Our next chapter covers weather.  Start watching the weather forecast on your favorite news program.  Look for patterns and trends in the weather.  Is there anything they discuss that you have never noticed before?  One pattern to look for is something we discussed in our last chapter.  Does our weather really move from west to east?

Picture by Christian Meyn

The rats will be here next Monday!!

***I will be looking for weekend babysitters for our rats. You must have a note from your parents saying it is ok for you to watch a rat for the weekend. You must be picked up on Friday and dropped off at school on Monday. You are not allowed to take a rat on the bus. Please indicate on the note if there are any weekends you are unavailable during the project.  Iwill let you know by Wed or Thurs. before the weekend you will be taking the rat home.  I will also send instructions for caring and feeding of the rats.

***I will also be looking for homes for our rats after the experiment is over. If you are interested you must bring a note from your parents stating that it is ok for you to have a rat AS A PET when we are finished. I will give them away on a first come first served basis. You must be able to provide a cage and all other things necessary to care for the rat. Listen in class for instructions if you are interested!

Now that you have learned to measure mass, you need to practice it!  Click HERE to visit the Ohaus site to practice measuring and reading a Triple Beam Balance.  You can also find the link in the Current Chapter Sites over to the right.

I have enjoyed listening to your scientist reports.  You have done a great job.  Remember that picture that you drew?  Hopefully, now you can see that scientists are not always just “mad scientists.”  I hope you paid attention to the reports!  We will have a test on these scientists and what they do next week!

Did you know there is a website that goes along with your science book?  It is listed on the front of your book and throughout.  There is a link to it on this website and the scholastic website.  You can take quizzes to help you study for our test.  There is also a link to the National Geographic website.  The best part about it is that there is an online textbook.  You have to know the username and password, though.  Here they are:

Username:  GR6IN05

Password:  dLuK5U4r

Try out the website by clicking HERE.  You might want to write this information down and keep it by your computer.  It will come in handy on those days that you have too many books to take home or forget your science book at home.

Well, we have made it through our first week.  You are finally getting used to your INB’s.  Remember to keep up with them.  Don’t forget we have an INB quiz next week and you can use your INB to help you answer the questions.  It will be a breeze if  you are keeping your INB up to date.  We will be doing two lab activities next week.  Hopefully, you are starting to catch on to the routine we have in Science.  It will be similar most days, but be sure to read the board when you come into class.  You will always know what to do if you pay attention to that.

I want to welcome you to 6th grade at Castle South Elementary!  I hope that you will use this site and let me know what I can do to make it better.  If I can, I will.

Science will be exciting this year!  Some of the things we will study this year are:  the Nature of Science, Rocks and Minerals, Oceans, Water, Different Types of Animals and their Interactions, Microscopes and Cells.  Believe it or not, those are just some of the things we will study!

I am very excited to have our own science lab to work in.  We will do many activities in there this year.

Be sure to check out the pictures of our classroom pets.  We have turtle named Scooter and a leopard gecko named what else…..Geico!  Geico will be here the first day of school, but Scooter will arrive at a later date.

If you want to know what to bring for science be sure to check out the link at the top.  You will find the materials that you need to have with you every day for science class.

I am looking forward to working with you this year!

Mrs. Johnson

Here is a great site to help you get prepared for the Marengo Field Trip.  It is called The Virtual Cave.  Click the name to go to the site.  For 2 bonus points, you can write a paragraph about one of the formations you find on the site.  Be sure to describe it, tell how it forms and what type of cave you would find it in.  Turn it in by next Monday.

We have two field trips coming up soon:

Philharmonic–Thurs., March 12

• We will be eating at Pizza Chef after the concert.  The fee is included with the fee on the Marengo trip permission slip.
• You will not be allowed to play games at Pizza Chef.
• Dress nicely!!  No jeans if possible.  Remember, this is an Orchestra concert, and appropriate dress is expected.

Marengo Cave–Thurs., March 19

• Bring a sack lunch and drink.  Be sure to label both of them before you come to school.  We will not have time to do this that morning.
• Wear old tennis shoes and wear a light jacket.  It is about 50 degrees in the cave and it could be muddy, depending on how much rain we get.
• You can bring money for the gift shop.
• Do not bring flashlights.  We have been asked not to bring them as a courtesy to the guides.
• We will be leaving PROMPTLY at 8:20.  We are pushed for time to get there, so it is extremely important to be on time to school that day.  You will be left behind if you are tardy!

ISTEP is going well this week.  Don’t forget to get plenty of rest this week and keep your pencils sharpened! 

We will be starting our Rocks and Minerals chapter this week.  Look for some new sites to appear!