February 2, 2010
Week of 2/1
Finally, a full, 5 day week! Grade checks went home last week, so students should be on top of where they stand for grades. Progress reports go out next week, along with parent-teacher conferences, so Thursday is the last day to turn in any late work for the first half of this quarter.
As for this week in science we’ll be examining Earth’s interior to see how what goes on below the surface influences events (such as plate tectonics). There will be a QUIZ on Thursday covering plate boundaries and motions. Students have put together their own study guide based off of their notes.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Boundary illustration (due Tuesday for 1,3,4; Wednesday for 6 & 7)
Layers of the Earth drawing (labeled) (due Wednesday)
Convection Currents WS (due Thursday)
January 19, 2010
Week of 1/18…finally back on!
I apologize for taking so long to post again…between doing some moving and technical issues, well…I’m back on track now. This week we are finishing up our work with the theory of continental drift and the supporting evidence. There will be a test this Thursday, and then next week we look to build on these ideas with the study of plate tectonics and Earth’s interior.
assignments
Due Wednesday: summary paragraph; describe the changes that happened as Pangaea broke apart
November 30, 2009
Week of 11/30
Back to another full week! I hope everyone had an enjoyable & restful holiday! We are back this week for a full 5 days, transitioning from our unit on rocks & minerals to a unit on the structure of the Earth. This will lead us into looking at some of the really cool things in science, earthquakes & volcanoes! This week, though, is about wrapping up rocks & minerals with the completion of the project presentation (due next Monday), a post-test on Tuesday (to compare with the pre-test at start of this unit), an investigation on Thursday and then pre-test on Friday. The main focus though should be on the project, which is due on Monday-and we’ll spend time both Monday and Wednesday helping students along in the process.
assignments
rough draft of project (due Wednesday)
Final project presentation (due Monday)
November 24, 2009
Week of 11/23
A short week! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday-time to relax and spend with family. For us, although the week is short, we do have some important work to complete. We are starting into the Kitchen Counters project, which ties together what we have learned thus far about rocks & minerals. Essentially, students will choose a rock/mineral to use as a kitchen counter material and then create a presentation to explain why they made that choice. The due date for these is Monday, December 7, so students have 2 weeks to complete these. In class this week we’ll get students started and they should have a material selected by the end of class on Wednesday. There is more information in the letter going home (Monday for 1-4, Tuesday for 6 & 7).
assignments
periods 1, 3, 4
Product Design Worksheet (Due Tuesday)
Signed Project Letter (Due Tuesday)
periods 6 & 7
product design Worksheet (due Wednesday)
signed project letter (due Wednesday)
November 17, 2009
Week of Nov. 16
One more week of the rock cycle! This week we’ll wrap up the rock cycle simulation we started last week, using crayons as our “rocks” and taking them through some of the same changes that rocks go through in the rock cycle. Then we’ll do some review and there will be a quiz on Thursday over the rock cycle (except for 6th period who will have their quiz on Friday).
Also this week we’ll be starting a project to apply the ideas we’ve been learning about this year. In brief, students will have to select a particular rock/mineral to use as a kitchen counter choice, create a presentation, and be able to defend their choice as a good one. In class we’ll take the steps to help students make their rock/mineral selection and plan out the presentation, but students will need to complete the presentation at home. I’ll do a seperate posting on this later in the week with more details.
assignments
Rock Cycle simulation conclusions (due Tues for 1, 3, 4; due Wed for 6, 7)
November 11, 2009
Week of 11/9
Sorry for the late posting-it’s been a busy week between wrapping up the cross-country season and fighting off a cold from this weekend… Anyway, we are still working with the rock cycle, picking up where we left off last week with the Rock Cycle Rally game. Students are working this week to build a model of the rock cycle based on the path they took while playing the game and then creating a comic strip to illustrate this. The last half of our week we’ll be working with some rock samples to see evidence of the changes caused by the rock cycle. Looking ahead, we’ll be doing another quiz next week to cover rock types and the rock cycle.
assignments
Rock cycle article questions & crossword (due Thursday)
Rock cycle comic strip (due Thursday, 6th & 7th periods)
November 2, 2009
Week of November 2
This week we are all about the rock cycle! We’ll be talking about the ways rocks are changed from one type to another, focusing on the different natural processes that cause the changes. In the latter part of the week students will be working with actual rock samples to analyze the changes and processes they may have gone through to get to their current state.
Don’t forget that this Thursday is an early release day-students will be dismissed at 11:40.
assignments
Rock Cycle Logos (dues Tuesday for 3, 4, 6; due Wed. for 1, 7)
Rock Cycle Rally Summary (due Wed for 3, 4, 6; due Thursday for 1; due Friday for 7)
October 27, 2009
Week of 10/26
Thank you to everyone who made it in for conferences last week! It was good to meet with everyone and touch base as we move ahead into our second quarter. For those who couldn’t make it in, report cards went home Monday with students. Please be sure to sign the blue envelope and any letters with the report card and have students bring those back in.
In science this week we’ll finish up talking about the different types of rocks, wrapping up with metmorphic rocks. We’ll take time to review through the week as well and have a quiz over the different rock types on Friday.
Also this is Red Ribbon Week, which focuses our attention on the importance of staying drug free. Each day students have the opportunity to show their support by what they wear. Below is the “dress” for each day and then this week’s assignments are listed below that.
Monday: Black Out Drugs: Students wear black
Tuesday: Stomp Out Drugs: Students wear boots
Wednesday: Drugs and I Don’t Mix: Students wear mismatched clothing
Thursday: Follow Your Dreams, Don’t Do Drugs: Students wear red
Friday: Show Your Drug Free Spirit: Students wear school colors
assignments
Rock Type Flashcards (Due Wednesday) – (Thursday for 6th period)
October 19, 2009
Week of Oct. 19
Parent-teacher conference week! Thursday and Friday will be early release days for the students so that we can all meet with parents to talk about the first quarter. When you come you will get their report card as well, so we hope to see everyone on either Thursday from 11-1 or 2:30-7, or on Friday from 11-12:30. All the seventh grade teachers will be in one room together, so feel free to stop in when it is convienent for you and you can meet with whichever teachers you need to see.
In science this week we are still focusing on the different types of rocks, looking in detail at each type of rock. We’ll finish up igneous rocks this week and move into sedimentary rocks for the last part of the week.
assignments
Igneous rocks review (due Tuesday; Wednesday for 7th period)
Rock Type flashcards (due Thursday/Friday/or Monday-depending on when I see the class next).
October 11, 2009
Week of 10/12
Hopefully everyone is able to enjoy our 3 day weekend thanks to Columbus day! We’ll be back at it Tuesday, looking at the different types of rocks, how they form, and why we have so many different kinds and types of rocks. Students this week will be focusing on igneous and sedimentary rocks.
We’ve also started a new quarter! I’m working to enter the final grades from the first quarter and those will be available to view by Thursday if you use the intouch system. Report cards go home at conference time, coming up NEXT WEEK. Students received a letter about conference times last week, so if you haven’t seen that yet be sure to ask about it.
assignments
conclusions on igneous rock observations (due Friday)
