Lesson 1 - Monday, Oct 27
Housekeeping: Students were told that their Fall Semester (FS) midterm grades should be released to them after Wednesday. Students absent from last Friday’s science lesson were also told their graded pop quizzes from last week are in their mailboxes.
1. Students were asked to created a handwritten entry in their Science Notebooks titled, MTH – Binocular Light Microscope Use. This is a special “Methods” entry (code: MTH) meant to help students learn how to use a binocular light microscope like a scientist.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 2 - Tuesday, Oct 28
Housekeeping: None.
1. After adding the final handwritten steps to their MTH – Binocular Light Microscope Use notebook entry, students were asked to make yet another entry, but this time an investigation, titled, INV#1 – Campus Noticing (Descriptive). In this investigation, students were asked to go outdoors and make a small collection of ‘natural’ specimens, view them with their microscopes, and then make drawings of them in their science notebooks.
2. We will continue this same activity in Lesson 3, but with an added layer of expectations known as the Noticing, Wondering, and It Reminds Me Of… framework.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 3 - Wed, Oct 29 (C, D) & Thu, Oct 30 (E)
Housekeeping: None
1. We continued our Lesson 3 activity, INV#1 – Campus Noticing (Descriptive), but with an added layer of expectations known as the Noticing, Wondering, and It Reminds Me Of… curiosity framework.
2. Students were given the entire lesson to explore natural objects with their binocular (stereo) light microscopes.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 4 - Friday, Oct 31
Housekeeping: None
- After formatting our Science Notebooks for INV#2 – Pistachio Nut (Descriptive), students spent today’s lesson observing and drawing a single pistachio nut. Students were given permission to use all 5 human senses (taste at the very end of the lesson!) and use the Noticing, Wondering, and It Reminds Me Of… curiosity framework.
Homework: As per the TASIS MS school homework policy, there is no weekend science homework (due on Monday).
Announcements...
The DRIVING QUESTION of our current unit is: How do the microscopic structures and functions of a cell explain what it means for something to be alive?
C & D period homework collection days: Wednesday & Friday.
E period homework collection days: Tuesday & Thursday.
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