things we do in the STEM Lab with 3rd grade students is make ELEPHANT TOOTHPASTE!!!! One of the science standards for heat energy says that students should understand that heat can be produced as part of a chemical reaction. So, we make a big flowing chemical reaction (elephant toothpaste) and use thermometers to measure the heat that is produced. Plus, it looks really awesome! 3rd Grade students are learning all about HEAT ENERGY!! We started by talking about sources of heat energy. The students also learned about the three methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation. Heat always transfers from hot to cold. The students took part in an experiment to test the loss of heat (heat transfer) from two different cups, 1 clear plastic cup and 1 styrofoam cup. This was a great lesson on heat transfer and also really good experience reading a thermometer. Reading a thermometer is a BIG part of the activities we do with heat energy. Students have planned, designed, gathered supplies and today they built and tested their bird beak designs. The goal was for each group to build a beak that would allow them to "eat": seeds, beans, worms and nectar. The groups put their beaks to the test. We found that some of the beaks worked better for certain foods or nectar. They talked about how they could make changes to the beaks and improve on their designs. Two of the classes took part in the activity today. The remaining two classes will be in the STEM Lab on Monday when we return from break. Mrs. KarantonisMrs. Callahan Today we talked about how bird beaks are perfectly adapted to what they eat. We looked at lots of examples of birds and their beaks, and specifically looked at how the beaks are perfect for the type of food they eat. They will be taking part in a STEM activity. Students will be working in groups to build the best bird beak. Their bird beak has to be able to "EAT" woms, seeds, cereal and drink nectar. They made their plans and designed the beaks. Next time....they build! 3rd Grade has started learning about the regions (habitats) of Georgia in Science. In the STEM Lab we will be expanding on the topic of habitats. Students took part in a lesson all about animal adaptations, ways that animals are able to change with changes in their habitats. We made charts showing the different Behavioral and Physical adaptations in animals. We also did an experiment to help them better understand MIMICRY, one of the behavioral adaptations in animals. In the lab, students were given two samples of clear soda (A and B) to observe and smell. They then had to decide which sample they wanted to drink. Once they chose their sample, they drank....and some were not happy with their choice! Sample A was lemon lime soda, Sample B was lemon lime seltzer water (not the expected drink). We talked about how this is like mimicry in nature. Round 2 of the experiment involved students observing two different samples of soda. One was clear and the other blue. Almost 99% of students wanted to drink the blue soda, because they were afraid that the clear was the yucky seltzer water. That helped them to understand how mimicry can become a protective adaptation for plants, animals and insects. |
AuthorMrs. Guckert is the STEM Lab Teacher at Rocky Mount Elemetary. This is her 5th year teaching at Rocky Mount. The STEM Lab is fully funded by the Rocky Mount Elementary School Foundation. This program would not be possible without the generous donations to the Foundation from the Rocky Mount community. Archives
February 2018
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