FOSS at Home FOSS® at Home Balance and Motion The FOSS® (Full Option Science System™) program offers a number of ways to get parents involved in their child’s science education. Included here are short descriptions of several ways to bridge from classroom to home. Letter to Parents. The letter to parents can be sent home at the start of a new science module. The letter describes what children will be learning and ways that parents can enrich the science-learning experience. LETTER TO PARENTS Cut here and paste on school letterhead before making copies. SCIENCE NEWS Dear Parents, Balance and Motion is the new unit we are studying in science. We will be observing and comparing how objects balance, spin, and roll, and communicating orally and in writing the things we discover. The processes of observing, communicating, and comparing are important thinking processes that your child will be using during our investigation of these interesting characteristics of objects and systems. Your child may be interested in trying some things at home. You might want to tie a string between two chairs and see how many paper cups, craft sticks, and other objects you can balance (use clothespins for counterweights). You could make a big mobile by suspending a broomstick and hanging things from it, or make spinning tops out of Tinkertoys or other shafts and hubs. Check your local toy store for tops and other spinners. The possibilities are endless, and your child can be your guide. We’re looking forward to our new unit on balance and motion to provide lots of learning and lots of fun! Sincerely, FOSS Science Stories. FOSS Science Stories is a series of original books developed to accompany and enrich the FOSS modules. The books for grades K–2 are written in an expository format that presents factual information in a clear and concise manner. The books are designed around instructional photographs that directly relate to the text, calling attention to particular details, suggesting comparisons, No. 1—Teacher Sheet and directing students to think critically about the images. FOSS Balance and Motion Module © The Regents of the University of California Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use. Investigation 1: Balance No. 1—Teacher Sheet Here are some suggestions for using FOSS Science Stories at home. • Expository Readings. The expository readings provide excellent opportunities for students and parents to discuss the science content students are learning in the module. Specific articles include Push or Pull?, Move It, But Don’t Touch It, and Rolling, Rolling, Rolling! • Extending the Story. See the Science Stories folio in the Teacher Guide for suggestions on how to extend the stories at home. For example, after students read Tools and Machines, you might have students look around their homes for tools and machines. Have students interview family members to see how they use tools and machines in their daily lives. Then they can make a list to share with the class. Balance and motion 1 Balance and Motion HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION INVESTIGATION 1: BALANCE Dear Parents, In class, we have been exploring balance. We've learned how to balance all kinds of shapes by adding clothespins, which act as counterweights. Here are some fun movements to explore together and some questions to ask your child that might lead to interesting discussions about balance, weight, and counterbalance. Try this! • Compare standing on one foot with your eyes closed and with your eyes open. Which is easier? Why do you think that might be? • Compare standing on one foot, standing on two feet, and sitting on the floor. Which do you think is the most stable—easiest to maintain balance without falling over? Why do you think that might be so? • Stand with your heels against a wall. Now bend over to pick up an object on the floor. What happens? Why do you think it happens? • Try to get up from a chair without moving your hands or leaning. What happens? What do you need to do to get up? FOSS Balance and Motion Module © The Regents of the University of California Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use. Home/School Connection 1 No. 19—Student Sheet No. 19—Student Sheet Name Date MATH EXTENSION A INVESTIGATION 1: BALANCE Jill, Joy, Randy, and Roy each made a mobile like this one. � Student Sheets. Throughout the module, students complete various recording and response sheets. Students should bring the sheets and/or their science notebooks home for families to review and discuss. For example, student sheet number 2, Stable Positions, is a good opportunity for students to explain and review with parents their predictions regarding which shapes will balance in a stable position, as well as review vocabulary such as balance point and counterweight. Home/School Connections. Home/School Connections are activities developed specifically for the whole family to enjoy at home. For example, in Investigation 1 (student sheet number 19), students and their family members explore balance and counterbalance through a series of movements: standing on one foot with eyes closed and with eyes open; deciding whether standing on one foot, standing on two feet, or sitting on the floor is the most stable; trying to stand with one’s heels against a wall and bend over to pick up an object on the floor; and trying to get up from a chair without moving hands or leaning. Interdisciplinary Extensions. Each investigation has suggestions for art, language, math, social studies, and science extensions. These are good family activities. For example, after Investigation 3 students can look for rolling toys at home to share at school. Students can locate the axles and demonstrate how the toys can roll down a slope. They might also do the Math Extensions at home. How many rubber bands did they use? How many straws did they use? How many cards did they use? How many paper clips did they use? FOSSweb (www.fossweb.com). FOSSweb is an interactive website where families can find instructional activities and interactive simulations specifically designed for each FOSS module. FOSS Balance and Motion Module © The Regents of the University of California Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use. Math Extension 1A No. 12—Student Sheet No. 12—Student Sheet NOTE: All student sheets, including the Letter to Parents, Home/School Connection, and Math Extension, are available in FOSS Teacher Guides and online at www.fossweb.com. They are also available in Spanish. See Teacher/Parent Info Section: Home/School Connection on page 4 of this folio. 2 NOTE: Pages 3 and 4 of this folio can be photocopied and sent home for parents to read. Those pages provide information on the resources for students and their families on FOSSweb. full option science system FOSS at Home FOSSWEB (WWW.FOSSWEB.COM) The FOSS program maintains a resource-rich website for students and their families and friends. To explore the resources available for the Balance and Motion Module, first enter www.fossweb.com in your browser. The FOSS website requires plug-ins for your browser. We recommend that you click the “Test Your Browser” link at the bottom of the home page before you begin to ensure your computer has the minimum requirements. Click the grades K–2 icon to get a menu that links to each of the K–2 modules. There you can choose Balance and Motion and travel to a wealth of information and activities specific to this module. ACTIVITIES In the Balance and Motion Module, you’ll find an activity called Roller Coaster Builder. Students design a roller coaster with different track pieces and then try it out to see how far a ball rolls. Try the game yourself before introducing it. Plan to introduce this activity after children have created their own roller coasters in Investigation 3, Rollers. You might ask, • What did you use to create the class roller coaster? • How many different ways could you arrange the foam pieces? • Which ways did you arrange the foam pieces to make the ball roll faster? Farther? • How would you put the pieces together to have the most fun ride? If necessary, review the ways children arranged the foam, for example, as loops, twists, and straightaways. At the computer, have children observe the different shapes they can put together for a roller coaster and show how to move the pieces to fit them together. Together decide which six pieces to use and in which order to use them for the roller coaster. Explain how to remove a piece from the roller coaster by dragging it to the trash can. Start again by clicking Reset Track. Once you have designed the roller coaster, click Go and watch what happens. If the ball doesn’t make it all the way to the end, have children suggest changes to the roller coaster and try again. Balance and motion 3 Balance and Motion PHOTO GALLERY In the Photo Gallery section, you can view images of balancing toys. You can use the images to discuss objects, including whether students have ever encountered them and how the toy is alike or different from the objects they tried out in the Balance and Motion Module. MOVIES The Movies section includes spinning tops and disks, swinging toys, and amusement-park rides for students to watch and compare to their experiences in the Balance and Motion Module. WEBSITES The Websites section includes links to sites that can extend and enrich children’s experiences with the Balance and Motion Module. Teacher/Parent Info section VOCABULARY In the Vocabulary section, you will find the glossary words and definitions used in the Balance and Motion Module. They are provided in English and Spanish. Resources This section includes an annotated list of books, videos, and software recommended for the Balance and Motion Module. You should be able to find many of these titles at your local library. HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION The Teacher/Parent Info section includes the Home/School Connection that describes ways for families to do science together. For example, in Investigation 2, families can make zoomers and tops at home. Teachers can send home a cardboard zoomer with a piece of string and the student sheets containing the directions. Students can then report on their explorations. Look in this section for other resources included in a downloadable PDF file, including a general letter introducing the module, student projects, and math problems that relate to the science investigations. 4 Copyright The Regents of the University of California full option science system 1014223