I hope you all are having (or have had) a wonderful and restful spring break. I know it was much needed for ALL of us.
As most of you know, I am out of the country over spring break. I have an amazing opportunity to explore the ecosystems of Ecuador with Griffin students and fellow teachers. To say I am excited is an understatement. This is a bucket list trip for me and I am beyond thrilled to share the experience with some of my most respected teachers and loved students. I will be out Monday and Tuesday of next week. Also, I am fortunate enough to be presenting on the national level at the NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) conference Thursday and Friday the week we return. This is a huge privilege and honor. Due to the amount of time I will be gone, I will not be able to put in grades like I usually do over break. After the test on Friday, I let students know the assignments that they had missing. Some of those assignments were turned in some were not. About the test - THEY ROCKED IT! I will not get the individual grades in because there are some bonus questions I have to read to give credit for. I can say that my CLASS AVERAGE IS A 91%. I know this is a fun (my favorite) unit and by the grades on the test they loved it too. Does this mean the kids will be doing nothing the week we get back.... absolutely NOT, I have a lot planned for them and they will be working the entire time. Monday and Tuesday: Watch San Andreas and complete a viewing guide discussing the probability of the disasters that are seen in the movie with actual plate boundaries The Rock visits. Wednesday - Friday: Kesler interactive lab. Students will travel through stations to complete the various tasks. We have done a few of these this year and it is a great way for students to interact with material. I really like the hands on guided activities in this weathering and erosion lab.
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Below is the key to the study guide for the test tomorrow. Remember, you can still go to the Annenberg site if you need additional help.
Today we learned some interesting facts about the Pacific North West and the seismic activity that surrounds it. Students read a News ELA article about the Cascadia fault and were to answer 4 multiple choice questions. Below are the questions in case they did not finish in class. Answers to questions will be due tomorrow at the beginning of class.
Click on the button below to be redirected to the Annenberg Learner site.
Just in case you don't know, THIS IS MY FAVORITE TOPIC!!! I love everything about plate tectonics. We have some really fun stuff coming up this week.
Monday and Tuesday we will be diving more into why earth's crust moves. Wednesday will be a fun activity / lab. Thursday we will review for our unit test. Friday we will test over plate tectonics and earth's layers. Please remember to return the Parent Permission form for San Andreas. As a science team, we would like to watch "San Andreas" in class on April 8th and 9th. We will be critically looking at the difference between science and science fiction. The film is rated PG13 and can be further researched at www.filmrating.com. Please review the attached document and sign giving your student permission to view the movie. If we do NOT receive a permission form for your student, they will NOT be allowed to watch the movie will be given an alternate assignment. Please have all forms returned by Wednesday March 27th.
Students turned in a diagram comparing the different layers. They were good but I could tell there was confusion on the specifics of the layers (physical vs composition). I am attaching a graphic organizer so students can revise their diagrams. All revisions will be due Friday by end of class.
We have been having a bunch of fun with the layers of the earth. I didn't want to post before hand because I like to surprise the kids. They did a great job dissecting eggs, recording their observations, and linking information to earth's layers! We have two pieces of homework due Monday. They will need to turn in their earth layers diagram (see directions below) and Lesson review from page 504. HOMEROOM NOTES: All students were given a re-enrollment form for next year. Having this form is VERY important for safety and communication. Please review the form, make any needed corrections, and return it as soon as possible. Next week: We will review layers of the earth and begin plate tectonics - MY FAVORITE UNIT! They will be completing Cornell Notes, some cut / paste activities, and practice. If students work diligently in class, I do not expect much homework next week. Coming up: I am hoping that students will have be ready to complete a compare and contrast activity. I always enjoy fiction movies especially when I can compare them to real life. I would like to show San Andres staring the Rock right after Spring Break. This is a great opportunity to compare fact with fiction. Expect to see information coming home soon.
We spent the day studying for the test. I am feeling confident that students will be prepared. They seemed to connect the material in a way that they had not in the past. I am attaching a PDF of the completed Study Guide so they can double check their material. Good Luck tomorrow.
Dear Griffin Families,
We have been evaluating our data from our 'Almost There' quiz today and have realized that students need another day of review. I would like to have students NOT complete the study guide at home. I noticed today that there are quite a few questions and I want to be available to help them when they need it. Please pass this information along to your students, I'm sure they will be relieved. Mrs. NeSmith |
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