Investigation!

Last Week: 

6th and 7th grades learned about matter, mass, and volume. We measured volume and I demonstrated how mass does not always effect volume. The students seemed to have some problems with these themes so we will be covering them again. 




8th grade learned about cells and cell theory. Cells are the building blocks of all organisms and our first stop in the study of biology. We collected samples from outside and looked at cells under microscopes. 


This Week:

6th and 7th will take another approach to the concepts behind matter. These concepts are the building blocks to our understanding of the physical world. Therefore,  we will try more interactive activities to make sure that we are able to understand the concepts and their implications. 

8th graders will reexamine cell structure and theory. They need to understand the types of cells and how these structures are useful to different organisms.We will build models. 

History:
Students are going to be learning about the TIMELINE. In the pre-assessment, most of students could not properly place a series of events on a time line. They could not a match a costume with the time that it came from. This week students will learn about the difference of B.C. and A.D. and what American looked and sounded like from the 20th to the 18th century. 

Extra Credit:

I have a lot of students who could use some extra points. Here is what you can do to get them. In the parent resource center (to the left) there is a link to the podcast of two radio shows that often educate me: RadioLab (Science) and Back Story (History). Listen to one of these shows and give me a 2 page paper on them. A properly written paper will get you 20 bonus points. Try it!

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

Let's do it again! 

Last week we studied the scientific method. Many of the students didn't do well on the test. In order to make sure that no child is left behind, we took another approach to the material. We made an instructional comic. This was a great reinforcement for those who did well and a multi- sensory approach for those who didn't. 

What is the best way to cut a glass bottle in half?
Le'ts find out. Safety first!

We also practiced inquiry in the classroom. I can't wait to display the work we did! 

This Week the 6th and 7th grade are learning about Matter. Do you know the difference between Mass and Weight? You child can. Ask them. 

8th grade is leaning about Cell Theory. We will be collecting samples and examining plant cells under microscopes. 

Both classes are learning to organize ideas and text by outlining their text. This will teach them to recognize the patterns and identify main ideas in the text and reference it more efficiently. Check their homework and tell me what you think.

Look out for an e-mail about the Science Fair.

Remember to check Engrade. Most are doing great... some need some help. Help me keep your children on track.

Please comment!

First Week Out

Welcome And Welcome Back!

 I am so happy that you are with us. I am full of energy and optimism and I can't wait to see the harvest from the seeds that we have planted this week. 

This week:

We spent a lot of time testing. I made sure the students were acquainted with procedures and philosophy. I will be posting the results from the pre-assessments on Engrade. Please keep in mind that pre-assessments DO NOT count towards your child's grade. This is simply a tool that I use so that I can measure their growth throughout the year. 

We focused a lot on outlines and methods for planning our writing. 

We also went on our first field trip to the Blackstone library.  The students drew so many comments as they walked the ivy-lined sidewalks. (Those uniforms were worth it.)

"Are these children as smart as they look?"
remarked one motorist as she cruised by.

At the library, the students became familiar with the tools the CPL provides for research and recreation. (I think I'll be giving extra-credit for library cards.) 

Vocabulary that we've used this week:

Scientific Method, Irony,Source

Don't ask your child for a definition of the word, ask them for an example.

Next Week:

Science: 
We will be studying the fundamentals of the Scientific Method. Last week's project has shown me that an introduction/ review is needed before we get into the science fair season. 
Vocabulary: Hypothesis, Control, independent variable, dependent variable, objective, and subjective

History:
According to the pretest, 47% of my students can not place the city of Chicago on a map. A few of them weren't able to place the city in Illinois. So we will begin our unit on geography with local, national, and global regions. We will also be learning about time line structure. 
Vocabulary:

Hemisphere, district, county, western, eastern, first-world, third-world