Week of November 10

Be sure your son/daughter checked their email on Friday. I was off campus, but I sent an email with some important information. It was sent to each student's wcsks account.

This past week ...

Kids are getting more accustomed to the flash card method of studying. Please continue to remind your son/daughter to flip through the flash cards multiple times each day. The stack should be at least forty cards for the current unit; I know some kids have over 75 for this unit already. Again, more is better than less! {Please pick up a few packs of flash cards to keep at home. We have almost used up the 100-150 cards each student brought in at the beginning of last unit. Your son/daughter will need to have access to cards at home to complete future assignments.}

I was happy to see kids taking personal responsibility for their individual study tool, coming to a formal tutorial this week that was designed to confirm "correct & complete" sets of flash cards. I hope your son/daughter is finding this a reasonable way to study and that he/she is finding success as a result of this study tool. If yours isn't seeing a positive result, please encourage him/her to come to tutorials, specifically to create a "correct & complete" set of cards to study. 

On Monday {11/10}, please send your child to class with a three pronged folder, preferably without pockets. I have realized that seventh graders lack some organizational skills, evidenced by the number of kids who "lose" papers or come to class unprepared and leave to go to lockers to retrieve forgotten papers or cards. In science, these papers serve a purpose when studying, so keeping papers is an important skill. I'm going to require that science papers be kept in the three pronged folder, held by the prongs. Shoving papers into pockets will not be acceptable. Folder organization will receive a grade with each unit. Hopefully, knowing that organization will be connected to a grade, kids will put forth some effort to meet my expectations. Effective Monday, if you see a science paper laying around, you might want to remind your child about the folder! We will begin organizing on Monday.

There is a project linked to this unit to allow students to demonstrate knowledge of cells, with a flair of creativity. Details are posted on the blog in the file cabinet. The project is a set of three assignments, each with their own due date. Because of my absence Friday and because we are taking more class time than I expected to review organelles & functions, I have altered the original due dates for each of the three choices (and updated the file in the file cabinet). I am not giving any class time to complete the project parts, nor am I discussing the project in class, as the posted directions are clear. Kids were supposed to read the requirements Wednesday nights and I did field a minimal amount of questions on Thursday about the project. Of course, if your son/daughter has a question, he/she just needs to ask! Project parts may be submitted earlier than the due date.

This week: {Click on homework tab above for specific due dates}

- Finish notes on organelles & functions

- Use analogies to describe organelles' functions

- Quiz: Prokaryotic cells, Eukaryotic cells & Domains

- Learn microscope anatomy

- Make a wet mount

- Project, Choice 1 due

Remember, I'm an email away ... if you have a question/concern!

Week of November 3

Last week's introduction of a new skill went well. Kids learned the process of skimming (not reading) nonfiction text and then reading for purpose (to answer a specific question). It was a slow process at the beginning, but thirteen practice questions later, kids seemed to have grasped the method. It was purposeful practice, as the nonfiction reading was about the two categories of cells: prokaryotic cells & eukaryotic cells. Of course, we will continue to practice this skill of skimming nonfiction reading in the future!

On the topic of continuing to practice newly learned skills, during this unit on cells, the class will continue to utilize "old school" flash cards. Kids should still be carrying around baggies of flash cards. Only current unit flash cards should be in the baggie. I told kids to "store" their old flash cards somewhere safe and out of the way - like a sock drawer at home - as the flash cards might be useful when preparing for a semester exam. (So, Moms & Dads, please don't throw away any index cards in your child's sock drawer .. but also know those aren't the ones to study for this current unit!) Of course, please encourage your child to regularly flip through the current set of cards. I keep reminding them that simply carrying around a baggie does not help them learn the facts!

On Tuesday (10/28), I invited any seventh grade student to a focused tutorial, with the goal to review flash cards to confirm that a student's set was complete and correct. I had hoped to see more of the "struggling" kids, who scored 80 or less on the last test. That wasn't the case. Parents, please encourage your son/daughter to come to tutorials on Tuesday (11/4) to go over flash cards if he/she is struggling and/or not feeling prepared. At this point, there should be at least 20 cards (the bare minimum) -- although I know some students have in excess of 30. More would probably be better ... I believe that the kids who came to tutorials on 10/28 left with over thirty flash cards.

This week we will continue our dive into knowledge about cells. We will learn about domains into which organisms are classified and the characteristics of each of those three domains. We will learn about organelles, the "cogs" within a cell, each with its own function.

Expect a quiz on Thursday (11/6) over the development of the cell theory. Kids have a fact sheet about this and should have already created valid flash cards. If you child came to see me on 10/28, his/her flash cards should be complete and correct. Again, if your son/daughter has been struggling, I need to see him/her at tutorials. Please encourage that - and send me an email so I know to expect him/her!

Also, be aware that this unit has a project that goes with it. Those details will be distributed later this week. Your son/daughter may need poster board or other art supplies. There are choices as to what he/she can create to fulfill the project requirements. I encourage you to help your child use the detailed instruction sheet as a checklist for completion. Failure to pay attention to detail will yield lost points. The project has multiple parts, each due on a separate date - all clearly indicated on the instruction sheet that will be distributed out this week. On each given due date, kids are expected to submit their project part before first hour.

One final reminder: On Tuesday (10/28), I announced a bonus opportunity for students. It is due before first hour on Monday (11/3). This is completely optional. Directions are in the blog's file cabinet. Again, I encourage you to help your child use the detailed instruction sheet as a checklist for completion. Failure to pay attention to detail will yield lost points. Remember, this optional bonus is due before first hour and late bonus won't be accepted.

Here's to a great week!

Week of Oct 27

This is a short week, due to Wednesday's field trip and Thursday/Friday's student led conferences.

This week, kids will learn to differentiate between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

Next week, we will begin learning about specific organelles within cells. There will be a project that accompanies this unit. Instructions will be given on Tuesday.

Over the course of this unit, we will continue to utilize flash cards as a study tool. Over the weekend, kids should create at least ten flash cards based on a fact sheet we completed in class on Friday, Oct 24.

Kids may want to keep the flash cards from the previous unit, to use later when preparing for the final exam. If you think that'd be a good idea to keep them, then please keep them at home in a safe place, NOT in the ziploc baggie. Only keep current unit's flash cards in the baggie. A highlighter should be in the baggie too.

Thanks for all you do at home to support what I do in the classroom!

For Grandparents Day

Click here for the survey

Week of Oct 20

Test on Monday [10/20/2014] covers Lab: Food Nutrient Analysis

** If you are participating in the play, you have the option to postpone the test (and take a make up test) due to the time commitment of dress rehearsals this weekend. (Of course, you can choose to take the test with the rest of the class on Monday!) If you choose not to take the test on Oct 20, the make up date is Tuesday Oct 28 at 3pm (during tutorials) in the science room. This will be the only date the make up will be offered. Although the material covered on the test will be the same, the test offered on Oct 28 is not the same test that will be taken on Oct 20. Be aware that new material will be started on Wednesday, Oct 22.

What to study:
(1) Flash cards -- If you did a good job creating these, every fact that is fair game for the test should be on a card. You should have at least forty flash cards.
(2) Lab worksheets -- The set of three pages that were stapled together that should have "correct and important" facts/key words written or marked in red.
(3) Summary chart - Check the file cabinet (right side bar) for a chart that you might want to use as a final summary of much of the info presented in this lab. Once you think you're confident with the material, print out the chart and try to fill it in. When you're done, use your flash cards and the red writing on the worksheets to correct the chart and fill in what you didn't know. Continue studying what you got incorrect and/or didn't know.

You do NOT need to memorize your unknown's results. Think about how I quizzed you and your group during the lab; that's the type of questioning that will happen on the test.

Your objective list in your OneNote notebook will give you a list of skills you should be able to successfully accomplish on the test. (The objectives are listed under Unit 3 ... even though we haven't  "really" started Unit 3 Cells.)

Other topics this week:
(1) We will start a new unit on Wednesday. We will start Unit 3 Cells by learning about the cell theory and people involved in its development.
(2) If there's time this week, we will learn about different categories of cells: prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

Something else to look forward to:
In the next couple weeks, we will begin using microscopes!

REMINDER: Middle School Girls Only - There is a science opportunity at Wichita State University in November. An email was sent to your parents about this. If you're interested, you need to register online. If you'd like to know a little more, you can see some information about the program in the file cabinet (right side bar). You can go to this link to register online.

Week of Oct 13

Last week was an eventful week in science.

(1) Performance on the test over Unit Two was strong. With seven kids earning 99% or above and a class average of 86%, I was pleased with the results. Some, though, do continue to struggle ... or simply aren't doing as well as they would like to do. Attention to detail, mastery of the subject matter, and ability to write coherent, complete answers are key to science success. Kids do not have access to the test questions yet, as I am waiting for one student to complete the test. Grades are posted on PowerSchool and I expect to release the quia.com test (so kids can see what they got correct/wrong) on Tuesday.

(2) I will be incorporating study skills into science lessons which will hopefully help kids find more success in science, as well as other academic subjects. We will continue to work on nonfiction reading as well. These are skills kids need for success in future science classes.

(3) The kids completed their first lab in class last week: analyzing solutions to determine the presence of chemical compounds. I think the kids had fun mixing chemicals while still reinforcing concepts about proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. We will continue the lab this week by analyzing an unknown solution for its content. Your kids will become science sleuths!


This week in science will be busy:

Students are required to bring in additional supplies on Monday, 10/13:

(1) a highlighter

(2) a pack of 3" x 5" indes cards - preferred white, with lines on one side (100 to 150 cards)

(3) two quart sized ziploc bags

Plan for the week:
(1) Identifying chemical compounds: Sugar test
(2) Unknown solution lab
(3) Study skills: Creating effective flash cards
(4) Lab test: Identifying chemical compounds (at the end of the week or early next week)


As always, email me with questions/concerns!

Week of October 6

Unfortunately, it took us a little longer than I expected to cover organic compounds, which caused us not to be able to do the lab procedure as I had hoped at the end of the week.

We ended last week with lab safety and a demonstration of one part of the food analysis lab. We will start/finish the lab on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

I'm still planning on testing on Tuesday, October 7. Format will be similar to the unit one test - multiple choice & short answer. As kids prep for the test, their focus should be:

• PowerPoint notes (3 different files)
• the worksheet set (4 pages total) titled Molecules for Life
• the worksheets (2 different ones) focused on nonfiction reading
• the graded quiz on quia.com

Student will need to plan ahead. I will not be available for tutorials on Monday afternoon, I will be available Thursday, Friday & Monday during recess (after lunch) for those that need some guidance.