This week's blog title is the profound exclamation of a spectacular third grade scientist. Last week all of the students had a wonderful learning experience with Lihi. She led wonderful lessons about Israel being a "start-up nation." This refers to the amazing and magnificent amount of scientific and technological advancements that are and have been made in Israel. The students discussed how and why Israel has become a nation of science and technology, and how creating new technology and making scientific discoveries and advancements are part of tikkun olam. Science can also be silly and fun. We found some clever videos produced by Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology. Check out their amazing Rube Goldberg machines - one for Pesach and one for Chanukah - at www.youtube.com/user/Technion. We are inspired to create our own Rube Goldberg machines.
Third Grade:
The third graders are studying simple machines. We've defined and identified levers, pulleys, and wheel-and axles. We had a scavenger hunt to find examples of levers, pulleys, and wheel-and axles in the science lab. After Passover break, we will design, create, and test model elevators.
Fourth Grade:
The fourth graders are studying ecosystems and energy. We've defined and identified community, population, niche, consumer, producer, and decomposer. The students compared the scientific definitions of "community" and "population" to the commonly used definitions of those words. They discovered that all plants are producers, as plants produce their own food. All animals are consumers, as they must consume food. Decomposers are plants and animals that recycle or break down materials in ecosystems. We typically think of decomposers as being "gross": mold, bacteria, fungi. However, some types of bacteria are very important for our health and survival. Some bacteria, fungi, and molds are delicious: yogurt, cheese, and mushrooms.
Fifth Grade:
The fifth graders are studying ecosystems. We've compared the scientific definitions of "population" and community" to the commonly used definitions of those words. We calculated populations of given organisms in environments and calculated the area of land certain populations would need to survive. We defined and identified habitat, niche, and diversity. An organism's niche is its complete role or function in its ecosystem. Diversity is the variety of different organisms that live in an ecosystem. Diversity is important, because all organisms rely on other organisms. The greater the variety of living things, the more resources available in the ecosystem.
************EXTRA-SPECTACULAR SCIENCE: PESACH AND SCIENCE!************
The third, fourth, and fifth grade scientists are exploring the science of Pesach. Oh! There are so many possibilities! We are focusing a big, obvious thing: leavening and bread. How and why does bread rise? What is yeast, baking soda, and baking powder? Why do egg whites and whipping cream work as leavening agents? Each grade is investigating a different question. The third and fifth graders are investigating the properties of yeast, baking powder, and baking soda. They've studied a brief history of bread, and conducted experiments with the fermentation of yeast. The third graders will translate this knowledge by baking 2 different types of biscuits (one using baking powder and one using baking soda), and comparing the taste and texture of the biscuits. The fifth graders will translate their knowledge of leavening agents by baking 2 muffin recipes - one kosher for Pesach batch and one "chometz-regular" batch. They will compare taste and texture of the 2 recipes. The fourth graders are studying the properties of egg whites and whipping cream: why do egg whites and whipping cream form stiff peaks when beaten? They have discovered that some proteins that attract water, and some that repel water. When mixed with air (like when beaten) these proteins trap air and build around the air bubbles. This creates fluffy beaten egg whites. The proteins and fats in whipping cream work in a similar way. Stay tuned for the full results of our experiments!
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