Elementary Science

Elementary Science Olympiad

 

We have created a new page with ESO information on the left-hand navigation.  We will post information, updates, suggestions, and links for ESO teams and coaches.  Please check back frequently for clarifications, changes, or answers to FAQs.  Should you have any specific questions regarding ESO in Cobb please send them to James (Jim) Morris (james.morris@cobbk12.org).  He is our ESO Coordinator and the man with all the answers!!!  :-)

Cobb ESO will be held at Walton HS on Saturday - March 6, 2010

Georgia ESOwill be held at KSU on Saturday - May 15, 2010 

ESO Events for 2009-2010   Download 2010 ESO Event Correlations 

Need an ESO manual?  Cobb's ESO sponsor (COBB EMC) provides us with funding to purchase ESO manuals for each team.  I have a supply of these at the county office.  If you are starting a new team and need a manual, please send me a request via e-mail at sally.creel@cobbk12.org.

Jim's ESO BLOG   http://mtbethel.blogs.com/science_olympiad/  Jim has a wealth of resources that can be adapted for use with your team. 

Dr. Tom Brown's State ESO Website   http://www.kennesaw.edu/education/msp/esofall.htm

Cobb ESO Registration - Any Cobb school wishing to participate in the Cobb ESO may do so.  There is no cost.  Registration involves sending an e-mail to James.morris@cobbk12.org and letting him know that you would like to participate.  Each school may bring up to 2 teams, but no more. 

State ESO Registration - Thanks to the generous support of Cobb EMC, all Cobb teams may attend the State ESO for no cost.  Cobb EMC will pay all the registration costs.  Please notify Sally Creel or Jim Morris of your intent to participate in the State ESO.  I will send one list of Cobb schools participating at the state ESO and one check to pay all registration fees. 

Philippe Cousteau is Coming to Cobb on Sept. 10th!

Meet Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau and Discovery Education’s Chief Environmentalist on September 10th, 2009 at Russell Elementary School in the Cobb County School District.

Philippe will share his passion about his conservational efforts and experiences. Students will be enthusiastic about science and environmental causes and they will learn how they can make a difference in their own communities.

September 10, 2009

1:00PM to 2:45PM

Russell Elementary School

To learn more about Philippe Cousteau visit http://www.philippecousteau.com/

 

 

Let others know about this great opportunity by sharing the flyer for the event! Download CCSD Russell Elementary - Philippe Cousteau Visit Sept 10

Grant Opportunity from Cobb Schools Foundation

The Cobb County Public Schools Educational Foundation is dedicated to advancing academic excellence in Cobb.  We are looking to support innovative and creative ideas in teaching.  Through public support, we are able to make funds available for Educational IMPACT Grants to teachers.  Grants awarded up to $2,500.

A committee of Foundation Trustees, educators and administrators will review and select the projects to be funded.   

Successful proposals will meet the following criteria:

• Strengthen academics
• Meets School Improvement Plan Objectives
• Meaningful and engaging for students
• Long-term benefit to school
• Well thought out
• Includes budget details
• Complete application in its entirety
• Creative & Innovative approach to education

Who may apply:

• Teachers, specialists & school staff
• Teams of teachers or schools
• Principals & school administrators

Download IMPACT Grant 09 Application and apply today!

 

Visit the Cobb Schools Foundation on the web at http://www.cobbeducationalfoundation.org/ to learn about other opportunities! 

Accessing Harcourt Science Textbook Online

We have created generic teacher logins for each school.  These logins will provide access to the electronic versions of the Harcourt Science resources to all teachers in the school.  A list of school logins and passwords was sent to the textbook administrators, AA/APs, and science contacts.  Please do not change the password information, as this will prevent everyone from accessing the site. 

 

Attached is a quick start guide to help you navigate through the site.  It will address your most frequent questions.  In addition to this quick start guide we have posted information and suggestions about creating a generic student login for your students.  We hope that you will find this information helpful.  Please feel free to contact me (sally.creel@cobbk12.org) or Ellen Glantzberg (ellen.glantzberg@cobbk12.org) if you have any questions. 

 

To create a generic login for your students do the following:

www.thinkcentral.com

Log in using your school generic account.

Click on the Classes and Students link from the main page.

Click on Manage Students from the left menu.

Click the Add button at the bottom.

Complete the student information....

 

I would suggest that you create one generic student account for your class.  You could do the HR teacher's last name - (e.g. - for me "Creel5") as the username and the password. 

 

Once you've created a student login.  Then create a class (info on the attached quick start).  Add this student to your class and assign the 5th grade e-Textbook to them.  Please note that due to a flaw in the program the national textbook and the Georgia textbook will come up on the student screen.  Just tell them to use the book that looks like theirs.  The company is working on the problem. 

 

Here's a list of the Georgia Textbook ISBN #s

978-015-3734137           STUDENT EDITION ONLINE G1

978-015-3734144           STUDENT EDITION ONLINE G2

978-015-3734151           STUDENT EDITION ONLINE G3

978-015-3734168           STUDENT EDITION ONLINE G4

978-015-3734175           STUDENT EDITION ONLINE G5

 :-)  Sally

 

Download Cobb ThinkCentral K-5 QuickStart

Zoo Atlanta SPARKS Program

Here is some information on an upcoming SPARKS Workshop at Zoo Atlanta.  It is free of charge to engage parents of children in Kindergarten to 8th grade in science. 

When it comes to science test scores among American students, the national averages are not looking too good. Trends show that science test scores are falling across the U.S., particularly among students in urban public schools. Fortunately, cultural institutions like Zoo Atlanta can and are making a difference, especially to a child’s most powerful educational advocate – the parent.

The SPARKS (Supporting Parents in Advocacy, Reform and Knowledge in Science) program maximizes the natural capabilities of informal learning centers like zoos to engage parents directly in their children’s science learning. Developed by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo, SPARKS endows parents with teaching methods that supplement science learning at home and promote stronger educational advocacy in the community.

Upcoming SPARKS Workshops and Fairs:

• SPARKS Workshop 8/22/2009 and 8/29/2009 OR 8/26/2009 and 8/27/2009
• Workshops last from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.
• A $50 stipend will be given to each participant that completes the entire workshop to help cover your expenses. 
• Please read our SPARKS Information Packet (PDF) for more information
• SPARKS Science Fair is Saturday 9/19/2009 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Register online for your SPARKS Workshop or call 404.624.WILD.

Field Trip Opportunity to Hyde Farm - 2nd Grade Only

The National Park Service (NPS), in conjunction with Cobb County, will be launching a new fieldtrip program at Hyde Farm (right here in Cobb County) for the 2009-2010 school year.  Specific local area students from 2^nd and 8^th grades will be invited to visit the fields, examine the historic buildings, and explore both human and non-human existence along the Chattahoochee River

on a walking educational tour with an NPS ranger.

 

For more information Download Hyde Farm fieldtrip_2nd&8th

Science Benchmark Errors

Thanks to my editors in the schools!  I was made aware of two errors in the answer keys of the 3rd & 4th grade Science Benchmarks for Quarter 1.  I have made the corrections and the are now posted on PICASSO.  If you downloaded the Science Benchmarks for quarter 1 for grades 3 & 4 BEFORE AUGUST 13, please be aware of the following errors:

3rd Grade:

Question #11 ...best describes a mineral.  The correct answer should be "C" - They are found in Earth, not "D" - All minerals are shiny.

Question #13 ...electrical wires are made of...  The correct answer should be "D" - Copper; not "C" - Silt.

4th Grade:

Question # 2...on a cooler day evaporation will be "A" - slower; not "B" faster.

Question #9 ...on Wed the temperature was "A" - 68 degrees; not "D" - 58 degrees.

All on-line versions taken within Achievement Series were & are correct.

Thanks for your continued patience.  I do hope that you find the revised benchmarks much better in all other ways.  Please continue to let me know of any errors you encounter.  Working together will create the best possible product for our students.  :-)

Starlab Reservations

CCSD has 5 complete Starlab portable planetariums, (4 are available for check out and 1 stays in the warehouse as a backup).  These are for local school use.  The starlabs are to be used to teach science standards for grades 2, 4, 6, and high school.  This summer we sent all our Starlabs out for complete service and maintenance...YEA!!!  They are as close to mint condition as possible! 

Teachers may reserve the Starlab Planetariums to use at their schools during the school year.  Reservations are completed on a first come first serve basis.  To make a reservation for your school, please download and complete the Starlab Request form below.  To view available dates to reserve the Starlab, please click on the Starlab Schedule link on the left hand navigation.

Download Starlab Request Form

Each Starlab costs $20,000.00.  For this reason we only check out the starlabs to teachers who have completed a Starlabs Basics training course.  In the event that no one at your school has been trained on proper Starlab use, a representative may register to attend the Starlab Basics non-credit workshop being offered on October 8th.  Registration opens on August 20th through the professional learning website.  We will allow schools to make a reservation as long as they have someone registered to attend the October 8th training, and that their request date is after October 8th. 

Free Educator Open House at Tellus

 Sneak Peak for Educators Only!

You must wear your system name badge

for free admittance!

 

We love your families and your children, but please do not bring them with you this evening.    This event is for professional educators only and we appreciate you!

 

Drop in to see us,

3pm to 8pm

Thursday, August 27, 2009

 

Free Planetarium Preview with Program Overviews

At 5:00, 6:00 & 7:00

 

Please R.S.V.P. by August 20, 2009 to

eventrsvp@tellusmuseum.org

or 770-606-5700 ext. 412

 

Refreshments will be served

For directions visit our website at

www.tellusmuseum.org

Final Versions of 09-10 Report Cards, Teacher Rubrics, & Information for Parents

The Primary Reporting System components have been revised and are posted on PICASSO.  These resources include:

• Copies of K, 1, 2, 3 Report Cards, Teacher Rubrics, & Information for Parents
• Translated Versions of all of the above in Spanish, Portuguese, & Korean
• Primary Reporting Training Modules

The Primary Reporting Training Modules are a new resource for the 09-10 school year.  These were trainings developed by report card mentors, representing all CCSD Elementary Schools, and C&I Supervisors.  The materials contained in the modules are those items identified by the report card mentors as key components to using the primary reporting system successfully.  The Primary Reporting Training Modules are:

• Rationale - Why have we moved to standards based reporting?  Research & Resources
• Communication - How can teachers, schools, and the district communicate with each other, parents, and students effectively regarding the Primary Reporting System?
• Guidelines - How can teachers more consistently mark and grade in order to report student achievement to parents using the primary reporting system?
• Organization - How can we organize to manage evidence of learning?

To access these resources on PICASSO, log in using your teacher login information.  Then select the "Student Reporting" section under Teacher Resources.  From here you will be linked to a page with all of the resources described above.

 

Parents may access the electronic versions of the Primary Reporting System from the main CCSD Webpage by clicking "The Primary Years Report Cards K-3" in the "Quick Links" sections.