Elgqvist's Edition

Friday

As promised, following are the other science teachers' powerpoint presentations for their section of the light unit.

Corder: Colors of light and pigments Download Color Presentation 2009

Woyce: Anatomy of the eye Download Biology of the Human Eye

Koester: Nature of Light (Electromagnetic spectum) Download Properties of Light Powerpoint

Elgqvist: Mirrors and Lenses Download Mirrors and Lenses

Today's review powerpoint with questions Download Light review

Please spend some time this weekend reviewing all the powerpoints and your notes for the test on Monday.

I have collected textbooks.  If you still need to turn it in, please do so ASAP.

Have a good weekend, everybody.

Tuesday

The students are are rotating through the four science classes to learn about a different topic in the light unit each day.  Friday, they will return back "home" for a review, and the test, worth 10% of their overall grade, will be Monday.

The topic in my class is Mirrors and Lenses.  Students are taking notes in the organizer from last week (legal sized, with the inquiry stations on back).  I am also handing out an organizer Download Mirrors and lenses notes to go with the Powerpoint presentation I prepared.Download Mirrors and Lenses

3rd and 4th periods: Novel study Think-Tac-Toe resubmittals are due Friday.  Remember to submit your original project and rubric with the new one.

Friday

Monday is the big day for the open-little-book human body test.  Make sure your little book notes are complete.  Check against the page references in the text book and make sure you are familiar with the information in your little book and that it is clear. 

Your little book should have

• a colored cover page, complete with title, name and some diagram related to the human body
• a colored copy of the digestive system, correctly labeled and with a title
• completed flip book of digestive system terms
• notes from the Bill Nye video on the digestive system
• A diagram of the respiratory system lungs and alveoli, labeled with all the parts, and with the blood shown on reds and blues
• Respiratory system diseases - 4
• Parts of blood - 4
• The excretory system notes and labeled diagram
• the circulatory system - blood vessels, heart diagram colored, labeled and with flow arrows showing where blood is going to and coming from; chart showing where blood picks up and drops off substances
• a labeled skeleton (except 6th period)
• the immune system notes organizer and notes from the flu video shown in class today http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/20819-assignment-discovery-an-inside-look-at-the-flu-video.htm
• the human body systems chart Download Human Body Systems we did and reviewed at the beginning of the unit, showing the system functions and some major organs for each

I will collect the little books after the test.

All but 6th period will also have a skeleton quiz for which the students have been practicing the past two days.  Everyone should get a 100% on this.  Remember, spelling counts!

Looking ahead:

Tuesday we have the field trip to the Georgia Nature Center.  Don't forget to get here on time, as the field trip busses leave at 9:15.  Information sheets went home with students today giving a few more details.

Wednesday will be international day here at Simpson seventh grade.  Students have volunteered to represent their countries of origin or with which they have a connection.  The rest of us will circulate with our homerooms and learn about these countries.  This should prove to be a very interesting and insightful day!

Thursday, we'll get back into the science groove, with our 'light' unit. 

Have a great weekend!

Thursday

I handed out progress reports to 4th, 5th and 6th periods today, for review and signature. Please bring them back signed tomorrow. 

Attention all 7th graders!! Our Field Trip to the Georgia Nature Center is quickly approaching. We will be leaving the school at 9:15 AM sharp so don't be late for school that day. Here are some other tips to help make our trip a huge success:

1. School Dress code APPLIES. Please do not wear inappropriate clothes (i.e., short shorts, tank tops, etc.)

2. Wear sunscreen. From what I understand, some of the nature center is OUTSIDE. Please wear sunscreen and perhaps bring some with you if you burn easily.

3. Sunglasses will be appropriate.

4. You can bring a camera, iPod, gameboy, etc., if you would like, but we will not be responsible if it is lost or stolen.

5. If you have a medical condition (listed with the school), please speak with your homeroom teacher regarding medication that day.

6. Stay with your homeroom teacher, or the teacher you are assigned to travel with.

7. Behave. Remember, you represent Simpson Middle School. Let's make a GREAT impression.

We should leave the nature center around 2:15 or 2:30 and arrive back at Simpson between 3:30-3:45. If you have any questions, be sure to ask your homeroom teacher.

Wednesday

We got through CRCT's.  Yea!  Now we're back into full swing with our human body systems notes, activities and discussions.  The notes are all contained in the Little Book that we're working on in class, which is why there hasn't been any homework.

Grade breakdown:

• The grades in iCue so far still only consist of six grades from the evolution unit.  These make up 40% of the overall 4th quarter grade.  Several students still have not turned in all the labs from this unit.  I will still accept this late work.  Please see me for printouts of missing work.
• 10% (15% for the AC classes) will be for the reading activity we started in the third quarter. AC classes have turned theirs in a long time ago and I will be handing those back soon.  5th and 6th periods have until May 8th to read and complete the field journal on the Firebugs book we spent alot of class time reading.  The books and field journals are available for checkout daily.
• 40% (35% for AC classes) will go to the human body unit.  The open-little-book test for this unit is Monday.  As long as students have been keeping up with the notes and paying attention along the way, they should do fine on the test.
• 10% will go to a unit on light we will begin on Monday after the human body test.  The test for the light unit will be on Monday, May 18th.

Hang in there.  We're in the home stretch!

Monday

Hi everybody.  We took a brief break from our ongoing lessons on the human body systems, with daily work in the "Little Book", to take a CRCT practice test on Friday.  I wanted students to see improvement from the pretest we took about 4 weeks ago that we have been reviewing parts of each day.  Today, students rotated in small groups to discuss and concur on answers.  In each class, they didn't quite get half-way done.

This morning, homeroom was extended to write in names on the CRCT answer sheets and go over procedures.  Then, in 3rd period, everyone went to an assembly to watch a very entertaining magician, who wove math, reading, social studies and science into his magic show.  It was a blast.

As you all know, CRCT's begin tomorrow.  The schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday - Reading

• Wednesday - Language Arts

• Thursday - Math

• Friday - Science

• Monday - Social Studies

Students may not bring anything into homeroom with them during the testing.  They will not be allowed to snack, so please plan on getting a good breakfast.  For those students who are used to eating breakfast at school, breakfast will be served here a-la-cart, as usual.

The 4 1/2 week progress period ended this past Friday.  I have very few grades collected from the evolution unit, which will count for 40% of the overall 4th quarter grade.   These grades are almost all entered.  Zeros have been in since before Spring Break, so if you see one, please turn in any late work.  Progress reports go home on Friday.

The human body unit will have very few ongoing grades, but some heavy grades at the end of the unit.  In the mean time, most work will continue to be finished in class, as usual.

Rest up and have a great week!

Wednesday - part 2

Oops!  I forgot to add the powerpoint showing warm-ups from the evolution unit, FYI Download Evolution

Wednesday

I handed out and went over the Evolution Study Guide today.Download Evolution study guide Students should review this on their own and practice writing answers to the Be Able To section.  Come prepared with any questions tomorrow.

The test has been moved to Friday, due to Principal's Honor Roll luncheon and the honors assembly tomorrow. 

Here is a power point on Natural Slection created by Ms. Woyce.  Take a look.Download Natural Selectionppt

Monday

Today's Natural Selection Lab on Laptops:

green and orange bugs: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explotime.html

  

http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/pepperedmoth.html

 

http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/evolution.html

 

3rd and 4th periods:

I collected the Branching Tree Diagram Challenge the students worked on in class Friday.

 

After the Natural Selection Lab, students began a Fossil Lab that illustrates relative dating and contrasts it with radiologic (absolute) dating of fossils.

 

HW: Read and take notes on the article on Darwin and religion for class discussion using Socratic Method tomorrow.  Studnets who don't show evidence of having read the article will not participate in the discussion.

 

5th and 6th periods:

Students completed the Natural Selection labs and then completed taking notes from the last video segment of the evolution video clips we started earlier. 

 

ALL:

I will collect the Evolution Video Notes tomorrow.  See previous blog for the link to these notes. 

 

Evolution test Thursday.  Text reference: Chapters 7 and 8.  Vocabulary terms: 

• scientific theory

• evolution

• genetic variation

• overproduction

• adaptation

• natural selection

• species

• extinct

• fossil

• relative dating

• absolute dating / radiometric dating

• common ancestor

Other School Information:

The Simpson Shuffle Run/Walk and Health Fair  will be held on Friday, March 27, 4:30-6:30 PM.  Registration forms for the run/walk can be found at the front office and on the Simpson web site www.cobbk12.org/~simpson.   Proceeds will support the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life which raises funds to fight cancer.  Please join us!  Together we can make a difference.

If you haven't already done so, please return your signed report card to your homeroom teacher to check off.  They were handed out last Thursday.

 

Friday

We are continuing with our CRCT review, going over 4 questions daily.

3rd and 4th: Novel study is DUE MONDAY.  I gave time in class to address any questions.  Students all seem to be on track to finishing up over the weekend.  This was assigned a month ago, and students had class time to read and work on their projects.

5th and 6th: Today we finished going over the answers to the Branching Tree activity questions, which students worked on in pairs this week. 

ALL: Students took notes on a six part evolution video.  We had pre- and post video segment discussions to make sure everyone got the important information.  I was pleased with the level of discussion in each class.  These students are not afraid to think deeply!  Each class got to a different segment.  We will continue on Monday.  If you're interested, here's the link to the videos: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/svideos.html