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STEM Week 6


Presentations:
I am loving the presentations!  Today we learned about black holes, tasting foods, water cycle, tornadoes,  and volcanoes.

In class, I asked for students to take a next step for their presentations.  They are doing a great job preparing and providing images, but they tend to speak to their written papers instead of to the class.   I would love for students to continue to prepare as they have beautifully done, but then to take the next two steps in presenting the material.
  • Highlight papers or use bullet points on an index card.
  • Practice presenting their presentation before they come. 
Here is a video that covers presentation topics.  (BTW, It is funny that a video on presentation has no speech, but it does a nice job covering what we need to know and has some animation. : )

Science Time:




This week was a review week.  We reviewed what we have been learning in class.  (Check back for a link to online flash cards that cover the following terms.)

Week 1:  Objects at rest remain at rest unless they are acted upon by some force.
Week 2:  Objects at motion remain in motion at the same velocity and in the same direction unless acted upon by some force.
Week 3:  1. For an object of certain mass, the greater the force applied to the object, the greater its increase in velocity over time (acceleration.)  2. For every action, there is an equal reaction in the opposite direction.  
Week 4:  Gravity and Centripetal Force:  1. Gravity is a force.  The amount of force on an object is proportional to the object's mass.  The more massive the object the greater the force.  2. Centripetal Force a force that acts on a body moving in a circular path and is directed toward the center around which the body is moving
Week 5:  
  • Potential and Kinetic energy:  1.  Potential Energy is stored energy.  2.  Kinetic energy is released energy.  
  • Tension Force:  The tension force is the force that is transmitted through a string, rope, cable or wire when it is pulled tight by forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is directed along the length of the wire and pulls equally on the objects on the opposite ends of the wire.
  • Elastic Force:  a body or material capable of returning to its original shape after compression, expansion, stretching, or other deformation  



We also played with ball kickers and made marshmallow catapults.  

Math Time:

Keep up the good work mastering facts!

We played a great game today called back to back.  https://logicroots.com/MathBlog/back-2-back-math-game/

Please note: It is okay to stay on a level as long as it is necessary to master the material. Perhaps some students it will need to take several weeks to master +1 and +2 addition before for moving on to +3 and +4. That is perfectly fine and as it should be. The belts are a helpful way to reward hard work and give incentive to mastery at each and every level.

You will find flashcards, skip counting videos, and drill sheets to aid your child in the mastery of the four basic operations. http://stonetablestemclub.blogspot.com/p/black-belt-math.html (Also linked at the top of this blog.)

What to bring to class on October 16th:

Students are encouraged each week to come prepared for class with the following:
3 ringed binder
A short science presentation. (No more than 2 minutes)
Black Belt Math Status. (signed log sheet)

Optional homework:  All the following  is not new information, but it would be great to go back and review.  

Online: Scholastic Video: 

Potential Energy (stored energy) and Kinetic Energy (the energy of motion.) http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/matter/energy-and-matter.htm

Online Text and Videos: CK-12

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