Friday, December 12, 2008
12/12
Thursday, December 4, 2008
12/4
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
11/25
Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!
Friday, November 21, 2008
11/21
Friday, November 14, 2008
11/14
On Friday we began discussing the processes of mitosis and apoptosis. We learned the importance of each, and we will have the chance to see some "mitosis animation" on Monday in the computer lab. Next week, we will discuss cancer and determine how this disease relates to our discussions of mitosis and apoptosis.
Friday, November 7, 2008
11/7
Friday, October 31, 2008
10/31
We have finished our microscope and cell chapter, so we will be taking our second chapter test on Wednesday of next week. Students have been given a study guide in order to help them prepare. Remember, students should not have to go back to the textbook in order to study! As long as they review the notes listed on the study guide, they will be in good shape for the test. Next week we will begin our discussion of diffusion and osmosis.
Friday, October 24, 2008
10/24
Friday, October 17, 2008
10/17
I returned the graded leaf collections to students this week. Overall, I must say that I was quite impressed by the quality of student work! Many students took the time to complete extra credit and really went "above and beyond" my expectations. Nicely done!
Friday, October 10, 2008
10/10
Friday, October 3, 2008
10/3
We ended the week by discussing plant parts and reproduction. On Friday, we spent time reviewing our plant knowledge by viewing a few BrainPOP video clips and reviewing the "Biology of Plants" website. Next week, we will dissect a flower to review plant reproductive structures. We will have our first test of the year on Thursday. Remember that leaf collections are due on Wednesday, October 8th!
Friday, September 26, 2008
9/26
Students were introduced to the leaf collection project this week. The projects are due on October 8th, so students need to get started soon! Please follow the requirements presented in the rubric that was handed out on Monday. Next week, students will create a "wind-dispersing" seed and see how far it can travel. We will also study the reproductive anatomy of a flower.
Friday, September 19, 2008
9/19
Friday, September 12, 2008
9/12
Friday, September 5, 2008
9/5
Next week we will begin discussing the scientific method, and students will be asked to write and design their own experiment based off of a question that I give them.
Friday, August 29, 2008
8/29
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to 7th grade science! This is my fifth year teaching 7th grade science, and my third year teaching here at Lakeview. Below, I have outlined some of the major details of the class and my expectations for all students. Please take a few minutes to review the information, and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!
I. Science Topics Covered this Year:
Scientific method, cells and cell processes, genetics, evolution, botany, classification, bacteria and viruses, protists and fungi, vertebrates, and invertebrates
II. Textbook
A. Holt Science and Technology: Life Science
B. Students will be issued an older version of our current textbook to take home. This means that they are NOT required to bring their textbook to class each day. Their science text should remain at home in order to aid with homework! A classroom set of new textbooks will be provided for in-class and study hall use.
III. Grading Policy
A student’s grade will consist of:
Tests and quizzes (~ 40%)
Individual and group projects (~ 10%)
Labs and lab reports (~ 20%)
Daily work and homework (~ 20%)
Science binder/notebook (~ 10%)
IV. Assignments
In this class, each student is expected to keep a science binder/folder (for notes and handouts) AND a spiral notebook (for daily bellwork entries). The notebook, combined with class notes, provides a great way for students to study and to do their homework. The notebook will be collected and reviewed at the conclusion of each chapter, and it will be included in the student’s overall grade.
All homework must be completed before entering the classroom. If a student has a question about homework, it must be asked of the teacher before the class period that the assignment is due (before school or during study hall). If an assignment is not complete when the student enters the classroom, it will be considered late.
Each student will receive two “homework passes” per trimester. Each homework pass entitles the student to turn in a late assignment with no penalty. The homework pass must be stapled to the late work and turned in to the homework bin no later than one day after the assignment was due. If any late work is turned in without a homework pass OR is more than one day late, it will receive no credit.
It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and make up the work missed when he/she is absent. Do not wait for Mrs. Wagner to approach you about your missing work!All assignments will be posted on the class assignment calendar, Homework Hotline, and the school web site. Students can pick up their make-up work and notes from the “make-up work” folder at the front of the room.
The number of days that a student is absent from this class is the number of days that he/she will have to make up a missed assignment.
Cheating of any kind will result in a score of “0” on that assignment, test, or quiz. On a serious or second offense of cheating, parents/guardians will be notified and further disciplinary action will be taken.
V. Materials Needed for Class
One subject notebook (to be used for science class only)
Three-ring binder OR folder (a binder will probably provide better organization!)
Assignment notebook
VI. Classroom Rules
Be respectful of yourself and others
Listen to and follow instructions
Be on time for class
No bad language (stated or implied)
Come to class prepared
VII. If a student chooses to break a rule, the following actions will be taken…
1. Student will receive a verbal warning.
2. Student will be removed from the classroom.
3. Parents/guardians will be notified.
4. Student will be referred to the office.
*Depending on the severity of the offense, the order of steps is subject to change.
Because lab safety is extremely important, students will be removed from the lab setting if procedures are not followed or in cases of student misconduct. The student will be given a primary warning if problems arise in the lab. On a second offense, the student will be removed from all lab activities for a month. On a third offense, the student will be removed from all lab activities for the rest of the year. Written notification will be sent home to parents/guardians and alternate assignments will be provided for students who have been removed from the lab.
VIII. Contact Information
A. The best way to reach me is via email at swagner@ccsd66.org
B. You can call me before or after school or leave a voice mail message at 630-783-5017
Friday, May 30, 2008
5/30
On Thursday, students were given a "Life Science Internet Scavenger Hunt." Students had to cruise through various science web sites to answer the questions that were given.
On Friday, we spent a soggy day at Naper Settlement. Even though it was wet, we still had a good time.
Next week, we will play our final review game of the year. This one is a bit more difficult, though, because it covers science content from the ENTIRE YEAR! I look forward to seeing how much these students can remember!
Friday, May 23, 2008
5/23
The first day of our dissection, Friday, went very well. Most students have opened the frog and are currently examining its digestive system. Students are doing well with the oral "quizzes" that they take after viewing each system. We will continue our explorations on Tuesday, and students will examine and identify the remaining organs. On Wednesday, students will take a "practical" quiz in which they will have to view real organs and identify them. This quiz will be our final one for the year, and will be for EXTRA CREDIT points!!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
5/16
We discussed our final two invertebrate phyla this week; arthropods and echinoderms. On Thursday, students received a study guide for their final test of the year. We began reviewing in class on Friday, and we will play our favorite review game in class on Monday. Students have been strongly encouraged to spend a little time studying this weekend. Tuesday's test will have 50 questions and be worth a total of 100 points (this is larger than our usual tests because it covers more material).
Today was our final Project Challenge meeting. We had a big breakfast together to celebrate a fun year together. A big thank you goes out to the PC students for my lovely gift and card. I will miss those Monday and Friday mornings we shared together! :(
Friday, May 9, 2008
5/9
Next week, we will do our earthworm dissection and discuss our final invertebrate phyla (arthropods and echinoderms).
Friday, May 2, 2008
5/2
We discussed simple invertebrates (sponges, corals, jellyfish, flatworms, and roundworms) on Tuesday, and students were able to see video clips of them "in action." Students will be expected to remember the phylum names for each of these groups!
On Wednesday, students did a Porifera (sponge) lab. Students conducted an experiment to see whether natural or artificial sponges held more water. Our class results varied quite a bit. Every natural sponge is a bit different, so it isn't surprising that our results were not consistent throughout the day.
Even though our band students left us on Thursday and Friday, the students who remained did more explorations of invertebrates. They watched video clips of the major phyla and even played the "guess the invertebrate" game. Students had to put a sticker of a given invertebrate on their back or forehead (so they couldn't see it), and then had to ask yes/no questions to other students in order to guess which invertebrate was printed on their sticker. It was quite humorous watching the students ponder which questions to ask next!
Next week we will explore the mollusk and annelid worm phyla and begin examining the internal and external anatomy of the earthworm. Our first dissection is rapidly approaching!
Friday, April 25, 2008
4/25
On Wednesday, we went to the career fair. Students had the opportunity to listen to many professionals discuss their careers. Overall, students found this to be a rewarding experience. We spent some time in class writing thank-you letters to the presenters that impacted students most.
Next week, we will finally step into the wonderful world of animals. We will begin our studies with invertebrates.
Today, the 7th Grade Project Challenge students went to Brookfield Zoo. They participated in a scavenger hunt (boys vs. girls, of course) that involved solving problems, taking pictures, and obtaining clues from zoo exhibits. We had a great time and walked a LOT (just ask the girls that decided to wear flip-flops). Amazingly, by the end of the day, both teams ended up with the same number of points! A special thanks is due to Mr. Little for joining us on our adventure!
Friday, April 18, 2008
4/18
On Tuesday, we discussed the general characteristics of the protist kingdom and its three major divisions. We did our protist lab on Wednesday and Thursday. Students had the opportunity to view prepared slides of three common protists: amoeba, euglena, and paramecium. After viewing the prepared slides, students had the chance to do live observations of these same protists. Some lucky students found the elusive amoeba, and earned extra credit points. A special thanks goes out to Ammar, who set up my scopecam. Since I could hook up my microscope to the TV, everybody had the chance to see a live amoeba moving (which is a very cool sight)!
On Friday we discussed the general characteristics of the Fungi kingdom and its four major groups. We will do a "Fungi" lab next week where we will observe two types of fungi in more detail: yeast and mushrooms. We will wrap up this chapter next week and be ready for another quest next Friday!
Friday, April 11, 2008
4/11
On Thursday, students were introduced to the weird (and creepy) organisms that live in a drop of pond water. I took some local samples of pond water and had students identify the different creatures they found living in it. We found lots of protists (protozoa and algae), and some students even found worms and arthropods. Feel free to bring in your own pond water for investigation!
On Friday, students were asked to design an experiment to determine where bacteria lurks in our school. They had to construct a question to investigate, make a hypothesis, and then swab their cultures into a Petri dish. Students took swabs of everything from locker room showers to Mr. Little's head! Our dishes will incubate over the weekend, and we will check them out on Monday! Who knows what we will find!
Next week, we will study some very interesting protists and see them "in action!"
Friday, April 4, 2008
4/4
We discussed viruses, and came to the conclusion that they are non-living particles. We also watched a video that described how a virus infects its host, the discovery and use of vaccines, past and present pandemics (influenza, smallpox, polio, and AIDS), and how researchers are finding new viruses everyday.
Next week, we finish our chapter on bacteria and viruses ("quest" on Wednesday) and begin to focus on protists and fungi.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
3/20
This week, we wrapped up our classification chapter and took our chapter test. We took a sneak peak into our next chapter, which will uncover the world of bacteria and viruses. We did a brief overview of the two bacterial kingdoms (Archaebacteria and Eubacteria), and we talked about how important bacteria are to our environment and to our health. Most of us also like to eat at least some products that are made from bacteria (cheese, yogurt, sourdough bread, pickles, etc.). After break, we will view bacteria under the microscope, calculate the growth rate of bacteria, and talk about pathogenic bacteria in more detail.
On Thursday, we spent time in the IMC taking two career surveys. This is in preparation for the LA/Reading project that will begin after break. Some of our surveys produced some strange career choices (I don't think that I'm really suited to be a horse trainer), but hopefully these surveys opened our eyes to the wide variety of careers that are out there! Remember to take your survey results and your top three career choices to your LA/Reading classes when you return! Perhaps you can even make your parents take the surveys as well! To access the interactive worksheet, simply go to the CCSD 66 homepage, and access the Lakeview IMC page from there (on the District Libraries link). On the Lakeview IMC page, you will see a link under the "7th Grade Assignments" for the "Career Survey Worksheet."
Have a wonderful break!
Friday, March 14, 2008
3/14
Friday, March 7, 2008
3/7
Friday, February 29, 2008
2/29
With only one trimester left in the school year, I want to encourage students to continue working hard! Turn in your assignments on time, and be prepared for class every day! This trimester, we will focus on five of the six kingdoms of living things (archaebacteria, eubacteria, protists, fungi, and animals). We learned about the the remaining kingdom (plants) earlier this year.
Friday, February 22, 2008
2/22
Next week we will wrap up our evolution chapter. We will discuss other evidence for evolution (the fossil record, comparative structures, vestigial structures, and plate tectonics). We will also do a lab that will test the students' ability to determine the relative age of fossils. We will have our chapter test on Friday!
Friday, February 15, 2008
2/15
Friday, February 8, 2008
2/8
Monday, February 4, 2008
1/31
A big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to the 7th grade PC students who ALL received first place standings at the Science Fair on January 26th. Pictures are going to be posted soon!
Friday, January 25, 2008
1/25
Saturday, January 26th, is the District 58 Science Fair. The project challenge students have worked hard and are ready to show their projects to the world. Come and cheer them on at O'Neill Middle School! The projects are open to the public from 10:30 to 11:30 in the morning.
Friday, January 18, 2008
1/18
Our 7th grade Project Challenge students are working hard to finish their science fair projects. The science fair is a mere week away! If want to check out their projects, you can attend the science fair at O'Neill Middle School on January 26th!