250 degrees

The Next Generation Science Standards have served as a foundation for an interpretation and adaptation of Science, Technology, and Engineering standards in the state of Massachusetts.

What does this mean for a fourth grade teacher in Stoughton?  A new curriculum and some brand new science explorations through experimentation.  Luckily, we’ve been slowly rolling out the new standards over the last couple of years, so we aren’t totally in the dark.

However, when preparing a new experiment for heat energy, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a student would actually think that a cup of hot water actually registered 250 degrees Fahrenheit!

Note to self:  students should practice reading thermometers prior to conducting this experiment.  We have already made this note for next year and have hope that the experiment will be smoother with more accurate temperature readings.