Dear families,
With the holidays behind us, I say let’s be happy about this upcoming year! We are going to have an outstanding rest of the year with our students!
There is one change that might make you slightly edgy but it is so important I must insist. Smile. I need your help; you are my only hope… Is there anyway you could help me out and do a little bit of homework after school? This week’s focus is on Sage. Do you remember that computer program that gives the students problems that are similar to the ones they encounter on the state tests? I really want our students to “shoot at the moon” this year. The key is to practice Sage so they get use to it. I don’t even care if they don’t get them all right. I just want them to get use to using it. Could you get on Sage in the evenings this week with your student? I’m sending home a little slip that you will sign each night that they do it. They will get an incentive on Friday if they do it every night: ten minutes of free work on Friday for every night they do it. They could get up to forty minutes of free time on Friday if they do it every night! Trust me they love free time at school. Did you notice that I said “every night” four times? Laugh. The slip coming home tomorrow will have all the information on it to login. The website is www.sageportal.org. Go to “students and families”. Go to “assignments”. Let me know if you have any trouble.
Science Fair is coming up (Did I just make your heart race?). Sorry. I’m sending home a packet to help you get organized. The best way to go about it is through www.sciencebuddies.org. They have everything you need on that website: project ideas, step by step science fair help and more. I’m going to be super aware of their progress. How about I give a week by week “to do” list here on the blog? Would that help? Okay, this is what I would do.
1. Get your trifold. They always sell out.
2. Pick a science fair question off the internet. It helps to do this because it will be able to guide you better. At least look up ones that are similar to yours to give you focus.
3. Your student needs a science fair “journal”. The judge will look at it to see the notes they took during the process. Get a .50 notebook at a store or have your student get one from me.
4. Have your student do background research on the general topic of his/her question such as “air pollution” or “DNA” (Those are my two boys’ science fair topics.). Do this for twenty minute sessions at a time. They look up a website and write down notes in their journals about what they are reading.
5. In a week or so, take these notes and help your student make it into a “Background Research Paper”. Show them how to cite their sources. The usual expectation is fourth graders do a two-page paper, 5- three-page paper and 6- 5 page paper.
6. During these few week that your student is gathering research, go get the materials needed for the actual science fair experiment. My one son needs black poster board, Vaseline and a magnifying glass as an example. Depending on the duration and time needed for the experiment, get doing it. Look through the steps on Science Buddies and look through the packet I send home to follow the scientific process.
This is where I’m at with my own sons. Good Luck. If it is any consolation, this is the home project for January and February.
I think I’ve talked enough for now. I’ll see our children soon. I’ve missed them (a little), just kidding. I’m excited to work with them again.
Take care,
Ms. Shanan
