I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This week we have some exciting things going on, including our first foray into the online portion of our math curriculum and our first science test. I will address each of these topics, as well as a few others, in this post.
Monday will begin our introduction to the online computer system. From now on, morning math classes will be on the computer and afternoon math classes will be in the students' homeroom. The exceptions to this rule are Wednesdays and half days. On Wednesdays there will be only one 45 minute math period that will occur in the homeroom. On half days there will be only one 45 minute online math period.
Monday's online class will be largely an introduction to the Reasoning Mind interface and a time to practice procedures and expectations related to the lab. More online instruction time will occur in the following days once these expectations are clearly in place.
Since I mentioned half days above, please remember that this Friday, August 26, is a half day. School will start at the usual time, but students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm. (In other words, pick-up for half days starts at 12:00 pm.)
Regarding the science test: I had initially announced this test for Tuesday, but as I am only getting this blog post to you on Sunday, I thought it would be best to give the students more time to study. Therefore, I am postponing the science test until this Thursday, August 25. I promised I would write a study guide and include it in this blog post. I have done so; it is below my signature line on this post so that it will not disrupt the flow of the post.
Of course, it is always the student's responsibility to do their best to learn, to pay attention in classes, to carefully complete and hand in assignments, and to study for tests. No student, no matter how intelligent, can be successful without fulfilling those basic responsibilities. Students who work hard to learn can often be more successful than students who are considered "naturally gifted."
I want to make sure that students who work hard and care about the material have the best chance they can possibly have to be successful in my classes. This is part of the reason I postponed the science test and also part of the reason I typically provide study guides for tests in my classes. I say typically because the study guide should never come to be viewed as any sort of right or contract by students. I will generally provide study guides, but I may not do so for all tests, especially as the year progresses. Similarly, the information on the study guide should cover the major points of what students need to know, but as the students mature in their abilities, I may include things on the test not directly mentioned on the study guides.
Homework assignments are another area in which I offer support to students in numerous ways. If a student scores less than 50% on any math or science assignment, I will typically write "Try Again" in large letters across the top of the assignment and put it in the student's Friday folder. Students who redo these assignments and hand them back can still receive full credit for their efforts.
I believe it is more important for students to learn through their work than to get the answers right on the first try every time. However, in order to take advantage of this opportunity students must hand in their assignments on time. Students who turn in assignments late will not be offered the opportunity to try again on those assignments. Also, if a students has clearly put very little effort into their assignment, I may not offer the opportunity to try again. However, I have found that such exceptions are typically few and most students derive benefit from this system. Please look through students' Friday folders and be especially vigilant in helping them locate "Try Again" assignments so they can take advantage of this opportunity to learn.
Regarding missing assignments: Starting this Monday, bins containing extra copies of homework worksheets will be placed in my classroom and Mr. Ohbayashi's classroom. My bin will contain extra copies of all math and science assignments. Mr. Ohbayashi's bin will contain extra copies of literature, grammar/writing, and history assignments. Students who neglect to pick up a copy of an assignment or who misplace an assignment can pick it up from proper bin. If they complete it and turn it in, they can still receive half credit for it. Of course, students must take the initiative to find the assignments in the bin on their own time (before school, during morning recess, or during lunch recess). Also, we will normally place ample copies of each assignment in the bins. However, if the copies happen to run out, they will not be reprinted. The intention of this system is to promote the students' sense of responsibility for their work while also giving them opportunities to correct occasional mistakes they make.
One more thing: please remember to sign and date the front of your student's Friday folder and send it back to school with them on Monday! I know this may take some getting used to, but I appreciate your attention to this matter very much because it reassures me that you are reviewing your student's work and overseeing their progress.
As always, if you wish to contact me about these matters or anything else, please contact me through you Jupiter Ed account and I will be happy to help you.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Wycklendt
Science Test 1 Study Guide
Students should understand that scientists
study natural (as opposed to man-made) things.
Students should be familiar with the
scientific method as the way all scientists learn about the natural world.
Students should know the steps
to the scientific method in order. They are: 1.Observe 2. Make a hypothesis 3. Experiment
4. Collect the results 5. Draw a conclusion (based on the results) 6. Communicate the results
Students should MEMORIZE the definitions of observation and
hypothesis and know the difference between the two. (An observation is
something you personally see or experience. A hypothesis an idea you want to
test. It must be based on an observation. It is tested by an experiment.)
The word hypothesis literally means “best guess.” A hypothesis is
a scientist’s best guess about causes something he observes. The hypothesis can
be right or wrong, and a scientist finds out whether the hypothesis is right or
wrong by performing an experiment to test the hypothesis. (The statements in
this paragraph are not part of the definition of a hypothesis that needs to be
memorized, but they are very helpful for students who need more clarification
on what a hypothesis is. It is a long word for a simple concept.)
Students should be familiar with the idea of a scientific
observation as a precise, and (if possible) measurable observation. Given two
observations, they should be able to distinguish which one is more scientific.
(For example, “The dog is only 20lbs,” is a more scientific observation than “The
dog is small.” Similarly, “The flower is a deep violet with hints of black
around the edges” is a more scientific observation than “The flower is purple
and black.”)
When presented with a simple observation, students should be able
to come up with a reasonable hypothesis about what the observation means or
what is causing the thing observed. For instance, if a gardener has two of a
certain kind of plant, one in the sun and one in the shade, he might observe
the plant in the sun is taller and stronger than the one in the shade. He could
infer that this kind of plant prefers sunlight or that it grows best in
sunlight. Similarly, given an observation and a hypothesis, students should be
able to distinguish which is which.
Note: 4B students have studied slightly different definitions
related to observations and scientific observations than 4A students. For 4A
students, the definition of observation they have in their notebooks will
suffice.
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