| |
Today my 7th grade students explored how scientists use the scientific method. They were given a problem to solve (balancing 12 nails on the head of one nail) and tried to accomplish the task. Some students solved the problem early and tried tackling the "String Activity". They did an excellent job working in pairs to try and find the solution!
0 Comments
We have begun investigating properties of matter. Today, students made observations of different objects and made predictions on how they would rank each items mass from least to greatest. They used their sight, then were able to handle the materials, and finally after making any adjustments needed in the rankings, they collected the actual mass of each item. We have several class pets that are receiving a lot of love this year.
Bellatrix is a 2 year old Dutch rabbit. She is kind of a nervous bunny so we use a towel to hold her so she doesn't scratch or bite anyone. She loves to run around the room after school. She lives in a "bunny mansion" that Brayden D. gave to me a couple of years ago. It has two levels to the cage and she loves to go up and down in it. I feed her rabbit food, vegetables, and hay. Ruby is our three year old Guinea Pig that was donated to us last year from JaQuawan D.. She lives in a long cage on top of the bunny mansion. She is very shy and loves to eat hay and vegetables We have six new goldfish this year. I am hoping to add some other creatures such as tadpoles or crayfish into their tank as the year goes on. Priscilla (Miss Priss) is a 1 year old leopard gecko and is located in an aquarium set up as a desert environment next to my filing cabinet and fish tank. She eats small crickets and mealworms. She is a favorite among my students that come to visit after school. Ceilia and Dopey are black rat snakes that live in a tank on my side lab station. They will be a year old in September. Last year, Jake G. brought in five snake eggs which hatched out in my room. Three of them went home with students and were released and the other three are still class pets. We feed them "pinkies" (baby mice) once a week. Thanks to Jordyn H. for taking care of them over the summer: Big Mama, Big Papa and their 6 medium sized babies are in a cage right as you walk in the door. They are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. I feed them dog food, vegetables and fruit. The younger cockroaches are really fast, so if students wish to hold one at the end of seminar or after school Big Mama is the easiest to handle We also have a Wolf spider that lives by the snakes and insects in a cage. Students are not allowed to participate in any maintenance for Wooly. However, it is fascinating to observe her stalk and eat her prey. I feed her insects such as grasshoppers or crickets that students bring in or darkling beetles from my mealworm colony. We have a Mealworm colony, which includes all stages of its life cycle. I feed the larger mealworms (larval stage) to Miss Priss and the Darkling Beetles (adult stage) to Wooly the Wolf Spider. Their container has oatmeal and I put in fruit and vegetables for them to eat. Today my students participated in a cup challenge. They did an excellent job working together with their team members in order to accomplish the task. Afterwards, students listed communication, collaboration, staying focused, and having patience as some of the skills needed to effectively work as a team. |
Shari HudgeonsPaola Middle School Science teacher Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|