Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts

Friday, September 21, 2018

So Long Summer :: Hello Autumn!



FACT: Seasons change as we orbit the sun.

Spring • Summer • Autumn • Winter

Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23, our sun shines directly over the equator. That event marks the beginning of spring or fall. What is the equator?



Public Domain photo



e·qua·tor
[əˈkwā•dər]
noun
  1. an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.





In March when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the spring or vernal equinox. In September when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the fall or autumnal equinox. 





The Autumnal Equinox will occur in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 6:54 P.M.






Things to look for in fall:

1. Deciduous (di•si•jo͞o•əs) trees will change color and drop all their leaves. Evergreen trees will not. Evergreen trees will stay forever green. :-) Why do the leaves of deciduous trees change color? Use World Book Online to research. Remember, do NOT copy sentences. That is plagiarism, and it is against the law! Take notes, and then turn your notes into your own sentences. 


Photo by Grandma Barb


2. On the equinox, there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. The day and night hours are equal. However, as we continue into fall, the days will get shorter and the night hours will get longer. This pattern will continue until we reach the winter solstice. That is the longest night of the year and marks a new season, winter.



3.  Because the northern hemisphere is now tilted away from the sun, the days will start to become cooler. People will change their behavior. What sorts of behavioral changes will your family make as the days get shorter and cooler?  (In southern California, we have mild climate. We don't get too cold in our community.)

There are many fall festivals or holidays. Watch the BrainPop video about fall to learn about the many harvest festivals celebrated. Do you celebrate any of these autumn holidays? If so, please share so we can learn from you! 

Check out the FREE BrainPop video about Fall. 


4. Some animals in the northern hemisphere will change their behavior. As fall leads to winter, some animals migrate, or move, to a warmer area. Others try to fatten up for the winter they know is coming. 



Again, BrainPop Jr. has a FREE video about fall. 

  


Share some fun facts about fall!
Did you use BrainPop or World Book Online as a reference? 


If you are in the southern hemisphere, tell us what season you are enjoying! How are you changing your behavior? 

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Global Project: Same Day in March




As is so often the case, I found a wonderful global project via Twitter! 


The global project is called Same Day in March! 




This collaborative project is a fabulous way to learn about weather, geography, technology, and culture. Thanks to Mrs. Ladd and Ms. Stefopoulou for creating and facilitating this project! Follow the project on Twitter using the hashtag #sdim18.

Today was day 1, but you can join at any time during the month of March. To kick off the project, we went outside with some weather tools. 


Photo by Mrs. Yollis


We used thermometers for measuring the air temperature and set up a rain gauge to measure the forecasted rain on Friday. 


Photo by Mrs. Yollis  


Learning how to read the thermometer was one of the first lessons we learned. 

Photo by Mrs. Yollis 



 From the NOAA National Weather Service, we learned that it will definitely be raining tomorrow! Good thing we have our rain gauge out to see how many inches of rain we receive. 


Don't forget your umbrella tomorrow! 
Photo by Mr. Seliskar 

UPDATE:


Although rain was predicted throughout the day, we only received .3 of an inch from 8:00 until 2:00. 



We used Google Earth to "visit" the communities that are in the project. As we zoomed out, we tried to classify each community. Is it an urban community, a suburban community, or a rural community? Some students took a screenshot and uploaded the information to Seesaw and added it to our "Same Day in March" folder. 




We also placed sticky notes on the locations. What do you notice about the classes that joined from the United States?








Are there any classes in the project that live in a place that is new to you? Because of their location, will their weather be similar to ours?

What are the names of some clouds we might see? What do they look like?  

Monday, November 7, 2016

Meet Walter the Wombat!


Today the class got a surprise package! We were expecting a package that contained a mascot from one of our blogging buddies who are participating in the #GlobalPal project.  It was not from one of those classes. 

The package was big, and it was soft. As Mrs. Yollis tore open one end of the package, she smiled. What emerged from the surprise package?


Meet Walter the Wombat! 



First, we read the fact sheet about Walter the Wombat. 

No one had ever heard of a wombat! 







Walter the Wombat is a special mascot from our good friend, @RossMannell, a retired teacher from New South Wales, Australia. Walter comes to us through Mr. Mannell's support of a group called Backyard Buddies. Not only is Mr. Mannell kind, he often leaves us comments on our class blog. He just left us a comment on our Family Blogging Month post.


Here is Mr. Mannell's Family Blogging Month comment: 






Ellie's mom commented back. What an excellent blogger! 




Here is Walter the Wombat getting to know our students.










Would you like to take Walter home with you for the evening?
What kinds of activities do you think he'd enjoy? 

What are some facts you learned about wombats? 

What do you say to Mr. Mannell for his thoughtfulness? 





Monday, June 20, 2016

The Summer Solstice is Today!






According to TimeAndDate.com, this year's Summer Solstice will occur at 3:34 P.M. today in Los Angeles! Today is Monday, June 20, 2016. 

Click to Enlarge




What is a summer solstice? 



sum·mer sol·stice

noun: the solstice that marks the onset of summer, at the time of the longest day, about June 21 in the northern hemisphere and December 22 in the southern hemisphere.




Here is a fabulous BrainPop video explaining the seasons. 



Solstice Fun Facts:


  • The summer solstice is the longest day of the year.
  • Bonus: Tonight there is a full moon!
  • The full moon is called a strawberry moon.  



☼      ☼      ☼      ☼      ☼ 



Summertime is a fun time! 

For one thing, school is out and will not resume until August 24. Students and teachers have time off to pursue some relaxation and person learning.  

Photo by Abby's mom


Many people gather together for summer parties. The air temperature is lovely, and people enjoy being outside!


Photo by Mrs. Yollis 


People and pooches love to get in the water to cool off. Go, Buck, go! Swimming pools, the beach, lakes, rivers, and even sprinklers provide a welcome reprieve from the heat. 







Speaking of the heat. Sometimes summers bring heat waves. A heat wave is a period of excessive heat. Here is Los Angeles, we are in the middle of a heat wave. It was 111 ˚ F (44 ˚C) at 9:30 this morning. That's hot!



Photo by Mrs. Yollis

Student bloggers are still publishing! Keep your writing strong via quality commenting. My Trip to Monterey Bay and My Mini Robots are two new student posts.  


☼      ☼      ☼      ☼      ☼ 



What are some things you enjoy about summer? 

What is a strawberry moon?

What are some summer foods you enjoy? 


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Vernal Equinox ~ 2016




One sign of spring is the abundance of colorful flowers that start blooming everywhere!


Rose photo by Mrs. Yollis  
Lilac photo by Mrs. Yollis 

Poppies by Mrs. Yollis 
Pink flowers in the eucalyptus tree by Kostaki and Will 

Our tree! by Bailey and Keya 
Pink flowers popping by Karissa

  
The first day of spring is called the 
Vernal Equinox. 
 
Spring started on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at 9:30 P.M. (PDT) in southern California. It is called the Vernal Equinox. There are two times when the sun is exactly above the equator. One equinox is in September and the other is in March. Equinox means equal night and there are nearly twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night.



 
 
 
Here is a video from Discovery Education to
 

help explain the Vernal Equinox!








What are some ways you use your spine?

What are your hobbies?





























            

          

          

        

Wednesday, September 23, 2015


          

        










Autumnal Equinox :: So Long, Summer! 
























FACT: Seasons change as we orbit the sun.

Spring • Summer • Autumn • Winter

Twice a year, around March 20 or 21 and Sept. 22 or 23, our sun shines directly over the equator. That event marks the beginning of spring or fall. What is the equator?



Public Domain photo



e·qua·tor
[əˈkwā•dər]
noun
  1. an imaginary line drawn around the earth equally distant from both poles, dividing the earth into northern and southern hemispheres and constituting the parallel of latitude 0°.





In March when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the spring or vernal equinox. In September when the sun shines directly over the equator, the event is called the fall or autumnal equinox. 





The Autumnal Equinox occurred in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. on Wednesday, September 23, 2015. at 1:22 A.M.



Things to look for in fall:

1. Deciduous (di•si•jo͞o•əs) trees will change color and drop all their leaves. Evergreen trees will not. Evergreen trees will stay forever green. :-) Why do the leaves of deciduous trees change color? Use World Book Online to research. Remember, do NOT copy sentences. That is plagiarism, and it is against the law! Take notes, and then turn your notes into your own sentences. 


Photo by Grandma Barb


2. On the equinox, there are exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. The day and night hours are equal. However, as we continue into fall, the days will get shorter and the night hours will get longer. This pattern will continue until we reach the winter solstice. That is the longest night of the year and marks a new season, winter.



3.  Because the northern hemisphere is now tilted away from the sun, the days will start to become cooler. People will change their behavior. What sorts of behavioral changes will your family make as the days get shorter and cooler?  (In southern California, we have mild climate. We don't get too cold in our community.)

There are many fall festivals or holidays. Watch the BrainPop video about fall to learn about the many harvest festivals celebrated. Do you celebrate any of these autumn holidays? If so, please share so we can learn from you! 

Check out the FREE BrainPop video about Fall. 


4. Some animals in the northern hemisphere will change their behavior. As fall leads to winter, some animals migrate, or move, to a warmer area. Others try to fatten up for the winter they know is coming. 



Again, BrainPop Jr. has a FREE video about fall. 

  


Share some fun facts about fall!
Did you use BrainPop or World Book Online as a reference? 


If you are in the southern hemisphere, tell us what season you are enjoying! How are you changing your behavior? 



























        

      












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