Hello teachers, students, and families:

FOSS offers a number of ways to get parents involved in their child's science education:

• Week 1: Download a copy of the Soils, Rocks, and Landforms Home/School Connections Week 1 PDF.

• Download a copy of the Soils, Rocks, and Landforms Home/School Connection PDF in English or Spanish.
• Download a copy of the Soils, Rocks, and Landforms Math Extensions PDF in English and Spanish.

Inside the PDF you'll find:

• Letter to Parents

  Each FOSS module includes a letter to parents to tell you what your child will be doing in the investigations at school and to share ways that you can develop your child's scientific interests at home.

• Home/School Connections

  There are many ways to extend your child's science experiences at home and to have fun together. We have developed a Home/School Connection for four investigations in the Soils, Rocks, and Landforms module. These require little or no materials from home.

  Investigation 1: Students are encouraged to find and test some rocks from their neighborhoods for interaction with acid rain (vinegar). Students explain to family members that acid rain interacts with a mineral called calcite, an ingredient in many rocks.

  
  

  Investigation 2: Students explore media and the Internet for news about landforms and the processes that create and change them. They prepare a report that includes the details of the event, where it happened, what types of landforms were described, and how the landforms were created or changed by natural or human-caused processes.

  
  

  Investigation 3: Students are asked to share information about birthstones, gather data about birthdays, and make a bar graph.

  
  

  Investigation 4: Students are encouraged to find what earth materials are used on the inside or outside of the place where they live.