Email Updates Science 2010-2011 – Vol. 5 – Number 2 – October 16, 2010
Greetings from Mr. Brewer,
You are receiving this email because either you are a student or the parent/guardian of a student in one of my Seventh Grade Science classes at Eckstein Middle School. This is the second edition of many update emails to follow. I will send regular updates about the class once a month throughout the semester. Please encourage other parents/guardians that you are in contact with to subscribe with for these updates by following the link: http://wp.me/pPBhk-G.
Please respond with any feedback about the email updates, daily reminders, etc., that you wish to comment on. Thanks.
In this mailing you will find:
1). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
2). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
3). The Assignment Calendar, The Source and my Website.
4). Archived Additions of the Email Update
5). Thanks for coming to Curriculum Night!
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1). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
We began the year with an exploration of general concepts about the nature of science, an exploration of living organisms through investigations with microscopes and experiments. We have been working to enhance our skills of finding microscopic organisms in order to better differentiate characteristics that define each kingdom of life. We ended this unit with a treasure hunt, using the microscopes, to find as many of the organisms in each kingdom that we could.
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2). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
We will conclude the first quarter with our explorations of the importance of genetic variation among the population. We will conduct an investigation about DNA in order to build our foundational knowledge about the importance of this genetic code in our bodies.
In the second quarter we will investigate bacteria in our classroom using agar cultures in Petri dishes and learn that bacteria always reproduce exponentially. Students will write their results in a formal lab.
We will investigate the reproductive processes of plants by dissecting several flowers and learning the names of each individual part. Each student will be asked to make a pollination story cartoon (either written or on computer) to explain the role of seed dispersal and the growth cycle of plants. Following that we will focus our attention on the difference between several of the animal phylums — invertebrates, vertebrates, and insects. We will conduct a dissection of one animal from one of these phylums in order to be able to compare and contrast the similarities and differences. We will conclude the quarter addressing ecology and human interdependence of the environment by focusing on the of the importance of native and invasive species throughout our environment.
In the third and fourth quarter we will be our studies of the Human Body System by examining the circulatory system. We will have the opportunity to feel a sheep heart so that we could learn how the most important muscle in our body — the heart — looks and works.
We will focus our attention to the importance of the circulatory system and how it affects our overall health. We will examine how the field of bioengineering makes it possible to better treat heart diseases. We will simultaneously be examining the importance of how health effects the ability of the heart to function effectively.
At the end of this unit students will have the opportunity to try their own expertise at developing an alternative blood vessel in much the same way that a bioengineer would test common materials. Students will write their results in a formal lab.
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3). The Assignment Calendar, The Source and my Website.
On The Source Class Page you will find links to the following pages on my Website:
– my home page, which includes some information about me (by clicking on “About” in the menu bar);
– the class assignment calendar, provided by Google Calendars — please use the links to subscribe to receive daily reminders. http://mrbrewer.org/Pages/calendarSCI7.php
– the class webpage, which includes information about assignments, class notes, and archives of email updates.
Please visit my webpage, http://mrbrewer.org, for more information about class information, assignments, readings, and me.
As grades are posted on the source, if ever you notice a mistake in your grade, please bring these to my attention and I will respond appropriately. Either I have mistakenly entered the students grade in the computer while transcribing from my written grade book or there is a mistake on the computer version regarding total points. Additionally, if I have listed an assignment as “missing” and you know that you (the student) know that you have turned it in and received a score, show me the evidence and I will correct your score accordingly.
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4). Archived Additions of the Email Update
Archived additions of the Email Updates are available on my webpage: http://mabrewer.wordpress.com
If you are in contact with other parents/guardians who have not received these updates, please encourage them to subscribe with for these updates by following the link: http://wp.me/pPBhk-G.
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5). Thanks for coming to Curriculum Night!
Thank you for coming to visit the school. Thanks again for your generous Lab Donations to start the year. Your support will allow us to provide the best resources and opportunities that we can. If you wish to donate in the future, please make checks payable to “Eckstein Middle School.”
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