TeachersFirst.com

This website is pretty neat. It offers so many helpful resources, but specifically it offers a large number of lesson and unit ideas and activities categorized by topic. You can also search by grade level, key word, holidays, etc. Some of the search results have links to other websites too, which can be helpful. I really like how this site is structured and it is very easy to use. It even has some first-day ideas for new teachers.

TeachersFirst.com. The Source for Learning, Inc., 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2009. <http://www.teachersfirst.com/index.cfm>.

Going West! Journey on A Wagon Train to Settle A Frontier Town

This book is so neat and it is written for children. It is an easy read, very colorful and presents facts in kid-friendly ways. It covers a huge range of topics regarding western expansion including the Oregon Trail, Native Americans, frontier life, diseases, and the list goes on. It is extremely detailed. The book also includes topic-related activities, “Think About Its,” maps and statements from people (specifically children) who actually lived during the time. I just love how it includes so many visual aids and the text isn’t too lengthy.

Johmann, Carol A, and Elizabeth J Rieth. Going West! Journey on A Wagon Train to Settle A Frontier Town. Charlotte: Williamson Publishing, 2000. Print. Kaleidoscope Kids.

Dancing Raisins

This website provides a video segmant from the television show ZOOM. It’s a great video to have students watch, because the girls in the video make predictions and discuss what they are seeing. This video allows the students to see how they should make predictions and discuss with eachother what they see. The website also provides the teacher with several questions for discussion. This activity is linked to why people do not sink when they wear life vests.

Link

Boyancy

This is a great lesson on boyancy. During this lesson the students will understand how and why air has an impact on wether something sinks or floats. This lesson has sites on it that connect to the lesson, such as a video from Bill Nye and another site that explains how to make a paper boat. I think this lesson is interesting because it takes one piece of clay and depending on the type of mold the students create, the clay will either sink or float.

Lesson Plan

7th Grade Science Projects on Greasy Foods and Fat Intake

Do All Potato Chips Produce the Same Amount of Grease

This experiment is a great experiment to do after teaching students about the food pyramid and limit intake of sweets, fats, and oils category.  This experiment looks at the grease and fat of several different potato chips, which will help students learn more about the grease and fat they are putting into their bodies.  Students will learn skills about choosing better foods for their bodies.  The only recommendation is that this might vary this experiment as by also exploring what fats and oils consist of.  It also is an experiment that could be used for 4th and 5th grade students as well.

Seelus, C. (2009). Science Projects for Seventh Grade: Do All Potato Chips
Produce the Same Amount of Grease. Retrieved November 6, 2009, from Bright
Hub Inc. website: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/
15322.aspx

4th Grade Food Chemistry Experiments

This scholarly journal on Science Content Courses includes an article on a workshop done to teach 4th grade teachers about food science.  The article discusses the events that occurred at a 4 day workshop as well as a variety of experiments the teachers learned about.  It’s a good resource for 4th grade experiments on food chemistry such as, enzymatic browning, butter formation, calorie determination, emulsifier, meringue experiment, popcorn experiment, etc.  It also provides step by step details for the experiments along with questions to ask students to help expand their thinking.  The only recommendation is that it will need to be adapted for certain 4th grade classrooms.  Other wise these are good experiments that will get your 4th grade students thinking about food chemistry.

Food Chemistry Experiments

Chaiyapechara, S., & Dong, F. (2006, May 19). Science Content Courses: Workshop
in Food Chemistry for 4th Grade School Teachers. Journal of food Science
Education, 3(4), 59-68. doi:10.1111/j.1541-4329.2004.tb00046.x

Food Preservation

Teachers should implement science experiments in the curriculum. Experiments provide students with a fun inquiry-based type of learning. The purpose of this lesson plan is to help students understand how various food preservation techniques help to slow down the spoiling of food by microscopic organisms. Students will be highly motivated and engaged through hands-on activities. Students will observe each fruit on a daily basis and discuss any changes in the appearance or edibility of the fruits they are observing. In their science notebooks, students will record their observations by writing down an explanation of what they see and by drawing pictures of what the fruit looks like. This experiment is beneficial to the students, because they are being exposed to science in a different environment.  In addition, the experiment will be broken into several days, making the experiment less overwhelming for the students. To broaden the lesson, guiding questions will be asked to the students to bring food preservation to a global level. Overall, students will be able to think critically through class discussions, observations and activities.

Food Preservation

The Body and How It Works

This website is all health related. It gives basic information about all different food chemistry aspects such has fitness, body weight, caffeine, fats, carbohydrates and more. If there is anything that a teacher needs to read more on, this is the website to go too! Every subtitle has specific information about the topic. Not only does this website provide information like health and nutrition but it also provides information about other subjects such as social studies, science, music and more!

 

 

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Food Pyramid Activity!

This website is a perfect way for kids interact with technology and use their knowledge of the food pyramid. It is a game where kids need to fuel their rocket by choosing fitness and food! This game will help students learn how to make healthy choices as well as place the proper foods in the proper food groups. This is a great activity for students to have fun and learn while they do it!

 

link

Adler, David A. and Adler Michael S. (2005). A Picture Book of Samuel Adams. New York: Holiday House.

This book is a picture book about the life of Samuel Adams.  As Adams was a central figure in America leading up to the American Revolution, the book focuses on how his upbringing led him to become a leading voice for independence from Britain.  The book would be useful to show students how important certain men were in the time leading to the American Revolution and how those men rose to power and were able to convince people to join their cause.  It would be good to use this book early in a unit on causes of the American Revolution because by looking at this book, many of the acts, wars, etc. that led to the American Revolution are mentioned and briefly defined, which would give the students some basic knowledge that would help them when they look at the causes more in-depth.