Find out what students are learning in our iLab and around our school!
Apr 26th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Arbor Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Friday in April. We hope you find inspiration in this slideshow from the National Wildlife Federation that illustrates the vital role that trees play in our lives.
For more information about Arbor Day, visit www.arborday.org .
Apr 23rd, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Our 4th and 5th graders are completing the STEM Fair projects and getting ready to create their display boards. Projects will be judged on May 1 by over 40 judges from local colleges, universities, and STEM professionals in the local community.
I’ve received a few questions from students about creating their bibliographies. Here are URls to two different on-line tools that explain exactly what information is needed for a bibliography. You will need to copy and paste the URL into your browser to visit each site. Note that we are using APA format for our bibliographies.
http://cm.oslis.org/APACitations/
http://noodletools.com/noodlebib/citeone_s.php?style=APA
Once you enter your information in either site, your bibliography is created for you with the proper format. What a terrific way to use technology!
Mar 30th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
We often mention Lutherville Lab’s Green School status when we talk about why we are so proud of our students and staff. You’ve seen our Green School flag and have read about the Environmental Club on the blog, but what does it mean for our school to be considered a Green School?
The Maryland Green School Awards Program is a holistic, integrated approach to authentic learning that incorporates local environmental issue investigation and professional development with environmental best management practices and community stewardship. The award is sponsored by The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. For more information, you can visit the MAEOE site at www.maeoe.org.
We were first recognized as a Green School in 2004 and were recertified in 2008. This year we submitted our application to be recertified yet again. Thank you to our awards committee and all of the staff for their assistance in preparing this proposal. Our application was created with Prezi and really captures what makes our school such a tremendous place to teach and learn. Take some time to view the presentation below and you’ll learn that it really IS easy being green at Lutherville Lab.
Mar 9th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Our kindergarten classes just finished a week full of learning and fun based upon the popular Angry Birds game.
In each classroom, students strengthened their reading readiness skills with several literacy games.
The learning continued with an engineering session in the iLab during which students used everyday items to design, build, test, and improve catapults. The week culminated in a whole-grade demonstration of each catapult on our tennis courts. Watch the slideshow below to follow our engineering adventure.
Mar 6th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Now that your teacher has approved your topic and question, you are ready to begin your research!
You probably have been using a page like this one to come up with questions that you will use for research (click to open): STEM Research Questions – Phase 1 . Before you begin searching for information, be sure that you have written several questions on this page that will guide your research.
You have several choices for how you will record your research notes. I will describe the choices below, but be sure to check with your science teacher in case they have a specific format that they would like you to use.
The first option is to create a Stixyboard. We modeled this in the library with all of our 4th and 5th grade classes. On your Stixyboard, you will write each research question on a separate sticky note, then record the source and the facts that answer each question. You can see a screenshot below that shows an example from one of our fourth grade classes. Notice that the example only shows part of the board. If you’d like to see the entire board, go to http://www.stixy.com/guest/181976 . NOTE: You will not use this Stixyboard for your research. You need to see Mrs. Austen to set up your own board.
The second option is to use this Word template to record your questions, research, and sources: STEM Research Table for Students . You can save the template in your own file or flashdrive. Note that the template reminds you to begin your research with World Book and netTrekker BEFORE you use a search engine.
The third option is to ask your teacher for a printed copy of the STEM Research Table. You can simply write your questions and research notes on the page.
One final option is to create your own graphic organizer or note taking sheet. You should use Microsoft Word for this so that you can open your notes at school. If you have a Web 2.0 tool that you’d like to use, please check with Mrs. Voelker first to be sure that we will be able to open the tool on a BCPS computer.
If you have any questions about your research, please let me know and I will be happy to help.
Mrs. Austen
Feb 29th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
If you are a 4th or 5th grader (or parent!), you are probably asking yourself this question. Choosing a topic and question to investigate can be the most challenging part of the STEM Fair process . We’re here to help!
If you haven’t explored the Helpful Links that are in the side-bar to the right, be sure to take a look there. The links can be found about two-thirds down the page.
I did some searching on the Internet and found some other sites/pages that might spark an idea for you. I’ve shared these links below. As always, be sure to visit these sites with an adult and have a conversation about how you could change the ideas presented into a testable question.
Be sure to comment and let us know if you found an idea that you want to try. I’ll be sure to answer any questions that you might have.
Mrs. Austen
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This site has over 40 easy-to-do science experiments that you could change into STEM investigations. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
Here are some interesting ideas about water density. You’ll need to make some changes to make these true investigations, but you may be inspired. http://www.ehow.com/info_7933688_science-ideas-changing-water-density.html http://www.ehow.com/list_6569177_aviation-science-projects.html – aviation ideas
Are you interested in evaporation? This page gives you several ideas for investigating this topic. http://www.ehow.com/info_12058383_science-projects-kids-water-evaporation.html
What do you do with all of your left-over crayons? This site gives you an idea for using them in a science investigation. http://www.ehow.com/info_7914095_science-crayon-melt-different-speeds.html
Have you ever thought about food science? This site explains how to test for the amount of gas released by different foods. http://www.ehow.com/list_6003356_food-chemistry-science-fair-ideas. html More ideas with food chemistry to explore and adapt… http://www.ehow.com/info_7957791_ideas-science-projects-cooking-food.html
What about chemistry? This site includes a recipe for home-made glue. What if you test homemade glue and glue that you buy at the store to see which has the strongest bond? http://www.ehow.com/list_6594360_food-chemistry-science-projects.html
What happens when glaciers melt or move? This site connects a melting glacier model to what 5th graders learned in their Geology Rocks unit. The model could easily be adapted to make a STEM investigation. http://www.ehow.com/info_12172858_science-fair-projects-melting-ice-glaciers.html
Ever wonder what materials would make the best insulators? Check this site for some ideas about insulators and STEM investigations. http://www.ehow.com/how_7932666_science-projects-keep-ice-melting.html
Can you hear me now! How do the materials that surround your cell phone affect the reception that you get? This page explains how you could test your cell phone as a STEM question. http://www.ehow.com/info_7935899_science-projects-topics-eighth-grade.html
How does homemade recycled paper compare to paper you buy at the store? Find out how to make your own paper that you can use to test absorbency, strength, etc. http://www.ehow.com/how_5692378_make-paper-science-project.html
Feb 27th, 2012 by Deidre Austen
On Tuesday, February 28, we welcomed over 60 visitors to the iLab and computer lab for our STEM parent Meeting. Over 30 parents attended the meeting from their homes or offices via our webinar. Thanks to everyone who participated in our first virtual meeting adventure! Plans are already underway to present separate face-to-face and webinar presentations next year.
The slideshow above includes all of the slides that were shared at our meeting. If you are having trouble viewing the Voicethread , you can download the presentation by selecting this link: ScienceFairParentNight 11-12 , and then choosing the Save button.
Here are several other resources from students’ STEM Fair folders that were discussed at the meeting:
STEM Project Timeline 2011-2012
STEM Fair 2011-2012 Student Checklist of Judging Criteria
If there are other resources that you would like to see posted, please comment and let me know.
Feb 23rd, 2012 by Deidre Austen
The photo above shows what bright ideas (pun intended!) come from the students in our Environmental Club.
Our students took an old sign that was going to be thrown away as trash, and turned it into an amazing way to educate others about our rainbow trout.
Here you see our members using the netbooks to research the life cycle and habitat of the rainbow trout and sketching a draft of the words and pictures they wanted on their sign.
Permanent markers allowed us to transfer our ideas to thin plastic sheets that we bought at a home improvement store. Mr. Paul cut the sheets to fit.
We took advantage of the warm weather and finished our signs in the learning garden.
And here are both sides of the sign – with the lights ON so that you can see our proud faces…
Feb 22nd, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Are you wondering if a certain topic will work well as a STEM Fair investigation? Do you need help deciding what kind of metric unit you will use to measure your results? Maybe you need a hint about how to set up your data table.
If you have a question about your STEM Fair project, you can post your question here and Mrs. Austen will respond. It could be that your question will help someone else figure out a problem that they are having with their investigation.
Remember that you can always ask your teacher (in person, with a note, via e-mail) as well. By working as a true learning community, we will all succeed.
Feb 21st, 2012 by Deidre Austen
Our kindergarten students visited the iLab to connect what they have learned about President’s Day, money, and the scientific method.
First, we examined a penny and identified the person pictured on the coin as Abraham Lincoln. We then watched a BrainPopJr video about Abraham Lincoln’s early life.
Next, we made predications about how many drops of water would fit on the head of a penny before the water would roll off. We recorded our predictions on the whiteboard and headed to the lab tables to practice using the pipettes and test our predictions.
Try testing this yourself and comment to let us know how many drops of water fit on your penny!
