Ever wonder how the weatherman makes his predictions on the news each night? Fifth grade students at OLL are studying how scientists learn about the natural world through observation and investigation. With a hint of satire and probability, students created an Origami Weather Predictor and used the contraption to foretell a weeklong forecast. The following week, students measured their predictions with the factual weather report in the newspaper. Students realized that their system lacked scientific evidence, and therefore did not have the accuracy of those in the newspaper. Students concluded that rather than using Origami, meteorologists use observations and scientific More...
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13
Sep
2011
Predicting the Weather
08
Sep
2011
Up, Up, and Away!
Third grade scientists were hard at work today in the field of aerospace engineering! Students designed and built their own aircrafts using six different materials, then tested to see which model flew the farthest. The manipulative variable came in the materials, which were all forms of paper, included tissue, handwriting, manila, looseleaf, construction, and newsprint. First the students made predictions as to which plane would travel the furthest distance. Students reported, “my hypothesis says the tissue will go the farthest because it is soft” and “I hypothesize the looseleaf paper will win because of its it is thin and the More...
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30
Aug
2011
Zooming In
Our seventh grade scientists are under investigation. Mrs. Hooey started the year with an introduction to microscopes and different apparatuses used in scientific technology. After a thorough exploration of the parts of a microscope and how each aspect contributes to magnification, students worked with lab partners to create their own wet mount slides. The experiment, which involved microscopic investigation of a newspaper clip, aided students in seeing the various strengths of the three lenses. Over the course of the year, middle school students will perform experiments using a variety of apparatuses in conjunction with classroom computers, SMART board, and iPads More...
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