Kingdoms of living things

October 08

My fifth graders have finished their project about the kingdoms of living things. They used the wiki to collaborate on writing the characteristics of each grouop and finding pictures to illustrate each kingdom. Then, they presented their topics to the class. Visit the wiki to see the final result. They did a great job! So […]

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The Solar System

January 21

“Challenge your preconceptions, or they will challenge you.” (Vulcan proverb) Below you have a list of websites I have found while I was preparing our current unit of Science, The Solar System. But before you launch your ships and are off on a journey around the universe, take a look at the beautiful picture that […]

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Forces and Machines

January 09

“We are the miracle of force and matter making itself over into imagination and will.” (Ray Bradbury) I’ve put together some websites to help my sixth graders deal with the new unit of Science, forces. You can find my previous post about it HERE. And don’t forget to click on the fantastic picture Millan drew […]

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Beam me up, Scotty

December 11

Take a look at the incredible light bulb we made today in Science class with my sixth graders: All we needed to light up our day was: Eight D-sized batteries Mechanical pencil refills Two sets of small alligator clips A clear glass Electrical tape Toilet paper tube And this is how we did it: We […]

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The chicken wing connection

October 18

Coinciding with the current Science unit, the body, on Tuesday we dissected chicken wings to discover bones, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments in a fun way. It also gave us the opportunity to enjoy chicken wings from a new perspective although some of my toughest sixth-graders had preferred to not know them from this new […]

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Cells

September 28

Today in Science class, we had a great time looking under the microscope at different types of cells. This experiment has put an end to our current unit on living things. The goal was to examine cells in plants and animals and identify their structure: nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane and cell wall. Our main tool […]

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The scale of the universe

The other day, via Free Tech 4 Teachers, I found this fantastic interactive visualization of the scale of the universe. It features a huge selection of objects in the universe that are arranged according to size and scale; from quantum foam (very small) to the observable universe (very large). The visualization was created by Cary […]

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The Moon in 2012… hour by hour

Folks at the NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio created this animation showing the moon hour by hour as it looks from Earth over the entire year 2012. According to NASA, the tipping, tilting and rocking are due to Moon’s elliptical orbit and tilt. Captions in the video, uploaded to YouTube by TheBadAstronomer, explain in more […]

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What Is a Leap Year?

Did you know someone born on February 29th is called a leapling or a leaper? Are you on this list? Although I know I’m a few days late, I wanted to share with you this great video by Epipheo about what a leap year is, why we have leap years, and how often we have one. […]

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6th Grade – Unit 7 – The Solar System

Dear 6th Graders, Below you’ll find a few links that might be useful to prepare the new Science unit: My improved concept map (cmaptools): here Last year’s post on the subject: here NASA Television (NTV) is a resource designed to provide real-time coverage of Agency activities and missions: here NASA Brain Bites – Interesting answers to common questions […]

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Visiting NASA: A Human Adventure

Finally, yesterday I went to see the fabulous exhibition “NASA: A human adventure“, at Casa de Campo. And believe me, it is a must see! If you’re a fan of space exploration you’ll definitely want to spend a few hours at this stunning show. The exploration of space is explained through a number of evocative […]

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A Human Adventure

A few days ago, walking down the street, I noticed a poster announcing the upcoming exhibition “NASA: A human adventure“. As many of you know I love everything related to space exploration; probably derived from my fascination with science fiction literature. And because I think there’s a lot to discover “out there”. According to Muy […]

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Electric Circuits and Electromagnetism

Captain’s Log, Stardate 2011.339 For the last two days we have celebrated the 2011 edition of our classic “seminar” on circuits 😀 Like last year (here), the purpose was simple: to understand the concept of electrical conduction through series and parallel circuits. And once again, we had a great time! To top it off Alex […]

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Our Fragile Oasis

The other day, via Microsiervos, I found this great clip: a time-lapse video onboard the International Space Station while orbiting 402 kilometers above the Earth at 28,163 kilometers per hour. Time Lapse is a photograph technique that gives an accelerated view of slowly changing events. About six weeks before their return to Earth from the International […]

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Chicken Wings

Captain’s Log, Stardate 2011.293 We’ve already gotten enough satisfaction from gorging on fried chicken wings and yesterday was time to learn the science of them 😀 The purpose was to discover bones, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments in a fun way. We could also see how antagonistic muscles work in pairs: one muscle constricts whilst […]

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Researchers Night 2011

Researchers’ Night (La noche de los investigadores) takes place this year on Friday 23 September. This event offers everyone a look into the world of scientific research discovering facilities that are usually not open to public (laboratories, research centers, museum collections). A great opportunity to meet scientists in an informal environment. 7 activities will take place […]

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The relative proximity of things

Captain’s log. Stardate 2011.58 A couple of days ago, via Tech, Science and Social News, I came across this fascinating video by veritasium. If the Earth were the size of a basketball and the moon a tennis ball, how far apart would they be? Most people guessed within an arm’s length although others took a […]

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6th Grade – Geography – Unit 9

Dear 6th Graders, This week I’ve been very busy and I couldn’t find time to update my dear blog with some new posts. But now I’m back into the loop again! As you can see, this time I didn’t post any pictures made by you. If you find time and you want to send me […]

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The Frontier is Everywhere

Captain’s log. Stardate: 2011.48 A month ago, via Fogonazos, I came across this amazing video. The author, Canadian Reid Gower, combines beautiful pictures, inspiring music, and the touching voice of Carl Sagan. The funny story behind is that Reid created the video because he was frustrated with NASA. What wouldn’t he do if he was […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 8

Dear 6th Graders, I’ve put together some resources to help you deal with unit 8 of Science, Landscapes of Spain. Before we start, I would like you to take a look at the picture that Dani (6th Grade B) has done to illustrate the topic. Click on it to get a bigger view. If you […]

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Stars moving across the sky

Captain’s Log. Stardate: 2011.37 ALMA is an international partnership between Europe, North America, East Asia and the Republic of Chile to build the largest astronomical project in existence. Today, via Fogonazos, I have enjoyed a lot watching this video by photographer Jose Francisco Salgado in where you can see the movement of the ALMA telescopes […]

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Jupiter by Sixty Symbols

Dear 6th Graders, Some months ago I came across Sixty Symbols, an astonishing website run by the University of Nottingham. They produce and share sixty videos on astrophysics, each one allied to an astronomical symbol. There is also a section devoted just to the Solar System from which I have chosen this one about Jupiter, […]

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If planets orbited the Earth

Captain’s Log. Stardate: 2011.32 Today I came across this amazing video via Fogonazos. What if other planets orbited our world at the same distance as the moon? According to Brad Goodspeed, the creator of the video, “the basic idea is, each planet you see is the size it would appear in the sky if it […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 7

“Space, the final frontier“ (James T. Kirk) Dear 6th Graders, Unit 7 is one of my favorites! The Solar System. “Fascinating, Captain!”, as Mr Spock would say. So get your shields up and set phasers to ‘stun’ 😀 Before we start, I would like you to take a look at the great picture that Michael […]

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Into the universe with Stephen Hawking

Captain’s Log. Stardate: 2011.23 Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking is a very interesting science documentary mini-series written by British physicist Stephen Hawking. Today, with Publico newspaper, for just 2.50 euros, you will find the first episode, Aliens. The next two Sundays they will publish Time Travel and The Story of Everything. Enjoy. So say […]

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6th grade – SCIENCE – Unit 6 – New video

Dear 6th graders, Today, via Technology News, I found this interesting video by LexarMediaInc in which they show us how microchips are made. Did you know that it takes more than one month to make a memory chip? Really cool! Let me know your opinion. Enjoy. So say we all!!

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5th GRADE – SCIENCE – Matter

Dear 5th graders, I have found some interesting videos that could help you deal with unit 6 of Science, matter. Don’t forget to visit my last year’s post about matter, here. · States of matter: solid, liquid and gas. It also includes plasma. By cap1066: · This video describes what happens to matter at boiling, […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 6 – Freemind

Captain’s Log. Stardate: 2011.17 6th graders’ unit 6 was very easy and we had time to develop our own concept maps using Freemind, a great mind mapping application. Here are the results (Don’t forget that in order to navigate through the maps you need to have Java installed on your computer. In case you don’t […]

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6th Grade – Science – Unit 6

“The Force will be with you, always.” (Obi-Wan Kenobi) Dear 6th Graders, New year and new lesson of Science. Unit 6 is called “forces”. The Physics aspect of force, of course! 😀 As always, I have prepared my usual concept map. However, I’ve been thinking a lot and I have decided that I’m not going […]

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eSkeletons

Dear 5th and 6th graders, eSkeletons is a great website produced by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. It features interactive models of mammal skeletons. Select a model from the menu on the home page then click on any bone in the model to view it in detail. After select […]

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Lights on 6th Grade

Dear friends, As part of our current unit of Science we have been carrying out some exciting electric experiments. The purpose was to understand the concept of electrical conduction through series and parallel circuits. It’s been a great opportunity to explore the basic principles of electricity and besides, we have had a lot of fun […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 5 (Electricity & Magnetism)

Dear 6th Graders, I know you hold a magnetic attraction for Science 😀 That’s why I have put together a lot of interesting stuff related to our new unit, Electricity and Magnetism. If you click on the image below you will get a bigger view of the fantastic picture Dani (6t Grade B) has made […]

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Mars Science Laboratory

Dear  friends, The Mars Science Laboratory is a United States space agency (NASA) rover scheduled to be launched in November 2011 and land on Mars in August 2012. Its mission is to determine the Red Planet’s habitability. If you click HERE you can watch the rover being built live! And if you click HERE you […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 4

“Energy Is Neither Created Nor Destroyed” Dear 6th Graders, After our great experience at Guijo de Avila it is time to come back to earth, roll up our sleeves, and get ready for a new unit of Science. And I need all your energies because unit 4 is devoted precisely to this, energy. If you […]

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5th Grade – SCIENCE – Invertebrates

Dear 5th graders, Are you ready for a new exciting unit of Science? I have put together some really interesting links and cool videos for you to expand Unit 3, Invertebrates. This is one of my favorites! First of all, let me show you the concept map that I have prepared HERE. Remember that in […]

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 3

Dear 6th Graders, Are you ready for a new a unit of Science? I have put together a lot of information from various sources, to help you deal with unit 3, Sexual Characteristics. You can navigate through the concept map I have made. You can also download a printed version of the map from here. […]

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5th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 2

Dear 5th graders, I have prepared a lot of stuff for our new unit of Science, plants. But before we start I would like you took a look at the concept map I have made. Once more, remember that in order to run the application you must have Java installed on your computer. In case […]

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Our amazing solar system

French artist Licoti has created a spectacular artwork representing our Solar System. Click on the image above to download the full 18Mb file! (not kidding). Explore our cosmic neighborhood through the quality and size of this great picture. Licoti has also made an astonishing video that adds some interesting multimedia features. I highly recommend that […]

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The Brooklyn Space Program

The Brooklyn Space Program is a group of friends (including kids) in New York City interested in scientific experiments. And get this…they sent a balloon carrying a video camera into the upper stratosphere and they managed to recover the complete recording of the trip! Amazing! Enjoy. So say we all!!

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Unit 2

Dear 6th graders, We have started our new unit of Science, the body. I have found many links and some videos that might be helpful. But first, I would like that you explored the concept map that I have prepared. As always, remember that you need to have Java installed on your computer. In case […]

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5th Grade – SCIENCE – Living Things

Dear 5th graders, I have put together a lot of information from various sources, to help you deal with our first unit of Science: Living Things. If you click HERE you can explore the concept map that I have prepared. Keep in mind that you must have Java installed on your computer. In case your […]

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Ecosystems – Food chain

Dear friends, Click on the image above to get a bigger view of the wonderful drawing that James and Michael have made to illustrate the concept of food chain. The image speaks for itself. And it’s very funny 😀 Thanks James & Michael So say we all!!

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6th Grade – SCIENCE – Ecosystems

Dear 6th graders, We are ready to begin our first unit of Science: Ecosystems. Keep in mind that we will be working on this topic from September 22 to October 1. As always, I have prepared a concept map that you can explore here. Remember that you will need to have installed Java runtime environment […]

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Researchers’ night

Researchers’ night is a Europe-wide event that offers the opportunity to visit research facilities that are usually not open to public (laboratories, research centers, museum collections). For one night, everyone can be a scientist! The 2010 edition will be on 24 September. In Madrid 18 activities will take place in 13 venues between 18:00 and […]

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Don’t miss the Perseids on the night of August 12th!

Like every August the Earth is passing through a stream of space grit left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle causing the meteor shower known as the Perseids or Tears of St. Lawrence. The highest rates are likely to be seen in the early hours of Friday morning. This year will be even more spectacular because with […]

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How To Celebrate the Summer Solstice

Now that the spring equinox is behind us, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to commemorate the start of summer: While you consider the naked run, today a record crowd of about 36,500 people has welcomed the dawn of the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge.

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Glogster – Christopher Columbus – 2nd part

Dani and Michael were the first to finish in class the glog about Chistopher Columbus. More glogs: Irene Jaime, Rodrigo and Ramon David and Arthur Claudia and Yoli Ainhoa and Fati Charlie and Steeven Congratulations to all!!

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Glogster – Christopher Columbus – 1st part

This is the ‘glog‘ that Julia has made about Christopher Columbus at home. Congratulations Julia So say we all!!

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Amazing

Incredible, astonishing, extraordinary… Have a look at the wonderful picture that Julia has made to illustrate the last unit of Science: The Middle Ages. Click on it! As you can see it is a very beautiful picture full of detail – so much that you can even see some drops falling from the buckets full […]

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5th Grade – Science – The Middle Ages

Dear 5th Graders, Finally, we are facing the last unit of the year: The Middle Ages. Look, with the help of Spicy Nodes I have prepared a table of the contents we are going to deal with: This time we are also going to make use of our wiki, Colonial Nuggets Wiki, to get the […]

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