Earth & Life Under The Microscope

6th graders: you can review information from the reading in the form of a quiz by clicking here   The quiz is even in Spanish (see left hand side towards the lower section of the page)! 

M 1.28- 6th grade- Reading Essentials packet - ch. 1 section 2 (p. 5-8)
7th grade- Earth's History posters due Wednesday tomorrow!  Finish resource list/bibliography (format samples given in class).  Also due Wednesday, do p. 228-9, go through lab activity and answer analyze and conclude questions #1-4 on binder paper.

T 1.29- 6th grade- Science Notebook packet p. 5-8
7th grade- Earth's History posters due tomorrow!   Also due tomorrow, do p. 228-9, go through lab activity and answer analyze and conclude questions #1-4 on binder paper. 

W 1.30- 6th grade- Prepare for Presentations in class (1-3 minutes).  You can see more of the visualizations I showed in class by clicking here.
7th grade-Presentations in class (plan for 3-5 minutes).

R 1.31- 6th grade- Presentations in class.  Quiz scheduled for tomorrow!  Study the packets on mapping.  For a sample quiz click here.
7th grade-Presentations in class. Quiz scheduled for tomorrow!  Study ch. 7.   Sorry, I was incorrect for 7th grade on the quiz, that is next week.

F 2.1- All students- Enjoy your weekend!  (3° and 6° we will continue the presentations on Monday since we did not finish in class today- continue to be prepared to present!)

M 1.21- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Day - No School; think about how things have changed (or not) since the 1960s, talk with your family about what you hope to see changed in the future.

T 1.22-  Welcome back to a new semester! 6th graders- for our first unit on mapping earth's surface, we'll be using Glencoe book, and this means you do not need to carry the other workbooks (Prentice Hall, Holt) around, you may store them in a safe place at home or in the classroom. 7th graders- we're going to try something a little different, we will be doing the section review questions at the end of the sections (from the textbook) for ch 7 and see how that compares to the workbook sections.
6th- Glencoe's Science Notebook (handed out today) p. 1  -->KW chart, set up Foldable (step 1-3), & Science Journal.
7th- Read textbook p. 206-213; answer section 1 review questions on p. 213 (#1-3, bonus for #4) in complete sentences, be sure to restate the question.

W 1.23- Project #1 assigned today; research will be done in class using laptops.  Homework will continue to be assigned. 
6th- Reading Essentials p. 1-4 and parent signature on grade report.
7th- Parent signature on grade report and Read textbook p. 215-217; answer section 2 review questions on p. 217 (#1-3, bonus for #4) in complete sentences, be sure to restate the question.

R 1.24- 6th grade- Do Glencoe's Science Notebook pages 2-4 using last nights Reading Essentials packet (yes, it says to use your book, but I want you to use the Reading Essentials packet instead); also, parent signature on grade check.
7th grade- Read ch. 7 section 3, answer section3 review questions (#1-3, bonus for #4).

F 1.25- None :)  You may get ahead if you would like.  Homework for Monday is already posted.

Link to download 7th grade Research & Project Requirements: 7.EarthHistoryPeriodReport.pdf (42.64 KB)

For 6th grade Research - project choices are described on p. 66 of the Glencoe book (located in the classroom)

Link to download new Science Calendar (#4): SciCal4.pdf (59.38 KB)

As I was listening to the news on the radio this morning, I heard about a volcano in Colombia which has been erupting.  For information...

CNN News Link

For video clip and news direct from the local source (it's in Spanish - if you are taking Spanish, view this first, then look at the information from CNN in English and see how much you understood!  This is a perfect way to practice your comprehension and expand your vocabulary!) The news program interviews people living in the area and scientists who are explaining the situation.

Caracol Television Video Clip of Eruption 

Caracol Television News Link 

   the news story is called "Exploto el volcan Galeras: ordenan evacuar a miles"  (sorry, I could not find a direct link for it)

What do you think? How would you feel if you lived near this volcano?  What if you were told you needed to evacuate?  What is happening to the weather around the volcano?  (Think of Mt. St. Helens and the video clip we saw where it was the middle of the afternoon yet it looked like it was night because of the ash in the air)   Extra credit (3 points) for the Spring Semester if you leave a comment here on or before  the 23rd of Jan.  :)  Remember, to protect privacy, only put your initials and the period number as your name and leave the email line blank.

Excluding the final exam, all assignments have been entered for 6th AND 7th graders, and the grade it up to date.  You can determine how many points you need to get on the final to keep and/or to raise a grade. 

Sixth graders- It is finally done!  All except for your final have been entered.  Keep on studying!

Look at the California state standards to assist you in narrowing down the information and selecting main ideas for studying. Focus on the topics we have covered from the standards and the specific information the standards ask you to know.  Also review measurement and tools of a scientist.

Forgot the requirements for the note card?  One of the previous entries on the classroom web page gives the details I went over in class, you can scroll down or click here to find them. 

Happy New Year! Welcome back in 2008.

M 1.7 -all students- extra credit options from break are due tomorrow. 
6th grade- create and answer 3 questions about your topic
7th grade- ch. 6 section 4; create and answer 3 questions about your topic

T 1.8- 6th grade- study for final, & finish "task"
7th grade- ch. 6 section 5  (ch. 6 workbook check tomorrow, quiz on ch. 6 tomorrow)

W 1.9-all students: Tomorrow is the last day to turn in assignments for the semester.
6th grade- work on note card for final - due Monday
7th grade- work on note card for final - due Monday

R 1.10- Today we're reviewing for the semester final exam next week.  Homework: work on note card for final - due Monday

F 1.11- Today we're reviewing for the semester final exam next week. 
Note card for use during final is due on Monday, Jan. 14.

If you are out this week (or a majority of it), here is the make up assignment for classwork: 

As I was driving to a store this morning, I had the radio on and there was an interesting interview on the radio.  I even sat in the car once I reached my destination because I wanted to hear more.  The author of a book, The Hard Road West, was on KQED/NPR talking about the geology of the Western United States.  You can listen to the program by clicking the link:

http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R801021000?itemMD5=7cced1ee6b294de2d9e823895f5373da

Professor Meldahl (the book's author), explains about the differences in the topography of the Eastern United States and the Western United States, the causes, historical explanations for the differences and the development of geology.  If you would like to listen to this, and use it as a news article to summarize for extra credit, go for it!  It is applicable to both the 6th and 7th grade standards, so students from either grade level may select to do this.  Remember though, extra credit is due on Tuesday. 

Additional FYI, I'll be entering grades (gradebook willing) this week for many of the items we completed before break.

Enjoy your last few days of sleeping in.  Start going to sleep earlier and start training your digestive system for the school schedule so there are fewer grumpy, hungry, sleepy students on Monday when we return.   :)  Mrs. Fischer