Monthly Newsletter

Project Tropic: Electrical Circuits During the next month, students will complete a project on electrical currents. Students will be put into small groups and will have to conduct a “house model” in which each room will produce a different circuit.

Technology in the Project In addition to the house model, students will be asked to record a video of the progress of their house and provide a presentation of “their house of circuits” to the class.

Learning Objectives At the end of this project students should be able to: -Identify ways to use and conserve electrical energy -Identify characteristics of parallel and series circuits -Classify materials as conductors, non conductors, and insulators of electricity and heat -Identify relationships among charge, current, and potential energy -Identify components of a circuit

What materials will my child need for this project? All materials needed for this project will provide for all students. Each student will receive an electric circuit kit. Also, a camera will be provided to each group for videoing their presentation.

How can parents help? Parent involvement is always important in a student’s education. During the project, it would be greatly appreciated if you engage with your child about electrical circuits. An easy way to do this is simply by asking questions. Ask your students questions that will prompt critical thinking. This will help them take their learning to the next level.

Why is my child learning about electrical circuits? As a fourth grade student it is required for students in Alabama to learn and describe how electrical circuits work. Students are asked to identify how to use and conserve energy, the characteristics of different circuits, classifying different conductors, nonconductors, and the insulators of heat and electricity, and the relationships among charge, current, and potential energy. Our Project Based Learning (PBL) project will help students accomplish this and provide a deeper knowledge of not only how electrical circuits work, but also how they can be applied in the real world.

How will I know my child's progress during this assignment? As a group we will provide feedback throughout the project. For instance, we will be using day-to-day journals in order for our students to explained what they learned day-to-day throughout the project and in addition any questions or concerns. Based on these journals, we will provide a weekly update for parents in order for you to see what is going on, however students will still have the confidence to ask whatever they please.

Contact us Our teachers are dedicated to making sure that our parents and students are all on the same page. We are always available for conferencing per appointment. However, if you email or contact us via cell phone we are available after school hours M-F 4:30 to 6

Thank you! Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. I appreciate your involvements with our classroom. I will continue to stay in contact with you all throughout this project. I am so excited to begin this project and can not wait to see the students learn.