Learning About Energy With Steve Spangler

Steve Spangler Gave My Class Some Energy Sticks!

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting YouTube Headquarters in San Bruno, California for the first ever YouTube Education Summit. It was an amazing experience and I felt very honored to be invited. I had the opportunity to meet some incredible education innovators including Sal Khan (of Khan Academy), Sir Ken Robinson (via G+ Hangout), several representatives of Ted-ED and the most exciting celebrity of all - Steve Spangler, the legendary science guru of Steve Spangler Science! 

Fan Girl Moment! 

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that Steve Spangler was one of the speakers at the EDU Summit, and was captivated along with the rest of the audience as he got about 75 adults actively engaged in several hands on science experiments, right in the middle of YouTube headquarters. I'd been a Steve Spangler fan for many years (as any elementary school teacher probably is) but watching his entertaining science in person, kicked up my respect for him to an entire new level! 

Human Energy Circuit

One of the many experiments he had us participate in at YouTube, was creating a human energy circuit using his cool, interactive Energy Stick. He gave everyone one of these fabulous devices and there were a few extras left and he generously gave me those to take back to my class! 

The students had a great time learning about electrodes, circuits, energy and electricity experimenting with the energy sticks. As a class, we also sent Steve Spangler a few tweets during the lesson and he responded! 

The energy sticks brought our science lesson to life and the students were able to correctly explain what we had done at the end of the period. 

We also created a brief video demonstrating our new knowledge. Who knew science could be so much fun? Click below to watch the class in action!

Thanks again, Steve Spangler! We loved the energy sticks, learned a ton and had a fabulous time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable break, and that you were entertained by our turkey recipe books (sent home last Friday.) Below is a video clip of some excerpts from the book.

Anemometers

Last week we worked in small groups to build anemometers in science class. What's an anemometer, you ask? Ask your 2nd grader!

Students were given assembly instructions and supplies, and were then responsible for building the device with their team.

After they were built, students worked with a partner testing their new creation in front of a fan, using all the different speeds. We also brought the anemometers outside and tested them in the wind. 

Winners!

Award Winning Art!

We have had some award winners in our classroom recently, who deserve to be celebrated! Congratulations to Sunny for receiving an honorable mention for her beautiful painting which was on display at the Arizona State Fair.

"The Bamboo Dance"

Another congratulations goes out to Tristan, who won a random drawing for submitting a story in the Mrs. P. Be-A-Famous-Writer-Contest earlier this year. Below is the announcement from Mrs. P's website.

Creating Commercials

Writing Scripts Collaboratively

Last week we finished our literature study on the book Ramona Quimby, Age 8. In the book, Ramona had to write a commercial for a book report and present it to her class. We decided to do the same thing in our class! Students worked in small groups and collaboratively wrote a commercial for an assigned product. After proofreading and editing their scripts, they started rehearsing their presentations. Finally, we recorded and uploaded each commercial. Below are some of the results of our hard work!

The Frosting Group

The Plastic Baggie Group

The Tissue Group