This Week on the Island 09/26 - 09/30

Dates to Remember:

• I will be out for a training on Thursday (09/29), I expect you to be on your absolute best behaviour, and make our guest teacher feel welcome.
• AdV Student Exhibition Night - October 12 @ 5:00 p.m.
• End of Term 2 - 11/04 

Need help with something? Post your questions on Edmodo.

Classroom News

Birdbrain readings have started, for all science classes. Remember that Birdbrain is done outside of class and is due on Fridays at 2:30. Birdbrain grades, once posted on schoolloop, are not subject to re-grades.

NOTICE: Looking to answer "Why I Got this grade?" Remember all projects and weekly blogs are graded using ForAllRubrics. To log in use your complete oakgrovesd e-mail and the password given to you as a comment to your grade for your first blog.

  5^th Science

This week we will continue our study of matter. We will talk about the three most common states of matter, and discuss their characteristics. We will talk about the particles that make up matter and the differences between elements, compounds, molecules and mixtures.

6^th Science

Cell Wars is reaching its final stages. You have published your posters, and are looking to finalize your electoral campaign videos. You will do review of organelles on Thursday and present your videos on Friday. Who will win the election?

7^th Science

   

We will continue to discuss the cell processes that provide energy to cells. Photosynthesis and cell respiration will be covered in depth through a virtual lab that will help both processes come alive. Make sure you know the organelle responsible for each process, and be ready to discuss why animals depend on plants, but plants do not depend on animals. If all goes well, we will move on to how things move into and out of cells. Lots of thinking and organization is going on in class.

7^th  Engineering

You finished your EDL. It is time to put it to the test as we begin our Reverse Engineering unit.  You will decide on an item and study it in depth as you take it apart, describe and sketch all of its parts. Begin drafting your manual detailing how to put your item back together, and develop your Bill of Materials.

8^th  Engineering

You finished your EDL. It is time to put it to the test as we begin our Imagine the Future unit. You will have fun exploring how technology has changed over time and read about some technological advances your children will probably think are boring and outdated. You will have a chance to commit to one technology that you can see yourself improving as you start your road towards the Exploravision competition.

This Week on the Island 09/19-09/23

Dates to Remember:

• I will be out for a training on Wednesday (09/21), I expect you to be on your absolute best behaviour, and make our guest teacher feel welcome.
• End of Term 1 09/23 - Mrs. Garcia's gradebook closes 09/21
• AdV Student Exhibition Night - October 12 @ 5:00 p.m.

Need help with something? Post your questions on Edmodo.

Classroom News

Birdbrain readings have started, for all science classes. Remember that Birdbrain is done outside of class and is due on Fridays at 2:30. Birdbrain grades, once posted on schoolloop, are not subject to re-grades.

NOTICE: Looking to answer "Why I Got this grade?" Remember all projects and weekly blogs are graded using ForAllRubrics. To log in use your complete oakgrovesd e-mail and the password given to you as a comment to your grade for your first blog.

  5^th Science

We have successfully saved science! The Board of Education was duly impressed with your writings and reasonings and hope to see more excellent work from all of you. We will start out the week exploring some interesting observations as we experiment with M&Ms. We will briefly detour to discuss matter and close out the week with investigating whether colors collide or combine in our experiments.

6^th Science

Cell Wars is in full swing. You are posting some interesting facts about your organelles and I am looking forward to seeing your electoral posters (due Wednesday). Continue working hard to provide evidence that your organelle should win the Cell-Land election. Do you have a catchy slogan for your campaign?

7^th Science

   

We are ready to move on to Cell Processes. We start out by identifying the macromolecules that allow things to happen, and do an interesting analysis of nutritional labels. We then move on to photosynthesis and explore just how the different chemicals combine to make carbohydrates and starches. And here you though we were all done with cells.

7^th  and 8^th  Engineering

This week will be mostly devoted to crafting your own version of the Engineering Design Loop. You will use your own EDL in all activities we do for the rest of the school year, so you may want to be extra precise. 

This Week on the Island 09/12-09/16

Dates to Remember:

• It's Spirit Week - Wear your spirit colors:
• Monday Black and White
• Tuesday: Purple
• Wednesday: Pink and Blue
• Thursday: Neon
• Friday: Tie-dye
• End of Term 1 09/23 - Mrs. Garcia's gradebook closes 09/21
• AdV Student Exhibition Night - October 12 @ 5:00 p.m.

Need help with something? Post your questions on Edmodo.

Classroom News

Reminder: To request a regrade for a Non-Zero or Warning assignment, you must send an e-mail to your teacher, with the URL of the document/page you want her to grade. You must sign your e-mail with your name, grade level and class. Remember that, although you only have one assignment, your teacher has to sift through all 170+ assignments and 5 gradebooks to find you. The easier you make it to re-grade, the higher the chance that it will be done promptly.

NOTICE: Looking to answer "Why I Got this grade?" Remember all projects and weekly blogs are graded using ForAllRubrics. To log in use your complete oakgrovesd e-mail and the password given to you as a comment to your grade for your first blog.

  5^th Science

This week starts as "writing week". You will post your letter to the School Board, explaining why you think science is important. Yse the different activities we did as evidence of how you grow in your thinking when you know science. Your posts are due this Wednesday (09/14) at the end of class. If you are successful, we will move on to our matter unit and have an opportunity to discover some very interesting properties of matter. 

6^th Science

Great work on your scientific method cartoons. We are ready to begin the Cell Wars project. We will start the week with a brief reminder of cells and cell theory. Once we are ready, you will sign up for an organelle and begin crafting an electoral campaign to win the elections for president of Cell-Land. 

7^th Science

   

Your Cell Wars project is almost over. Your videos must be completed by the end of class wednesday. Be ready to present all your work on Thursday, when we will hold elections. The race is close. Who will win? Have you posted all your required smears and answered those who smeared you? Once we have elected a new president for Cell-Land, we will start working on the building blocks of life. 

7^th  and 8^th  Engineering

Great work creating your Engineering Careers hats. Now is the time to delve deep into the engineering design loop. We will begin the Discover the EDL project. You will get a chance to analyze different projects through an engineering lens and provide evidence for what you discover. Be sure to look outside the project to identify the different skills needed to solve a problem. 

This Week on the Island 09/05-09/09

Dates to Remember:

• No school on September 5th in observance of Labor Day
• Picture day is September 9th
• End of Term 1 09/23 - Mrs. Garcia's gradebook closes 09/21
• AdV Student Exhibition Night - October 12 @ 5:00 p.m.

Need help with something? Post your questions on Edmodo.

Classroom News

Reminder: To request a regrade for a Non-Zero or Warning assignment, you must send an e-mail to your teacher, with the URL of the document/page you want her to grade. You must sign your e-mail with your name, grade level and class. Remember that, although you only have one assignment, your teacher has to sift through all 170+ assignments and 5 gradebooks to find you. The easier you make it to re-grade, the higher the chance that it will be done promptly.

NOTICE: ForAllRubrics and Edmodo are not "playing nice". Because of this, I created separate ForAllRubrics accounts for you. Your username is your complete oakgrovesd e-mail (including the @oakgrovesd.net). Your temporary password is included in the comments for your grade if I have already assessed your work. Do not try to log in using the Edmodo or the Google button, as your accounts are not linked with either of those services.

  5^th Science

We will start out the week talking about the scientific method. Together we will develop an experiment to answer the age old question "Are double stuffed Oreo cookies really double stuffed?", and round out our discussion on the importance of science. With that information in hand you will get started on writing your letters to the Board of Education. Do you have all the information you need to write a convincing letter?

6^th Science

We will start out the week creating posters to showcase your experiments. Make sure you have all the steps we talked about and that your conclusions are supported by your data. Once you have presented your work, you will begin crafting your scientific method cartoon where you showcase your understanding. 

7^th Science

   

Cell Wars continues! By now, your posters must be almost done, and I am looking forward to seeing them up in the classroom. Double-check the rubric for this portion, as well as for the smears. By mid-week I expect that you will begin working on your videos. Look for inspiration on the current political advertisements, and verify your work against the rubric. Be prepared to defend your candidate!

7^th  and 8^th  Engineering

The end of the engineering careers hat project is near. The due date is set for Friday, so make sure that your hat is complete and that you have tested it. If anything falls off look for alternate ways to attach it. Verify your work against the rubric to ensure that you have everything you need. The blog post due on the 11th is of course be a project blog. Check the requirements by visiting the project blog page.