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Environmental Stewardship Earth as our Home	Fifth Grade Above and below 2007/2008 fifth graders completing wetland delineation field work during a very cold field trip last spring! Swain's fifth graders participate in four 40 minute science classes per week. Our class periods are filled with interactive, hands-on experiences that promote natural curiosity, interest and discovery found in young learners. In fifth grade we use the scientific method to create experiments, take data, review at results and make conclusions. We also begin writing scientific reports. In September, we will use observations, research, organizing, and analyzing, classifying, evaluation and measurements to complete an experiment with the cafeteria related to how much waste Swain produces at lunch. We will complete our Swain's new recycling plan that the fifth graders began developing last year. We will also discuss technologies that are being developed to meet the needs of an increasing world population and find out if they are environmentally sound. In October, we will discuss the GAIA hypothesis which reveals that nature is a resource that is ever renewing itself. We will further discuss the degration of natural communities, solutions to pollution, environmental laws in Pennsylvania and the United States and how our cycles (such as carbon, oxygen and water) operate on natural feedback systems. This unit will be a beginning. The children will begin to develop an understanding of how science is related to global, social, legal, and economic perspectives. In November, the students dive into wet chemistry to learn about the scientific method hands on through an analysis of a soil brought in from home. We perform child friendly tests for pH, phosphorus, potassium, and more on our soil samples. We keep journals for our labs, discuss the importance of healthy soil and how to amend soil. We look at forces that change the land and begin to understand ways to reduce soil erosion. Through our analyses on soil we also discuss forces that change air and water quality. In December, we will explode into learning about the periodic table by building and launching our hot air balloons (hopefully with the help of Mr. Stansbery). We will also construct molecules, learn about atoms, experiment with elements, compounds, mixtures and other substances! New vocabulary like physical changes versus chemical changes, chromatography, atomic mass, neutrons and more will be introduced. January will focus on the weather. We will make recipe boxes for our weather terms, complete a weather journal and make presentations about what we learn. In February, we will concentrate on our limnology unit. We will learn about oceans, estuaries, lakes, ponds and more. We will discover the patterns in aquatic systems and begin our Investigative Wetland Reports. We will complete field work, learn how to compile data into reports, learn how to read mapping and more. March will continue our limnology unit with a focus on creating our reports. We will learn about data recording, the use of photography in science, mapping, and much more. April will lighten up a bit with a unit on Outdoor Education. We will learn how to identify trees, soils and wildlife habitat. We may have time to do a few animal tracking experiments. We will also begin spending time in the school gardens doing various experiments - many of which will be determined by the curiousity of the children. In May we enjoy our inventors and inventions unit. Building bridges, paper wind turbines and more... We will explore physics and technology afterwhich each student will conduct research on an inventor of their choice, prepare a sketch and description of an invention they would like to make and share everything with the class! In June, the children will vote on a subject related to science...and Mrs. Bardman will create a curriculum based on the children's desires! ***ASSIGNMENTS - I will be sending homework home on an as needed basis. When it comes home it is expected that there will be little parental assistance, unless otherwise noted. I will also send home papers about events and information related to the subjects we are studying in science - these are not required items - they are for enrichment only. Please direct any questions or comments to me at cbardman@swain.org. YOUR CHILDREN ARE A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THEM WITH ME!! Back to Mrs. Bardman's Homepage Back to Mrs. Appel Back to Mrs. Bauman
Degradation of Natural Communities, solutions to pollution, environmental laws
Health and Wellness
Motion and Forces The Periodic Table of Elements
Measuring and Understanding Weather
Limnology
Scientific Reporting
Outdoor Education
Inventors and Inventions

Environmental Stewardship

Earth as our Home

Fifth Grade

Above and below 2007/2008 fifth graders completing

wetland delineation field work during a very cold field trip last spring!

Swain's fifth graders participate in four 40 minute science classes per week. Our class periods are filled with interactive, hands-on experiences that promote natural curiosity, interest and discovery found in young learners. In fifth grade we use the scientific method to create experiments, take data, review at results and make conclusions. We also begin writing scientific reports.

In September, we will use observations, research, organizing, and analyzing, classifying, evaluation and measurements to complete an experiment with the cafeteria related to how much waste Swain produces at lunch. We will complete our Swain's new recycling plan that the fifth graders began developing last year. We will also discuss technologies that are being developed to meet the needs of an increasing world population and find out if they are environmentally sound.

In October, we will discuss the GAIA hypothesis which reveals that nature is a resource that is ever renewing itself. We will further discuss the degration of natural communities, solutions to pollution, environmental laws in Pennsylvania and the United States and how our cycles (such as carbon, oxygen and water) operate on natural feedback systems. This unit will be a beginning. The children will begin to develop an understanding of how science is related to global, social, legal, and economic perspectives.

In November, the students dive into wet chemistry to learn about the scientific method hands on through an analysis of a soil brought in from home. We perform child friendly tests for pH, phosphorus, potassium, and more on our soil samples. We keep journals for our labs, discuss the importance of healthy soil and how to amend soil. We look at forces that change the land and begin to understand ways to reduce soil erosion. Through our analyses on soil we also discuss forces that change air and water quality.

In December, we will explode into learning about the periodic table by building and launching our hot air balloons (hopefully with the help of Mr. Stansbery). We will also construct molecules, learn about atoms, experiment with elements, compounds, mixtures and other substances! New vocabulary like physical changes versus chemical changes, chromatography, atomic mass, neutrons and more will be introduced.

January will focus on the weather. We will make recipe boxes for our weather terms, complete a weather journal and make presentations about what we learn.

In February, we will concentrate on our limnology unit. We will learn about oceans, estuaries, lakes, ponds and more. We will discover the patterns in aquatic systems and begin our Investigative Wetland Reports. We will complete field work, learn how to compile data into reports, learn how to read mapping and more.

March will continue our limnology unit with a focus on creating our reports. We will learn about data recording, the use of photography in science, mapping, and much more.

April will lighten up a bit with a unit on Outdoor Education. We will learn how to identify trees, soils and wildlife habitat. We may have time to do a few animal tracking experiments. We will also begin spending time in the school gardens doing various experiments - many of which will be determined by the curiousity of the children.

In May we enjoy our inventors and inventions unit. Building bridges, paper wind turbines and more... We will explore physics and technology afterwhich each student will conduct research on an inventor of their choice, prepare a sketch and description of an invention they would like to make and share everything with the class!

In June, the children will vote on a subject related to science...and Mrs. Bardman will create a curriculum based on the children's desires!

***ASSIGNMENTS - I will be sending homework home on an as needed basis. When it comes home it is expected that there will be little parental assistance, unless otherwise noted. I will also send home papers about events and information related to the subjects we are studying in science - these are not required items - they are for enrichment only.

Please direct any questions or comments to me at cbardman@swain.org.

YOUR CHILDREN ARE A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH!

THANK YOU FOR SHARING THEM WITH ME!!

Back to Mrs. Bardman's Homepage

Back to Mrs. Appel

Back to Mrs. Bauman