STEM

November 1, 2024

Scientist of the Week: Tucker Reichmann

This week in Science…

Fifth grade students discovered what happens in unbalanced ecosystems and how that can lead to an overabundance of algae and harmful algal blooms. In the activity, Bloom Busters, students played a game in which they obtained and combined science ideas in order to help a community respond to and prevent harmful algal blooms.

Fourth grade students explored how animals receive information through their senses and process that information in their brain, using instincts and memories to guide their behaviors. In the activity, Raccoon Reactions, students used models to understand how an animalโ€™s senses, brain, and memories all work together as a system to influence their behavior and support their survival.

Third grade students explored seasonal weather conditions across different regions. They investigated how weather patterns can be used to make predictions about future weather. In the activity, Snow Fort Weather, students organized daily temperature data from three snowy towns into a table so that they can compare weather conditions and predict which town is most likely to have the best weather for a snow fort festival next year.

Second grade students investigated the effects of rocks tumbling in a river. Based on their observations, they constructed an explanation for why there is sand at a beach. In the activity, Rocking the River, students pretended to be a river and tore up pieces of construction paper to model what happens to rocks as they travel along the river.

October 25, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Josephine Martin

๐ŸŽƒ Helmsburg Elementary had an incredible pumpkin-themed STEM day! ๐ŸŽƒ

Students kicked off the day by making predictions about the weight, circumference, and number of seeds in their pumpkins. They then weighed, measured, and counted to see how close they were! They also created pumpkin volcanoes, experimenting with baking soda, dish soap, and vinegar reactions for a hands-on science experience.

In music, they crafted pumpkin drums and string instruments, while in art, they created fizzy pumpkin paintings and paper pumpkins. Gym class featured exciting pumpkin relay races, and in science, students built towering pumpkin structures.

A huge thank you to Joey Dallas for donating the giant pumpkin and straw bales! Congratulations to our pumpkin weight-guessing winners: Rylee, Juniper, and Emmett! ๐Ÿ†

This week in science…

A BIG thank you to the Purdue Extension program for teaching all the classes about apples this week! The lesson included topics such as food waste, production, producers, consumers, healthy eating habits, and using our five senses. Third, fourth, and fifth grade students used the scientific method to determine which liquid prevents oxidation the best. Kindergarten, first, and second grade discussed pollination and the life cycle of apples including the difference between apple trees in the spring and apple trees in the fall. Of course, there was lots of apple tasting too! Students also made observations and then voted on their favorite apple based on taste and texture. 

October 18, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Eli Gordon

Fourth grade students began a new unit all about Animal and Plant Adaptations. In this unit, students explore the adaptations of animals and plants. Students investigate how the external and internal structures of an organism work together as an interconnected system that aid in their growth and survival. They also use models to explore how a combination of instincts and memories influence animal behavior.

Third grade students began a new unit called Stormy Skies. In this unit, students investigate and make predictions about the weather through careful observation of the clouds and wind. Students also learn to differentiate between weather and climate and use models to reveal global climate patterns.

Second grade students began a new unit called Work of Water. In this unit, students explore how water shapes the Earth’s surface. Students construct and use models of mountains to demonstrate that water flows downhill, and in the process, transforms huge rocks into the tiny grains of sand we find at the beach. Students also construct and use model hills to determine the causes of erosion, and to design solutions to problems caused by erosion.

First grade students carried out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experimented with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discovered that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.

October 4, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Linda Gobert

This week in science…

Fifth grade students combined what they have learned about plants, animals, and decomposers to see how they interact in an ecosystem. In the activity, Pond Ecosystem Game, students first built a pond ecosystem that will support a sunfish. To succeed, they had to make sure that carbon dioxide levels are healthy for both plants and animals. Then, students played a game called Big Fish where they competed to make a healthy ecosystem for a sunfish.

Second grade students investigated which kinds of birds are likely to visit a bird feeder based on what they eat. In the activity, Design a Bird Feeder, students first drew their own bird feeder design to attract a specific type of bird. Then they built a prototype of their bird feeder using available materials.

First grade students carried out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experimented with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discovered that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.

Kindergarten students observed different animal behaviors and worked to discover another pattern: all animals seek safety in order to survive. The activity, Gopher in a Hole, included physical movements in which students pretended to be snails hiding in their shells, praying mantises scaring away predators, and gophers popping out of holes.

September 27, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Elliott Williams

This week in Science…

Fifth grade students discovered the role fungi play in decomposing dead materials and in creating soil. In the activity, Mold Terrarium, students planned and conducted an investigation to discover the factors affecting decomposition. Students filled Ziploc bags with different types of foods and changed environmental conditions to study how different variables affect mold growth. They then observed mold growth over a period of two weeks.

Fourth grade students explored the brainโ€™s role in receiving information from the senses, processing that information, and controlling the muscles to enable movement. In the activity, Think Fast!, students tested their reflexes with two very quick experiments and one more involved activity. They learned about how we process information in our brains and then respond to that information in different ways.

Third grade students learned about how fossil dinosaur tracks revealed how quickly a dinosaur was running. In the activity, Outrunning CeeLo, students figured out if they could have won a race with a dinosaur that was just their size. To determine the winner, students compared the length of their running steps with the dinosaurโ€™s steps.

Second grade students learned about a case study in biodiversity using the frogs of North America. In the activity, Who’s Calling?, students learned to identify frogs by their unique calls and investigated which of two locations has a greater variety of frogs. After listening to recordings of frog calls, students created words that will remind them of the sounds, and then used those words to identify frog sounds in different environments.

First grade students made observations of baby animals and their parents, gathering evidence that they look similar because they share many of the same traits. In the activity, Baby Bird Rescue, students helped identify lost baby birds based on observations of their specific traits.

Kindergarten students participated in a Read-Along lesson. In the story, Sofia wonders where animals live and goes for a walk in the woods to find out. The lesson included a short exercise where students pretended to be squirrels and learned about their habitats. 

September 20, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Aubree Priddy

This week in science…

Fifth grade students developed their thinking about the predator/prey relationships between living things. In the activity, Eat or Be Eaten, students played a card game in which they made food chains with predators and prey, and producers and consumers. The students who made the longest food chains won the game!

Fourth grade students delve further into the workings of the eye, exploring the function of their iris and pupil. In the activity, Pupil Card, students added a smaller pupil to the eye model that they created in the previous lesson. Then they observed how the changing size of the pupil controls how much light enters the eye.

Third grade students analyzed data from dinosaur fossils in order to provide evidence about the appearance and behavior of those dinosaurs when they were living. In the activity, Dinosaur Detectives, students compared the traits of dinosaur fossils with the traits of modern animals in order to help a paleoartist draw a dinosaur as accurately as possible.

Second grade students solved the mystery of why a group of wild bighorn sheep would leave their usual desert habitat to visit a second, very different habitat: a local playground. In the activity, Habitat Scavenger Hunt, students recorded observations of the diversity of life found in the desert and the playground, as well as the physical characteristics of each location. Students combined these observations to create an understanding of how the living and non-living parts of a habitat support the animals that live there.

First grade students made observations of baby animals and their parents, gathering evidence that they look similar because they share many of the same traits. In the activity, Baby Bird Rescue, students helped identify lost baby birds based on observations of their specific traits.

Kindergarten students observed animal behaviors and worked to discover a pattern: all animals seek food in order to survive. The activity, Eat Like an Animal, included physical movement in which students acted out animal behaviors, pretending to be quail scratching in the dirt, raccoons wading in the water, and woodpeckers pecking a log.

September 13, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Willow Hardin

This week in science…

Fifth grade students began a new science unit called Web of Life. In this unit, students explore how organisms depend on one another and form an interconnected ecosystem. Students investigate food chains, food webs, and the importance of producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Fourth grade students began a new science unit called Human Machine. In this unit, students investigate structures and functions of the human body. Students explore how our bones and muscles are interconnected, how our eyes interact with light and impact our vision, and how our brain responds to stimuli in our environment.

Third Grade students began a new science unit called Animals Through Time. In this unit, students develop an understanding of how animals and their environments have changed through time. Fossils provide a window into the animals and habitats of the past. Analyzing the traits of animals that are alive today and comparing them to fossils, provides evidence of how these ancient organisms and environments of the past may have appeared.

Second grade students began a new science unit called Animal Adventures.  In this unit, students begin to develop an understanding of the world’s animal biodiversity. They explore animal classification and the traits that define each group. Students then turn their focus to habitats and how the surrounding environment affects what organisms live in a particular environment.

First grade students began a new science unit called Animal Superpowers. In this unit, students explore how the external characteristics of animals are essential for their survival. Students also make observations of parents and their offspring, determining how they are similar and how their behaviors help offspring survive.

Kindergarten students began a new science unit called Animal Secrets. In this unit, students use observations to understand the basic needs of animals. Students explore how animals need things to eat and a safe place to live, and also how animals can change their environments to meet those needs.

September 6, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Jaz-Leigh Davis

This week in science…

Fifth, fourth, and third grade continued learning about new science tools. They all learned how to use and read a triple beam balance scale. They weighed and recorded the mass of various objects from the science lab and compared their results with each other.

First and second grade made a Curiosity Wheel to take home and use whenever they are curious and have questions. They learned that asking questions helps scientists learn even more.

Hot and cold was the topic for kindergarten this week. Students listened to a story and then did and hot and cold sort.

August 30, 2024

This week in science…

Fourth and fifth graders learned all about our microscopes. They learned the history, how they work, and the different parts on the first day. The next 2 days were for looking at different slides and drawing and labeling what they saw.

Third grade started their week with another scientific method lab. This time they made predictions on how many drops of water they could fit on a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. They recorded their data and averaged their results. They also came up with reasons why their results may be different than those at their table. 

Kindergarten through second grade practiced with bucket balance scales. Kindergarten compared weights of objects while first and second grade counted how many cubes were equal to their objects.

August 23, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Axel Braunagel

This week in Science…

Students reviewed the steps of the scientific method and had their first investigation lab. Fifth grade students investigated what happens to gummy worms after they are left in liquid for 24 hours. Students chose between seven different liquids and formed a hypothesis based on research. They measured height, length, width, and mass before and after the worms and recorded their data, analyzed their results, and concluded if their hypothesis was correct or proven wrong.

Fourth and third grade students had a skittles lab! They predicted which color would be the most prevalent in their bag. They collected their data, graphed their results, and found their conclusion if they had predicted correctly or not. And of course they got to eat their skittles!

August 16, 2024

STEM Student of the Week: Norah Tiernan

This week in Science students reviewed the steps of the engineering design process with their first stem challenge of the school year. Students were given 12 index cards and 20 dot stickers. They had to work together to build the tallest tower in the time limit. We talked about the idea of a growth mindset and how important that is when completing stem challenges and persevering when something doesn’t go as planned. Students took what they learned the first time and completed the challenge again. They did a great job and there were some very creative designs!