Grade 4 – Info-Updates

from Ms. Theroux (Manning Science Specialist)

January 10, 2007

Hi,

I’m working on letting you know a little bit about what is happening in the Science (& Technology) Center during your child’s time with me. I plan to update this section every few weeks.  

I'd appreciate comments back from you about the overall effectiveness of this communication channel. 

Recent Topics of Study (see the home page for links to more resources)

Earth Materials

Assessment Questions: What are the major types of "Earth Materials? What happens to spilled water? What happens to the water in oceans and rivers? Where is "dry water"? (Students have a hard time understanding there is water in the air and it helps them GREATLY to use the term "dry water" as theybegin to understand these processes.) Can you see it? What are clouds made of? 

What does liquid water do to minerals? What does dissolve mean? (It means to become a liquid when put into a liquid, which is the solvent. We have NOT used "solvent" yet in class - this is to help the adults better understand our thinking.) What do plants do with them? What else (and it’s not a chemical) do plants need to make their own food?

What happens to dissolved minerals after the water goes away? (The minerals usually come back in special shapes - these shapes are called "crystals".) 

Key Home Activity:

Try dissolving some basic minerals, such as regular table salt and Koser salt (which has fewer additives). Also try making "rock candy", which is often very, very tricky. (Sugar is NOT a mineral.)

Rock Candy (from the Exploratorium Museum) - includes detailed list of supplies

Rock Candy (from I Chef)