Grade 8: Week of April 30th to May 4th

This week we will review the twenty most missed questions on the practice EOG.  Students will study their Practice EOG test and have a small test on the previously missed questions.  We will also use microscopes in stations to view living protists and other types of microbes.  Some protists will come from a protist growing kit and other microbes will come from students bringing in pond water.  Meanwhile, we will begin reviewing for our Microbe unit test and writing the paragraphs for the Microbe book.

All students who scored a level 2 or borderline 2/3 will receive in school remediation 2:15 to 2:45 Monday and Wednesday and after school tutoring 2:45 to 3:30.  I will notify you by email if this is the case.  

Homework for the week:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday night: 
Write paragraphs and draw pictures of the Microbe book - due Friday;

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night:
Sections of the Post test from the EOG coach book each night

Thursday night:
Study for the small test on previously missed questions on the Practice EOG, finish the first page of the Microbe Review sheet

5A, B, and C Monday night homework

Testing has now been changed to Wednesday and Thursday.  Therefore, 5A homework for tonight is to finish the Review sheet using column 1 and 2 vocabulary words.  5B and C need to finish pgs. 78-80 #2-10, 24, 25 in the Competitive Edge.

Grade 5: Week of April 23rd to 28th

Students will receive a Practice Science EOG test on Tuesday and their Language Arts or Math Practice EOG test Wednesday.  I will have all Practice EOG exams marked by Friday and will communicate with you as soon as possible if your child received a Level 2.  Your results will also be communicated on the progress report.

I will not see 5B or 5C these Practice EOG days but will see 5A in the afternoon all five days. Therefore, homework and tests will be different for each group on some days.  5B and 5C will have their vocabulary quiz on columns 1 and 2 this Monday and 5A will have it on Thursday.  5B and C already completed a small review sheet last Friday and 5A will receive this Monday.

We will learn about food webs and food chains this week, and begin reviewing our Column 3 vocabulary words.  We will also review the different components a food web:  producers, herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers, and scavengers.  All groups will receive a mini review lesson at the beginning of each class to prepare for the Science EOG.

Homework for all groups Monday night:  Competitive Edge Pgs. 78-80 #2-10, 24, 25 *full sentences for most questions

5B and 5C Tuesday and Wednesday night:  Food web tree map and Interactions in an Ecosystem sheet.  The tree map on the Food web will be started in class.  Students will need their Competitive Edge book to do this.

5A Tuesday night:  Interactions in an Ecosystem side of the worksheet only
5A Wednesday night:  study for the Vocabulary 1st and 2nd column quiz

Homework for Thursday night all groups:  Column 3 sentences and pictures

Grade 6: Week of April 23rd to 27th

Students will continue to research their planet at school and at home, and we will begin writing our paragraphs next week due to two days of Practice EOG tests and the Planetarium visit on Friday.  Please have your child bring in the Planetarium consent form and $5.00 as soon as possible.  Students will not be able to attend the educational on-site field trip presented by Morehead Planetarium without either of these.  We will have a change of lunch schedule on Friday  so we may go on the field trip at 11:30.  If bringing lunch to the school on Friday, bring it 11:00 to 11:30 or before.

A few students scored below 70% on their Sedimentary and Metamorphic rock test and need to retest.  The retest will be held 7:20 to 7:45 am or 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. Friday.  To retest, your child must do corrections of those s/he got wrong.  Students will write out the sentences with the correct word three times and include a picture.  The maximum mark that a student may receive on a retest is 70%.  In addition, students will not be allowed to retest if I have not checked their corrections.  This includes if they did them and are at home.

Our schedule for the week is as follows:

Monday:  research on the computer, go over the Sedimentary and Metamorphic rock test
Tuesday and Wednesday:  Practice EOG testing - I do not see students
Thursday:  Research on the computer, write the bibliography
Friday:  Research for 15 minutes, 11:00-11:30 eat lunch, 11:30-12:20 Planetarium visit to the "Dome"

Homework for the week:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night:

1. Bring in Planetarium and consent forms:  please do wait until Friday to do this!!!


2.  Write notes on the following subjects:

•  Planet facts and Special Characteristics (minimum 7 notes - no full sentences)
• Ability to support life (minimum 7 notes - no full sentences):  include gases in the atmosphere, organic/plant matter found on the planet, water, distance from the sun, temperature range, storms, wind speeds on the planet, and compare to Earth's ability to support life
• Technology used to explore the planet (minimum 7 notes - no full sentences):  include satellites, telescopes, rovers, probes, rockets

3.  Complete the Bibliography:

• Students must have at least four sources - 1 book and 3 websites.

4.  Study for the retest on Friday if you received less than 70%.  Do corrections and show them to me on Thursday.


Thursday night:  complete the bibliography and all research notes; study for the retest. 

I will mark the notes and bibliography over the weekend for a grade.  Students' notes will be graded on detail, scientific vocabulary, accuracy, and effort and receive a total of 15 marks.  Students' bibliography will be graded out of 5 marks for accuracy, completion, and neatness.

Grade 8: Week of April 23rd to 27th

Grade 8s will receive review every day until the EOGs.  We will have practice testing on Tuesday and Wednesday - Tuesday is the practice EOG Science test and it will be graded by Friday.  I will let you know the results on the progress reports and will contact you ASAP if your child makes a level 2 on the test.  Your child will also receive tutoring on Wednesday and Friday if they make a level 2 (plus regular in school remediation) - more details to come.  In addition, because we have practice EOG tests, I do not see 8b for two days, but see 8A in the afternoon so each group will have a different set of homework.

We are continuing to work on our Microbes booklet and I will show protist mini-videos of Euglena, Paramecium, and Amoebas.  Students will see how amoebas engulf their prey by a process called "phagocytosis".  We will explore how each protist moves, its animal and plant characteristics, special features, and binary fission.  We will also see a mini-video of how viruses reproduce themselves by attaching to cells, produced by npr.org.

Homework for the week - 8B only:

Monday night:  Questions on fungi
Tuesday:  Write pgs. 1-2 paragraphs and pictures
Wednesday:  Write pgs. 3-4 paragraphs and pictures
Thursday:  pg. 5, 6, 7 questions on protists (optional homework:  paragraphs and pictures of these pages)

Homework for the week - 8A only:

Monday night:  Questions on Bacteria and fungi
Tuesday:  Write pgs. 1-2 paragraphs and pictures
Wednesday:  Write pgs. 3-4 paragraphs and pictures
Thursday:  pg. 5, 6, 7 questions on protists (optional homework:  paragraphs and pictures of these pages)

Grade 5: Week of April 16th to 20th

Welcome back from spring break! I hope everyone is well rested and ready for a new week. I was waiting until I received the practice EOG testing schedule today to write the blog. Our practice EOG tests will be this Thursday and next Tuesday and Wednesday.

This week we are continuing to learn about ecosystems and will learn about producers, omnivores, herbivores, carnivores, scavengers, and decomposers. On Monday we learned about population, community, habitat, and niche. Students gave an example of an animal or plant population, its community, habitat, and niche and we took turns guessing what population it might be from their clues. In addition to learning about ecosystems, we will do a mini-review for the EOG everyday. Our EOG coach books have still not arrived. Mrs. Barbour will call the EOG coach company again.

I will be offering after school homework help/remediation for students starting this week until the EOGs. It will be from 3:15 to 3:50. You may pick up your child in the carpool line. If your child has remediation on Tuesday mornings, then s/he will also stay after school Thursday. If your child has remediation on Thursday morning, then s/he will also stay after school Tuesday.

Homework for the week:

Monday night: Pick another population of a specific animal or plant. Tell about its community, habitat, and niche.

Tuesday night: Write sentences for the second column of words. See definition sheet.

Wednesday night: fill in the blanks on the worksheet using the words provided.

Thursday night: study for the Column 1 and 2 vocabulary test using the definitions and sentences you wrote; pg. 75 #1-7 in Competitive Edge

Grade 6: Week of April 16th to 20th

Welcome back from spring break! I hope everyone is well rested and ready for a new week. I was waiting until I received the practice EOG testing schedule today to write the blog. Our practice EOG tests will be this Thursday and next Tuesday and Wednesday. Students do not take a Science EOG this year.

We have officially started our unit on space. Today we discussed what students knew about space and what they wondered. We also watched a short video on the Hubble Telescope: Deep Space which illustrated how expansive the universe really is.

To prepare for our Planet Project, we will learn about technology used to explore space on Tuesday and then begin the research project on Wednesday. Students will have time to research in the computer labs and with books I provide, but they will also need to do some research on their planet at home and write notes on it. I will send home a project sheet on Wednesday and post it on the blog.

We are still collecting $5 for the Planetarium visit on April 26th and 27th. Parents also need to sign a consent form for students to participate in this on-site field trip. Please bring in the money and form as soon as possible.

Homework for the week:

Tuesday - Thursday night: Bring in seeds for the garden, $5 and consent form for the field trip

Tuesday night: Pg. 227 questions; have a first, second, and third choice of planet for the project

Wednesday and Thursday night: get the project letter signed, research your planet and write notes