Email Updates Science – Vol. 5- Number 4 – November 21, 2010
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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 fourth edition of many update emails to follow. I send regular updates about the class once a month throughout the year. 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.
In this mailing you will find:
1). Reflections on the Thanksgiving Holiday
2). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
3). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
4). The “Science Journal Grading” & “Science Journal Take Home Quest” Assignments.
5). Archived additions of the Email Update
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1). Reflections on the Thanksgiving Holiday
The holiday seasons are upon us and I wish everyone to enjoy the time together. Throughout the season consider ways to honor the many cultural values and experiences of the diverse friends and families that comprise our communities. Each year I am reminded of the importance of multiple perspectives surrounding the celebration of holidays. In years past, Seattle School District Caprice D. Hollins, Director of Equity & Race Relations, Willard Bill, Jr., Program Manager Huchoosedah Office of Native American Educ., and Janine Tillotson, Consulting Teacher Huchoosedah Office of Native American Educ. sent a mailing about this theme. I want to share an excerpt from that letter that I find especially relevant and informative.
“Thanksgiving is a holiday which can be a particularly difficult time for many Native American students. The link below suggests some ways that might prove sensitive to their experiences and perspectives of this holiday and still make it meaningful for everyone.
“Myth #11: Thanksgiving is a happy time
“Fact: For many Indian people, “Thanksgiving” is a time of mourning, of remembering how a gift of generosity was rewarded by theft of land and seed corn, extermination of many from disease and gun, and near total destruction of many more from forced assimilation. As currently celebrated in this country, “Thanksgiving” is a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship.
“To learn more about deconstructing the myths surrounding Thanksgiving, visit the web site http://www.oyate.org/resources/shortthanks.html. Here you will discover ways to think critically, and find resources where you will learn about Thanksgiving from a Native American perspective.”
I share the Seattle School District goal of cultural competency in order to strive towards being inclusive and aware of the needs of all students. I, like the letter expresses, appreciate your willingness to think about the implications and impact of thinking about Thanksgiving in alternative ways.
It is my intent, as was the letter from the District, to inform about how we can celebrate holidays, while respecting and honoring the many ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the friends and families that comprise our communities. Thank you for your consideration.
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2). What have we been doing in the last few weeks?
Since the last update we have explored of the importance of genetic variation among the population, completed a few different models of DNA in order to build our foundational knowledge about the importance of this genetic code in our bodies.
We also began to 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; this is to be turned in on Friday December 3, 2010. Please note your responsibility for the lab: [*Student Responsibility — Lab Plan*
(25pts), Peer Edit* (25pts), Data Table/Diagram* (25pts)] for the lab and my responsibility [**Teacher Responsibility — Final Lab Graded w/ Rubric**
(25pts)].
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3). What will we be doing in the next few weeks?
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 as well as transpiration. 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.
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4). The “Science Journal Grading” & “Science Journal Take Home Quest” Assignments.
Please expect two upcoming assignments that will ask students to go beyond the normal way of doing things: (1) “Science Journal Grading” & (2) “Science Journal Take Home Quest” .
Here is a bit more detail on each:
(1) “Science Journal Grading”: This assignment provides an opportunity to ensure that the journal is reflective of class work and meets the expectation of learning that is required throughout our course. Students will be expected to have a complete table of contents, page numbers on every page, a clear title on every page, and that the journal is neat and organized throughout.
(2) “Science Journal Take Home Quest”: This assignment contains two parts: one for the student and one for the family adults. Students are expected to look reflectively at the assignment and journal together with an emphasis on how to improve the use of their journal. Family adults are expected to look at the journal and have their young scholar teach them something from the journal. This is your chance to observe the quality of the journal and express concerns that begins a dialogue of how best to improve performance and accountability of your young scholar.
You should look for these assignments in the first week of January 2011. As always, please email with any questions that you may have.
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5). Archived additions of the Email Updates
Archived additions of the Email Updates are available on my blog webpage: http://mabrewer.wordpress.com/.
If you are in contact with other parents/guardians who have not received these updates, please direct them to the Source to locate the link above. Also please ask them to email me so that I may add them to the list.
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Thanks for your support.
mabrewer
http://www.mrbrewer.org
