Ms. Khzouz

Hello Hornets!

This week was a very busy week for our seventh graders.

Monday and Tuesday we finished up our packet on learning what well-defined Criteria and Constraints are. Students finished their packet comparing two different bridges: Mackinac and Tacoma Bridge. We learned that the Mackinac Bridge did not collapse and was a successful design because the constraints were met, and both criteria & constraints were well defined. After finishing the packet students were given a summative exit ticket which was collected at the end of the hour.

I will be grading this weekend so grades will be updated.

Wednesday and Thursday we officially started our first unit 7.1: Off the Grid. Students were introduced to the unit challenge which talked about what life would be like without electricity. When we are “off the grid” we do not have access to electricity/power. When we are “on the grid” we do have access to electricity/power. Then we jotted down notes about our morning routines and what part of our daily lives rely or require electricity. Then we went a step further and brainstormed ways our home, town/city, and country would be like if we were “off the grid”. We put all of our notes on our graphic organizer (bubble map) using guided questions to drive our group/class discussions.

Next week we will be taking a pre-test. Every unit begins with a pre-test. Do not worry about the test because it is used just to see what we know and what we don’t know. At the end of the unit we will take a post-test which will be graded and used to compare to the pre-test to see how much we learned from each unit.

Friday- Diamond Jack Field Trip!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Khzouz

Hello Hornets!

Monday and Tuesday was spent finishing up our Pattern packets. Students learned how to make accurate predictions in science by recognizing patterns in different types of data: tables and graphs. Students completed their packet and exit ticket to be graded.

The rest of the week was spent learning about well-defined Criteria and Constraints. In science before building models, we are given a set of guidelines we need to follow. Within those guidelines are sets of needs and wants. In order to solve an engineering design problem we need to make sure all the needs are met before we incorporate the wants. Those needs are “Constraints”. The wants or goals that we would like to have is called “Criteria”. Students organized guidelines into criteria and constraints and began building their model. Their model objective was to build a paper tower that could withstand the force of wind from a box fan. Students were put in groups and given a rubric of criteria and constraints to follow in order to have a successful model.

Next week we will finish this lesson and move on to Unit 7.1 which talks about electrical generators.

Vocabulary:

Well-Defined: being measureable, on an appropriate scale, specific to science principles.

Criteria: characteristics of a desired solution that are used to compare different solutions and determine which best solves the problem. These are wants/goals and not requirements.

Constraints: things you MUST do to solve the problem. If constraints are not met the solution is not acceptable.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_Z7hamp23D2NxV7xMFZiHmcTrY-9GVJvJdEmLr5Aq8/edit?usp=sharing

Hello Hornets!

Last week we started our mini unit called Patterns. We started the unit by answering the essential or focus question: How can we make accurate predictions? As a class we brainstormed possible ways we make accurate predictions and created a class bubble chart. Some of the things students came up with was that we use observations (our 5 senses) to create accurate predictions. We also analyze data, models, and any information given. We find patterns within the information we are given and we looked at patterns in different types of data.

Students were given a packet where we analyzed data trends in different cities such as Lansing and Detroit, Michigan. Then students created a graph based on the data trends of their assigned city (Orlando, FL, Lexington, KY, or Bangor, Maine). Students created a graph of the data trends and answered questions. We looked at patterns within the data to identify what prediction we can make about the weather.

Vocabulary Terms:

Pattern: are repeated events that keep occurring.

Effect: (we will go over this next week).
Cause: (we will go over this next week).

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IzGiYVLec4iLaKVWp7FZUUKQ3xtsc01HzDSwLT3nTPw/edit?usp=sharing

Link above is bellwork for the school year of 2019-2020. It is expected that if you are absent you are still making up bellwork for missing days! Students recieve 2 points a day (one point for writing the question and one point for writing the answer) which gives students 10 points a week. Bellwork is due every Friday for that week.

Hello Hornets!

This week was an introduction to what students will be learning in all of their science units: Systems and Models. We learned about how models are used to represent a structure or system. Models can be a sketch, prototype, 3D, etc. Structures are a set of parts that work together as a whole process. We talked about examples of each as well.

Throughout this week students worked in collaboration groups to critique different forms of models and which was more useful. We also brainstormed things that should be included in our models such as steps, pictures, labels, and captions.

On Friday students started to create their own model of the Mouse Trap board game. The board game consists of many parts that work together (structure). Students were given resources and materials to use so they can sketch our their models and make sure all the parts work together. We will be finishing our models next week and present them to the class.

Below is the power point that we went though as a class to construct our models.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DA3toUkdtPdB1nT-swUt0gTB_GR2rPECBm5qcgR9NoI/edit#slide=id.g613859f4ee_0_114

Hello Hornets!

Welcome back to week one of school! I hope everyone had a well rested summer and ready for another wonderful school year. Week one was all about reviewing school rules, expectations, and classroom norms. We spent this week talking about the 3 pillars of respect: yourself, others, and classroom community. We created a classroom contract which will be printed up and ready for students to sign next week. They will be posted on the wall incase students want to refer to it through out the year. It is important that we are aware of expectations so we can be our best versions of ourselves and succeed in 7th grade.

This week I sent home a letter about the new science curriculum as well as a syllabus with the students. It is important that students go over the syllabus with parents and have the last page signed and due by Tuesday September 3, 2019. The syllabus talks about grades, assignments, and required materials for the class. Students are to have their binders and 3 dividers ready for Tuesday.

Announcements: Remember there is no school this Friday 8/30/19 and no school Monday 9/2/19. Enjoy the long weekend!

Sincerely,

Miss Khzouz

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/7th-grade-final-203

https://jeopardylabs.com/play/natural-processes-and-human-activity-2

Answer Key Natural Processes and Human Activity Study Guide