6th Grade: I have been unable to get the videos to play at school on my computer from CBS 4, so hopefully you will have better luck at home (they will play on my phone, so I know the videos do work.) Here is the link to the videos: http://denver.cbslocal.com/category/cbs4-weather/lessons-from-the-flood/ If we get through the presentations tomorrow, maybe I will use some alternative technology to show them...
To help you understand what we are going through, to REALLY understand it, we need to take a look at the science. I couldn't explain it any better than THE Colorado Science Guy, Steve Spangler. Here is what he and his crew came up with: http://www.stevespangler.com/teaching-moments/tragedy-in-colorado-the-science-behind-a-100-year-flood/
What is "chatterbox?" Well, it has multiple meanings, but for us, it means a specific format for a powerpoint presentation. It actually has a Japanese name, but I forgot it. Translated to English, it means chatterbox, so we are going with that. Check under the resources tab to find the template for it. You will need it eventually, so why not download it now?
For a chatterbox presentation, you really need to know your stuff. You will definitely want to rehearse for this presentation, but it is a pretty laid back FUN way to present information to the class. You will have a specific number of slides and a specific amount of time to present the information ON each slide. ALL slides MUST be used. ALL time must be used. The slides are animated so that they will advance on time...so you may have to speak very quickly (or chatter). Wahoo!!! You can now access the textbooks online!!!! Now you won't have to write down the questions as you are rushing out the door and you can get caught up easier on days you are absent. I'm so excited! You can go to http://ebook.its-about-time.com/site and log in if you have the Username and Password. If you aren't great with context clues, no stress. I will give you the login information in class. Remember you can get help and explanations for various subjects at: http://www.classzone.com/books/ml_science_comp/page_build.cfm?id=none&mod=1 I am asking the principal if we can put these signs on all of the paper towel dispensers throughout the school.
Also, who NEEDS a phone book these days? Who is sick of getting them delivered ALL THE TIME, only to be recycled and never opened? The number-one reason people don't recycle their old phone books is because they simply don't know the "where's" and "how's" of doing so. Since 1991, more than 240,500 tons--or more than 493 million pounds--of outdated Dex® phone books have been recycled. Had these phone books not been recycled, they would have stretched more than 22,300 miles, when laid end to end; that would stretch from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles more than five times.( http://www.radiospace.com/dex.htm ) Well, if the phone book is a Dex, you can go to http://green.dexknows.com/DexGreen/selectDexArtworkAction.do and opt out of the directories! If it's anything other than Dex, call that company or go to their website and tell them to stop wasting trees, precious ink, and fossil fuels to deliver the antiquated phone books! Additionally, you can go here: https://www.yellowpagesoptout.com/ Check out these sites that students have found helpful:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/?source=NavEnvGG http://www.50waystohelp.com/ There are so many websites out there. Go exploring and have fun with this project! Monday, you will be turning in your action plan and chime in.
1.You should have chosen something that YOU can do to help the environment and written an action plan explaining HOW YOU can accomplish this task. 2. You need to create a pamphlet or poster that addresses the issue and can convince others to participate in your action as well. You might want to focus on these questions to help you: What is the problem? Why is it a problem? How can we solve this problem? Of course, you can include other ideas as well. Be convincing and creative as well as informative. I know some of you would like more guidance, but I don't want to restrict your creativity. That's why I'm leaving it open ended. If you need ideas outside of what we have explored in class, check out: http://www.50waystohelp.com/ Unit projects are due May 14th. Students were to create a timeline for their projects and have had three days in class to do some planning and research. in case you lose your rubric or need another copy for whatever reason, you can access them at the new Ecology tab or by clicking here. Again, we will try to meet for about 30 minutes or so during class each week in case some students are not able to get together outside of class, so be sure you are using the most of your time.
The final progress reports are scheduled to go out sometime on or after next Wednesday (April 18th), so keep an eye out for those, but if you don't want to wait, be sure to check the parent portal in Infinite Campus. Don't forget: If you missed any of the videos we have seen this week, or need to review them, or want to see if there is a video to help you with your research, or you need to kill some time, or you are interested in a topic we are not studying in class, or for any other reason need to look up a video on a school related topic, check out the resource www.discoveryeducation.com. In case you forgot the username and/or password, check out the Resources tab. In the next month or so, your child will learn about ecosystems, biomes, and human impacts on the environment. By the time the students have fi nished this unit, Ecology, they should be able to explain the following BIG ideas:
• Matter and energy together support life within an environment. • Living things within an ecosystem interact with one another and the environment. • Humans and human population growth affect the environment. The BIG ideas in the chapters support an understanding of the following Unifying Principle of life science: • Living things meet their needs through interactions with the environment. Listed below is an activity you may want to do with your son or daughter at home. The activity involves observing an ecosystem in your own neighborhood and predicting how it might change over time. Note that an ecosystem can be any area where living and nonliving factors interact. It might be a tree, a wall, a park, or a city block. It could be your backyard. 1. Take a walk with your student. Find a place where you can identify at least three different organisms that live together in the area. Field guides might help you identify plants and animals in the area. 2. Talk about how the organisms interact. In what ways do the organisms help one another? Do they compete? If so, how? 3. Discuss how the area you are observing might change over the next week, month, or year. How might the area change? What might stay the same? Talk about why those changes might happen. Chapter 3 Summative Assessment is over, Friday is the last day of the quarter, and TCAP testing is until then. Since we will have a normal schedule on Friday, test corrections will have to wait until then. I don't have all classes each day, and may not see some classes for a few days at a time during the testing window. Therefore, we will be focusing on the scientific method for the next couple of weeks and there will not be any homework...until TCAP testing is over.
Today we begin Part I of the Path of Blood through the Heart. Click here for the presentation for drawing the heart in your composition notebooks (and don't forget to do the third drawing, putting it all together!)
The following website is one listed at the end of the Heart Drawing presentation:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/heart/heartmap.html Friday, I am presenting at the Beyond Giftedness conference ( http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e49r413u21bdf5c9&llr=ljdxdngab). While I am away, you will be continuing our exploration on the cardiovascular system. To begin with, you will all be taking turns viewing the Heart Disease and Heart Attack video lecture on the Khan Academy website. As you watch, be sure to pause as needed so you can take DETAILED notes. (There may be a quiz on Monday).
Also, don't forget to finish the chapter 3 review, numbers 8-27, using constructed response. Be sure to click here for a cool video on the cardiovascular system...guaranteed to get your heart pumping (okay, it will do that whether or not you watch the video, but at least you'll understand the path of blood better after watching). We had the chapter 2 Summative Assessment yesterday, and I am happy to say that there were, by far, more A's on this test before corrections were done than on any other test! There were a very high number of P's as well! Your hard work and focus on "plussing" your answers is paying off!!!!
We begin our investigation into the cardiovascular system next. Continue actively reading, but be sure you are making life easy for yourself with "VAPA" 1. Begin each section with Vocabulary 2. Read the Abstract of the section at the end of the chapter. 3. Preview the section by looking at the pictures, reading the captions, headings, and questions. 4. Actively read the section, taking detailed and organized notes. Many students are struggling because they skip straight to number 4, actively reading. Without doing 1-3, you are making learning harder for yourself. Vocabulary, Abstract, Preview, Actively Read! Then, maybe some more vocabulary followed by a focused effort on vocabulary before reading the section and/or participating in class. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT THE WORDS MEAN! Also, be sure to have the section review questions completed BEFORE we go over them in class. This week we have been working on observing the effects of activity on the rate of respiration.
Monday: Write a procedure with two or more activities... Focus Question: •How does exercise affect your rate of respiration? Things to think about: •What type of exercises are you going to test? •How long will you exercise for? •Can your procedure be followed by anyone that doesn’t know you? •Test at least 2 different exercises (no more than 5) and complete three trials of each exercise before completing the next exercise. •Don’t forget to graph your data! Tuesday: Perform the experiment and collect data. Wednesday: Graph the data and complete a conclusion: •Explain your results. In conclusion… •Evaluate your hypothesis. •Explain why you performed more than one trial for each exercise?Progress reports will be sent home on Thursday or Friday of this week. |
Welcome!Students and Parents, Archives
September 2015
Categories |