Calculating Electrons!

Here is a link that will help you begin to calculate electrons.  We will talk more about it tomorrow when I get back!

http://education.jlab.org/qa/pen_number.html

Here is a video to help you as well.

http://vimeo.com/40302828

Periodic Tables for Adopt an Element

Cool Website Alexis Found!!!

http://www.periodictable.com/

http://www.ptable.com/

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_intro.html

http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table

Science Week of 12/14

This week we will be entering the rest of the assessments into the grade book from the cells project.  We begin an investigation into the sun!  The following link will give an overview of our work to begin to understand how the sun works.  This will continue after break!

Week of 12/15

Today in Science we took  break to complete a quiz to see where we are at with this standards.  For some the quiz went well, for others it was met with adversity.

For those who are struggling with the content we will be breaking it down for them.  We will continue to work on the four page packet each child has to complete the project with.

Choosing our own topic and researching is an important and difficult skill.  If we are not all there yet, it is okay.  Students are going through the process of taking control of their own learning and that is exciting to see even though there are growing pains with this process.

Attached is the link to the rubric for this work!  I have encouraged students to keep their copy out and use it to guide every step of their work.

Project Rubric

Five Day Cell Project

Here is a little more detail on the cell project.  Right now we have been practicing up on our research and reflection skills.  The actual project begins tomorrow and I've attached the supporting documents that will accompany the work of our students through this short process.

Cell Project Overview

Cell Rubric

Cell Project Charter

12/1-12/5 Science Class

This week we are taking a look at cell function and specialization.  Students will choose a small topic of their choice to research later this week.  Right now we are doing some whole group exploration of basic topics before we choose what direction we want to head!

This is a great opportunity for students to learn a standard while exploring an option they find interesting!

We are using the PBS Series on Cells to help support our learning.  It is a great resource if you are interested in some support or background information.

Cell Collection

Now through next Tuesday in Science!

Students have completed story boards and are now into filming.  The premise of this project is to apply their knowledge of life cycles in creating a scary movie!  Through this process, students will be able to show proficiency of a variety of standards.  Those standards will populate the grade book in the next two weeks. These standards include:

Understanding Life Cycles
Understanding Types of Reproduction in Pond Ecosystems
Understanding and Identifying Organisms in Pond Ecosystems

I have been so pleased with the work of these kids!

Out ahead we will begin a short three week study on the role that cells play in the functions of living things.

Tuesday Second Hour....Airplane Design Challenge

Instructions:

Each student will the following materials...

• Four Pieces of Paper
• Four Staples
• Three Drops of Glue....On their Honor....
• 3" of masking tape
• NO SCISSORS OR CUTTING!!!  torn paper is fine...
• Fold n' Fly Website

Students will design their two best airplanes.  They may choose to make the planes out of one or two pieces of paper.  Below are the rules and research article.  Have students pick up material after they have read this blog entry.  Students will design, create, and test in the room today.  Tomorrow they will be judged on distance as well as time in flight to determine the champion.  

Aerodynamics

What makes a paper airplane fly? Air — the stuff that's all around you. Hold your hand in front of your body with your palm facing sideways so that your thumb is on top and your pinkie is facing the floor. Swing your hand back and forth. Do you feel the air? Now turn your palm so it is parallel to the ground and swing it back and forth again, like you're slicing it through the air. You can still feel the air, but your hand is able to move through it more smoothly than when your hand was turned up at a right angle. How easily an airplane moves through the air, or its aerodynamics, is the first consideration in making an airplane fly for a long distance.

Drag and Gravity

Planes that push a lot of air, like your hand did when it was facing the side, are said to have a lot of "drag," or resistance, to moving through the air. If you want your plane to fly as far as possible, you want a plane with as little drag as possible. A second force that planes need to overcome is "gravity." You need to keep your plane's weight to a minimum to help fight against gravity's pull to the ground.

Thrust and Lift

"Thrust" and "lift" are two other forces that help your plane make a long flight. Thrust is the forward movement of the plane. The initial thrust comes from the muscles of the "pilot" as the paper airplane is launched. After this, paper airplanes are really gliders, converting altitude to forward motion. Lift comes when the air below the airplane wing is pushing up harder than the air above it is pushing down. It is this difference in pressure that enables the plane to fly. Pressure can be reduced on a wing's surface by making the air move over it more quickly. The wings of a plane are curved so that the air moves more quickly over the top of the wing, resulting in an upward push, or lift, on the wing.

The Four Forces in Balance

A long flight occurs when these four forces — drag, gravity, thrust, and lift — are balanced. Some planes (like darts) are meant to be thrown with a lot of force. Because darts don't have a lot of drag and lift, they depend on extra thrust to overcome gravity. Long distance fliers are often built with this same design. Planes that are built to spend a long time in the air usually have a lot of lift but little thrust. These planes fly a slow and gentle flight.

Monday and Tuesday Science

Today in science we are doing individual research on the types of organisms we might highlight in the upcoming video feature.  We are completing the 4 C's activity to support this.

Objective: Discover critical information that helps you determine what creatures to highlight in your future movie.

Task: Research and document the following items about a chosen organism that could live in a Michigan Pond ecosystem.

• Challenges: What challenges does this organism deal with throughout it’s life cycle?
• Connections: What connections does this organism have with other organisms?
• Character: What does this organism look like and act like at each stage of it’s life cycle?
• Components: What does this organism need to survive at each stage of it’s life cycle?

Resources:

• Michigan DNR Wildlife Species List
• Michigan DNR Wetland Plants and Animals List

Procedure:

1. Document name of organism on back of sheet.
2. Document website address for information collected in space below.
3. Document information on back of sheet.

One Minute Presentations

Today we are building one minute presentations that will demonstrate our understanding of life cycles.  Below is a cool link to some foodwebs that will help us understand the connections between the fish and the aquatic invertebrate we studied.

Great Lakes Foodwebs

Presentation Rubric

Wednesday in Science

After finishing up our work from the last two days, we are doing some background research for a "Mock Fly Tying" activity.

Here is a link to a great resource. Students will choose one macro-organism to focus on.  They will develop its life cycle.  Tomorrow they will tie a "mock fly" based upon their organism.

Fly Tying Guide

How to find your pattern!!!

1.  Google Search:  Name of Organism and the word "pattern"  Example:  "Mayfly Pattern"

2.  Go to Images

3.  Find a fly to replicate.

Tuesday Science

Today we will wrap up the fish life cycle research project.  We will now begin the mayfly life cycle investigation.  Start with the video and go from there!

Life of the Mayfly

Mayfly Reference

Mayfly Life Cycle

When Mayfly Hatches Go Wrong

Monday Class

Today we begin the life cycle of fish investigation.  Here are some links that will help us!

Fish Species Cards

Fish Life Cycles

Salmon Life Cycle

Interactive Salmon Lifecycle

Rainbow Trout Life Cycle

Steelhead Life Cycle

Rubric for This Week

Here is the rubric we are working from right now.

Thursday Science

Today we are beginning to apply our new found knowledge of reproduction.  We are looking at the pros and cons of each type of reproduction and how it relates back to the pond ecosystem.


Here are links to the essays we read in class that supported the videos and our discussion.

Red Queen Essay

Single Cell Essay

Floral Arrangements Essay

Tomorrow we will demonstrate our knowledge and ability to apply this information in a format that will be graded.

Tuesday Science

Today we will continue our investigation of the different types of asexual reproduction.  The activity from yesterday will continue.  Each student is responsible for understanding the different types and providing multiple examples for each type.  This will be assessed in the near future in class.

Monday Science

Today we are breaking down the different types of asexual reproduction.  Students are completing a jigsaw activity to learn more about each type.  Below are links to help students learn about each type and the examples.

Budding Explained

Fragmentation Explained

Parthenogenesis

Regeneration

Sporulation

Binary Fission

Tuesday Science

Today we will begin the Pond Life Reproduction Road Map!  Click on the link to get started.

Pond Life Reproduction Mini-Roadmap

Tuesday:  Complete the Video and Reflection
Wed:  Visual art Section
Thursday/Friday:  Class Discussion and Elevator Pitch!

Monday Science

Today we finished and posted the Pond Creature Trading Cards!  Did you get yours up?  If not, finish it on your own and bring it in!!!

We also had a chance to try a reading strategy on an article and create a word wall for our project.

Grades

Grades are going to start going into the grade book!  Here are a couple things to remember...

1.  The score (1-4) is a reflection of where your child is RIGHT NOW with that standard.  We will revisit them through the year and the improvement will replace the score.

2.  If a child had a 4 right now in every standard they would not belong in this class.

3.  Kids have been working very hard overall.....getting a 4 is a HUGE challenge in the world of science.

4.  If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to email me and I can have a conversation with you.

5.  If you want to know more about the score, there should be a link to the rubric.  Your child will also within the next day or two have their work and rubric to share with you you.

I am proud of all of these kids and how they have started to embrace quality work in 7th Grade.

-Bob


rwandel@hamiltonschools.us

Thursday Science

Today and tomorrow we will be wrapping up our investigation into pond organisms.  The trading cards that were created will serve us well in the coming weeks.  We will be using them to investigate life cycles of living things.  We will also be using them to write Myths in Language Arts Class.  Photo of the trading card wall to come soon!!!

Trading Card Activity

Today students will each take a type of Pond Creature and Take a Deeper "Dive".  We will research the creature of our choice and create a trading card poster about that creature.

Helpful Links:

Pond Life Identification Kit

Pond ID Hard Copy

Pond Creature Identification

Kingdom Links

Class Links


Link to "Bingo" Document for Research

Pond Water Investigation

Today we started a study of aquatic life from the pond in the HS.  The following link will help you identify organisms you find.

Pond Life Guide

Life Cycles and Reproduction

This week we are beginning the investigation of life cycles and reproduction of pond organisms.  This event will end in the creation of a film around the life cycle of an organism students choose.  There will not be homework.  Check in with the blog to see how this project progresses.  Today we are gathering samples of aquatic life to investigate!

Cutting Instructions

Here is a link to cutting instructions for your bottle biology project.  This makes a pretty cool three bottle column.

Cutting Instructions

Bottle Biology Introduction!!!

First of all...I hope your day is going awesome!  

Below you will find a couple of links to some helpful resources in the area of bottle biology. As you choose a design to build...please follow directions on how to cut the bottles. Bad cuts mean ruined bottles! However, please feel free to unleash your creativity and design your own eco-columns while still following the ideas of how to cut and piece together your bottles. 

http://www.bottlebiology.org/

http://www.learner.org/courses/essential/life/bottlebio/ecocol/

Quiz Retake Links

The following links will be used for retakes!

7th Hour

Atoms

Molecules

5th Hour

Atoms

Molecules


4th Hour

Atoms

Molecules

Tuesday Class

Today most will be needing to work on a list of 5 possible demonstrations...

Today in science some kids will begin brainstorming for their demonstration they will do.  Students will be able to fill out an application to finalize their ideas tomorrow!

The Major Demonstration Database will give you resources to begin searching for ideas for your final demonstration. 

CHECK OUT THIS DOCUMENT LOADED WITH LINKS!


You will also be choosing a learning target that you will present to the class.  Please look at the document as you brainstorm!!!

Learning Target Options

You MUST use these learning targets to support your demonstration!

Tuesday Class

Today students will continue to brainstorm by narrowing their ideas down to five.  Access last weeks post on learning targets and possible ideas to guide you for today.  Fill out the short application toady.  I would like 1st hour and 4th hour to take the quiz below.  There was a glitch in the testing for that one.

1st Hour Molecules and Compounds Quiz

4th Hour Molecules and Compounds Quiz

Health Survey

Today you need to take the health survey...

Click Here to Access The Survey.

Quizzes for Thursday

There are two SMALL quizzes to take today!  Here are the links

5th Hour Compounds Quiz

5th Hour Atoms Quiz



7th Hour Compounds Quiz

7th Hour Atoms Quiz

Demonstration Design Brain Storming

Today in science some kids will begin brainstorming for their demonstration they will do.  Students will be able to fill out an application to finalize their ideas tomorrow!

The Major Demonstration Database will give you resources to begin searching for ideas for your final demonstration. 

CHECK OUT THIS DOCUMENT LOADED WITH LINKS!


You will also be choosing a learning target that you will present to the class.  Please look at the document as you brainstorm!!!

Learning Target Options

Tuesday Class

Driving Question: “How can we use our knowledge of matter to create an engaging MAGIC show?

We are in the investigation stage…

1. Finish Road Map Section 1 (P.PM.07.21)

2. Finish Road Map Section 2 (P.PM.07.21)

3. Finish Lab Write Up From Matter Lab #1 (Friday Lab)

4. Finish Road Map Section 3 (Periodic Trends)

Deliverable Target Date: Friday, May 16, 2014

Math Games for Friday!!!

Angle Alien  

Project TRIG

Shape Inlay

Tuesday Class

Today in science we begin the process of learning some key ideas in the realm of Molecules and Subatomic particles.

Please click here for the road map!

Thursday Class

Here are the make-up quiz links for light and sound:

Light Waves Make-up

Sound Waves Make-up

Take your time!!!!

I Challenge Uth Opportunity

Calling all 7th graders! Here is a wonderful (and free!) opportunity for you this summer! Spend one week at a local company for this highly successful "pitch" competition.

Click Here to Apply!

Please apply as soon as possible if interested!

Here is a highlight video from the high school version....

Monday Math Lab

While we are working with protractors, our extra practice is going to be on this link:
Alien Angles

Here is another link for practice
Angle Measure Game

Other angle games
Plethora of Games!

Career Day 4th Hour

Options other than College

Extra Part/Whole Practice

Hey Math Lab, having trouble 'seeing' what whole and part means? This website can help you 'see' what some of your math problems are trying to say. It also will reword questions and answers if you put in numbers.

Check it out:

http://www.mathplayground.com/visualpercent.html

Friday Class

Today we have hit our first 'deadline' in our Sound Projects. Students have been hitting checkpoints along the way, but now need to have their project charter finished before they can move on to the regular project. Students who do not complete their project charter by the end of today will begin an alternate project on Monday. Here is a picture of our class calendar to keep everything in perspective:

Thursday Math Lab with Mr. Wandel

I have two video games for you today to practice with!

Mental Percental    A remake of Space Invaders

Percent Shopping  A shopping challenge...Lets make a deal!!!

Tuesdays Class

Happy April Fools Day!

We will be continuing our research from Monday. We will be creating different ways to record our data and testing our hypotheses.

Friday Class

Hello 7th Graders! Happy Friday!


We have two different quizzes today about Light and Sound.

Sound Waves Quiz (1st Hour)
Sound Waves Quiz (4th Hour)
Sound Waves Quiz (5th Hour)
Sound Waves Quiz (7th Hour)

Light Waves Quiz (1st Hour)
Light Waves Quiz (4th Hour)
Light Waves Quiz (5th Hour)
Light Waves Quiz (7th Hour)

Tuesday Class

Here is the link for our RRR talk today!


http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/waste-avengers


Check this link out to view the real-time earthquake feed from the USGS!!
Earthquakes 2.5+ Realtime

Monday Class

Happy Monday!

We have a quiz today that is a couple of parts: 

Post-quiz- This quiz is not graded. It is the same as the Pre-quiz that you all got in the beginning of the unit.

1st Hour Post-quiz

4th Hour Post-quiz

5th Hour Post-quiz

7th Hour Post-quiz

Energy and Waves Multiple Choice- This quiz is graded! This is the multiple choice content part of our quiz.

Energy and Waves Multiple Choice (1st Hour)

Energy and Waves Multiple Choice (4th Hour)

Energy and Waves Multiple Choice (5th Hour)

Energy and Waves Multiple Choice (7th Hour)

Energy and Waves Essay Question- This is a paper that I will give out to you in class.

Tuesday Class

Here are our links for Jig-Saw day!

Seismic Waves Article

Light Waves Article

Waves (general)

Water Waves

and

Tsunamis

Monday 3rd Hour

Today and tomorrow we want to take a deeper dive into the age of dinosaurs. To catch a glimpse of this time period we are going to use some video clips...

Here is a folder...I would like you to watch them in order...

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_1M5DGJ46tcUzJ4TUxxN3JrSFE&usp=sharing

Monday Class

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Top o' the Mornin' to ya! 

Today we are learning about sound waves and how they work. We will be watching a short video about breaking glass with sound and then exploring sound through an online tutorial.

>>>How Sound Works Tutorial.<<<

Breaking glass with sound!

This site has more information on how Guitar Strings make sound:

Guitar Strings and Longitudinal Waves

This orchestra uses slightly unconventional instruments to make music. They call themselves the Landfillharmonic:

The Landfillharmonic Home Page 

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony Video on Trash Instruments

Games for Math Lab Today!

Ratio Blaster

Facts Grand Prix

Dirt Bike Proportions

Ratio Space Invaders

Friday Third Hour

Greetings Third Hour!

First of all, please make sure you were able to finish your presentations from yesterday!

Second, I wanted to share a video about the devonian time period. I think it is important to catch a glimpse of what it may have looked like back then. Please don't confuse megaladon as a devonian animal...it's used for comparison sake!



Third, Here is a video about the Permian Mass Extinction that is a very important paleontology event... Please watch and have a short discussion...



Finally,

I would like you to watch this video about an overview of the "Age of Dinosaurs"

Age of Reptiles (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) from Mr. Malefyt on Vimeo.

Please fill in your graphic organizers for these three time periods!

Friday Class

Potential, Kinetic, and Waves: Oh My!

It's centers day in science! We have three centers that will be happening in different parts of the room. While Coach Malefyt, Coach Wandel, and I will be around to help with questions about each of the centers, our first question for you is always going to be: did you take a look at the blog first?

I want this blog to be a resource for those times when the directions go in one ear and out the other, you just don't quite get the big picture the first time, or you just need a quick refresher. So use it as the great resource it is!

_ _ _ _ __ __ __________________________ __ __ _ _ _ _

Today you will be traveling around the room to our three centers: Slinky Waves, Potential vs. Kinetic, and Roller Coaster Ride.

Center #1: Slinky Waves

At this center, you will be using slinkies and your journal. There will also be directions taped to the table where the slinkies will be. The directions are as follows:

1. With a partner, have one person stretch the slinky out on a hard surface. It should be stretched enough so that there is space between the rings, but not so much that it is all tight. We don't want to break our slinkies and it will be harder to see what you need to if it is too tight!
2. The person who is stretching the slinky should move only ONE hand back and forward on the table. Let the rest of the slinky move.
3. The person who is not holding the slinky should draw what they saw the slinky do when they moved it. Do your best to represent the motion in your journal on a fresh page.
4. Switch your role with your partner. If you were the person who stretched the slinky, you are now going to be the one to  draw. If you were the person who drew, you are now stretching the slinky for your partner.
5. Copy the labeled diagram of the parts of a wave on the lab table into your journal to try and label parts of your slinky drawing with the labels on the diagram. Do the best you can to match vocabulary with your drawing. 
6. Answer these questions about your slinky and the diagram: 
1. Did what you see in your slinky look like this diagram? 
2. How did the slinky move when you let go? (Did it stop right away?)

Center #2: Potential vs. Kinetic

This center expands and continues our discussion on Potential and Kinetic energy from yesterday.

1. Read through the site at this link: Potential and Kinetic Site
2. Compose a Tweet in your journal that summarizes the differences between potential and kinetic energy. *Remember, a tweet is only 140 characters (including spaces) long!
3. I will be looking through journals at these and showcasing some of the most creative ones in class and on the blog next week!

Center #3: Roller Coaster Ride

Keep track of your time at this station, this is the one that could last an hour if you let it!

1. Begin the tutorial of "How to craft a super coaster." While the narrator reads the text to you, write down one main idea from each page. Don't worry if you don't understand all the math and physics that she gives you, just focus on one big thing that you get from each of the pages. 
2. Build a coaster following the directions in the tutorial!!
3. If your coaster crashes (mine crashed 9 times before I got mine to stop at the end of the track) draw the graph in your journal and write down the reason it gives you. 
4. If your coaster isn't successful in the first 3 tries, move on to the next station. If you have time in class, you can come back to this one! Remember, the link is posted here, so you can access it at home too!

Thursday Class

Today we are going to dive right into the content of our unit. The first step is to figure out what you all already know about Energy and Waves. To do that, we are going to take a short Proprofs quiz.

Take your time,
Do your best,
R E L A X.

Hour 1 - Energy and Waves Pre-quiz

Hour 4 - Energy and Waves Pre-quiz

Hour 5 - Energy and Waves Pre-quiz

Hour 7 - Energy and Waves Pre-quiz

_________________________________________________

• Once you are done with your quiz, find a partner who is also done with the quiz and share a device. 
• Read the article What is Energy? with your partner and write down any vocabulary that you feel will be important to our study on Energy and Waves (you should come up with at least 10-12 in this article!).

• If you finish with the quiz and the article, check out the links at the bottom of the article under the heading "Renewable Energy Sources." 
• Choose a topic with your partner and write or draw 10 main ideas, definitions, or cool facts that you find on the site. A great thing to do would be to reproduce a diagram or graph from the article into your journal.

Wednesday Class

Today we used the information from the interviews that we did yesterday to build some "amulets." Each group of students were given a table of supplies that included random items that ranged from pipe cleaners to foam dots. They made a gift for their partner that addressed their partner's inconvenience. They didn't set out to solve the problem for their partner, just inspire their partner to think of creative ideas about a solution.

We had a great time:

Wednesday Third Hour

Today in Third Hour...

We begin the process of looking at the different time periods in earths history. Enjoy the ride of exploration into worlds that are crazy and cool...

Instead of each person taking a deep dive into each time period, we are going to share the responsibility as a group. Your small group will be assigned a time period to explore and share out to your classmates.

Here is the activity sheet for all the hyperlinks!

Tuesday Class

New seating chart, new trimester, new unit...everything is new in class today! The new unit is going to be focusing on Energy and Waves and hitting these standards:

• K-7 Standard P.EN: Develop an understanding that there are many forms of energy (such as heat, light, sound, and electrical) and that energy is transferable by convection, conduction, or radiation. Understand energy can be in motion, called kinetic; or it can be stored, called potential...
• P.EN.M.3 Waves and Energy-Waves have energy and transfer energy when they interact with matter. Examples of waves include sound waves, seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves.
• P.EN.07.31 Identify examples of waves, including sound waves, seismic waves, and waves on water.
• P.EN.07.32 Describe how waves are produced by vibrations in matter.
• P.EN.07.33 Demonstrate how waves transfer energy when they interact with matter (for example: tuning fork in water, waves hitting a beach, earthquake knocking over buildings).

We are going to focus on the general question: "Sound: how can we reuse common household materials to amp it or damp it?" Check out the project flyer below for more information and get excited!

Temporary Connections Survey Link for High School Kids at Gentex

Final Showcase Survey

Monday Class

Happy National Nap Day!

Not only did we lose an hour, we are also switching our classes for the new trimester. Confusion galore!

Today in class we will be watching and grading as many videos as we can get through. Remember that everything needs to be uploaded on everyone's Vimeo and Who-Am-I. We can't watch it if you aren't in Coach Malefyt and Coach Wandel's inner circle.

3rd Hour Class

Today you will being a process of uncovering some science content in the area of paleontology. Remember the challenge for the current project... "Design an original and engaging board game that incorporates paleontology with with world geography."

Today start by watching this video clip:

Rock Layers Presentation from Mr. Malefyt on Vimeo.


After you watch the clip...please complete the activity...

Thursday Class

It's showtime!

We are taking time today to honor all of the hard work that you have been doing for the past few weeks. To start the class, there will be a few minutes to finish any last minute uploading to Vimeo and Who-Am-I, then we will start our Pure Michigan Ad/Music Video Showcase.

Get excited!

Tuesday Class

We hit our milestone for script completion today! Groups who had individual scripts and one group script were able to move onto the story board.

Story boards are a combination of a script and sketches of your images or video ideas. We want to get an idea of what images you have found or are going to find and the words that are going to match up with the images. Use this process as a time to plan and brainstorm more about your video!

Monday class

We had more work time in class today. Our next milestone will be the completion of our scripts at the beginning of class tomorrow!

Friday Class

Today was all about work time. The students were given more time in their groups to continue making project charters, scripts, and story boards. The next milestone is on Monday: complete the script. Students will have class time on Monday to finish the scripts with their group. Remember to use the script checklist and the rubric for editing!

Geology Music Video Rubric

Thursday Class

Most of us celebrated a project milestone today and were able to continue on with our project charter and script writing. The project milestone we celebrated was the completion of a mission statement poster to add to our ever-growing wall of posters. See if you can spot yours!

Our next milestone is the script that will be due on Monday the 24th at the end of the class time. 

Wednesday Class

Today students continue to work on developing their projects. Many students are completing their project charter.

Here is a link to the calendar and checklist for the project.

Here is a link to the project rubric.

Friday Class

Today in science we have some assessments:

Re-Assessments

1. Rock Cycle Retake (1st Hour)

2. Rock Cycle Retake (4th Hour)

3. Rock Cycle Retake (6th Hour)

4. Rock Cycle Retake (7th Hour)

*In Addition, students will be able to reassess their food web knowledge.

This Assessment All Students Need to Take

1. Changing Surface (1st Hour)

2. Changing Surface (4th Hour)

3. Changing Surface (6th Hour)

4. Changing Surface (7th Hour)

Thursday Bonus!

Our 4th hour  3-minute lecture question was brought to us by Dylan Tyler today. He asked "What are the best rock bands?" To answer this, we watched a video that brought music and rocks together! Here is the link so 4th hour can watch it again and the other hours can have some rock music fun. Thank you for the fun and challenging question Dylan!


Check it out!

Thursday Class

Today in science we have students in a variety of places...

1. Some students continue to work with Mr. Wandel on a small revisit of the rock cycle.

2. Some students are finishing all their investigative responsibilities from earlier in the week.

3. Some Students are working on their solution building (Which all students need to be done with by tomorrow!) The following Mad Lib is used in which students need to create 10 different statements:

"_________________ (Michigan Geology Feature) needs to be popularized/featured because ______________ (Good reason based on geology/science)."

4. Students who finished the creation of 10 statements...used a NUF test protocol to find focus on one solution that will become their groups mission statement moving forward.

Tuesday Class

Good Morning!

We are continuing the research process.  We are going to be offering a reassessment for students who have struggled to complete their stop animation film project.  This assessment will take the place of the other project.


Stop Animation Alternative Assessment

Monday Class

Today in science students begin some individual research to take a deeper dive into some areas of west Michigan geology. Students will be using the 4 C's research tool to guide them.

Click Here for the resource page!

Click Here for the 4 C's Research tool.

Friday class

Today we continued to work on our WHW charts and poems. Have a great weekend!

Thursday Class

Today in science we will be doing a What How Why activity. Here is a link to a resource page of links...

Wednesday Class

Today in science we took an assessment:

1st Hour

4th Hour

6th Hour

7th Hour

Tuesday Class

Today in science we use the skill of "Drama" to uncover the concept of weathering.

Here is a link to the activity.

Enjoy the day everyone!!!!

Monday Class

Welcome to a wonderful Monday! 

Today in science, students completed their work on Sedimentary rocks. Some students were able to complete a small reading exercise on metamorphic rocks as well. We continue to reflect on the driving question for this project: "How might we use music to popularize West Michigan geology?"

Thursday Class

Welcome back from our extended snow day! Today we finished the Igneous Rocks lab and continued work on the Sedimentary Rocks lab.

Check out these pictures 7th graders working hard on rock identification!

Tuesday Class

Hello 7th grade students and parents! Starting today,  Mr. Wandel and Mr. Malefyt's student teacher, Ms. Hielkema, will be updating the 7th Grade Science Blog. As an introduction, I will post my user's guide on this first post as well as the material that we covered today.

Today students began their study of igneous rocks. They read an article introducing igneous rocks and completed a reading strategy guide to help find and understand the important vocabulary and concepts for the lab exercise.

If you need a refresher on how to fill out the worksheet, I've included the powerpoint we used in class to describe the vocabulary strategy.

Friday Class

Today students finished a populations graphing activity while uncovering the concepts of carry capacity.

We also had the opportunity to take a pro-prof assessment...

1st Hour Click Here

4th Hour Click Here

6th Hour Click Here

7th Hour Click Here

Wednesday Class

Today in science we wrapped up the food web activity that was worked on yesterday. We concluded today with a content written assessment.

Tuesday Class

First of all... Here are the presentation slides that were shown yesterday...





Today...we worked on a Great Lakes ecology food web activity. Students took a given set of organisms and created food webs that were then compared to other food webs.