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This activity is unique because it combines science with a practical application that provides a solution to a problem. In this activity, students will be put a small bowl of hot oatmeal into a plastic baggie, test the temperature, and seal it.  Then students will place three sheets of aluminum foil or three sheets of newspaper over the baggie.  After 15 minutes the students will re-test the temperature using a thermometer and discover which material saved heat!

1.3.4 Describe how animals' habitats, including plants, meet their needs for food, water, shelter and an environment in which they can live. 1.3.5 Observe and describe ways in which animals and plants depend on one another for survival. 1.3.2 Observe organisms closely over a period of time in different habitats such as terrariums, aquariums, lawns and trees. Draw and write about observations. 1.4.3 Construct a simple shelter for an animal with natural and human-made materials.

Standards 1.3.4:  Describe how animals' habitats, including plants, meet their needs for food, water, shelter, and an environment in which they can live. This activity sets up with a display of tundra themed books which begin our Arctic adventure.  Students will record questions and discoveries in an arctic food journal.  Students will discuss the habitat, why it is the RIGHT place for Polar Bears to live, and how certain animals have adapted to ensure their survival in their home habitat.

This is a fun activity in which students must understand place value to the hundred millions.  In this activity students hide their recording sheets and draw a number.  The student who draws a number must announce which place value he or she put that digit.  Then, the other partner must copy that down.  Each partner alternates the plays until they have filled in each place value.  At the end, the teams must see if their numbers match and they will score accordingly. This game forces both partners to be working at all times so not just one person is doing all the work!

Adaption: SEE "MOON PHASES ACTIVITY-PHRASES FOR PHASES: A MOON TUNE. Extensions: You can extend this activity for 6th grade my having them creat a model of the moon and it's phases and demonstrating their understanding through a presentations. ( I would group them and have each person write about their part of the demonstration and that it what they present) You can extend it you younger grades by having them draw the phases of the moon and with parents (as homework) go outside at night and dermine which phase the moon is in and drawing a picture of that phase on the claendar. 5.2.4 Use a calendar to record observations of the shape of the moon and the rising and setting times over the course of a month. Based on the observations, describe patterns in the moon cycle. 5.2.1 Recognize that our earth is part of the solar system in which the sun, an average star, is the central and largest body. Observe that our solar system includes the sun, moon, seven other planets and their moons, and many other smaller objects like asteroids and comets.

In this activity, students will make predictions about how heat moves in a hot drink.  Students will make predictions about how cool a drink will get over time and what some factors are in changing the heat.  Then hot and cold water and milk, students will test these predictions.

4.NS.5 Use measurement skills and apply appropriate units when collecting data. Sticky Note: This would be great to add to a fourth grade social studies unit to make a topo map of the state of Indiana which includes information pertinent to the Indiana social studies unit.

Adaptions: You can adapt this lesson for ELL or special needs students by pairing them in groups and assiging each person in the group a task...the ELL and Special Needs students could draw the pictures or record information while they learning about matter by other group members without pressure/anxiety. Extensions: You can extend this activity to younger greades by using something other than candles. For example, you can use an ice cube, watch it melt, and over time chart the level of water and have the students explain what happenes to the water and the state of matter it has turned into. 6.1.2 Explain the properties of solids, liquids and gases using drawings and models that represent matter as particles in motion whose state can be represented by the relative positions and movement of the particles. 6.1.3 Using a model in which matter is composed of particles in motion, investigate that when substances undergo a change in state, mass is conserved.

Students watch a candle burn underwater, due to the quality of absorbing heat energy in this fun activity! Be sure to very closely supervise students.

Natural vs. Artificial: Can You Taste the Difference? You probably know that cane sugar isn't good for you in large doses, but did you know that many artificial sweeteners can't even be processed by your body?  Supplies: Real maple syrup, pancake syrup containing high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, artificial sweetener such as Splenda or Equal, honey, honey flavoring, fresh orange juice, orange juice from concentrate, paper, and pencil. Set up the experiment by preparing small samples of each food for tasting, arranging them in sets according to type.

state standard: 2.3.1 This activity is a great activity for showing the way and which water is transported in living things. A bit of enrichment in this activity could be to talk about the nutritional aspects of these vegetables that grow from the land.

One-to-one correspondence is an important skill that needs to be mastered in kindergarten. In a nutshell, one-to-one correspondence means children are able to count a group of objects, while touching each object, one at a time. (Kind of like that one potato game...) While this concept might seem obvious, it's more advanced than just counting out loud, which is called "rote counting" because it takes things to the next level-- associating spoken numbers with real objects.

Children decide which number does not belong, in a group of four numbers. The goal is to find the three numbers that belong in the same fact family, and then state a division fact using the numbers in that fact family. 

Exploring fact families through a game of "which one does not belong?"

These family math facts are helpful and can be used for multiple grade levels including 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. I think it will be good for the students to make their own tools for learning. They will be interested in using it more if they made it themselves. 

I love this activity because the kids can record their work in little books. This allows the student to have a record of "progress" which can be inspirational.

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has "more of" or "less of" the attribute, and describe the difference. Sticky Note: These could also be used again later in the year when using rulers to discuss how different types of measuring sticks changes the length or width of an object

Many parents use the Sunday paper to look for coupons and cost savings on household items. Instead of doing all the work yourself, why not ask for help from your fifth grader? "Cash for Coupons" is a simple, fun activity which will save you time and reinforce your child's math skills along the way. Plus, it will give your child an opportunity to experience practical application of the math he's learning in the classroom.

Students fill the empty boxes of a hopscotch game by continuing the number patterns given. The teacher can start by filling in the first four boxes, and asking the students to decide which numbers would come after the ones provided.

5.2.1 Recognize that our earth is part of the solar system in which the sun, an average star, is the central and largest body. Observe that our solar system includes the sun, moon, seven other planets and their moons, and many other smaller objects like asteroids and comets. Sticky Note: This activity could be differentiated so that each group was working with a different planet in the solar system so that when the exhibits were displayed the class would see the whole solar system.