Did you know that George Washington and his family enjoyed ice cream and cold drinks, but they had no easy way to obtain ice? Ice is something that we take for granted today.

Washington developed a process by which his enslaved workers would go out into boats on the chilly Potomac River, which flowed past his house, to harvest the ice.

The challenge was to keep the ice frozen and protected even after the weather started to warm. The STEM competition touches on this aspect of the ice harvesting/protection process.

In the video below, I will explain how Washington’s ice harvesting process worked, how to teach this historical tidbit to students, and how to lead your students in a STEM competition on this topic. You’ll be able to download the slides that I use in the video so that you can use them with your own students!

Grab the free slides and printable file here:

Don’t worry, if you are already signed up for my VIP email club, this won’t sign you up twice. This is just the easiest way for me to distribute printable files to the teachers who want them 🙂

The post George Washington, Ice Harvester – STEM Competition appeared first on Thrive in Grade Five.

My students are absolutely obsessed with the American Revolution and they ESPECIALLY love learning about Colonial and British spies. During the Revolution, spies sometimes used the clothing they hung on their clotheslines to pass secret messages. This was a way to pass messages out in the open, under the watchful eye of the British. In cooperative groups, I asked my students to build sturdy clotheslines using only the materials provided to them. Then, they created clothesline codes that could have been used to pass secret messages between spies and spy networks.

Whenever possible, I like to combine subjects together to make interdisciplinary projects. This helps with the usual time crunch because if I’m teaching STEM, social studies, and reading together, I can justify combining the time I’d usually spend on those subjects separately and allow students to complete a longer, more involved activity. Also, it is beneficial for students to think beyond their textbooks/worksheets and actually create something.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could integrate a STEM activity into the American Revolution. Then, I came across an amazing read-aloud book (The Scarlet Stockings Spy by Trinka Hakes Noble) that gave me a fabulous idea. So, I recommend reading this book to your students as a starting place for this activity:

After reading the book, I provided some limited materials (listed below) and asked students to create clotheslines that would hold the paper pieces of clothing provided to them. I do not allow students to have extra materials!

Materials provided to each cooperative group of students:

2 foam cups (8.5 oz)
36 inches of fishing Wire
2 wooden popsicle sticks (jumbo size)
36 inches of masking tape
6 standard paperclips
6 pieces of paper clothing (included in this packet)

I asked students to consider the “message” they would be sending through their clotheslines. In the book, Maddie Rose used different configurations of clothing to pass her messages. Students colored and cut out the pieces of clothing and then planned/created their clotheslines. I was truly amazed with their creations!

Here are a few of my favorite clotheslines:

My students used a “STEM Activity Sheet” to help them keep track of their planning, changes, and final product. This sheet also provided space for a reflection.

To integrate writing into this activity, I included a writing assignment where I asked students to draw their clothesline code and write about the “secret message” they sent through their clothesline.

This was a fun, educational experience for my students! From reading the book to finishing the project, this took two fifty minute class periods. This interdisciplinary activity was well worth my time because students were able to combine their love for history into nearly every other subject area and they had a blast creating their clotheslines!

View this activity on my Teachers pay Teachers store by clicking the image below:

If your students are obsessed with Revolution-era spies, like my students, you may enjoy this activity pack:

Would you like a set of American Revolution Cloze Passages sent to you for free? Enter your first name and email address below to receive this freebie right away!

The post Engaging American Revolution Interdisciplinary Project: STEM, Reading, Writing, and Art appeared first on Thrive in Grade Five.

I don’t use glass in my science lab, we don’t mix dangerous chemicals, and I wouldn’t dream of using anything that could possibly start a fire!

However, as I gained experience teaching science, I learned that science safety rules are absolutely necessary.

For one, students can injure themselves on almost anything, seriously, you would be surprised.

Second, science safety questions often appear on our state’s standardized test.

I grouped the many science safety rules I used to have posted in my room into five major rules, with a positive twist.

Try these rules out, you will love them!

Science Safety Rules

Be Responsible!
* Take care of your equipment
* Do not run, throw, or grab

Seek Help!
* Follow instructions
* Immediately report all accidents and injuries

Protect Yourself!
* Waft
* Wear goggles, gloves, and aprons
* No eating or drinking

Be Clean!
* Clean your lab station carefully
* Wash your hands

Be Alert!
* Leave the room if there is a fire
* Never use broken equipment

Activities to use when teaching science rules

1. Ask students to think of pretend scenarios in which a student followed the safety rules and in which a student did not follow the safety rules.
2. Have students draw a picture of their science lab with five examples of students following the safety rules.
3. Require students to write the safety rules in their notebooks and sign under them, agreeing to follow all of the rules.

If you are interested, I have created the following science safety unit.

It includes numerous activities to use with students when teaching these science safety rules.

The unit also includes full-color science safety posters to place in your room for safety reminders (they are cheap to print at Office Depot and look beautiful), a safety contract, scenario activities, a scoot game, a safety unit test, and more!

The post Science Safety Rules for 4th and 5th Graders appeared first on Thrive in Grade Five.