Super+Science+Page

=__Super Science Page__=

One science journal entry due every Friday unless otherwise noted on the home page. A grading rubric is pasted into your student's notebook.
 * Weekly Homework**

Links to science sites can be found in my Portaportal: [|Ms. Bowen's Portaportal] Guest access is d-fly. Ask your student about his or her username and password for //Discovery Education.//


 * Items are listed from current unit of study to completed units of study.**

Oceans
This is my second favorite unit of study! Students will need to know the following: The student will investigate and understand characteristics of the ocean environment. Key concepts include a) geological characteristics (continental shelf, slope, rise); b) physical characteristics (depth, salinity, major currents); and c) biological characteristics (ecosystems). ||||||  ||
 * Standard 5.6
 * Standard 5.6
 * Our science SOL is May 17th! Review materials will continue to come home in backpacks. Please look for them and go over them with your fifth grade scientist. ||||  ||
 * Our science SOL is May 17th! Review materials will continue to come home in backpacks. Please look for them and go over them with your fifth grade scientist. ||||  ||

**Living Systems**
The student will investigate and understand that organisms are made of cells and have distinguishing characteristics. Key concepts include a) basic cell structures and functions; b) kingdoms of living things; c) vascular and nonvascular plants; and d) vertebrates and invertebrates.
 * This is my favorite unit of study! I wish we had more time to use the microscopes and make more observations of living things.**
 * Our big idea for this unit is: A system is a group of parts that work together to form something larger and more complex than they would be if the parts were working all alone.**

[|Grade 5 Science VDOE]
 * You can find out more by going to the following VDOE site and clicking on the Grade 5 Science Curriculum Framework.**


 * Test on Tuesday, May 8.**

Light and Sound projects are due Wednesday, April 11. Click the box below for the project description. I will post our rubric after we create it as a class.

Light and Sound Unit Big Ideas:
Sound and light are both forms of energy that travel in waves. Go to [|Electromagnetic Spectrum] to learn some interesting facts about light!

a) frequency, waves, wavelength, vibration; b) the ability of different media (solids, liquids, and gases) to transmit sound; and c) uses and applications (voice, sonar, animal sounds, and musical instruments).
 * 5.2** The student will investigate and understand how sound is transmitted and is used as a means of communication. Key concepts include

a) the visible spectrum and light waves; b) refraction of light through water and prisms; c) reflection of light from reflective surfaces (mirrors); d) opaque, transparent, and translucent; and e) historical contributions in understanding light.
 * 5.3** The student will investigate and understand basic characteristics of visible light and how it behaves. Key concepts include

//Completed Units//

Matter Unit Big Ideas: Test on Feb. 6

 * Matter projects due Feb. 6.**


 * Project documents:**
 * =====Everything, no matter how large or small, is made up of particles too small to be seen without help from technology.=====

5.4 The student will investigate and understand that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space; and occurs as a solid, liquid, or gas. Key concepts include a) distinguishing properties of each phase of matter; b) the effect of temperature on the phases of matter; c) atoms and elements; d) molecules and compounds; and e) mixtures including solutions.

Geology Unit Big Idea: Test on Jan. 9th!
Students should understand that __Earth's surface is constantly changing.__ (SOL 5.7)

Students should know that these changes are the result of:
 * the basic structure of the earth
 * plate tectonics
 * weathering, erosion, and deposition
 * human impact

Students should be able to:
 * apply basic terminology to explain how Earth’s surface is constantly changing.
 * draw and label the rock cycle and describe the major processes and rock types involved.
 * compare and contrast the origin of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
 * identify rock samples (granite, gneiss, slate, limestone, shale, sandstone, and coal), using a rock classification key.
 * make plausible inferences about changes in Earth over time based on fossil evidence. This includes the presence of fossils of organisms in sedimentary rocks of Virginia found in the Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain/Tidewater.
 * describe the structure of Earth in terms of its major layers — crust, mantle, and outer core and inner core — and how Earth’s interior affects the surface.
 * differentiate among the three types of plate tectonic boundaries (divergent, convergent, and transform) and how these relate to the changing surface of Earth and the ocean floor (5.6).
 * compare and contrast the origin of earthquakes and volcanoes and how they affect Earth’s surface.