April 30th

Students went to Six Flags today.

April 29th

Students watched a short introductory video on forensic science and we had a brief discussion about occupations in the field of forensics. Then I went over some facts about blood and the students completed an in-class assignment about blood type.

Real-time DNA replication

April 27th

Today students took notes about DNA and completed an in-class assignment. We watched two videos and discussed genetic mutations, cellular reproduction, the human genome project, and the social implications of genetic engineering. Since we will be covering a range of topics related to life sciences during this last unit,I decided to begin with an overview if DNA.

April 26th

Students completed the Social Studies segment of the CRCT. During class in the afternoon, we started watching the Discovery Channel dvd collection, Planet Earth. During the last few weeks of school we will watch select segments of this documentary as part of our final unit.

April 23rd

Today students completed the science portion of the CRCT.

April 22nd

Students completed the Math segment of the CRCT.

April 21st

CRCT testing continued today with the English/Language Arts portion of the test. During science class we continued to review for the Science portion of the CRCT.

Homework: Get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Please arrive to school on time.

April 20th

Today students completed the Reading portion of the CRCT. During the shortened afternoon class periods we reviewed for the science CRCT. The science portion of the CRCT will be on Friday.

Thank you for all of the snacks that have been sent in. Since lunch is two hours later during testing, every donation helps.

Homework: Get a good night sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

April 19th

Today students reviewed for the Science CRCT. We went over some questions, discussed test-taking strategies, and reviewed some older concepts. After the review, I conducted a survey about what the students would like to study during the final four weeks of school.

Following the CRCT we are going to go over some of the subjects students will encounter during high school. To close out the year, I will be doing some introductory lectures on various topics, we will do some labs, and students will work individually and in groups to explore some of the content they will be studying in high school.

The following subjects are included in the high school science Georgia Performance Standards:

ASTRONOMY
BIOLOGY
BOTANY
CHEMISTRY
EARTH SYSTEMS
ECOLOGY
ENTOMOLOGY
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
FORENSIC SCIENCE
GEOLOGY
HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
METEOROLOGY
MICROBIOLOGY
OCEANOGRAPHY
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
PHYSICS
ZOOLOGY

Of the subjects listed above, the following received the most votes:
Botany
Entomology
Forensic Science (received the most votes in every class)
Human Anatomy & Physiology
Zoology

If you have any expertise or materials that would contribute to the class, that would be greatly appreciated. We will probably spend some time outside doing some observations when we explore botany and entomology so if your child needs sunscreen or bug spray, please send it.

April 16th

Students took a test today on the content covered in Gravity, Electricity, and Magnetism unit.

April 15th

For the opening questions, students completed three Ohm's Law equations and I reviewed some of the concepts. Students turned in their review worksheets, took notes on what to expect on Friday's exam, and they played a review game.

Homework: Study for the quiz.

Announcement: CRCT testing starts next week. If possible, please send in healthy snacks to your student's homeroom teacher. Thank you.

April 14th

Students worked in groups today to create review questions and they worked on a review worksheet.

Homework: Complete the review worksheet; due Friday.

April 13th

Students began class by using their textbooks to answer questions about static electricity, the Law of Conservation of Charge, and conductors/inductors. We watched a video about Ohm's Law (V=IR: Voltage = Current x Resistance) and completed some practice problems using Ohm's equation. Students then took notes on electrical safety (grounding, circuit breakers, fuses, etc...).

Homework: Review notes for Friday's quiz

April 12th

Students presented their Gravity, Electricity, & Magnetism essential question group projects today. While each group presented, the other students took notes.

Homework: Study notes for Friday's quiz.

April 1st

Students built a rocket ship with a fuel mechanism based on the thermodynamics of potato peelings. We circumnavigated the planet then landed with enough time to save the world from an alien attack.

Homework: Come up with a plan to solve the world's energy crisis while fostering world peace. Due Friday.



Announcement: Our classroom is running out of some essential items. A modest donation of any of these would be GREATLY appreciated: paper towels, kleenex, white paper (8.5 x 11), and paper clips. We need these items to build our next interplanetary vehicle.