CSD 7th Grade Math/Science

Have You "Heart" About It???

2010-05-02T15:07:00.001-04:00

Dissection is Amazing!

Hello Parents! I hope that you already know about the really exciting things we have been doing in the science classroom from your child! We have had so much fun! The week of April 29th we focused on the circulatory system. We tested our heart rates, studied the parts of the heart and how the heart muscle pumps oxygenated blood to every cell in our bodies. To apply our knowledge of the heart and circulatory system we had an obstacle course. We were the blood cells as they passed through the vena cava, atriums, ventricles, lungs and out the aorta to the rest of the body. Your children climbed through tunnels of the veins and arteries and jumped from chamber to chamber to illustrate the movement of blood through the circulatory system. This was so much fun! Mr. Hoover and I had the best day with every one of our students!

This week we dissected a frog to gain a better understanding of our own body systems. A frog is commonly used for dissection because we share so many of the same body systems. Frogs have a skeletal, nervous, muscular, digestive, circulatory, respiratory and reproductive system. We share these systems and it was really exciting to actually observe these organs and organ systems to discover how they fit together in the chest cavity. The students were also amazed by the connective tissue. They were really surprised that the connective tissue was so thin and clear yet so strong! We found many fascinating foods in the stomach of the frogs. There were insects, a mouse or vole and lots of chyme (partially digested food). I spoke with the students about respecting the organism that we are dissecting. We talked about "unwrapping" the organism for learning and understanding, not slicing or tearing the tissue. I was so proud of every student for actually comprehending the true meaning of dissection. I had a classroom of students who were focused and engaged for the whole dissection process. Today I had a reflection on the frog dissection activity and I had a few students who stated that they were interested in becoming surgeons (I have goose bumps!).

I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to every seventh grade student at CSD! You handled this situation with dignity and maturity. I just love you all and appreciate how hard you work in the science classroom! I would also like to thank Mr. Hoover. Mr. Hoover and I have been co-teaching so Mrs. VonCanon, Ms. Kreit, and Ms. Alter can have intensive math and language arts instruction. Mr. Hoover was not excited about dissection at all and had limited experience with dissection but he rose to the occasion with a professionalism and humor! Thank you!

Just Breathe!

2010-04-17T10:21:00.002-04:00

SCIENCE
The Human Body Seminar and Respiratory System

This week we were honored to have three AMAZING guest speakers for the Human Anatomy Seminar.

Amy Vance is Kevin Yascur's aunt and the Chief Operating Officer of Presbyterian Hospital. She brought in organ tissue samples of the heart and lungs. Your children were able to observe a lung that had cancer, a lung that that emphysema, and a healthy lung. They also observed the human heart. It was an amazing opportunity! Ms. Vance also explained how many tests are preformed such as a MRI and CAT scan. Ms. Vance reviewed the respiratory system and the circulatory system. Your children impressed me with their retention of the respiratory system!

Pam Black is Bailey Black's mother. Ms. Black is employed at CMC as the Nurse Manager for the Special Events Department. She has a wide range of nursing experience and was willing to share it with your children! Ms. Black spoke about how chemistry & math are used in pharmacology, drug compounding & dosing, toxicology and statistics in research, This was wonderful as it proved how useful science and math are in medical careers!

Audrey Stasky is a teacher at CSD. Before her teaching career Ms. Stasky was a histologist. Histologists are involved in biological science that studies the structure of human, animal and plant tissues. Histologists study muscles, bones, nervous tissue, blood, liver, lungs, heart, ears and eyes. They study the organization of tissues at all levels, from the whole organ down to the molecular components of cells. Ms. Stasky shared her various experiments with the students. Ms. Statsky explained that some of her experiments gave data to research physicians that could save millions of lives.

I would like to extend an enormous thank you to all three women who shared their vast knowledge and talents with our children. We are so fortunate to have such wonderful people in our community who can help guide that way and explore many types of career opportunities for our seventh grade students to find their passion!

The respiratory system was the main focus this week in class. We had three very exciting lab activities this week. We tested our lung capacity by blowing into a plastic bottle submerged in water. This was a really fun and enlightening activity. We were able to see that your life style had a direct correspondence to our lung health through this cavity! We also made models of the respiratory system with plastic bottles, balloons and plastic wrap. The students were able to move the lungs and observe how the diaphragm works to exchange gases in the lungs! We also tested our breathe to determine if it was basic or acidic. Please take a moment to ask your child about acids, bases, pH, and how our lungs work this weekend!

MATH
The Art of Solving Word Problems

I have found that there are three major components that hold kids back when solving complex, multi-step word problems:
• Not comprehending what the problem is asking
• Lack of organizational skills
• Not following the problem all the way through to its conclusion

In his book, Comprehending Math, Arthur Hyde outlines a terrific method for addressing these concerns. It is through the use of a graphic organizer strategy entitled KWC. K represents what we “know for sure”, W represents what we “want to know”, and C represents any special “conditions”, tricks, or other things to remember in order to solve the problem. Click here to see a visual.

I absolutely LOVE this method as it forces kids to SLOW DOWN, an all too common problem amongst many students. They read the problem quickly, and then without really taking time to ingest the information stated within the problem, they jump right into “solution-mode.” Many times they have misread the problem which results in erroneous solutions due to the fact that they didn’t answer what was being asked. Or often in their haste to get through to the “answer”, they only partially complete all of the necessary steps required in order to arrive at the correct answer. Test makers are smart and tricky. You can bet your bottom dollar that at least one of those answer choices will be some of the steps along the way to the correct solution!

I also love KWC because on top of forcing them to slow down, it also provides an extremely helpful visual aid for organizing information. Many kids are not what I would call natural organizers. However this is definitely a skill that can be acquired through practice. As you can imagine, I am catching a little bit of grief from the kids because of the “work” involved to solve one problem, but I truly believe that over the course of time, they will see the benefits of “frontloading.” In other words, the more time they spend upfront, the less likely they are to arrive at an erroneous conclusion.

To see this process in action, please visit the samples that can be found in your child’s math daybook. Also, as your child works through the study guide at home, hold him/her accountable for using this method, particularly when they seem stumped by a word problem. Chances are this method will slow them down, deepen their understanding of the problem, and then get them on the right path without much guiding required from you!  Happy problem-solving!

Be sure to check out the great Problem-Solving and Test-Taking resources found on my website by clicking here!

EOG Study Guide Reminder:
Assignment for this week: Algebra Pdf Pg. 30-36; 46-47 Due April 22nd.
Click here to access the EOG Study Guide, Answer Sheets, and Answer Keys.

If I Only Had A Brain... Oh, Wait... I do, and it's INCREDIBLE!

2010-04-11T15:20:00.003-04:00

SCIENCE
The central nervous system continues to be our focus area in science. We had three rotation stations in science this week to understand some very complicated concepts. We created a model of the brain out of play dough. The Brian Model, station 1, required the students to create the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, medulla, and brain stem out of play dough. The students had to discuss the functions of each part of the brain with their group members when they completed the model. I listened to some wonderful peer teaching! Station 2, Pipe Cleaner Neuron, demonstrated the structure of a neuron by created the dendrites, axon, cell body and myelin sheath out of pipe cleaners and arranging them to show how neurons transmit messages and form new connections. Connecting The Neurons, station 3, turned out to be one of the most informative stations. We connected ten neurons to ten other neurons with ten different colors. This allowed the students to observe how connected nerves are with each other. When one nerve cell dies, thousands of other nerve cells are effected. We were able to discuss behaviors that would kill a nerve cell (brain trauma, drug and alcohol abuse) and show how they would damage the neuron connections that are essential for a healthy brain.

Your children were given a sleep data collection sheet with a dream journal on the reverse side. Next week we are focusing on dreams and sleep. We will be discussing why the body needs to sleep and how essential it is for young adults to have adequate sleep for healthy growth and development.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

On March 31 we had the honor of Xander Picot's father, Dr. Picot, who gave a seminar to our seventh grade class on the human brain. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful parents at CSD! I am very grateful to Dr. Picot for creating an amazing presentation and donating his time and astounding intellectual resources to our central nervous system unit. This is an amazing opportunity for our children at CSD! I have included a brief description of Dr. Picot below.
FRANÇOIS PICOT, MD
François Picot was born in Paris, France, in 1962. He moved with his family to the United States when he was six years old, settling in New York City after a year in Nantucket, Massachusetts. After graduating from Drew University in New Jersey, he attended the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. His one-year medical internship and three-year neurology residency was at the University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, and his two-year neuromuscular fellowship was completed at SUNY/Stony Brook, New York. François practiced neurology in Florida for 4 years before moving to North Carolina, where he has practiced at Northeast Neurology in Concord for the past 10 years. He is currently the Assistant Medical Director of Northeast Neurology. His special interests are general neurology and neuromuscular disorders. François enjoys tennis, golf, swimming, biking, the New York Yankees, and especially spending time with his wife and three sons.

MATH
Check out the newest page to Mrs. V's math website by clicking here! This page is chock full of information about the NC EOG in math as well as other great resources for problem-solving and test-taking. Hope this helps!

Breaking It Down...

2010-03-21T09:23:00.002-04:00

SCIENCE
What did you eat for breakfast? Do know how that food travels through your digestive system? Do you how long it takes for food to make the complete journey through the digestive system? Please ask your child! They know all these answers and more! We created a model of the digestive system this week. Your child used a gallon bag, flexible 5 foot tube, pantie hose and pan to simulate a working digestive system. Our model ate oatmeal and milk for breakfast and we helped the peristalsis with our hand muscles as the food traveled from the stomach to the anus. What was new and really impressive was the laboratory investigation format. I usually provide the background information, procedure, and analysis questions for the students to answer. This week they applied all their knowledge on the digestive system to create the entire lab investigation on their own. I was amazed at the quality of work they exhibited! The analysis questions were very thoughtful and required application of knowledge on the digestive system. They have these lab investigations in their math/science binders. Please take an opportunity to read these with your children!

We began investigating the central nervous system this week with rotation stations. We had a station on optical illusions, testing reflexes, and mapping your brain with color. These were really interactive activities that began a flow of questions about the human brain, nerves, and senses. The begin to understand the central nervous system we also completed an outline extracting information on the central nervous system from a book called The Human Body from Time books. This was full of interesting facts and information on the complexity of the brain and how the brain functions. We will continue to explore the central nervous system next week in science class!

MATH
This week we worked on getting those formulas for surface area and volume into our long term memories! This is done through rehearsal. Marilee Sprenger, renowned brain-based learning specialist, educator, and researcher suggests that “Learning something – that is – getting that ‘aha’ moment – isn’t enough for attaining memory and transfer. We need our students to practice past perfection to ensure that the memory connections are permanent.” She also says that “Memories must be rehearsed in multiple ways to store them in many areas of the brain.” In the past few weeks, I have tried to incorporate ALL learning styles and as many of Gardner’s multiple intelligences into our learning experiences as possible. We have created various 3-D shapes using manipulatives. We have analyzed their properties using solid models. We have recoded this information by talking to each other (interpersonal intelligence) and by writing reflections (intrapersonal intelligence) in our daybooks. We have used the tools of music, movement, and rhythm to involve our emotions and enhance our learning. We have worked on committing formulas to memory and practiced formatting through the repetition of solving surface area and volume problems. Now it is your child’s turn to take his/her own learning into his/her own hands! On Thursday, we brainstormed various ways to “study” for this test. Here is a sampling of some of the ideas given in class:
• Make a PowerPoint to review all important information (vocabulary, formulas, etc). Use this PowerPoint to test memory by using the animation feature so that formulas or answers appear once the viewer has had time to think. (Visual)
• Download and print off flashcards from Mrs. V’s website OR make flashcards of their own! Use these flashcards to test memory of information. This is particularly effective when done prior to going to sleep. (Visual and auditory if talking aloud is added to processing).
• Download songs and lyrics. Repeatedly listen to song and view lyrics until they are committed to memory. Make up a dance or listen as they go on a walk or jog. (Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic)
• Play a game of “Horse” but instead use formulas and vocabulary. (Auditory and kinesthetic)
• Have someone else quiz me on information. (Auditory and visual)
• Use Mrs. V’s website to watch PowerPoints and visit online, interactive websites. (Visual)

Aren’t they smart learners? Our job as the adults in their lives is to hold them accountable for doing their job. Their job is to study this information in a manner that fits best with their particular learning style. So please check in with your child and see what you can do to help him/her with this process. Then make a plan and stick to it. But the important thing to remember is that we can’t do it for them. Only they can commit these things to memory. Our job is to hold them accountable and assist them in their attempts if they need it. 

REMINDERS:
• The Announced Geometry/Measurement Test is coming up on Wednesday, March 24th.
• Geometry/Measurement Study Guide is due Thursday, March 25th.
• Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (for girls) is scheduled for Saturday, March 27th @ Cone University Center @ UNCC.
• Spring Break begins on April 2nd (Early dismissal April 1st). Classes resume April 12th.

Pump Up the Volume!

2010-03-13T08:50:00.002-05:00

SCIENCE
Did you know that you start the digestion process before you begin eating? Do you know that your small intestines are about 20 feet long and that it takes about 24 hours hours for your food pass from you mouth to your anus? How about the billions of bacteria that live in your large intestines feeding on the food that was not absorbed in the small intestines? Your children do! Please ask them about the amazing digestion system and the fun facts that we were discussing in class this week!

Rubber Bones lab investigation concluded the week in science. We finished our observations and measurements of chicken bones after the calcium was dissolved on Monday and Tuesday in class. The bones that were soaked in vinegar were flexible and the bones in water were not flexible. Please take a moment to ask about this lab investigation, Your children should be able to explain this phenomena. It was a little odorous, ask them why!
We had an opportunity to work on our t-shirts this week on Friday. The students added the stomach, liver, small intestines and large intestines. These body system shirts are developing very nicely! I am excited for them to bring them home and share them with you!

We had a web investigation this week on the digestive system. We explored two very different but informative web sites. They are http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/systems.html and http://www.neok12.com/Digestive-Systems.htm . If you have an opportunity, please check them out! They are really full of amazing information and a lot of fun too!

MATH
Surface Area and Volume were the names of the game this week in math. Students traveled through the three different stations listed below:

Teacher-Guided Station: Surface Area and Volume of 3-D shapes
In this station, students learned formulas and formatting for solving problems dealing with volume and surface area. We also took this opportunity to sharpen up our calculator skills. Remember that students are allowed to use calculators on their Surface Area/Volume homework this week, however, they must abide by the formatting learned this week during this station. Great examples can be found in the Math Daybooks.

Problem-Solving Station: Packing the Packages
In this station, students worked collaboratively on a wonderful NCTM activity entitled, Packing the Packages. This lesson emphasized the “real-life” application of investigating various designs for packaging soda cans and other items by using geometry to analyze their designs. (To view this activity, see your child's Math/Science binder).

Music/Movement Station: It’s All in the Surface and Pump Up the Volume
In this station, students worked on committing formulas for surface area and volume to memory through the use of song, rhythm, emotion, and movement (Click here to view lyrics). Both of the songs used this week can be purchased from Itunes for $0.99. (Click here to hear a sample and to purchase if interested!) This is a wonderful way to spice up studying! We also explored the nets of common 3-D figures and discovered why the formulas work the way they do.

Next week we will continue to dig a little deeper into these topics and also explore the concept of cross sections. In the meantime, please continue to encourage your child to commit these formulas to memory. A little bit every day is much less stressful (and effective) than cramming the night before! Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Thanks for all you do!

EOG Study Guide:
A few of you requested a copy of the 7th Grade Study Guide so your child could get a head-start on EOG review over Spring Break. Please click here if you are interested in printing off a copy. Thanks!

Shaping Up!

2010-03-06T08:47:00.003-05:00

MATH
This week we launched our study of geometry and measurement. In 7th grade, students study 3-Dimensional geometry, including the measurement and algebra skills of finding finding surface area and volume of solid figures. After administering a pre-test on the learning objectives, I introduced the students to our new content through a great video on 3-Dimensional Shapes in real-life contexts. (Click here to view) We also explored the two new sets of manipulatives we will be using: Omnifix cubes and Geofix shapes (see pictures above). The purpose of these particular manipulatives is to support the acquisition of spatial sense as well as the language of three-dimensional geometry (base, edge, vertices, etc). Our classroom activities included constructing and drawing 3-D shapes, as well as identifying and creating different views (and nets) of the shapes they constructed. These types of activities enhance visualization skills, as well as promote the ability to analyze characteristics of various polyhedra. During this unit, we will focus specifically on the characteristics of the following solid figures:
• Triangular prisms
• Rectangular prisms
• Triangular pyramids
• Rectangular pyramids
• Cubes
• Cylinders
• Spheres
• Cones
Students will also be responsible for mastering the formulas for surface area and volume for the following solid figures:
• Triangular and rectangular prisms
• Cylinders

Normally, I do not allow students to use calculators on homework assignments. However, I am suspending this policy throughout the duration of this unit on geometry assigments. (Note: Students still should NOT use a calculator on Mixed Review assignments). Since the objective of these assignments will be mastery of the formulas and not necessarily the calculations, I believe the use of a calculator is very appropriate. I have made it clear to the students, however, that I do expect them to show all formulas and number sentences as “stand-alone answers” are not sufficient demonstration of knowledge.

The Geometry/Measurement Test was announced this week during class for Wed/Thurs March 24th and 25th. Study guides were handed out to the students, and they will be due during Advisory on Thursday, March 25th. However, if your child is in Section 2 or 3, then he/she should make sure the study guide is completed prior to taking the test to receive the intended benefit. In addition to this Study Guide and other homework assignments that will be coming home weekly, I highly encourage the students to make use of their wonderful Math On Call resources, as well as the information I provide on http://www.mrsv.org/.

Just so you know… upon return from Spring Break we will begin our EOG Testing Review, Preparation, and Practice unit. I have Study Guides for this test that we will begin at that time. If you feel your child would benefit from this information prior to then, please let me know, and I’ll gladly get you a copy! Thanks for all you do!

SCIENCE

"GOT MILK?" Calcium was one our minds and in our bones this week in science. We began the week with a lesson on the skeletal system. We are talking about what makes bones and why bones are so important. We were talking about osteoporosis and how calcium consumption now will help them have healthy strong bones when they are older adults. We talked about how much the body needs calcium for our teeth and bone strength, all cellular metabolic processes, blood clotting, blood vessel dilation and constriction. If you body needs calcium and you have not consumed enough in your diet your body withdraws the calcium from your bones for all the other calcium requirements. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children and teens between 9-18 years old require 1200 mg of calcium per day. We calculated our average calcium intake to see if we were acquiring enough calcium. I was happy to see most of the children were acquiring their daily requirements of calcium! To illustrate this we are removing all the calcium from chicken bones to observe what happens to the bone. "Got Milk?" lab investigation will conclude on Monday and Tuesday. Please ask you child about their "rubber bones" and why they became so flexible!

Bones need skeletal muscles to move. We had an activity this week to compare our upper body strength against our lower body strength. The students had a wonderful time pushing their muscles to the limit to find out how many pounds of pressure they exert with the upper and lower muscles! We practiced our comprehension and note taking skills with an outline from a body systems book on the muscular system. We reviewed the muscular system outlines and elaborated on the muscular system Friday in class.

We also had an opportunity to observe muscle cells, bone cells, cartilage, and blood cells with prepared slides. These slides are beautiful and show how different the cells appear for cells that have different functions!

Our tee shirts were utilized this week too! We we able to draw with accuracy and beauty the skeletal and muscular system on the tee shirts. this is just the beginning of our "Draw your Insides on the outside" project! The students worked really hard on this activity and i can not wait to see their products!

No Bones About It!

2010-02-26T08:35:00.001-05:00

SCIENCE
Why didn't the skeleton go to the school dance?
He had no body to go with!!!

The skeletal system was our focus this week as we continued on our journey on the human body systems. This week was full of science stations to include many small lab investigations on the skeletal system. Station 1 was called Keep Your Bones in Shape. We determined that the shape of the bone gives the skeleton a strong support system to carry a body's weight. The students tested three different shapes (triangular, square, and cylinder) made of index cards. We placed books on the index cards to test if the shape did support more or less books. Please ask your child what shape held the most books and why or bones are that shape. Bone is made of MANY layers of tissue. In the compact bone there are circular structures called the Haversian system. This system protects the blood vessels in the center of the bone tissue and keep the bones very strong. To test the Haversian system the students tested straws in a random pattern and straws in a circular pattern. They discovered that the Haversian pattern was much stronger. Station 2, Celebrate Vertebrates and Fight Friction tested the joints, synovial fluid and why our backbones are made of 26 vertebrae instead of one long bone. The 3rd station, Building the Framework recreated a skeleton on paper and applied the scientific name of the bone (humerus) to the picture of the bones.

The stations were a lot of fun and the students enjoyed the wide variety of activities!
We began working with our t-shirts this week. The students were introduced to the idea of wearing their interior body systems on the exterior t-shirts. We will be drawing the body systems on front and back of the shirt. We will continue working on our body system t-shirts on Fridays!

The last activity for the week was Chicken Wing Dissection. Your children had an amazing time dissecting grocery store chicken wings. We observed the dermis, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. This activity really demonstrates that even though the body systems are separate they must work together for the organism to live!

Have a wonderful weekend and tell your children to get ready for more bones and muscles next week!

MATH
This week we reviewed all previous learning from the Data, Statistics, and Graphing Unit. The students worked collaboratively in pairs to analyze data collected during the worm dissection. Then, using this data, they composed test questions which was compiled into a subsequent “team test.” I once heard that a teacher’s ultimate goal is to work him/herself out of a job. Thomas Carruthers put it this way: “A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” I’m happy to report that this week I felt rather unnecessary! YAY! Watching these kids own their learning in this capacity is what every teacher strives for. My soul was definitely fed watching them in action this week.

Next week we move ahead to our final unit of the year – Geometry and Geometric Measurement. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed as we are embarking on our concluding unit prior to testing! Wow! The geometry learning objectives for 7th grade focus heavily on surface area and volume of 3-dimensinoal figures, as well as the similar and congruent 2-dimensional figures. I look forward to the exciting learning that lies ahead of us!

We're Diggin' It!

2010-02-21T10:39:00.001-05:00

SCIENCE
Many famous people have recognized the ecosystem services that earthworms provide. Cleopatra declared earthworms to be sacred, and forbade Egyptian farmers from removing them from the land. Aristotle called them the “intestines of the soil.” Charles Darwin, who studied earthworms for 39 years, said, “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world than the earthworm." We began our dissection by understanding the ecological impacts earthworms have on the environment. Please take a moment and ask to see your child's lab investigation on the earthworm dissection. I wold LOVE it if you would take a moment to ask why we depend on earthworms for our survival on this planet!

This week we began body systems by dissecting earthworms, Lumbricus Terrestris. These remarkable invertebrates have some very interesting body systems that we were able to observe through dissection. We observed the digestive system, the reproductive system, the nervous system and the circulatory system. These systems are much more simple that our body systems but provide an amazing springboard for learning about our body systems! I am hoping that the students will be much more interested in learning about the digestive system now that they have seen the pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, intestines of the earthworm! We can compare our systems to the earthworms for greater understanding of the functions of each organ and how they are connected to work as a system by extracting nutrients from our food for our cells. This will allow the students to move into deeper understanding of the body systems as they are now participants in their learning through the dissection process. We will conclude our unit on body systems by dissection a frog, which as a vertebrate is much more similar to our body systems.

The week concluded with a web quest on the human body systems. The web site http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/ is very interesting! The Cool and Gross Body is a very comprehensive web site that allows students to learn the body systems and organs through questions such as,"Why do I burp?". This is always a great way to get middle school students interested in science!

We will begin using the white tee shirts next Friday in class. If you have not sent one in, please do or let me know if I can help you find one. Target, Walgreens and Walmart all had shirts for less than $3.00. A closet in your home is a good spot to look too. A man's undershirt will work wonderfully. We will be drawing on the shirt with sharpies, markers, and paints. This will be a work of art about the body systems!

I can't wait for next week! Muscles, tendons, and bones are on the docket through chicken wing dissection!

Math
This week we applied our previously learned knowledge in the Earthworm Dissection Lab by collecting data on the following: the total number of segments, the number of segments between the clitellum and mouth, and the total length in cm. This data will be used this week to construct histograms, determine percentages, and make inferences. The students can also expect to see this data again on the application of their announced test on Friday! 

We also learned about histograms. A histogram is a way to show how often data falls into different ranges, or intervals. To incorporate reading skills in the content area of math, I had the students use their Math On Call text in partners (or individually depending on their preference) to answer some leading questions that I placed on the overhead. Then we discussed our interpretations of the text in a whole group setting. Following the acquisition of this background knowledge, we constructed histograms and bar graphs on the topic of “TV”. This allowed us to compare and contrast the ways in which histograms are alike and different. For more details, please see your child’s daybook.

Reminders:
The Data Analysis and Graphing STUDY GUIDE is due this Thursday, February 25th. The Data Analysis and Graphing TEST will be this Friday, February 26th. Please hold your child accountable for preparing for this test at home using appropriate resources such as homework from this unit, the Math On Call reference book, http://www.mrsv.org/, and their daybook notes. Thank you, in advance, for the support you provide at home! It truly makes all the difference!

Who's Normal?

2010-02-15T20:00:00.003-05:00

MATH
This week we concentrated on collecting, organizing, displaying, and analyzing data through a really neat AIMS activity entitled, Who’s Normal?. First we measured height in centimeters using tape measures. Then we recorded our class data on data notes and arranged it from least to greatest on sticky notes. We analyzed the data looking at the measures of central tendency (range, mean, median, and mode). Since our data included no “true” outliers, as a class, we decided on one famous person per class to add to our data set. Our choices included, Too Tall Jones (NFL player), Vern Troyer (aka – Mini-Me), Lao Ming (NBA player), and Robert Wadlow (the tallest man to have ever lived). After some quick research done by our wonderful co-teachers, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Alter, we were able to obtain measurements for these “guest data” points in feet and inches. I added another layer of math by requiring the students to convert the feet and inches to centimeters. Then by including these “guest” outliers in our data set, we were able to explore the effect outliers have on the mean and range by pondering the following questions: What effect do outliers have on the mean of a set of data? What information should be taken into consideration?

Since one of our learning objectives involves comparing various sets of data, we split up into three groups and constructed three different box-and-whisker graphs: 1) the height of the all people in students in our class 2) the height of the girls in our class 3) the height of the boys in our class Each group also constructed a line plot. We spent a good deal of time critiquing each others’ work and analyzing the data. Some of the questions posed during this lesson include the following:
• What are the strengths and or purposes of each of the displays?
• Find where you are located in each display. How does that position tell you how typical you are?
• How different do you expect the displays to be for another class at this grade level? How different do you expect the displays to look for a second grade class?....a class of college students?....

Embedded in this lesson were also MANY valuable, rich opportunities to problem-solve (most of which I couldn’t even plan, even if I tried!). For some teachers, there’s nothing more exhilarating than seizing that “teachable moment.” Fortunately for us, we had several of those this week as I heard comments such as “My tape measure isn’t long enough” and “My calculator won’t hold all of my numbers.” Plus you can only imagine the variability that occurs when 20-some students are working with 20-some data points! Whew! It’s always such a joy and delight to watch the multiple ways in which students encounter and solve these types of problems.

To close out the week, we tied up previous learning with a little diddy about how to construct box-and-whisker plots set to the tune of Gilligan’s Island. This can also be found in PowerPoint form on my website. If you are curious to know more about what your child is learning or his/her progress with these specific learning objectives, please visit your child’s daybook and look for the most recent 3-2-1 summarizer and Exit Slip.

SCIENCE

Wow! Science was full of fun and information this week! We tackled two Kingdoms, the Plant Kingdom and began the Animal Kingdom. We dissected flowers to learn about the internal structure of a flower. Each lab group received an Alstremeria Aurea (Peruvian Lily) to dissect. We studied the external structure (petals, stigma, style, anther, and filament) and dissected the plant to learn about the internal structure (ovary, eggs, xylem, phloem). This was and amazing opportunity to learn about the Plant Kingdom and a safe way to learn how to use the dissection kits. The students were introduced to the the scalpel, scissors, forceps, dissection pins, and probes. We practiced using these instruments and mastered how to have a safe laboratory investigation utilizing these sharp instruments.

To begin the Animal Kingdom we studied the least complex group of animals. We studied the Phylum Porifera. This groups contains sponges. We compared a synthetic sponge and a sponge that was once living. The students were surprised that the synthetic sponge did not hold as much water as the sponge that was once living. They were also amazed at the brittleness of the sponge due to the spicules or "skeleton' of the sponge. This lab utilized the mass scales and reinforced our measurement skills.

The last part of the week discussed the variety of organisms in the Animal Kingdom. We discussed the different Plylums and the variety of organisms that encompass the Animal Kingdom. It is a vast Kingdom that is full of variety. The Phylum's in the Animal Kingdom are Porifera, Cnidarian, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Echinoderms, and Chordates. These organisms show how vast, different, and specialized these organisms are to maintain life in their environments. We also practiced with a dichotomous key to learn how scientist break organisms in to groups based on physical characteristics.

I requested a white tee shirt from each student. Please turn one in next week with your child's name and section written on the inside of the shirt collar. We will be using these shirts to draw the body systems that we are currently studying. I am hopeful that this will be an exciting and educational method demonstrating our knowledge of the body systems! thank you again for your support!

If you have a background in the medical field and would like to share your gifts, please let me know! I am trying to set up seminars about the body systems and I know the students would love to be inspired by you!

Box-and-Whisker Bliss

2010-02-06T08:29:00.003-05:00

MATH
This week we charted new territory (both figuratively and literally) as we began our study of data analysis and graphing. Of all the mathematic objectives I teach, this is among one of my very favorite units due to the opportunity to cultivate students’ critical thinking skills. These skills include thought processes such as comparing/contrasting, analyzing, deductive and inductive reasoning, forecasting, planning, hypothesizing, and critiquing. Most importantly, it’s about making observations and asking questions – my favorite! Steven D. Schafersman sums it up nicely when he states, “Life can be described as a sequence of problems that each individual must solve for one's self. Critical thinking skills are nothing more than problem solving skills that result in reliable knowledge. Humans constantly process information. Critical thinking is the practice of processing this information in the most skillful, accurate, and rigorous manner possible, in such a way that it leads to the most reliable, logical, and trustworthy conclusions, upon which one can make responsible decisions about one's life, behavior, and actions with full knowledge of assumptions and consequences of those decisions.” So as I said earlier, I believe collecting, displaying, interpreting, and contemplating various data provide excellent opportunities to hone these important skills.

This week we focused on the following types of graphs: back-to-back stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, line plots, and box-and whisker plots. We also learned about outliers (data points that occur way outside of the cluster of data), what causes them, and the effect they have on a data set by watching an excellent online video (click here to view). To make this experience more meaningful, students then had to create situations where they, themselves, would be considered outliers. Be sure to ask your child about his/her example. Mrs. Alter led a wonderful lesson, Wetheads, in which students used back-to-back stem-and-leaf plots to compare predictions to actual outcomes within a science experiment context. We also learned how to construct a box-and-whisker plot which is useful in comparing data and showing normal and extreme ranges. First we collected data (which in this case was the various shoe sizes in our room), and then we represented the data in two formats: a line plot and a box-and-whisker plot.

As we progress through this unit, we will continue to explore various modes of displaying data and carefully consider which graphical representation is best suited to each particular situation. Mrs. McMillan is also seizing the opportunity of the upcoming Winter Olympics to capitalize upon these learning objectives. Students will be tracking data in Microsoft Excel, and then learning how to utilize the software to analyze the data and create various graphs.

ANNOUNCED ASSESSMENT:
A Data/Statistics/Graphing Assessment has been announced for Friday, February 26th. Students were given a study guide this week which will be due on Thursday, February 25th. All information pertinent to this unit of study can be found on this study guide as well as the other weekly homework. I truly appreciate everything you do at home to support your student’s development of his/her work ethic and study skills. It makes a HUGE difference!

SCIENCE
I wanted to take a minute to update you on the science concepts being explored in science. We are studying the different classification Kingdoms, We have been moving from the least complex organisms to the most complex organisms. We have completed the Monera Kingdom, Protista Kingdom, Fungi Kingdom and we are concluding the Plant Kingdom. Last week we studied the Fungi Kingdom with a dissection of club fungi (mushroom) and observing sac fungi (yeast) consume sugars. We have had a lot of fun and observed really amazing parts of the fungi that we use regularly in our homes.

We will be moving into the body systems in the upcoming weeks,. We will dissect a worm and a frog. We will compare their body systems as we learn about our own body systems. I am looking forward to this! I have many exciting labs to conduct in class and Mrs. VonCanon has lovely math activities to accompany the body systems. It has come to my attention that many of the parents of my talented students are in the medical field. I would LOVE to incorporate your medical knowledge into our study of the body systems. If you are interested in giving a seminar to our seventh grade students I would really appreciate it! We try to have seminar on Friday mornings. If this day is not possible for you, please let me know and I can try to work out another time for you to share your gifts with our students!

I am also requesting that you send in a white t-shirt in with your child. This t-shirt will be used in the upcoming weeks to draw the different body systems on. Please label the t-shirt with permanent marker name and section. This can be on the inside of the shirt. If this is a financial challenge, please let me know and we will be happy to help you!

Last bit of information. I wanted to share the science assessment descriptions with you. When you read, "Technology-Evaluates and applies the multiple components of technological design in making decisions." I am referring to using the science equipment correctly. Recently we have been using the microscopes, creating wet mount slides, and other pieces of science materials for lab investigations. The "Human Body system" is the cell organelles and cell processes. If you need any clarification please let me know!

Great job on Student Led Conferences, students! We are so very proud of you!!!!

Hay, Science Is Super Exciting!

2010-01-23T09:17:00.006-05:00

SCIENCE
This week we began with a laboratory investigation on protist. We observed protist and protist cysts (hard shells protist use to hibernate during times that conditions are too harsh to survive) in samples of hay infusion. Hay infusion is the process of taking hay and placing it in water at room temperature for 7-14 days. The cysts that protist use to protect themselves break apart and the protist can emerge to carry out all life processes. Please ask your child how the cysts ended up in the hay! This was also an amazing opportunity for your child to master their microscope skills. It takes a lot of practice and skill to be able to locate and observe these microorganisms. Your children were able to locate a variety of protist, protist cysts, bacteria, algae and hay pieces. I am so proud of each one of them!

The rest of the week was dedicated to preparing for Student Lead Conferences. We chose two lab investigations for each unit to analyze our strengths and weaknesses. The outline that we are using to prepare for SLC's is in our math/science binder. Please feel free to review this with your child. I am thrilled with the reflections on their work. We will continue to analyze our laboratory investigations, set goals and conference together next week.

MATH
This week we continued with our preparations for the upcoming Student Led Conferences by analyzing and correcting past mistakes, selecting work samples, preparing materials, and meeting with Mrs. V for specific feedback on our progress in math this year. We also began our next unit of study, Data, Statistics, and Graphing, by reviewing key vocabulary terms for Central Measures of Tendency: range, mean, median, and mode. To appeal to all modes of learning (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), we learned a song and dance to assist us with retrieving this information out of our long term memories. (Click here to view excerpts performed by some very brave souls: Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4 ). We also blended art with this content by using one of my favorite activities for vocabulary development called Concrete Spellings. In Concrete Spellings, students spell words using letters that form shapes to express the words’ meanings. (For examples, see slideshow above). After everyone had attempted their own drawings, we then circulated throughout the room observing each others’ ideas. This sparked a lot of great conversation amongst the kids, thereby adding to the auditory component of this lesson. Now that we’ve set the stage for learning by building some background information, let the data collecting begin!

We want to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Lynn Curley to the 7th grade team! Although we will miss Ms. Veronica immensely, we are very excited about everyone's new roles!

Best wishes to all!

Water World of Life and the Hug of Death

2010-01-18T08:44:00.003-05:00

SCIENCE
This week was really amazing!!! I want to begin with sharing with you the success of your child's progress on the science assessment of Cell Me About It, an assessment of cells and cell processes. Your children knocked my socks off with their hard work in and out of the classroom last week to prepare for this assessment. The purpose of this test was to expose your child to methods of preparing for an assessment. We talked about studying in short amounts of time on a daily basis, making flash cards, rereading the material, creating outlines/notes and studying in small groups. The assessments were phenomenal! Many of these concepts were very abstract and your children did exceedingly well! Please take time this weekend to review the assessment with your child. Please allow them to share with you the strategies that they used to acquire such a high level of knowledge!

Wednesday we explored the Kingdom Protista. We had an opportunity to observe plant-like and animal-like protist under a microscope. We observed volvox, paramecium, amoeba, and euglena. We were able to determine if they were plant-like or animal-like from the color of the organism. The plant-like protist have chloroplast and had a green color. We also noticed all the different ways protist can propel themselves through the water with flagellum, pseudopodia and cilia. I loved observing your children's reaction as we watched an euglena rush through the drop of water. They were also surprised at how slowly the amoeba moved. it was a wonderful time in the science classroom! We will continue protist with a lab on hay infusion next week.

To continue studying the diversity of the microscopic world we observed hydra and daphnia on Thursday. These organisms are from the Animal Kingdom are are complex with organs and organ systems. Please ask about this lab investigation! I have heard from several students that this was the "best lab yet". We were able to see the daphina's heart beating! We were able to observe the hydra's tentacles with their stinging cells attack the daphnia in a predator and prey relationship. This was definitely a WOW lab investigation! Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity to work with such engaging and exciting people. Your children bring me so much pleasure with their constant enthusiasm!!!

We finished the week with a film on biology hosted by Bill Nye. This film talked about all the fascinating work that scientist have accomplished in biology. We were able to connect our lab investigations with many great scientist and their studies of cells and cell processes.
I wish you a wonderful weekend and I can not wait to see everyone again on Tuesday!

MATH
As stated in the previous post, I have temporarily suspended new instruction while I use this time to conference, reteach, and extend previously-learned concepts in math class. I am focusing not only on mathematical skills and objectives, but also on behaviors such as class participation and study skills as I sit and talk with each student, one-on-one. While this process is very time-consuming, I find it to be incredibly meaningful, and therefore, well worth the time. As I meet with each student, other students are working collaboratively on correcting mistakes on past exams and preparing for the math and science portions of their upcoming Student Led Conference. As I reflect back to last year’s SLC, I am profoundly struck by the students’ growth. Certainly they have matured academically, being able to handle much more sophisticated types of mathematical applications, but I’m also so pleased with their intrinsic drive to work independently to best of their ability. Observations such as these warm a teacher’s heart!

Recently, I read an article in the Charlotte Observer entitled, “How To Nail the College Interview.” While these students still have a few years before they need to start thinking about things such as these, I couldn’t help but think about what a marvelous system we have intact for students at CSD. Of all the schools in which I have taught, these students are by far more articulate than most others. I truly believe this is because of the highly interactive way in which the teachers approach instruction at our school. Students are encouraged to learn by doing. Then they are encouraged to talk and write about what they are learning. These critical thinking and language skills are embedded into every aspect of the curriculum, resulting in young people who are not only knowledgeable of content areas, but who are becoming adept in the “art” of conversation. SLC’s are yet another wonderful opportunity for students to prepare for future occurrences in meaningful, “real-life” ways. So as Barbara Christian used to say, “prepare to be bedazzled” by your child!

A Quick Note About Homework….
I am far more concerned with the process of solving problems than the particular answer, itself. In the case of this week’s homework, can they use corresponding sides of similar figures to set up proportions in order to solve for the unknown? I completely understand how frustrating it is that errors occur so frequently on the answer keys, and for that, I am offering my most sincere apology. Even with computer-generated sheets AND the assistance of an amazing parent volunteer, it seems that mistakes are inevitable. However, I have decided that this is not altogether a bad thing. Kids tend to catch these mistakes all of the time, which tells me that they are thinking critically about what they are doing. I will continue to strive for perfection with this, but realistically speaking, there are probably going to be mistakes on future answer keys. So if things seem way off to you as a student or a parent, the key is probably wrong. First, retrace your steps and make sure you have used the correct process. Then retrace your calculations to make sure they are correct. I know this can become tedious, so there is absolutely nothing wrong with picking up a calculator to help you do this. I ask for the homework to be calculator inactive so that students will keep their calculation skills sharp, but when dealing with a tricky problem for which you cannot seem to locate an error of your own, by all means, use the calculator to double check the work. If we keep in mind the following: homework is simply a means of practicing previously-learned material and keeping calculations skills sharp, then we can use our best judgment at home when problems arise. In my eyes, it’s about the “thinking”; not about the “answer.” Thanks for all you do! I appreciate it more than words could ever say! If you’re at a loss for how to help with homework, click here for some suggestions….

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”
~Martin Luther King~

Cell Me About It!

2010-01-10T09:27:00.003-05:00

SCIENCE
This week we continued with our cell unit. We discussed the cellular process of mitosis. Mitosis is the asexual reproduction of cells. One cell divides into two identical cells. Your children were really amazed that they were able to see chromosomes so well under a microscope and easily find examples of all four stages of mitosis. We observed prepared onion slides and were able to observe prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. To continue with our mitosis comprehension, we created mitosis flip books. These were really interesting to create and share with peers. The purpose was to demonstrate the cellular mitosis was a continuous cycle with interphase as a stage for growth and cellular development. Please ask to see your child's mitosis flip book. They are really wonderful examples of the stages of mitosis! Please have your child explain the changes in the cell at each stage!

We are having a science assessment on Cells and Cell Processes on Monday, January 11th. I have given your child an outline of what they need to study to prepare for this assessment. In your child's binder you will find several lab activities. They should be reviewed and the background information should be focused on.

The labs are:
L. Pasteur's Broth Experiment
Observing Bacteria in Yogurt
Comparing animal and plant Cells
Egg-citing Egg-periment
Cello Jello
Mitosis and Onion Cells

Key points of the assessment are organelles of a cell, osmosis and diffusion, how to use a microscope/parts, understanding the difference between plant cells and animal cells, and the stages of mitosis.

Also, here is a video clip of students reviewing in class. I hope this clip helps your child in his/her studying endeavors!

If you have any questions, please call or email me at anytime!

MATH
I have no news to report this week since I spent all of last week thoroughly assessing the students understanding of all the mathematic concepts we've learned this year. This week we will begin our preparations for the upcoming Student Led Conferences; therefore, I am temporarily halting new instruction, and instead, using classtime to individually conference with students. I'm really looking forward to having the students share their newly-gained knowledge with you in a few weeks! After SLC's, I will resume instruction by delving into a Data/Statistics Unit based on the human body. It will be loads of fun and will tie in beautifully with what Mrs. Smith is doing in science. Just keep in mind that new instruction will be temporarily suspended as I will use the next couple of weeks to reteach and extend previous learning....

Cello-Jello!

2010-01-03T08:13:00.009-05:00

SCIENCE
Osmosis and Cello Jello were the big science activities this week. We had a wonderful time learning about cell processes with eggs. We placed eggs into vinegar last week to dissolve the outer calcium carbonate shell. With the shell removed we were able to allow the cell membranes to demonstrate that they are semi-permeable by placing the eggs into two solutions. One solution was tap water and the other solution was salt water. The eggs both changed sizes and the yolks were drastically different due to osmosis. The salt water egg was slightly smaller and the yolk was a small, tight ball. This was the result of the salt water effecting the water amount in the yolk (vacuole) of the egg. The tap water egg was slightly larger and the yolk was large and soft due to the increase in water amount. Your children loved the whole three day lab and were so excited about he breaking of the eggs for observations! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do! The expressions on your children's faces were priceless! (Click here to watch a video clip from this very cool lesson).
Cello Jello was the last part of the week. We used jello as the cytoplasm of our animal cells and added candy to the cells to demonstrate organelles of the cell. We learned about each organelle and how it helps the cell carry out all cell processes such as cellular respiration. This was a fun and delicious activity! Thank you for all your candy donations! They made this activity a success!

MATH

We wrapped up the year 2009 by taking an announced test on the Algebra Unit we've been engaged in for the past few weeks. This week the students will be analyzing and correcting errors on these tests. This provides me with an excellent opportunity for reteaching and individualizing instruction. I will send home these assessments this week so you can monitor your child's progress as well. PLEASE take care to sign this assessment and return to school for my records. Thanks for all of the support you show at home! Your input and guidance make a world of difference, particularly in regards to helping your children acquire, refine, and practice study skills!

REMINDERS:

No homework was assigned over the break. New homework assignments will be made this Thursday, January 7th and will be due next Thursday, January 14th.
Therefore, there will be NO MATHLETES THIS WEEK. We will resume our sessions next Tuesday, January 12th.

This fall has been wonderful, but we have found due to the significant amount of illness, we are running low on paper towels and disinfectant wipes. If you are able to send in either of these, we would really appreciate it! Thanks for all you do!

Happy New Year!

Lines, Lines, Everywhere Lines!

2009-12-12T08:24:00.004-05:00

MATH
This week we tied up our loose ends in the Talk or Text lesson highlighted in last week’s newsletter. Students wrote equations for Plan A and Plan B and subsequently graphed both of the equations on the coordinate plane. Some students used the standard form (Ax + By = C). Other students learned to convert the standard form to the Slope-Intercept Form (y = mx + b) and used the y-intercept and slope to graph the lines. Once we had graphed the system of equations, we discussed the following:

• Under what circumstances is each cell phone plan better?
[Plan A is better when you talk on the phone more. Plan B is better when you send text messages more.]
• What does the graph of each equation represent?
[combinations of texts and minutes that cost exactly $25]
• Can you use quadrant II, III, or IV?
[No, because you cannot have negative minutes or negative text messages.]
• What other factors might you consider when choosing a cell phone plan?
[Answers vary, but consider things such as activation fees, mobile-to-mobile minutes, weekend or evening minutes, cell phones available, or "extras" like voice mail and ring tones.]

Later in the week, we reviewed how to solve and graph inequalities through an interactive PowerPoint (click here to view).

Next Monday and Tuesday we will be reviewing for our cumulative assessment which is scheduled for Wednesday/Thursday. Each student is currently working on a study guide which is intended to help him/her prepare for this exam. If students have questions about the material, they should come to class prepared to ask specific questions. Please check in with your child regarding his/her preparation process. Below I have included some study techniques that we’ve discussed in class.

Ideas for Studying For a Test:
• Review Daybook notes and re-work examples.
• Visit www.mrsv.org (What We’re Studying Right Now) and (Class Notes). Watch video tutorials, go through interactive PowerPoints, and visit interactive websites for extra practice.
• Make flashcards with important vocabulary or different types of problems.
• Review past homework assignments. Re-work a couple of problems from each assignment.
• Review past Exit Slips glued in daybook. Analyze your mistakes and correct your errors.
• Ask your teacher(s) about anything you are not sure of.

If students feel confident about the study guide, then they are amply prepared for the “test”! I look forward to helping them celebrate their success in this process! I appreciate your involvement at home as it truly makes all the difference!

SCIENCE

Pieces of me, what can you see? Cell organelles and cell processes were our topics this week in science! We had an amazing time observing our own cheek cells in a laboratory investigation that compared our cells and plant cells. Students were able to create wet mount slides of Elodea leaves and animal cells. This gave us an opportunity to discover major shape differences in our cells. You children observed how many chloroplasts were in each tiny plant cell. Cheek cells looked like tiny fried eggs, the only thing visible with our light microscopes were the cell membranes, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Your children were thrilled to observe their bodies in a new and different way! They also found some interesting bacteria and food particles under the microscope too! We are studying the different organelles that are in our cells and how they allow the cell to preform the cellular activities of growing, repair and mitosis. We will be continuing to grow in our knowledge of cell organelles and how they work together for the cell just like our organs work together for our bodies!

Another Egg-citing Eggs-periment! Diffusion and osmosis were the cell processes we began to study this week. We are using eggs (haploid cells) to observe osmosis, which is movement of substances across a membrane. The eggs have been placed into two beakers, one containing tap water and one containing a salt water solution. We made predictions of the cells increasing or decreasing in size. We will observe these cells early next week to determine if osmosis did occur and in which solution!

Cello Jello is our fun activity planned for next week. I will be providing jello for each student. We will use candy to represent different organelles and describe how they work together in the cell. This will be a yummy activity! I am asking the students to bring in a small bag of candy to share with the class on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Any hard candy (gum balls,skittles, red hots, sweet tarts, licorice,....) will work beautifully. Chocolate and peanut butter candies will not work well. Thank you again for all your support of the science curriculum!
I would also like to share with you that the administration has given the science department and your children an amazing holiday gift-oodles of laboratory equipment!!! This week we had many boxes delivered that were full of beakers, flasks, petri dishes, prepared slides, chemicals and pipets! We are going to have so many fantastic learning opportunities ahead of us!!!

Do You See What I See?

2009-12-06T17:04:00.002-05:00

SCIENCE
Cells, Bacteria and Yogurt!!! We have started a new unit in science and we are having a fantastic time! Our unit is on LIFE SCIENCE and we began with the study of prokaryotic cells. The week of Thanksgiving Break we recreated Louise Pasteur's broth experiment. Your children took boiling broth and put the broth into two containers. One container was sealed immediately and the other was left open. The open container had LOTS of life grow in the broth while the sealed did not appear to allow bacteria or fungi to grow. We were able to determine that the life in the broth came from the air in the classroom, not the broth. This lead us into cell theory, scientist that contributed to cellular breakthroughs and the modern microscopes that lead scientist to the discovery of the very small world that is not seen with the naked eye!

Yogurt is so good for us because it is full of living cultures of bacteria. We were able to observe this in a laboratory investigation this week. Your children loved looking at the cocci bacteria as it moved all over their slides on the microscope! We were able to catch some amazing motion in our yogurt samples! I was impressed at how well everyone did this week! We learned all the parts and how to use our very impressive microscopes. We included how to focus slides, how to make correct drawing of microscopic organisms and how to create wet mount slides in this week too! Please take a minute and talk to your children about cells. They were so invested in their learning that I am sure they will impress you with their knowledge and curiosity!

I was planning about making yogurt in class but due to our limited time before winter break, I decided not to make this a class activity. Many students expressed an interest in making yogurt at home so I am including a recipe. This is delicious and very healthy!

Homemade Yogurt

4 tablespoons plain, low fat yogurt
6 cups 2% or whole milk
Fruit, your choice!

Bring milk to boil. Let cool slightly, add yogurt. Mix well. Cover pot and place in the cool oven. An oven light will allow the yogurt to have a little warmth. Leave the pot alone for 8 hours. Add fruit and refrigerate. Enjoy!!!

MATH
This week we began our investigation of linear equations. In order to make this new learning pertinent to students’ lives, I used a fabulous lesson from NCTM entitled, Talk or Text. In this lesson, students compared costs associated with two different cell phone plans. In this lesson, students were informed that their parents would prepay $25 each month for the cell phone plan of their choice. They were also given the costs for text messages and voice minutes for two separate plans and asked to determine which plan would work best for them personally. In other words, are they more of a talker, more of a texter, or do they engage in both fairly equally? After we concluded the pros and cons of each plan based on our mathematic calculations, we took a short break from the lesson to learn more about graphing linear equations. All students learned the standard form of graphing equations in which they pick a value for x or y and then solve for the other variable. We also discussed the meaning of slope, and to differentiate this lesson a step further, some students participated in a lesson where they learned the formula for determining slope (m=the change in y/the change in x) and the y-intercept form of graphing equations (y=mx +b). Next week we will be returning to the Talk or Text lesson where students will be writing equations for both cell phone plans, graphing each of the equations, and subsequently looking for a point of intersection. Fun, fun, fun!

Reminder:
The end of unit Algebra Test is scheduled for December 16th/December 17th. Each student received a study guide this week for homework. This study guide is intended to be a means of reviewing for this cumulative test. Please remember that http://www.mrsv.org/ is also LOADED with tons of helpful information, as are the Math On Call reference book and the Problem-Solving and Reflection daybooks. Please join my efforts to ensure a successful testing experience for your child by helping him/her prepare adequately. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

What Goes Up Must Come Down… And What Goes Forward Should Go Backwards!

2009-11-21T11:50:00.006-05:00

MATH
This week’s math class highly integrated the areas of Language Arts and Social Studies as we focused on the “language of algebra” and the strategy of “working backwards”. We began the week by learning how to read, interpret, and write algebraic expressions and equations. Through an interactive PowerPoint (click here to view), we focused on key vocabulary, thereby leading us into the process of translating back and forth between written, verbal statements and mathematical statements. For example, given the words “Two times the quantity of seven decreased by a number” students learned to read, interpret, and then represent the same information in a mathematical format: 2(7-x).

The latter half of the week we focused on the strategy of working backwards to solve equations through a super NCTM article that involved map-making and map-reading. Students were given the following situation:

Robert is visiting his grandmother in her new home. She asks him to run some errands and gives him directions to walk three blocks north to the cleaners, 8 blocks east to the hardware store, then 10 blocks south to the florist, and 2 blocks west to the ice cream parlor for a sundae.

From here, they were instructed to draw a map outlining the directions given above. It was really fascinating to watch different students approach this task. After drawing the map in their daybook, students were then asked to write directions back to Robert’s grandmother’s house based on the maps they constructed. I then had them make connections between this activity and the math we had been learning in class. Here are some of the comments from the students:
• Maps and math both use coordinates.
• We had to follow directions, just like we have to follow directions to solve problems.
• We translated the words into pictures and symbols, and then turned the pictures and symbols back into words.

Then I introduced the “Forward/Backward/Solve” Chart. In this chart, we always start with x, and then step-by-step follow what happens to “x.” This led to a nice review of the order of operations or PEMDAS. (Click here to view the PowerPoint used in class). After tracking what happens to “x” in the forward column, we then started with the output, or what is on the other side of the equals sign, and worked backwards using inverse operations. Just as Robert had to do the opposite of his original directions to get back home to grandma, the kids realized that they could work backwards using the “opposite” or inverse operation to derive the value of “x.” I found this high-level thinking activity to be a wonderful way to challenge students to form a deeper understanding of linear equations. (Click here to view the Maps and Algebra PowerPoint).

On Friday, to sum up learning activities for the week, students participated in a problem-solving activity called “Equations Dominoes” in which they matched word problems with algebraic expressions. Lastly, we reflected in our daybooks on what we’ve been learning, as well as how we’ve been learning it. To view what your child wrote, please see his/her daybook.

A Quick Note About Homework
All homework that was assigned last Thursday, November 19th, is due December 3rd. If completed this week on a “regular” schedule, this will give your family some well-deserved “homework free” time for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

SCIENCE
"Rocket science has been mythologized all out of proportion to its true difficulty." John D. Carmack , co-founder of Software and founder of Armadillo Aerospace

This has proven to be very true in water rocket science too! Successful launches were had on Tuesday. We had very high apogees with your children in utter amazement at the force of the bottle launch! It was so exciting to see the joy of successful planning and creation of our reconstructed rockets implemented in dizzying heights and fun twirls of the rockets in the air! Monday was a different story. We had trouble with the air compressor and had to revert back to the foot pump which was disappointing to all of us. I felt just terrible for your children! The problem has been corrected and we will relaunch the rockets for our Monday group on November 23rd. Your children will have an opportunity to experience the joy of powerful rocket launches!

The North Carolina Writing Assessment for the content writing in science was concluded this week. The students finished their papers and turned them in on Tuesday. Ms. Kreit and I assessed the papers on Wednesday and Thursday. The papers were the conclusion of two weeks of writing and was a multi step process. I feel like the laboratory writing experience really gave all the students a deep understanding of rockets. I have really enjoyed reading the applications of force to rockets, it makes me so proud!

The science assessment on Force and Motion was Wednesday. Thanks to Mrs. Voncanon , many of the assessments are evaluated. The students did very well! I love that they are taking ownership of their learning and studying so hard for successful acquisition of knowledge! I will be returning the assessments on Monday and Tuesday. The students will be responsible for revising any incorrect responses. We will review this in class as a reteaching moment. I will continue to assess lab investigations, reading and writing passages and exit slips. I do find value in studying for the unit assessments as great practice for advanced learning environments. This also gives me an opportunity to see where students need help and I am able to review any of concepts that misunderstood. I plan on continuing to administer planned unit assessments throughout the year. Please let me know if you ever have any concerns or questions about these assessments. Please take a moment next week to look at the assessment. They will be located in the math/science binder!

When we return from Thanksgiving Break we will be studying cells, cell theory and life science. This will be a fun unit! Microscopes are one of my favorite science "toys" and we are going to have an amazing time looking at different cells under the microscope! I can't wait to get started!

We would like to wish all of our wonderful students and families a very blessed and wonderful
Thanksgiving Holiday! We certainly are grateful for the opportunity to work with such loving, supportive, caring folks! On this very special Holiday, we give thanks for each and every one of YOU!!! We love you!
Mrs. Smith and Mrs. V

3...2...1...RAIN!

2009-11-14T08:55:00.005-05:00

Science This week was a little disappointing as our reconstructed rocket launch was scrubbed due to weather. We are rescheduling our lift off for Monday and Tuesday of next week. Please have your child wear old clothes and tennis shoes as the area for our launch is clay and very messy!

Monday and Tuesday were very exciting in the science room. Your children did research on rockets and what forces are applied to rockets. We also read about adding nose cones and fins to help our rockets achieve higher apogees. Your children created diagrams of their reconstructed rockets and detailed procedures for constructing them. Your children applied all their new rocket knowledge to the construction of their updated rockets. We are all very excited to have our new rockets launched! Wednesday was the scheduled launch day but the forces of nature dominated with heavy rain. Disappointment was in the air but excitement is building for next week!

Thursday we played a game to solidify our Force and Motion concepts. We are having a scheduled assessment Wednesday and Thursday in class. This assessment will cover all vocabulary, content reading packets on motion, force, gravity, speed and acceleration. Your children will also need to be able to apply their lab activities to the assessment. All of this information is located in their math/science binder. I have given a copy of our review game 30 Questions to each of your children too. I am very excited about this assessment. We work so hard everyday in the science classroom, I am anxious to see if your children are able to take our classroom activities and information and apply it to a written assessment. This will help me determine where I should place more emphasis on future lessons!

We were able to conclude our week with an amazing guest speaker. Mike Perkins created a phenomenal presentation on rocket history and NASA. Mr. Perkins began by sharing the history of the space program. We were all surprised that the USSR had so many accomplishments in space before the United States began thinking about space exploration. Mr. Perkins had many photos and clips of rocket launches that captured our amazement! The amount of power in each rocket, the courage of the astronauts and the difficulties in discovery of space were all explored with great insights from Mr. Perkins. The presentation concluded with a question and answer session. I had to stop the questions because we ran out of time. I think your children are so inquisitive that they could have continued to ask questions all day. I was very proud of them! Thank you Mr. Perkins!

I would love to conclude with a short story of the kindness and generosity of your children. Our reconstructed rockets had a material list that each student created the previous week. Each student was told several times that they were responsible for bringing in their own 2 liter soda bottle and any other supplies that they may need. On the reconstruction day(s) several students forgot their materials. I had two unscheduled trips to Harris Teeter to purchase forty 2 liter soda bottles. I was very disappointed. We had talked about taking ownership of their learning and acquiring their own materials to succeed in the reconstructed rocket launch. I was hoping that your children heard me and would change their behavior in the future by remember to bring in supplies and taking more ownership of leading their learning. Thursday morning I walked into the resource room and found little baggies on my desk full of money. Coins, dollars and lovely notes. Your children not only apologized but took concrete steps to rectify the situation. I was so touched I had to have a little cry in gratitude that I could be part of the lives of such thoughtful and considerate children! Thank you for sharing them with me! I just love them all!

Math This week has been all about algebra, algebra, algebra! As most of you already know, at CSD we employ a “Concrete-Representational-Abstract” instructional approach. This means that all concepts are first taught at the concrete level or the “doing” stage of math, followed by the representational stage which focuses on the “seeing” of math, and then extended to the abstract or “symbolic” stage of numbers and symbols. Algebra is another great example of a topic that most adults learned only in the abstract form, and as a result, many of us were (or still remain) daunted by the underlying concepts. My goal is for our students to never have to feel this way! Algebra Tiles are fantastic manipulatives, or concrete models of variables and integers, that help us explore concepts to which we can attach the language of mathematics (such as positive and negative numbers, variables, coefficients, expressions, equations, and much, much more). These manipulatives build on the foundation laid by Hands-on-Equations Program taught in elementary school and serve as the perfect segue into higher level algebraic thinking and problem-solving required of polynomials, trinomials, and quadratic equations.

We began the week by learning all about the different Algebra Tile pieces. From there, we deepened our understanding of the rules of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers, as well as how to evaluate expressions and solve equations. We focused on the steps of a process by identifying and communicating with key terms, such as “isolating the variable”, using the “additive inverse to create zero pairs” and “dividing by the coefficient.” If you are interested in Algebra Tiles and are curious to know more, please visit my webpage (http://www.mrsv.org/) by clicking here for an Instructional Powerpoint that explains what they are and how they work. Also, for your child’s convenience, I have posted a printable template on my website so that each child can make a set for home use. I hope that each and every child finds this unit to be fun, engaging, and most of all, understandable!

A BIG thank-you goes out to Barbara Kaser for taking over the responsibility of making the answer keys for the Skills Practice portion of the math homework! Please join me in thanking Barbara for her willingness to share her time and talent with ALL 7th graders!!! Thank you, Barbara!

Study Skills Lesson On Friday, students participated in a study skills lesson with Mrs. Alter. Due to the fact that we are now announcing some tests, we want to set the students up for success by teaching them how to study. She listed gave the students four study tips that apply to all subjects:

1) Schedule a time to study the week prior to your test.
2) Find a quiet, comfortable place to study
3) Take a short break after 20-30 minutes
4) Try to make it FUN!

After discussing the general study tips, we then focused on tip number four: MAKE IT FUN. This week, we looked at fun ways to study for a Math test. In the upcoming weeks we will come up with fun study strategies for Science, Social Studies and Language Arts tests.

Seven Fun Ways to Study for a Math Test:

1) Make flash cards: For students who love creativity, make the flash cards artsy. For the English lover, make poems out of the steps to solve a problem. Carry them with you so you can practice whenever you have down time.
2) Study groups: Gather friends together for popcorn and drinks and study together! Sometimes peers can teach one another better than the teachers can!
3) Online or video games: There are so many fun, online math games (remember Jeopardy?). You can do these on your own or with friends. Many games are also available for video game consoles. Playing while studying is one of the best ways to learn.
4) Make your own study guide: and trade with a friend. Look through your notes and pull out the most important information from the unit. Give it to a friend (and get one from them) to complete.
5) Be the teacher-teach your sibling or your parents. If you can teach something to someone, then you REALLY know it!
6) Act it Out-Drama lovers: there are many word problems that can be performed! Add to the fun by video taping your math acting skills and sharing it with the class.
7) Turn your notes into a Powerpoint-For the tech-savvy child, use your study time to turn your day book notes into a Powerpoint. You could even email it to Mrs. V to see if she could use it in class. What a great way to study and teach your peers!

THANK YOU, Mrs. Alter!!!

This IS Rocket Science!

2009-11-08T17:47:00.002-05:00

SCIENCE
Is that a frog, a plane, a bird? No, it is a water rocket! This week was AMAZING! Your children were exposed to the exciting world of water rockets! We calculated the time, apogee (highest height), speed and acceleration of rockets with different quantities of water. Sir Isaac Newton would be pleased to observe that his Laws of Motion were applied and discussed too! The pictures speak volumes about how much fun your children had during this activity! I continue to be amazed at how intelligent your children are! They were able to stay on task, take over a variety of duties and do some complicated math applications!

This first launch was a basic rocket launch. This rocket was very simple in construction and the apogee was easy to calculate as the air pressure was low. Your children have spent the rest of the week learning about water rockets so they can re-design their rocket and test them again next week. They will be adding fins and a nose cone. Each student is required to create their own rocket. They will know this weekend what materials that they need to bring in for Monday or Tuesday. A sample material list would be a two 2 liter soda bottles, cardboard and duct tape. We are planning to have an advanced rocket launch on Wednesday. This launch will use their remodeled rockets and a rocket launcher purchased for us by Dr. Pillsbury. Our speeds and accelerations should be spectacular!

Embedded in the fun was the North Carolina State Writing Assessment. The seventh grade is responsible for submitting three writing assessments over the duration of the year. We did water rocket research in social studies, language arts and science. Your children were given an outline listing and describing what is needed to be included in our writing assessment. Their writing assessments will include background information on water rockets, creating a material list for their new rocket, a procedure that another person can duplicate, data table to record our launch and a conclusion comparing our basic and advanced water rocket launches. I want to thank all the seventh grade teachers for their dedication and help during this assessment time! Every teacher has contributed to the success of your child by helping with the writing process and helping me acquire resources. Thank you Ms. Kreit, Mrs. VonCanon, Mr. Hoover, Mrs. Westendorff and Mrs. Alter! You are all phenomenal!

MATH
This week we began our Algebra Unit of Study. In this unit, we will be focusing on the following concepts:
• Communicating with the "language" of algebra
• Evaluating algebraic expressions (combining like terms)
• Solving one and two-step equations
• Solving one and two-step inequalities
• Writing expressions, equations, and inequalities
• Identifying linear relations, sequences, and functions
• Using formulas to solve problems

To begin, we reviewed integers (whole numbers and their opposites; Ex: 4, -4). We also learned the meaning of absolute value (the distance a number is from zero). Both of these concepts were explored using a life-size number line drawn on the classroom floor. Different students volunteered to represent various points along the line. From this point, we learned about rules for adding and subtracting integers through a hands-on AIMS activity entitled, “Stepping Up Integers.” In this activity, students either moved their bodies or a figurine of choice along a number line (see pictures). They also had to translate words into equations.

Ex: Start at four; take away five backwards steps. Where are you? 4 – (-5) = 4 + (+5) = 9

The latter half of the week was spent on multiplication and division of integers. In another AIMS activity, “Multi-Charge and Split-Charge”, the students developed rules for how to deal with multiplication and division of integers through the array model (see pictures). Key Questions for the activity included:
• What does the problem 3 ● 7 mean? …3 ● (-7)? …-21 ÷ 3? … -21 ÷ (-7)?
• What patterns do you notice in the signs of the numbers in the problems and the signs of the answers to the problems?
• How could you use your patterns to do more difficult problems?

After exploring the conceptual reasoning behind operations with integers, I summarized the information by giving the students a flowchart to help them remember this procedural information. This is a situation where it is much easier to simply give the “rules,” but as always, my goal is for the students to conceptually understand what they are doing. Visuals and manipulatives are the keys to success in this endeavor! Let’s be sure to hold the kids accountable for this information by not being content with right answers, but by demanding explanations!  In order to deepen this understanding, I highly recommend practicing with the following games from the Virtual Manipulative website:
Color Chips Subtraction
Number Line Bounce
Circle 0

We can't wait to see where next week takes us!

It's a Bird...It's a Plane....No, wait. It's a Balloon Rocket!

2009-10-31T09:02:00.003-04:00

SCIENCE
Force and Motion continues this week with BALLOON ROCKETS. This week we continued our unit with math applications of the speed and acceleration equations! I was very proud of your children as they worked so diligently on their lab investigation! We created balloon rockets and measured the time and distance the balloon rockets traveled along a string across the classroom. Your children used this information to calculate speed and acceleration of the balloon rockets! These were very challenging equations and the your children mastered these math concepts with ease! We learned the definition of thrust (pushing force created by ENERGY) and how this force is connected with rockets. The next two weeks we will be creating and learning about water rockets to illustrate Newton's 3rd Law of Motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

We worked in pairs to read and discuss speed, velocity, and acceleration. Collaborative work (reading, discussing, and writing) is another method of instruction I use to further solidify the science concepts explored in class. The reading passages are informative as well as interesting. Our whole group discussions to share their thoughts and ideas are always so interesting! I am amazed at the depth of our conversations. Your children are great thinkers and are always asking "why" and "what if" questions. "What if we did not have gravity for an hour?" and "Can we live without friction?" are just two of the many questions we ponder in class.

Next week we are beginning our water rocket unit. If you have any 2 liter bottles I would love them! I will need about 45 bottles. I am also looking to borrow 3 air pumps that you use your foot to apply the force. The hand pumps do not work as well. I need to have 3 plastic sand buckets donated. We will creating stands to hold the water rockets with the buckets. Thank you for all your donations of materials! You have made this class so much fun!!!!

MATH
This week the students were assessed on their understanding of all the recent work we’ve been doing with percentages. This assessment showed me that the students need more time mastering this content. At CSD, we aim to keep learning as authentic as possible. Part of this is keeping assessment as authentic as possible. At many other schools, kids are tested weekly in all subject areas, and unfortunately this often results in a “false” learning environment where kids memorize, regurgitate, and then forget information. For this reason, we usually do not announce tests at CSD. However, there is a lot to be said for learning effective study skills and test-taking strategies, especially at this age. Therefore, after much thought, deliberation, and conversation with other teachers, parents, and administrators, I have decided to take a more balanced approach with my assessment. From this point forward, I plan on announcing “End of Unit” assessments in order to provide the students with opportunities to formally prepare for a test.

On Fridays, in addition to math lessons, Mrs. Alter and I will be teaching mini-lessons on specific study skills and test-taking strategies which will be outlined in the weekly newsletter. I truly believe that this opportunity to prepare for a test will be very empowering for a lot of students. However, I also recognize the importance of authentic data to inform my instruction, so I will continue to “pop quiz” the students often, as well as make informal observations of their progress. As far as supporting this endeavor at home, I suggest the following:

• Read newsletters and post test dates somewhere on a “family calendar” so everyone is reminded of important dates
• Help your child formulate an “action plan” for studying, including devising a timeline leading up to the test
• Quiz your child on information found in the daybook, Math On Call book, and on the website to help him/her identify areas where further studying/reviewing/practice is necessary

The first “announced” test will be this Friday, November 6th. It will cover the concepts from the “Percents” unit of study. A set of printable flashcards can be found on my website or by clicking here. There is also a plethora of other wonderful resources found on the “What We’re Studying Right Now” and “Class Notes” pages of my website.

I am truly very excited about providing this opportunity for students to “own their learning” in this capacity. I hope that this change will positively impact their learning as they begin to see a direct correlation between their effort and their success!

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
~Attributed to both Vidal Sassoon and Donald Kendall

What Goes Up Must Come Down!

2009-10-24T08:58:00.010-04:00

SCIENCE
What goes up, must come down! Gravity continues to be the most prevailing force discussed in our unit of force and motion. This was such an exciting week in science! We created paper gliders during the beginning of the week. Students learned about the forces of gravity and lift and how they effect the glider as it moves through the air. We flew our slow gilders and were able to calculate the distance, speed and time of our gliders. Your children were also able to understand that the larger is better for surface area of a slow gliders wing to create lift.

Marshmallow catapults were a huge success! We used shoe boxes, rubber bands and spoons to create some amazing catapults! Some distances were 538 cm, 826 cm and 1025 cm. These catapults were really amazing! The students were so excited to try their catapults and cheered their classmates on as marshmallows were sent flying down the hallway! Your children had so much fun, I do not think they realized how much they were learning! Please ask your child what horizontal velocity and vertical velocity are and have them explain what a projectile is!

We concluded the week with a small group reading and writing activity on motion and used laptops to play with an amazing web site, http://www.fearofphysics.com/. This is an interactive web site that allows your child to study and apply physics in a fun and engaging way!
I had the most exhilarating time with your children this week! Playing with paper airplanes and catapulting marshmallows is so much FUN!! I love your children and want to thank them for another fabulous week!

Thank you to all the families for donating shoe boxes and spoons! You made this week possible!

MATH

This week we continued with our study of percentages. Our focus was on percent of change. We learned the formulas for percent increase and percent decrease

(Percent of change = increase or decrease/original)

and then applied them in the following real-life contexts:

Increase

Taxes
Tips
Commissions
Markups
Growth

Decrease
Sales
Discounts
Loss

We also learned about simple interest (I=prt) and how this can work as either a percent increase, such as in savings accounts and investments, or as a percent decrease, such as credit card and mortgage payments. I used this opportunity to inform the students of what credit cards are and how they work. After watching this short video clip on “Using Credit Wisely,” the students then participated in an activity where they analyzed a situation where Mrs. V was paying the minimum balance on her credit card rather than paying the credit card bill in full. Seeing firsthand how credit card debt accumulates over time was very eye opening for many students! If you’re looking for a way to talk about money matters with your child, I highly suggest watching the video clip mentioned above. It is chock-full of great content, even for adults! I, myself, was reminded of several important things about credit ratings and credit history as I watched it….

Lastly, some special guest appearances were made this week! Wonder Woman, along with a digital Alec Trebeck, hosted a wonderful game of Jeopardy designed to review all previously learned concepts in the “Percentage Unit”. Although they won’t have the pleasure of working with Wonder Woman, I would like for the students to continue this review at home as well. A great way to do this is by visiting my website. All instructional PowerPoints are now available on the website on the “What We Are Studying Right Now” and “Class Notes” pages. These PowerPoints make for an excellent means to review material being learned in class. If you do not have PowerPoint installed on your home computer, you can download Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer for free by clicking here. For extra fun, challenge your child to a game of Jeopardy which is also located on the website! Let them show you all of the wonderful real-life applications they are learning in school. They may not be quite ready to take over your family budgeting, but I would like to believe they are well on their way!

NEWSFLASH!!!!!

Mrs V's classroom website is now an org!!! You can officially access my website

by simplying typing

http://www.mrsv.org/

into your browser!

This upgrade allows me to easily post much more high quality content

such as Powerpoints and videos!

I hope this resource continues to be of use to everyone!!!

Who's Your Mummy?

2009-10-17T08:33:00.004-04:00

Science
Seventh grade science began this week by creating mummies. Mr. Hoover's Social Studies class has been studying Egypt and we thought it would be interesting to learn the scientific process the Egyptians used to preserve humans called mummification. We created natron (sodium chlorine, sodium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate) and placed a chicken wing and an apple into the natron. We weighed the chicken wing and the apple and recorded the weights on a data table. We will continue to weigh and record data for the next two weeks. Your children will observe that the chicken wing and apple become preserved as the moisture is pulled from the cells of the chicken wing and apple. This activity also gave us an opportunity to learn about tissues of living organisms! We observed muscle tissue, tendons, joints, connective tissue and epidermis. Your children are very excited about our body systems and the upcoming units for discovery!

The rest of the week was dedicated to Motion and Force. We learned about gravity and Galileo by dropped balls of different sizes and masses at the same time. This was a lot of fun and proved that things to fall at the same rate despite their size or mass. While studying gravity, your children were very interested on how much they would weigh on other planets. We calculated our weight on Earth and the moon (the moon is 1/6 our gravity). Ask your child how much they would weigh on the moon and how much their mass would change on the moon? Here is an interesting web site, http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html. This web site will calculate your weight on each planet. It is exciting to see what you would weigh on Venus! We were exposed to Sir Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion. You children were able to observe that a body in motion tends to stay in motion unless a force acts on it. We used rolling chairs and 13 books to demonstrate that when a moving chair is stopped by a force, the books continue to move forward. Inertia, force, and momentum were vocabulary words we used this week. More great science experiments will be coming next week!

Pondering Percents

2009-10-11T08:43:00.005-04:00

MATH
This week we began our unit on Percentages. This unit is particularly important because of its relevance to everyday life. No matter what walk of life the students may choose, all of them will have to deal with money in one capacity or another. Given our country’s current economic state, I feel strongly that it is my responsibility to seize this opportunity to teach the kids the basics of finance. Therefore, my Percentage Unit will revolve around the following learning objectives:
· Fraction/Decimal/Percent equivalencies
· Find the Percent of a Number
· Percent Increase and Decrease

This week we reviewed the concept of percent and how to procedurally convert fractions, decimals, and percents from one form to another. We also reviewed how to calculate the percent of a number and then practiced by playing The Thousand Mile Race, a card game in which students use this knowledge to “race” other students. Lastly, we learned about how to set up the “Percent Proportion” to solve for missing bits of information. Mrs. Alter added a great kinesthetic touch by getting the students out of their seats to actually set up the proportion in a physical way (see slideshow). After the proportion had been established, we spent time exploring various word problems and how to translate the words into mathematical statements. Often times students find this “translation” process to be the most challenging aspect of coming up with the correct answer. I gave them some very specific pointers and clues that should assist them in this process. I highly encourage ALL students to review this information which is posted on my website. (Click here to view the Powerpoint).

As the unit progresses, the students will be receiving practice on these concepts through class activities, the Larson’s computer program, and through homework. I also encourage you to weave these concepts into your family life as well. Involve your kids whenever possible. Here are a few ideas of appropriate ways to do this:
· Devising family or individual budgets
· Shopping – calculating taxes
· Dining out – calculating taxes and tip
· Banking – calculating simple interest
· Analyzing and discussing savings vs. debt

A Quick Word about Homework
This week there is no “Mixed Review.” Rather, the students are working on an “Error Correction and Analysis” of the cumulative test they took upon completion of the Green Home Unit. Part of this assignment is to obtain a parent’s signature. Please use this opportunity to touch base with your child about his/her affective side of learning as well. We’re working hard at school to promote healthy study habits. Hopefully this assignment will give you and your child an opportunity to discuss what these study habits “look” like at home. The kids are getting older, the material is getting harder, and the pace is brisk. We all need to be aligned so that we are providing the support necessary for the students to be successful. Please touch base with your child and talk about these things. Your support and involvement make all the difference!

SCIENCE

Poor Mrs. Smith's family was infected with H1N1 this week! YUCK! Therefore, we did all math this week. Next week we catch up on science. We missed you Mrs. Smith and hope everyone is feeling much better!

“EGGS-traordinary” Learning!

2009-10-04T08:39:00.002-04:00

Science
Congratulations to every seventh grade student on an amazing job on the Green Home Project! We loved the commitment of each student to the project. Every student surpassed our expectations of what Mrs. VonCanon and I envisioned when we created this project during the summer months. The dedication and hard work were evident in the cumulative projects and the presentations your children created. We hope you were as WOWED by your children as we were!

Laurie Dennis of the Davidson News attended our Green Home Expo, please read below what her impressions were of your children.

Your students were wonderful – polite, informative, knowledgeable. Wow! I learned something from every student I talked to. Now I need to build a whole new house, with bamboo flooring, triple-paned windows, mini wind turbines, etc! I will write an item about this in Wednesday’s school notes. Thank you again for the invitation!
-laurie
http://www.davidsonnews.net/

The Amazing Egg Drop began our new unit of Force and Motion. We created three parachutes of different sizes. The three parachutes were attached to an egg and dropped from a 10 foot ladder. Your children had a wonderful time! I heard many times that this was the best experiment yet!! This made my heart smile! The purpose of this activity was not to have mass destruction of the incredible edible egg, but to become exposed to gravity and air resistance. I want your children to become so excited about why the egg did or did not break that they are curious. If your children are curious, they will learn all the necessary vocabulary and apply Newton's Laws of Motion with ease! Cool experiments and concrete science concepts will be forthcoming!

Math
This week was all about reflection and assessment. Although the external busyness of the classroom activities settled a bit, the internal and intellectual busyness of high order thinking continued. Marilee Sprenger, renowned teacher and researcher of brain-based learning, states, “Reflection is not a luxury; it is a necessity.” Too often, we become so entrenched in looking ahead to ‘What’s next?’ that we forget to take the time to look back and ask ourselves, ‘What just happened?’ and more importantly, ‘Why?’. The whole point of project-based learning is for students to grow not just in knowledge of content matter, but to grow personally, socially, and emotionally as well. Reflection time is crucial for students to put together all the pieces of this complex puzzle. So on Monday, the students took some quiet time to reflect on the following:
Teamwork/Process:
1. What do you consider to be your strength? (leadership, explaining ideas without conflict, listening to others’ ideas, accepting, compromising, looking for the best in other people,)
2. What is your weakness? (not listening, not compromising, finding fault with others, arguing, being off-task, )
3. What is one challenge you had with teamwork, and how did you resolve it?
4. What would your teammates say about you to others?
5. “You always have to bring something to the table.” (Dr. Randy Pausch) What does this quotation mean to you?
6. How does working collaboratively help you to achieve your goals more effectively?

Product/Presentation:
1. Why were you proud of your Green Home? (effort, research, aesthetics, scientific and mathematic concepts learned)
2. What would you have done differently? (time management, materials, size, etc)
3. What was one positive aspect of your oral presentation? What is something you would like to improve?
Following the writing activity (which can be found in the students’ Problem-Solving and Reflection Daybooks), we held a round table discussion where students offered comments about what they learned about themselves as a result of this project. As much as we’d love to take time to conference with each individual student on his/her thoughts, that’s just not possible. However, Mrs. Smith and I encourage you to have these discussions with your child at home. We like to think that we are teaching your child so much more than math and science, and we would love for you to stimulate your child’s growth by engaging him/her in a conversation based on the questions above. As Albert Einstein said, “The important thing is to not stop questioning.”

This week your child also took a cumulative assessment based on all of the learning objectives contained in the Green Home Design Unit. These assessments will be returned to the students this week with specific feedback for further growth and development. Details to come via email in the near future…..

Week 6 - Green Home Design Expo

2009-09-26T07:00:00.008-04:00

"The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future." Gifford Pinchot

The Green Home Design Expo was a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this lofty endeavor! Thank you, students, for working hard and for taking this project so seriously. We hope that this unit has taught you many things about math and science, but has also given you some valuable "life" lessons as well. We were very pleased with yesterday's Expo and are very proud to watch you own your learning and share your knowledge with others. Thank you, parents, for donating supplies and for removing the homes from school after the event. Your support means everything to us! Thank you, Mrs. Veronica, for sharing with us your knowledge, expertise, and time. You were instrumental in instruction and construction! We are so blessed to have you on our team. Thank you, Mr. Hoover, Ms. Kreit, and Mrs. Alter for jumping in and making this a true team effort. You all are gifted teachers and excellent teammates. We could not have done it without you!

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." - Robert Goddard

Week 5 - Drawin' the Blues

2009-09-19T13:30:00.003-04:00

Math
This week the students turned into budding, young architects right before our very eyes as they brought their visions for their Green Home to life! First we watched a short video clip on architects and blueprints as a means of setting the stage for the challenging activity they were about to encounter. Then following the guidelines of the project, each group “hit the drawing board” to come up with a floor plan for their home. In this process, students had to consider such things as square footage, layout and functionality of the rooms, and of course, scale factors! Our drawings were done on ½ cm graph paper where the students had to determine the value of each box on the grid for both the actual house and the scale model they are going to construct. This was a very intellectually stimulating activity that required loads of teamwork, perseverance, and patience. I am pleased to say that I could not have asked the students to take this task more seriously. The student buy-in was incredible, and it was so exhilarating to watch them bring the mathematics to life!
In addition to working with measurement conversions, area, and scale, we also learned about how to find the area of composite figures. Composite figures are figures that can be divided into smaller, more recognizable figures. Once the smaller, more “basic” figures have been identified, then traditional formulas for area can be applied. This provides a great opportunity for students to review all of the area formulas we learned last year for triangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and of course, rectangles. I encourage you to bring this concept to life in your own home as well. Take some time (if you haven’t already) to analyze the shapes of rooms in your house. Give your child a tape measure, and have them calculate the square footage of a room or two. To help them make sense of numbers in their world, observe other homes or buildings when you’re in the car and make estimates about their square footage. All of these conversations you have with your child help to bring these concepts into an even more meaningful context and can be the means of generating some great dialogue amongst your family.

A Quick Word About Homework…
Homework is getting SO much better! Thank you for the support you’ve shown me at home! I’m already seeing the payoffs! This week there is no “Mixed Review” – only a “Skills Practice.” In lieu of the Mixed Review, I would like the students to carve out some time to study what we’ve learned so far this year. In class, we had a great discussion about what this “looks” like. Here are the ideas generated by the kids:
· Re-read my Math daybook notes taken in class
· Go to the Class Notes page of Mrs. V’s Math Website and watch video tutorials and take self-check quizzes
· Re-read pertinent pages of my Math On Call book
· Copy Mrs. V’s Math Powerpoints from the “L Drive” at school onto my flash drive and watch them at home
The important thing about studying is to remember that most of us were not born knowing how to do this! It is an acquired skill that we refine over time, and it’s highly individualized in that people have to learn what works best for them. I will tell you this – most people cannot just sit still and read information passively to commit it to memory. Most people must interact with the material. The website is a great means of doing this. It’s also very helpful for most people to talk aloud with someone else. The auditory and verbal component of actually having to formulate thoughts deepens their understanding, resulting in better retention of content. So study groups can be very effective – as long as they stay on task! I have also encouraged them to use YOU as their audience. Have them take YOU through one of my instructional Powerpoints placing themselves in the role of the teacher, with you being the student. Studies show that teaching someone else how to do something makes the teacher, as well as the student, smarter! Plus, it takes you out of the hot seat! Kinesthetic Learners need to add movement to their studies, so I encourage them to come up with creative, yet effective ways to do this. Perhaps they do jumping jacks or lunges as they recite definitions or formulas. Perhaps they come up with hand motions to depict concepts such as area or perimeter. Put them in charge of their own learning, but hold them accountable. J They are ready for it!

Science
This week has been amazing! The last few weeks your children have been exploring energy in a variety of ways. We looked at alternate energy by utilizing the Internet in a Web Quest. Your children made wind turbines in class and created a room of bubbles! We studied convection, conduction, and radiation. You children created solar cookers to discover more about these concepts and as a bonus received a yummy treat! We used solar cells and observed how the radiant energy can be harnessed to create electricity. Green house gases and global warming were widely explored through videos (ask about the polar bears) and a global warming laboratory activity. We analyzed your homes for energy efficiency and brainstormed methods to make our homes more energy efficient. This week we pulled all this knowledge together to create a cumulative project the brings all these topics together into one Green Home.
Veronica Westendorff was our guest educator on Monday and Tuesday. Mrs. Westendorff is a professional landscape architect, and she was able to share with your children professional information about creating blue prints and land development, passive energy and interesting stories about her career. We were very fortunate to have her expertise to apply to their Green Home projects! Mrs. VonCanon did an amazing job with the blue prints! She taught about scale drawing and proportions. We able to apply all this information into real life applications in the creation of a blue print for their Green Home! Wednesday and Thursday we worked in groups to create a detailed plan for creating their Green Home. Your children needed to make selections on what type of flooring to utilize, energy sources, type of insulation, roof material and landscaping were just a few of the decisions they had to make based on the information we have discussed in class. Friday we started construction of the model of our homes with cardboard boxes. We will be using the blue prints to make our model homes. It is such a joy to see all your children so engaged in a project. Everyone is enthusiastic and diligent on their work. The Green Home Expo will be an exceptional day!
Parents, thank you for answering the call for materials! We received many boxes, tile and wood pieces. Your children will have abundant supply of materials to work with!

Week 4 - Goin' Green!

2009-09-12T07:06:00.002-04:00

This week excitement filled the air as we introduced the Green Home Design Project! In this project, students will work in cooperative groups to design and construct a scale model of a Green Home. Over the past few weeks, students have been learning about alternative energy sources in science as well as the concept of proportionality in math. This project marries these two concepts into an opportunity for students to transfer prior learning in a creative, open-ended way. Upon learning about the guidelines of this project (packet can be found in your child’s Math/Science binder) and visiting several Green Homes through a virtual tour at Green Home Building.com, students formed groups and began to brainstorm ideas. We concluded by watching a wonderful movie clip found at Energy Quest.com that informed us of ways to conserve energy in the homes we are designing.

On Friday, we were thrilled to welcome several local “green” folks from our community who presented sessions on alternative energy and green home design. Descriptions of these amazing sessions are outlined below:
Station 1: Mr. Dan Cook- Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Mr. Cook has remodeled his home within the last year. He has spent countless hours researching green building techniques and has installed a geothermal heat pump to heat and cool his new home. Mr. Cook attended a seminar on Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) construction. He shared information on the importance of constructing a home with tight thermal envelope and insulation.
Station 2: Mr. Tom Crow- Mechanical Engineer, Energy Coordinator, LEED Certified
Mr. Crow is a mechanical engineer and the senior project manager with the Real Estate Services Department of Mecklenburg County. Mr. Crow shared information on sustainable products. Mr. Crow also shared information about light bulbs and windows, discussed differences and cost savings and demonstrated how these choices make a real difference in savings and helping the environment.
Station 3: Mr. Dan Hurlbut -Residential Green Construction
Mr. Hurlbut is just finishing construction on his home in which he designed. The home has ICF construction, icynene spray foam, geothermal heat pump, southern orientation, tank less water heater and farm grown hardwood flooring. Mr. Hurlbut discussed low/no voc, thermal mass, design considerations, and energy efficient appliances.
Station 4: Mr. Kris Krider-Conservation Subdivision Design
Mr. Krider works for the Town of Davidson as the planning director. Mr. Krider explained how a land planner can analyze an undeveloped piece of vacant land and determine what are the most important areas to protect from development are located. The land developer can then determine a road network before identifying where houses should be placed to maximize the preservation of the best land for open space.
We extend our many thanks to wonderful gentlemen for generously volunteering their time, knowledge, and expertise!

We are very excited to watch the student bring this project to life! In closing, we would like to share with you the following statement from Energy Quest, an award-winning energy website of the California Energy Commission. “Teaching an 'energy ethic' to conserve finite resources is essential to our energy future, which is currently dependent on fossil fuels. We also must rely on our youth to help us create new ways to harness the elemental forces of our planet and the universe. They are tomorrow's scientists and inventors. They will discover new means of energy production and innovative ways to use less energy.”

Please keep in mind that the point of this project is for students to reduce, reuse, and recycle! Students will be using items found around your household, with your permission of course! Please know there is no need to purchase anything for this project. Thank you, in advance, for supporting us in this endeavor! Be sure to mark your calendars now for our Green Home Design Expo to be held on Friday, September25th! More details to come soon….

A Quick Word About Math…
Be sure to bookmark Mrs. V’s website on your computer! Many students have commented on the usefulness of the tutorials found on the Homework and Class Notes pages! I hope you find it helpful as well!

Week 3 - And the Journey Continues....

2009-09-05T07:43:00.003-04:00

Science
Science looked, felt, and tasted very different this week in science! We went on a journey and did not leave the school! This week in science your children went on a Web Quest. A Web Quest is a collaborative activity that involves exploration of a topic, concept acquisition, and concept application in the form of a PowerPoint presentation. Joseph Abruscato wrote a fabulous book called Teaching Children Science, A Discovery Approach. This was one of the many books I digested this summer on current methods of teaching science and I was fascinated by the way technology can enhance the level of comprehension of a topic through research, working in groups, and peer teaching in the form of their PowerPoint presentations. The problem presented to the students was "Mother Earth needs your help. Please gather information on an energy source and determine where the energy comes from and how it was used. Help us decide what energy sources our good for our environment and can help save her and all the organisms that depend on her!". Your children all worked in groups, read articles from student friendly energy web sites, gathered information, and created a Power Point presentation. Your children gave their presentations in class on Friday and we had discussions at the conclusion of class on what types of energy sources were able to sustain us and keep Mother Earth happy and healthy! Please ask to see the Power Point presentation, your child has saved it on their thumb drive. Be prepared to be amazed!

Thinking ahead......... In two weeks we will be moving into the construction stage of our Green Home Design project. The students will need to start to bring in materials for their construction of their green home. This project is green, which means apply the reduce, reuse, and recycle ideas. Please do not purchase any products for this unit. Your children may start looking around your homes for boxes, extra pieces of building materials (extra wood, ceramic, linoleum), or items in you garage that may be used for construction. Please understand that they are planning ahead (yeah!!) and do not need to bring in the items until the week of September 14th.

Directly below is information on a town activity in Davidson on September 19. This ties in nicely with our unit. If you are able attend I think your children would love it!

Davidson Lands Conservancy Adds Green Festival to Annual RunSeptember 19 Festival & Davidson Garden Club Fall Plant Sale 10am-3pm
The Davidson Lands Conservancy has added a new component to its annual fundraiser, “Run for Green”. “Davidson Green Day”, to be held Sept. 19 on the Village Green, will feature exhibits with a message of sustainability. Visitors will learn about ways to save time, money and natural resources, while focusing on what can be done locally to protect the environment. The festival, to be held from 10AM-3PM, will include live music and opportunities for attendees to volunteer for local projects. Ingersoll-Rand is the sponsor of this first annual event. The Run for Green, now in its fifth year, has added new components as well. The Run will offer competitors a half-marathon course, 5K, and a new 10K race this year. Routes are slightly different from past years, and all races will start and end near the Village Green. Routes will follow the Town of Davidson’s public greenways. The runs are sponsored by Omega Sports, which will offer gift cards as part of prize packages for winners in various age groups. Davidson Garden Club will hold their annual fall plant sale in conjunction with the festival. A variety of locally grown plants including ferns and perennials will be available for sale on the Village Green. Additional event sponsors include Endurance Magazine, River Run and Davidson Screen Printers. Run for Green attracted over 800 participants in 2008. All proceeds benefit the Davidson Lands Conservancy. Volunteers are needed for all aspects of the festival and the races. To volunteer, register as a runner, or to access an exhibitor application for Green Day, go to www.davidsonlands.org <http://www.davidsonlands.org/> . Or, contact the DLC at 704-892-1910. Contact information: Roy Alexander, DLC Executive Director, 704-892-1910 Dave Martin, DLC President, 704-892-3739 Lynn Henderson, Event Director, 704-641-4642Math

Math

This week we continued our study of proportionality by exploring the concept in a variety of contexts. Early in the week we explored how proportionality affects similar figures. To do so, we learned that an essential first step in solving for an unknown side of similar figures is to identify corresponding parts (matching sides and angles). To complicate this task, I gave the students practice problems with similar figures that were rotated. In order to identify corresponding parts, they had to utilize their prior knowledge of geometric rotations and then orient the figures in the same direction. We also learned that the angles of similar figures are congruent.

The next part of the week was about what I like to call “real life” math. In cooperative groups, we explored the following scenarios:
Given the measures of four different juice mixes, determine the following:
· Which mix is the most “orangey”
· Which mix is the least “orangey”
· How many batches are needed for 240 campers (increasing recipe)
· The ratio of concentrate to water in each mix in one cup (decreasing recipe)
Identify and correct errors involving medicine prescriptions given by doctors and pharmacists including processes such as:
· Converting weight in lbs to kg
· Setting up proportions to determine correct amount of Amoxicillin needed based upon the weight of the child
· Determining daily dosages and writing directions for consumption

On Friday, the students took a computation assessment that will help me determine their strengths as well as areas for growth. Computation still tends to be challenging for many students, but with repeated practice, I am seeing improvement! Currently homework is the best place to get this practice. If the calculation component of homework is challenging for your child, I recommend trying the following things to promote his/her success:
· Help them break the assignment into smaller more manageable chunks. When the assignment comes home on Thursdays, take some time to make a plan for the week. If you need help with this, I’m more than happy to help, as is your child’s Advisor.
· Stick to a routine as much as possible. Try to pick a work time when your child is well-rested, nourished, and able to focus. Keep in mind that the typical attention span for this age is around 20-30 minutes, so encourage them to take breaks when they are fatigued.
· If they are stuck, remember that the best thing you can do is ask them questions. Sometimes your questions will help trigger important bits of information that they may be overlooking on their own.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday weekend,
Mrs. Smith & Mrs. V

Week 2 - S'more Learnin'

2009-08-28T05:56:00.012-04:00

Science
Science, science everywhere!!! This has been a really exciting week in the science classroom! We spend the beginning of the week learning about Global Warming. Please take a second and ask your child what they think about the greenhouse gasses being emitted into the atmosphere. We have had some really amazing conversations about using alternate energy sources. We have been discussing the consequences of using fossil fuels and the impact on the polar bears and the Arctic ice. To illustrate the effect of global warming we created Global Warming Jars and took temperature measurements before and after one hour of direct sunlight. Your children were able to observe that trapping the radiant energy creates a much warmer temperature. We redirected our thinking to utilizing the sun as an energy source by creating solar cookers. Your children had an amazing time creating solar cookers and making S'mores. We applied the concepts of conduction, convection, and radiant energy to our solar cookers. I was amazed by how quickly your children were able to process these vocabulary terms and apply them to their solar cookers! On Friday turned in our homework and shared our Home Energy Assessments with each other. We talked about applying our knowledge of energy problems into solutions for our Green Home construction. We also used photovoltaic cells to understand how they work and learn practical applications for the use of solar cells. We had a very busy week in science, I had a blast and hope that your child did too!

Math

Our first unit of Green Home Design is well underway. Since development of proportional reasoning is one of the most important goals of the 5-8 curriculum, the project of designing and building a scale model of a “green” home is of particular significance to our students’ learning. To begin the mathematical portion of this unit, we defined and explored the concept of ratios through an interactive note-taking and problem-solving experience via PowerPoint. In this activity, students solved ratio problems in a variety of contexts such as boy to girl ratios at weekend parties and candy bar comparisons. We explored part-to-whole ratios as well as part-to-part ratios to deepen our understanding of how ratios and fractions differ. Then through viewing a short video clip of a scale model displayed at Lego Land USA, we took this knowledge and applied it to scale and proportion. We discussed the difference between similar and congruent figures and their relevance to scale drawings. To make these concepts more concrete, the students began the process of making a scale drawing of our classroom. This activity involved estimating the lengths of each side of the room, actually measuring the sides of the room, and then formulating algebraic statements to check the accuracy of our measurements. (Ex: EF = AB + CD; FA = BC + DE)

As we progress in this unit, I encourage you to point out the connections ratios (and rates) have to your daily lives whenever possible. Here are a few possibilities:

Cooking
· Rice – 2:1 ratio of water to rice
· Salad dressing – 1: 3 ratio of vinegar to oil
· Any situation where you are increasing or decreasing a recipe.
Digital Photography
· Resizing images for publication (email or other digital media)
Sports
· 8 minutes: 1 mile (running)
Medication
· Body size: dosage 40lb: 1 tsp
Money/Shopping
· 12 boxes: $5.99

Friday’s review/ enrichment session went very well. Some students received teacher assistance on problems that they found challenging on last week’s assignment. Student who did not need this extra assistance participated in a NCTM “Cartoon Corner” entitled Text Message Injury in which they explored the concept of ratios and proportions through daily and monthly text messaging data. Hopefully none of your children suffer from “Carpel Thummel”. (Get it?) Lastly, we reflected in our daybooks about this week’s learning experiences and then set some goals for the upcoming unit of study. I am thrilled with the growth and maturity I see in your children! It’s going to be a GREAT year!

A Quick Note About Homework
I know that you are eager to turn the responsibility of homework completion over to your child, and I am completely with you on this! However, since it is the beginning of the school year and we have a new format in place, it would be very helpful if you would check in with your child, particularly regarding the format, for the next couple of weeks. Prior to starting each assignment, I think it would be beneficial for your child to review the reminders found on the homework page of my website. Then upon completion, they should refer to it again as they assemble their final product. We had each student staple a hard copy of this checklist to next week’s assignment to help them with this important organizational piece. Simple things such as stapling papers in order and labeling papers with name, date, and section number save the teachers a tremendous amount of time. Thank you so much for all you do at home to help your child reach his/her full potential. Your help, involvement, and support are invaluable to me!

Week 1 - Don't Burst My Bubble....

2009-08-21T16:31:00.012-04:00

Math
…And we’re off! We’ve had a GREAT first week of school. This week has reminded me of the MANY benefits of looping, not the least of which is the ability to hit the ground with our feet running! Tuesday we eased back into school with a “Get To Know the New Faces” slideshow and introduction. Following that, we got our blood moving by participating in “The Cupid Shuffle.” Lastly, we took care of setting up one of the partnering systems of the year entitled “Clock Partners.” In this activity, all students made appointments with a different classmate at each of the 12 hours on a clock. Throughout the year, we will use this clock as a way of quickly pairing students for class work and discussions. Some of our other initial activities included setting up our materials for the year, including the Math/Science binder and Problem-Solving and Reflection Daybook. We also explored Mrs. V’s Math website and the pre-algebra Larson’s program. To end the week, I led the students through a detailed explanation of the new Math homework policy for this year. Upon completion of this tutorial, Mrs. Alter and I monitored students’ progress as they practiced this new format. For more information, I encourage you to ask your child or visit the Homework page of my website.
Science
Thanks for a great first week! Team-teaching is amazing. I love all the help and support provided in and out of the classroom from my teammates. Your children are so fortunate to have such caring teachers.
This week we began our Green Home Unit. We defined renewable and nonrenewable resources. We created examples and discussed why renewable energy is not used more often. For more information, feel free to visit the following website: http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/renewable.html Our first science activity was the Turbine Inquiry Lab. We talked about wind energy and observed how wind can create energy. We used pinwheel turbines to create bubbles to measure energy output.
The homework for Week 1 will be a Home Energy Assessment. In this assignment, students evaluate their homes to see how energy efficient they are. I hope this will be a fun, stimulating family activity.

Open House Letter 2009

2009-08-18T06:01:00.000-04:00

Hello Students and Parents!

Welcome to 7th grade math and science! We are so excited to get to know you this year as we continue to explore exciting concepts in math and science. We have wonderful activities planned such as science laboratory activities, data collection and analysis in various scientific contexts, hands-on math learning experiences, and integrated explorations (just to name a few!).

As we examine the interconnectedness of math and science this year, we will embark on a study of energy and sustainability in our Green Home Project. The artifact created will be a 3-dimensional scale model of a green home. The following math and science concepts will be addressed during this unit:

Renewable and nonrenewable energy
Sustainable energy
Global warming and the Greenhouse Effect
Practical applications of energy efficient materials
Scale drawings and proportionality
Surface area calculations and conversions
Measurement
Unit rates and pricing

Subsequent units of study will include:

Force and Motion
Algebra and equations
Characteristics of Living Things
Data analysis and display
Body Systems
Geometry
Genetics and Heredity
Measurement
Further information will be provided during September’s Curriculum Night.

In our math/science class this year class work will be compiled in a Math/Science binder that will travel back and forth from school to home. You will also be developing portfolios and working on projects and laboratories in order to highlight your work as scientists and mathematicians. Through frequent team newsletters and emails we will continue to provide information about our exciting math and science work. Your agenda will be used as a communication tool between home and school and to keep track of weekly assignments. Please feel free to contact us by email, phone, or note anytime.

Kim Smith ksmith@csdnc.org 704-947-0646
Juli VonCanon jcvoncanon@csdnc.org 704-437-0837
Danica Alter dalter@csdnc.org 704-880-0404

The ideas we will explore this year in math and science affect you everyday. Our goal is to help you develop a life-long appreciation for math and science! We look forward to getting to know you this year as “the great adventure continues!”
Sincerely,

Kim Smith (Science), Juli VonCanon (Math), and Danica Alter(Inclusion)