Properties of Matter

Sorry it has been so long; there has been a lot going on in my life lately! We have ended our Washington State Geology and Convection unit, and are moving swiftly into Properties of Matter (POM). I was very familiar with the first unit, since it was what I did student-teaching. However, I am in uncharted territory, so the planning has been much more extensive.

I have been checking and rechecking my script (in my head) and boy, am I glad I have! Kids are asking new and interesting questions left and right, and I am so excited that they are! BUT--it takes a lot of work to think of a somewhat simplistic answer or another question to aim back at them to deepen their thinking skills. It has been so cool to watch the students finalize one unit (which they were so happy about) and start another one with such wonderment in their eyes. Truly a great feeling as a teacher--one of the best so far!

Right now, we are practicing measuring using the metric system. I have introduced the metric system, and we have measured length/distance. We discussed volume of solids (and measured), but are still working on volumes of liquids. I had them get familiar with beakers and graduated cylinders without liquids, and I can see that reading measurements accurately might be tough for them. Students see a lab set-up and want to get to it right away. They get a little carried away and then add error to the lab because they rushed through the measuring bit of it... So, instead of pressuring myself to keep up a consistent pace, I am going to take my time, and beat the dead horse so their measuring skills are up to par for when we make it to Reactions and Mixtures.

Other than that, we are also starting a new unit for Math: Populations and Data Sets. I think the kids will dig it because it's a lot more visual than equations are. We will be working with graphs, word problems, and could even fit in a project or two! They love using color on poster paper :-)

In another note, my family and I buried my maternal Grandfather on Tuesday, February 19th. It turned out to be a beautifully sunny day, although cold, and he is now laid to rest next to his wife. It is good to know they are together again with new bodies and in eternal peace.

More adventures to come as we get further into POM!