Waves

This week I did similar lessons with K-3rd, but adapted for the grade level. It was very interesting to watch the difference between the different grade levels and I think was valuable to all. Waves and energy are currently a 3rd grade science standard, but will soon be moving to first grade, so this is why I decided to use this activity with all K-3rd students.

What is a wave? We see waves in the ocean, but is that really the only type of wave?

Here are some items that students experimented with to make “waves”.

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Here is also a video of Lego people forming a wave.

So what is the pattern we see?

Student drew a before diagram and after diagram of the pattern.

Plate Tectonics Video 1

I tried to embed this video, but it wouldn’t do it for some reason.

Click here for a video about Plate Tectonics. The video has Bill Nye, though it is not a Bill Nye Science Guy show (he’s more serious in this video).

Just How Small We Are

Astronomy

Did you watch the video? Hard to imagine….but wait, VV Cephei is NOT the largest star known. Since this video was made, there has been a more recent discovery of another star that is believed to be larger than VV Cephei.Most of the stars shown in this video are common stars that we can see…part of our constellations! Betelgeuse is in the constellation of Orion. If you can find Orion, Betelgeuse is the reddish-colored star. It is a red giant. Polaris is the North Star.