Updated Schedule

Wow! What a fun week! Enjoy your extra day out of school playing in the snow! We have adjusted the schedule due to school being cancelled for Thursday. We WILL have our Space Day this Friday as planned. The unit 19 spelling test will also be this Friday and the unit 19 homework will be due at the same time. The Bible verse (Zeph 3:17) will be due next Thursday, Feb. 6th.  The LWW vocab quiz (ch. 7-10) will be Tuesday, Feb 4th. We can't wait to see you Friday!

Happy Snow Day!

Language Arts quizzes and tests originally scheduled for Wednesday (LWW vocab) and Thursday (Spelling) have been rescheduled.  The unit 19 Spelling homework will be due Friday, and the unit 19 Spelling test will be given Friday morning before we begin our Space Day activities. The LWW vocab quiz will be given next Tuesday.  The Bible verse (Zeph. 3:17) originally scheduled to be written this Thursday will be due this Friday.  Enjoy your snow days!  We can't wait to see you Thursday morning!

Spirit Week 2014!!

We're having a blast on "Tacky Tuesday!"

Life in a Snow Globe

Stop by the fourth grade hall and see our descriptive writing pieces titled "Life in a Snow Globe". They are full of sensory details and similes!  Here are a few samples:

Countdown to our Space Unit Test...

The students have literally had a blast learning so much about space exploration, flight, and astronomy!  With our space vocabulary quiz behind us, it is time to get ready for next Friday's Space Exploration Test (1/24).  Students were given their study guides today.  A copy is also included for you here as well.  Thanks so much for all that you do at home!!!

Space Exploration—Test Study Guide

Students should be able to:

·        List the planets in order from the sun and identify the inner and outer planets (My Very Excited Mother Just Served Us Noodles).

o   Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars)

o   Outer Planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

·        Identify Pluto as a dwarf planet.

·        Explain that the tilt of the earth on its axis as it orbits around the sun is what causes the seasons.

·        Identify the 4 seasons in order (winter, spring, summer, fall).

·        Know the difference between a day and a year.  (Day=1 rotation of earth on its axis/24 hours, Year=1 orbit of the earth around the sun/365.2 days)

·        Identify and label the phases of the moon. (Hint=the moon appears on the right when it is waxing or appears to be getting bigger; the moon appears on the left when it is waning or appearing to become less.)

(New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent)

·        Know these facts about space exploration:

President who supported space exploration=Kennedy

 Countries in the Space Race=USA and Russia

Father of Modern Rocketry=Goddard

First Human in Space=Gagarin (Russia)

First Person to Orbit the Earth=Glenn (USA)

First People on the Moon=Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins* (USA)
 The Name of Their Moon Mission=Apollo 11

First American Woman in Space=Sally Ride

Famous Russian Dog in Space=Laika

Famous American Monkeynauts=Able and Baker

List 2 other interesting animals in space=Mice, Crickets, Frogs, Turtles, Worms, Newts, etc.

2 shuttles were lost in the American Shuttle Series=Challenger and Columbia

·        Know these facts about stars:

o   The sun is our closest star and is the star at the center of our solar system.  It is a yellow star.

o   Blue-white stars are the hottest stars.

o   Red stars are the coolest stars.

o   An exploding star is called a supernova.

o   Our galaxy is called the Milky Way.

Blasting Off in 2014!

Welcome back, and Happy New Year! In science we are excited to be beginning our unit on space exploration. Here are a few pictures of our time in lab today making a comet model. Just below these pictures, you will also find a copy of our space vocabulary study guide. This vocabulary quiz will be held on Thursday, January 16th. Your child has a copy of this study guide in his/her binder as well. 3, 2, 1 blast off!

 

 

Space Exploration—Vocabulary Study Guide

Inner Planets—the small, solid, rocky planets between the sun and the asteroid belt

1. Mercury—the smallest planet, which is also closest to the sun

2.  Venus—the hottest and brightest planet; a day on this planet is longer than a year and it rotates in the opposite direction of Earth

3. Earth—the planet on which we live that is perfectly designed by God for human, plant, and animal life; it is also the only planet with liquid water

4.  Mars—the “red” planet whose red color comes from the iron in soil and rocks, like rust

Outer Planets—the large, gaseous planets that are beyond the asteroid belt

5. Jupiter—the largest planet, known for its huge storm, the Great Red Spot

6.  Saturn—this ringed planet has such a low density that it could float on water; its north pole jet stream is in the shape of a hexagon

7. Uranus—this greenish planet has an extreme tilt and 11 very thin rings

8.  Neptune—this cool blue planet is furthest from the sun and is sometimes called the Ice Giant

Dwarf Planet—an object in space, smaller than a true planet, that orbits the sun but may not stay in its own orbit (examples include Ceres and Pluto)

ISS—the International Space Station (an experiment facility orbiting earth where up to 7 astronauts from various countries can safely live and conduct experiments in space)

NASA—National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the US (the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for flight and space research)

Astronaut—a person who travels in space

Asteroid—a space rock orbiting the earth, mainly found between Mars and Jupiter

Comet—a small frozen mass of gas, dust, and ice that may have a nucleus, a coma, and a tail

Rotate—what the earth does on its axis (approximately 24 hours)

Revolve—what the earth does around the sun (approximately 365 days)

Seasons—each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) that are marked by weather patterns and daylight hours and that result from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun.

Star—a ball of hot, bright gas that produces energy by a nuclear reaction; the sun is an example

Constellation—a group of stars within a region of the night sky that are said to look like animals or mythological characters

Solar System—the sun and everything that revolves around it

Galaxy—a huge system or family of stars; our galaxy is called the Milky Way

Astronomy—the study of stars and planets