3/14

Because of ISAT testing, our schedule this week was a bit crazy!  Some students had science class twice and others had it three times.  We spent our short week reinforcing the principles of classification and the six kingdoms.  I demonstrated a very different mnemonic device to help students remember the six kingdoms and some characteristics of each (using six our fingers).  For example, the ring finger represents the fungi kingdom.  Because there is no ring on your finger, you must be a "fun guy."  "Fun guys" usually sit on the couch playing video games (no movement), hang out with other fun guys (multicellular), and most definitely don't make their own food (heterotroph)!  Hopefully this will help students to better remember these kingdoms for our test on Tuesday!

We also worked more with classification this week in our "Creepy Critters" lab.  Students were required to study the characteristics of 20 aliens and put them into groups based on their similarities.  It was a challenging task, but students found unique ways to classify their creatures.  Next week, we will wrap up our classification chapter, begin discussing bacteria, and spend some time in the IMC in preparation for the career fair next month!

On Saturday, four 7th graders (Alison, Ammar, Dhara, and Ryan) will be participating in the regional science fair in Cicero.  The fair will take place at Unity Junior High School (2100 South Laramine Avenue).  Projects are open to the public from 12:30 to 3:00.  This would be a great opportunity to cheer on your classmates and see some cool projects!