Science

As part of the University of Iowa Grant the kids are learning how to orally state their claims and evidence.  This week we practiced how to do this in front of the class.  We learned how important collecting data is when stating your evidence.  The kids did a great job asking the groups questions.

Another part of the grant is having kids "consult experts" in the science field.  For us this means looking up information in reference books and doing some searches on the internet.  For this assignment we looked up the tallest mountain, the smallest mountain, the largest bird, and the bird with the largest wing span.  As we found out, what data you use will determine your rankings.  Ask your kids what was the largest bird, tallest mountain and the shortest mountain?  (Answers: for Mrs. Bender's class our largest bird was the Giant Moa, which is extinct, that measured 13 feet.  For Mrs. Hartsock's class we used the bird with the largest wing span which is the Wandering Albatross with a wing span of 3.5 meters.  Both used the tallest mountain which is Mt. Everest at 8,850 meters.  (The biggest mountain, in diameter, is one in Hawaii.  The smallest mountain is only 47 meters.)