Sorry for no update yesterday, had another issue with the website being down.

In 8th grade we continued our Tooth Pick Fist activity today and students were able to see how an adaptation that doesn't help a living survive disappears over time. Students followed the colors of a "fish" population and are analyze the results after 4 generations to determine how adaptations are passed from generation to generation. Tomorrow we will conclude the activity with a small discussion of the results. Students will need to complete there Tooth Pick Fish packet and summary for Friday. On Thursday 8th graders will have their Adapations quiz.

In 7th grade we are doing a couple of different activities to reinforce the idea that everything around is made up of elements arranged in different combinations. Both classes viewed a video from Bill Nye the Science Guy looking at the science and chemistry of materials. The video focused on four materials: paper, concrete, glass, and steel. For Friday students need to select a material from each of the four catagories and research to find the materials chemical formula. All together students should have four chemical formulas. Students are incouraged to discover the chemical formulas on their own and are more than welcome to use the internet to help them.

In 8th grade students performed their learning lab experiments and should be analyzing their results and writing their conclusions over the weekend. Completed learning labs are due on Monday.

In 7th grade students completed a quiz on Ionic Bonding. Students have no homework for the weekend and we will continue to investigate ch

In 8th grade we continued to work on our Learning Labs. Students will have till Monday to complete their Learning Lab which include completing their experiment, recording and analyzing their results and writing their conclusing. Students today were also introduced to the Devil's Hole Pupfish. Students read this article to learn about a very unique animal with a series of very unique adaptations. Students were asked to read the article and highlight the pupfish's adaptations as well as any troubles it had surviving in its environment.

In 7th grade we continued to look at ionic bonds and have jump all the way into looking at how ionic bonds (or any chemical bond) can change during a chemical reaction. Today students concluded their Limewater Investigation and learned that when Calcium Hydroxide and Carbon Dioxide react with one another the atoms rearrange to give us Calcium Carbonate and Water. For tomorrow students needed to complete questions 4,5 and 6 of the Limewater Investigation.

For all classes tomorrow is the last day of the 1st trimester. All late or missing work should be handed in tomorrow.

In 8th grade we completed our Leaf Lab. Today students completed their last piece of data collection and were given the response questions they need to answer. Students will need to have their completed Leaf Lab on Thursday. This lab should include the "I can" statement, problem, hypothesis, experiment, results, conclusion and response questions.

In 7th grade we started a chemical reaction lab where students are trying to identify a chemical reaction involving Calcium Hydroxide. We will continue the lab in class tomorrow. For tomorrow students need to complete "Atoms, Bonding, and the Periodic Table". This will be a graded assignment.

In 8th grade the students are continueing to look at leaves and how they have different adaptations to help them keep important moisture from evaporating. We started by looking at actual leave shape and have moved on to how coverings on the leaves can help keep moisture. Students will complete the lab in class tomorrow and the entire lab with response questions will be due on Wednesday. Tomorrow students in 4th hour will need to hand in "A Simple Insight" and students in 5th hour need to hand in their "What is Behavior" notes.

in 7th grade students are continueing to practice indentifying ionic bonds and how atoms change in ionic bonds. For class tomorrow students in both hours need to have "Representing Substances" completed.

Hope this update finds everyone have a nice extended weekend and a wonderfull Thanksgiving.
No grades had homework this weekend, but I did want to provide an a quick update on what we have been working on and when some assignments will be due.
In 8th grade students have been looking at the behavioral adaptations that some livingthings have and how this can be a benefit and a challenge to survival. 8th graders have an assignments called "A Simple Insight" due on Tuesday the 27th. Some students did complete this in class on this past Wednesday.

In 7th grade students are learning how atoms of elements bond together to create pure substances and chemical compounds. We have been focusing on ionic bonds, but will begin to look at covalent bonds as well. Both classes have been practicing creating using diagrams to show how elements bonds as well as how electrons are passed in different ionic bonds. For next week 7th hour students need to have their "Representing Substances" practice done for class on Tuesday the 27th.

In 8th grade students are learning about how living things adapt to survive in their environment. We are looking at how living things have both physical adaptations and behavioral adaptations. Today we started a lab to discover if plant leaf shape has an affect on how quickly leaves lose water. Tomorrow we will continue our lab and complete it on Wednesday. For class tomorrow students need to have their "What is Behavior" notes.

In 7th grade we have begun looking into chemical bonding. We have started by looking at Ionic bonding. Students are learning about positive and negative ions and how they join together to create chemical compounds. Today students created the ionic bond found between sodium and chlorine using styrofoam balls. These two elements combine together to sodium chloride or table salt. Tomorrow students will complete a lab focusing on ionic bonding that will continue to further their understanding. For class tomorrow students need to have their "Ionic Bonding" notes.

Sorry for the lack of updates this past week; sickness and website errors put me back a little this week. Today I will give an extended update on classroom acitivities and assignment due dates.

In 8th grade students are continuing to work on classification and getting deeper into looking at the five kindgoms. On Tuesday students started research on the kingdoms of Moneran, Protists, Plants, Fungi, and Animals. The research activity is a small one and asks the students to give four characteristics of each kingdom and three living things that belong to that group. Most of the information can be found directly in the science text, but students may also reference internet resources if they like. The internet may be a great place to find some examples of living things that belong to each group. This research is due on Monday.
On Wednesday and Thursday students started one of their final dichotomous key activities. Using a collection of made up creatures students started creating their dichotomous key made of questions that classify each of the living things to its specific individual name. This dichotomous key will also be due on Monday and in class students will trade with another student and solve each others dichotomous key.

In 7th grade Periodic Table posters were turned in on Monday and students have started to present this week and will continue next week. We are continuing to look at elements and now beginning to look at how elements combine together to make chemical compounds. Chemical compounds have many important uses and found all around of us. To help recognize this students have been asked to collect at least two food labels that contain elements or compounds of elements from the periodic table. Students may also write down the name of the food and the ingredients list if bring a label in is not possible; please don't have students bring in packages with food. Labels for both 7th grade hours are due on Monday. Some students from Mrs. Smith's homeroom did already bring in their labels, please check their agenda on Thursday to see a done signature from me.

In 8th grade student completed their Classification Quiz today. We are continuing to use dichotomous keys to classify living things, both made up and real. For tomorrow students need to have their completed "Pamishan Creatures" classification activity. Students will be using their results to create a large tree map of all the creatures based on their physical features.

In 7th grade, today students handed in their Periodic Table posters. Unfinished posters will need to be completed and handed in by Thursday, November 1st. Tomorrow we will start poster presentations in class. For homework Mrs. Smith's homeroom needs to collect at least two food labels that contain elements from the periodic table in the ingredients list. Most ingredients will include compounds made of different elements and students should use their periodic table to look for familiar names. Labels are due on Wednesday. For Mrs. Visher's homeroom student need to complete the Bill Nye: Great Discoveries in Chemistry video questions. Questions should be answered in complete sentences for tomorrow.

In 8th grade students from both 4th and 5th hour have their Classification vocabulary due on Monday. 4th hour students also have their "Silly Science" dichotomous key activity due the Thursday and students in 5th hour need to read and complete notes for Chapter 2; Section 2: "Classifying Organisms" on pages 42 to 49.

In 7th grade we are continuing to learn about the Periodic Table. All students have received the items needed to start work on their posters. On Monday in class students will have the entire class period to research their element. They will need their "Get Interactive - WebElements" outline for class. On Friday Mrs. Smith's homeroom was given an assignment due on this Thursday. Students need to read pages 118 to 135 and complete questions 1a, d, c and 2a, b, c on pages 125 and 135 and complete "Melting Points in Groups of Elements on page 121. This same assignment will be given to Mrs. Visher's homeroom on Monday and be due on Friday, October 26th.