MYTHBUSTERS

MARCH 2014! THIRD GRADE QUEST! COMPLETED UNIT

Working hard to crack the myth!

MYTHBUSTERS hard at work!

During this unit, the kids worked hard busting myths!
We started this unit by looking at different myths and creating experiments to either conrm or deny the myth. The rst myth we hypothesized about what whether or not yawning was truly contagious. After yawning in public areas and counting those who yawned in response, the kids busted this myth! Closing statement: Yawning is not contagious because it is not a disease. The majority of the sample group of people did not
Sarah Parker sparker@popplano.org 972.380.5505 x155

yawn in response to an initial yawn. So, is the 5-Second rule real? The kids rst decided that they all followed the 5-Second Rule and didnt mind if they were eating something that fell on the ground. However, after doing research and conducting an experiment, the kids discovered that the 5-Second rule is in fact a MYTH. Germs do not wait 5 seconds to attach to your food! Ask your child for more details about the experiment and how we conducted it.

What have we learned about the characteristics of a myth? Scientic myths must be logical and relevant in order for people to believe them. They also must be testable.

RECORDING DATA ON A CHART FROM THE 5-SECOND RULE EXPERIMENT

C O NTAC T IN F O RM AT IO N

Learning Goals
During this unit, the students will be able to: 1. Understand what a myth is and how it could affect our daily lives 2. Learn the science behind popular myths and explain the truth behind them. 3. Understand the importance of the basic processes of scientic inquiry and discovery. 4. Utilize creative and deductive thinking to explain common experiences. 5. Know that media and popular culture are often the source of myths. 6. Explain how scientic experiments drive scientic progress. 7. Synthesize knowledge on the characteristics of a myth and create his/ her own myth.

There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.

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Dropping items in coffee grinds and glitter to test the 5Second Rule
The kids have worked hard on creating their own scientic myth!
After spending a large amount of time researching scientic myths and reviewing the scientic process, the kids have been creating their own myths. First, the kids set up the scientic experiment on how you could bust their myth. If someone was going to try to test your myth, what would the experiment look like? Then the students wrote a Breaking News! article to accompany their created myth. They were instructed that the article needed to grab the readers attention and explain to them how this myth is relevant to their life. Why is it important for people to know about this information? Finally, the kids produced a cover page for their myth - a picture to couple with their lab report and breaking news article. Way to go!

Third Grade Theme:

Enigmas
Enduring ings: Understand e all
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Portfolios The kids will be bringing home their portfolios this week. Please check it out and return it to school by Tuesday, April 15. I will be Recording keeping these Data and as the students progress through QUEST, their portfolios will grow!