Book Club

We analyzed Solar System statistics and plotted graphs all morning.

We found that there is a strong correlation between a planet’s distance from the sun and the time it takes to orbit.  There is a weak correlation between the diameter of a planet and the strength of its gravitational force because they have different densities.  There is a correlation between how close to the sun a planet is and its average temperature but Venus is an outlier.

In the afternoon we read and wrote riddle poems.  Here’s one more for you.  A tick if someone can solve it by tomorrow:

A box without hinges, key, or lid,

     But golden treasure inside is hid.

Remember we have the field trip tomorrow.  Bring an umbrella and your health card if you have one.

Today we gave out the Scholastic Book Club forms.  Please note that (a) it is possible to order for yourself online rather than through the school, and (b) these books are currently unavailable:

Sold-out Products

The following products appear on our printed leaflets but have now sold out.

May Primary 2016

360	Murderous Maths Pack x 4
479	Tom Gates: Super Good Skills (Almost…)
436	The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig Pair
321	Scholastic English Skills Workbooks Year 3 Pack x 4
380	David Walliams Pack x 7
449	Goosebumps Classics Pack x 21
385	Dork Diaries Pack x 10
305	Geronimo Stilton Heromice #4: The Perilous Plants
92	Dr Seuss Pack x 4
149	The Selection #5: The Crown
306	Geronimo Stilton: Thea Stilton and the Lost Letters
346	Icky Sticky Readers: Super Sharks
338	Geronimo Stilton Heromice: The Invisible Thief

May Teen 2016

2018	David Walliams Pack x 7
2064	The Unexpected Everything
2103	The 5th Wave: The Last Star
2066	The Selection #5: The Crown

 

 

 

Many Moons

In math we are analyzing statistics about the moons of the planets.  One tick tomorrow if you can tell us something really interesting about any of the moons except ours.

We started writing poems about the sun.  We will soon start to write about the planets for a Talent Show performance.

 

Homework

1. Read for at least 30 minutes every night.  Record it in your log.
2. Use Khan Academy for a total of one hour over the week.
3. Practice the spelling words (below).
4. Continue the planet advertisement from last week.  It is due on Friday.

 

Spelling List 1

mixing       boxing       waxing

kneel          knelt          teach          taught          bring          brought

deal             dealt           sweep        swept            send           sent

wade           trudge         torrent      scald             fugitive

 

Spelling List 2

nation          nationality          human          humanity

relate            relative                able                ability

narrate         narrative

annihilate        fortnight             annihilate      fugitive          trudge

methodically         optimistic         pessimistic         capable         vigilant

 

A Few Reminders

– The Science Fair is on tomorrow from 2:30pm.  Parents are invited.  It starts in the cafeteria.

– The reading log is due tomorrow.

– The spelling test is tomorrow.

– Please share one interesting fact about your planet and how you will present your project.

– Field Trip forms and money are due tomorrow.

– ES Talent Show forms are due on the 25th.

Phew, I think that’s it.

A while ago we made sundials as an extension activity.  Some people didn’t get a chance.  Use this link to find the design and make your own at home.

Solar System Project

Today we examined the scale of the space between the planets of the Solar System.

If the Solar System were scaled down so that the sun had a diameter of 10mm, Mercury would be 42cm away.  Neptune would be more than 30m away.  The four inner, rocky planets are closer together and the outer, gas giants are spaced further apart.  We modeled this out on the soccer field:

The sun is in the foreground.  Can you see Neptune all the way over at the back?

The nearest star would be almost 300km away, or twice as far as Taipei.

I used this online program to scale the Solar System.

This program shows you where the planets are right now.

Here are two songs about the planets in the Solar System:

 

Homework:

1. Read for at least 30 minutes every night.
2. Practice the spelling words (below).
3. Use Khan Academy for a total of one hour over the week.
4. Challenge: Made a travel advertisement for a planet (or the moon or comet).  It can be in the form of a brochure, a PowerPoint, a website or another format negotiated with Mr. Connelly.  Research the planet first.

You may find these websites helpful:

Easy:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/space/solarsystem.html

https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMF8WVLWFE_OurUniverse_0.html

http://www.dkfindout.com/uk/space/solar-system/

More difficult:

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_System

http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-neptune.html

http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm

The project is due in about two weeks, on Friday, April 29th.

 

Spelling List 1:

shopping          bragging          batting          grabbing          skidding

stuffing             swimming       pinning        warring            guessing

snooping          managing        singing          lighting           making

tripod                bolted               nerve              elusive             cordon

 

Spelling List 2:

condemn          condemnation          muscle              muscular

sign                    signature                    signal

select                 selection                      magic                 magician

elusive               perplexed                    belligerent           smoldering

novelty               combustible               stupefied              tentacle

luminous

 

The Scale of the Solar System

Today we investigated the scale of the solar system.

If we shrank the solar system down so that the sun had a diameter of 1,000mm, what would be the diameter of the planets?

We estimated and then checked.

Here are the answers:

Sun:  1,000mm

Mercury:  3.4mm

Venus:  8.6mm

Earth:  9.1mm

Mars:  4.8mm

Jupiter:  102.7mm

Saturn (without rings):  83.6mm

Uranus:  33.7mm

Neptune:  32.6mm

And just for old time’s sake, Pluto:  1.6mm

We each made a planet to scale and put it next to the scale sun.

Next time in science we will examine the scale of the solar system in terms of how far apart the planets are.  For this, we will shrink the solar system down so that the sun has a diameter of only 10mm.

Here are some cool videos we looked at in class:

How big are things?

 

Meteor shower in Siberia

Fah Zhi Visit

Today Fah Zhi students visited us.  They performed a song and prepared some science activities.  Later we played some games.  We had lunch together.  It was a fun time.

Remember that there are no after school activities or late busses tomorrow due to TAIMUN.

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Negatives

We solved word problems that we wrote ourselves.  The answers were in negatives.

For example, Joe went shopping.  He had $43.50.  He spent $72.25.  He was able to spend more money than he had because he used his credit card.  How much money does he have now?  Because he is in debt, the answer is a negative amount.

We made a plan for a story involving aliens.  We went to the library for borrowing and reading.

 

Homework

1. Read for at least 30 minutes every day.  Record your reading in your log.
2. Practice the spelling words (below).
3. Use Khan Academy for a total of one hour over the week.
4. Challenge: Write a book review for a book you read over Spring Break.  Remember, the review should only say a little about what happened in the book and should say a lot about what you thought of it, what kind of person might like it and whether you recommend it.  Give the book a star rating out of five.

 

Spelling List 1

reach          reached          reaching

wait            waited             waiting

pass            passed            passing

burn            burned           burning

dream         dreamed        dreaming

impact       charred       astronomer        journalist       clamber

 

Spelling List 2

separate          separation          fascinate          fascination

generate         generation          educate             education

express           expression

falling star          meteorite          journalist          charred        negative

astronomer        astronomy         terrestrial      extraterrestrial     clamber

The War of the Worlds

In math we continued looking at negative numbers.

In literacy we are reading The War of the Worlds.  It is one of the very first science fiction novels, originally published in 1898.  You can listen to a 1978 musical version of it here:

Some reminders:

• How are you going with the Science Fair project?  It is due on the 20th but you can bring it in any time from now.
• With the warming spring weather the black flies are out in force.  The best protections, in order of effectiveness are to cover up, to keep moving and to use bug spray.  We have some bug spray in class but you might like to bring your own.
• There will be no after-school clubs or a late bus on Thursday due to a conflict with TAIMUN.  This will affect cooking and improv.

Have an incandescent weekend!

The Life Cycle of the Sun

Today in math we made our own word problems that involved negative numbers.

Most groups started new novels in literacy.

In the afternoon we learned more about the sun.

This video shows the beginning of the sun:

This video shows the end of the sun:

Try to find another planet if you plan on living for hundreds of millions of years.  The sun will slowly expand until all water on Earth evaporates.  It will then expand further into a red dwarf, possibly swallowing the Earth :(.

On the bright side, the sun will eventually condense into a planet-sized diamond.

Some reminders for tomorrow:

Bring your reading log.

If your reading log shows that you read more than 100 pages over Spring Break then you can join the Pizza Party!  School lunch has been cancelled for all Gr. 5s.  A refund will be paid.  Don’t bring your own lunch if you’re having pizza instead.

We’re Back

Welcome back, everyone.

Our brains are slowly turning back on as we rev up for the final eight weeks

Today in math we looked at negative numbers, i.e. 8 – 12 = -4.  Where would we see problems like that in real life?

We went to the library for borrowing and reading.

In the afternoon we brainstormed what we already know about the solar system and what we would like to know.  We will begin by reading about the Sun.

 

Homework:

1. Read for at least 30 minutes every night.  Record it in your reading log.
2. Use Khan Academy for a total of one hour over the week.

There are no spelling words and there is no challenge this week.

 

Reminders:

• I still need a couple of reports to be signed and returned.
• The Science Fair project is due on Wednesday, April 20th, which is in exactly two weeks.  You can bring it in earlier if you like.
• TAIMUN (Taiwan Model United Nations) is on next week.  It is probably the biggest annual event for AST and the campus will be busy with students from schools around Taiwan and even overseas.  We can expect some interruptions so please be patient.