The Master Plan

So we've just ended our first quarter. The promise of what is to come is still fresh in the air and I am looking forward to telling you where we will be heading.

The 6th Grade (GC6) will have an exciting year. 

Myles hold his mini scale model of the layers of the Earth

First, we will be diving right into Geology. (Note: Diving into geology can be quite dangerous and lead to serious injury. Geology should be approached with caution). We will learn about the layers of the earth and how those layers interact to give us mountains and earthquakes. We will answer questions like:"Does global warming cause earthquakes?" We will conduct a volcano experiment unlike anything the world has ever seen!

 

From there we will go on to learn oceanography, astronomy, the respiratory system (heart dissection), the nevous system, and the immune system. We will be spending the last quarter on energy. We will do many other exciting things along the way. I have great experiments and projects in store and look forward to sharing them with your child. 

The 7th and 8th (DC1&2) grades have a wonderful opportunity.

Students graph the behavior of a tiny robot to see if it is learning

Most of the national and state standards were covered last year. This means that most of what we learn will be the same material, but taught on a high school level. I am also preparing with the skill set they will need for a high school class. This requires more independent study and critical thinking. Some of you may have noticed that your child is struggling in areas where they were not previously. That is because the work is harder and my expectations are greater.

 

Students will be covering engineering, chemistry, heredity, and physics (matter, energy, and machines). We will focus more on labs and field work. We will also be sharpening language arts and reading skills by fine-tuning our research, interpretation, and presentation skills. 

Expect that your child will have two homework assignments per week. They will have a weekly reading assignment and a home lab or comprehension exercise.  We are also looking for old, unused, or broken cellphones that we can use for our technology course. If you have any, please send them to me.