Math Integration in our Science Unit: Simple Machines and Movement

 Dear Families and Caregivers,

In our upcoming Science unit, on Simple Machines and Movement, we will be integrating mathematical concepts and literacy learning within the unit. 
Today, I want to take a few moments to share with you the mathematical focus that will be included in our unit: the Data Literacy Strand.  Data literacy means that students begin to develop the foundational skills to collect, organize, display, and interpret simple data to answer questions about their world. It's about making sense of basic information presented to them or collected by them.
Once your child has had the opportunity to create their simple machine as part of the Science Design and Engineering Process they will need to test it.  During the testing phase, your child will need to:
1) Collect data to see how much force is required to move the object using your simple machine
2) Collect data to see how much force is required to move the object without a simple machine
3) They will need to organize this data into a table

4) Using the data they collected  they will draw conclusions about how the simple machine impacts our daily lives based on their results (makes it easier or harder)

At home, if your child wants to practice collecting data they could write a survey question for the family. For example,  ‘Should we have pizza or tacos on Friday night?’ Next, they could survey the family members asking each of them their question and record the information in a tally chart. Once they have collected all their data they can come to a conclusion based on the results and share with your family.

If you have any questions about our upcoming learning, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Ms. Forster