6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be picking up with our DIY Catapult Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as force, motion, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, and elastic potential energy. Students will be challenged to build their own functional catapult to successfully launch a projectile with accuracy and precision. We will have our final Catapult launch, test, and evaluation in class on Tues, June 11th. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 20 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early. 
Homework –
5/28/19 – Bring in Catapult supplies // The Catapult Design Log is due on Friday, May 31st.
5/29/19 – Bring in Catapult supplies // The Catapult Design Log is due on Friday, May 31st.
5/30/19 – Bring in Catapult supplies // The Catapult Design Log is due in class tomorrow!
5/31/19 – Continue to work on your Catapult & Complete your DO NOW Journal – 20 entries are due on Monday, June 10th!

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will be working on their project-based learning unit, the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 15 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early.
Homework –
5/28/19 – Continue building some of your Cardboard Carnival game pieces at home so you can meet our carnival deadline (Friday, May 31st). Be sure to finish up your Cardboard Carnival Design & Construction Log – this is due in class on Friday as well!
5/29/19 – Continue building some of your Cardboard Carnival game pieces at home so you can meet our carnival deadline (Friday, May 31st). Be sure to finish up your Cardboard Carnival Design & Construction Log – this is due in class on Friday as well!
5/30/19 – Finish your Cardboard Carnival game – the Carnival will take place during class tomorrow (Friday, May 31st). Be sure to finish up your Cardboard Carnival Design & Construction Log – this is due in class tomorrow as well!
5/31/19 – Complete your DO NOW Journal – 20 entries are due on Monday, June 10th!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll continue working on our Roller Coaster Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as Newton’s Laws of Motion, force, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, elastic potential energy, gravity, acceleration, velocity, centripetal force, and simple machines. Students will be challenged to build their own functional mini roller coaster to successfully transport a marble from the start to the end of the ride. We will be evaluating the structural integrity of the roller coaster, ride time, rider safety, and design creativity, among other EDP elements. We will have our final Roller Coaster ride, test, and evaluation in class on Tues, June 11th. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 15 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early. 
Homework –
5/28/19 – Continue to build your Roller Coaster // The Roller Coaster Design Log is due on Friday, May 31st.
5/29/19 – Continue to build your Roller Coaster // The Roller Coaster Design Log is due on Friday, May 31st.
5/30/19 –Continue to build your Roller Coaster // The Roller Coaster Design Log is due tomorrow.
5/31/19 – Continue to work on your Roller Coaster & Complete your DO NOW Journal – 20 entries are due on Monday, June 10th!

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be kicking off a DIY Catapult Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as force, motion, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, and elastic potential energy. Students will be challenged to build their own functional catapult to successfully launch a projectile with accuracy and precision. We will have our final Catapult launch, test, and evaluation in class on Tues, June 11th. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 20 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early. 
Homework –
5/22/19 – Finish your catapult design worksheet
5/23/19 – Bring in materials & supplies from home to begin building your catapult on Tuesday!
5/24/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!
5/27/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will be working on their project-based learning unit, the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 20 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early.
Homework –
5/22/19 – Continue building some of your Cardboard Carnival game pieces at home so you can meet our carnival deadline (Friday, May 31st). Be sure to finish up your Cardboard Carnival design & construction log – this is due in class tomorrow!
5/23/19 – Continue building some of your Cardboard Carnival game pieces at home. Your game must be complete and ready to play on the day of our Cardboard Carnival – Friday, May 31st. Be sure to bring extra supplies and materials to continue building your Cardboard Carnival game in class on Tuesday!
5/24/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!
5/27/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be kicking off a Roller Coaster Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as Newton’s Laws of Motion, force, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, elastic potential energy, gravity, acceleration, velocity, centripetal force, and simple machines. Students will be challenged to build their own functional mini roller coaster to successfully transport a marble from the start to the end of the ride. We will be evaluating the structural integrity of the roller coaster, ride time, rider safety, and design creativity, among other EDP elements. We will have our final Roller Coaster ride, test, and evaluation in class on Tues, June 11th. Additionally, students will need to start to prep their DO NOW journals – they will need a minimum of 20 complete, thoughtful 2-3 sentence response entries turned in by Monday, June 10th. Although June 10th will be the last day I will accept these for a grade, students may turn their journal in early. 
Homework –
5/22/19 – Complete your Roller Coaster WebQuest. Be sure to finish up your Roller Coaster design & construction log – this is due in class tomorrow!
5/23/19 – Be sure to bring household supplies and materials to start building your DIY Roller Coaster in class on Tuesday!
5/24/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!
5/27/19 – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day Weekend!

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be kicking off a DIY Catapult Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as force, motion, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, and elastic potential energy. Students will be challenged to build their own functional catapult to successfully launch a projectile with accuracy and precision.
Homework –
5/20/19 – Finish your catapult vocabulary quadrants – these must be uploaded to Google Classroom by Wednesday morning!
5/21/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will be working on their project-based learning unit, the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st.
Homework –
5/20/19 – Bring in more cardboard and household supplies to continue building your Cardboard Carnival game in class on Wednesday. Be sure to write an entry in your Cardboard Carnival construction & design log every day that we meet – this week’s log is due on Thursday!
5/21/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be kicking off a Roller Coaster Project to work through the steps of the Engineering Design Process as we learn more about scientific concepts such as Newton’s Laws of Motion, force, physics, kinetic energy, potential energy, elastic potential energy, gravity, acceleration, velocity, centripetal force, and simple machines. Students will be challenged to build their own functional mini roller coaster to successfully transport a marble from the start to the end of the ride. We will be evaluating the structural integrity of the roller coaster, ride time, rider safety, and design creativity, among other EDP elements.
Homework –
5/20/19 – Finish your roller coaster vocabulary quadrants – these must be uploaded to Google Classroom by Wednesday morning! Be sure to write an entry in your Roller Coaster Project construction & design log every day that we meet – this week’s log is due on Thursday!
5/21/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on executing the Science Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will study the scientific method, examine the parts of a science fair display board, discuss lab reports, practice data organization and graphing, gather research, and determine their conclusions. We will spend the latter part of the week debriefing, reflecting, and sharing feedback and ideas related to the Science Fair.
Homework –
5/15/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/16/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/17/19 – Have a great weekend! 🙂

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will be working on their project-based learning unit, the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st.
Homework –
5/15/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/16/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/17/19 – Bring in cardboard & household supplies to start building your cardboard carnival game on Monday, May 20th!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on executing the Design Fair, which will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will explore topics, conduct research, and discuss how a real-world problem relates to their own Engineering Design Process. We will be working on pieces of the Engineering Design Fair Project and the presentation board in class, but students should finish testing their project prototype or model, analyze their data, create graphs and data tables, and determine their conclusions. We will spend the latter part of the week debriefing, reflecting, and sharing feedback and ideas related to the Design Fair.
Homework –
5/15/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/16/19 – NWEA Testing – Have a great day!
5/17/19 – Have a great weekend! 🙂

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on executing the Science Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will study the scientific method, examine the parts of a science fair display board, discuss lab reports, practice data organization and graphing, gather research, and determine their conclusions. We will spend the latter part of the week debriefing, reflecting, and sharing feedback and ideas related to the Science Fair.
Homework –
5/13/19 – Take two selfies with at least two of your favorite Science Fair boards and email the photographs to yourself. We’ll be using these pictures for a reflection activity in class tomorrow.
5/14/19 – Discuss some Science Fair highlights with a friend or family member.

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will be working on their project-based learning unit, the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st.
Homework –
5/13/19 – Brainstorm questions that you can ask the DCMST student mentors during our project feedback session tomorrow.
5/14/19 –  Bring cardboard and household items to start building your Cardboard Carnival game in class. We’ll begin building on Monday, May 20^th!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on executing the Design Fair, which will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will explore topics, conduct research, and discuss how a real-world problem relates to their own Engineering Design Process. We will be working on pieces of the Engineering Design Fair Project and the presentation board in class, but students should finish testing their project prototype or model, analyze their data, create graphs and data tables, and determine their conclusions. We will spend the latter part of the week debriefing, reflecting, and sharing feedback and ideas related to the Design Fair.
Homework –
5/13/19 – Take two selfies with at least two of your favorite Design Fair boards and email the photographs to yourself. We’ll be using these pictures for a reflection activity in class tomorrow.
5/14/19 – Discuss some Design Fair highlights with a friend or family member.

The Science Fair & Design Fair will take place on Monday, May 13th from 5-7 pm.

Students will need to conduct their Science Fair or Design Fair presentations in their advisory (A2) classroom from 5-5:30pm. Then, they will be given time to walk around and explore other projects. Students will be asked to take photographs of themselves with two projects (not including their own) that they found inspiring, to complete a reflection in class the following day.

I will not be answering emails related to assignments or projects outside of normal business hours. Students, if you have any questions or comments regarding the Science Fair or Design Fair, you will need to speak to me in class or send an email prior to the close of school hours (3pm) on Friday, May 10th.

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on preparing for the Science Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will study the scientific method, examine the parts of a science fair display board, discuss lab reports, practice data organization and graphing, gather research, and determine their conclusions. Although we will be working on pieces of the Science Fair project and presentation board in class, students should be completing their science experiment and presentation board at home.
Homework –
5/8/19 – Complete your Science Fair photos, data table, graphs, and data analysis paragraph – Upload these materials to Google Classroom.
5/9/19 – Complete your Science Fair conclusion, future applications, and source citations – Upload these materials to Google Classroom. Bring all presentation board materials to class tomorrow!
5/10/19 – Finish all outstanding Science Fair project & presentation board tasks. The Science Fair will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm. In order to receive full credit, students must attend the Science Fair and present their project. Family members and friends are encouraged to attend!

Additionally – Students should be working on their Science Fair project at home – this includes gathering materials, experimenting, testing out ideas, taking photos & collecting data. All project-related work and presentation board construction must be finished by May 13th. The STEM Middle School Science Fair and 8^thGrade Design Fair will take place after school on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm.

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will kick off a new project-based learning unit called the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st.
5/8/19 – Complete your Cardboard Carnival prototype drawings – These are due on Thursday, May 9^th.
5/9/19 – Continue to work on your Cardboard Carnival project & sketches.
5/10/19 – Finish all outstanding Science Fair project & presentation board tasks. The Science Fair will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm. In order to receive full credit, students must attend the Science Fair and present their project. Family members and friends are encouraged to attend!

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on preparing for the Design Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will explore topics, conduct research, and discuss how a real-world problem relates to their own Engineering Design Process. We will be working on pieces of the Engineering Design Fair Project and the presentation board in class, but students should finish testing their project prototype or model, analyze their data, create graphs and data tables, determine their conclusions at home, and complete their presentation board at home.
Homework –
5/8/19 – Complete your Design Fair design execution paragraph, prototype drawings, photos, data table, graphs, and data analysis paragraph – Upload these materials to Google Classroom!
5/9/19 – Complete your Design Fair conclusion, future applications, and source citations – Upload these materials to Google Classroom. Bring all presentation board materials to class tomorrow!
5/10/19 – Finish all outstanding Design Fair project & presentation board tasks. The Design Fair will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm. In order to receive full credit, students must attend the Design Fair and present their project. Family members and friends are encouraged to attend!

Additionally – Students should be working on their Design Fair project at home – this includes gathering materials, experimenting, testing out prototypes, taking photos & collecting data. All project-related work and presentation board construction must be finished by May 13th. The STEM Middle School Science Fair and 8^thGrade Design Fair will take place after school on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm.

The Science & Design Fair will be held next Monday, May 13th from 5-7 pm.

Students are asked to stand by their board, which will be located in their advisory classroom, from 5-5:30 pm. Then, they will be given time to walk around and explore other projects. Students will be asked to take pictures of projects they saw and complete a reflection in class the next day.

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on preparing for the Science Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will study the scientific method, examine the parts of a science fair display board, discuss lab reports, practice data organization and graphing, gather research, and determine their conclusions. Although we will be working on pieces of the Science Fair project and presentation board in class, students should be completing their science experiment and presentation board at home.
Homework –
5/6/19 – Continue working on your Science Fair project and presentation board pieces: Namely the data table, graph, and data analysis paragraph.
5/7/19 – Continue working on your Science Fair project and presentation board pieces: Namely the data table, graph, and data analysis paragraph. These pieces are due in Google Classroom by the start of class on Thursday, May 9^th.

7th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, the 7^th graders will kick off a new project-based learning unit called the Cardboard Carnival. Students will be challenged to work in teams to showcase their physics, engineering, and design skills as they create modified, innovative carnival games for fellow classmates to play at a celebration of STEM ingenuity. The Cardboard Carnival will take place during the school day on Friday, May 31^st.
5/6/19 – Work on your game prototype sketches (thumbnail, isometric & multi-view) and complete the Cardboard Carnival Planning Sheet. These pieces are due by Thurs, May 9^th.
5/7/19 – Work on your game prototype sketches (thumbnail, isometric & multi-view) and complete the Cardboard Carnival Planning Sheet. These pieces are due by Thurs, May 9^th.  

8th Grade STEM Apps –
This week, we’ll be focusing our efforts on preparing for the Design Fair that will take place on Monday, May 13^th from 5-7pm at STEM Middle School. During this time, students will explore topics, conduct research, and discuss how a real-world problem relates to their own Engineering Design Process. We will be working on pieces of the Engineering Design Fair Project and the presentation board in class, but students should finish testing their project prototype or model, analyze their data, create graphs and data tables, determine their conclusions at home, and complete their presentation board at home.
Homework –
5/6/19 – Continue working on the Design Fair project and presentation board pieces: Namely the design execution paragraph, prototype drawings, data table, graphs, and data analysis paragraph. These pieces are due in Google Classroom by the start of class on Thursday, May 9^th.
5/7/19 – Continue working on the Design Fair project and presentation board pieces: Namely the design execution paragraph, prototype drawings, data table, graphs, and data analysis paragraph. These pieces are due in Google Classroom by the start of class on Thursday, May 9^th.

6th Grade Science –
This week, we’ll be working on our genetics & heredity unit to learn more about DNA, alleles, and how traits are passed on from one generation to the next. We’ll also be exploring dominant and recessive alleles, the double helix, and how natural and environmental factors affect traits. Today, we’ll be kicking off a short genetic disorder research project that we’ll start in class; this project will be due on Friday, May 3rd. We will also have a genetics & heredity quiz on Friday, May 3rd, so students should be reviewing their science glossary terms, class notes, handouts, and recent homework assignments to review.
Homework –
5/1 – Complete your Genetic Disorders Research Guide Pgs. 4-6 (finish the rest of the packet) – this assignment is due in class on Friday, May 3rd. Be sure to study for the genetics & heredity quiz on Friday, May 3rd too!
5/2 – Study for the genetics & heredity quiz tomorrow – Friday, May 3rd!
5/3 – Complete your Science Fair project – finish your experiment, data collection, and photo taking. Bring in your experiment data on Monday, May 6th so we can begin graphing our data and writing our conclusions.
Additionally – Students should be working on their Science Fair project at home – this includes gathering materials, experimenting, testing out ideas, taking photos & collecting data. All experimentation and data collection should be finished by the end of April, so that students can work on their presentation boards in early May. The STEM Middle School Science Fair and 8^thGrade Design Fair will take place after school on Monday, May 13^th.

STEM Apps – 
This week, the STEM students will be working with an educational computer programming website (Code.org) to use problem-solving skills to address computer science challenges, explore different types of educational websites, test their computer literacy skills, and study how code is used in digital animation and gaming websites. All of the Code.org Unit 3, Chapter 1 lessons (through Lesson 14) need to be completed by Friday, May 3rd. Lesson 14 is a summative project, so students should have their animated card coded and finalized in Code.org by the end of class on Friday.
Homework –
5/1 – Work on your Code.org Unit 3 Ch. 1 lessons (through lesson 14) – the animated card (Lesson 14) is a summative project that is due on Friday, May 3rd. Continue to work on your STEM/Design Fair project.
5/2 – Complete your Code.org Unit 3 Ch. 1 lessons (through lesson 14) – the animated card (Lesson 14) is a summative project that is due on Friday, May 3rd. Continue to work on your STEM/Design Fair project.
5/3 – Complete your Design Fair project & prototype – finish your prototype/model testing, data collection, and photo taking. Bring in your prototype/model data on Monday, May 6th so we can begin graphing our data and writing our conclusions.
Additionally – Students should be working on their STEM Fair/Design Fair project at home – this includes gathering materials, experimenting, model/prototype testing, taking photos & collecting data. All experimentation, testing, and data collection should be finished by the end of April, so that students can work on their presentation boards in early May. The STEM Middle School Science Fair and 8^th Grade Design Fair will take place after school on Monday, May 13^th.