Lots of labs, some very cool hands-on projects in physics, chemistry, and earth science --  and work with computers to produce multi-media projects involving podcasting.
 

No dates set for these yet, but they are great fun and you will learn a lot of science with each one!  Guidelines and on-line help will be provided for each activity.

-- Bottle Rockets

-- Dry Ice Labs

-- Physical and
     Chemical Changes

-- Balloon Poppers

   Chadwick 6th Grade Science -- Year Overview

Scientific Inquiry  (on-going)

•  Ask meaningful questions
•  Design and complete an independent investigation using the scientific method
•  Use scientific instruments to collect and analyze data
•  Use charts, graphs, and tables to show relationships between variables in an experiment
•  Evaluate investigations and draw conclusions

CIMI Trip & Marine Biology Follow-up

•  Learn about Toyon Bay habitats, ecology, plant & animal species, producers & consumers, preditors & prey
•  Analyze the structure, form, and biology of giant kelp
•  Learn about living organisms that inhabit the base, mid-level, and canopy of kelp forests.
•  Create a “virtual” kelp forest in the classroom to illustrate learning.

Earth Science

ENERGY IN THE EARTH SYSTEM  (topics covered)
•  Earth’s heat energy & Geologic time
•  Density & boyancy
•  Ocean Currents
•  Wind and weather
•  Earth’s interior

PLATE TECHTONICS & EARTH’S STRUCTURE  (topics covered)
•  The supercontinent Pangaea
•  Sea-floor spreading
•  Plate boundaries
•  Metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks
•  Earthquakes & seismic waves
•  Volcanoes
 
SHAPING THE EARTH’S SURFACE  (topics covered)
•  Weathering & erosion
•  Marine environments, waves & beaches
•  Ecosystems, Forests in the Ocean
•  Food chains & food webs
•  Resources & conservation

Enrichment Labs

•  Water-powered 2 liter Bottle Rockets   (Earth science & physics)
•  Dry Ice (frozen CO2) investigations   (Earth science & chemistry)
•  Physical and Chemical Changes     (Earth science & chemistry)
•  Podcasting – creating a script, recording it, editing the audio file on a computer, and publishing the final file (CIMI trip follow-up and science news)
•  Balloon Poppers – (Experimental Design Project) Students use physics concepts and simple machines to create a Rube Goldberg-style “contraption” that will allow the movement of a marble down a series of ramps and levers to somewhere along the way, pop a balloon. 

Explorations Class     (Science Olympiad:  Mystery Architecture)

•  Using simple materials (straws, popsicle sticks, paper, masking tape, cups, etc.) to create a structure that can be tested for strength or performance. Examples: boat, tower, bridge, catapult, trebuchet, helicopter, boomilever cantilever, car,etc.
•  Quickly access each new challenge, develop a plan, then execute the plan using the supplied materials.