The 5th grade students have started their study of Chemistry: Matter and Change. They have learned about different states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasmas, and Bose Einsteins). They have also discussed the differences between physical changes and chemical changes in matter. An excellent website for kids on Chemistry is Chem4Kids. http://www.chem4kids.com/index.html
I have put together some materials for the students from this website in their “matter packet.”
Recently, they have learned about atoms. They know the different particles that make up atoms and how they are arranged in an atom. Some students seem hungry for some extra knowledge about atoms (beyond what we will cover in class). I have found an excellent video on Khan Academy that takes what we have learned to a slightly higher level. The first 8 minutes or so will work for anyone in class. The rest of the video would really only be interesting to students who have an aptitude for science (chemistry and physics, specifically). I am posting the link here in case your child would like to watch it or even just part of it to reinforce what we have learned in class.
On Thursday, we will start to dive into the elements and the periodic table. Students always enjoy this section of a unit on matter. The students will bring home a homework assignment (due Monday) to help them begin to explore the periodic table.
Mrs. Baier
