Category: Science

Nov 03 2016 November 3, 2016 January 11, 2017 NoComment by David

5th Grade 3-D Ocean Floor

Posted in 5th Grade, Science

Fifth graders at Trevvett Elementary have been learning about the oceans and the ocean floor in Science (SOL5.6). Today students in Mr. Hilton’s class created 3-D models of the ocean floor using this webtool. It’s a pretty cool webtool because when you upload a 2-dimensional black and white drawing, it transforms it into a 3-dimensional picture, making the lighter colors higher in elevation (it’s a great tool for teaching about topographical maps and contour lines too). We drew our black and white picture of the ocean floor using Pixie, but you could also use an online drawing tool like drawsave, vectorpaint, queeky, slimber, sketchpad, sumopaint, drawisland, sketchlot, abcya paint, and more (there are a lot of online drawing tools)! You just have to be sure that you only use black, white, and shades of grey. Remember, lighter colors are higher (sea mounts would be white) and darker colors are lower (the ocean trenches would be black). Next, we uploaded our pictures to the 3-D tool and adjusted a few settings on the right side. We changed the Model from “cube” to “plane” and we dragged the diffusion slider all the way to the right to the “1” position. Then we clicked the magnifying glass to enlarge the picture. We used Screencastify to record our screen as we clicked and dragged our model of the ocean floor, identifying the different parts. Take a look at some student examples here. If you didn’t want to make a movie, you could have the students import it into a word processing program and label the parts like this.


Nov 03 2016 November 3, 2016 January 11, 2017 NoComment by David

5th Grade Green Screen Videos

Posted in 5th Grade, Science

Fifth graders at Trevvett Elementary have been studying the ocean (SOL5.6), so today students in Ms. Adamonis’ class created green screen videos about the ocean. A green screen allows you to place a different image behind the speaker, making it look like the speaker is standing in or near the ocean, for example. It was a challenge finding a free web tool for making green screen videos (if you know of any, please let us know in the comments). There are several mobile apps that can do it, and Mac computers can do it with Photo Booth (see a similar lesson taught using Photo Booth here), but we needed something we could use on our Dell laptops. Finally I found this, which seemed to work pretty well. Our next challenge was making the green screen background. We used colored plastic tablecloths, but it’s actually better if you have something more permanent and smooth, like a solid colored wall or bulletin board. In order to use this webtool, you need to activate your webcam by following the prompts, then you click on the background and adjust the sliders at the bottom until it looks good (adequate lighting helps a lot). We used Screencastify to record our videos. Screencastify saves the videos to your Google drive, making it easy to share the links. You can see a couple of student examples here.


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Nov 02 2016 November 2, 2016 January 3, 2017 NoComment by David

5th Grade Comparing Virginia Rivers

Posted in 5th Grade, Math, Science, Social Studies

Fifth graders at Laburnum Elementary have been reviewing the rivers of Virginia (VS.2c) and watersheds (SOL4.9) in Social Studies and Science. They have also been multiplying decimals in Math (SOL5.5a). So today students in Mr. Hofilena’s class used those skills to compare Virginia Rivers. First we discussed ways to compare the rivers. Everyone agreed that we should compare the length, but I also suggested comparing the discharge. Discharge is the amount of water flowing down the river, measured in cubic feet per second. We discussed factors that influence discharge: river depth and width, rainfall, and the velocity of the current. Next I gave them a Google Sheets template that you can copy here. The students had to do their own research to find the length and discharge for each river (Google “River name length” and “River name discharge”). They entered the data into the correct cells on the spreadsheet (using only numbers, no units). Then I showed them how to highlight the data and analyze it using the new “Explore” button in the bottom right corner. We used the Insert Chart button (top toolbar) to create graphs of the data. It was interesting to see how the length compared with the discharge. For example, the Rappahannock River is almost 6 times the length of the York, but its discharge is only 1.5 times that of the York. What does that tell us about the two rivers? We didn’t have time to do further comparisons, but I’ve added them to the template. You could convert the discharge to gallons per second with a formula (CELL*7.48052). Then convert that to bathtubs per second (the average bathtub holds 40 gallons) to help students visualize it better. You could also figure out how long it would take to drive the length of the river by dividing the total miles by 60 (assuming you are driving 60 MPH). You could even compare the rivers using the York as the unit. Take a look at a sample here.


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Oct 17 2016 October 17, 2016 December 13, 2016 NoComment by David

5th Grade Ocean Food Chain

Posted in 5th Grade, Language Arts, Science

Fifth graders at Varina Elementary have been reading and writing nonfiction text (SOL5.6 & 5.7) and they have been learning about ocean food chains in Science (SOL5.6). So today students in Ms. Primrose’s and Mr. Williams’ classes created an ocean food chain in Google drawing and wrote about it. First I gave them each a copy of a blank Google doc in Google classroom. I showed them how to add the title and change the font, size, and color. Next we had to research our food chain. The students could pick whichever sea creatures they were interested in, but they had to have the correct predator-prey relationships. For example, they couldn’t have a jellyfish eating an octopus. I explained how to open a new tab and ask Google questions like, “What is an ocean plant? What eats seaweed? What predators does a dolphin have?” Once they had their correct food chain facts, they wrote about the sequence in their Google doc. Then we clicked Insert > Drawing, and the students created their food chain diagram using images (click the Image button > Search) and arrows (click the Shapes button). Finally, we clicked File > Publish to the web, copied the link, and posted our projects to Google classroom. You can see them all here.


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Oct 04 2016 October 4, 2016 November 22, 2016 NoComment by David

5th Grade Scientific Method Videos

Posted in 5th Grade, Science

captureFifth graders at Holladay Elementary have been studying the steps in the scientific method (SOL5.1). One of their teachers, Ms. Haislip, emailed me asking if I could show them how to make a video reviewing the steps. Since the lesson was only one hour, I decided to focus on the most difficult step – identifying the independent and dependent variables (SOL5.1e), then they could add the other steps later. First we got into pairs, and I showed them how to log into WeVideo with their Google accounts. We switched over to Storyboard mode using the three lines menu in the top left corner since that’s easier than Timeline mode. Each pair of students brainstormed ideas for an experiment they’d like to do and typed the title in the Title clip of the storyboard. Next we used the record button to record their intro. They had to introduce themselves and explain the purpose of their experiment. Then they opened a new tab and searched for an image to represent their experiment. They downloaded the image and added it to their video timeline. I showed them how to record a voiceover for the photo, identifying the dependent and independent variables. Students had to convey their understanding that the independent variable is the one that the scientist changes and the dependent variable is the one that responds to the change. Finally the students added a theme with music and published their videos. We posted the links to Google classroom, but you can see some student samples here.


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Oct 03 2016 October 3, 2016 November 15, 2016 NoComment by David

3rd Grade Animal Adaptations

Posted in 3rd Grade, Language Arts, Science

captureThird graders at Varina Elementary have been learning about animal adaptations in Science (SOL3.4) and writing for a variety of purposes in Language Arts (SOL3.9). So today students in Ms. Lanham’s class wrote about animal adaptations using Google docs. This was my first lesson with them, so I wanted to introduce them to Google classroom and the basics of word processing. First I posted a blank Google doc template to Google classroom and set it to make a copy for each student. I instructed them to choose an animal they were curious about and do a bit of research in another tab. A good way to get some quick facts is just to type the name of the animal and “adaptations” into a Google search. We discussed the importance of putting the information in their own words and not plagiarizing. Then we went back to the Google doc and typed a creative title. I showed them how to change the font, size, and color of their title. Next they wrote a few sentences about some of the adaptations their animal had to help it survive. Finally, instead of simply adding a picture of the animal, we clicked Insert > Drawing so we could circle or otherwise point out the various adaptations seen in the image. When they were finished, the students published their writing and posted the links to Google classroom. You can read all their animal reports here.


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Sep 29 2016 September 29, 2016 November 9, 2016 NoComment by David

5th Grade Animated Rock Cycle

Posted in 5th Grade, Science

captureFifth graders at Trevvett Elementary are currently studying the rock cycle (SOL5.7a,b), so students in Mr. Hilton’s class and Ms. Catlett’s class created animated rock cycles using Biteslide and Gickr. First we went to Biteslide to design the rock cycle diagram. Biteslide is a paid site, but you can use the Demo for free (click “Try Demo”). It’s great for designing posters, diagrams, and slideshows because it has built-in templates, clip art, and a filtered Google image search. Students added a background image and a title. Then they searched for images of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks and labeled them. Next they added arrows with explanations describing how rocks change from one form to another. I gave them a tip for finding pictures with no background by adding “icon” to their search (“fire icon” for example). Once their diagrams were complete, we took screenshots of them using the Snipping Tool. To prepare for the animation, we deleted parts of the diagram in reverse order and continued taking screenshots until we just had the first rock type left. Finally we uploaded our screenshots to Gickr which created an animated .gif file of our diagram. You can see all their diagrams here.


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Sep 12 2016 September 12, 2016 October 26, 2016 NoComment by David

5th Grade Scientific Method

Posted in 5th Grade, Language Arts, Math, Science

captureFifth graders at Varina Elementary have been learning about the scientific method in Science (SOL5.1) and nonfiction text features in Language Arts (SOL5.6a). To reinforce those concepts, students in Ms. Rumans’ and Ms. Gallahan’s classes conducted a quick experiment and wrote about the scientific method they followed, including some nonfiction text features. First I made a copy of a blank Google doc for each student in Google classroom. I usually like to review word processing skills for my first technology lesson. I showed them how to add a title and change the font, size and color. Then we wrote about our experiment using the vocabulary words we have learned: hypothesis, independent variables, and dependent variables. I demonstrated how to make the important words bold (a feature of nonfiction text). Next we opened this template (I changed the Share settings to “Anyone with the link can edit”) and each student typed their name in column A using the row with their student number. First we timed how long we could hold our breath while sitting quietly using Google stopwatch (just do a Google search for “stopwatch”). Then we ran in place for a minute and timed how long we could hold our breath. Students recorded their times in columns B and C. The template automatically generates a line graph. After collecting our data, the students went back to their own Google docs and clicked Insert > Chart > From Sheets. They navigated to the spreadsheet we just completed and clicked on the graph. Finally we added a photo of ourselves holding our breath by clicking Insert > Image > Take a snapshot. I linked their individual documents to their names on the spreadsheet. You can check out Ms. Gallahan’s class results here.


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Apr 13 2016 April 13, 2016 August 16, 2016 NoComment by David

Kindergarten States of Matter

Posted in Kindergarten, Science

untitled_paintKindergarten students at Laburnum Elementary have been learning that water occurs in different phases (SOL K.5a): solid, liquid, and gas. Ms. Daniels has been teaching her class that other types of matter occur in different phases as well. So today her students practiced sorting matter into solids, liquids, and gases using ABCYa!Paint. This would be a great activity for Pixie, due to the abundance of stickers, however, as I mentioned before, we are having problems with Pixie showing up when kindergarten students log in with their generic login. ABCYa!Paint has enough stickers and stamps to provide a couple of examples for each phase of matter, so it worked fine for this activity. First the students drew two lines down the paper, making three groups and wrote an S, L, and G in each one for solid, liquid, and gas. Then they used stickers and stamps to put examples in each category. For gas we used the bubbles and balloons, for liquids we used the different paint splats, and most of the other images were solids. When they were finished, we saved their pictures and uploaded them to CoMemories so everyone could see them. You can see a few examples here.


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Apr 07 2016 April 7, 2016 August 16, 2016 NoComment by David

Kindergarten Living & Nonliving Things

Posted in Kindergarten, Science

CaptureKindergarten students at Davis Elementary have been learning how to differentiate between living and nonliving things (SOLK.6). Today Ms. Dickey’s class sorted pictures of objects into two groups (SOLK.1d): living and nonliving. First we went to ABCYa!Paint and drew a straight line down the center. ABCYa! Paint has become a more reliable tool for painting in kindergarten since Pixie sometimes doesn’t show up with the kindergarten login. Next we used the text tool to type “Living” on one side of the line and “Nonliving” on the other. Then the students used the Stickers and the Stamp tool to add different images to the correct category. Some of them also painted pictures of objects they couldn’t find. We even had a good debate about whether dinosaurs should go in the living or the nonliving group. Once they were finished, we saved the image with the Save button and uploaded the pictures to CoMemories. CoMemories is a great, easy-to-use webtool for uploading pictures from a variety of computers and users. It’s as simple as dragging and dropping the picture onto the webpage. Even kindergarteners can do it! You can see all their pictures here.


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