Grade 8 science students have completed their lab safety unit, and have begun to further their knowledge of chemistry. Activities and explorations into the structures of atoms, their behaviors, and how they bond to form molecules and compounds have been successfully conducted, and further activities such as the “Happy Atoms” molecular modeling interactive kit/app, the Stop Motion Movie on elements, compounds, and mixtures are both underway, with more labs to come that will further the students’ understanding of how chemical interactions and behaviors create all of the substances and objects that they interact with on a daily basis. The weeks to come will see students putting their knowledge of chemistry to work as they perform chemical mixtures experiments! Our always enjoyable field trip canoeing the Charles, while collecting data to determine if the wastewater treatment plant is polluting the Charles or not, served as an excellent segue way into upcoming units of investigative chemistry!
In the classroom, 7th-grade students completed a magnetism and electricity unit and have begun studying types of energy such as potential and kinetic energy. This past week students were engaged in a four-part lab activity examining kinetic energy and the different types of potential energy. Next, we will be studying energy transfer & thermal energy! In Science Exploration class students are preparing for the arrival of the trout eggs in January, by learning about the conditions trout need to survive.
Students were excited to spend the week of October 23-26 at Nature’s Classroom on Lake George in Silver Bay, New York, where themes of ecology were investigated while in the field. At mealtimes, lessons about the importance of conservation were reinforced as students measured their food waste and examined the energy used after each meal. Early civilization themes were also experienced as students participated in an afternoon of “Back to Basics”. It was a busy, fun-filled week!
6th grade has explored the universe through matter during this past month.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Blake science summer update
The 6th grade science team spent a lot of time this summer working on home improvement projects, sailing, hiking, reading, swimming, traveling, playing with their children and seeing family and friends. Mrs. Ruminski worked with the project happiness group while Mrs. Heim worked with Ms. Horvath on the digital citizenship curriculum. Mrs. Thress spent time this summer getting ready to join the Blake community and the 6th grade science team - welcome Mrs. Thress.
Change was in the air for 7th grade science this summer/fall both professionally and personally. Mrs. Dalzell saw her daughter off to Australia for her semester abroad while her son moved to New York City to begin his professional life. Despite all of this Mrs. Dalzell managed to fit in curriculum development designing two new units with Mrs. Silva for the 7th grade students and worked with FUSE MA on personalized and blended learning. Both Mrs. Silva and Mrs. Dalzell completed several home improvement projects while also finding time to relax in the sun and be present with familty. Preparing for her new role as a 7th grade science teacher was a focus for Mrs. Buley this summer but she also carved out time to relax with her family and friends as she visited many beaches around New England.
Implementation of the new curriculum standards will be a focus for the 8th grade science team this year so this on their minds this summer. Mr. Heim coached soccer and worked at the Pilgrim Day camp while also finding time to vacation with his family in Vermont, NY and the Cape. Like Mrs. Ruminski, Mrs. Shaw worked with the Project Happiness group developing the new advisory curriculum for that initiative. She also relaxed with her family while traveling to Minnesota and Maine. Mr. Gibbs relaxed with family and friends while enjoying some kayaking and swimming on the lake.
Change was in the air for 7th grade science this summer/fall both professionally and personally. Mrs. Dalzell saw her daughter off to Australia for her semester abroad while her son moved to New York City to begin his professional life. Despite all of this Mrs. Dalzell managed to fit in curriculum development designing two new units with Mrs. Silva for the 7th grade students and worked with FUSE MA on personalized and blended learning. Both Mrs. Silva and Mrs. Dalzell completed several home improvement projects while also finding time to relax in the sun and be present with familty. Preparing for her new role as a 7th grade science teacher was a focus for Mrs. Buley this summer but she also carved out time to relax with her family and friends as she visited many beaches around New England.
Implementation of the new curriculum standards will be a focus for the 8th grade science team this year so this on their minds this summer. Mr. Heim coached soccer and worked at the Pilgrim Day camp while also finding time to vacation with his family in Vermont, NY and the Cape. Like Mrs. Ruminski, Mrs. Shaw worked with the Project Happiness group developing the new advisory curriculum for that initiative. She also relaxed with her family while traveling to Minnesota and Maine. Mr. Gibbs relaxed with family and friends while enjoying some kayaking and swimming on the lake.
Friday, June 8, 2018
Blake curriculum update
The Blake science department wishes our science students a wonderful summer full of questions about the world in which we live. For those who would like to practice some science here are some links to a free program to keep those skills in good shape.
https://www.ck12.org/c/physical-science/
https://www.ck12.org/c/life-science/
https://www.ck12.org/c/earth-science/
6th-grade science students learned about waves through the use of slinkies, garage band and other forms of science play! We are hoping to explore digital signals through the use of the Little Bits from the Maker Space. The students have had a tremendous year of exploration in science, we are so proud of all that they have learned!
As we moved into June, seventh-grade students were eager to present their endangered species project to their classmates. The projects varied from Instagram accounts, posters, Google Slides presentations, student-created websites, and documentary style movies. After our presentations, students learned about plant reproduction. Students dissected a flower to learn about how the male and female plant reproductive parts work with wind, water, and animals to form the next generation of plants. To finish the year, students will be working to create their own flower to match a given animal pollinator.
As the summer solstice approaches, a great year in grade 8 science comes to a close. A whole year’s worth of lab investigations, virtual labs, projects, and activities have been very successfully completed, and the grade 8 science teachers are confident that as the student's transition from the cozy confines of Blake to the hallowed halls of MHS, they carry with them a strong foundation in the physical sciences. If (when) extreme weather occurs this summer, be sure to ask your former Blaker for some meteorological/climatological explanation - they should be prepared to do so! Best wishes for a restful and enjoyable summer to all our now former students and their families from Grade 8 science.
https://www.ck12.org/c/physical-science/
https://www.ck12.org/c/life-science/
https://www.ck12.org/c/earth-science/
6th-grade science students learned about waves through the use of slinkies, garage band and other forms of science play! We are hoping to explore digital signals through the use of the Little Bits from the Maker Space. The students have had a tremendous year of exploration in science, we are so proud of all that they have learned!
As we moved into June, seventh-grade students were eager to present their endangered species project to their classmates. The projects varied from Instagram accounts, posters, Google Slides presentations, student-created websites, and documentary style movies. After our presentations, students learned about plant reproduction. Students dissected a flower to learn about how the male and female plant reproductive parts work with wind, water, and animals to form the next generation of plants. To finish the year, students will be working to create their own flower to match a given animal pollinator.
As the summer solstice approaches, a great year in grade 8 science comes to a close. A whole year’s worth of lab investigations, virtual labs, projects, and activities have been very successfully completed, and the grade 8 science teachers are confident that as the student's transition from the cozy confines of Blake to the hallowed halls of MHS, they carry with them a strong foundation in the physical sciences. If (when) extreme weather occurs this summer, be sure to ask your former Blaker for some meteorological/climatological explanation - they should be prepared to do so! Best wishes for a restful and enjoyable summer to all our now former students and their families from Grade 8 science.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
As I learn
I was recently asked by one of the principals to provide some thoughts in answer to the following four questions - Why is PD important? How does PD foster innovation? What examples of PD fostering innovation for you and your students can you provide? How does PD enrich our students and foster creativity?
This prompted me to think about PD in the context of these four questions but on answering them also made me realize that there are numerous types of PD and the efficacy of each type is determined by a teacher's needs at any given time. Personally, I consider classroom observation and the conversations that ensue to be the best PD I have encountered and I know that they have made a significant impact on my teaching over the last few years. The realization of the importance of peer observations by administration prompted the “requirement” for teachers to conduct a peer observation within or outside of the department during embedded days. With the loss of these days next year I think it is important for us to find ways to encourage and support teachers to continue this practice.
So why is PD important?
Well, it provides an opportunity to reflect on current practices, pushing us to really examine what we are doing, why we are doing it and whether or not these practices are facilitating learning in our classrooms. PD allows us to personalize the learning for ourselves and in so doing see the value of personalized learning for our students. The excitement that comes from attending PD propels teachers forward allowing them in the words of Simon Sinek to get courage from their peers; it lifts constraints that may seem so restrictive in a school setting and allows them to entertain ideas of what could be possible. Very often it makes you as a teacher appreciate what you have and can already do, and it provides local and long-distance opportunities to find resources that you otherwise may not have been aware of.
When you see what others can accomplish you immediately think how it could work in your own setting and that’s the innovation that comes from worthwhile PD - customizing what you learn to your own students or learning community. PD is often inspirational and many times provides the small push you need to take the chance and implement a new strategy or activity e.g. new pbl units that have been developed as a result of attendance at the Ed tech teachers workshops this year and last. Attending PD with a small group of committed learners/leaders provides time to develop those relationships and use them to create these innovative events.
The 7th-grade trout program was a direct result of PD that some science teachers attended a few years ago. Personally, I found that attendance at the Stem summit last November provided a tangible example of alternate ways to implement a science/maker fair.
The type of PD and the purpose of attendance will determine the outcome but generally, PD will lead to the creation of new units, increase contextual relevance, result in the creation of new field trips and lead to the development of real/virtual connections with other students/experts in the field. It is not something we can do without!
This prompted me to think about PD in the context of these four questions but on answering them also made me realize that there are numerous types of PD and the efficacy of each type is determined by a teacher's needs at any given time. Personally, I consider classroom observation and the conversations that ensue to be the best PD I have encountered and I know that they have made a significant impact on my teaching over the last few years. The realization of the importance of peer observations by administration prompted the “requirement” for teachers to conduct a peer observation within or outside of the department during embedded days. With the loss of these days next year I think it is important for us to find ways to encourage and support teachers to continue this practice.
So why is PD important?
Well, it provides an opportunity to reflect on current practices, pushing us to really examine what we are doing, why we are doing it and whether or not these practices are facilitating learning in our classrooms. PD allows us to personalize the learning for ourselves and in so doing see the value of personalized learning for our students. The excitement that comes from attending PD propels teachers forward allowing them in the words of Simon Sinek to get courage from their peers; it lifts constraints that may seem so restrictive in a school setting and allows them to entertain ideas of what could be possible. Very often it makes you as a teacher appreciate what you have and can already do, and it provides local and long-distance opportunities to find resources that you otherwise may not have been aware of.
When you see what others can accomplish you immediately think how it could work in your own setting and that’s the innovation that comes from worthwhile PD - customizing what you learn to your own students or learning community. PD is often inspirational and many times provides the small push you need to take the chance and implement a new strategy or activity e.g. new pbl units that have been developed as a result of attendance at the Ed tech teachers workshops this year and last. Attending PD with a small group of committed learners/leaders provides time to develop those relationships and use them to create these innovative events.
The 7th-grade trout program was a direct result of PD that some science teachers attended a few years ago. Personally, I found that attendance at the Stem summit last November provided a tangible example of alternate ways to implement a science/maker fair.
The type of PD and the purpose of attendance will determine the outcome but generally, PD will lead to the creation of new units, increase contextual relevance, result in the creation of new field trips and lead to the development of real/virtual connections with other students/experts in the field. It is not something we can do without!
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Blake curriculum update
6th Grade science students have been learning how to study the organisms of the past using information provided by rock layers and index fossils. Students also compared the anatomical structures of ancient whales to present day whales, identifying similarities and differences. Using a variety of cladograms students were able to identify that all species on earth share a common ancestor. On completion of this unit, students began to examine the different phases of the moon and how they occur. Students demonstrated the spatial relationship between the sun, earth, and moon using models. The year will end with a study of waves and their impact on our lives.
The seventh-grade classrooms are very quiet now that the trout are gone. To fill the silence, the rooms have been abuzz with students working on their Ecology Projects. Working in teams, students researched an endangered species and created a presentation of their own design to present to the class. Content knowledge is learned as teams visit learning stations scattered around the room. It is exciting to watch students collaborate as they learn!
In science exploration, students finished up their study of trout anatomy by completing a dissection of a bony fish in their science classes. Students did a great job and were amazed by how much the swim bladder looked like the swim bladder in our new Bony Fish Anatomy models, generously funded by MCPE.
It is an exciting time in grade 8 science! New units on Meteorology and Climate Change were created allowing students to apply their physical science knowledge in an effort to understand how and why the atmosphere behaves as it does, both over the short term (weather) and the long-term (climate). Students are seeing and learning how seemingly abstract scientific concepts apply to the environment around them, using familiar examples from their everyday life. In engineering classes, students continue to work on their solar cars, pasta bridges, Lego Mindstorms Robots and genius hour projects that develop and test their logic and innovation skills. There’s no standing still for 8th-grade brains in science and engineering class!
The seventh-grade classrooms are very quiet now that the trout are gone. To fill the silence, the rooms have been abuzz with students working on their Ecology Projects. Working in teams, students researched an endangered species and created a presentation of their own design to present to the class. Content knowledge is learned as teams visit learning stations scattered around the room. It is exciting to watch students collaborate as they learn!
In science exploration, students finished up their study of trout anatomy by completing a dissection of a bony fish in their science classes. Students did a great job and were amazed by how much the swim bladder looked like the swim bladder in our new Bony Fish Anatomy models, generously funded by MCPE.
It is an exciting time in grade 8 science! New units on Meteorology and Climate Change were created allowing students to apply their physical science knowledge in an effort to understand how and why the atmosphere behaves as it does, both over the short term (weather) and the long-term (climate). Students are seeing and learning how seemingly abstract scientific concepts apply to the environment around them, using familiar examples from their everyday life. In engineering classes, students continue to work on their solar cars, pasta bridges, Lego Mindstorms Robots and genius hour projects that develop and test their logic and innovation skills. There’s no standing still for 8th-grade brains in science and engineering class!
Friday, April 13, 2018
As I learn by Orla Berry
As I Learn
April 8
My professional practice goal for this school year was to create a blogspot for the science department. My original due date was Feb/March but then I gave myself a drop-dead date of April 10 - Digital Learning Day in Medfield - to get this blospot up and running, so here I am, two days early!
I like to write after I read because it gives me the opportunity to reflect and to determine how/if I can put into practice what I have just read. I believe that this is where the learning takes place for me as I try to make sense of what I have read in the context of what I already know or think I know.
I read something recently that said when you write, do it for yourself and do not worry about what others think of it and so that's what I plan to do here in this space.
Blake Curriculum Blog - March 2018
March 2018
Science
Students have just finished the Great Cell Debate in 6th grade science. Students had to argue why “their” position in the “Cells INC” company (as determined by their assigned organelle), was not expendable and therefore that position should not be eliminated due to budget cuts. Each student pair argued the importance of “their” job and explained which cell part they believe should be fired. At the end of the debate they were able to ask each other clarifying questions about everyone’s role in Cells INC, to help them make their final decision as to who should/should not be cut. The beauty of the whole experience was that all of the students were able to recognize that no cell parts are expendable as they began to develop an understanding of how all of the organelles interact to ensure a cell can perform it’s essential functions. In the end students determined no parts could be cut from the company. In fact, many students are now seeking promotions!
Grade 7 students investigated three different aspects of technology during the month of March. They learned about how transportation systems are designed, to move people and goods, using a variety of vehicles and devices. They also learned about futuristic transportation systems that are expected to become mainstream soon, and they examined the subsystems that make a transportation vehicles work. Subsequently students learned about the components of a communication system and both the benefits and drawbacks of a variety of communication systems.
Towards the end of the month students they completed a collaborative green energy technology project and learned about how technology can mitigate human consumption of natural resources.
Students in the 8th grade have just completed their States of Matter unit. Term three will see a shifting of gears as students dive into the world of Earth Science through their exploration of Earth-Moon-Sun system, weather and global climate change. Each Friday’s students work on their Genius Hour projects and at this point are actively involved in the research phase of their project. Intro to Engineering students are finishing up their pasta bridges and/or working with the EV3 Lego Mindstorm robots. Recently eighth grade science students had a visit from google expeditions providing students an opportunity to explore the world of science through AR (augmented reality). In addition, students spent a day remembering the late Stephen Hawking and learning about his contributions to Science.
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