Mrs. Hansen's 5th Grade Class

Donating Types of Blood

2008-04-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

For our experiment, we saw what would happen if people with different types of blood or the same donated to each other. To start we had four cups for A, four cups for B, four cups for AB, and four cups for O. This was to represent the types of blood. The cups labeled A had red water in them. The cups labeled B had blue water in them. The cups labeled AB had purple water in them. Lastly, the cups labeled O had clear water in them. The red water represented type A blood. The blue water represented type B blood. The purple water represented type AB blood. Finally the clear water represented type O blood. We also had an eyedropper we took the eyedropper and filled it up with the red water from the cup that had red water in it. Then we filled the eyedropper up with purple water out of the cup that had purple water in it. Next we filled the eyedropper up with blue water from the cup that had blue water in it. Lastly, we filled the eyedropper up with clear water from the cup that had clear water in it. We did this one at a time and each time we put a different color of water into the cups labeled A which had red water in them. Then we did the same thing with the cups labeled B, AB, and O. In this experiment we found out that people with A can donate to people with A or AB blood. They can’t donate to people with B or O. People with b blood can donate to people with B or AB blood, they can’t donate to people with A or O blood. People with AB blood can donate to people who have AB blood, but they can’t donate to anyone else. Type O blood can donate to everyone You could tell if it was safe or not safe if the color changed. By: Bridget and Morgan

The Bone Burrito

2008-04-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

by Akaela and Brody We were studying bones in science and we decided to build a model showing the different bone layers. It is called the Bone Burrito. The taco shell represents the periosteum which is the top layer of the bone. The jelly represents the bone marrow. Found in the bones it makes red and white blood cells and platelets. The angel food cake represents the spongy bone of the cancellous. The Nutter Butter represents the compact bone which is the Hard Bone. The licorice represents the blood vessels that take blood to different parts of your body. To make the Bone Burrito you need a taco shell, jelly, angel food cake, Nutter Butters, and licorice. First you take the taco shell and lay it flat, then you put the Nutter Butters on the taco shell. Next you will need angel food cake and you put that on top of the Nutter Butters. Fourth you will put the jelly on the angel food. Then you roll it. After you fold it you will put the licorice around it. That is how you make the Bone Burrito.

The Strongest Bone in Your Body

2008-04-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

We tested to find out what the strongest bone in your body was. We did an experiment where we had four different note cards, which stand for the shapes of the bones. There was a tee pee, a square, a long cylinder, and a short cylinder. We found that the cylinder shaped bones are the strongest shaped bone in the body was. The cylinder shaped bones are found in your arms and legs.
First you need a piece of paper and four note cards to make the shapes. Then we used paperback books and laid them on each shape. When we got twenty paperback books we started using hard back math books. The piece of paper is to record how many books each shape held.
The long cylinder shape held twenty paperback books and four hardback math books. The short cylinder shape held twenty paperback books and three hardback math books. The square held twenty paperback books and one hardback math book. The teepee didn’t hold any books at all.
By Sara and Rebecca

Spine Model

2008-04-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

The experiment we did was to show how the spine worked and what it is made out of. We used pipe cleaners, Gummy lifesavers, and round noodles. First, we put some noodles on a pipe cleaner. This represents a spine without cartilage. This spine would not bend. The noodles scraped against each other and broke easily. Then we took another pipe cleaner, noodles, and gummy lifesavers. We put the noodle on first followed by a gummy lifesaver, then another noodle. We continued this pattern until the pipe cleaner was full. We moved this spine and it moved smoothly, because the cartilage allowed the bones to move freely. This represents our spine. The pipe cleaner represented the spinal cord, Lifesavers are cartilage, and noodles are bones. Without cartilage, we would not be able to move very well and we could break the vertebrae easily. By Amanda and Robby

Clogged Arteries

2008-04-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Our experiment shows clogged arteries and how important it is to eat healthy. In our experiment we used two cups, a funnel, peanut butter, a bent paper clip, a stopwatch, and water. First we filled up a cup of water. Then we took the funnel and put it over the empty cup. Next we poured the water through the funnel and into the cup. The spout of the funnel represents arteries. When we poured the water through the funnel we timed how long it took for all the water to go through. It went through quickly and it represented a healthy artery. Then we put peanut butter in the spout of the funnel and with the bent paperclip made a hole so we could see daylight. Next we put the other empty cup under the peanut butter funnel. We took the same cup of water we used before and poured that in the peanut butter funnel. We had to pour very slowly because it took longer to go through the peanut butter. This represented somebody’s artery if they ate unhealthy. That is our experiment!

Bone Dissecting

2008-04-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Our class dissected a chicken bone to find out how many layers we have in our bones. The first layer is periostium which is the white part of the bone. The second part of the bone is the compact bone that is the hard part of the bone. The third part is the spongy bone. The last thing is bone marrow. It makes blood cells and sends them into the veins. Those are all the parts of the bone. We thought it was just compact bone and bone marrow but we found out a lot more than we expected. To find the layers of the bone we first broke the bone in half. Then we looked inside the bone. There is some black stuff that is the bone marrow. The spongy bone looks like an orange red color. The compact bone had veins in it and is hard. The periosteum is the white part of the bone but we can not see that layer. Thanks for reading. Check out our next blog.

Blood Cycle

2008-04-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

One day we made a huge body out of string and put it on the floor. Everybody had a part that they had to be. Two people represented the lungs, four people were part of the four heart chambers, one person represented the small intestine, there were two people to be an example of the body cells, and there was one person that had to be the kidney. The rest of the class had to be the blood. The blood cells had to go through one side of the heart. Then they stopped at the lungs to pick up oxygen. Then they went out the other side of the heart. After that they went to the small intestine to pick up the food card. Next, they went to the body cells to pick up a waste card and a carbon dioxide. But before they leave they had to pick up and drop off their food and oxygen cards. Then they went to the kidney and dropped off their waste card. Next, they go through the heart and give their carbon dioxide card to the lungs. Then the cycle starts all over again. That’s how our fifth grade class learned about the path that blood takes through our bodies. The End!

Bottle Lungs

2008-04-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

We were studying the Respiratory System. We learned about the diaphragm, and how it helps us breathe. So we made a model using: A plastic pop bottle cut in half Two balloons Tape Scissors Using the scissors we cut the top of one balloon off. Then we put the second balloon down through the top, and bent the excess over the nozzle. With the first balloon we stretched it over the bottom of the pop bottle and taped it there. The bottom balloon represents the diaphragm. When you pull it down the inside balloon inflates represents us inhaling. When you push the balloon up the inside balloon deflates representing us exhaling. Kasi & Hattie

How Does Light Travel?

2007-10-22T12:13:00.002-07:00

How light travels. These are the steps we went through and how we got our claim and evidence. Step 1 We got the paper with a hole in it. Step 2 We got the flashlight. Step 3 We got the golf ball with a string on it. Step 4 We got a black sheet of paper. Step 5 we shine the light at the sheet of paper. Step 6 we shine the flash light at the black sheet of paper. Step 7 we shined the flash light at the golf ball. This is what we came up with after we did all the steps. Light travels in a straight line until it hits something. The evidence to come up with the claim is when we shined the flash light at the note card with the hole in it, the light went through the hole but not the card. Then we shined the light at the golf ball which created a shadow. We learned that light travels in a straight line until it hits something, and then it either bounces back or goes through it. That is how light travels.
By Sara and Brody

Concave Lens

2007-10-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

During this experiment we had a lot of fun. We used a lens, fire, whiteboard, and yard stick. We put the white board about a yard away from the flame. Then we put the lens in between the flame and the white board. That made a light on the white board. We moved the lens away from the fire and the light on the white board got bigger. When we moved the lens toward the white board it got smaller. Some times the light on the board was an up side down flame. That’s because the lens is concave. That also goes along with our eyes. When we see images they go through our eyes upside down and our brain tells it to be right-side up. Then we measured out which inch the flame appeared on the white board with the yard stick. Our claim said, the light got bigger on the white board when we moved the lens away from the fire inches at a time. Our evidence said, we started moving the lens away from the fire. As we moved it the light on the white board got bigger. It looked like the flame was up side down, and it got bigger. Once the light got bigger it got dimmer, and once it got smaller it got brighter. That is what we did and learned in this experiment.

How Does Water Affect Light?

2007-10-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

We went through five stages to reach the claim of this experiment. The first stage we went through, we looked at a newspaper covered with a slide and a droplet of water on it. To start, we looked at the slide with the droplet of water on it and it showed us that the water droplet on the slide made the words on the newspaper bigger, or magnified. The second stage that we went through was the pencil in the water. From that experiment we learned that the light that shines on the water makes the pencil look bent, or not straight. The third stage that we went through was a penny, a tin pan, and some water. The penny was on the edge of the tin pan and we got far enough away from it that we couldn’t see it anymore. Next, we poured water in the tin pan and we could see the penny. After that stage we learned that when light hits an object, in water, the light will refract. The fourth stage that we went through was with a jar of water and a piece of paper with an arrow on it. The arrow was on the other side of the jar of water when we looked through it. From looking through the jar, we saw that the arrow was going the opposite way and the lines weren’t straight. From that stage we learned that the water in the jar will make the arrow go the opposite way then the arrow is really going, and a lot bigger then it really is. The last stage we went through was with two toilet paper rolls and a pan of water. We learned that the two tubes will be lined up when you look through them when the pan of water is in between them, but when you look above they won’t be lined up. So we learned that light can make things in or beside water look different. We also learned that refraction tricks your eyes. Over all we learned better to do experiments than to read in our science books.
The End
By Hannah and Bridget!

How Does Light Reflect Off Different Objects?

2007-10-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

In this experiment we were trying to find out how light reflects off different objects. The objects we used were a mirror and a bouncy ball. We bounced the bouncy ball off the mirror to see how light reflected of the mirror. We saw that if you threw the ball at an angle it would bounce at the same angle when it comes up. If you dropped the bouncy ball straight down it came straight back up.

Claim. When light comes down at an angle it bounces and continues in the same direction you threw it. Only if light hits a smooth surface. If light hits a rough surface it bounces in many different directions.

Evidence. When we bounced the ball off a smooth surface, the angle we threw the ball was the same angle as the angle after the bounce. When we bounced the ball off a rough surface it went in many different directions. Mrs. Hansen took a piece of crinkled up foil and shined a lazar light on the foil, it reflected in many different directions. So, no one could see it. She shined the lazar on a smooth piece of foil and it reflected off and came to the back of the room and everybody could see it. What surprised us the most was that the ball did the same thing as the light.

Morgan, Hattie, Jackie

Rainbows

2007-10-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

By Akaela and Marlia
We’ve done plenty of experiments. One of them was to find out how we get rainbows out of light. Here’s what we did. Mrs. Hansen gave us a magnifying glass, and a prism. We went outside and used them. We held the prism, and turned it until we saw a rainbow. Then she gave us some more objects. She gave a lens and a flashlight. We used those objects in a dark room. We held the prism up to the flashlight and we saw the rainbow, then we tried the lens too. It made a rainbow too! One of the reasons why we’re seeing this rainbow is because light is made up of all the colors of the rainbow. Mrs. Hansen took some water and a mirror. It made a bigger and clearer rainbow. The reason why we’re seeing this rainbow is because, when light hits a clear object it slows down and bends. That’s what makes a rainbow. The colors in the rainbow are mixed together. The way we showed this is by making a color wheel. We put a string in the middle of it and twisted it up. Then we let go of the string in the middle. As we let go of the string we pulled out. The color wheel went in circles, and it looked all white. So the way we’re seeing the rainbow is because, when the light hits the clear object, the light slows down and bends showing the colors.

What Happens When Light Hits Objects?

2007-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

When we did this experiment, we shined the light through all the different things, like tin foil, wax paper, construction paper, press and seal, glass, pink, yellow, and white tissue paper, plastic lid, and paper sack. The light went through some of them and that is called transparent. Then the light went through but was absorbed and didn’t continue and you could still see the light, which is called translucent. After that we shined the light at a different object and it didn’t go through, that is called opaque. Our claim from this is when you shine a light at something it will stop, go through, or reflect back. To find this we shined the light at different objects and it let different amounts of light go through. We learned that light only goes through some objects but not all objects; also they have different names like, opaque, translucent, and transparent.
Derek, Leah, and Kayla

What Happens to Light's Reflections When It Hits Different Objects?

2007-10-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

For this experiment we were only given spoons to use. Our claim was that objects that curve inward you see your reflection is upside down. But in objects that curve outward you can see your reflection right side up that is if they make a reflection. Our evidence was when we looked into the inward part of the spoon we saw our reflection upside down. This shape is called concave. But when we looked on the outside part of the spoon we saw our reflection right side up but it was longer and bigger. This shape is called convex. We learned that difference between concave and convex.

By: Amanda, Kasi, Robby

SWH approach to science

2007-10-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

This year we are studying science in the SWH approach. Science Writing Heuristic is an inquiry based science method, where students will learn about different areas of science through inquiry.
WHY? Teaching science has always been exciting to me, but I found trying to get through all the Standards and Benchmarks in a school year was very difficult. We have been teaching science in a spiral format where students would learn a little bit each year on the same topics. This never gave us a chance to get very deep, because we had to cover every area each year. This usually meant we did very little hands on, or if we did do experiments they were teacher directed. I would stand up front and tell them what was going to happen and why. Students would watch and say okay. Then they would spit back the information they memorized for a test and forget it.
SWH is not this way. In the SWH format, students create questions about a topic, and I will find different activities to help answer the question. We create Concept Maps, questions, and then make Claims and Evidence. When doing the experiments they are given the supplies, but not step by step directions. They work in small groups to discover ideas that might not all be the same, but they will have to prove what they come up with. The neat thing is they find out more this way then if I gave them what they were to discover. Students are directing their learning and really finding out why things happen, instead of being told why it happens.
After working with their supplies, they have to come up with a Claim of what happened. Then they add the evidence to prove their claim. Each group will present what they came up with and the class then asks questions if they feel they did not prove their claim. If their claims are not proven we use the experts to find out what is happening. We have several books about our topic and computers to find answers to back up what we discovered. When we are done we discuss the results and do some quick writes to explain the experiment.
We started the year with a difficult concept of Light. Our Big Idea is light is a form of energy. We have completed several experiments helping us learn about light. We will be posting in our Blog each experiment we do and what we discovered.

Stay Tuned.