Janney Science
The second advisory in the Science Lab is in high gear with the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades
participating in some very engaging units.
In the unit Pebbles, Sand, and Silt, first grade geologist will be observing and comparing the properties
of rocks, sorting rocks by their properties, and exploring the many uses of rocks. Don’t be surprised if
your first grader wants to spend the afternoon going on a rock hunt.
The 2nd grade unit, Air and Weather, combines physical and earth science. Students start the unit by
exploring the physical properties of air. Then they focus on the layer of air surrounding the earth where
weather occurs. Students will learn about moving air (wind), the water cycle, and temperature, and they
will use weather instruments to track and graph daily weather data.
4th graders are finishing a mini unit on rocks to wrap up their Landforms Unit, and they will be
spending the rest of November and December studying ecosystems. In this unit, students will make a
model land and water ecosystem in order to study habitats, food webs, and factors that affect water
quality. For the unit, we need to collect 2 liter, clear plastic bottles to build our eco-columns. All 4th
grade students should bring in one bottle, and other students are welcome to donate a bottle as well.
5th grade is working on the chemistry unit called Mixtures and Solutions. Currently they are studying
the periodic table and making models of atoms and molecules. As the unit progresses, students will
study mixtures, experiment with saturation and separating mixtures, and will discover the difference
between physical and chemical change.
As we move into December, Kindergarten and 3rd grade will be back in the lab. Kindergarten will be
studying the Material World, observing, describing, testing, and comparing different material including
paper, wood, plastic, and metal. 3rd grade will be starting their Energy Unit, doing an overview of types
of energy in the classroom and focusing on the energy of sound in the lab.
A couple of other notes:
The Janney Science Lab is in need of two aquariums to house animals from our various life science units.
If you have an old aquarium, or pumps/filters that you are not using, consider donating them to the
science lab. You can contact me by email if you have items to donate or lend.
The Janney Garden-
A great big shout out to the 2nd grade teachers, classes and parents who spent a long, hardworking,
day planting the two new butterfly gardens on the east field. The gardens are currently in their winter
mode, but they will be in full bloom this spring when the 2nd graders are engaged in their study of
butterflies.
The turn out of 2nd grade parents to help with this project was amazing! Thank you for your support of
the students and the garden project. If you are interested in contributing to the garden project, rest
assured that there will be plenty of opportunities to participate in the spring when the garden project
gets into full swing.