Magnet Max by Monica Lozano Hughes
Atoms by S. Taylor Williams
Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler
I am Albert Einstein by Brad Meltzer
Extreme Laboratories by Anne O. Squire
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford
Mezmerized by Mara Rockliff
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Toys by Don Wulffson
The Shivers in the Fridge by Fran Manushkin
Magnets are all around us from our computers, compasses, phones, cars and our amazing Earth.
“From your clothes to your desk, every bit of matter is made of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms have negatively charged electrons that spin around them. Most of the time, the electrons spin in random directions. When the electrons all spin in the same direction, though, they create an invisible force known as magnetism.
When something is magnetic, it can pull things with steel or iron in them to it. The two ends of a magnet are called the north and south poles. These are the parts where the magnets are strongest. Around these poles is an area known as a magnetic field. In the magnetic field, other objects can be drawn to the magnet.” ~easyscienceforkids.com
In class we will be having magnetic stations, magnet marble races, making magnetic slime, making homemade compasses and extracting the iron out of cereal with a magnet. I’m excited to “attract” the kids to science…haha!
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer
Electrical Wizard by Elizabeth Rusch
If by David J. Smith
The Magic School Bus and the Electric Fieldtrip by Joanna Cole
Oscar and the Bird by Geoff Waring
Electricity for Kids:Facts, Photos and Fun by Baby Professor
Girls think of Everything by Catherine Thimmesh
Now and Ben by Gene Barretta
I’m pretty pumped to teaching kids about circuits and electricity. I will demonstrate a simple circuit, show how the Wimhurst machine works and show a plasma ball. In class we will be building simple circuits, more advanced circuits, playing with snap circuits, building 3D Bohr atoms and building potato batteries.
Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. In order to understand how electric charge moves from one atom to another, we need to know something about atoms. Atoms are made of even smaller particles. The center of an atom is called the nucleus. It is made of particles called protons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are very small, but electrons are much, much smaller. Electrons spin around the nucleus in shells a great distance from the nucleus. Electrons are held in their shells by an electrical force. The protons and electrons of an atom are attracted to each other. They both carry an electrical charge. An electrical charge is a force within the particle. Protons have a positive charge (+) and electrons have a negative charge (-). The positive charge of the protons is equal to the negative charge of the electrons. Opposite charges attract each other. ~https://www.kids.esdb.bg/electricity.html
Newton BONUS: Visit the Aquatic Center or a local park and find somewhere that uses Newton’s laws of motion.
The students are learning all about Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, and also about mass and weight. Mass is how much matter is in an object. Weight is how much gravity is pulling on an object. Gravity pulls harder on the thing that has the greatest mass (or is the heaviest). They will be using all of this information when building their angry birds marshmallow catapults and roller coasters. Have fun making a splash and diving into physics!!
Why Can’t I Jump Very High by: Kamal Prasad
Monkey With The Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem by: Chris Monroe
Caps For Sale by: Esphyr Slobodkina
I Fall Down by: Vicki Cobb
Roller Coaster by: Marla Frazee
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.”
In this unit we will be highlighting Isaac Newton and working with gravity, physics, engineering and mathematics. He taught the law on gravitation, the theory of gravity and invented calculus to explain it. He also came up with the theory on ocean tides which explained high and low tides because of the moon’s gravitational pull and he’s known for the reflecting telescope.
Example of Newton’s laws of motion: 1st law: The law of inertia. E.g. -A soccer ball will not move until a player kicks it. 2nd law: F=MA (Force = Mass X Acceleration). E.g. – You have to push a heavy ball harder to get it to move as fast as a small one. 3rd law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action E.g.- A fireman turns on his hose and is knocked backwards.
In class we will be making angry birds marshmallow catapults. We will talk about the angles in math and how you have to aim to knock over the pigs. Also, how if you pull back further, the birds will go farther.
What Do You Do With An Idea by Kobi Yamada
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander
“The important thing is to never stop questioning.”
During our first unit, we will be highlighting Albert Einstein and working in the fields of physics, energy, and technology. Albert Einstein is the father of modern physics. He came up with the world’s most famous equation E=mc2 (Energy = mass X the speed of light squared) which gave birth to the atomic bomb. He provided evidence that molecules and atoms exist through Brownian motion.
He basically re-wrote the law of gravity, which had been unchallenged since Isaac Newton. His theory of relativity has changed the way we think about space and time. He showed that matter causes space to curve, which produces gravity.
Example of the theory of relativity used today: GPS
In class we will be learning about how to use coordinates and GPS. We will also used Google Earth in class and pin-point our exact location.
Mrs. Westwood's Mad Scientists 