Fossil Find!

3 May, 2018

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

30 Apr, 2018

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

23 Apr, 2018

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.!

12 Apr, 2018

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!

23 Mar, 2018

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.

9 Mar, 2018

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!

5 Mar, 2018

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!

23 Feb, 2018

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

14 Feb, 2018

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!

9 Feb, 2018

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.

Witnessing some EX -S.T.R.E.A.M. Erosion!

25 Jan, 2018

We had a lot of fun with our Erosion Experiments! Take a look:

Before

After

After we finished our Erosion Experiment, we all got to talk and work together to answer the following questions:

What did you learn?

What would you change?

How do you think this affects the world around us?

Where can you find erosion in your community? Give as many examples as you can!

Next, we will start focusing on building a shelter that will protect our family and us from a Natural Disaster, specifically: a HURRICANE! We will study what a hurricane is and the ways people have already started designing structures to give us some ideas of what we can do when we build our own structures. Our students have been bringing in a lot of recyclable material so it looks like we are almost ready to get started! (Parents: THANK YOU for all your help with saving recyclables and bringing them in to the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab these past few weeks!).

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.

The Effects of Erosion

23 Jan, 2018

As we continue gathering materials for our Natural Disaster Shelter Project, we get to continue focusing on all aspects of Weather and Climate!

Working with our groups, we will get to perform a fun Erosion Experiment using:

a tray

sand

a cup

water

and a ruler!

We will collaborate with our groups to create a natural landscape on our tray. We will include mountains, hills, valleys, caves, pathways for streams, and more! Then, we will tape our cup to a ruler to rest on top of our tray. Next, we poke a small hole in the bottom of our cup, and fill it with water. Last step, we can't forget to prop our trays up to help the flow of water to the bottom of our landscape! We then get to observe how water changes the look of the landscape over time. Maybe our mountains will crumble, our valleys will change, our caves might collapse, etc.. We won't know until we try it!

Looking to interact with your child and learn about something Scientific at the same time? Take them to Torrey Pines Trails! There are multiple examples of erosion all around, especially when you get down the beach and can look at the cliffs! All around we see signs of erosion if we just learn how to 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.

The Impact of Weather around the World

16 Jan, 2018

Our 3rd Graders have been learning all about Weather and Climates in their classrooms. What does that mean? Time to put that new knowledge to the test in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! We got to be researchers and use our IPads responsibly to look up Severe Weather Storms, and devise a plan on how we would stay safe depending on the type of storm!

Next, we are going to start gathering materials for us to be Engineers and design and build a shelter that would keep us safe during one of these storms or Natural Disasters! Have any recyclable materials at home? Please bring them in to donate to our S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! What are we looking for?

Things like:

Egg Cartons

Toilet Paper/Paper Towel Rolls

Cardboard

Boxes

Empty Water Bottles

String/Yarn

Craft Sticks (Popsicle Sticks)

Thanks for all your support! If you have these materials and would like to donate, please bring them in to the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab before Jan. 29 anytime before or after school!

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.

Intro to UnBalanced and Balanced Forces as we Bounce Back from Break!

16 Jan, 2018

After coming back from Winter Break we got to have fun in the Maker's Space learning about Balanced and UnBalanced forces. We then got to build creations, just like Dominos, using UnBalanced forces! We had a lot of fun building and creating while getting back in to the groove of school.

Next, we will dive back in to the world of Weather Impacts and become researchers as we discover the climates in different regions of the world. Then, after gathering all this amazing information, we will organize our data by creating charts so we can understand the similarities and differences we would find in different areas!

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.

Weather Impacts the World Around Us!

18 Dec, 2017

After working hard as Engineers it is time to dive back in to being Scientists as we explore the Impact of Weather in the world around us! Since Winter Break is right around the corner we are going to get started on this unit by conducting weather experiments this week! First will be to create a Tornado in a Jar.

By observing this weather phenomenon we will get to understand how Tornados form. For most of our students they have never seen a Tornado, and it isn't weather we have to watch out for here in sunny San Diego. They will hypothesize about what will happen when we place all the materials in the jar, and build a conclusion after observing the experiment about the impact this weather could have on the land when it naturally occurs!

Then, we will get to conduct a Volcano in a Cup experiment that allows us to see how a volcano works while giving us an introduction to chemical reactions! By observing these natural phenomenons we are building our knowledge of different weather and geological features that impact the world around us!

Have a fun and safe Winter Break!

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.

Time to Test!

11 Dec, 2017

This week we finished building our bridges, and now it is time to test them out! Students determined that to test the bridges we would do the following:

To create similar conditions to high winds, we decided to use a blow dryer!

To create similar conditions to an Earthquake, we decided to shake the table and see how the bridges withstand the unbalanced force!

To test if a automobile/vehicle could safely cross our bridge we got a toy School Bus to drive across the bridge!

Last but not least, we wanted to test the durability of our bridges under weight. We got a Mason Jar, filled it with water, and gently laid the Mason Jar horizontally across our bridges since we determined that is a way to distribute the weight evenly. Then, students could test the Mason Jar vertically if their group decided to. We had a lot of fun testing and our bridges did very well!

Next, we will move on to looking at the impact of Weather in all different types of habitats and climates, and figure out why certain natural disasters occur in certain areas!

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 Bridges

5 Dec, 2017

To prepare for building our bridges we got in to groups and started by drawing out our design for our bridges. We had to determine which style bridges we are going to build (Arch, Truss, Beam/Pillar, Suspension, Cable Stay) by collaborating and cooperating with our groups. This week we got to start building our bridges! As we started with our materials (popsicle sticks and glue) we realized how different building a 3D object is then drawing a 2D picture. Some groups decided to revisit their plans/designs so they are constructing something they know they can accomplish!

We will continue building our bridges in the Maker's Space and when we are done we will get to test them out! The rules we had to follow are:

1. The bridge needs to hold ~3 lbs (pounds).

2. The bridge needs to withstand high winds and Earthquakes (since that is the Natural Disaster we determined occurs in California).

3. The bridge needs to be between 12 to 18 inches long, and the width needs to be a popsicle stick.

We can't wait to see what we come up with!

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.

Welcome!

20 Nov, 2017, No comments

Our 3rd Graders got to kick off November in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab by making Crystals in a Cup! This gave us an introduction to how we set up an experiment using a Hypothesis, taking exact notes with our Experiment Check-Ins, as well as writing a conclusion and discussing what was a success and what we would change. We learned as Scientists it is important to understand that when things don't work the first, second, or third time in an experiment, it just means there is more exploring to do!

Up Next...

We are becoming Engineers and learning how to build bridges that can withstand different forces (balanced and unbalanced) by using Natural Disasters that can occur in different areas. By studying and researching the weather and climate in certain areas, we will be able to build a bridge that can withstand the elements in an area! When we are ready we will build our bridges and test them in our Maker's Space!

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.

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