January 27

Today in integrated science, students shared their poems about the article they read over roller coasters. Then we debated problem 3 on the Qualitative Energy Pie Charts 1b. Students found that defining their systems was important to determine whether they had their pie charts drawn correctly. The remainder of class was used to plan our Energy Resource Projects (Rubric found in Google Classroom).

Science 8 students had their pre-writes for the Argumentative Essay on De-extinction  checked over (Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or  Bringing them back to life (Word)). We identified whether students had all the elements in their pre-writes that they needed for their essays, and we started to turn them into outlines. Students received individual help if they needed it.

HOMEWORK: Integrated = annotate and write a poem for the Roller Coaster article, Due Friday
Science 8= research more on de-extinction. Pre-write for your essay due Friday. Outline due Monday.

 

January 26

Today in integrated science, students worked on Qualitative Energy Pie Charts 1b and then spent some time looking at the rubric for their energy resource project.

Science 8 worked on their eulogies for the extinct animals and then spent some time working on their pre-writes for the Argumentative Essay on De-extinction (( Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or  Bringing them back to life (Word)).

HOMEWORK: Integrated = annotate and write a poem for the Roller Coaster article, Due Friday
Science 8= research more on de-extinction. Pre-write for your essay due Friday. Outline due Monday.

January 25

Today in class, integrated science students were asked to present and defend their answers on Qualitative Energy Pie Charts 1a. They also received some time to create their groups for the Alternative Energy project. Students will need to create a product that conveys the following information: 1) How energy is obtained from this source, 2) Pros, 3) Cons, and 4)A recommendation on how to move forward with investing in that energy type (or not).

Science 8 students had their Pro/Con worksheet for their Argumentative Essay on De-extinction checked. ( Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or  Bringing them back to life (Word)). After a review of how they could use pathos, ethos, and logos to help in their essays, students then read through a fake eulogy of an extinct organism (assigned in google classroom). Students will be researching some extinct creatures and writing a eulogy/obituary for them today and tomorrow.

HOMEWORK: Integrated = annotate and write a poem for the Roller Coaster article, Due Friday
Science 8= research more on de-extinction. Pre-write for your essay due Friday. Outline due Monday.

January 24

Today in integrated science, students reviewed some of the math associated with energy, and then we began investigating qualitative transfers of energy. Students viewed the Energy Skate Park Simulation and talked through  the energy transformation occurring. Students finished the day by working on  Qualitative Energy Pie Charts 1a. They will be presenting them tomorrow!

Science 8 students finished their quizzes on evolution and natural selection, and then took the Extinction Notes. Students whizzed through these notes and then were given time to work on their pro-con worksheets to help organize their Argumentative Essay-De-extinction. ( Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or  Bringing them back to life (Word)).

HOMEWORK: Integrated= annotate and write a poem for the Roller Coaster article, Due Friday
Science 8= Read the Article on de-extinction. Begin planning your essay by using the pros/cons sheet, due Wednesday.

January 23

Today in integrated science, students received an article (Roller Coaster article) to read, annotate, and write a POEM about by Friday. Students were asked to create an idea web of the forms of energy for the class to debate on. After figuring out that mechanical energy is the sum total of all an object’s energy, and sound is kinetic energy, students were able to begin reviewing some of the math problems from the notes that we took the other day. Tomorrow we will review the rest of the problems and learn how to do energy pie charts. (See Energy Skate Park Simulation)

Science 8 students asked preliminary questions for their quiz, and then took the quiz.

After the quiz is done:
1. Read over the prompt for the Argumentative Essay-De-extinction Prompt. If you have not read over the article ( Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or  Bringing them back to life (Word)) Please do so as well.

2. Use the Pro-Con sheet to begin organizing your essay.

3. If finished with that, take notes on the Extinction Notes

 

HOMEWORK: Integrated= annotate and write a poem for the Roller Coaster article, Due Friday
Science 8= Read the Article on de-extinction. Begin planning your essay by using the pros/cons sheet, due Wednesday.

January 19

Today in class, integrated science finished the Energy Notes  and started to work on a few practice problems from the back side of the notes. Students also heard a way to remember the metric system so that they can make easy and quick conversions from one unit to the other. When finished with these items, some students continued their TAG Energy activity that reviews some of the old information from energy.

Science 8 students in period 3 did two simulations of the Dinosaur Natural Selection Classroom Simulation.   Students then did some thoughtful reflections on what they learned in the simulation and they were asked to determine how the environmental changes, mutations, and adaptations interact to determine the success of an organism. Students in periods 4 and 5 took a practice Evolution and Natural selection quiz (Use this to study). After some discussion of the questions, we passed out the new essay that students will need to be doing in the next few weeks. The Argumentative Essay-De-extinction will require students to do some research on the topic of de-extinction, and determine whether they think scientists should bring extinct organisms back to life or not. This weekend, students will need to read over the article  Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)  (Bringing them back to life (Word) You may use the word version to have it read to you, but I would suggest doing annotations of the article). It may be beneficial to annotate the word version of the article online in Google Docs or to print out a copy and have it handy for reading purposes.

HOMEWORK: Integrated=none
Science 8= Quiz Monday over Evolution and Natural Selection (Evolution and Natural selection quiz  to study). Read over the article Bringing them back to life (De-extinction)   or use the  WORD version to read through. Bringing them back to life (Word) . Determine your side and begin thinking about both sides of the argument.

January 17

Today in Integrated science class, students received back their test work from the Forces and Motion unit Test, and they determined that what areas/concepts they had mastered.

Science 8 classes were in various places. Period 4 finished the Evolution and Natural Selection 2016 notes,  and then worked on a short simulation of diversity and natural selection with the   Natural Selection game called “Who wants to live a Million years?”. Students in periods 4 and 5 were able to grade their Natural Selection Worksheet, and students who did not earn a 5/6 or higher were asked to redo theirs and resubmit with a new made up example that they research. Afterwards, students reflected on the various activities and notes we have done so far to record big ideas they need to remember as well as observations and conclusions that have been deduced from the unit so far. Students in period 5 were also able to begin a short simulation called the Dinosaur Natural Selection Classroom Simulation. 

HOMEWORK: NONE

January 13

Students in integrated today worked on finishing their labs and then began some introductory information over forces by doing the TAG Energy worksheet. Students also began a discussion on, “What is energy?”

Students in period 3 continued the notes over Evolution and Natural Selection 2016 notes,  and all periods finished the answers to the Anticipation guide. Classes reviewed some of the homework to do over the weekend, and also researched some information on human vestigial structures. Periods 4 and 5 were able to work on the activity for  Natural Selection called “Who wants to live a Million years?”. Students were able to see whether diversity helps the chances of survival or harms it.

HOMEWORK: Integrated=None
Science 8= Periods 4 and 5 do the Natural Selection Worksheet

 

 

January 12

Students in integrated science today worked  on finishing their tests for the Forces and Motion unit.

Students in science 8 continued the notes on Evolution and Natural Selection 2016 and Anticipation guide. We looked at evidence for evolution and glued some (homologous structures) diagrams into our notes. Students in period 4 were able to view two videos over sexual selection as well, one on cuttlefish sexual selection and the second covering giraffe fighting for sexual selection. Students in period 5 began a Natural Selection Simulation (Who wants to live a Million years?) . They will be working on determining how diversity affects long-term success of a species. Students may review these concepts with the video “What is Natural Selection?“.

HOMEWORK: Integrated=None
Science 8=Annotate “Plants, Animals adapt to city living’. Period 3 finish the FISH FOSSIL RECORD FAMILY TREE ACTIVITY.

January 11

Today in integrated science, students worked on their test and turned in their Force Diagrams 2 worksheet.

Science 8 students continued to finish their notes and do some short reflective activities over the Evolution and Natural Selection 2016 and Anticipation guide. Students in period 5 were able to view two videos over sexual selection as well, one on cuttlefish sexual selection and the second covering giraffe fighting for sexual selection.

HOMEWORK: Integrated=study for test.
Science 8= Annotate “Plants, Animals adapt to city living“.