Welcome to  Middle School Science and 7th Grade Homeroom

Science Class Updates
 

Middle School Science Update – May 2007

6th grade – Currently we are in our Geology unit and learning about earthquakes and volcanoes.  We have learned about plate tectonics and how the movements of these plates help to create Earthquakes and Volcanoes.  Many famous volcanic eruptions have been discussed and students have been asking many great questions!    Next week we will be making our very own erupting volcano!  Final Exam will be Thursday, June 14th

7R – We are currently finishing up the year with our Ecology unit.  We have starting learning about plants and will be planting our own and making scientific predictions.  Flower parts, dichotomous keys, and animals will also be discussed in the following weeks.  Final Exam will be Wednesday, June 6th.

7H & 8R -  We have just finished our short unit on Light and Color and will be starting our unit on Magnetism Monday.  The science of magnets is fun for kids of every age!  Final Exam will be Monday, June 4th.

8H – We are also finishing up the year with our Geology unit.  We have covered Earthquakes and Volcanoes and will be finishing the year with Weathering, Erosion, and the Rock Cycle.  With just a few weeks left, students are getting excited and ready for high school, which is just around the corner.  Final Exam will also be Monday June 4th.
 

Planetarium Adventures
On Wednesday, December 13th, 5-8th grades were able to enjoy a journey through our solar system in their own gymnasium.  Educator, "Mr.
Chris" came to St. Ambrose school and presented a 45 minute class on the solar system in the planetarium.   Students had a great time learning about
each of the planets as well as our sun, comets, and asteroids.

Science News – November 2006

*For all middle school students – On December 13th we will be having a special program called Planetarium Adventures at St. Ambrose.  It consists of a portable planetarium that students climb into and learn all about astronomy and space.   It should both a fun and educational experience! The cost is $3 per student.

6th grade (Earth Science) -   We are currently learning all about the weather! Tornadoes and Hurricanes were exciting to learn about, especially when we made tornadoes in a bottle.  For the final project, on December 14th and 15th, all students will become “meteorologists for a day.”  They will be giving a  weather report for the class!  After our unit on weather we will be beginning our next unit on Astronomy.

7th grade (Life Science) – We are currently learning all about Genetics.  We've become experts on punnett squares and have learned all about our own genetics.   We've also been discussing advanced genetics, such as genetic engineering, the human genome project, and DNA fingerprinting.  Our genetics unit test will be December 5th.

7H/8R (Physical Science) -  Chemistry!  We've been learning a lot about chemistry and chemical reactions.  We've learned about chemical bonds, how to balance chemical reactions, and how to read the periodic table.  Another 4 weeks will be spent on Chemistry and then we will be spending the remainder of the year on Physics.  On December 19th and 20th we will be doing chemistry demonstrations for the class as part of our final project.

8H  (Earth Science) – We're learning all about the weather as part of our year of Earth Science.  We too will be becoming Meteorologists for the day as part of our final project on weather.   After we take our unit test on December 6h the next unit will be Astronomy.

Tech Valley Kids Summer with Bill Nye The Science Guy
On May 12th, 2006, 8th graders Meaghan S. and Joanna Y. both had the opportunity to attend the first annual Tech Valley Kids Summit at RPI.  This programs purpose was to introduce students to the exciting world of science, technology, and engineering and hope to spark an interest in these fields for today's middle school students.  The most exciting part of the day was a presentation by Bill Nye the Science Guy.  He did some great demonstrations and talked about how important science and technology are in our world.  After Bill Nye's presentation, we broke off into small group sessions and area companies provided hands on activities.  In one session we pretended to be meteorologists and made a short DVD.  It was an exciting day for each of us!!

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"An Interesting Science Class" By Valerie K. and Shannon G.
On Wednesday, February 15th, Dr. Rebecca Keller, a Cardiac Physiologist from Albany Medical College, taught the Middle School students about the heart. She passed around model hearts and a stethoscope, so we could see what a healthy and an unhealthy heart looks like and could listen to our heartbeats. The most interesting part of all was when she showed us a real cow heart. The heart itself was bigger than our heads!!! We put on the gloves and got to touch it. Then she cut it open so we could see the inside. The arteries and veins were so big we could fit three fingers inside them! She answered all of our questions no matter how odd. Even though it was disgusting and smelled like fish it was still cool! It was definitely an experience we won’t forget!!!

6R -
We are having fun learning about Astronomy!! So far we have studied the Moon, the Sun, and the Stars. We have learned about famous astronomers, made our own constellations, and have completed a report about the phases of the moon. Our next chapter will be on the planets. Can you name them all in order?? After the planets we will discuss space missions and if alien life could be out there??

6H/7R -
We are learning all about the Human Body! So far we have learned about the digestive system and Food and Nutrition. Hopefully we will all start eating a little better after learning about Nutrition. We just finished up talking about the respiratory system and all the reasons why we shouldn’t smoke. The next chapter is on the Circulatory (Cardiovascular) System. We will be having a guest from Albany Medical College to talk to us about the Circulatory System!!

7H/8R –
We are learning all about the Human Body! So far we have learned about the digestive system, Food and Nutrition. Hopefully we will all start eating a little better after learning about Nutrition. We just finished up talking about the respiratory system and all the reasons why we shouldn’t smoke. The next chapter is on the Circulatory (Cardiovascular) System. We will be having a guest from Albany Medical College to talk to us about the Circulatory System!!

8H –
We are learning all about the Human Body! So far we have learned about the digestive system, Food and Nutrition. Hopefully we will all start eating a little better after learning about Nutrition. We just finished up talking about the respiratory system and all the reasons why we shouldn’t smoke. The next chapter is on the Circulatory (Cardiovascular) System. We will be having a guest from Albany Medical College to talk to us about the Circulatory System!! In the next couple of weeks we will be researching a chosen disease of the body and making a poster presentation of our chosen disease.

Don’t forget if you would like to improve your grade extra credit is given out every other week!

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November 2005

6R -
We are learning all about the weather!  We have just begun discussing Thunderstorms, Tornado's, and Hurricanes.  Everyone has many stories and experiences to tell!  In the coming weeks we will be able to become "Meteorologists for the Day"  and will be giving a weather report to our classmates.  Weather unit test coming up after Thanksgiving vacation!!!

6H/7R - 
We have finished our unit on cells and have started an interesting unit on Genetics.  Each student has been learning a lot about their own genetics and how traits are inherited.  We will also be discussing genetic engineering, how cloning is accomplished, and genetic diseases that can be inherited.

7H/8R -
We have finished our unit on cells and have started an interesting unit on Genetics.  Each student has been learning a lot about their own genetics and how traits are inherited.  We will also be discussing genetic engineering, how cloning is accomplished, and genetic diseases that can be inherited.  The 8th graders have also started reviewing for their 8th grade science test on Fridays when school is in session.  During this time the 7th graders have been reading science articles and writing short essays about them.

8H -
We have finished our unit on cells and have started an interesting unit on Genetics.  Each students has been learning a lot about their own genetics and how traits are inherited.  All students will be creating a poster on an assigned genetic disease and will be presenting it to the class on November 17th (Thursday).  We have also started reviewing for their 8th grade science test on Fridays when school is in session.

Tuesday, October 18th was SLIME DAY!!!   Students had a great time making slime with special guest, Mr. Rider!

Extra Credit:
Extra Credit Questions are given every 1 - 2 weeks.  To earn some extra credit, research the answer to my questions, type it or hand write it on a sheet of paper, and hand it to me on the assigned due date.

Due November 14th - Why do Mexican Jumping Beans "Jump"?
Due November 22nd - What makes Fireflies Glow?