Week 3, 12/17 to 12/21

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Thursday, Dec 20, 2012, 4:00pm 

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Today periods 1 and 3 will be starting Lesson 8 to learn the scientific meaning of Work.  Period 4 will continue getting ready, which includes practicing how to calculate work for the different forces we've been experiementing with and preparing to start the lesson 8 lab. HW - None Tuesday - Today periods 1 and 3 will be practicing calculating work for the different forces we've been learning about. Period 4 will be conducting the Lesson 8 lab today to calculate the amount of work our motors can do. HW - None Wednesday - We are starting one hour later today due to snow. Today periods 1 and 3 will complete the Lesson 8 lab to calculate the amount of work their motors can do. Period 4 will finish the lab and complete the Lesso 8 blog assignment. HW - None Thursday - Today we will finish lesson 8.  Then we will do the Lesso 8 blog assignment. Once done with that students will log in to the class social network where I've posted a bunch of discussion questions on the many topics we've been learning about. HW - None Friday - Today those who haven't finished the Lesso 8 blog assignment will complete that. Then students will continue to work on the class social network discussion questions. HW - None, have a great Winter Break! I'll see you all on January 7, 2013!

8th grade Science Monday - Today students will continue to work on the activity we started last Friday where students were to compare a cell to a factory to get an idea of all the things organelles do in cells. HW - None Tuesday - Students are still working on their compare a cell to a factory activity. Students will watch a clip showing how to use an egg to learn about cell membrane osmosis in preparation for doing a lab. Students will determine different liquids to bring to class to conduct their experiments. Period 2 went to set fish traps today. HW - None Wednesday - We are starting one hour later today due to snow. Students are still working on their compare a cell to a factory activity. Period 2 will retrieve the traps to identify and count the fish. HW - None Thursday - Students are still working on their compare a cell to a factory activity. If teams have their liquids, we'll start the egg osmosis lab today by getting the mass of our eggs and placing them in the liquid. Those who are done with all of the above will copy and paste their cell work to their blog, the Cell System assignment, then work on their Immune Attack blog assignment and their Plant vs Animal Cell blog assignment if they haven't finished those yet as well as the discussion questions to respond to on the class social network. HW - None Friday - Today students will have time to finish anything they have not yet finished this week. Students will take the mass of their egg to see how, or if, it changed, and write their conclusion. For those who are done I have a great follow-up iPad app game to learn about how diseases spread.  HW - None, have a great Winter Break. I'll see you all on January 7, 2013!

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Week 2, 12/10 to 12/14

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Thursday, Dec 13, 2012, 1:47pm 

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Today teams will run their experiments to see how many washers their motors can lift. Then they will graph their results and write their conclusions to share with the class. HW - None Tuesday - Today students will write their Lesson 7 conclusions and share those on their EMM Lesson 7 blog. Then we will prepare to do Lesson 7, part 2. HW - None Wednesday - Today periods 1 and 3 will work on part 2 of Lesson 7.  All three 6th grade classes are still working on completing their conclusions so they can write their EMM Lesson 7 blog  Then we will discuss some of the problems we had with different data in the class social network. HW - None Thursday - Today students will have some more time to finish their blog and social network assignments. HW - None Friday - Today 1st and 3rd period will not have Science because of Market Day, which takes place in the morning. Fourth period will be starting to work on Lesson 8 where students will learn the Scientific meaning of Work. HW - None

8th grade Science Monday - Today students will finish watching the cell videos they started watching last week.  Then they will reflect on what they've learned to determine if they've earned the single-celled organism achievement badge and the microscopy achievement badge. Reflect on the Immune Attack game and quiz. Then students will start working on their plant cell vs animal cell compare and contrast. HW - Check your email to get the results to the Immune Attack quiz. Tuesday - Today students will draw plant and animal cells to determine what they have in common and how they are different. HW - None Wednesday - Today students will finish drawing their plant and animal cells so they can compare and contrast them. Then students will work on their Immune Attack blog assignment and their Plant vs Animal Cell blog assignment. We will then work on a few more discussion questions to respond to on the class social network. HW - None Thursday - Today students will have some time to finish yesterday's work. HW - None Friday - Today we will start to work on an activity where students will compare a cell to a factory to get an idea of all the things organelles do in cells. HW - None

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Week 1, 12/3 to 12/7

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Thursday, Dec 6, 2012, 5:20pm 

This is the first week of the second trimester! Progress reports are updated and ready. Remember that there is more information on those progress reports than what you will see on Skyward and there is more information on your child's blog than what you will see on the progress reports.

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Students should have finished their Lesson 6 reflection questions by now. Today I will give them some time to read each other's work and see if they agree with each other. We will then discuss some of the questions using our class social network.  HW - None Tuesday - Today students need to reflect on what they've learned and determine which achievement badges they've earned. Badges that we've been studying: Energy Energy Transformations Forces Friction Studentes can also work on their Lesson 6 reflection questions if they haven't finished yet as well as responding to the discussion on the class social network.HW - None Wednesday - Today we will start to work on Lesson 7 - The Force of a Motor. Students will brainstorm different variables that can affect how many washers a motor can lift. HW - None Thursday - Today teams will begin to write their procedures. I will be approving complete procedures today so that teams can start experimenting and collecting data tomorrow! HW - None Friday - Today teams will conduct their experiments, collect data, graph their data and start writing their conclusions to share with the class. HW - None

8th grade Science Monday - Today we will play an immunology game in the computer lab to show students how white blood cells work to combat infection! HW - None Tuesday - Today we are going back to the computer lab to finish the immunology game. HW - None Wednesday - Today we will go over the Is it Made of Cells assessment prompt. Then we will discuss what cells are using our class social network. Second period asked for another day in the lab to play the immunology game so they could finish it. 5th period will set the fish traps today. HW - None Thursday - Today students will be thinking more about the Is it Made of Cells assessment prompt as they use the class social network to write their responses and share their thoughts. In 5th period we corrected the assessment prompt. Then we will begin a cells unit to learn more about cells! 5th period will check the fish traps to identify, count and return any fish we caught. HW - None Friday - Today students will continue working on the unit on Cells and in 2nd period we will be correcting the Is It Made of Cells responses they've been sharing. Students will also take a quiz to see what they learned from playing the Immunology game! The results will be emailed to them. HW - Check your email to get the results to the Immune Attack quiz.

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Week 13, 11/26 to 11/30

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012, 2:08pm 

This is the last week of the Trimester! For Science nothing changes as this is a year long course, so we'll be conducting business as usual. By the end of next week progress reports should be updated.

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Today 6th graders are going to take a tech survey. The info we get from that tech survey will help our district tech committee gather information for decision making. We need as many parents to take the parent portion of the survey as well so please take the survey yourself! Instructions for completing theSpeak Up survey 1. Go to this link: www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2012   2. Click on the appropriate survey (Student, Educator, Parent). 3. Follow the given instructions to access the survey. Begin by clicking on the drop down button and select Washington, then go to the next line and type in your school name to find your school.  4.  Students will choose their grade level and enter the password: su4wa2012 5. Administrators/Teachers/Media Specialists will choose the appropriate survey and enter the password: su4wa2012 6.  Parents will NOT need the password to access the survey. 7. Complete the survey. HW - None but do encourage your parents to take the Speak Up survey. Tuesday - Today we will work on the third and final lab on friction, Inquiry 6.3, where students will see if surface area makes a difference on the friction force. HW - If you prefer a letter grade instead of a Pass on your Skyward report card, fill out and turn in, on paper or electronically, a Final Grade Negotiation Sheet (due by Monday, Dec 3rd). Wednesday - Today table teams will share their data in the form of their graphs. Then students will reflect on what they learned about friction. HW - None Thursday - Students will have some time to finish their Lesson 6 reflection questions. Then students will read each other's work and respond to see who they agree with. HW - None Friday - No school today - Trimester Break. HW - None

8th grade Science Monday - Today 8th graders are going to take a tech survey. The info we get from that tech survey will help our district tech committee gather information for decision making. We need as many parents to take the parent portion of the survey as well so please take the survey yourself! Instructions for completing theSpeak Up survey 1. Go to this link: www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2012   2. Click on the appropriate survey (Student, Educator, Parent). 3. Follow the given instructions to access the survey. Begin by clicking on the drop down button and select Washington, then go to the next line and type in your school name to find your school.  4.  Students will choose their grade level and enter the password: su4wa2012 5. Administrators/Teachers/Media Specialists will choose the appropriate survey and enter the password: su4wa2012 6.  Parents will NOT need the password to access the survey. 7. Complete the survey. HW - None but do encourage your parents to take the Speak Up survey. Tuesday - Today we will continue our exploration of microorganisms. Second period students will be setting the fish traps today. HW - If you prefer a letter grade instead of a Pass on your Skyward report card, fill out and turn in, on paper or electronically, a Final Grade Negotiation Sheet (due by Monday, Dec 3rd). Wednesday - Today we will continue working with microorganisms. Evidence will be recorded in the microorganism blog. Second period students will be check their traps to identify and count the fish they caught today. HW - None Thursday - Today we will look at our cheek cells under the microscopes! Then students will respond to a prompt about cells to see what they already know about cells. HW - None Friday - No school today - Trimester Break. HW - None

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Week 12, 11/19 to 11/23

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Tuesday, Nov 20, 2012, 4:09pm 

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Today teams will finish graphing their Inquiry 6.1 data and answering some questions about it.  Then we will move on to the second experiment, Inquiry 6.2, where students will change the weight to see how it affects the friction force of the block. HW - None Tuesday - Today student teams will collect data on the effect of weight on friction, Inquiry 6.2. Then we will prepare for 6.3 where students will change the surface areas to see how that affects the friction. HW - None Wednesday - Today we are on an early release schedule, with all six periods. Today 6th graders will take a 10 week check-in survey to see how they're doing. Then we are going to do some blogging work, catching up for those who need it and commenting and working on the blogging challenge for those who are all caught up. HW - None Thursday - No School Today for Thanksgiving Break! HW - Have a great Thanksgiving! Friday - Same as yesterday! HW - None

8th grade Science Monday - Today students will respond to a prompt on microscopic life on their blogs. Then teams will whiteboard their responses to share with the rest of the class for discussion. HW - None Tuesday - Today teams will take turns sharing their thoughts to the microscopic life prompt. HW - None Wednesday - Today we are on an early release schedule, with all six periods. Today 8th graders will take a 10 week check-in survey to see how they're doing. Then we are going to do some blogging work, catching up for those who need it and commenting and working on the blogging challenge for those who are all caught up. HW - None Thursday - No School Today for Thanksgiving Break! HW - Have a great Thanksgiving! Friday - Same as yesterday! HW - None

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Week 11, 11/12 to 11/16

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Thursday, Nov 15, 2012, 2:06pm 

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - No School Today - Veteran's Day Observed. HW - Thank you to all the Veterans out there! Tuesday - Students were supposed to finish their EMM Lesson 5, Inquiry 5.1 and 5.2, reflection questions for homework this weekend if they didn't finish in class (many students did not use their class time wisely). If everyone got done then today we can read each other's work and leave feedback in the form of comments. Once we are done we will begin Lesson 6 on the Force of Friction. HW - Here's the link to the Verizon App Challenge if you're pursuing this. Wednesday - Today we will start EMM Lesson 6 on Friction. We will do the lab prep work. HW - Meeting for those interested in the Verizon App Challenge will be tomorrow from 2:30 to 3:10pm in my room (604). If you can't make it be sure to have a representative from your team who knows who all wants to be in your team and can pitch your idea. Thursday - Today we will finish the Lesson 6, Inquiry 6.1, prep so that teams can start the first friction lab. Verizon App Challenge meeting today after school! HW - None Friday - Today teams will finish collecting their surface type friction data. They will graph their data and answer some questions.  HW - None (If students want to meet today after school to work on their Verizon App Challenge I will be available. I can write bus passes too.)

8th grade Science Monday - No School Today - Veteran's Day Observed. HW - Thank you to all the Veterans out there! Tuesday - Today I will give students more time to upload and put their photo and/or video evidence on their brine shrimp blogs. HW - Here's the link to the Verizon App Challenge if you're pursuing this. Wednesday - Today teams worked on their brine shrimp blogs. Students got to practice a little bit of html coding. HW - Meeting for those interested in the Verizon App Challenge will be tomorrow from 2:30 to 3:10pm in my room (604). If you can't make it be sure to have a representative from your team who knows who all wants to be in your team and can pitch your idea.  Thursday - Today we will use the compound microscopes to take a closer look at plant cells using elodea plants. Students will be using p. 15 from the Diversity of Life Notebooks. Verizon App Challenge meeting today after school! HW - None Friday - Today we are going to work with paramecia using the compound microscopes and pg 16 from the Diversity of Life Notebooks. HW - None (If students want to meet today after school to work on their Verizon App Challenge I will be available. I can write bus passes too.)

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Week 10, 11/5 to 11/9

(This may change from day to day depending on how much we actually get done in class so check back often to make sure something wasn't changed at the last minute.) 

 Last updated on Friday, Nov 9, 2012, 3:29pm 

 Daily Schedule 

1st per - 7:45am to 8:37am 

2nd per - 8:41am to 9:33am 

3rd per - 9:37am to 10:29am 

Eagle Time - 10:33am to 11:00am 

Lunch - 11:00am to 11:32am 

4th per - 11:36am to 12:28pm 

5th per - 12:32pm to 1:24pm 

6th per - 1:28pm to 2:20pm

6th grade Science Monday - Today 6th graders need to finish the first half of lesson 5, Inquiry 5.1, on the elastic force exerted by a rubber band. Then we will start preparing for the second half of lesson 5, Inquiry 5.2, comparing weight to mass (gravitational force). HW - None Tuesday - Today teams will work on Inquiry 5.2 by doing an activity comparing the weights of objects of different sizes.  Then teams will begin writing procedures to explain how they will do the Inquiry 5.2 lab. Yes, they get to write their own procedure! HW - None Wednesday - Once teams get their procedure and data table approved they will get their materials and start collecting data on the mass versus weight experiments. HW - None Thursday - Today students will finish graphing their data so they can write their conclusions. We are using Inquiry Boards to help us write up and structure our labs! Then students will answer some reflection questions. HW - None Friday - Today students will work on blogging. Everyone needs to complete his or her EMM Lesson 5, Inquiry 5.1 and 5.2, reflection questions. HW - Finish your reflection questions if you did not finish in class.

8th grade Science Monday - Today student teams will finish their Food Miles activity, yes, many teams are still not done. Then they will reflect on what they learned by completing their Food Miles blog assignment. Once done with the above students need to peer review each other's work by reading and commenting to another student's blog. HW - None Tuesday - There are still many students who aren't done with the Food Miles activity so they need to finish so they can get their Food Miles blog assignment done.  Then we will start investigating single-celled microorganisms. My 5th period class will be setting the fish traps today. HW - None Wednesday - Today teams will share their food miles results so that we can see what different lunches do to the total distance traveled. Then we will work with our brine shrimp using our digital microscopes! My 5th period class will retrieve the fish todays so they can identify and count any fish we catch. They will, of course, return the fish they catch to the creek. HW - None Thursday - Today we will finish the food miles presentations. Then students will use digital microscopes to look at our brine shrimp (Ms. Cordz got a good amount of brine shrimp to hatch so we've been caring for them to get them to adulthood).  HW - None Friday - Today teams will use the digital microscopes again to find evidence that our brine shrimp are in fact alive (they'll be looking to see which of the eight characteristics of living things they can observe the brine shrimp doing). Students will then take pictures and/or film video of that evidence of life to put up on their blogs. HW - None

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