Gr. 7 Science at a Glance for Dec. 3rd to 7th

Grade 7's! You should be working madly in class, trying to finish your professional, scientific posters. If you have forgotten what you are supposed to do, here is the SUCCESS CRITERIA:
Success Criteria for Posters

You will also need next period to create an oral presentation for your ecosystem. This will include the following SUCCESS CRITERIA:
Success Criteria for Oral Presentations

All work needs to be completed in class. If you do not feel you can complete it in the time allotted, please come in during any 2nd Nutrition Break to work on it. Please do not work on it at home.

But, why Mrs. Bibby Smith? Why can't I work on it at home?

Because, dear Student, some parents just LOVE doing posters and oral presentations, and I want to know what YOU can do!

December Newsletter

HO HO HO!

Dear Parents and Students,

As of Monday, I will no longer be teaching the Language Arts' portion of the curriculum. My wonderful colleague, Ms. Baker, will be taking over this class. She comes to JD Hogarth with a plethora of experience and talent. For now, I will be continuing with the Science portion of the curriculum.  Class 7/8A knows Ms. Baker and is excited to have her full time for Language! Welcome, Ms. Baker!!!

Here is the link for Ms. Baker's Blog: http://patricebaker.blogspot.ca/

Grade 7 Science:

We will be finishing our Biology unit on Ecosystems this month, ending with the creation of a Scientific Poster and Oral Presentations. All work is to be done in class. Students will be dismantling their ecosystems and bringing home their 'pets'. Our next unit will be Mixtures and Solutions - a Chemistry Experiment-based unit.

Grade 8 Science:

We will be finishing our Cell Biology unit this month, ending with the creation of either a stop-motion animated film of the Cell Cycle, or, a working model of a system of the body. All work is to be done at school. Our next unit will be a highly-condensed version of the 7's Mixtures and Solutions - to introduce the Scientific Process and Chemistry Experimentation. It will involve a more in depth look at the Periodic Table and elements (preparation for high school!!)

For the next two weeks in December, you will be able to come to the Science Room during second Nutrition Break to work on anything you owe me. NO EXCUSES FOR NOT GETTING ANYTHING IN TO ME. Anyway, it's cold outside and nice and warm in my room!!! Please, come see me if you want to improve your mark/do extra work, ... anything.

Remember, check the blog on Fridays - I will be posting what's coming up for the next week!

Cheers and here's to having a wonderful December.

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012

Scientists -
Check this out:

capuchin monkeys and fairness

Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012

Grade 8B:
Well, some of you were prepared for today, and some of you were not. Let this be a warning to other grade 8 students: COME PREPARED!!

Grade 7/8A:
- Please finish your posters at break tomorrow. Well done everyone!
- a few reminders - report cards? College Hts forms? Novel studies? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?........

Monday, Nov. 26, 2012

Class 7/8A:
- please return your technology use form
- Get your Novel Study Mark Sheet Signed and bring back
- Gr. 8's - please bring in your College Heights form
- Reading 20+ mins

Absolutely fantastic Advisory period today. Despite Ms. Meredith not being able to make it, we had two excellent presentations from McKenzie

and Jessica.
You both had done so much research into your choice fields. Very, very well done, ladies.
Next week: Breanna and Taylor C!! We are looking forward to them both!

Class 7D:
- The clock is ticking! Starting Today or Tomorrow, you need to take 7 consecutive days' worth of observations (excluding weekends of course!)
- If you are doing a Biome in a Box, it is due, in my room, by Wednesday, with the brochure. You will be responsible for presenting to your classmates during next week's science class.

Sunday, Nov. 25, 12 - Sick Science!!

We gotta do this...

strawberry dna

Grade 7 Science at a Glance for Nov 26 to 30

Science at a Glance for the week of: Nov. 26th to Nov. 30th

Grade 7's: (except 7D - see farther below)

This is a HUGE week for you. You will create a Scientific Information Poster for your Ecosystem! This is your final project for this unit. All of the tasks you have learned so far in Science will be applied to this project:
- Drawing a Scientific Diagram with correct, neat labels
- Drawing a Food Chain for your ecosystem
- Using correct Vocabulary for your ecosystem, such as Detrivore, Carnivore, etc.
- Synthesizing the information from your daily observations and drawing conclusions about the success or lack of success of your ecosystem.

I will provide the poster bristol board. You bring: sharpie markers, ruler, your science lab books, and anything else you think will help create your group poster.

During this class you also have to decide how you are going to ORALLY present your information to the class - who will talk about which sections, etc.

Good luck!


7D - you will be given an extra two weeks to continue working on your ecosystems. HOWEVER, use that time to RECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS and make adjustments to your ecosystem. IF your ecosystem is NOT UP AND RUNNING... COME AND SEE ME!!!!

Grade 8 Science at a Glance for Nov. 26-30

Science at a Glance for the week of: Nov. 26th to Nov. 30th

Grade 8's:

This is a HUGE week for you. You get TWO classes to create your Culminating Task for our Cell Unit. The 3D Cell Project was a warm up. Now it's time for the big league. You are doing either:

A. Create a 'working' organ or system,
or
B. Creating a Stop-Motion Animated movie about Mitosis.

ALL work is done in class. You will have two full 100 minute blocks to complete this task.
Here are a couple of links to get 'inspired':

and

or here:

Parent-Teacher Interviews!

Wow!!! I have just whizzed through a million parent-student-teacher interviews! Here is some fantastic feedback I got from students and parents:

This week in Science

Students who see me once a week for Science:
- Rather than hope all of my students check this blog every day, I am going to set up a post on FRIDAYS that states: Next Week in Science: 
and in that post I will list all of the class assignments that are due, tests, etc. I hope this helps my once/week Science people.

- Some of you really need to participate more. You only do Science 1/week for 100 minutes. If you don't 'perform' during that 100 minutes, it's not like Language, where you might think, "Oh, I get her tomorrow, I'll just finish it then." Nope! So, the message went home loud and clear: WORK IN CLASS. period.

- Nothing is forever. Not happy with your mark? Change it!!! I have a Make Up Science Class once a week. Come. Get help. Redo a test. Catch up on a note. If you are away and missed Science - definitely come and see me! We are lucky in Grade 7/8 in that you can decide that you want to do better, put in the effort and those D's and F's disappear. It's all about persistence and effort.

Students who have me for Language Arts and Science:
- A few of the parents asked me why they aren't seeing more homework coming home. Especially since I said in September that I would be sending homework home regularly. Here is my response to that:

• 1/3 of the students do it immediately and hand it in promptly.

• 1/3 of the students hand it in after I bug them, call home, have them call home, have them write it again in their agendas, give them extensions, do it with them at recess, their parents finally do it, etc.

• 1/3 never do it. It just doesn't happen. I ask, cajole, bug, request, yell and it's just not happening. I said to one student, "Am I ever going to see your Spelling Homework that you owe me?" Her response,"You still want that?!"

By Thanksgiving I was ready to cry. I spoke to other intermediate teachers and they responses varied: from they don't give it - to - fail them!
If 2/3 of my class is doing less work than me on their homework, I truly don't know what to do. I am open to suggestions.

To the parents that came - thank you. For me, it sends a very loud and clear message: you love your kid and you want them to do well. If you wanted to come but these interviews were not at a good time: Please contact me through your child's agenda or call the school and we can set up an interview time that suits you.
Thanks,
lynn

Friday, Nov. 23, 2012 PA Day!!!

Good morning! Or should I say good afternoon? Are you all sleeping in? Well done. Now, if you are bored already, get your parents to sign a note that gives you permission to help me and come and do just that, between the hours of 12:30 and 2. I don't have any interviews at that time and would love some help moving things around, cleaning things up, generally organizing.
Come on. If you're reading this blog chances are you haven't planned much for this aft.
Pls?

Mrs b.

Just some cool thoughts from one of my favourite persons:

1. Follow Your Curiosity “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

2. Perseverance is Priceless “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

3. Focus on the Present “Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

4. The Imagination is Powerful “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

5. Make Mistakes “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

6. Live in the Moment “I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”

7. Create Value “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

8. Don’t be repetitive “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

9. Knowledge Comes From Experience “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Source: Dumb little man