Lesson 1 - Monday, Dec 2
Today in science: After briefly considering our new Driving Question, Dr. M asked students to download two documents from the Google Science Classroom into their Noteability App. These materials are a part of our new Particle Model unit and included a Student Reading and Activity Sheet 1.1 (both PDF files). After reading the first page of our new “Matter & Molecules” document together, we then did Activity 1.1, which asked students to melt an ice cube (the solid state of water) in a plastic bag so that it become water in its liquid state. After timing ourselves and recording our data (and strategies), students began answering some follow-up questions.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 2 - Tuesday, Dec 3
Today in science: While some students took last week’s Electrical Circuits unit test, other students were asked to increase their familiarity with “matter.” They did this by reading the first five pages of our Middle School Chemistry booklet and using them to answer 11 questions on a handout provided by the teacher.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 3 - Wed, Dec 4 (D) & Thurs, Dec 5 (E)
Today in science: Dr. M started the lesson by asking students to finish answering the questions in Question Set 1.1 and reminding them to submit the completed assignment to a designated place in the Classwork tab in the Google Science Classroom. When finished, students were asked to observe and discuss a demonstration Dr. M had set up on one of the lab benches. The demonstration showed liquid water in a flask changing into water vapor (the name for the gas state of water), which then moved through glass tubing only to reappear as liquid water again in a test tube. The word “evaporation” was used to describe this demonstration, but also “distillation.” After seeing and discussing this demonstration, students were asked to begin reading the Lesson 1.2 reading in the “Matter & Molecules” Student Book and to then use this reading to help them answer the questions in Question Set 1.2, which students took from the Google Science Classroom and imported them into Notability.
Homework: Students need to finish Question Set 1.2 at home and then submit/turn in the assignment to the designated place in the Classwork tab in the Google Science Classroom prior to the start of their next science lesson.
Lesson 4 - Friday, Dec 6 (D period only)
Today in science: There was no E period science class due to the TASIS Christmas Service. Also because of the Christmas Service, half of the D period students were absent due to the pre-Service rehearsals. Those D period students in attendance were reminded that Question Set 1.2, which Dr. M reminded students was based on the Lesson 1.2 reading in the “Matter & Molecules” Student Book, was due in the Google Science Classroom prior to the start of today’s science lesson (some students said they did the work but did not upload/submit the assignment).
Students were then asked to complete the 1.2 “Reading Check”–a sort of ‘did-you-read-1.2-thoroughly’ quiz–during the lesson. Dr. M used this exercise to emphasize to students how they should be approaching reading-and-question-answering assignments at home, as it was clear from the (self-graded) scores on the Reading Check that most Grade 6 students were not doing these kinds of tasks very well.
Homework: There is no weekend science homework.
Announcements...
The DRIVING QUESTION of our current unit is: What is (almost) everything around us made of/from?
D period homework collection days: Wednesday & Friday.
E period homework collection days: Tuesday & Thursday.
Including this week, there are 5 weeks of school before the end of the Fall Semester.