Grade 8: Week of January 2nd to 6th

We will begin the year with the world of chemistry, a fascinating and new subject for students. I will break up Chapter 8 into two sections so it will be easier for students to understand. Students will learn some basics of chemistry such as: the atom, subatomic particles of the atom (nucleus, protons, neutrons, electrons), molecules, compounds, chemical formulas, covalent and ionic bonds, mixtures, physical and chemical changes, solvent, solute, unsaturated, and supersaturated. To understand concepts better, students will fill in a chart with fill in the blank definitions, pictures, and examples of each concept. We will also do a lab to show physical and chemical changes, and a Venn diagram to show their differences. We will do a lab with sweet tea to show unsaturated sweet tea (not so sweet), saturated sweet tea (fairly sweet), and then heated tea with sugar added (supersaturated - very sweet and delicious!). Students will learn that as molecules spread apart, tea can hold a lot of sugar!

Students will receive homework, but it is subject to change depending on how much students have learned in class, and how much they have understood. Tentative homework schedule for the week:

Monday: show parents the Geology test taken before Christmas break

Tuesday: Pg. 213 questions all

Wednesday: finish molecule and compound examples in the chart

Thursday: pg. 227 some questions (depending on the concepts we cover in class)

Grade 5: Week of January 2nd to 6th

We are investigating Newton's Third and final law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We will learn about balanced and unbalanced force, and action and reaction. We will examine many examples of these in real life and have students model their own. Students will examine balanced and unbalanced force through a balloon lab. Finally, students will receive a review sheet this Thursday and will have a test next week on Tuesday January 10th.

Homework for the week:

Monday: Competitive Edge pgs. 247-248 #1-6 (this might be Tuesday night's homework depending how much students understand this concept)

Tuesday: Action and Reaction sheet

Wednesday: Competitive Edge pgs. 251-252 #1-2; one example of each: balanced force, unbalanced force; action and reaction

Thursday: Finish part of the review sheet (to be announced, depending on what students understand in class)

Grade 7: Week of January 2nd to 6th

We are starting a new unit on genetics and heredity. Our first question involves a real rabbit family. "How did two baby rabbits, Patches and Chub Chubs, end up with black and white patches from their parents?" This will lead to a discussion of chromosomes, genes, DNA, and the human genome. We will later investigate the mother and father's allelles in a Punnett square to determine how the baby rabbits' characteristics came to be. Students will learn about the Human Genome project which investigated and sequenced all human DNA. Then we will learn about the smallest building block of genetics - DNA - and its base pairs adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. We will also make a model of DNA with many base pair sequences.

Our semester and grade 7 Science course ends Jan. 13th so we are moving quickly to cover as much about genetics as we can.

Homework for the week of January 2^nd to 6^th

Monday Jan. 2^nd

*Write all homework in your Science notebook. See pgs. 475-476, glossary, and handout.

1. Start your study guide. Do definitions of The human genome project, heredity, genetics, geneticists, chromosomes, genome, genes, and DNA. Also do a picture of chromosomes, and DNA. Put a title “Genetics Study Guide” and leave spaces between all your definitions. Leave another page for other definitions.
   

2. What did scientists study in the Human Genome Project?

3. List the parts of the human genome from largest to smallest.

4. How many chromosomes does each human cell have?
   

5. How many chromosomes come from the mother? From the father?

6. What could happen if we had an extra chromosome or if we did not have enough chromosomes in our cells?

Tuesday Jan. 3^rd

DNA questions (sheet)

Wednesday Jan. 4^th

Finish study guide definitions in your notebook: traits, alleles, dominant, recessive, Gregor Mendel, Punnett Square, phenotype, genotype (See words on pg. 495, look on pgs. 476-483 and glossary)

Thursday Jan. 5^th

Pg. 481 questions all

Grade 5: Week of December 12th to 16th

On Monday students will receive Newton's Second Law Review sheet. Tuesday and Wednesday we will review through various activities, the review sheet, and games. On Thursday students will take Newton's Second Law test. It is important students study for this test before Wednesday night since students will likely take other tests before Christmas break.

Homework:

Monday night: finish the review sheet
Tuesday night: study for Newton' s Laws test
Wednesday night: study for Newton's Laws test

I wish all students and their families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Grade 7: Week of December 12th to 16th

Students will receive the review sheet of the Central Nervous System on Monday to have plenty of time to prepare for their test on Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday will be review days. Please note that students need to study before Wednesday night since there will probably be a number of tests on Thursday because of Christmas break.

Homework:

Monday night: finish the review sheet
Tuesday night: study for the Central Nervous System test
Wednesday night: study for the Central Nervous system test

I wish all students and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Grade 8: Week of December 12th to 16th

On Monday we will continue to learn about and review remote sensing and I will give out the first page of the review sheet Monday so students can get started studying. Tuesday and Wednesday will be review days and Thursday we will have a test. On Friday we will watch a Science video about geology and ancient past. *It is important students start studying Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night so they are prepared for the test Thursday. The test will not be postponed until Friday since many students will not be here and will not be postponed until after Christmas break. Students will probably have more than one test on Thursday because of Christmas break and will need to prepare before Wednesday night so as not to be overwhelmed. Students will be reminded of this in class as well.

Homework:

Monday night: finish the first page of the review sheet, study for Chapter 14 test
Tuesday night: finish the rest of the review sheet, study for Chapter 14 test
Wednesday night: study for Chapter 14 test

I wish all students and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Progress Reports

Students will receive progress reports Wednesday December 7th. Please return all progress reports signed by Friday December 9th, and do not hesitate to contact me further with any questions or concerns.

Grade 5: Week of December 5th to 9th

We are still waiting for some students to write Newton's First Law test, so students should be receiving their test back about mid week. Students really internalized Newton's Laws and applied them to real life contexts, so most students did well on the test.

This week we are learning about Newton's Second Law, often referred to as the Law of Acceleration. We will explore how adding more force makes objects move faster and further, and how adding mass slows down objects, and prevents them from going as far. Through a toy car experiment, students will learn that if we add two times the force, objects will move two times as fast. However, if we increase the mass two times, the car will move half as fast (inverse relationship). We are calling all toy cars to participate in the experiment and we will move them with the force of rubber bands! We will also graph the results and record our conclusions. This is in preparation for Newton's Second Law test that students will take next Thursday, December 15th.

Homework:

Monday night: pg. 228-229 questions #2-8 in the Competitive Edge

Tuesday night: Worksheet (fill in the blanks) if not finished in class)

Thursday night: pg. 230 #10-12 in the Competitive Edge

Grade 7: Week of December 5th to 9th

Students had great fun and learned a lot from our hands-on game on Friday, and I think they have cemented their learning on nerves and their parts. Students also received their Circulatory System test on Friday.

This week we are continuing to learn about the central nervous system and all of its functions. We will learn about the specific parts of the brain and their functions, left and right hemispheres of the brain and their role in learning, and brain injuries.

Homework:

Monday night: finish worksheet on the brain

Tuesday night: first three pages of the Central Nervous System booklet

Wednesday night: pg. 411 questions

Thursday night: Finish the rest of the Central Nervous System booklet

Grade 8: Week of December 5th to 9th

We are continuing to learn about evolution, focusing on geologic, climatic, and technological aspects. We will learn about ice cores on Monday and how ash and various gas isotopes are trapped to reveal evidence about recent and ancient climates. On Tuesday we will examine evidence of Continental Drift: that plates are in constant motion churned by convection currents in magma underneath the lithosphere. Students will do a student inquiry to fit together continents with matching evidence. Thursday and Friday we will discuss and go through various activities on remote sensing. Remote sensing uses electromagnetic radiation both actively and passively. We will first learn about the electromagnetic spectrum, its various wavelengths, spectral signatures of various objects (including absorption, transmission, reflection of wavelengths), and its applications in society (radar, satellites, weather forecasting, GPS, cell phones, etc). *Please keep in mind that we will have a chapter test next Thursday December 15th. Students will need to review daily, especially remote sensing, so as not to cram for Science the night before. We will probably have more than one test on this day because of Christmas break.

Homework:

Monday night: questions about ice cores

Tuesday night: mapping/webbing of Continental Drift and its Geologic Evidence (pg. 419-426)

Wednesday night: questions pg. 427 all

Thursday night: study guide definitions second column pg. 443 (mid-Atlantic ridge to deforestation) and pg. 438 all