We have ended our weather unit and have moved on to water. Yesterday students had cookies and water. They were asked to trace the water they drank back to its original source. Students enjoyed the treat and realized that water is continuously recycled. Today we discussed the Tri-State Water Wars between Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Most students didn't realize what a vital role Georgia plays in the distribution of fresh water in the Southeast. We will be completing many hands on activities in the next few days, which brings me to my next request....
CLASSROOM SUPPLIES NEEDED: 'Tis the season for runny noses - We are almost out of tissues. If you are able, I would appreciate a donation of tissues for the class. We have 2 boxes left and they are going fast. Shaving Cream, food coloring, and clear plastic cups - I am so excited to do more hands on activities. We are getting into the parts of Earth Science where we can get our hands dirty, literally. We will be completing several labs and one calls for the above supplies. If you are able to help and donate any materials, I would greatly appreciate your support. The week before break is always crazy and this one has been no different. We have completed our weather unit and students turned in some fantastic weather reports. We will be viewing them in class and I will have a private YouTube channel so they can share their work with you. Some students chose to present live and some reports turned into full skits, which made the drama nerd inside of me very happy. We will be using the green screen for other projects in the future. Progress Reports - Progress reports came home yesterday. Please ask your student to share it with you. Food for the holidays - Many of us are very fortunate to have all we need for the holidays. However, some of our neighbors are not as fortunate. I have received a message from Life Church stating they are donating food for families who are in need. If you or anyone you know needs assistance this holiday season, please forward them this message. I am thankful for all of you, the way you support me and your students. I am truly blessed to work with such amazing families.
Today we began writing scripts for weather reports. Students will be taking all the information we have learned about air masses, fronts, and weather and compile a complete report. We will be in the Maker Space tomorrow and begin filming in front the the green screen. I hope to finish filming by Thursday and begin watching their wonderful videos. Check out the Science Unit Weather page for helpful information. We may be creating a closed YouTube channel to store all their work. Stay tuned for details....
Just a quick reminder, your air mass graphic organizer is due tomorrow. Also, if you did not complete your KIM chart, it is PAST DUE. Please turn it in tomorrow.
We have been working on wind. We did a fun experiment on air pressure and getting an egg in a bottle. You should ask your students about it...
We have been working on explaining with Claim Evidence and Reasoning (CER). Today, students were able to revise an assessment that they did not do well on. Students used CER to better explain their answers. (I am sure their revisions will be much better.) Once they were done with their revisions, they completed an assignment using LightBox. We had training on LightBox a few weeks ago and the kids loved it. The interactive books can be accessed from any mobile device through Cobb Digital Library. Homework: All students received KIM chart on Thursday that will be due on Monday. The words can be found in the online text book or the article I gave them to read last week. Missing / Late Work: There has been a considerable amount of missing work turned in lately. I am glad students are turning in work, however, I am a little concerned that it is turned in late. I will do my best to input missing / late work this weekend, however, I am grading current work as well. I will grade current work first because that work indicates day to day understanding and shapes our learning. Next week: We will beginning air masses and fronts. We will have a guest speaker on Thursday to discuss weather and what it brings. Students will begin another project towards the end of the week. They will act as newscasters and present a forecast displaying all the great information they have learned. I'm sure they will be amazing. On Friday we did a fun lab where students measured the affect of heat on sand and water. They collected data and drew conclusions based on that data. As scientists, we use CER (claim, evidence, and reasoning) to communicate our findings. Today students filled out a graphic organizer that will take them step by step in creating a CER. Most students did not complete their writing in class and will need to finish it as homework and turn in tomorrow. We will go over it in class. They will be keeping their work as a sample on how to create CER's in the future. They will revise the constructed response from their last test using the CER format on Friday. For more information on CER check out the Resources tab in Science Units.
Tuesday and Wednesday we will be learning about air movement and pressure. Don't forget to ask your students is wind 'sucks' or 'blows'. They should know the answer after tomorrow. Yesterday we had a wonderful opportunity to take a break from the project and go to the media center and learn about Light Box. Light Box is a set of interactive books students have access from any where online and interactively explore! It was a great time and the kids really enjoyed the presentation. I will definitely use the resource in class.
Today students broke into 2 groups and completed peer edits and did an activity regarding the Coriolis effect. Peer edit: Students critically reviewed their peers papers. This process allowed the students to review the material as well as assist their fellow students. They completed a check list of missing or incorrect content and make comments. If students were not done, they were allowed to work on the project. However, they missed out on the peer edit. Coriolis Effect: Students modeled how the Coriolis effect works by using a balloon. They drew lines traveling down the balloon while it was spinning. This concept is confusing and extremely abstract. However, it is the basis for our global winds and ocean currents. There is a good video under the Science Units tab for more information. If students did not finish the scaled side of their project, it should be finished as homework. They will work on placing the correct items in the correct atmospheres tomorrow. The project will be due on Wednesday at the beginning of class.
Vocabulary is also due on Wednesday. If they have lost the list, you can find it below. Students should write the definitions only. Students don't even have to log into the online text book. The reading I gave them is from the book and they can find all words there. Atmosphere vocab (Pages 448 to 457) Atmosphere Air Pressure Water Vapor Troposphere Mesosphere Stratosphere Ozone Layer ions Radiation Thermal Conduction Convection Convection Current Greenhouse Effect Global Warming Radiation Balance We are starting a new unit that begins with the atmosphere. Students have been reading articles and collecting information to put on a graphic organizer. They will use this organizer to create a project comparing the different layers of the atmosphere. We hope to complete this in class, however, we may not be able to due to early release. I will let you know if it comes home to complete. This project will take us through the rest of the week and into next.
Unit 2 Re-Test: If student's scored below an 80 on the Unit 2 test, they have the opportunity to retest. (I had a personal conference with them all on Friday of last week). They must complete a review packet as a 'ticket' to retest. Once the packet is complete, they have 2 options to re-test. 1. They can take it during tutoring from 7:45 - 8:50. They do not need to do anything more than show up, turn in the packet, and take the new test. 2. If they cannot come in early, they may come to my room during connections tomorrow and take the test again. However, they must tell me in advance that they will be coming so I will be here awaiting them. |
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