Science Camp

[syd wegoda]

Sorry, worksheet had a mistake.
This is the same worksheet with mistake removed

[stamerjam]

Here is my science camp for my first week of winter camps. I am teaching Grade 1 and 2 Middle School students (mainly advanced) I took most of the material from here, so you will see repeats. I edited a few things and added a few things to the slides. (Thanks to everyone who posted this before, I can't take credit for a lot of this).

Just figured I would share my whole complete week to the community. I used a lot of materials in the science lab of my school, but also had to go out and buy a lot of materials. (my school doesn't fund me, hopefully yours will)
Feel free to make any suggestions or changes.

I have three 50 minute periods each day.

Day 1:
Period 1 : Introduction/Rules/Ice Breakers
Period 2: Scientific Method (found this online, it's tough so I am going to adapt it to how my students learn)

[stamerjam]

Day 1 continued:
Period 3: Airplane Experiment

Day 2: Egg Drop all day

[stamerjam]

Day 3:
Period 1:Osmosis/Transparent Egg Teaching them - I put the egg in vinegar on Day 2, but we discuss it on Day 3
*Still working on this lesson a bit, here is everything I have so far
Period 2: Float or Sink

[stamerjam]

Day 3 Continued:
Period 3: Biology / Celery Experiment

Day 4:
Period 1: Electricity
Period 2: Continue Osmosis (no files for this), Dancing Raisins

[stamerjam]

Day 4 Continued:

Period 3: Gas it Up!

[stamerjam]

And Day 5:

Period 1: Making Ice Cream
Period 2: Finish Osmosis worksheets, finish celery experiement
Period 3: Paper Bridges


AGAIN THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO POSTED! Most of this material was from other wonderful waygook's! I thought it would be helpful for others to see a whole week of material can look like... hope this helps.

[andreid87]

this website has helped out too many times so heres my contribution, these were borrowed from previous posts and added my own thing on it: so ill be doing the sink or float experiment, get to kids to predict it while we go through the powerpoint, then actually put it to the test, the group with the most predictions correct will win something, probably candy. After that i took a Angry Birds Bomb game and turned it into a sink or float bomb game, the kids will not be allowed to use their sheets (hit the spacebar for the answer, also the angry birds template was also borrow thank you author), and they have to answer in two parts (i.e. "sink because high density" and vice versa) (**note the sink or float powerpoint is not mine so if the author finds it the only reason why i put it up is to get it all grouped together, also thank you for creating it**)...also some of the slides have question marks because im not sure if the items will sink or float, i still have to test it haha

[cad123]

My own spin on the egg drop
PPT
WOrksheet

[cad123]

catapult materials, will try to post pics later

[David_2h]

I think that I'm going to do a lesson on senses and for the experiment run a blind taste test using coke, coke zero, Pepsi and Pepsi zero. I'll incorporate some sort of competition between the teams to see who can guess the most correct

[mzxfatty]

Alien Adjectives. Winter camp activity for 5th grade.

http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/adjectives/alienadjectives_WBFWB.pdf for worksheet

[MHiggins13]

How do you manage to actually teach any valuable science with students with low english levels? I find that I end up teaching English and sort of slacking on the science part... Any advice?

[ariybird]

I think it depends on your kids. And how easy you as a teacher can make science. And lots of pictures.

I taught this camp to my 5th and 6th graders. Some of it was a little over their heads, but for the most part we managed pretty well.

Try looking at the internet sites for teaching science to elementary students AND preschool. That's where my kid's are in their speaking level.

Making analogies and then teaching only a few basic science words is how it worked best. I have a day posted on this thread for electricity. I taught the words 'atom, electron, positive, negative, and gift'. And I explained electricity as atoms giving gifts. Happy atoms give the same gift (positive or negative). If they give different gifts, the presents stop. Present passing is electricity. I then made an equation on the board (+ and - = 0) My kids got it- even the ones who barely speak any English at all. Even though there was no Korean teacher and it was explained entirely in English. However, it took alot of pictures in my ppt and alot of hard thinking on my part to make it as easy as possible.

I suggest picking 3-4 real science words for them to learn. Choose an easy experiment for them to emulate (like static balloons). Use lots of pictures. Make your goal for them to be able to identify where those target words should be occurring.

Some science is learned, some English is learned, and honestly, some day they will learn those words in Korean again and then realize thy know them in English. The ones who really need the vocabulary will be able to pick it up from their. Focus on limited exposure and some fun. Everything else will fall into place. Good luck. 

[colinbro]

Coupla ideas to add to this wonderful mix.

Don't use balsa wood, too costly, use spaghetti instead. Easy to get, cheap, breakable, comes in different thicknesses.

For the senses prepare containers with different things in them, eg a leaf, pinecone, something furry, some cold cooked spaghetti, smooth stones etc. Have them in opaque sacks. Blindfold individual students and they can feel what is in each back. The blindfold increases the tension, so when they feel something strange eg furry, or cold and wet they can be quite excited.

[Paula Connolly]

lesson plan on properties of gas

[NinaM]

Here, students can make their own fizzy lemonade and learn about chemical reactions and whatnot.

[JWilly]

jgroh, this lesson is great. Your elementary kids must be well trained in english.  My Grade 3 Middle schoolers would LOVE this lesson, so thank you very much.  It would be great for me to teach something I actually know about...  I'll be sure to post some others that I make...