Mrs. Brazil's Science Spot

Cell Organelle Review

This week students are reviewing cell organelles.  Students watched a power point on cell analogies and had to compare the organelles of a cell with the parts of a city.  Later in the week students completed a cubing activity to better understand the organelles and their implications for the overall cell's structure and function.

Homework:  Students will have a test on the cell and its parts on Monday, December 15th.   

**To review for the test, students need to read pages 76-79 and on page 79 complete questions 1,2,4 and 5.  Additionally, students need to complete questions 1-16, 19-22, and 24-26 on pages 82  83.

Classwork downloads:  Download Cell analogies ,  Download Cellcity ,  Download Cubing sheet - organelle

**If students need additional material to reveiw for the cell test, please download the following:  Download Chapter review - cells

Cell Stations

Starting today and running through December 8th, students will be working in cooperative groups to complete 8 cell stations/centers:

Classroom Stations/Centers:

1. Cell Coloring

2. Bio Poem/Who am I riddle

3. Cell Story

4. Label Em up/Crossword

5. Organelle Review- skill sheets/puzzles

6. Cell Web quests

7. Cell Rap

**All station work must be completed and turned in on Monday, December 8th.

Station 4 Wequest Link

Station 8 Webquest Link

Microscope Project

Students will demonstrate their knowledge of microscopes by completing one of the following projects:

·         Comic Strip for a 4^th or 5^th grader-  

This comic strip must be at least 4 frames long and should explain  how to :

ü       use a microscope

ü       care for a microscope

ü       prepare a wet mount slide

ü       how to focus a microscope.

It also must include a picture of a microscope with its parts labeled clearly and correctly. (The comic strip should be written on 8x11 sheets of paper, but you may have 2 frames per page)

·         Picture Book for a 4^th or 5^th grader –

This picture book should explain how to:

ü       use a microscope

ü       care for a microscope

ü       prepare a wet mount slide

ü       how to focus a microscope

It also must include a picture of a microscope with its parts labeled clearly and correctly.  Lastly, the book must have at least one picture on each page of the picture book.  (Size of the book is optional – be creative)

**This project is worth 100 points and will count as a formative assessment.

Project due date: November 10th

Project deadline:  November 17th

** See Mrs. Brazil for project ideas and examples!   Good Luck

Download comic_strip_scoring_guide.doc

Download picture_book_scoring_guide.doc

Nutrient Cycle Project

Throughout the week, students will continue to work on thier nutrient cycle project.  Students are to create a book or set of large posters that contains diagrams with text labels for water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. They will create a food web for a particular ecosystem of their choice and explain the environmental problems and solutions related to the food web. 

The project due date has been extended until Friday, October 24th!

Students will take a quiz on the cycles on Friday as well.

Textbook reference:  Chapter 19 and Chapter 21.

Download energy_and_nutrient_cycling_project.doc

Nutrient Cycles- Period 2 and 4 (AC classes)

Your child’s AC science class will soon begin exploring the chapters entitled “Cycles in Nature” and “Environmental Problems and Solutions”.  In these chapters, students will learn about the cycles of the Earth and about environmental problems and some things students can do to help. By the end of the chapters, students should demonstrate a clear understanding of the chapter’s main ideas and be able to discuss the following topics:

·         the cycle of water in the atmosphere, land, and oceans (Section 1- chapter 19)

·         the steps in the carbon cycle and the importance of the carbon cycle to living things (Section 1- chapter 19)

·         the steps in the nitrogen cycle and the importance of the nitrogen cycle to living things (Section 1- chapter 19)

·         the effects of habitat destruction on organisms (Section 1 – chapter 21)

·         the reasons that human population growth is a problem (Section 1– chapter 21)

·         the three Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—and their importance (Section 2– chapter 21)

·         ways to protect habitats (Section 2– chapter 21)

·         ways to help protect the Earth (Section 2– chapter 21)

**The AC students will be learning the above concepts with a different yet exciting teaching approach!  Students will be given a project at the beginning of the unit and use various methods (textbooks, research materials, internet, etc) to understand the standards/main ideas.  In this project, students must create a picture book or a set of posters showing detailed drawings of the cycles and an explanation of their importance.  Additionally, students will need to create a food web for a particular ecosystem and explain how environmental problems and solutions relate to that food web.  The project is due Wednesday, October 22^nd. 

Download energy_and_nutrient_cycling_project.doc

Additionally, students will receive skill sheets to complete to help with their project.  All skill sheets will be due on Friday, October 17th. 

If students find that they need help, clarification, or additional instruction they may visit my “instruction” station held during the class period.  I will be there to provide any assistance necessary!

Nutrient Cycles - Period 1 and 3 (AVID)

Our science class will soon begin exploring the chapters entitled “Cycles in Nature” and “Environmental Problems and Solutions”. In these chapters, students will learn about the cycles of the Earth and about environmental problems and some things students can do to help. By the end of the chapters, students should demonstrate a clear understanding of the chapter’s main ideas and be able to discuss the following topics:

• the cycle of water in the atmosphere, land, and oceans (Section 1- chapter 19)
• the steps in the carbon cycle and the importance of the carbon cycle to living things (Section 1- chapter 19)
• the steps in the nitrogen cycle and the importance of the nitrogen cycle to living things (Section 1- chapter 19)
• the effects of habitat destruction on organisms (Section 1 – chapter 21)
• the reasons that human population growth is a problem (Section 1– chapter 21)
• the three Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle—and their importance (Section 2– chapter 21)
• ways to protect habitats (Section 2– chapter 21)
• ways to help protect the Earth (Section 2– chapter 21)

Throughout the week, students will create a book or set of large posters that contains diagrams with text labels for water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. They will create a food web for a particular ecosystem of their choice and explain the environmental problems and solutions related to the food web.  The project is due Wednesday, October 22nd

Download energy_and_nutrient_cycling_project.doc

***Homework for the week: to help with the creation of the book, students will receive skill sheets.  All skill sheets will be due on Friday, October 17^th.

Ecology Unit Summative Project

Students will begin the summative project that will conclude the Ecology Unit.  Students will complete 3 projects from a "menu" board that they will receive in class.   Students are to select one appetizer project, one entree project and one desert project.  All three will total 100pts. 

***Textbook references: Chapter 18 and Chapter 20.    

      Homework for the next two weeks:

       Sept. 29th - Oct. 2nd - p. 500-501 in the textbook (1-28)  due Friday.

       Oct. 6th - Oct. 10th - students are to work on their menu  projects.  All 3 are due on October 12th.

**** Unit test on Chapter 18 & Chapter 20 will be Thursday, Oct. 9th!

Below are links that will allow you to download the project and rubric sheets for each assignment:

Download living_things_summative_menu_project.doc

Download board_game_rubric.doc

Download diorama_rubric.doc

Download display_rubric.doc

Download flash_cards_rubric.doc

Download lab_rubric.doc

Download menu_rubric.doc

Download rap_song_poem_rubric.doc

Download science_puzzlers_and_story_rubrics.doc

Download tri_fold_foldable_rubric.doc

Welcome!

  Welcome to Mrs. Brazil's Science Spot.  This weblog is ALL about 7th Grade Science.  Here you will find Mrs. Brazil's homework, future projects, and any other major announcements in my 7th Grade Science class.  Have fun.

7th Grade Science Syllabus

Below you will find the link to the 7th Grade Life Science Syllabus. 

This link will provide:

• The standards covered this year.
• A breakdown of the curriculum by quarter.
• A breakdown of how the students will be graded.
• The title and cost of the textbook.
• Explanations on absences, late work policy, and student expectations
• A breakdown of the grading policy
• The best time to reach me during the school day.

Download 7th_grade_science_syllabus_0809_update.doc

Ecology Unit - Section 2 and 3 (update)

Students will begin the Food Chain/Food Web portion of our Ecology Unit this week.  Students will create food chains.

***Textbook references: Chapter 18- Sections 2 and 3 (pages: 484 - 489).

     Monday: No homework

     Tuesday/Wednesday:   food chain vocabulary 

                                         foldable (finish at home if not

                                         completed in school) 

     Thursday/Friday:  Food Chain practice – skill 

                                                  sheets (due Friday)

                       

**** Progress sheets went home on Thursday!