Lesson 1 - Monday, Sep 2
Today in science: Because of a special schedule due to MAP Testing and Class Hikes, students did not have a science lesson today.
Homework: —
Lesson 2 - Tuesday, Sep 3
Today in science: Dr. Merritt began the lesson by collecting the Course Syllabus – Parent Signature homework assignment. He used this opportunity to briefly discuss TASIS Effort grades and what students should do if they were unable to successfully complete and submit today’s homework.
Dr. M then told a story about a canoe trip with friends that happened to him a long time ago. This story was an example showing that people sometimes see different things when looking at the same object, but it also presented us with what Dr. M is calling the “Driving Question” for our first unit: Why do we see sometimes different things when looking at the same object?
Students then watched a short video of the start of a music lesson containing a rather strange phenomenon. We watched the video multiple times and students were asked to record “Noticings” (which are observations) and “Wonderings” (which are questions) on a pre-formatted handout provided by the teacher. In E period, students even had a chance to begin filling out their initial diagram to explain the music room phenomenon we saw.
To guide students through this lesson, Dr. M used this Slideshow.
Homework: Only students who did not submit a signed Syllabus have homework today.
Lesson 3 - Wed, Sep 4 (D) & Thu, Sep 5 (E)
Today in science: Dr. M collected signed course syllabi from any students who did not bring theirs to Lesson 2.
In D period, students were asked to complete out their initial diagram to explain the music room phenomenon we saw. During this exercise, some students began using the interior and exterior doors to the science lab to simulate the conditions we saw in the video. This attempt failed, however, because we couldn’t recreate the exact same conditions of the video due to the presence of light sources we couldn’t control. Dr. M then introduced the class to his light box models and asked students to make predictions as to what would happen if we create four different ‘tests’ in Lesson 4.
In E period, students were asked to finish their initial diagram to explain the music room phenomenon we saw. We then looked briefly at all of the student diagrams to try and identify some similarities and differences. At the conclusion of this exercise, Dr. M asked students to use the interior and exterior doors of the science lab to simulate the conditions we saw in the video. This attempt failed, however, because we couldn’t recreate the exact same conditions of the video due to the presence of light sources we couldn’t control. Dr. M then introduced the class to his light box models and asked students to make predictions as to what would happen if we create four different ‘tests’ in Lesson 4.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 4 - Friday, Sep 6
Today in science: After reminding students to bring a science notebook to Monday’s science class, Dr. M then gave students ‘official’ numbers for their mailboxes and asked students to retrieve their graded Course Syllabus assignment from them. He used this opportunity to say a little bit more about what Effort grades mean and how he will communicate them to students with/through Veracross.
We then shifted our attention to our light boxes so that we could perform the ‘Tests’ discussed at the end of Lesson 3. With the help of a table created by Dr. M on the G6 Notes Portal, students were then asked to perform the four pre-agreed tests plus other tests of their own design/interest.
Homework: Students have been asked to bring a science notebook to class on Monday (see box #1 below).
Announcements...
Our current DRIVING QUESTION is: Why do we see different things when looking at the same object?
#1 - Dr. Merritt would like every science student to have an A4-sized notebook to use in science class this year. The notebook should be well-bound and contain lined (not graphing) paper. If possible, Dr. M would also like students to have a plastic cover for their notebook.
#2 -