Online Assignment: Electricity!

We'll be studying 2 things this morning:
(1) Static Electricity: Fun tricks with balloons, small shocks, and lightning!
(2) Electromagnetism and Michael Faraday: How we generate electricity using turbines

Static Electricity:

1. First, watch this video. Study it carefully and take bullet-point notes on your static electricity note-taking sheet. Be sure to draw a picture that shows the charges on the Rice Krispys and on the record. Be sure to explain how those charges happen and what the attraction is. Zoom: Static Electricity, Snap, Crackle, Jump (video)
2. Then watch the videos in the Static Electricity folder in Bragg Saving>Science Folder. Continue to take bullet point notes and draw pictures. REMEMBER: You'll need to pause the video when you do so!

Electromagnetism:

1. Next, study this animation. Take bullet-point notes on your electromagnetism note-taking sheet. Be sure to draw a picture of how the magnet spins inside the coil of wire-- label it clearly! Then you can play the game afterwards. Mcgraw-Hill: How a Generator Works
2. Finally, watch the videos in the Electromagnetism folder in Bragg Saving>Science Folder. Continue to take bullet point notes and draw and label pictures. Focus on the connection between electricity and magnetism-- one creates the other and visa versa! REMEMBER: You'll need to pause the video when you do so!

When you are all done, file your work in your Science Binder. Then you may work on your writing until it's time to switch activities.

VIDEO: Widely Misconceptions About the Reasons for the Seasons

VIDEO: Proof that Galileo was right about falling objects from the Apollo Astronauts!

VIDEO: Geo Bee's Final Moments 2013

Click on the photo to read the article.

Geo Bee this week!

Finalist from VA:


Alexa Trebek having a little fun with geography facts on the streets of DC this week:

VIDEO: Sam made a scale model of the Solar System with his family!

Vertasium Video for Tonight's You-Be-the-Teacher Assignment

http://msbraggsblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-scale-model-of-earth-and-moon-by.html

Just in case, click here to download the assignment.

Mr. Parr: Solar System Song

Here we go, Galaxy
There's a space out there, the Milky Way
On an arm of Orion
We sit right there the Solar System

Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
Up, up here we go, go
Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
From Mercury out to Pluto

Mercury closest to the Sun
No atmosphere and small like a runt
No moons there to surround it
Distance from the Sun- 70 million km.
Next is Venus crazy atmosphere
Hottest planet and no water vapor
Third is Earth-life is in this place
We have one moon and tectonic plates

Here we go, Galaxy
There's a space out there, the Milky Way
On an arm of Orion
We sit right there the Solar System

Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
Up, up here we go, go
Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
From Mercury out to Pluto

Mars, the red planet very dusty
Atmosphere is very thin, crust is bumpy
Jupiter is next in line
Biggest planet in the sky
And the big red spot running endless
Yeah, where we at? It's the ringed one
Saturn's the planet less dense the H2O
Spinning so fast flattened at the poles
Has 62 moons
And made of clouds

Here we go, Galaxy
There's a space out there, the Milky Way
On an arm of Orion
We sit right there the Solar System
Let's fly

Now Uranus is a blue-green color
Gas planet rotates south to north
Neptune is the last of the planets
Strongest winds there "Scooter's" twisting
The coldest planet it's so far, not close
The last one but what about Pluto
I'm like Plut...o...o...o
Not a Planet, Oh, oh, oh

Here we go, Galaxy
There's a space out there, the Milky Way
On an arm of Orion
We sit right there the Solar System

Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
Up, up here we go, go
Let's fly (fly, fly, fly, fly)
Up, up here we go, go
From Mercury out to Pluto

VIDEO: The Solar System Song by KidsTV123

KidsTV123
Copyright 2011 A.J. Jenkins/KidsTV123: All rights reserved.
For free MP3s, worksheets and much more:
http://www.kidstv123.com

I am the sun. I'm a burning ball of fire. I'm very big indeed.
Life on earth depends on me. I am the sun.

I am Mercury. I'm the closest planet to the sun.
I'm a ball of iron -- I have no moons. I am Mercury.

I am Venus. I'm the same size as the Earth but I spin the other way and much more slowly.
I have no water -- I am Venus.

I am the Earth the place. The where we all live. There is land and lots of sea so I look blue.
I have a moon. I am the Earth.

I am Mars. I'm a rocky, red planet. My mountains are the highest in our solar system.
I have 2 moons. I am Mars.

I am Jupiter. I'm a gas giant. I'm the biggest and I spin the fastest. I have the biggest moon. I am Jupiter.

I am Saturn. I'm a gas giant. My rings are made of ice. Titan is my biggest moon. I am Saturn.

I am Uranus. I'm an icy gas giant. I'm the coldest planet in our solar system. And I have rings made of dust. I am Uranus.

I am Neptune. I'm an icy gas giant. I'm the farthest planet from the sun. I have many storms. I am Neptune.

We are The Solar System.

VIDEO: "Family of the Sun" Song by the Air and Space Museum

Model of the Solar System Using Toilet Paper!

The 4th graders have been learning about the planets in the Solar System-- what makes them similar and different, what makes a planet a planet, etc.

Check out this video from NOVA: Definition of a Planet.

Today, we concentrated on the "space" in space, asking ourselves how far apart the planets are (on average) from each other. We constructed an 84-foot model, using 200 sheets of toilet paper. In this shaky video, you can see how closely the Terrestrial Planets (planets more like Earth-- Mercury, Venus, and Mars) are grouped together and how far apart the Jovian Planets (the "Gas Giants"- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) are. The white wall to the right approximately represents the Sun. The very last person to the right represents Pluto, now classified as a dwarf planet.

It's important to remember that even though this model seems very big, we would need a much bigger model to represent the relative sizes of the planets. In our 84-foot TP model, Jupiter would be the size of a grain of salt.

The students are singing "The Family of the Sun" song.



Thanks to Suzanne Chippindale and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for putting out this terrific lesson. You can click on the pic below to see the full lesson.

Online Assignment

Hello 4th Graders!

You must complete the following before having more free time in the Astronomy folder:

1. Mcgraw-Hill: Our Solar System (do quiz/game that follows)
2. NOVA: What is a Planet?
3. Study Jams: Our Solar System Inner Planets (read and study all slides and do quiz)
4. Study Jams: Our Solar System Outer Planets (read and study all slides and do quiz)
5. BrainPop: Solar System (watch and do REVIEW quiz)

Have fun and expand your brain!

REMEMBER: When you are done, you can have more free time exploring the Astronomy folder.

REVIEW Game Suggestions

Make sure to find opportunities to have fun while you review VA Studies  this weekend! Here are some suggestions of games to play. I'm sure you can come up with lots of other creative options! Please share your best homemade games with me, so that I can pass on the fun to future 4th graders!

"Guess Who?"

• Best played with people who have studied VA History-- in other words, other 4th graders! Having 3 or more people do it together makes it more fun/silly.
• If you play with someone who hasn't studied VA History before, make sure that you let them look through the cards first. Explain to them the people they don't know.
• Cut up all the cards (a gave you a copy of important people from VA history) and put them in the brown paper bag.
• Have a friend tape a card to your head and tape one to theirs. Make sure that the card wearer doesn't see the front!
• Each player gets to take turns asking yes-or-no questions.
• When you guess right, have the other person tape another card to your forehead and keep going.
• You get to decide how you want to keep track of points.

Relay Race of Knowledge!

• Again, best played with other VA scholars-- in other words, 4th graders who have studied VA.
• Some of you played this with me during Friday Afternoon Club today.
• You need questions and answers. Suggestions: you can use the question packet or flashcards.
• Make teams.
• One person runs to a designated spot and then back. When they return, someone on their team reads them a question. If they get it right, they've finished that question. If they got it incorrect, they need to run again. When they return, they get a second chance at the question-- so it's a good idea to pay attention to the correct answer when it's read to you the first time.
• Usually, the team that finishes all the questions first wins (teams have to start out with the same # of questions)... But it's up to you how you want to award points.

Waste-Basket Ball Trivia

• You will need: (1) a trashcan, (2) a balled-up piece of paper, and (3) questions from a quality source-- like your flashcards or question packet.
• Make teams or play as individuals.
• Set up the trashcan/wastebasket and a shooting line.
• Take turns asking each other questions.
• For every correctly answer question, a player/team gets a chance to shoot a basket.

VIDEOs: Virginia's General Assembly

Massive Resistance VIDEOs

VIDEO: Civil Rights Memorial in Richmond

The news report at the beginning of this talk show is a good overview. You can stop at 4:40.

NPR: Jamestown in the News!

Click on the Title or the Photo below to listen to the story.

  

Mile Run Videos

Mile Run 13 (v2) from Nathan Greiner on Vimeo.

Mile Run 13 from Nathan Greiner on Vimeo.

Morning Message

Morning Message

VIDEO: Jamestown in the News!

They're still making discoveries through archaeology and forensic anthropology!

For the Moms!

Morning Messages

Morning To-Do List

Good Morning!

Today you'll work on your last Study Island assignment! But first, you'll review the material with this...

1. Study Jam: Transformations
2. Next, complete Study Island: MATH REVIEW #17: Geometric Transformations.
3. Then login to VMath Live.

Morning Message

VIDEO: Monitor vs. the Merrimack (Virginia)

What did the famous naval battle look like?

This clip from a made-for-TV movie gives you some idea.

Morning Messages

Online Assignment: Writing

Hello 4th Graders!

I hope you had a good morning.

From 2-2:55pm this afternoon, you'll be working on writing on Google docs. Priority #1 is to polish your Digital Storyboard. You may not begin, until you have read ALL of the following with your partner aloud.

I've thoroughly commented on everyone's storyboard. Some reminders:

• You need to slow down and look at every part of a comment. Some of them ask you to do more than one thing. Do NOT click "resolve" until all parts of a comment have been dealt with. Double check your partner's work BEFORE they click "resolve." Be sure that you click on "Show more" if it's visible, so that you can see ALL the comments:
  
• If you're unsure about how to resolve a comment, ask a colleague and/or the teacher for help.
• Every digital story needs to begin with an introduction that explains what this digital story will be about.
• Every digital story needs to have a conclusion-- something that will wrap it all up.
• It's confusing to the viewer if you jump between photos of Jamestown and Yorktown. It's best to have all the photos of one together and then all the photos of the other. It needs to be clear to the viewer WHERE you are. If you need to reorder the photos to make your digital story more clear and you don't want to move the pictures and text, use numbers to show how you will order them when you start using PhotoStory.
• The narration for EVERY photo needs to teach the viewer something interesting.
• REMEMBER: Assume the viewer knows NOTHING about Jamestown and Yorktown.
• Be sure of your facts. Do research if you need to.
• When you have CAREFULLY resolved all the comments  (and all parts of each comment!), you may print out your storyboard, staple it, hole-punch it, and file it in your binder.
• ONLY THEN may you begin working with PhotoStory.

Sneha, Emmy, Andrew, and Rohan: I'm counting on you to help your colleagues navigate Photostory. If you're not helping others or making changes to your digital story (Rohan and Andrew you have a few changes to make-- look at your storyboard), you may work on other aspects of your writing.

EVERYONE ELSE: The helpers mentioned above can't be in 2 places at once. BE PATIENT!


PHOTOSTORY:

• Each group needs only one computer. If you have 2 out, shut one down and replace it.
• Only computers 1-16 have the program loaded. You may need to switch with someone else to get a computer that has the program.
• It needs to be relatively QUIET in the classroom in order for folks to record narration... So keep the volume low!
• Be VERY careful HOW and WHERE you save your work. You need to name it with both of your last names like so: Suri Lester- Jamestown Digital Story
• If you get stuck with your digital story, work on some other aspect of your writing. Don't waste time!

 I'm looking forward to seeing your work! Have a great weekend!

Online Assignment

Hello 4th Graders!

Happy Friday!

Here's your online To-Do List:

1) Login to Type to Learn. Work in TTL until 8:50am.
2) Login to VMath Live. You must SHOW YOUR WORK if you're doing any CALCULATIONS. Get lined or graph paper. Be sure to label it correctly, skip 3 lines between problems, and write ON THE LINES. You must turn in your neat sheet to get credit for today's work.

REMINDERS: Work on things we have studied in class FIRST! You can branch out beyond what we've studied once you've finished EVERYTHING else. Don't get stuck! If you find yourself getting stuck, ask a colleague for help or move on to another section.

Work hard and expand your brain!

I'll see you Monday for our fieldtrip!

L, Ms. Bragg

Morning Messages

Morning Messages

VIDEO: Fort Sumter

Morning Message

VIDEOs: Fredericksburg

Morning Messages

Morning Message

Morning Message

VIDEOs: Partial Quotients Division with Ms. Bragg and Ben Franklin!

Morning Message

VIDEO: TJ on Channel 4 Weather Report with Tom Kierien

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

MUSIC VIDEO: The Air Song by Mr. Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Thunderstorms Song by Mr. Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Hurricanes and Twisters Song by Mr. Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Weather Fronts Song by Mr. Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Storm Clouds Song by Mr Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Winds Blow Song by Mr. Parr

MUSIC VIDEO: Weather Instruments Song by Mr. Parr

LYRICS:

Let's go to the beach, each
Wind blowing away
Wind speed, anemometer
The cups catch wind turning of a dial
That measures the speed, as it will come by
Cause the rain gauge, measuring the rain
Over time, time, yes specific time
Is it two, three inches in it?
Graduated cylinder use it to measure

Air pressure more, more
Rain has no chance
The rise and fall, barometer, pressure intense
Let's measure air, air
Check vapor content
Use a hygrometer, grometer
From dry to damp

Satellites orbit and fly
Rain gauge measures rain height
Doppler, reflects rain size
Hygrometer, humid time

Balloons info they fly
Wind speed anemometer's why
Barometer, pressure's high
Temperature

We follow on the Doppler (3x)

Jump in a sat-tell-atellite in orbit
And they use weather photographs to help track
They track to the left and track to the right
Then compile, scientists analyze
(They are way up in the sky)

Now everybody let me hear you say Fahrenheit
Now Celsius cause US ain't right
Thermometers contain mercury
Rising in the glass when heat to liquid

Get off the floor, floor
In a weather balloon
Higher it goes, goes
Check conditions

Satellites orbit and fly
Rain gauge measures rain height
Doppler, reflects rain size
Hygrometer, humid time

Balloons info they fly
Wind speed anemometer's why
Barometer, pressure's high
Temperature

We follow on the Doppler (3x)

Satellites orbit and fly
Rain gauge measures rain height
Doppler, reflects rain size
Hygrometer, humid time

Balloons info they fly
Wind speed anemometer's why
Barometer, pressure's high
Temperature

VIDEOs: Air Pressure and Barometers

Morning Messages