They identify conductors and insulators, explore circuits and switches. The unit culminates with student teams designing, building, and wiring a cardboard house. Floating and Sinking Fifth Grade-Students learn how density, weight and displacement are related to buoyancy. The children work with spring scales to measure weight of a variety of objects in and out of water and compare these results to the object's ability to sink or float. They also shape clay boats to discover how form is related to buoyancy.
Students also conduct experiments using salt water.
Technology of Paper Sixth Grade-Students begin this unit by exploring the properties and uses of paper. By testing six types of paper for opacity, smoothness, tear resistance, water absorption, and ink receptivity they deepen their understanding of the properties of paper. Students experiment with hand papermaking and explore such variables as paper additives. As an embedded assessment, students apply this information to creating their own recycled paper product which they test and evaluate. Experiments With Plants Sixth Grade-Students learn how to conduct controlled experiments as they test how variations in nutrition, water, growing space, light and other essentials affect the growth and seed production of plants.