March/April 2022
Always feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or 644-8177 with any questions or concerns.
5/6 Science
We recently completed our history of Earth unit. The students did quite well on the assessment. I always encourage students to retake the part(s) of the test where they did not meet the standard. Learning is ongoing and if a student can show better understanding 2 weeks (for example) after the assessment date, I will adjust their score accordingly.
Our 3rd science unit is called Force and Motion. During this unit, we are learning about magnetism, Newton's Laws of Motion, static electricity, etc. We will learn much of this information through an interactive simulation called Rollercoaster. The students will engage in mysteries at a theme park where the solutions come from their new knowledge of force and motion. We will be reading, investigating, and then ultimately engineering a marble roller coaster. This unit is very hands on and fun. The kids will remember it for a long time.
I am using PowerSchool to keep track of work completion in science and to keep track of assessment scores. My goal for each student is to score a 3 or better on each science standard. This score indicates mastery of the standard. Students will also be scored on the Habits of Work (engaged learner, responsible learner, and respectful learner). You can login to Powerschool at this site: https://aos93la.powerschool.com/public/. You login using the username and password I e-mailed home near the beginning of the school year (search "usernames and passwords"). Your child(ren) can show you how to do this and how to navigate around the site.
Our 3rd science unit is called Force and Motion. During this unit, we are learning about magnetism, Newton's Laws of Motion, static electricity, etc. We will learn much of this information through an interactive simulation called Rollercoaster. The students will engage in mysteries at a theme park where the solutions come from their new knowledge of force and motion. We will be reading, investigating, and then ultimately engineering a marble roller coaster. This unit is very hands on and fun. The kids will remember it for a long time.
I am using PowerSchool to keep track of work completion in science and to keep track of assessment scores. My goal for each student is to score a 3 or better on each science standard. This score indicates mastery of the standard. Students will also be scored on the Habits of Work (engaged learner, responsible learner, and respectful learner). You can login to Powerschool at this site: https://aos93la.powerschool.com/public/. You login using the username and password I e-mailed home near the beginning of the school year (search "usernames and passwords"). Your child(ren) can show you how to do this and how to navigate around the site.
7th Science and 8th Science
Both the 7th and 8th science classes are covering the same material. The 7th grade class is a little further along than the 8th grade class because the 8th graders meet one less time per week due to their boatbuilding program in Bath.
Both groups are in the midst of their study of evolution. We've conducted a couple simulations and completed an online gizmo related to natural selection. We've been exploring evidence of Earth's long history and the history of species on earth, including a few mass extinctions. The students are doing a fun project where they will take a species from its natural biome and put into a totally foreign biome and describe the adaptations they'd have to undergo to survive. The 7th grade will complete this unit in early March. The 8th graders will finish a couple weeks later.
Our next unit will be a short one about human anatomy. We will touch on each of the 13 body systems. Students will go in depth on one of the systems, doing research and presenting a slideshow to their classmates. As a class we'll put more time and energy into the skeletal, digestive, and nervous systems. The emphasis of the unit is how the different body systems work together to make the body work.
I am using PowerSchool to keep track of work completion in science and to keep track of assessment scores. My goal for each student is to score a 3 or better on each science standard. This score indicates mastery of the standard. Students will also be scored on the Habits of Work (engaged learner, responsible learner, and respectful learner). You can login to Powerschool at this site: https://aos93la.powerschool.com/public/. You login using the username and password I e-mailed home near the beginning of the school year (search "usernames and passwords"). Your child(ren) can show you how to do this and how to navigate around the site.
Both groups are in the midst of their study of evolution. We've conducted a couple simulations and completed an online gizmo related to natural selection. We've been exploring evidence of Earth's long history and the history of species on earth, including a few mass extinctions. The students are doing a fun project where they will take a species from its natural biome and put into a totally foreign biome and describe the adaptations they'd have to undergo to survive. The 7th grade will complete this unit in early March. The 8th graders will finish a couple weeks later.
Our next unit will be a short one about human anatomy. We will touch on each of the 13 body systems. Students will go in depth on one of the systems, doing research and presenting a slideshow to their classmates. As a class we'll put more time and energy into the skeletal, digestive, and nervous systems. The emphasis of the unit is how the different body systems work together to make the body work.
I am using PowerSchool to keep track of work completion in science and to keep track of assessment scores. My goal for each student is to score a 3 or better on each science standard. This score indicates mastery of the standard. Students will also be scored on the Habits of Work (engaged learner, responsible learner, and respectful learner). You can login to Powerschool at this site: https://aos93la.powerschool.com/public/. You login using the username and password I e-mailed home near the beginning of the school year (search "usernames and passwords"). Your child(ren) can show you how to do this and how to navigate around the site.