S.T.R.E.A.M.withMs.Gillis - Third

Fossil Find!

Fri, 04 May 2018 03:01:00 +0000

Our first Fossil find is when we get to work together as a group and uncover a fossil the way Paleontologists do out in the field! We got to use tools that were delicate and helped preserve the fossil as we uncovered it, like tooth brushes and paint brushes! Then, after we uncovered our fossil we got to discuss the following questions with our table:

1. Describe your fossil, what do you think it is?

2. How would you CLASSIFY your fossil (is it an ocean fossil or a land fossil)?

3. What kind of fossil(s) did you find? Was it a caste fossil? An Imprint Fossil? How did that happen?

4. Can you draw a picture showing us what you think life was like at the time the organism (living thing) died? Why do you think that? You must be able to explain the reasoning behind your answer.

Our fossils after we uncovered them:

Then, students got to present their fossil to the class, and describe their findings and the information they were able to gather from looking at the clues the fossil gives us! We had so much fun!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Continuing our Exploration of Fossils

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 17:51:00 +0000

This week we got to examine how Paleontologists use their findings to determine what that environment looked like long ago. For instance, did you know that there is evidence in the Grand Canyon that tells us the ocean has reached in to Arizona about 18 times! We didn't realize that world looked different from how we know it today, and how amazing it is that Paleontologists use the information they gather from fossils and the layers of dirt to learn about our past!

What we got to do is learn how to create a "Fossil Grid". By finding out where fossils where found, we got to determine what kind of Fossil they are: BEACH, OCEAN, and LAND. As we started to color the fossils based on which group they belonged to, we started to see a layer in the dirt! It was pretty cool to see how Paleontologists discover the world that happened long ago!

Next, we will get to do a Paleontology Dig and actually dig up real fossils in the sand! Then we will describe and find out all we can about our particular fossil!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Exploring Fossils and the field of Paleontology

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 18:19:00 +0000

As we continue to explore the world of Fossils, we are exploring all the ways people, like Paleontologists, use fossils to discover the past.

First, we got to use our Power School website to explore the world of Paleontology. We discovered that Paleontologists not only study and find fossils, they study all kinds of rocks, and they study life. We learned that they look at the evidence of our past to understand what life was like back then! For instance, do you know they found a whale in the desert? It was buried deep below, and let Paleontologists know that the desert was once an ocean! How wild is that!

We also explored how Paleontologists have to use what they know in order to determine what each new discovery is. If they find bones, they may only find one or two fossilized bones of a dinosaur or animal. Using what they know to be true, they make educated guesses on what animal the bone(s) belong to. We got to do that to and become Paleontologists! Our assignment? Working with our table, we took one bone out of our packet at a time, We discussed what part of the animal this bone may belong to. Then, we took a second bone out, and had the same discussion! Sometimes we found ourselves moving bones around when we pulled out more, since we got more information about the animal the more bones we had! We came up with some amazing creations. Take a look:

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Jump back in to the S.T.R.E.A.M.!

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 04:46:00 +0000

Students were ready and well rested from Spring Break to jump right in to the world of Fossils! Ms. Gillis has been teaching us how to use technology as a useful tool as we explore all the amazing information about Fossils. We have been using PowerSchool to help us navigate the internet and find useful information! After we learned about what a fossil is, we started to learn about the different kinds of fossils, starting with Imprint Fossils and Cast Fossils!

We learned that an Imprint Fossil is a print of what the fossil looked like when it rested on the surface. As the soft material (like skin and fur, or leaves) decay, there is a print left of where the material was in the Earth. Then, we learned that a Cast Fossil is when mud or material fills in the space left by the decayed material, and forms a mold of the object!

We got to test this process out by creating our own Imprint and Cast Fossils using clay and glue! Take a look:

1st step: Make the print (to be the Imprint Fossil):

and

Then, we filled them with glue to create the Cast Fossil!

Next up, we will explore the world of Paleontology by uncovering "bones" and trying to find out what animal the fossils belong to!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Have A Great Spring Break!

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 16:44:00 +0000

Since our Parent/Teacher Conference Week is next week, we will not have any more Enrichment Wheels until we return from Spring Break!

When we do, we will dive back in to the world of Fossils!

Stay Safe and Keep Exploring!

Ms. Gillis

Let off some STEAM in S.T.R.E.A.M.

Fri, 09 Mar 2018 20:06:00 +0000

Since our 3rd Graders have been working so hard, and with Spring Break right around the corner, we are going to spend the next week conducting fun experiments to help us really learn about the Scientific Process! What will we create? The popular Fluffy Slime! But we aren't just creating slime, we are also going to write a question, make a hypothesis, then test out something we want to learn about the Slime!

Question: Will the Slime harden if left in the Sun?

Hypothesis (what you THINK will happen): I think the Slime will harden after being in the Sun for 10 minutes!

When we get back from Spring Break, we will dive in to the world of Fossils, studying how plants and animals have adapted and changed over time to survive and thrive in their habitat, and more!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Testing our Hurricane Structures!

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 19:07:00 +0000

We had a lot of fun testing our Hurricane Structures in the Maker's Space and S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! A lot students' structures were successful and kept the tennis ball safe! Others were immediately fixing their structure and being real Engineers by figuring out what went wrong, what they could fix, and how they could make their structure even better. It is so much fun to see their minds at work!

Here are some finished structures:

Next, we will be getting ready to start studying the world around us through fossils, habitats, and looking at plants and animals to see how life thrives and survives throughout the years when we come back from Spring Break. Since our 3rd Graders have been working so hard, we are going to conduct some fun experiments to teach us the Scientific method for the next week before Parent/Teacher Conferences!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Building our Structures!

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:27:00 +0000

Third Graders have had so much fun building their structures to withstand a Hurricane in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab and the Maker's Space! We can't wait to have parents with us next week to see what we are creating and watch as we put our structures to the test. As we test our structures we know that as Engineers, it is about seeing what works, what we could improve, and lastly thinking about what we would do differently if we could start all over again!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Hurricane Structure

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 22:44:00 +0000

This week we have been hard at work gathering all the information we need to engineer the best structure possible to withstand a hurricane! We also learned that we will have some other challenges to keep in mind! Such as:

1. You want your structure to be as tall as possible! We are having a competition to see who has the tallest successful tower in our class!

2. We have to have a tennis ball on our structure that has to stay on when the Hurricane hits! (This is to mimick people staying safe within a structure during a natural disaster).

3. Last, how will we measure the height? We will measure the height from the ground to the top of the tennis ball! What does that mean? Where you put your tennis ball in your structure is going to really matter if you want the tallest structure in the class! You can't put it on the bottom!

We also got to start "purchasing" our materials from Ms. Gillis after creating our blueprint and really thinking about what materials we need and why. This way we know the materials aren't unlimited and we need to be resourceful with what we get, and be responsible for what we get since we won't get a replacement if we lose it!

We can't wait to get started building next week!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Power School in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab!

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 20:32:00 +0000

This week we got to work with Mrs. Ebert and Ms. Gillis to use Power School on our IPads in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! We are getting to watch videos that help us learn how to use "weaker" materials to build strong structures (like paper, aluminum foil, etc), so we are ready when we build our Hurricane Structures! We also get to see different building shapes to help us determine how we are going to build our shelter since it is right around the corner!

Most importantly, we got to learn about some of the requirements we have to keep in mind when building our structures. Some of the challenges are to build the tallest tower, and to keep a tennis ball stable on the tower as we produce wind (to mimic a Hurricane!).

We love learning how to be effective and efficient Engineers using the tools around us. We also know that we are going to have to "buy" materials from Ms. Gillis, so we are learning how to use our resources wisely! We will draw a blue print of our design, answer questions about the functionality of our design, then get to building! We can't wait!

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 3rd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.