ES Science

This quarter in Grade 1 students will learn about making observations of the moon, stars, and changes in daylight. We will start off looking for patterns by observing the sun, moon, and stars. Next we'll study how daylight changes for different seasons. Also, we'll be predicting sunrise and sunset. Finally we will return to the idea of patterns and predictions, and go more in depth!

This quarter in Grade 2 students will construct arguments using evidence to show that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed, and some cannot. Also, we will construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

This quarter in Grade 3 students will create tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. Also, we will find and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. Finally, we will make claims about the merits of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.

This quarter in Grade 4 students will develop models to describe reflecting light entering the eye allowing objects to be seen. Next, we will construct arguments that plants and animals have structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Finally, we will use a model to describe animals receiving different types of information through their senses, processing that information in their brains, and responding to the information in different ways.

This quarter in Grade 5 students will develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. Next, we will measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that the total weight of matter is always conserved. Also, we will make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. Finally, we will conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.

About me: I was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. My father was in the US Air Force for my whole childhood, so we moved a lot. I lived in Illinois, Texas, Virginia, and South Korea before I graduated high school. My mother was a teacher, and she passed on to me a love of learning and sharing ideas. I got my bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Christopher Newport University, in Newport News, Virginia. I moved to Lingxi in Zhejiang, China, where I taught English for two years. I moved to Taiwan in 2013 to join my mother in Taichung. It was wonderful living in the same city as her as an adult! She has since returned to America. I began work at American school Taichung in 2016 while I studied for a teaching degree online through Moreland University. It’s been wonderful working at AST, and I’m excited I get to teach science to grades one through five this year!