Bird of the Week - lV

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Tufted titmouse. This small, gray songbird has a short tuft on its head and and its black eye is prominent in its pale gray face. The male and female look alike. It's song is a loud, whistled "peter, peter, peter, peter" and is one of the first bird songs of spring. The tufted titmouse eats insects and seeds. The tufted titmouse is a common backyard visitor, frequenting feeders in the winter and nesting in holes in trees.

To learn more about the Tufted titmouse and to hear it's song, click on this link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Tufted_Titmouse_dtl.html

Photo taken from Cornell's All About Birds.

Bird of the Week - lll

This week's "Bird of the Week" is the Northern cardinal. This medium-sized songbird has a large crest on it's head and a heavy, conical bill. The face is surrounded by black and the male is entirely a brilliant red while the female is grayish-tan with a red tail and wings.

This common bird is a winter fixture at snow-covered bird feeders throughout Massachusetts in the winter and is very popular. The female Northern Cardinal sings, often from the nest. The song may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest.

The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder.

For more information about the cardinal and to hear it's song, go to: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Cardinal.html

Photos taken from Cornell's All About Birds site.

"Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles" experiment

"Which diswashing liquid will produce the biggest bubble?" was the title of the problem we investigated today in class. This Bubbles experiment was the vehicle for us to practice using a ruler to measure to the nearest millimeter (mm) and to help us learn about the Scientific Method.

What are the 5 steps of the Scientific Method? How did we apply them during this experiment?

Bird of the Week - ll

This week's "Bird of the Week is the Blue jay. This is a very common back yard bird here in Reading and a frequent visitor to feeders. This large, showy, noisy, blue bird has a crest with white spots in the wings and tail. The upper parts of the the bird are various shades of blue. The male and female birds look alike.

While many Blue jays migrate, others live year-round in our area. Some people don't like Blue jays because they are loud and aggressive and occasionally eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds. Blue jays can mimic the calls of certain hawks.

To learn more about the Blue jay and to hear it's song, click on the link:http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Blue_Jay.html

Photo taken from Cornell's "All About Birds."

Science Safety Posters!

The Science safety Posters were due today and they were great! The posters showed a lot of thought and creativity. All of the posters will be hung in the corridor and/or in my classroom.

Great job!

Kilometer walk

To get a better understanding of just how long a kilometer (Km) is, all of the classes took a "Kilometer Walk" around the school neighborhood today.

Measuring length

Making measurements is very important in science. We will be learning how to measure length, mass, solid and liquid volume, temperature, and density. We will learn how to correctly use the proper tools to measure accurately using the Metric system. Here are some photos of today's Measuring length activity.

Bird of the Week l - Black-capped chickadee

"Chicka-dee-dee-dee. Chicka-dee-dee-dee." This is the call of the Massachusetts state bird, the Black capped chickadee. This little bird is a back yard favorite and is easily recognized. It has a small, short bill with a black cap, black bib, and white cheeks.
The Chickadee lives in Reading all year round. They nest in cavities (holes) in trees and will also nest in nest boxes. They feed on insects, seeds, and berries. They love to come to back yard feeders, often hanging upside down to feed. In the winter, they will often gather in small flocks travelling around the neighbor hood looking for feeders and natural foods.
To learn more about the Black-capped chickadee and to hear it song and call, click on this link:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Black-capped_Chickadee.html#fig1

Lab Equipment quiz tomorrow!

Use the photos to help you learn the names of the various pieces of Lab Equipment.

Lab Equipment

On Friday, you will have a quiz on the different pieces of Lab equipment we have been learning about. Can you identify the various pieces of Lab equipment in the photos? Use the Lab Equipment sheet #4 in your Science binder to help you if necessary.