Seventh Grade Science
Have you looked closely at that sponge you use in the bath, or the big round brown one you use for washing the car? Believe it or not, the big brown one will be our first animal phylum to study in seventh grade. The one in your bath, light colored and sort of oval-shaped, the loofah, isn't an animal at all. It comes form a plant. Well, the sponge is just the beginning of our climb up the ladder of complexity in the animal kingdom. After Christmas, we will be observing live specimens of hydra and flatworms as representatives of two other groups.
I have also spent quite a bit of time acquainting them with the new
Prentice Hall Science Explorer curriculum, the new book, the awesome
technology that comes with it, and how to take advantage of the
interactive nature of their textbook. There are hundreds of places in
their books where a web code is given that takes them to a game, a
puzzle, an activity, and so on, on the internet, to reinforce their
work. Each student was given the CD that
provides an interactive copy of the Life Science textbook. I hope it
works out for them at home, that it can eliminate the book needing to
go home in the backpack. It can also alleviate the panic from leaving a
homework handout at school, since every paper resource that comes with
the book can be downloaded and printed from the CD. How much better can
it get??
If you have tried the CD, and clicked to open the textbook, and see only a white strip down the left side of your page, you will not be able to open the book. We are working with Prentice Hall to see if we can get a solution to this. It actually will happen with the newer computers, not older ones. If you are successful, you will see a Table of Contents down the left side, which allows you to choose chapters and sections to work with.
Eighth Grade Science
Chemistry continues. Balancing equations, and learning about the different kinds of chemical reactions will keep us busy for awhile. To make it more relative, we have focused on fireworks - how they are made, the reactions taking place, the chemicals used to produce different colors, whistling and sounds. Also relative, ice packs and hot packs have been used to demonstrate endothermic and exothermic reactions. This will keep us busy for awhile after Christmas and then we will focus on solutions, acids and bases before we end chemistry.
This year, I am being very adamant about putting real thought and critical thinking into the formal lab reports they write. Just putting information on paper, is not acceptable. Question responses and conclusions have to match the data reported, they need to show thinking and analysis that is logical and makes sense. That is one of the most valuable things I can do to get them ready for high school science classes.
I will repeat here, much of what I said above in the 7th grade portion, about our new science program, since it applies to all the students in grades 6, 7, and 8:
I have also spent quite a bit of time acquainting them with the new
Prentice Hall Science Explorer curriculum, the new book, the awesome
technology that comes with it, and how to take advantage of the
interactive nature of their textbook. There are hundreds of places in
their books where a web code is given that takes them to a game, a
puzzle, an activity, and so on, on the internet, to reinforce their
work. Each student was given the CD that
provides an interactive copy of the Life Science textbook. I hope it
works out for them at home, that it can eliminate the book needing to
go home in the backpack. It can also alleviate the panic from leaving a
homework handout at school, since every paper resource that comes with
the book can be downloaded and printed from the CD. How much better can
it get??
If you have tried the CD, and clicked to open the textbook, and see
only a white strip down the left side of your page, you will not be
able to open the book. We are working with Prentice Hall to see if we
can get a solution to this. It actually will happen with the newer
computers, not older ones. If you are successful, you will see a Table
of Contents down the left side, which allows you to choose chapters and
sections to work with.
Science Club
Reservations have been made for our spring overnight at Underwater Adventures at Mall of America. I'll be talking to students about this after Christmas, but put April 30th on your calendars!!
Our last meeting for the first Trimester was set for Thursday, November 20th from 3:45 to 5:00 in the Science Lab. For our activity, we made use of my new Promethean Board to do competitions with brain teasers, and logic problems, with students being able to interact with the board.
Refreshments were provided by Carrie Shafer, and Hannah Lewis, Sophie Shafer and Sarah Huberty. Thank you, for helping out!
We meet about once a month during the first and third trimesters. It is just too busy for the students during second tri, with the play and basketball and hockey, to try to fit in anything else.
I focus on making science fun and amazing and current. We have done so many different things over the 5 years I've been doing this, and I make sure nothing is repeated if students are members during both their 7th and 8th grade years. Twice, we have been able to work in a special overnight outing as a club. We have done an overnight at Underwater Adventures at Mall of America, where we slept in the tunnel that goes through the water, and an overnight at the Minnesota Zoo. We slept in front of the dolphin and shark tanks. It was awesome! Looks like the interest this year is in returning to Underwater Adventures - more details soon.
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Always feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or comments by e-mailing from the link to my web page, using the JH Teacher Links heading on the left.