7th/8th Grade Science: Week of 9/24-9/27

Good morning, scholars and families!  This week in science, we will be continuing our investigations into living things and biology.  See below for this week's objectives (timing is subject to change, based on needs of the class).

Weekly Objectives
-SWBAT describe the properties of living things (and define metabolism and homeostasis).
-SWBAT define "abiotic" and "biotic", and provide examples of each.
-SWBAT describe the levels of organization in the human body, from cell to tissue to organ to organ system.

-SWBAT describe the difference between a plant cell and an animal cell.

As a reminder, there is no school for students on Friday.

Please note: Homework is assigned based on how much students complete of the independent practice in class.  It is incumbent on your scholar to ensure he or she has written down that day's homework in his or her agenda book, which is updated on the board at the end of each class period.  For the latest homework assignments, please refer to your scholar's agenda book.

7th/8th Grade Science: Week of 9/17-9/21

Exciting news!  Students have successfully completed their first lab practical as of last Thursday.  This week, students will be diving into Unit 2 on Living Things. 

This unit's first few lessons will focus on classifying living things.  Objectives for the week will include:

• SWBAT define classification.
• SWBAT explain why and how scientists classify organisms.
• SWBAT describe both the Five Kingdom System and 7-Level Classification System, and provide examples of how to classify organisms under each.

Important announcements:

• Questions about HW?  Independent practice will be included in each day's lesson.  Students will need to complete this independent practice for homework if it is done completed in class.
• On Friday, students will take the EXPLORE science diagnostic to determine their baseline for college readiness in science.  IMPORTANT: The score on this diagnostic will NOT count towards their grade.  However, it will help us to highlight what areas to focus on this year so that scholars can be as prepared for high school science as possible.

Please feel free to contact me via email (sgeng@learncharter.org) with any further questions. 

Sincerely,

Ms. Geng

7th/8th Grade Science: Week of 9/4-9/7

Overview: This week, scholars will be finishing up our study on scatter plots.  We will have a quiz on scatter plots on Wednesday.  We will also be beginning Part 2 of our Scientific Method Unit, which focuses on lab safety, lab tools, and measurement.

Upcoming:

• Scatter Plot Quiz: on Wednesday (Sept. 5)

7th/8th Grade Science: Week of 8/20-8/24

Overview: This week we are continuing our investigations into the scientific method.  Objectives for the week include:

• SWBAT organize sample data in a graphical form (bar, line, scatter)
• SWBAT give a written analysis of what their graphs show (draw conclusions)

Upcoming: 

• 7A & 7B: Scholars have their open-note quiz on the scientific method on Monday.  Students are allowed to use any notes from their science journal and guided notes that they bring to class. 

Please feel free to contact Ms. Geng at sgeng@learncharter.org with any additional questions or concerns.

7th/8th Grade Science: Week of 8/13-8/17

Overview: This week students will be continuing their investigations into the scientific method.  We are studying independent and dependent variables, controls, experimental design, procedures, and scientific questions and hypotheses.  Students should make sure to bring their science journals to and from class every day.

Upcoming: Students will have an open-note vocabulary quiz on the Scientific Method on Friday (Aug 17) in class.  Students are allowed to use any notes they've taken in their science journals, and any handouts they kept throughout the last two weeks.

Please feel free to contact Ms. Geng at sgeng@learncharter.org with any additional questions or concerns.