In Science Class . . .. Weeks of 1/3 and 1/9

Last week, we examined the mineral property of hardness. Student experimented and found that "harder" minerals can scratch softer ones. We scratched four minerals with our fingernail, an aluminum nail, and a paper clip. The hardest mineral, quartz, could not be scratched by any of the tools, while gypsum, the softest, could be scratched by all three tools. We then discussed the Mohs Hardness Scale, which ranks minerals on a scale of 1-10 based on their hardness. Gypsum was a "2" while quartz was a "7." Often times, gemstones like emeralds, rubies, etc are high up on the hardness scale. Diamonds are a "10."

• What minerals were softer? How did you know?
• What mineral was the hardest?
• As we look at the hardness scale, can a "3" scratch a "5" mineral? What about the other way around?

This week, we will be looking at one of the properties of calcite. Calcite is a fairly common mineral found in many rocks. Geologists can test for the presence of calcite by putting a rock in acid. If calcite is present, a chemical reaction will occur, producing bubbles. This week, we will test a number of rocks - marble, sandstone, limestone and basalt - for the presence of the mineral calcite. We also will be discussing uses of these rocks in construction of many recognizable buildings, such as the Washington Monument and CA Capitol Building.

• Which rocks contained calcite? How did you know? (Marble and limestone)
• What is marble used for? Why is this a concern when considering that rain is slightly acidic? (Marble is a common building material. When acidic rain hits buildings, those buildings are slight weathered due to the calcite's reaction with the acid to form carbon dioxide.)

Note: We are moving forward with the Science Fair, which will be on February 2nd. If you have questions, need supplies or presentation boards, please let me know at caitlinjenkins@berkeley.net or give me a call at Emerson on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Thanks!

In Science Class . . . Week of 12/5

This week, we'll begin talking about the Emerson Science Fair! Students will be able to work alone or in pairs to investigate a topic. Projects will be presented to the little kids during the day on Feb 2 and in the evening that same day. I will be available Tuesday afternoons after school in January for additional help. A packet of information will be coming home in English and Spanish this week. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. This is our first Science Fair since I've been at Emerson, so I suspect it will be a learning experience for all of us : )

In Science Class . . . Week of 12/5

This week in science, we acted like geologists and broke apart our fake rocks to see what "minerals" were inside. The students were able to identify several different ingredients, including red and green gravel, shells and some gray material. We then used water to see if we could separate the gray material. Key Questions:

• What is the difference between a rock and a mineral? (Minerals are the ingredients of rocks and are just one type of substance, while rocks are made of many types of minerals.)
• What types of "minerals" did you find in the "mock rock" Ms Jenkins made? (Most groups will find red and green gravel, shells, and gray material that we separated with water)
• What do geologists do? (They study rocks and make observations about the shape, size, texture, color, shininess, mass.)
• How are rocks and minerals used by humans? (We use them in various mixtures for roads, houses, jewelry, etc)
  

In Science Class . . . Week of 11/28

On Tuesday, we went over our most recent quiz and got our notebooks set up for our new unit. If you or your child is not happy with their quiz grade, they are welcome to study at home and retake it on Thursday or Tuesday. Just let me know!

Our new unit is on earth science. On Thursday, we'll be examining some fake and real rocks and discussing what sort of information geologists collect. Students will be working with the measuring tape and balances to collect data on the circumference, mass and diameter of their rocks.

• What sorts of information do geologists collect when when they study rocks? (They look at the size, shape, texture, location, color, luster, etc. They also will weigh and measure the rocks)
• What did your rock look like? What did you notice about your rock? (Most of the fake rocks are gray with red and blue "minerals.")
• What tools did you use to collect information? (We used a measuring tape for circumference and diameter. The unit of measurement being centimeters. For the mass, we used a balance and took the mass in grams.)
  

In Science Class . . . . Week of 11/14

This week, the students examined packaging of common food items to try and figure out what atoms the food is made of. They found that most food contains lots of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, which are the common building blocks of carbohydrates, fats, proteins. It's important for students to understand that most living things (including the food we eat) is primarily made up nonmetals.

Next week, on Tuesday, we will be taking a quiz on mixtures, solutions, chemical reactions, periodic table, etc. On Thursday, students will complete a study guide that has all the required information. This will go home and students can study at home. The quiz will also be open-notebook so students can use their notebook as a resource, too.

After Thanksgiving break, we will be starting our Earth Science unit that includes rocks, minerals, and landforms.

In Science Class . . . Week of 10/31

Happy Halloween!! The 4th and 5th graders have been continuing our exploration of chemical reactions. On Tuesday, we observed how a reaction between calcium chloride, baking soda and water caused the production of a gas. We mixed the reactants in a zip lock bag so that the bag expanded when the reaction took place. We even had a couple popped bags!! This reaction produced a precipitate (solid), too, which was a white powder. On Thursday, we examined the periodic table, discussed atoms, and looked at two key properties of metals - heat and electricity conduction. We watched butter melt on various metals in a hot water to see how well they conducted electricity, and we put them between open wires of a circuit to see if they conducted electricity. We found that all metals, including alloys, did and wood and plastic did not.

• What do all metals have in common? (Solid - except mercury- on earth, able to be flattened, can conduct heat and electricity, strong)
• What is evidence of a chemical reaction? (Color change, gas production, heat change)
• What is happening to the atoms in a chemical reaction? (They are re-arranging)

Note: Because of conferences next week, we will be doing vocab and review work. Investigations will continue the week of 11/14.

PLEASE: If you have any old food or household packages or bags (that aren't gross) that have the ingredients listed on them, send them in with your student for class on 11/15. Anything would be great - chip bags, cereal boxes, bread bags, toothpaste boxes, soda cans, etc. We'll be looking for elements on the package. Cereals are especially fun since there are often minerals added for nutritional value like iron, zinc etc. Thanks!

Bay Area Science Festival Starting Soon!

Hi, everyone,

For the first time, there will be area-wide science festival that has a number of free programs for families and adults from Oct 29-November 5. This is a coordinated effort between a ton of organizations! I'm really excited about it, and I hope to see of you out there as well. Here's the link to the website:

http://www.bayareascience.org/

Go Science Education!
Ms. Jenkins