Monthly Archives: February 2018

One of the many wonderful things about teaching at Quest Academy is the flexibility and autonomy to adapt to our students’ needs.  Since the last Kindergarten Science post, the Sea Turtle and Seal classes have journeyed on different quests (no pun intended, really).  While some of their explorations have been the same, each class has followed paths different enough to warrant separate posts for each.

A few weeks ago, both classes started out similarly enough, playing a survey game I called “Choose Your Own Adventure.”  Students brainstormed science topics they were curious about, I added some of my own, and they placed posters around the room, one poster per topic.  They then voted for their preferred topics using self-signed “stickie-notes.”

The Sea Turtle students were very active in graphing the data from the survey game.  Mrs. Tovar and I compared notes and it appears that overall, the students’ conceptual understanding of graphic representations of data is growing.

The winning topics included electricity and space.  But this week, we answered a couple of burning questions that Sea Turtle students have been asking.  So I’ll get back to electricity in the next post.

“How do birds make eggs?”

terms discussed:*

roots of words (especially ovi-)

ovary

follicle

yolk

albumen

membrane

oviduct

infundibulum

magnum

isthmus

shell gland

vagina

calcium carbonate

I had to admit to the Sea Turtle class that I did not know the answer to this question before it was asked.  They have my deepest gratitude because the way birds make eggs is FASCINATING!

After watching an introductory video about the process, we turned the classroom into a giant chicken.

All of the reproductive parts of a bird (listed above) were simulated in life size in the classroom.  Students took a playdough egg yolk and carried it through the long oviduct, through each of the sections of that amazing egg factory, adding materials along the way, finishing with a simulated bird’s egg.  They brought their eggs home Thursday, so yes, that strange mass of yellow, white and grey, is a simulated bird’s egg.

Judging from the smiles and laughter, the students had a great time.  There was quite a bit of persistence in that room on Thursday.  All of which is a testament to your children, for it was not easy to make an egg.  I hope that in their struggle to re-create this process, your child gained an appreciation of the scientific “miracle” it is!

“What is hypothermia?”

terms discussed:*

roots of words (hypo-, hyper-, therm-, homeo-)

hypothermia

hyperthermia

homeostasis

feedback system

This question was brought to the science lab during a cold snap a few weeks ago.  I can imagine the conversation started at home or in the Sea Turtle class with an initial question: “why do I have to wear a coat?”

After watching a BrainPop! video about homeostasis, the Sea Turtles and I experimented on ourselves.  We collected heart rate data at rest, then exercised for 3 minutes, then collected heart rate data post-exercise.  Hopefully, your child can tell you what we discovered.

Next week, we’ll finish this mini-investigation by reinforcing the vocabulary, ensuring understanding of the experiment, making a stronger connection between homeostasis and hypothermia, and hypothermia safety and care. 

*We discussed these terms at length and used them throughout the class period.  Gifted students do tend to need fewer repetitions of experiences in order to learn things, so some students may recall these words.  For most people, even highly intelligent people, one 45-minute class period is not enough experience to really “own” a word in one’s vocabulary, but it is enough for them to be familiar with a term and its associated concept.

 

 

 

 

After their outer space exploration of black holes, the Seal students turned back to one of their favorite topics: chemistry (I can hear them shouting now…”No, Mr. O., POTIONS!!”).  Their new potions exploration is designed to address three of the Big Ideas we strive toward in the kindergarten year.

First is the necessary balance between new and old.  Science is all about making new discoveries, thinking creatively, and using our imaginations to ask why and what if.  At the same time, there can be no progress without an understanding of that which we are trying to progress beyond.  This essential duality —  making new discoveries while also learning about past discoveries — is an important concept for our kindergartners.  We encourage them to question and to think imaginatively.  At the same time, we encourage them to use the knowledge gained by generations of scientists who have gone before us.

Second: in science, math matters.  In the case of chemistry, the absolute and relative amounts of chemicals can make as much difference as the actual properties of the chemicals.  This makes measurement essential if one is to test a hypothesis and/or produce an expected result.

Third, “if you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.”  Of course, science is not the only field in which this advice is vital; it’s necessary for many endeavors from law to medicine to government to education and beyond.

To get at these larger concepts and to feed the Seal students’ appetite for potions, they were challenged to create an exothermic reaction.  Pairs of students, working as partners, received unmeasured amounts of several safe household chemicals.  I reserved the catalyst.  The students were free to use any amount of the chemicals they were given.  In order to receive the catalyst, each team had to present their science journals indicating the number of pipette-fuls of each chemical they had mixed into their mixing vessel.

Can you imagine the restraint required of a 5/6 year old to do this?  When given nearly anything, paint, glue, paper vinegar…many children feel an irresistible urge to go to the maximum.  This is an essential activity for healthy development — young children must explore limits like this.  I wonder if it’s in our DNA.  This is why in October the kindergarten students were not required to measure the chemicals in their ghost powder experiments.

In February, they needed this new challenge.  Still, it was so difficult for students to restrain the urge to “DUMP IT ALL IN! HOORAY!”, that I began to question the fairness of the task I’d set before them.  Alas, this is the Seal class, and they are worthy of such a challenge.

By the end of the first class period, all of the teams had gone all in, pouring the entire unmeasured contents of their supply vessels into their mixing vessels.  Some pairs had begun the experiment measuring chemicals, soon to have curiosity overtake them before they could write down their data.  Several students complained that I would not give them the catalyst and I hope they sensed my empathy as I politely refused.

On the second day of this endeavor, students came to class with a clearer understanding of the challenge ahead.  Some teams went all in again, but many teams carefully measured their chemicals and marked their journals accordingly.  It was then that an unexpected challenge arose — one pair presented their journals and each individual had recorded different amounts.  We discovered that several other teams had done the same thing and we all had a giggle over this, as we tried to figure out how they had counted the same number of “squirts” but wrote down different numbers.

By the end of day two, one team had earned their catalyst, created their potion (if it was successfully exothermic, it was difficult to tell), and was ready for a new goal.  The remaining teams, having not reached their goal, displayed a mix of frustration and passion — just like adult scientists!  For logistics reasons, we paused this exploration for a side trip through static electricity.  The Seal class will return to potions shortly in order to give everyone the opportunity to reach their goals.

One of the many wonderful things about teaching at Quest Academy is the flexibility and autonomy to adapt to our students’ needs.  Since the last Kindergarten Science post, the Sea Turtle and Seal classes have journeyed on different quests (no pun intended, really).  While some of their explorations have been the same, each class has followed paths different enough to warrant separate posts for each.

A few weeks ago, both classes started out similarly enough, playing a game I called “Choose Your Own Adventure.”  Students brainstormed science topics they were curious about, I added some of my own, and they placed posters around the room, one poster per topic.  They then voted for their preferred topics using self-signed “stickie-notes.”

The Seal class students have been asking to “make potions” ever since Halloween so it was no surprise that chemistry rose to the top of their priorities.  Space, particularly black holes, was also a very popular choice.

The biggest question they seemed to have was, “how can you see black holes if they are…well…black?!”

We explored this idea through brainstorming, discussion, and research.  We gathered information from MIT and NASA researchers via Ted Talks and NASA materials.  Students discovered that black holes can be detected by looking at the space around them and analyzing what is found nearby.  We also learned that it is essentially impossible to build a telescope large enough to collect enough data to definitively confirm the event horizon of a black hole.  However, it is possible to create a virtually big enough instrument by linking several radio telescopes through an internet-like connection. 

Scientists did this as early as 2012, but that awesome achievement was still too small to detect the event horizon of a black hole.  For that, scientists needed to link even more telescopes to create a virtual-earth-sized telescope dubbed the Event Horizon Telescope.  The EHT captured data last April and scientists have been analyzing it since – here’s the latest update from the EHT team. You may also enjoy this article, which also has a good status report and a explanatory video that might deepen your child’s understanding of the fascinating discoveries we made in class.

Coming soon…”Of Potions and Patience.”