Dan Rose - Science & Digital Learning/STEM
Hello to you all. I teach 5th graders Science and Digital Learning/Steam class. I started teaching in 2000 and have been at the Arts Academy for over 19 years. The fundamental reason I teach is that I enjoy working with children. Seeing their eyes light up in that aha moment and hearing the dialogue as students learn from each other is why I believe teaching is such a privilege.
I post daily agendas in each student's Google Classroom account. From there, most resources can be downloaded and/or printed when necessary. These are great resources for you and your student to see what we are learning in science and digital learning. Expect only a few homework assignments per term in science.
In my classroom, I use inquiry based learning to help the children engage and become active learners. We also use growth mindset and encourage the students to overcome their fears and accept that making mistakes is a big part of learning.
In science, we use a myriad of source materials and hands-on lessons to learn. The topics covered in the year are;
Characteristics and Interactions of Earth Systems
(Weathering and erosion, mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, water distribution, and how they relate)
Properties and Changes in Matter
(Modeling particles of matter, properties of matter, and the changes of matter)
Cycling Matter in Ecosystems
(Plant growth, energy and matter in living things, movement of matter in an ecosystem, conservation)
The fifth-grade standards provide a framework for students to analyze and interpret data about Earth’s major systems and how they interact. Students plan and carry out investigations to explain the properties of matter and to determine if new substances form when matter is combined. Students construct explanations for how matter cycles and energy flows through environments and Earth’s systems. Additionally, students design and evaluate solutions to problems in these areas.
The Utah SEEd Standards is a research-grounded document aimed at providing accurate and appropriate guidance for educators and stakeholders. This document aims to provide students with the education they deserve, honoring their abilities, potential, and right to utilize scientific thought and skills for themselves and the world they will build. (website)
See the digital book (5th-Grade Science) listed in the files in your student's google classroom.
For the first half of the year I teach Digital learning to fifth grade students. They learn how to access their school emails, compass grades, Google Classrooms, digital portfolios, digital safety, ethics, and keyboarding. Much of what we will be learning can be found here. https://www.uen.org/general_learner/internet_safety/
The Second half of the year is a project-based STEM Class. STEM stands for four closely connected areas of study: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Among the things we will learn are; computer programming basics (Scratch), 3d design (Tinkercad), introduction to robotics, and problem-solving (Lego Spike). This is a class where students can express themselves and their creativity through digital and hands-on ways.
