Monday, during advisory, the students will write a letter home to their parents describing their week. Instructions and the letter template are attached below, and will be covered in class. (The assignment is titled "Friday Letter", as we were supposed to write it last Friday (5 Sept) about the week before, but ran out of time!) The purpose is to encourage communication between the student and parents regarding school, and to practice writing skills. The letter is due back in class by Wednesday, 10 Sept, with a parent signature.
Q1 Unit 2: Earth-Moon-Sun System
Week 4 Schedule
Students are expected to keep a science notebook throughout the year. This notebook will house most of their daily assignments and will be graded at mid-term and at the end-of-quarter for organization and completeness. Students are expected to care for and craft their notebooks as a final quarter project, much like a final poster or model. Notebooks must be a composition notebook, spiral notebooks will not be accepted. The notebook check on 5-Sept is a “pre-check” and only worth 10 points. The mid-term and final quarter notebook checks will be worth 50 points each. Click here for instructions on how to properly set up your science notebook. A grading rubric is attached below.
As time permits, we will be watching episodes of the 2014 television show "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey", hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, in class. Most often on quiz days, after the entire class has completed their quizzes, we may watch 10-15 minutes of an episode. Occasionally, if a substitute teacher needs to be called in suddenly, we may watch an entire episode in class, accompanied by a small assignment. For home viewing (which is optional), Cosmos is currently streaming on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. It is also available on both DVD and Blu-ray. In class Wednesday, we will create a simple foldable on the four major properties of measurement, Length, Volume, Mass, and Density.
On Wednesday, we will take brief notes on some basic math concepts useful in the study of science. You must use the Cornell Notes style of notetaking (example in presentation below) and take your notes in your science notebook. You will also need to complete the Scientific Notation worksheet by Friday at the end of class. There are a number of Khan Academy videos on Scientific Notation, if you need additional help.
On Tuesday we will first create a study guide bookmark on the "metric ladder" that we will use for today's assignment and on Friday's quiz. After completing the study guide and adding it to your notebook as an attached bookmark, complete the worksheet below. Due at the beginning of class Wednesday, September 3. Below is a helpful YouTube video from another middle school teacher that walks you through the "metric ladder" method!
Tuesday, in advisory, we will discuss goal-setting using the SMARTER system and create at least one goal on the worksheet below. Due in advisory on Wednesday, September 3.
Week 3 Schedule
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