Week of 12/14

I hope the Advent season has been one of focusing on our coming Christ!

7th grade continues its Creation unit. There is a lot of discussion and notetaking involved. Students will be graded on their completeness of their notes. The test will be a short answer essay test in which they will be allowed to use their notes to construct their answers. The test will be given out sometime next week.

8th grade will be studying the how and why elements bond with each other. Element projects are due on Wednesday. Test for the 8th grade will be on Tuesday of next week.

This week both grades will be taking tests and then starting a new chapter.

7th grade will begin their creation unit. We will be using a lot of material from Answers in Genesis. They are the group with whom Carl Kerby, who recently visited our church, is associated. I have included a link to their website on my link list. There is so much information there. We will also be discussing evolution, so the students know what the theory says, what we as Christians can agree with, and what scientific inaccuracies are part of the theory.

8th grade will continue their study of chemistry as we move into the study of how and why atoms bond with each other. Reminder: Their element project is due on Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Week of 11/30

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving! Praise God for the many blessings He showers upon us!

7th graders are beginning the study of DNA this week with the start of Ch. 6. We will be taking a very close look at the structure of DNA and building our own model of it this week. Candy/marshmallows of 4 different colors will be needed for Thursday's lab. Each lab group will need a supply of approximately 32 pieces (gummi bears, gummy lifesavers, marshmallows, etc.)

8th grade begins its study of the elements and their arrangement of the periodic table. We will begin an element project which will help us build our own classroom periodic table. Assigned elements and details will be given in class on Tuesday. The project will be due before Christmas break on Wed. Dec. 16.

Week of 11/23

Short school week this week!

7th grade will have a Ch. 5 Test tomorrow. Study meiosis and Punnett squares and vocab.

8th grade also has a test tomorrow. Ch. 11 - study atomic history and atomic models and vocab.

November 16, 2009

I'm back! Washington DC, jury duty, family illnesses, and parent/teacher conferences wreaked havoc on my newly formed habit. I apologize to anyone who has been following this. So....getting back on track.

7th grade is studying heredity. We are learning how certain traits are passed from parents to offspring. We will be practicing using Punnett squares to predict possible offspring. Test should be early next week.

8th grade is moving into our Chemistry unit. We are studying the history of the atom, and will soon be making models of elements. Test for this chapter will be on Monday of next week.

Using the Science Links

Parents and students - In the science links on the right, there is one titled "Study Help for Tests". After you click on this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page to where it says "GO resources." There is a place to enter a keyword which is found on the chapter highlights page at the end of each chapter. This code will take you to a list of different options including a printout of vocab for the chapter and a 15 question quiz over the chapter.

If you are looking for more information on a certain topic, SciLinks is a great resource. The SciLinks link requires the use of codes found in your book also. These codes are at the end of every chapter and are very topic specific. You must become a member of this website, but it is free when you register as a student. These codes link the user to interesting websites pertaining to specific science topics.

Mrs. Baarck

Week of 10/12

Seventh and eighth graders have a test on Thursday this week. Eighth grade is finishing up discussing changes of state and the seventh graders are working on a cell organelle advertisement. Parents of 7th graders should ask to see this ad if you're curious what your child is doing. We are working on the computers at school to produce this ad. Students can work on the ad at home. They have been saving to a flash drive as well as to the network here at school. The ads are due Friday morning. If possible, please print the ad in color at home. If not, I can print those who are not able to, here at school. They have received a sheet telling them exactly how they will be graded. I'm excited to see the ads. I've seen some great creativity already!

Mrs. Baarck

Week of 10/5

This week has the 7th graders beginning to look inside the amazingly created cell, while 8th graders are reviewing the states of matter and the changes among them. Both grades will have quizzes this week, and the 7th graders are starting a small project to finish their cell chapter. Both grades can expect a test sometime next week. Please look at the sidebar for details specific to each class.

Mrs. Baarck

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog. This is an experiment for me, so I ask for your patience. Communication is very important among teachers, parents, and students. I am hoping to use this blog to be more successful at that. Creating and using a blog is a not habit I'm used to, though, so it will take time for me to get it the way I want it. Feel free to make comments and/or suggestions as I work through this process.

Thanks!
Mrs. Baarck