Monday, October 12, 2015

BLAIR MOODY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL turn Dr. Seuss into science lesson


Blair Moody Elementary School students recently had an enjoyable time asking questions, defining a problem and then planning and carrying out an investigation (Science and Engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards).

They did this using Oobleck; a gooey green substance brought to life by Dr. Seuss in his book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck.  

The students identified the properties of Oobleck through hands-on exploration. What fun they had learning to become little scientists!  The teams thoroughly investigated the strange substance asking questions, and deciding how to describe the substance.  They listed all the properties they could think of and then we held a Scientific Convention.
   
The purpose of the Scientific Convention was to establish the "laws of Oobleck."  Everyone needed to agree on the properties.  After the voting was over we had a list of the "laws of Oobleck."  

With the laws in mind, students had to design a spacecraft that could land in an ocean of Oobleck.  The spaceship had to take the "laws of Oobleck" into account.  The drawing would be incomplete without labels and a written explanation (a descriptive paragraph) of how the spaceship could land in an ocean of Oobleck. 
   
In the end, the teacher explained that the students were really working and learning in the same manner as scientists do. They worked in the Science Laboratory, held a convention and designed a spacecraft.  They followed the Scientific Method, the same method that professional scientists use. 

The Viking scientists used the same processes as they figured out how to explore the surface of Mars with the Mars Rover. 






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