Quizzes were passed back Mon. Students who did not do well were encouraged to bring in a toy for our Holiday Toy Drive which is still ongoing for extra credit. I will also will be after school for extra help on Wed.
We finished Section 3 and homework for Mon. was to answer in complete sentences the 5 questions in the Section Review on page 100.
Tues. homework is to finish the Bikini Bottom Genetics packet that we have been working on in class.
Wed. and Thurs. will be spent on a review packet. Thurs. homework will be to use the review packet to study for a test on Fri. on Chapter 3- Sections 1, 2, & 3, covering pages through 100.

Mon. and Tues. of next week will be spent reading some current event articles and answering questions pertaining to them.
Wed. will be team activities in the four core classrooms.
May you and your families have a very wonderful Holiday!

Quizzes from Friday were passed back Monday. Homework was posted on the board to do page 93, 1-5. Section Review. Because it was not pointed out and we ran right up to the bell explaining codominance as it relates to Punnett squares, we will cover that assignment in class Tues. Those that missed the assignment can do it in class. Students will be asked to build on their knowledge of mitosis to understand the concept of meiosis-Section3 of Chapter3 which we'll start on Tues. Their assignment on Wed. will be to draw the cell cycle again but to show how a sperm and egg cell have the ability to half their chromosome count which they have learned to do with Punnett squares.
On Friday they will have a quiz on probability with Punnett squares with the connection to meiosis.
I am also encouraging students to bring in toys for needy families to support a school drive. A bonus will be added once to one quiz score to improve their average. This is a 7A team-wide effort from the four core teachers.

We quickly revisited Section 1(pages 80-85) of Chapter 3 by constructing a pet to apply our study of traits and alleles. Some students have to complete their paper pets for homework. We will be working on them tomorrow, however some classes will not meet due to our walk to the High School to watch a video entitled Rachel's Challenge.
There was a homework assigned on page 85 of the Section Review, questions 1-4 due at our next class meeting.
There will be homework assigned Wednesday from page 107 which will be finding the meaning of the key terms from Section2 from reading Section 2(pages 88-93) .
There will be a Punnett square quiz on Friday. Students should be able to set up a simple problem and show the outcome of the offspring in phenotype and genotype percentages.

Leaf Albums have been passed back.

Thursday's tests from Chapter 2 were passed back Mon.
Chapter 3,Genetics: The Science of Heredity was introduced with a reading assignment of pages 80-85. At the same time students had copied their Key Terms from Sect 1, page 107, in their notebooks so from a contextual approach they could write the meanings as they came across them.
Their homework assignment was to show the outcome of a cross between a recessive and dominant form of one trait found in the chart on page 83. They had to carry the outcomes through to the second generation to show the results of two hybrid parents from purebreds. I modeled a garden plot on the board with a key to illustrate how simplistic it could be.
We will label and discuss these outcomes tomorrow using our vocab.
Wed. will be an activity day for the entire 7th grade.
Have a nice Thanksgiving!

This week will be spent individualizing student assignments(any outstanding work ) and working on class on Test Review Packets. They have an assignment Mon. night to finish page 76 that was started on Friday.
On Thurs. They will take a Chapter 2 Test.
Early dismissals will take place on Tuesday and Friday.
I look forward to speaking with you. There are no assigned times.

Quizzes on cell division from Friday have been passed back.
We started our week with a lab constructing a DNA"double helix" and then "unzipping" it to show the process of replication. Drawings with keys were made in class and they had to translate those figures into text using pages 67 & 68 from their text as a resource. This will constitute a lab write-up due by the end of class Tues.
We will finish up Section 4 today which completes Chapter 2 .
Questions on page 73 from Section Review 4 are an in class assignment, however if they are still working on their lab write-ups, they will have it as a homework assignment.
All key terms from Chapter 2 should be defined in their vocabulary section of their notebooks.
Starting Thursday we will be reviewing for a test on Chapter 2. Their homework assignment will be page 76, 1-10, and should be answered in complete sentences.
Their test on Chapter 2 will be on Thursday, November 19th.

Thank you for making "Pumpkin Chunkin" Day a Success!

Quizzes were passed back Mon. from Section 1 & 2 taken on Friday.

Again a reminder about Leaf Albums being due this Friday, November 6.
Students are encouraged to take their albums home to work on them throughout this week.
Minimal Requirements
-Cover page with title, name and block
-All leaves should be in album
-Common name and scientific
-Pages should be numbered with a corresponding table of contents in the same order as on second page of Leaf Guide
-Creativity, neatness, lay-out design, and additional information are all factored in to their mark

We have started Section 3 (Cell Division) of Chapter 2 (Cell Processes and Energy). Students were assigned the reading of pages 61 - 68 Mon. night. From those pages they were to add 7 more key terms found on page 75 and their definitions from their reading to their vocabulary.
By Friday they will be responsible for having completed the section review(Thurs. homework) on page 68 and be prepared to take a quiz on the identification of the stages of the cell cycle as well as the individual phases of mitosis.

"Pumpkin Chunkin Day- Thursday" Please have students wear warm clothing!

Photosynthesis quiz has been passed back and we are working on Section 2 of Chapter 2- Respiration, covering pages 55-59.
There should be 6 key terms(found on page 75 in their vocab section of their notebooks.
There will be a quiz on Friday covering both Sections 1 & 2 for all classes. Once again they will have to memorize the the chemical equation for both photosynthesis and respiration and understand it.
With the exception of Block 3 and Block 2, they will have a homework assignment(page 59) of the Section Review due Thurs.

Leaf Album Project
Our leaf projects are pretty much finished as far as collecting leaves. I do have some extras in the back of my room of some species and am available after school on Mon. & Thurs. for extra help. By Friday, November 6th, I will expect them to be passed in. They will be docked one letter grade if they are late. Students should be encouraged to do their best with what they have.


Leaf Album Rubric/Guideline
They need to have all their leaves labeled with both scientific and common names.
Albums should have a visually attractive cover page.
A table of contents in the same order as in the leaf guide should be included with numbered pages.
All pages should have additional artwork such as construction paper embellishments and pictures.

All tests have been passed back from Chapt 1.

We started Chapter 2 by handling the vocab(key terms- sect. 1) on page 75 and writing it in their vocab for homework Mon.
Leaf albums are going home only if a student feels responsible enough to bring it back. We are almost finished collecting their leaves.
On Wednesday we discussed Sect 1 and students have to answer the questions on page 54, 1-4.
On Friday they will be expected to write the scientific formula for photosynthesis as well as the words on a quiz.

Test on Chapt. 1 tomorrow(Thurs.)

Students need to have all homework for Chapt. 1 completed by tomorrow.
They have a review packet which most have completed in class. They must bring this completed to class with them tomorrow.
Studying their vocab, key ideas from page 45, cell drawings on page 26 & 27 and review packets is their homework for test preparation tomorrow.
There is no homework Thurs. or Fri.

We ended last week with some cross curriculum graphing. In science we constructed a line graph showing how various substances such as vinegar, water, sugar, and salt affect the circumference of our egg. This was a nice lead-in to the Section 4 reading assignment(pages 40-44) entitled The Cell in Its Environment assigned Mon. night.
Tuesday we'll do some class activities with diffusion, osmosis, and engulfing. Their assignment will be to finish the last of the key terms of Chapt. 1 ( Section 4) and answer the Section 4 Review on page 44.
Wednesday and Thurs. will be spent in Reviewing on page 46 and 47. A test review packet will be given out Thurs.and we will be doing the majority of the review in class on Fri..
I am rotating my classes outside during the longer lunch period on leaf walks. Our leaf albums are beginning to take shape! In keyboarding, students will be using word art to title their pages.
Their first Chapter Test will be Thurs., Oct. 15th. (Please note there will be no school on Mon. and Tues. of that week.)

Quizzes on organelles have been passed back. We are covering Section 3 , pages 33-37. Students have been assigned the key terms for that section found on page 45. On Thurs. they will have a homework assignment of Section 3 Review, found on page 37.

Quizzes have been passed back from Friday's Cell Theory.
We started Section 2 (pages 23- 31)- Looking Inside Cells. Key terms for Section 2 have been assigned as well as the reading. We will be discussing the different organelles and completing an outline on their characteristics.
On Friday we'll have a quiz based on their vocab in their notebooks.
Leaf walks have started and students are pressing their leaves in their leaf guides. If they wish to work independently they can borrow "loaner" leaf guides to take home.

Thinking scientifically with guided reading on pages 174, 178, & 179 in student's text has been our agenda for this week. On Wed. we used this method in a hands-on lab to prove how height can affect the bounce of a ball. Key terms from their notebook vocab. sect. were used to give their lab write-ups a connection the guided reading.
Friday there will be a quiz on a hypothetical experiment that will assess their knowledge of how to conduct a scientific investigation.
All leaf albums should be brought into class by next Friday.

Welcome to Life Science!
My blogs will follow this format once a week.
I've enjoyed meeting all the members of our 7A community and look forward to learning and sharing with everyone as the year progresses.
This week we'll be talking about bugs and bones and the difference between organisms that undulate and ungulates! An "evidence leading to inference mystery box lab" will segue into the scientific method.
Lots of forms to be signed!
The contact dismissal/medical info form as well as the back of the handbook sheet should be returned.
Schedules, and locker info, as well as class expectations have been reviewed. There has been no science homework this week. We have talked about the Leaf Project and word has it that Wal-Mart has magnetic pages for students who use binders. My extra help nights will be Mon. and Thurs. and anyone needing a leaf album can stay after and help me recycle one from last year for them.
Books will be distributed on Fri. and covering them is mandatory. Only jumbo book sox fit the science books. Again, once the late buses are up and running, I will be more than willing to help cover after school.

Tests for Chapt 2 have been passed back.
We're finishing up the school year by dividing up the remainder of the book by groups and team teaching. There is no homework except for the Scientist Book Report which is due this Friday. Their rough drafts must accompany their final typed report. Mrs Kampersal, our librarian, has asked students to please return any library books.

We are finishing up Chapter 2 this week with a test(pages 44-78) on Friday(6/5). Each member of a class has been assigned to a biome group and will be explaining their biome to the rest of the class. We also are discussing the effects of secondary succession(Section 5, pages 76-78) were it to happen on the front lawn of our school.
With end of school activities and nice weather, much of their homework load is done in class.
Their rough drafts have been passed back and the final typed copy is due 6/12.

We're working in pods(groups of 4 max.) and each pod is assigned a biome(Chapt.1, Sect.4, pages 62-73). By next week we will have completed Chapt.1 and will be tested on Fri., June 5th.
Tomorrow(Thurs.) students will be working in class on their scientist book reports in preparation for passing their rough drafts in on Fri., 5/29. They should bring their books to class and notes.
They have completed vocab(Sect 1, 2, 3, & 4) and Sect. reviews-1, 2, & 3.

We reviewed food webs and energy pyramids from section 1, Chapter 2. Students then completed page 50, 1-5.
Section 2 and 3, Chapt 2(pages 51-59) will be completed with vocab and reading assigned.
A quick quiz on food webs will be given Fri.
All students should bring their biographies and rubrics to class Fri. in order to get started on their rough drafts which are due next week(5/29).

MCAS Testing has been completed. Thank you for your support.
As of Thursday all tests from Chapt 1 have been passed back.
Section 1 of Chapter 2 was assigned to be read along with defining the vocab from context for Fri.

Quizzes from Sect. 1-2 were passed back Mon.
All section reviews were completed as were the key terms for Chapt 1.
Students completed a worksheet dealing with Sect1-2.
We have completed a very short (only 3 sections) Chapt 1
Test on Chapt 1 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.

Tests on Chapter 5 were passed back Mon. and new books issued.
Section 1 has been assigned by outlining the key terms around a species theme and then applying it to a sketch to demonstrate usage. An example would be the species bullfrog and its population and community found in an ecosystem of a forest within a habitat of a pond surrounded by abiotic and biotic factors.
Homework for Tues. has been to read Sect. 1, pages 16-21, and answer questions 1-5 in complete sentences.
A short quiz covering the key terms for section 1 will happen on Fri.
Science has the responsibility for the quarterly book report and a rubric outlining dates and what the expectations are has been passed out today. Yesterday we went to the library to chose boigraphies dealing with scientists, environmentalists, inventors or someone of that genre.
Most of the books are very thin so students may have to use the internet for additional information.

Students will be finishing the final Chapt. 5 with a Test on Fri.
Any students with books at home must turn them in on Fri. before vacation.
Vocab, sect. reviews and notes will be used to study as well as review material given out on Thurs.
We will be using book 3 dealing with environmental ed. when we come back from vacation.

Our last quarter begins today with working through Sect. 1 of Chapt. 5, pages 140-150.
Their assignments are as follows:
Read Sect. 140- 150.
The 6 Key terms should be in vocab Sect.
There should be notes from class.
Two class assignments should be finished up by Thurs. Some may chose to do them at home.
Apply the four factors that influence natural selection to the rabbit mural on board. Develope this into writing assignment no more than one page on white lined paper.
Students have been modeled examples of a geologic time line -i.e. bus, clock measuring instrument, etc. to show the earth's age relative to mammals coming on board. They have to create their own example to illustrate this.
Section review-page 150, 1-4.

Due to MCAS testing we have focused on in class reviewing and completion of our study guides for Chapter 4 test. Tests will be handed back to all classes except for periods 7 & 8 who did not meet with me today.
We will begin Chapter 5- Changes Over Time (pages 138-167). All students should have read pages 140-150 by Friday. This will conclude our second in a series of three books.

Some dates to remember:
Thurs., March 26- Parent Conferences(6-8p.m.)
Fri., March 27- Early Release
Tues., March 31- MCAS (Students should bring reading with them if they finish early.)
Wed. April 1st- There will be a test on Chapt. 4, Modern Genetics.
There will be a study guide issued Friday, for those meeting with me as well as Mon. for the remainder of classes.
We will be working on them in class until the Mon. or Tues before the test depending on when they meet with me..
Sect. and Chapt. Reviews should be completed as well as key terms.

We have started Chapter 4 -Modern Genetics(P.112)

Homework
Reading pages 112-118
Students have been assigned the key terms for Sect. 1 found on page 135.
Tests will be handed back Thurs.
By Friday we will have completed Sect. 1.

Test Tuesday, March 17 - Chapt 3
In lieu of a Study Guide, Students have been quizzed on all sections. They have many handouts dealing with Punnet Squares.
My advice to them was to go back over pages 80-106 with particular emphasis on Sects. 3 & 4.
There is a Study Guide that highlights Chapt. 3 on page 107.
They also had to complete page 108, questions 1-10 in complete sentences.

Students have received back the quiz taken last Friday on Punnett Squres. We have moved this week into studying meiosis (Chapter 3, Section 3) in our Cells and Heredity textbook. We continue to use Punnett Squares to explore how genetics play a major role in reproduction. We will have a quiz this Friday on meiosis to check the student's understanding of cell division, the process by which the chromosomes are reduced by half to form sex cells.
We are halfway through the third quarter and interims will be mailed out this week.

On 3/3 quizzes taken on Fri. on Sect. 1, Chapt.3 were passed back.
We started Sect. 3(Probability and Genetics) and have assigned pages 88- 93 to read along with the key terms(Sect.2) found on page 107. Questions and answers from page 93 should be in their notebooks. There will be lots of opportunities to interpret probabilities from punnett squares on Thurs. and Fri. with a challenging Spongebob Squarepants quiz on Fri.

Starting Mon.(3/9) students will revisit the running of the Iditarod Race through a keyboarding project as well as checking on a daily basis their mushers'status. Any additional information students can contribute will be welcomed.

Welcome Back!
Feb. 2, 2009
Three graded papers were passed back today finishing Chapt. 2.
Chapter 3. Genetics: The Science of Heredity was introduced.
Students are asked to draw a garden plot depicting three successive plantings using the gene for height. After reading pages(Sect. 1), 74-85 and writing the key terms for Sect. 1 found on p. 107 and then defining them from the context of their reading, they should be able to show those alleles(short and tall) in the P1, F1, and F2 generations. They may use Fig. 2, page 82, as a model, but note that everything is combined into one cartoon whereas students should show 3 individual plantings.
We will then transition to symbols in preparation for Punnett Squares.
By Thursday, students will have completed Section 1 Review, found on page 85 and will be prepared to take a quiz on Section 1.

Quizzes on Respiration and Photosynthesis(Section 1&2, Chapt 2) were passed back.
Students have been assigned Sect.3(pages 61-68), Cell Division. They should have the cartoon version the cell cycle found on page 64 & 65 in their notebooks and have incorporated their vocab in their descriptions of each stage.
Questions on page 68 have been assigned,
A quiz will be given on Fri. on the stages of cell division and vocabulary. Drawings will have to be labeled.

February 4, 2009

This week we are working on sections 1 and 2 of chapter two in our Cells and Heredity book. We are exploring (and revisiting) photosynthesis and respiration. There will be a quiz tomorrow on on these formulas, which are opposite formulas. The vocabulary and section reviews have been completed.

TEST CHAPTER ONE FRIDAY!!! All section reviews and vocabulary are completed and we have started our review for this chapter test. As mentioned before, there is a lot of information in the chapter. This chapter runs from page 16 - page 44. We have done several labs with this chapter inclucing microscopes and osmosis through a cell membrane using an egg. We have explored plant and animals cells in a number of ways and both cells should be familiar to the students. Students should be able to start from a molecular level and understand the composition of the organelles and their function inside the cells. All vocabulary should be in their notebooks.

Cell theory quizzes have been passed back.
We are completing our second section of Chapter 1 in the Cells and Heredity textbook, pages 22-30. They should have key terms in their vocabulary section as well as completed the section 2 review on page 31 (1-4).
All students have used the microscopes to practice focusing on the magnification of pond water.
We are currently learning the parts of a cell. We have approached it from the overhead, the book, technology and they are completing a hands-on activity to reinforce the learning. They will have a test on these organelles next week. There is a lot of complex material in this chapter and students should be encouraged to spend some extra time studying.

Happy New Year!
Students have received their last test from their "old books.''
We did a little housekeeping by cleaning out our notebooks and handing in books to welcome in a new book distribution(Cells and Heredity). Some students are also starting off the New Year with new notebooks as their old ones were getting full.(They are not required to keep papers and notes after a test.)

They have been assigned to read Sect. 1,(pages 16-22) Chapter 1 and write the key terms for Sect. 1(p.45) with their definitions in their vocab section of their notebooks.
By Friday, we will have completed this section, the section review on page 22 and a short quiz(Fri.) where they need to write the three parts of the Cell Theory found on page 20.