Audrey Ward - Elementary Science Blog

 Week 13: Local Climate Change  1. What did you do in the lab today?  Today in lab, we worked in groups to create presentations about temperature, precipitation, and ag/plants. We worked to find what is happening with these globally, regionally, and locally with each category and how it is impacting Earth using data and evidence. We then presented our findings as a group.  2. What was the big question? How will climate change continue to impact Iowa’s people, environment, and communities.  3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?  Other evidence of climate change Glacier retreat From 1875 to 2004 the glacier pretty much disappeared. It is now a lake.  Its happening everywhere. All of the glaciers are turning into water.  Sea level changes Equivalent to melting 80% of glacial ice in Arctic and Antarctic  What is the Paris agreement? An international treaty on climate change that was create to limit global warming to a change of 2 degre...

Week 12: Before the Flood/Climate Change  1. What did you do in the lab today?  CLIMATE CHANGE:  What are the primary points in the video? Climate change is happening faster than most people realize, and it effects every part of the planet. Our economy is based on fossil fuels.  Other countries are doing way more with solar energy than the United States.  What are the major issues? We are ruining our planet based on the food we eat and habits that we have.  Not everybody wants climate change to be slowed down.  It affects the lives of plants and animals, not just humans.  What questions do you want us to teach you? Renewable energy versus fossil fuels.  Air quality but USA looks good.  Sea levels rising.  2. What was the big question? Has rainfall changed in Iowa globally and nationally over the past 100 years?  What is climate change? 3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?  We learned more about the goldfinch bir...

 Week 11: Weather  1. What did you do in the lab today?  In the lab this week, we first discussed the water cycle. We made posters as a group explaining how the water cycle works, and then discussed them as a class. Next, we discussed all of the terms that we know about weather and what is on the weather reports. We talked about how three variables cause weather being air, water, and heat. Finally, we worked with groups to figure out how accurate our weather apps are throughout the week. We created a spread sheet with five different weather sources that we will look at all week.  2. What was the big question? How do air pressure systems and fronts work together to create a change in weather?  3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?  N/A - Quiz  4. Read the online textbook chapter 11:  What did you learn? Warm front - the boundary where a warmer air mass is moving in to replace a cooler air mass. The air behind a warm front is warmer than t...

Week 10: Layers of Earth, Convection Cells, and Plate Tectonics  1. What did you do in the lab today?  In the lab, we shared our videos in groups and discussed how convection cells work using multiple examples. We then talked about the layers of the Earth, including the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. For example, the Earth's layers are like a hard-boiled egg or an apple. Next, we conducted a lab activity to learn about the three different types of plate boundaries.  Divergent boundaries - When two plates are pulled apart.   We see more of the whipped cream(mantle) when the rice cakes get pulled apart.  Transform boundaries - When two plates slide past each other.  The whipped cream (mantle) is pushed in whatever direction the plate pushes it.  Convergent boundaries - Subduction: when 1 plate dives under another. The thinner one will go under the thicker one.  The Graham cracker (oceanic crust) went under the rice cake...

Week 9: Earthquakes and Volcanoes  1. What did you do in the lab today?  This week in lab, we discussed earthquakes and volcanoes. First, we predicted as a group where we thought earthquakes and volcanoes occur on the world map. After predicting, we use an online website to find major earthquakes and volcanoes. We then wrote on our map where they actually occur. We discussed our findings as a whole group. My group's predictions were similar to where the earthquakes and volcanoes actually happen, because we placed our predictions along coastlines or in countries. Next, we worked in groups to learn about the three different types of volcanoes. We made a poster on the whiteboards and presented it to the class.  2. What was the big question?  How do volcanoes and earthquakes form? What are volcanoes and earthquakes?  3. What did you learn in Thursday's discussion?  Where do most volcanoes fall? Plate lines/coastlines  Wegener activity map: The continents u...

 Week 8: Geology that Kids See  1. What did you do in the lab today?  Today in lab, we started by discussing the Sweater Weather article with the class. Then we moved on to examine different types of sand under a microscope, trying to determine where each type came from. As a group, we decided on some sand samples, primarily those most likely from water. After this, we moved on to examining fossils under the microscope, identifying their types, and comparing them to rocks. Finally, we took a field trip to McBride Hall and looked through the museum. The point of this field trip was to show us how we can teach our students about these topics through going somewhere to learn, enhancing learning, and engagement. For example, they have a giant sloth at this museum, and Ted mentioned that it is important for students to see it in person to support their learning.  2. What was the big question?  How can rocks and fossils help us understand Earth’s history? How do weath...