Mrs. Felten's Newsletter
Science 6-8 - molly.felten@ops.org
Week of March 20th
I hope you are all well and keeping sane! These are some crazy times, but time continues on! We didn't get to meet face to face this week to do any labs, but students continued to connect through discussion posts about what they did over Spring Break. Students are encouraged to continue on pace with their classes until we get news from the district to do otherwise. I'm seeing some good work come in, and I'm encouraged that so many kids are still working. I'm hoping that this helps students have some normalcy at home with a schedule. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I'm here to help!
Week of Feb 21st
First: the end of the quarter is quickly approaching. Conferences will be on March 4th and 5th. Students will need to turn in all work for third quarter grades by Feb. 26th (next Wednesday). Spring break will be March 9th - 13th.
Second: Summer school this year will look different. All of our students are invited to a summer camp atmosphere where they will work collaboratively on STEM topics. It will be fun and engaging and would benefit any student. I have put a flier below. Email me if you would like to sign up.
Third: This week 8th graders are testing their pizza box ovens. Parents are invited to our Pizza with Parents event. Tuesday and Wednesday morning 8th graders will host this event from 10:30 - 11:30. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon 8th graders will host this event from 2:30 - 3:00. Parents can enter at the Burt Street entrance and come to room 366 on the Career Center side. Please email me if you plan to come so I can have enough mini pizzas.
Fourth: Our class auction is quickly coming up at the end of third quarter. We have received several bags of donated goodies, but are still looking for some more. If you want to donate gently used or new items, please send them to school in the next two weeks. Thanks!
This week in class students worked on finishing projects they started the last two weeks. 6th graders played a water cycle game and started a water cycle poster. 7th graders worked to finish an invasive species research page and poster. 8th grade finished making their solar pizza ovens for their Pizza and Parents event next week.
Week of Feb 7th
This last week has gone by fast! I can't believe it is Friday. Next week is Face to Face art. Also, I will be gone to Seattle for the national science fair put on by the American Association of the Advancement of Science. I will be gone part of Wednesday through Monday. If you have any urgent needs, please reach out to Ms. Robison or Mr. Gamble.
6th graders: This week 6th grade worked on modeling the water cycle. They analyzed a traditional water cycle diagram and proved how the water cycle does not always go "in a perfect circle". The learned new vocabulary of phase changes including sublimation, deposition, percolation, and more. They did a water cycle sort with peers and will be part of a moving water cycle game next week.
7th graders: This week we finished up our studies of the food web and populations and moved to invasive species. In class students researched an invasive species located in Nebraska and made a poster. Next week they will finish it up and move on to animal adaptions.
8th grade: This week students began their thermal solar ovens in class. They came to the "general store" to buy supplies with fake money. They began utilizing what they know about thermal energy to create a pizza box oven. In a week or two they will cook pizza in their oven.
Week of Jan 31st
This week was fun. We worked hard to earn tickets for our upcoming auction. Parents, if you have new or like new items at home you would like to donate, please send them with your learner.
In class we took the science MAP test. Our scores were great! Over 90th of our students are proficient at the 8th graded level, which is the highest the test goes. I appreciate the hard work and positive attitudes of our students during this testing season.
Students were busy learning away in our room this week. 6th graders began their water cycle unit. 7th graders are coming to the end of their ecology unit. 8th graders began their thermal energy unit and will start building their pizza box ovens next week in class. Please have them bring a pizza box of any size if they haven't already done so.
Several 7th graders came home with produce this week. We are slowly cycling our hydroponics tank with one more harvest. Students have harvested over 60 bunches of lettuce, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary. Our first year of hydroponics is almost done, and I'm excited for next year's 7th graders to get to use the Tower Garden.
Week of Jan 24th
This week in class:
6th grade - starting to learn about the water cycle and its implications on Earth. They will have a lab sheet to take home to complete.
7th grade - Will continue with ecology and studying graphs and charts.
8th grade - will begin working on their solar ovens. Please have them bring a pizza box.
Students in Life Science sorting animals into food webs
Students in Life Science sorting animals into food webs
Student in Earth Science making a model of the greenhouse effect
Week of Jan 10th
Next week students will come to class twice: once on their regular day and then again on Thursday for testing. Please see an email sent from Mr. Gamble for the sign up for testing sessions. Next week is also art with Mrs. Barry during class.
Science fair is coming up quickly - Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30 - 7:30PM. All students in science are required to come and present their science fair project. Families should park in the main parking lot and come in through the main doors. Please take the elevator to floor 5 and half way down the hallway you will find the cafeteria. Students will set up their posters and present to the judges. Then they will go around to different stations to explore fun science concepts. The night will end with an awards ceremony for the science fair students. I sent out an email about judges for science fair. I need many judges for our science fair to be a hit. Please consider signing up!
During class we were busy!
6th grade - We did an experiment modeling the greenhouse effect. Students analyzed the results in a data table and graph. This worksheet was sent home to be finished and brought back next week. Next week we will continue to look at climate change.
7th grade - We took review notes about the food chain and food webs. Students participated in two sorting activities involving endangered animals from Nebraska. Students learned about the Whooping Crane, which is an endangered species that migrates to Western Nebraska. Next week we will be doing an owl pellet dissection to learn more about the food chain and energy cycle.
8th grade - Students took notes about potential and kinetic energy. Then students started a lab about potential and kinetic energy that they will finish next week. Students are encouraged to bring any size pizza box for our upcoming unit on thermal energy where we will make solar ovens.
Week of December 13th
We have one week left of our courses! In class the last two weeks in class we have been working on our science fair projects and handing in all work to make sure our grades adequately reflect our learning. Most students have had their science fair board title cut out on our Cricut machine. Many are all done with their science fair project and have printed out the board parts on our classroom printer. We will continue making sure we get as much done in our time this week so that they can be as close to done as possible with the science fair and their courses. Our science fair takes place on Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30 - 7:30PM. All middle school students who are in science are required to attend to present their projects.
Designing a way to make cars go down a ramp without flipping over
Science club Ozobots
Science club Ozobots
Week of November 15th
Science club - these young scientists got to work with mini robots this week! They had a lot of fun coding the Ozobots with colors and paths. All students were engaged to the max! We have two more meetings: December 5th and December 19th.
Box Tops: For each Box Top our school collects, we get 10 cents. This adds up quickly, and helps us to provide science supplies in class. This is the last year that Box Tops will be doing paper ones on boxes. They are switching to a free app called Box Tops for Education. All you need to do is scan a grocery receipt, and it will automatically give us the money for our classroom. Could you help provide our fun science experiments by scanning your receipts?
Science fair - students should have already brought their science fair booklets to class. This week in online lessons we learned about making a simple graph and chart in Excel. Students should be doing their experiments now unless they are waiting to hear back from the SRC.
6th grade - We continued learning about Pangea. Students took home a graphic organizer to fill out about fossils, rocks, and sea floor spreading to help prove that the continents once touched. This is due in class this week. In class, they will type it into a paragraph on their computers. In 2 weeks we will send home the items sent to space for their experiments.
7th grade - We continued learning about the Human Body after our Virtual Reality experience. Students took home notes to finish and bring back. This week in class we will finish a project and start talking about how all of the systems work together.
8th grade - Students are working on engineering and planning investigations around Newton's 3 Laws. This will take us all the way to Winter Break. They had no homework this week and will continue working on this process for several more weeks.
Week of November 8th
Very few students brought their science fair booklet with pages 1-12 (through the hypothesis) to school. Please have them bring it this week to get a grade on it.
6th grade - this week we watch the launch video and got to see the items that came back from outer space. We will be doing the experiments soon! We also read a booklet on tectonic plates and formed some research questions. I have updated grades in the grade book. The last day I will take the following assignments is this next week during class.
* Rock Mystery * Rock Coloring Assessment *Rock Layers Revealed
7th grade - students turned in their cell model or poster. Many students forgot to write the rationale. Please check to make sure they get it done. In class students dissected a human body in virtual reality and then wrote a reflection about it. You can see the video on Facebook or Twitter on our school account. They will get a chance this next week to continue on the VR system. I have updated grades in the grade book. The last day I will take the following first quarter assignments is this next week during class.
* Hydroponics reflection *Microscope Drawings *Comparing cells lab
8th grade - this week in class students are learning about Newton's laws by creating a investigation about speed using toy cars. Students will continue this activity for the next two weeks. I have updated the grade book. The last day I will take the follwoing first quarter assignments is this next week during class.
* Molecules * Campfire Chemistry *Physical/Chemical coloring assessment *Milk Plastic
First harvest from hydroponics this year
Playing spoons for our MTSS-B party
Science Club Catapults
Playing DOS for our MTSS-B Party
Science Club Catapults
Playing UNO for our MTSS-B party
Week of November 1st
Science club - This week we made catapults out of popsicle sticks and rubberbands. Our next meeting will be in two weeks.
6th grade - We learned about index fossils found in rock strata. Students took home a worksheet that they need to bring back to class next week. Next week in class we will be learning about Pangea.
7th grade - students finished their last class day of working on their cell model or poster. Students who were not finished took the project home. It is due next week in class. Next week in class we will be looking at the human body in Virtual Reality using occulus headsets.
8th grade - students finished their Newtonian Laws foldable. This week in class we will be working to apply Newton's Laws with a speed car lab.
Week of October 25th
Science club will meet at 9:00AM in the science lab on Thursday, Oct. 31st. We will work on our airplane launchers and possible begin our catapults if there is time.
6th grade worked on a rock cycle review. They will begin a fossil activity this week in class. 7th grade worked on their cell model projects. Next week will be the last day of in class work time for the project. If they don't finish in class, they will need to finish it at home. 8th grade worked on notes for their Newton's Laws unit. We will finish the notes in class this week and talk about our upcoming unit.
Week of Oct. 18th
Substitute - I will be at a district meeting all day on Wednesday this week. I will have a substitute that will do activities with the students in the science lab like normal face-to-face time. If you have a Wednesday learner, could you pre-teach expectations for when a guest teacher comes?
6th grade - Last week our High Altitude Balloon launch was a success. The balloon reached the exosphere in about 2 hours. The pods landed in Clarinda, IA in a 55 foot tree. The scientists are going this Wednesday to try a second removal. Hopefully we will get the pods back soon! Last week we started on a Mystery Rock investigation where students analyze the properties of rocks to determine what kind of rock it is. We will work on this again next week in class. They will also start a color-by-number assessment about the rock cycle.
7th grade - We reviewed the cell model project expectations and some groups began working on the projects. Students started working on their cell models and posters - they are turning out great! We will continue to work on these projects the next two weeks.
8th grade - this week in class students finished an assessment comparing synthetic materials to natural materials. The week of Oct. 21st we are going to finish up our chemistry unit and create notes for our fourth unit - Newton's laws.
Conferences - Please bring your learner with you to conferences (information about conferences should be in the main OVS newsletter). At conferences they will go over their science portfolio with you to show you what they have been doing in class. Please check their grades and assignments. I have contacted each family if your child has had any behavior issues this quarter, and you can check their grades at any time. I over communicate so that no one is surprised at conferences.If you are unable to come to conferences, I will send your child's portfolio home so they can still discuss their progress/projects. I look forward to connecting with all learning coaches and learners.
Online lessons - I have cancelled science online lessons for the next two weeks (October 14th - 25th). in order for students to have time to work on their science fair booklets. They need to complete pages 1-12, or through the hypothesis page. This includes coming up with a question, hypothesis, purpose, variables, and doing research with a bibliography. They should use MLA format on citationmachine.net to get their bibliography. All they need to do is copy and paste the website address into citationmachine.net and it will generate a full citation for them. I have gone over all of this on our online lessons. If your learner is unsure of what to do, have them rewatch the recordings on K12.
Students who are doing the scientific method will be easily able to fill out the book. Those students who are choosing to do the engineering design method, will not have variables. Online lessons will resume on Oct. 28th. Science fair booklets should be brought to class on Oct. 29th and 30th to be graded for pages 1-12.
Science fair projects can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. Please reach out to me if you and your learner are loosing your sanity over this project and I will help you. It should be a fun project where you can bond with your learner.
MAP results
With the school year in full swing and MAP testing concluded, we are ready to go through what those MAP reports mean! Please join Sarah Nommensen during Conferences to learn how to read the reports and start to set goals for your children.
Our learning goals for the session are:
- Parents will be able to read the MAP Progress Report and Student Goal Setting Worksheet.
- Parents will be able to set growth goals for their learners using the Progress Report and Goal Setting Worksheet.
You must sign up for the training so I can be sure to have your reports printed! Sign Up here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084EABAB23A4FA7-mapreports
Science Club Slime
Life Science Cell Model
Life Science Cell Sort
Science Club Slime
Physical Science Smores
Science Club Slime
Life Science Model
Life Science Microscope Lab
Physical Science Smores
Physical Science Making Plastic
Physical Science Making Plastic
Science Club - Future Airplane Launchers
Week of October 11th
Students who are doing the scientific method will be easily able to fill out the book. Those students who are choosing to do the engineering design method, will not have variables. Online lessons will resume on Oct. 28th. Science fair booklets should be brought to class on Oct. 29th and 30th to be graded for pages 1-12.
Science fair projects can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. Please reach out to me if you and your learner are loosing your sanity over this project and I will help you. It should be a fun project where you can bond with your learner.
Science club - October 17th is our next science club meeting. We will start the morning at 9:00AM at the back of the main parking lot for the High Altitude Balloon launch where students will help blow up a weather balloon with helium and "launch" it. The balloon will actually get up to space, pop, and return back to earth. We are working with scientists who will retrieve the balloon and bring it back. It has sensors and cameras so we will be able to see how the flight was. Then we will continue in the classroom by making paper airplane launchers. Students will sand the wooden pieces and put it together with bolts, small nails, and wood glue. Then they will work on manipulating variables of length, angle, and paper airplane type to see which airplane can go the farthest. I will have 8 of these air plane launchers that all students will assemble and use. Optionally, if your child would like to take one home to keep investigating or to entertain younger siblings, they will be for purchase for $4 (at cost of the materials). Please have them bring exact change if they want to purchase one. These launchers can be used as a science fair project to find how energy, angle, or air plane type will affect flight.
6th grade - our space launch was postponed due to weather and moved to this next Thursday. Families are invited to attend, I'm guessing it will take about 30 minutes. Please know that unless your learner is in science club, they cannot come to ISL until 10:30. I know there were one or two students who forgot to bring their items to send to space. They can still bring them this next week to class. This week we started on a Mystery Rock investigation where students analyze the properties of rocks to determine what kind of rock it is. We will work on this again next week in class. It was fun to see the students really engaged and being hands on with our rocks and mineral kits.
7th grade - this week in class students worked on a group sorting activity where they worked as a team to match each cell organelle with its function to prepare them for making a cell model. We reviewed the cell model project expectations and some groups began working on the projects. We will have 45 minutes of work time this next week in class and the week after. Thanks for sending supplies!
8th grade - this week in class students learned about how all synthetic materials are made from natural materials. We applied the polymerization of casein to design a durable and biodegradable plastic. When the students come back next week we will compare synthetic plastics to the kind we made. Some groups succeeded, while others will try again next week. There was a lot of laughter as well as a lot of messes to clean up.
Conferences - Please bring your learner with you to conferences in two weeks (information about conferences should be in the main OVS newsletter). At conferences they will go over their science portfolio with you to show you what they have been doing in class. Please check their grades and assignments because all work for the first quarter report card must be turned in by this Sunday. I have contacted each family if your child has had any behavior issues this quarter, and you can check their grades at any time. I over communicate so that no one is surprised at conferences.If you are unable to come to conferences, I will send your child's portfolio home so they can still discuss their progress/projects. I look forward to connecting with all learning coaches and learners.
MAP results
With the school year in full swing and MAP testing concluded, we are ready to go through what those MAP reports mean! Please join Sarah Nommensen during Conferences to learn how to read the reports and start to set goals for your children.
Our learning goals for the session are:
- Parents will be able to read the MAP Progress Report and Student Goal Setting Worksheet.
- Parents will be able to set growth goals for their learners using the Progress Report and Goal Setting Worksheet.
You must sign up for the training so I can be sure to have your reports printed! Sign Up here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084EABAB23A4FA7-mapreports
Week of October 4th
6th grade met to discuss the High Altitude Balloon launch happening next week on Oct. 10th at 9:00 AM out in the main parking lot. All families are invited to attend. Students brought their supplies for their experiment to class. The 6th graders are very excitable and got off topic about how "marshmallow peeps are awesome" when they found out someone was sending up peeps to space. If your student has not brought their item to send to space, please send it during class next week. They also have a high altitude balloon launch worksheet that we will be completing during class next week. Please make sure it is in their backpack when they come to class. We will also be doing a mystery rock exploration in class. Be prepared to hear rock jokes and puns at home next week because 6th graders rock.
7th grade met to distinguish animal and plant cells in a microscope. They looked at both cheek cells and onion cells. Only one student cried cutting the onion. They had a worksheet they took home to finish. This worksheet is due next week in class. Next week we are starting to build the cell models. Please send supplies to school with your learner if they are choosing to do so. If not, they will make a poster in class. Again, please do not send loose glitter to school for these projects unless you want to punish me. Preteens and glitter don't mix well.
8th grade students turned in their physical and chemical changes color page. Then they made smores over a tealight candle. The life lesson of how to light a match was taught. It was easy to tell the pyromaniacs to students who didn't know how to use a match. The building did not burn down, which is a win. You may want to talk about fire safety this week just in case. Students described the physical and chemical changes that occurred during the smore process and drew a picture of the lab. This sheet is due next week. Next week in class they will be learning about synthetic materials and making their own plastic.
Science club was a hoot. 17 students showed up for a great time making magnetic slime, magnetic force plates, and extracting metals from cereal. Friends and messes were made. Both the kids and myself survived, so I count it as a win. Mrs. Rogers will be coming in to assist the next few weeks because of the high level of interest. The next time we meet is October 17th. My husband and I are cutting and drilling lumber this weekend so that the students can assemble paper airplane launchers. I'm excited to see these young scientists in a couple of weeks.
Have an enjoyable weekend!
Week of September 20th
In class the students were busy! Sixth graders worked on learning about high altitude balloon launches. They worked on a packet with questions and will continue the packet next week to design an experiment for the high altitude balloon launch. The launch will be on October 10th around 9AM. Families are invited to attend. The balloon will be launched from the back of the main parking lot.
Seventh graders had fun looking at the seedlings they planted two weeks ago. Many of the young plants already have leaves. Once all of the plants are a little bigger, we will put them in the hydroponics Tower Garden. Students turned in their reflection about hydroponics for a grade. Then we worked with microscopes to see microscopic specimens. Students drew what they saw in the eye piece. Next week, students will use the microscopes to look at cheek and onion cells. Earlier this week I sent home an email about the cell model project. Please let me know if you did not receive the email.
Eighth graders reviewed how to make an atom model by reading the periodic table. Then they completed four atom models by themselves for a grade. Then we began learning about molecules using stick-and-ball manipulatives. Students went home with a molecule worksheet to finish at home. Next week in class we will review physical and chemical changes by doing a Smores lab.
Week of September 13th
We were very busy in class this week! The sixth grade earth science students are working hard to learn about our high altitude balloon experiment. Students learned about the layers of the atmosphere and about the flight pattern of a weather balloon. Students took home a notes foldable to finish as homework. They need to bring it back next week. We will be launching a balloon up to space on October 10th - more details to come. Each sixth grader will be designing an experiment that will ride in the payload up to space. They will be able to send up one item to space to be exposed to different temperature, air pressure, and radiation. When this item comes back down to earth, they will test it against another item that stayed here. This item will need to be provided by the learner. It should be light in weight and be "testable". For example a learner could send up a rubber band. When it comes back to Earth, the student could test the elasticity compared to the one that stayed on Earth. Please help your learner think of possible ideas. Ask them about how the launch will work!
Seventh graders were introduced to the world of hydroponics farming without soil. Students learned the history and current methods of this farming option. I showed them the Tower Garden we will be using and they each planted a seed in a piece of rockwool. In the next couple of weeks when the seeds grow into seedlings, we will fill the Tower Garden with water and begin the hydroponics process. Within a month or two, we should have over 20 different plants to start harvesting. The kids in class were pretty pumped. The homework from class was to write a paragraph reflection for their science folder. Ask them what they planted!
Eighth graders began their unit studying matter. They learned about Albert Einstein's contributions to the atom model. Then they were given five clues for an "Escape Room" puzzle to create a model of an atom including the three sub-particles, charges, and shell levels. One group "escaped" with no help, while a couple of groups needs a hint or two. Dr. Loewenstein participated with one group that escaped pictured above. The learners had fun watching her struggle and stepped up to teach her the process of reading the periodic table. They had no homework. Ask them how to draw an atom model.
Some students still have not turned in their bubble gum lab. Next week is the last week I will take it. Most students took the Reading MAP test on Thursday. Remember, next Thursday we will have the Math MAP test.
Next week in class sixth graders will continue with the high altitude balloon launch experiment. They will come home with a packet to finish as homework. They will need to think of an item to send up to space. Seventh graders will start working with microscopes. I'm working on getting some software that will let them take pictures of what they see on each slide. They will look at various materials and then make wet-mounts for cheek and onion cells. Eighth graders will finish their work with the atom models and use stick-ball models to see how molecules form.
Thank you for letting me be your child's teacher.
Week of September 6th
This week was a bit of a blur only with it being one day short. The students came back and told me about the fun times they had over the holiday weekend. I'm enjoying getting to know their personalities and what they like to do for hobbies. I had several students this week who were above and beyond helpful to other students. K12 homework has been stellar in quality as well.
In class, all students participated in an engineering challenge. Students learned about constraints and criteria for a marble run. They worked with their table groups to build a contraption that would get a marble to roll at least 6 feet. Some groups succeeded, while others did not. However, all learners got an opportunity to build relationships, work on collaboration skills, and have a little fun after the MAP test.
Last week students were to take home their Bubble Gum Lab sheet to finish the chart and conclusion. Many students forgot to bring it back for grading. Please ask your learner if they turned in this summative assignment. If a student had not yet joined OVS, they are not required to make it up.
Next week in class we have several more labs coming up. Sixth grade students are going to learn more about what items they can send up to space in our high altitude balloon launch. Seventh graders are going to be starting a garden with the hydroponics Tower Garden. Eighth graders are going to be making atom models for the next two weeks.
Week of August 30th
In class we did a bubble gum lab. Students chewed three or more pieces of gum to compare which brand had the biggest bubble. The focus was to review the scientific method while making friends in class. It was a fun activity with many smiles. Most students still needed to complete the graph and conclusion paragraph, so that packet went home as homework. It should be returned next week.
We will be taking the science MAP test next week in class. Please prepare your learner by getting a good night's sleep and eating before they come. The test is only 45 minutes and is not graded. We use it to see growth over a year's time. After the test, I have a fun activity planned for science. Students will work in groups to do an engineering challenge. They will create a marble run focusing on modification to achieve optimal design.
I'm loving the 2019-20 middle school students' growth mindsets and positive attitudes. The students have great behavior and have done a good job trying to make friends. I love their inclusive attitude towards their peers and look forward to seeing collaborative projects done in science. I hope you have a great Labor Day weekend!
Week of August 23rd - First week of school!
This next week we will be doing an experiment using gum. Students are encouraged to bring a pack of gum (any type) to class if they have not done so yet. This will be a lab grade in the grade book. The week after Labor Day students will take the MAP Science test in class. This takes about 45 minutes and seems to be the shortest and easiest of the three MAP tests. This test is not a grade or placement test, it is just used to measure growth throughout the year. After the test, students will do math, ELA, and science rotations. In science we will be doing a STEM engineering project to help build trust and friendship between the students. It will be a nice brain break from a day that starts with a test.
Week of April 22
Student Corner
Makenna G - World History
Joleigh - American History
Week of April 15
Week of April 8th
Week of April 1st
Week of March 25th
This last week before Spring Break we are wrapping up our projects. You can read more about each project below. We are running low on tropical fish food flakes for our class fish. If you have some left over from an old fish tank you are willing to donate (any brand or amount), our fishies would be very thankful!
6th graders are working on a Minecraft Sustainable City where they apply knowledge of renewable energy resources. Students are given time in class to do this, but they may want to work on it at home since it is fun for them.
7th graders are doing a fun lab where they find out the genotypes and phenotypes of some baby dragons that will "hatch" in our classroom.
8th graders are working on a lab about mechanical waves.
This week we will teach students procedures and tools for taking the NSCAS test. Then the following week they will take the tests. Only 8th graders will take the science test.
Student Corner
Johnny Reistoffer
Abraham Varela
Steven Doty
There are many ways to support these beautiful creatures. You can adopt a gray wolf which can save real animals in the wild. I am asking you to please stay informed and to become a defender of wildlife.
Students building towers to build teamwork.
Student building solar panel circuits.
Student building her own pendulum.
Week of March 4th
This last week before Spring Break we are wrapping up our projects. You can read more about each project below. We are running low on tropical fish food flakes for our class fish. If you have some left over from an old fish tank you are willing to donate (any brand or amount), our fishies would be very thankful!
6th graders are mostly done with their water cycle projects. Students who are finished early will work in K12. Students who need to finish their diagram and paragraph will work on it during class. If they need to still finish it after Spring Break, that is ok too. After Spring Break they will be working on a Minecraft Sustainable City where they apply knowledge of renewable energy resources. The week after break, we will have an online lesson on Friday.
7th graders are finishing their Nebraska Endangered Animals PowerPoint. They will present to a few other students this week. After break, they will be learning about genetics. We have a fun lab where they find out the genotypes and phenotypes of some baby dragons that will "hatch" in our classroom. The week after break, we will have an online lesson on Monday.
8th graders are finishing their solar ovens. They have been busy measuring the temperature changes. One student made her oven handle 199 degrees! Students are also testing height temperatures using S'mores. Thank you parents for donating the S'more materials! After break we will be working on a mechanical waves lab. We will have an online lesson on Monday after the break.
I hope you all have a wonderful, restful Spring Break. I will be going to San Francisco for the week and will not be able to answer emails. Thank you for all you do at home!