The StarrMatica Blog

Engineering Challenge #4: Ice Cube Insulator

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on May 18, 2021 Content Integration Ideas, Content Recommendations, Science Resources Comments Off

May 182021

Engineering Challenge #4: Ice Cube Insulator

Welcome to our fourth engineering challenge post to help you keep your students engaged the last few weeks of school. (You can find the first three challenges here, here, and here.) You’ll see in this post, as in previous posts, that my intention is not to provide an entire NGSS-aligned lesson plan. My goal is to share resources you can use to design a lesson that meets your specific classroom needs. Our fourth challenge is The Ice Cube Insulator Challenge paired with One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews. This challenge is a common one you have probably seen (or → read more

Engineering Challenge #3: Building Bridges

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on May 12, 2021 Content Integration Ideas, Content Recommendations, Science Resources Comments Off

May 122021

Engineering Challenge #3: Building Bridges

Welcome to our third engineering challenge post to help you keep your students engaged the last few weeks of school. (You can find the first two challenges here and here.) As we shared in the last posts, it is essential to note that these posts are not intended to provide an entire NGSS-aligned lesson plan. My goal is to share resources you can use to design a lesson that meets your specific classroom needs. Our third challenge is: The Bridge Building Challenge paired with Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing by April Jones Prince or Twenty-One Elephants by Phil Bildner. Let → read more

Engineering Challenge #2: Rube Goldberg Machines

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on May 7, 2021 Content Integration Ideas, Content Recommendations, Science Resources Comments Off

May 072021

Engineering Challenge #2: Rube Goldberg Machines

Welcome to our second engineering challenge post to help you keep your students engaged the last few weeks of school. (You can find the first challenge here.) As we shared in the last post, it is essential to note that these posts aren’t intended to provide an entire NGSS-aligned lesson plan. My goal is to focus on sharing a high-quality picture book, an engineering challenge, and question recommendations that you can use as a springboard to create a lesson that meets your specific classroom needs. Our second challenge is: The Rube Goldberg Challenge paired with Just Like Rube Goldberg by → read more

Engineering Challenge #1: Hot Wheels and Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on May 7, 2021 Content Integration Ideas, Content Recommendations, Science Resources Comments Off

May 072021

Engineering Challenge #1: Hot Wheels and Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

If your students are anything like my fourth graders, by the time we get to May, we’re all getting a little antsy. The weather in the United States is getting warmer, we’ve been working hard all year, and we’re all ready to climb out the classroom window at any moment to run around the playground like pollinating bees. (Which you can do for a fun exercise break with your class!) That’s why all this month, I’m going to be sharing engineering design challenges. Engineering challenges are a great way to keep your students engaged and excited about learning during these → read more

NGSS Informational Texts for Fourth Grade: Stunning Sinkholes!

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on March 9, 2021 Science Resources Comments Off

Mar 092021

NGSS Informational Texts for Fourth Grade: Stunning Sinkholes!

The fourth grade performance expectation 4-ESS2-1 asks students to: “Make observations and/or measurements to provide evidence of the effects of weathering or the rate of erosion by water, ice, wind, or vegetation.” In our fourth grade informational text for this performance expectation, Stunning Sinkholes! by Sarah Wassner Flynn, students learn how the hydrosphere and the geosphere interact to form sinkholes. You can access the text here. After students have read the text, if they would like to know more about sinkholes, this brief 3-D animation shows different reasons sinkholes might form. This animated video that explains how weathering and erosion → read more

NGSS Informational Texts for Third Grade: Safety in Numbers

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on February 21, 2021 Science Resources Comments Off

Feb 212021

NGSS Informational Texts for Third Grade: Safety in Numbers

The third grade performance expectation 3-LS2-1 asks students to: “Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members to survive.” In our third grade informational text for this performance expectation, Safety in Numbers! by Sarah Wassner Flynn, students learn about the ways animals stick together to stay safe. You can access the text here. After reading the text, your class can build their own ant farms to observe group behavior: https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Animal-Group-Behavior-Lesson-Plan-GG.pdf Or play this simulation game for students to take an active role in learning how group behavior helps members survive. https://www.siemensstemday.com/downloads?path=activity/Swarm%21.pdf&fid=416&section=educators Safety in Numbers is found in, → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) – 4-ESS3-1

Posted by Emily Starr on February 16, 2021 Uncategorized Comments Off

Feb 162021

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) - 4-ESS3-1

4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment. If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide and video here:https://www.nextgenscience.org/resources/phenomena And now, on to our environmental phenomenon! → read more

NGSS Informational Texts for Second Grade: Seeds Everywhere!

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on January 25, 2021 Content Recommendations Comments Off

Jan 252021

NGSS Informational Texts for Second Grade: Seeds Everywhere!

The second grade performance expectation 2-LS2-1 asks students to: “Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.” In our second grade informational text for this performance expectation, Seeds Everywhere! by Sarah Wassner Flynn, students learn different ways animals spread seeds. You can access the text here. After students have read the text, you might interest students in playing this interactive game online where students are challenged to collect seeds that are dispersed in different ways: > PBD Kids: Seed Racer This is a great engineering lesson plan that aligns well with → read more

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) – 4-LS1-2

Posted by Emily Starr on January 22, 2021 Uncategorized Comments Off

Jan 222021

Phenomenon for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) - 4-LS1-2

4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. If you are teaching the Next Generation Science Standards and are looking for phenomena ideas, you’ve come to the right place! I like to think about phenomena as lesson starters. They are photos or videos showing an observable event in the universe and are used to get kids thinking, asking questions, and discussing their prior knowledge. For more information about using phenomena, there is a handy printable guide and video → read more

NGSS Informational Texts for First Grade: Just Like Animals!

Posted by Natalie Linville-Mass on January 7, 2021 Behind the Scenes of StarrMatica, Science Resources Comments Off

Jan 072021

NGSS Informational Texts for First Grade: Just Like Animals!

What helps this turtle stay protected? The first grade performance expectation 1-LS1-1 asks students to “use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.” In our first grade informational text for this performance expectation, Just Like Animals by Sarah Wassner Flynn, students learn how human tools can function similarly to plant and animal parts. You can access the text here. After students have read the text, you could extend their learning with this video about Biomimicry. Take advantage of this → read more

Older Entries