Science Matters: Plants, the Sun, Weather and Magnets, a Weekly Reader publication articles

Recent articles from Science Matters: Plants, the Sun, Weather and Magnets, a Weekly Reader publication

Eat Right! (PLANT MATTERS).(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... What did you eat for break fast yesterday? for lunch? for dinner? Chances are you ate many different kinds of foods--and that's good. But how much of each kind of food should you eat every day to stay healthy? The United States government...

A Plant Starts With a Seed. (PLANT MATTERS).
January 1, 1993... Look at some seeds! They look very plain and quiet. But they're not! Inside every seed is a living thing just waiting to grow. First the seed has to soften and the sides have to crack open. Then the seed can begin to change and grow. ...

Plants Help Us Breathe. (PLANT MATTERS).
January 1, 1993... All plants "breathe" in and out. They breath out a gas that people need. It is called oxygen. People need oxygen to live. RELATED ARTICLE: Be a Plant Scientist What to observe How do plants breathe? What you need * A...

The Sun Play All Day, Play All Night?
January 1, 1993... Do you like to play outdoors? These kids do. Sometimes they play outside as late as midnight! They live in Skwentna, Alaska. In some parts of Alaska, the summer sun shines 24 hours a day! Winter months are just the opposite. In winter,...

Let's Learn About The Sun!
January 1, 1993... The sun is a star. It shines like the many millions of stars we see in the night sky. It looks bigger and brighter than the other stars because the sun is the star nearest to Earth. Like all stars, the sun is a huge hot ball of burning gas....

Show the Power of the Sun.
January 1, 1993... Warm Water What to observe How does the color of a container affect the temperature of water? What you need * Two white paper cups * Water * A thermometer * Black paint What to do (1) Paint the outside...

Sun Power! (The Sun Matters).
January 1, 1993... We use wood, coal, and oil for heat, electricity, and engine power. People use great amounts of these fuels every day. Energy that comes directly from the sun can be used for heat and electricity too. This energy is called solar power. Some...

Winter Storm Warning!
January 1, 1993... Get out your boots. Pull on your wool hat. And bundle up! The first snowstorm of the season is about to begin. And it's going to be a big one! Weather experts say the storm should being late this afternoon. They expect high winds and up to...

What's the weather?
January 1, 1993... Weather changes from day to day. Weather is different in different places in the United States. On the same day, it can be cold in one place and very warm in another! This map shows that the weather was like across the United States on one...

Learn About Clouds!
January 1, 1993... Take some time to watch the clouds. Sometimes they seem like fluffy puffs of cotton sailing across the sky. But clouds are not fluffy. And they do not move across the sky at the same speed. Clouds form from water. Water evaporates as a...

Learn About Rain!
January 1, 1993... When the tiny drops of water in clouds join together, they form bigger and bigger drops. Then What happens? Water cycles through different phases: solid (ice/snow) to liquid to vapor and back again. RELATED ARTICLE: WATER CYCLE...

Learn About Snow!
January 1, 1993... Water expands when it freezes. In some places, the air can become very cold. The temperature shown on the thermometer gets lower and lower. At 32 degrees Fahrenheit, water begins to freeze. Water in puddles and ponds turns to ice....

Learn About Lightning!
January 1, 1993... You know that there are tiny drops of water in side the clouds. Did you know each drop carries a tiny bit of electricity? Inside the cloud, the drops of water bump against one another. As they bump, the electricity grows stronger. If...

An Old Man Tells a Strange Story.
January 1, 1993... A long, long time ago, an old man watched his sheep. Every day the sheep ate grass and then moved along over the fields. The old man moved along too. The old man wore a sheepskin coat to keep warm and dry. He wore heavy boots that had iron...

Magnet Fun!
January 1, 1993... A-Maze-ing Magnets Have a friend hold your book open for you. Place a paper clip on Start. Hold your magnet under this page. Use the magnet to move the paper clip along the path to Finish. Magnets attract through some things but not...

Opposite Poles Attract.
January 1, 1993... A magnet has a strong attraction at each of its two ends. Scientists say that a magnet has two poles. One pole is called a north-seeking pole. When a magnet swings free, this end "looks for" north. The other end is called the...

Sailors Use Magnets. (Magnet Matters).
January 1, 1993... Sailors use magnets to help them tell in which direction they are heading. They use an object called a compass. If sailors lose their way, the compass can help get the ship back on course. A compass has a long thin needle and a dial. The...

Word List.(Glossary)
January 1, 1993... arrange to put in a certain order attract to make come closer breathe to take air in and then let it out compass a tool used to show direction electricity a form of energy used to produce light, heat, and power energy the...

Series Overview.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... When science is an important part of the curriculum, children are likely to become science-oriented, curious about the world in which they live, and fascinated by new technologies all around them. Students develop the skills of scientific...

Science Matters[TM], Grade Two.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Students begin this book with a unit that looks at the food guide pyramid, which can be used to devise a plan for healthful eating. It gives students an opportunity to see that many foods start as plants, how plants grow, and what conditions...

Skills Overview.(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Students learn to * observe and record changes in seeds and plants under experimental conditions; * use a globe and a flashlight to demonstrate how Earth's rotation causes day and night; * set up and conduct experiments to show...

Suggested Monthy Plan.(planning of science educational programmes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... By using timely topics to introduce concepts and teach corresponding skills, the Weekly Reader SCIENCE MATTERS series updates and enriches your science curriculum. Although each unit of study in SCIENCE MATTERS is only a few pages in length, it...

Classroom. (RESOURCES).(science instruction equipment and supplies)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Unit 1: Seeds, dried lima beans, clear plastic cups, paper towels, plants, petroleum jelly; Unit 2: Flashlight, globe, stickers, thermometer, paper cups, tray, black paint, dark construction paper; Unit 3: Thermometer, glass jar, ice...

Community. (RESOURCES).(obtaining equipment and supplies for science instruction)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... To find places in your community at which you can obtain free or inexpensive plants, seeds, or magnets, look in the Yellow Pages of your local phone book under the following headings: Plants Florists Nurseries Hardware stores...

Books to Enjoy. (RESOURCES).(science instruction resources)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
January 1, 1993... Reserve one or more of these books at the school or public library for the duration of the unit. Try to read aloud to the class two or more times per week. Encourage students to read some of the books on their own or with a book buddy. The...

Read-Aloud Books. (RESOURCES).(science instruction aids)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
January 1, 1993... Plants That Never Ever Bloom, Ruth Heller, Putnam, 1992 Growing Vegetable Soup, Lois Ehlert, Harcourt, 1987 Planting a Rainbow, Lois Ehlert, Harcourt, 1992 A Seed, a Flower, a Minute, an Hour, Joan Bios, Simon & Schuster, 1992 ...

Unit 1: Plants.(teaching about importance of plants in human nutrition)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Background Information The National Cancer Institute recently introduced its "Five a Day for Better Health" campaign. The program stresses the need for at least five--and as many as nine--servings of fruits and vegetables each day. It...

Unit 2: The Sun.(teaching about sun's relationship to Earth's life and seasonal cycles)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Background Information Earth's tilt, as it rotates around the sun, causes an endless summer at the North Pole from late March through late September. In Alaska's Denali National Park, located 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the June...

Unit 3: Weather.(teaching about climatic cycles and weather forecasting)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Background Information Twenty years ago, a pair of weather-forecasting goats near Roseburg, Oregon, were featured on TV news and in magazines and newspapers worldwide. According to the story, when the goats were up high in the mountains,...

Unit 4: Travel Maps.(teaching about the physical properties of magnetism)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1993... Background Information Unlike trains with wheels that clickety-clack over steel rails, maglev trains, magnetic levitation trains that are lifted above a guideway by magnetic fields, can travel at speeds up to 300 miles per hour! Wow! ...

Pack a Plant Picnic.(things that plants need to live)
January 1, 1993... Plants are living things. Plants breathe. Plants grow. Plants need light, water, soil, and air.