A fallen tree, four materials, and a trip to the UW greenhouse

Our 4th and 5th graders started the school year with a dead tree.

A nurse log, to be exact. When a tree falls in the forest, it keeps working. It breaks down slowly and becomes a home for new plants and other living things. Nurse logs anchor the first science unit of the year, on structures, organisms, and ecosystems.

The lab came first

Before anyone left campus, students ran their first science lab of the year. They worked with four materials you would find around a nurse log: bark, leaves, soil, and decomposing wood. Then they tested which one holds the most water. They measured, collected data, compared results, and looked for patterns, the way working scientists do.

Then the greenhouse

On October 1, the class took their questions to the University of Washington Biology Greenhouse for the first field trip of the year. It was a short visit. Students observed plant structures up close, asked the experts their own questions, and saw what they have been studying in class growing in front of them.

Preguntar primero. Salir a buscar la respuesta después.

Why we teach science this way

Science at Amistad starts with curiosity. Students observe, ask questions, build models, gather evidence, and revise their thinking as they learn more. A field trip earns its place when it answers a question students already care about.

A field trip earns its place when it answers a question students already care about.

Thank you to the families who came along to help.

Next stop for this class: Washington Park Arboretum on October 16.