Math: Students worked on reviewing math concepts and studying for their first math test. We played a trivia game solving Eureka math problems and getting prizes. The energy was crazy in the classroom as students competed as math champions.
Science: 7- Students finished synthesizing information about their projects and then started their units on photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
6- Cells, cells, they're made of organelles! Ask your student to sing the cell song, for you and I'm sure they gladly will. Now that they are experts in cell theory, they are learning all about the organelles and plant and animal cells.
September 25-29
Math: 7- Students are learning about unit rates and comparing two unit rates. This will help them to become smart shoppers! Have your child compare price per ounce (or lb) of any given item at the grocery store or in ads you get in the mail. Have them figure out which is the better unit rate and therefore a better value for their $$$.
6- Students are comparing ratios to determine if any patterns exits. This will help them recognize if ratios are proportional and graph ratio relationships.
Science: 7- This week students worked hard on their projects- either the biosphere or the rooftop gardens. We finished up the projects on Friday and now students are working on reporting their results and findings.
6- Students learned how to use a microscope. Students worked with BOTH a microscope in class, looking at different specimens on slides, and they also worked with a virtual microscope online. I love technology! By using the virtual microscope, I could easily walk by and see if the students were understanding how to use their microscope. Next Wednesday, students will pretend they are scientists that first used the microscope to discover cells and present their findings to the school.
September 18-22
Math: 7- Students continue to learn about proportional relationships. Students worked on finding the constant of proportionality, using the data in tables to find a constant, and learned how to identify and graph proportional relationships. Students took a quiz on Wednesday, and are now moving on to unit rates. You can assist them in learning about unit rates while shopping- Ask your child to find the unit rate between two products while shopping at the store. Find out which one has a better value.
6- Students continued their unit on ratios and took a quiz on Thursday. Wednesday was review of key terms and examples of the ratio types. It is imperative that students know their multiplication facts. Especially as we move onto comparing ratios. Please review these facts with your child.
Science: 7- We finished up our ecology unit by sharing the symbiotic Wanted Ads, learned about Biomes, and took a test. Now students are taking their knowledge to the next step and working on one of two projects- Biosphere 3 or Roof top gardens. Ask your child what group they are in and what they are learning about. Students will work on these projects to further their understanding of ecosystems and learn about our next unit on photosynthesis and respiration. Students are also learning engineering practices as they take on these projects.
6- Students finished their cell theory lab and learned how cells were discovered. Now students are exploring how microscopes work so that they can see their own cells just like the scientists we learned about in class. Students are divided into two groups- one group is learning how to use a real compound microscope and the other group is learning about what technology has to offer and is using a virtual microscope. Each group will present for the other group about how to use each type of microscope.
September 11-14
Math: Students began really exploring Eureka math. Students must identify what information is given and what questions are being asked in each situation. This is great for building their critical thinking skills! If your child needs help, Parent guides are on each of the math grade sites.
Science: 7- Students are working on the Ecology unit learning about interactions within each ecosystem, characteristics of life, levels of organization, and how energy is transferred between organisms. Students are working on a Symbiosis Wanted Ad to further explore the relationships between organisms.
6- Students are exploring how things work together as systems and subsystems. Starting with what makes something "living," students explore how living things are composed of many different systems working together- communities of organisms working together to sustain life, systems at work in the human body- lymphatic system, muscular system, respiratory system just to name a few of the many systems working together, One of those "subsystems" for life is the system of cells working together. Students started working on a cell theory lab to learn what Robert Hooke discovered when he coined the term "cell" and saw a magnified image of a sliver of cork.
September 5-8
Math: In addition to the Eureka math curriculum, websites such as Learn Zillion and Khan academy can be used to help explain mathematical concepts. Students worked on getting their class accounts up and running so that I may assign assignments from these sites and track what concepts they are struggling with or mastering. This is also a great resource for students to use if there are concepts they are not remembering or may have missed in elementary school.
Science: 7- Students began the ecology unit.
6- Students began unit 1 and investigated what characteristics living things may have.
Aug 28-Sept 1
Math: Students started our new math curriculum, Eureka math. Science: Students started on making their interactive notebooks. An interactive notebook is like the students making their own textbook. All notes, labs, worksheets, and information given in class goes into their notebook on the right page. The left page is left for students to synthesize the information given into their own words. This process utilizes BOTH the right and left brain hemispheres to help students sort, catagorize, rtemember and creatively interact with the new knowledge.
Aug. 21-25
Math/Science/ Engineering: Students worked in teams to solve challenging problems. We talked about trying things by trial and error vs. coming up with a plan.
The students worked on a Back to School escape room solving riddles to earn keys to get out of the room. They learned the importance of closely reading directions and working together as a team.
Students also watched a TED talk about math and their brains. They learned that there is no such thing as a "math brain" and that using your fingers to visualize math concepts is advantages for their brains!
Aug. 16-18
This week flew by! As we were all adjusting to our new schedules, the new school, new teachers and new friends, the days went by so fast!
Math: We went over the class rules and expectations, then worked on fun math "getting to know you" worksheets. Each letter of the alphabet was assigned a price, and students had to add up the value of their name. Then we took the class data to find the mean, median, mode and range of the class names. We are still working on some fun summer math problems and getting our brains warmed up as we review math concepts previously learned.
Science: We did a solar eclipse lab. Students traveled to 6 stations working on various activities about the solar eclipse. Students performed hand on activities, looked up information on the computer, watched a video, read an article, assessed their knowledge and wrote an opinion paragraph. This was an introduction to how many much of the learning will occur in my classroom.
Engineering: Students worked in teams to solve a silly, fun problem. They learned about the engineering design process, and they also evaluated themselves, as well as their peers on their teamwork skills. I absolutely loved watching all the "lightbulb moments" from each team. They asked me challenging questions, thought outside the box, and challenged each other.
I can't wait to see what they will accomplish this year. I am so fortunate to have such fantastic, enthusiastic, and amazing students!