Second Semester News: Tutoring and Guest Speakers

We have officially begun the second semester! My tutoring schedule will stay the same this semester until further notice:

Grade 5 on Tuesdays from 2:45 to 3:40
Grade 8 on Thursdays from 2:45 to 3:40

You may pick up your child in the elementary car line. Students may also visit me any day of the week from 7:30 to 7:45 am for help.

I am inviting any parent, friend of a parent, grandparent, or guardian to be a guest speaker if s/he so chooses. I am looking for people who have a career in Science, who use Science in their career in some capacity, or who volunteer for an organization that uses Science. Some areas we are interested in learning about are chemistry, chemicals, safe use of chemicals, bioengineering, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, soil, agriculture, hydrology, astronomy, engineering, geology, and environmental applications of Science.

Grade 5: Week of Jan. 31st to Feb. 4th

Students are very excited about creating their landform models. Thank you for your monetary donations and donations of clay. Once students have completed their models, we will join them together and students may see how landforms connect across regions. Students will see how rivers begin high in the mountains, flow down to meander in the plains and then deposit their sediment in the deltas and in the ocean. Completed landforms are due on Wednesday. We will then move on to aerial and contour mapping and will do student inquiries examining satellite photographs of Mount Shasta. Students will interpret Mount Shasta's contour lines and students will plot its elevation using a graph. Students will tentatively take the landforms test on Wednesday.

Grade 6: Week of Jan. 31st to Feb. 4th

Students are very excited about their space project! We will be working in class on notes until Wednesday February 2nd. The notes and bibliography will be due at this time. We will then use our notes to write the planet paragraphs and students will have certain paragraphs due each night (see the agenda). The final paper with all five paragraphs is due Friday February 4th (students may type this paper). Students will need to bring their materials for the additional project on Friday so they are able to start on Monday.

The Morehead Planetarium is visiting us in March and will bring their "space observatory" to Neuse Charter School! The cost of this visit is $5.00 per child. You will also receive letters requiring your signature early this week. If your financial situation is difficult and $5.00 is burdensome for you, please let me know. We would like all children to participate in this opportunity.

Grade 7: Week of Jan. 31st to Feb. 4th

This is our final week studying the brain. Students will do a student inquiry to test which parts of the body have the most nerves, and will watch a video on how we use research on the brain to help train athletes. We will dissect the brain and examine its parts. Students will receive a review sheet on Wednesday or Thursday and receive their test on Friday or the following Tuesday depending on how much review students need.

Very importantly, students will receive a project letter to have you sign. This will be given out Tuesday or Wednesday and projects will begin next week. Students will choose a project on the respiratory system or central nervous system, and will need to bring in research (books, magazines, or printed material from the internet).

Grade 8: Week of Jan. 31st to Feb. 4th

We are finishing learning about remote sensing and will look at applications of this technology such as identifying urban sprawl, deforestation, oil spills, and movement of volcanic dust from satellite images. We will review biological, geological, and technological change. The test will be Friday to allow students who need extra help to attend tutoring.

Student Led Conferences, Report Cards, and Award Ceremonies

Dear parents,

It is that time of year again when students receive report cards. Students will receive report cards on January 28th. Some additional information will be included in the report card this term, including retention letters for those students below grade level (77%) or whose tests grades put them at risk for possibly failing the End of Grade Test. If you receive a retention letter, please sign up for a time to meet for a conference (conference times attached to the retention letter).

Awards Ceremony for Grades 5-9 will occur on January 28th at 9:00 am. Your child's homeroom teacher will inform you if your child will receive an award this quarter.

Please keep in mind that student led conferences will occur this Wednesday, January 26th for 6B and 7B in the new Science Lab (classroom closest to the road). This is an opportunity for your child to show you what he or she has learned this quarter. Although I will be in the room to facilitate and answer questions, student led conferences are not intended for parent-teacher conferences. Please schedule a separate conference time if this is your intention. I welcome you in advance to attend the Student Led conference and to visit our new Science classroom!

Grade 5: Week of January 24 to 28th

Due to the difficult nature of the Nine Weeks test on Newton's Laws, we will go over the Nine Weeks test on Monday and any student receiving less than a B will have the opportunity to rewrite it. Newton's Laws and vocabulary are sometimes difficult to grasp, even though we have have gone over many concrete and practical examples of each one. However, there are also other possible reasons for lower test grades: some children did not study as much as they could have, only read the questions instead of tested themselves with a partner, did not complete the Bingo Science vocabulary for homework before the test for practice, were absent during the review, or still have weaker reading comprehension skills.

Your child will bring home the test for you to see on Monday and will have corrections for homework if s/he received less than 80%. I will instruct students on the best way to write corrections (using key words and synonyms for difficult words), and explain the most missed questions. Then students will write corrections three times each for repetition and have the opportunity to receive help from me. I will not allow students who received 80% and below to rewrite the test without having done the corrections since studying is one of the keys to mastery of concepts.

We will then learn about landforms: types of landforms, where they are located in the United States, and what forms each one. We will make a 3-D model of ocean, desert, plains, or mountain landforms. Since the 3-D models require a lot of clay, Your child will receive a letter requesting a dollar or donation of a clay package.

Thank you for your support!

Grade 6: Week of January 24 to 28th

Space....the final frontier! Students will choose a planet for their project this week. Your child will bring home a sheet on project details and expectations on Monday. Please sign this paper and feel free to email me about any questions you may have. The only materials your child will need to bring is research by Thursday (book or internet print outs) and poster paper or material to make a model for the additional project if that is what your child chooses. Please let me know if you do not have access to the internet at home or Power Point to create a slide show.

Grade 7: Week of January 24 to 28th

Grade 7s will continue to examine the parts and functions of the brain, including the right and left hemisphere. We will do inquiries to determine whether students use their left or right brain more often, where most neurons/nerves are located in the body, and what causes a reflex action. Finally, we will watch the video, "The Brain" to gain a greater understanding of our own inner workings. Students will receive questions for homework throughout the week, and a work packet to be completed by Wednesday or Thursday (depending which class). Students will receive a test next week.

Grade 8: Week of January 24 to 28th

Grade 8s will continue to learn about biological, geological, and technological change. Students will piece together continents and examine evidence that these continents have moved apart slowly over time through continental drift. Technological advances we will examine are remote sensing in satellites, both active and passive, and spectral signatures. Students will receive their tests back early this week.

Grade 5: Week of Jan. 17th to 21st

Students will take their nine weeks test on Newton's Laws and simple machines on Thursday and Friday, depending on which class they are in. All of the test will be multiple choice to practice for the End of Grade test. I will hand back the simple machines test on Wednesday for 5A. Our next unit is landforms.

Grade 6: Week of Jan. 17th to 21st

Grade 6 will have a test on the moon and sun on Thursday. We will continue to document the moon's phases this month. Our next topic is our solar system and the planets. Please expect a project sheet next Monday about planets. Students will select a planet to do a project on and more information will follow.

Grade 7: Week of Jan. 17th to 21st

This week we will learn about the brain and all of its parts and functions. We will compare and contrast the central and the peripheral nervous system, and examine which parts of the brain are responsible for each function. Students will get to see a sheep's brain next week and we will dissect it to examine its parts. There is no test this week.

Grade 8: Week of Jan. 17th to 21st

We are continuing to learn about geologic, biological, and technological evolution. This week we will learn about how species adapt to survive or become extinct, and how continents are moving. We will explore evidence that continents are moving. The test on Geology is on Thursday.

Message to all grades: January 3-7

Welcome back! I hope all students and families had a wonderful Christmas break visiting with family and friends. Thank you very much for the cards and gifts - your generosity is really heartfelt. I wish you the best for the coming New year!

Most policies for the New Year will stay the same, but I am changing one policy. I will no longer be calling or emailing parents about test grades below 70%. Your child will bring you the test to sign instead (if it below 70%). If it is not back the next day signed, your child will call you from school and inform you. Every student still has the opportunity to retake one test below 70% each quarter for a maximum mark of 70%. If your child scores less than 70% on a test, s/he may stay after school or 7:30-7:45 to correct the test and study with me. Your child will have two to three days to study for the retest from the date of receiving it. If your child is scoring below grade level on tests or assignments consistently then I will call to discuss this with you. You may call or email me at any time if you have a concern, comment, or question. Thank you very much for your support.

Grade 5: Week of January 3-7

We are continuing to learn about simple machines, tools that make work easier without electricity or gasoline. We have learned about six different types of simple machines so far: levers, inclined plane, screws, wheel and axle, wedge, and pulleys. Students will have many activities to review simple machines, and will either take their Simple Machines test on Friday or next Tuesday, depending on level of readiness.

Next week students will make their own simple machine in groups. I have some material, but extra material to make simple machines is appreciated. Some useful materials to bring to school are blocks or triangles of wood, wood/plastic/metal bars, string, rope, wheels, objects to lift, etc. Please note: students are not permitted to bring sharp objects to school such as knives (for wedges).

Grade 6: Week of January 3-7

This is the unit many students have been waiting for: Space! We will first explore our own solar system: the moon, sun, and planets. Then we will expand our view to the galaxies and universe at large.

Currently we are learning about the moon and its lunar phases. Your child will be recording the moon's phase every night for the next 29 days. We will model lunar and solar eclipses, discuss tides and the moon's gravitational pull. This week we will just touch on the sun, but discuss it in greater depth next week: its parts, solar mass ejections, and its effect on Earth.

Please expect a planet project letter to come home next week (more information to come). In addition, we have the Planetarium visiting Neuse Charter School in March with exhibits and fun simulations!

Grade 7: Week of January 3-7

Our new unit is the respiratory system, or the system whereby oxygen is used as energy in the body and then breathed out as carbon dioxide through the lungs. We are first learning about parts of the respiratory system and its functions. Students will explore vocal cords through the use of rubber bands to show vibration, and their own lung capacity. Students will learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver in case of choking, and further examine the dangers of smoking. Due to inclement weather, we were not able to dissect the heart but will do so Friday - an interesting and informative activity for those who are not squeamish!

Grade 8: Week of January 3rd-7th

We begin our new unit on geologic, biological, and technical change, which comprises 20-25% of questions on the end of grade test. We will examine how scientists determine the age of rocks through radioactive dating and relative dating to give us our geologic time scale. Students will correlate fossils with different eras and learn about the laws of geology: the law of Horizontality, the Law of Superposition, and the Law of Cross Cutting Relationships. Students will apply these laws and study examples of the Grand Canyon and the Stawamus Chief in British Columbia, Canada. Then we will make our own geologic model and other groups will need to decipher the geological processes that occurred there to change the landscape over time.