Ms. Harrison's 6th and 7th Grade Science

6th: Here are some links for ideas to peruse:

http://www.espere.net/Unitedkingdom/water/uk_watexpgreenhouse.htm

http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/greenhouse.html

http://www.picotech.com/experiments/global/globalwarming.html

Here’s a site with multiple experiments on the greenhouse effect:
http://www.juliantrubin.com/encyclopedia/environment/greenhouseeffect.html

A similar site here: http://www.juliantrubin.com/encyclopedia/environment/globalwarming.html

7th Grade: Well, it’s that time of year. Valentine’s day has ended but let’s get to the heart of the issue. Next week, we will begin dissection. Please note that each day is intensive and nightly review of what you have learned is paramount to your studies. It’s best to take a little time this weekend and review the handouts below.

Pig-Dissection-Guide

Pig-Need-to-Know-Guides

pig-anatomy-guide

6th: After a quick quiz developed by the students on climate change, each group worked more to find feasible experiments to run in class regarding climate change. A task harder than it may seem, we must find four good tests by tomorrow so that over the weekend, materials can be gathered! No homework but keep looking for experiments!

7th: Posters are still in the making but starting to look great! Keep up the good work and please be sure you are focusing on what the analogies mean. The stronger they are, the better your results, and a better understanding of human organ systems you will have!

7th HW: Please study for the quiz tomorrow. Organ System Study Guide

6th: Please study for your climate change quiz. Here (Class Climate Notes to Review) is the powerpoint in a pdf. And although I did not make a concept map, please see here for the terms to remember:

Climate change
Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse Gases
Carbon Dioxide
Heat Waves
Fossil Fuels
Biomass, Solar, Geothermal, Wind, and Water Energy
Anthropomorphic

7th: Still working on our posters! Keep up the good work.

7th HW: Keep studying for Thursday’s quiz. Organ System Study Guide

6th: Each group of students still had just one presentation left to go, so we focused on completing those and scoring our partners. We wrapped up with a conversation about what we had learned from climate change – namely, the current warming trend is being driven by human impacts and most scientists are in agreement about that.

6th HOMEWORK:
1. ONE THIRD of you need to have solar project grading sheet signed please.
2. Please research for ideas on climate change experiments that you can conduct in the classroom. Write down your best 3! HW13

7th GRADE: Please click the link HERE for survey. Then you may review again the organ system guide to double check your research – Organ System Study Guide. Afterwards, we will continue working on your human analogy project with your group.

7th HW: Assigned by group for project; please review for Thursday quiz. Recommendations include naming organs associated with each system and drawing diagrams to help you visually connect the functions with the systems. Here is a photo of each (except the integumentary) to help you.

6th: Today was a great day for learning from one’s peers! Most students did a great job of sharing their powerpoints. We will finish up on Monday as a few students were absent and others still catching up with their presentations. No homework!

7th: Paper on the floor, traces of humans, and decreasing impulsive behavior were all around today. The 7th grade students worked hard on their posters, but hopefully, they were working smart. That entails dividing and conquering to accomplish the task list. Be sure to double check the rubric!

7th HW: As assigned by the group. And hey! as promised, here is a version of the organ system information for which you will be responsible by Thursday next week (quiz time!). Your best bet is to compare your notes to this one and see how you did. Organ System Study Guide

6th: Students worked diligently to summarize and compile their info for powerpoint presentations tomorrow in small groups. They will each have the opportunity to share what they have learned/self-taught about climate change as well as help to compile a Climate Change Word Wall for the class.

6th HW: Remember to get your solar project signed! And complete your powerpoint, please.

7th: Continuing to work on our analogy project, most groups have completed their research portion and are now choosing analogies. Next up, finding images, drawing pictures, or any other depiction of the cool and clever ideas.

7th: As assigned by groups – most are compiling images of their various analogies. Poster paper is ready for tomorrow!

6th: Please continue to work on your powerpoints. You will have an opportunity to ask questions about it tomorrow in class. To explain a question I got via email, your individual powerpoint that EACH student is working on will be only 4 slides long. On Friday, you will be presenting YOUR powerpoint to the smaller groups assigned on the board – so no more than three people. For example, Sebastian will be presenting his powerpoint to his three group members Richard, Briggs, and Cassidy. In this way, each student is teaching only three other students at once.

6th HOMEWORK: Work on PowerPoint for your section of the website. Four slides total – each summarizing a section of your website.

7th: Please continue working on your organ system analogy project. Your poster paper will be ready for tomorrow if you are ready to assemble analogies!

7th HW: As assigned by group members!
ADDITIONAL SITES YOU HAVE FOUND AS FANTASTIC RESEARCHERS:
curiosity.com
innerbody.com
kidshealth.org/teens/your_body
biology4kids.com/files/systems_integument.html

6th: Students began a talk about climate change today. We know we have been hearing about it and there is lots of vocabulary tossed around out there. But what is the science behind it, what does it really mean, and what can we do about it? These are the questions we hope to answer over the next couple of days. Please use the site below to accomplish the task below by Friday:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html

TASK: Design a powerpoint (total of 4 pages of information) that summarizes the different pages of your section on the Climate Change website. Please note that you will be using your powerpoint to teach your partners about some aspect of climate change and they will greatly benefit from your efforts and abilities to summarize the information. Below, I have listed which students are responsible for which section:
“Learn the Basics” – Sebastian, John, Kiran, Ivy
“See the Impacts” – Briggs, Bradley, Hunter, Brett
“Think Like a Scientist” – Richard, Bachman, Jack, Kai (remember to use the middle four sections of this section in the drop down menu)
“Be Part of the Solution” – Cassidy, Olivia, David, Will

6th HOMEWORK: Summarize each of the three or four webpages of information that you will be presenting in your powerpoint. Please have written or typed to show me Thursday [HW11]

7th: WOW! What amazing bioethics projects we have seen today! And still a few more to go. But alas! we wait until Thursday to see the last few presenters.

We are now moving on to the next unit – Human Anatomy! This begins first with a group poster project that will provide for the students a chance to research, collaborate, and make analogies for 11 organ systems. Here are the handouts from class, in case you misplace them as you go. It’s important to remember that the HOMEWORK assignments are assigned and checked by the group so be sure to keep your homework log updated. Good luck and have fun!

HOMEWORK LOG Human Organ Systems
Human Body Analogy Worksheet
Human-Body-Final-Rubric
Human Body Task List NOTE: You will receive your poster paper for tracing and dividing the parts on Thursday.
Human Body New Mission
7th HW: As assigned by each group to begin the research portion on organ systems.

6th: After a quick self assessment of their cooperative skills during the entire solar house project, 6th grade students had a chance to finish evaluating the Rube Goldberg machines from the 8th grade movies. One of the coolest unleashed some potential energy of a tennis ball being trapped behind a cardboard door, only to be freed by a flying mouse trap!

6th HOMEWORK: Please have progress report signed for interim time. HW10

7th: Students diligently worked on wrapping up their art project for bioethics today. But first, we began with a quick review of the rubric and expectations particularly for the artist’s statement. Please remember that the project need only reflect your opinion regarding a biotechnology (not just be a description of the genetic engineering process).

7th: Complete art project and artist’s statement. Use the rubric! And please have progress report signed.

6th: Students wrapped up their posters and had a chance to review some of the 8th grade’s Rube Goldberg projects. There will be no homework over the weekend, and we hope to wrap up watching the remaining movies on Monday! Happy third quarter interim!

7th: Students took a quick quiz on Genetic Engineering then continued to work hard on their own bioethics projects. Don’t forget to double check the rubric for your opinion paper as well as for your art component. Whereas you are not going to be graded on your artistic ability, you will be assessed based on your thoughtfulness and care taken in crafting your art piece.

7th HOMEWORK: Complete your paper (recommended finish date was this past Thursday). You are expected to bring it to class on Monday – be sure to print before 8 am, during tutorial or study hall, or at home. Art piece and artist’s statement due Tuesday.

6th: Nearly finished with posters, we have decidedly learned that divide and conquer is an effective technique! I’m very impressed with the majority of students who today brought new and creative ideas to their poster and the initiative to get it done! Unless you have a few more items you could complete for homework, relax. And be sure to know that only the first ten minutes or so will be allowed for final gluing or taping of poster items.

7th: Following a quick review of vocab terms as needed, (this was the chance for students to ask clarifying questions about the vocab) students continued to diligently work on their paper. Some have finished, as was recommended to keep up with the work load. Remember this week is not only about studying biotechnology and genetic engineering but also about personal responsibility in your learning process.

HOMEWORK: As you are continuing your project, please be sure that your paper is done today (including the counter argument in each pro and con paragraph). READ THE RUBRIC!! So, tonight you should start on your art project – brainstorm ideas. Vocab quiz tomorrow on biotech terms – Need to Know Biotech Vocab Sheet 2012.

Here are some websites that could continue to be some help as you work through the project:

http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/

Cloning (bringing animals back from extinction, copies of a favorite pet or friend or yourself)

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/whatiscloning/

Creating new organisms (Transgenic organisms, glow in the dark bunnies, buy a better baby)

http://www.dnafiles.org/programs/plants-animals-transgenics

6th: Students calculated their window area to volume ratio after a quick review of possibilities from the first trial. Reading data and graphs are big components of data analysis and a large part of assessing the efficacy of our solar house design. Next up, designing posters (a different kind of design) to best communicate our findings to the community around us.

6th HOMEWORK: Ponder what you have learned from this engineering project – ideally, what do you now know about heat transfer.

7th: All students have chosen a topic for the bioethics paper and worked diligently in class to wrap up their research on the pros and cons of one genetic engineering topic or another. Please note that this week is focused much on personal responsibility in completing the work and staying focused on the tasks at hand. That said, here is an outline of the next few days:
Wednesday night – finish pros and cons; begin/wrap up paper
Thursday class – finish paper, begin brainstorming art project ideas
Thursday homework – study for quiz and work on art project
Friday class – quiz and continue art project
Weekend Homework – finish paper (if not already) and nearly complete art project, work on artist’s statement
Monday – PAPER DUE! Finish art project and artist’s statement by TODAY!
Tuesday – ART PROJECT AND STATEMENT DUE!

6th: Students did their second trial today…results review tomorrow!

6th HOMEWORK: Please fill out this evaluation survey, of me! Thanks! Link here!

7th: After reviewing the Genetics test, students learned that hard work and steady focus can pay off! The test average was around 83.5%, so nice work, 7th graders! For the second half of our Genetics Unit, we will approach the topic of technology and ethics by exploring the bioethics of genetic engineering. Students are being assigned a project in which they will be writing a paper and producing an art project that communicate their thoughts on the ethical concerns over genetic engineering. The project (paper and art project) will be due next Monday.

7th HOMEWORK: Please read over the following topics on your vocabulary need to know – Need to Know Biotech Vocab Sheet. Then choose one for your project. (Do not choose “biotechnology” or “genetic engineering” as topics. Those are too broad!)

A great website!!! http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml

6th: As you are finishing your last touches in constructing trial number two, please pause and take a moment to consider the following thoughts. Your homework will be to give thoughtful reply to these questions. You MUST write at least three sentences for each. The more thought you put into these ideas, the more you will get out of this project and therefore, a stronger understanding of how engineering and design may work.

6th HOMEWORK: After reading the above post, please answer the following questions. For full credit, you MUST write at LEAST three sentences per question. You may write or type your responses.

1. Please PREDICT the house design that you think MIGHT have a higher internal temperature than yours. (NONE is not acceptable. You must choose one of the other three.) Support your answer with at least two reasons why.

2. What other groups do you feel worked well together? AND in considering this, what could YOU have done to improve your own groups’ collaboration?

3. If air is a great insulator, do you think that making walls with double cardboard (ie. air space in between each wall) would create a hotter internal temperature? Why? (Here is the helpful website on heat transfer – CLICK HERE.)

4. Predict what would happen if you insulated the windows on your house? (This means make a second window behind the first to allow for air to be trapped inside the acetate sheets.) Explain your prediction in terms of heat transfer.

5. Listing at least two, what things about the design of the experiment would you change? Give a reason why for each change.

7th: As an anticipatory set for our discussion of bioethics utilizing genetic engineering as our topic, students were presented with the following questions during class discussion. . .

Is there such a thing as “right” and “wrong”?
Are right and wrong the same for everyone?
Are there any “universal” rights and wrongs?
How do YOU determine right from wrong?
How should a SOCIETY determine what is right and wrong?
What is TECHNOLOGY and how should it be used today?
How IS technology used in society?

7th HOMEWORK: Please read and do 3-column notes on this reading (Genetic Engineering Reading).

6th: Wow! Students worked (cut painfully with scissors on cardboard) to get most of their houses ready for Tuesday’s test. So be sure that on Monday, you tackle the whole 40 minutes to ensure your house is set and ready to go! No homework!

7th: Students wrapped up their initial study of genetics with a test today. On to our next unit…..Biotechnology and Ethics! Please take a chance to review the schedule for next week (listed below). You will be responsible to manage your time wisely – make use of your class time and homework each and everyday to not fall behind. There is a Bioethics essay, art project, and artist’s statement that will be complete by the unit’s end. Here is the project overview – Bioethics Project.

Monday – Class discussion of ethics; HW: Reading packet (Genetic Engineering Reading) I recommend that you pre-read this over the weekend.
Tuesday – Review reading; choose topic; HW:Continue research on topic
Wednesday – Research and writing; HW: Bioethics project
Thursday – Continue work on project; HW: Study for quiz (Here is the Need to Know Biotech Vocab Sheet)
Friday – Bioethics Quiz; work on project; HW: Complete project

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6th – BIOETHICS PAPER, ART PROJECT, and ARTIST’S STATEMENT DUE.