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8th Grade Science

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Week of Dec. 2 - Dec. 6

Hello all!
Welcome back from Thanksgiving break - I hope everyone is rested!
 
We are starting our Evolution units now, with the first unit wrapping up by the end of the semester, before Christmas break. This first unit focuses on the evidence of evolution, like similar bone structures and embryological similarities between modern day organisms and between modern organisms and fossil organisms. This is a short view of the plan for this week:
 
Monday: "Life Has a History" pre-test and online webquest
Tuesday: "Life Has a History" post-test; Chapter 7 Section 1 vocab and questions
Wednesday: Video on Darwin's voyages with notes
Thursday: Quiz on Darwin video; Chapter 7 Section 2 vocab and questions
Friday: Evidence of Evolution worksheet (due Monday, Dec. 9) *early release
 
The final quiz on Evidence of Evolution Unit will be Monday, Dec. 16, with a review day the Friday before. 
 
**We will also be watching a movie for the final few days of the unit/semester and I will be sending a permission slip home, since it's rated PG-13. Please be on the lookout for those in the next few days!
 
Happy Monday and hope you all have a good week!
 
 

Climate Unit Test

The final test over Chapter 18, Climate will be this coming Thursday, November 7. Tomorrow is a review day in class, plus the students have notes and handed-back work to review. The chapter is also under Resources on Google Classroom. 
 
We've started a project for the climate unit, as well, which is an individual project for each student to choose a species endangered in relation to climate change and create a presentation on the species. The instructions are on Google Classroom (the most recent post) and the rubric for the presentations will be the same multimedia presentation rubric as I've used for past projects. 
 
Have a good evening!

Climate Unit

Hello Families,
I just wanted to send out a quick reminder about the Chapter 18 quiz (sections 1 and 2) – tomorrow in class. I recommend looking over notes taken in notebooks (also on Google Classroom), review the questions answered in notebooks from section 2 or simply reading through the first two sections (the chapter is on Google Classroom, under Resources – Weather and Climate chapters). But I do not want anyone to overly stress: it’s a short quiz, quizzes do not count as much as tests for class grades, and quizzes can be retaken, like tests for better scores. 
As a preview – next week will be the unit test (over all of chapter 18) on Thursday, November 7, and we will have a full day to review beforehand. This Friday we will be completing section 4 of the chapter via an online webquest that may be homework over the weekend if not completed in class. Next Monday, we will introduce the topic for our project this quarter and Tuesday we will research current efforts underway around the world to address increased global warming and climate change. 
Have a very Happy Halloween!! 

Week of Sep. 30 - Oct. 4

Good evening families!
We have gotten underway on our final test grade for the quarter - the Weather Station Project. All students were given a paper copy of instructions, as well as a copy posted on Google Classroom. Class time has been allotted for working on setting up the weather instruments (wind vane and anemometer) both Friday and today, however, the rest of the week must be spent on regular classroom assignments. Aside from the first few minutes of class time provided for taking measurements of weather data outside, the rest of the class period this week will be on regular lessons. 
There is no unit test for this quarter, so this project will be the final major assessment grade for all students. I've already told them there is both an individual and group component that will be averaged for each student's own final score - in an effort to encourage all students in the groups to participate and contribute and be as fair as possible. Please remind and encourage your students to take this project seriously, and keep in mind that next Monday and Tuesday they will have the final days of class time to complete the projects in school, so as to minimize stress of completing group work outside of school. 
 
Here's the layout for this week:
Monday - project work time
Tuesday - weather data measurements; How to Read a Weather Map webquest
Wednesday - weather data measurements; QUIZ Chapter 16; Water/Land Relative Heating lab (postponed from last week due to supply/time issues)
Thursday - weather data measurements; notes on Weather Patterns
Friday - weather data measurements; Reading Weather Maps lab activity *early release

Week of Sept. 23-27

Hello! 
I am still attempting to get ahead of the curriculum development/planning for 8th grade science, so I apologize for getting this week's info out late!
 
This week will look like:
 
Monday- Lab teams develop GoogleSlide presentations for their assigned section of Chapter 16.
 
Tuesday - Lab teams begin presenting their Chapter 16 sections, and students begin filling in guided/interactive notes *Review for quiz over Ch. 13, Ch 15 vocab terms and labs from last week
 
Wednesday - Lab teams continue presenting and taking notes *QUIZ over Ch. 13 and 15 vocab terms and labs from last week (Chapters, Quizlet review, and lab review sheet posted on Google Classroom)
 
Thursday - Finish presentations/notes, if not complete; Kahoot reviews of Chapter 16; Heating of Earth's Surface Lab
 
Friday - Kahoot reviews of Chapter 16; Introduce Weather Project and begin building weather stations
 
 
 

Week of Sep. 16-20

Hi All!
Here's a brief overview of this week and things to come:
 
Monday - vocabulary set on Quizlet for 13.4, 15.1, and 15.2 (chapters on Google Classroom) **QUIZ next Monday
 
Tuesday- ocean currents lab
 
Wednesday - stations lab on fluid dynamics (movement of air and water based on temperature, density, and Earth's rotation)
 
Thursday - Introducing Chapter 16, notes on weather factors
 
Friday - Tutor.com presentations during science classes **early release day
 
Next week: Quiz on vocabulary and lab questions, and beginning a project for weather/climate, intended to act as a test grade instead of a written test. As a result, there will be multiple quizzes over the course of the rest of the quarter to continuously assess vocabulary and subject knowledge. 
 
Have a good week! Any questions or concerns, please reach out!
 

Bird of Prey Demo!

Just a quick comment that we will be having a bird of prey demonstration during 4th period tomorrow! My friend from San Antonio is in the area and will have eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures to show off and talk about - from the non-profit Last Chance Forever - the Bird of Prey Conservancy.
I'm hoping all the 8th grade classes can come see it, so all my science students get the opportunity, but the scheduling was unfortunately adjusted last minute and she can't stay to do multiple shows because of her timeline to get back to Texas. They usually charge a moderate fee for demonstrations, but have agreed to do this for me for free this year. I'm opening up the option for interested parties to donate a few bucks if they so wish, just to say thank you!

Week of Sep. 9-13

Hello! 
Sorry this is coming on Tuesday instead of Monday! But we have some special events this week:
-Today (Tuesday) we went to the Dome and learned about weather and climate. No homework, except to complete the Hurricane Dorian lab team article from Monday and share with me on Google. 
 
-Tomorrow (Wednesday) we have shortened classes due to the 9/11 Freedom Walk, and we'll be reviewing weather vs. climate and the roll of the ocean.
 
-Thursday we will have a demonstration in fourth period (10am) from Last Chance Forever, the Bird of Prey Conservancy out of San Antonio, who are traveling through the area. They will have live raptors on display, including eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures. They are providing the demonstration for free, but usually charge a fee because they are a strictly non-profit organization that helps to rehabilitate injured and orphaned birds of prey in Texas. So, if anyone feels generous to donate a few bucks, it is highly welcome!

EXAM 1 Review

Here's the review sheet the students received on Monday and have been working on. It is just to help guide them in what to focus on from notes, and is NOT for a grade! 

Unit 1 Test - Thursday Sept. 5

The first unit test is tomorrow, Thursday Sept. 5! We've been reviewing in class the past two days. Today was in-class Quizlet and Kahoot games, which are now posted on Google Classroom. Monday, they started on a review sheet that they can answer using their notes or the textbook. Ch. 12 from the book is linked under "Resources" on Google Classroom, and the test primarily covers sections 1 and 2 from Chapter 12. 
Please review the study sheet from Monday, the chapter, and the online games to help prepare for the test tomorrow!

Week 3 Wrap-up

We've made it to the end of week 3 of school! It's a long weekend, so enjoy! No homework, but please make sure that all previous assignments have been completed and submitted. They will no longer be accepted, even for late work credit, after Thursday, September 5 - UNIT 1 TEST. 
 
Next week, what to expect:
-Tuesday: Worksheet on fossil correlation and relative dating, begin work on study guide for test
-Wednesday: Review for the unit 1 test 
-Thursday: UNIT 1 TEST
-Friday: Early release day, missed test make-ups and possible nature walk
 
Enjoy the weekend!