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 Structures of Life Home/School Connections Week 1 PDF.

• Download a copy of the Structures of Life Home/School Connection PDF in English or Spanish.
• Download a copy of the Structures of Life 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 Structures of Life module. These require little or no materials from home.

  Investigation 1: Students are encouraged to search for seeds around their home and neighborhood. They compare the structures of the seeds they have found and try to figure out how each seed might travel away from the parent plant to a growing location.

  
  

  Investigation 2: Students consider the needs of house plants. They look around their neighborhoods for plants, observe their structures and properties,and draw a picture of an interesting plant.

  
  

  Investigation 3: Students are asked to design a food-gathering device that simulates an adaptation that an animal might display. Students select a challenge from a list of possible food-gathering devices.

  
  

  Investigation 4: Students investigate what bone is made of by soaking a chicken bone in vinegar for a week or more.