Mr. Smith's 8th Grade Science
The Pursuit of a Better Student Experience
8th grade Science
About Me:
The 2015-16 school year is the start of my 11th year of teaching at WFMS. I have been teaching for 21 years and have experience teaching in Allegany County, MD, Prince George's County, MD and now Frederick County. I started in FCPS at Brunswick Middle School as 6th, 7th, & 8th grade science teacher and was head girls soccer coach for five years at the Brunswick High. I have a wife who teaches Language Arts at OMS and three boys who keep me busy. I enjoy gardening, fishing, sports, and the outdoors.
Education:
Advanced Professional Education certificate
Bachelors of Science in Biology from Frostburg State University
Master’s in Educational Leadership from Hood College.
Favorite Sports Teams:
Washington Capitals
Baltimore Orioles
Pittsburgh Steelers
DC United
Course Overview:
The class will be utilizing a variety of equipment and practice a variety of thinking skills as students work on activities in the science lab. Our thematically based units will include Variations , Energy, and Space.
Contact Information:
Charles Smith
West Frederick Middle
Room 1412
(240)236-4000 ext: 64013
Something new for me Twitter: @charlessmithIII
Reminder to study for your CRES
How to review:
1. Think about what makes a good experiment or science fair project
2. Review Newton's 3 Laws of Motion
CRES is on Tuesday 5-17-16
We are still working hard at WFMS
Please encourage your son or daughter to "FINISH STRONG" and perform at their best for the remainder of the year.
Potential energy converted into Kinetic energy
How does the height of a ramp affect the speed of a ball rolling down the ramp?
Focus: Calculating speed, identifying interfering variables, and presenting data in the form of a graph.
Clothespin Launcher lab
Gravity & Jumping
How does the mass of a planet affect the height of your jump?
What factors increase and decrease the force of gravity.
Materials Needed
- Spiral Notebook (8.5" x 11" works best), which will become your science journal and will be used daily to help organize what you have learned
- Pencils
- Earbuds (Dollar Store)
- BYOD (You can bring your own device to use in this classroom)
- Classroom Donations-Tissues/Clorox Wipes/Pencils
Take a quick view of your classroom
Check out how to use Google Classroom
https://classroom.google.com
Grade Distribution
· Homework= 10% ( generally 2-3 per week)
· Class work= 15% warm-ups, cooperative activities, presentations, & web quests
· Lab Related Activities = 40%
· Assessments = 35%