We are finishing up several projects in Science Lab and in order to finish by the last day of school (June 5) please turn in the following as soon as possible:
By May 20 — 2nd - 5th graders please turn in your bird detective checklist (signed/initialed by a parent). Don’t forget to print your first and last name and teacher on the cover. If you lost your checklist and you still want to participate in the Jr. Birder program you can download another copy of the booklet here: Wings over Florida - Jr. Birder Checklist
By May 22 – 3rd graders - please e-mail a photo of you and your cabbage to info@sleuthacademy.org (or bring in a print or disk). Don’t forget to include your first and last name and your teacher name. Look here for example photos.
5th graders have been learning how to use iMovie and video camcorders to create video podcasts. A couple of classes might not finish, but I hope you will continue to use what you learned in middle school and beyond.
Kindergarten and 1st graders are finishing up the year learning how to use some science tools.
All students will be bringing home a copy of Celebrating Chemistry complements of the American Chemical Society. There are great activities in there to do at home this summer. Continue to visit sleuthacademy.org over the summer for updates and sneak peaks for the 2008-09 school year! Have a great summer of exploration!
All grades are becoming true “birders” and working to earn a beautiful ruby-throated hummingbird certificate from the State of Florida’s “Wings over Florida” program. Students will be bringing home a small bird field guide to get them started on spotting 15 different Florida birds - return the top page signed when the 15 different species of birds have been spotted to get their certificate and information on how to continue to earn birder certificates from Florida Fish and Wildlife. Birds are everywhere and serve as a great indicator of the health of our environment. This unit will also help students practice identification, description and classification skills. Here are some other bird sites for you to investigate:
Learn more about that funny bird from the Bird Brained video:
So far, 2007-08 has been quite a school year for recognitions - 2007 Broward County Elementary Environmental Educator of the Year, then being selected by my colleagues to represent them as Eagle Point’s Teacher of the Year, Eagle Point’s Blue Ribbon Award and getting to travel to Washington to receive it, being selected as one of 8 finalists for Broward County Teacher of the Year and the latest award was announced on Monday. Based on a proposal submitted in Sept. 2007, Eagle Point has just been awarded a $10,000 Best Buy TEACH Award. This award is a Best Buy gift card for use on technology equipment for Eagle Point and the science program. Having won one of the 50 national $10,000 awards makes the Broward School district eligible to win an additional $100,000 from Best Buy (awarded in May 2008). The proposed plan is to enhance the science program at Eagle Point with additional student produced video and other technology - I can’t wait to get started! Any suggestions on other projects we can do with this award? Send a comment by clicking on “comment” and let me know!
Happy Winter Solstice! Friday, Dec. 21 is the first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere - 24 hours of darkness on the North Pole. Do you know why?
Some classes and science club have been making shrink plastic keychains/zipper pulls from the cafeteria salad containers (rescued from the trash, of course!). These are recycle code 6 (PS = Polystyrene) only. Here is a link to directions online: Super Shrinkers!
Have fun shrinking - just be sure you have an ADULT helper to help you with the oven!
Fifth graders have begun their unit on Energy. In keeping with the “going green” theme, we discussed nonrenewable and renewable energy. Solar energy is the theme of their classroom activities and we will address that in Science Lab following our electricity unit. Practice building circuits online here: Changing Circuits
Fourth graders are taking the “Journey of Wayne Drop” in preparation for their trip to the Everglades. We are investigating the “Mystery of the Swamp” and how wetlands can help clean water. The entire “Journey” is online at http://www.evergladesplan.org/education/index.aspx
Second and third graders are designing their own recycling factory - using tools like magnets and static electricity to sort recyclable trash (don’t worry it’s clean garbage!) in a contest in efficient teamwork. Check out the Keep America Beautiful site and watch videos and play a game at www.kabman.org.
All grades will soon be turning trash into treasure as we recycle and reduce the cafeteria salad containers (recycle code #6) into zipper pulls that will remind us how we can reduce our ecological footprint. Check out Bobby Bigfoot online to get some great ideas at www.kidsfootprint.org.
This year Eagle Point Goes Green and Gets Down to Earth. Our teams in science lab are named after scientists that are famous for being environmentalists. Follow the links to learn more about them:
Don’t forget about the science safety rules. Please return the signed portion of the 2007-08 Science Safety Contract to the Science Lab as soon as possible.
A summer solstice (June 21) and a blue moon (June 30) - what a great month for science in the real world! The solstice was celebrated by those who live near the Artic Circle in the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. Did you have a party too? The blue moon doesn’t happen very often, but this month we have a second full moon…enjoy it! I hope you are having a great summer. Are you looking for things to do? Check out all the LINKS on the right side of the page. There is plenty to do online and some links have activities for you to do off the computer too. Send me a note (click on COMMENT) and tell me what you are doing for your summer vacation!
Take the Energystar pledge to change one old-fashioned incandescent lightbulb to a new Energystar compact fluorescent bulb. Make sure “Eagle Point Elementary School” is selected as your organization. Our goal is to have 500 online pledges. 500 bulbs changed would mean saving $14,100 in energy costs and 223,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is not contributing to global warming. Please do your part by changing one or more bulbs in your house!
