Category: Elementary School
From the January Teachers’ Workshop:
Here are the materials associated with the Renewable Energy and Wind Turbine kit lesson (presented by Brian Hartman, PhD Candidate in Education):
Renewable Wind Energy Presentation
SONY DSC
From our January Teachers’ Workshop:
We heard from Dan Preston, a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Integrative Biology. He presented a Ponds in Peril activity, and here are the materials we’d like to share with you:
This first video describes the set-up for the Ponds in Peril experiment, a great tool to use with your students.
This second video is a great overview of the entire project!
Ponds in Peril Full Worksheet Package
Powerpoints: Project Overview, Food Web Review, Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Nutrient Pollution and Invaders, and The Process of Science
From our January Teachers’ Workshop:
We heard from Dr. David Ji, an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at OSU. Below are the materials that we shared with you:
Energy Storage in the 21st Century – This is Dr. Ji’s powerpoint presentation.
Understanding Batteries & Capacitors Lesson Plan – This is the lesson plan created by SMILE and shared with you at the workshop.
Battery Activity Introductory Powerpoint – This is a powerpoint presentation created by SMILE that can be used to introduce the topic of batteries and how they work as well as the above activity.
Battery Types – This is an excel spreadsheet that can be used for an extensional activity where students explore different types of batteries and their applications.
During the August SMILE teachers workshop we spent an entire day learning about Oregon’s geology, hazards, and preparedness. All of the lesson materials shared were connected to NGSS with a specific focus on Cross Cutting Concepts. Check out some of the fun activities:
We also had special guests who shared resources related to geologic topics. Here are links to their websites:
During an elementary session, teachers learned about riparian systems and their importance to birds and other organisms and we built model ecosystems. Here are the lesson plans that support these concepts:
At the May Teacher’s Workshop held at the HJ Andrews Forest, SMILE teachers learned about how field investigations connect to NGSS Practices. Teachers focused more specifically on how to help students develop questions, set up an investigation, and analyze and interpret the data that they collected. Below is the materials shared during this session.
Natures Notebook:
Introduction to Graphing Lesson
Over the weekend we got a ton of new e-mails filled with pictures, which we love! First was an e-mail from Tonya Jones, a Forest Grove High School SMILE instructor. She shared pictures of her students trying out a few of our activities, including the egg drop activity we presented during the 2015 Winter Teacher’s Workshop. We also received some pictures of May Roberts Elementary School students during the recent Challenge. Thanks again for sharing and make sure to check out more pictures on our Facebook page!
We had a great time at all three Middle School and Elementary School Challenges this year. We ended the Challenge at Oregon State University’s Cascade Campus where elementary students learned about predator and prey relationships. AmeriCorps volunteers helped the students create habitats to help demonstrate these relationships. Check out their work below and on our Facebook page. Students also had a great time touring Central Oregon Community College and continued to make awesome solar ovens. We hope to see you next year!
This year’s challenge was focused around solar energy. Middle school students made solar ovens and we were impressed with their results. While at Portland Community College, the elementary school students were introduced to exciting areas of study like physics, chemistry, biology for management of zoo animals, chemistry, and veteranary technician. It looks like a fun time was had by all. Be sure to check out more pictures on our Facebook page.
