Science Classroom Connection

Per O.L. Smith Middle School Administration, please open and read the following attachment that has to do with recreation for this summer.

Kids Summer Activities 2016 (Flier)

Please open and read the following attachment, with a checklist specifically starting on page 24.

Parent Homework Checklist

We will be having our standard comprehensive post-test this week on Thursday on the entire material that we have learned in astronomy . Even though we have learned, discussed, and reinforced much material on this subject, students are highly advised to review their class notes and any pertinent handouts to refresh their memories and to study the key ideas and concepts that they feel may still be unclear to them. Please feel free to ask questions in class about any idea or concept that you are unsure about or still do not comprehend. Do not wait until Thursday morning to ask your questions since that would be too little too late. Good Luck!

Per O.L. Smith Administration, please open and read carefully the following two attachments. Thank you!

Smith Dress Code Policy (1)

Smith Cell Phone Policy (1)

Students will expand upon their study of the universe in terms of describing how color indicates the temperature of a star, how scientists can identify a star’s composition and classify them, distinguish between absolute and apparent magnitude, identify how astronomers measure distance from Earth to stars, and finally, describe the difference between apparent motion and actual motion of stars over time.

Note: Some of the above material will be a review and is used as a precursor for the new material on this topic.

Students will be evaluated upon the life cycle of stars as well as the different types of galaxies along with their content and characteristics. Students have had a chance to read, write, and orally discuss these two topics as well as reinforce them over the past several sessions.

As always, students are advised to review all pertinent note-taking material as well as handouts assigned in class, and that includes bellwork, double journals, section reviews, study guides (directed reading), etc.

Students will have an opportunity to study the types of galaxies based on their content and characteristics as well as be able to explain the reason we look at distant galaxies as they tend to reveal what young galaxies may have looked like over time. Among the concepts that will be learned include spiral galaxy, elliptical galaxy, irregular galaxy, nebula, globular cluster, open cluster, and quasar.

For those students who were on the Holocaust field trip, you can print your own galaxies’ double journal entries attached below! This is classwork that you will need to prepare the NEW material for Chapter 2, Section 3.

Galaxies Double Journal Page 1

Galaxies Double Journal Page 2

Per O.L. Smith Principal, please feel free to read below and see if this maybe of interest to your child(ren). Please note that there is a flyer attached at the end of this communication.

Good Morning Principal Fisher,

My name is Krista and I am representing Oakland University’s Camp RN. I am contacting you in hopes of adding our flyer and application to an email or mailing list blast for your middle school students. After speaking with many parents, most have agreed that they would be more likely to respond to something sent to them from the principals of their child’s school. Camp RN is a two week pre-college summer program designed to educate middle school students of the opportunities available through a nursing career. This inspiring and innovative, entertaining and educational camp exposes students to biology, chemistry and the mechanics of the nursing profession. The students will be actively engaged in nursing forensics, biology, math, and chemistry workshops, while learning nursing fundamentals including CPR and First Aid. Participants also tour Oakland University, interact with nurses in a hospital setting (job shadowing), and utilize our new physical assessment laboratory to learn about the human body.

If you think this is something that would interest the students in your district, please feel free to add this camp to the email/mailing list. If you have any further questions, you can contact the Director-Patrina Carper at (248)364-8766 or at carper@oakland.edu.  Thank you for your time and attention.

Have a great day,

Krista Pallas

Camp RN @ OU

Please click on this attachment:     Camp RN 2016 (1)

Once our “optional” test retake is over, students are expected to reinforce yesterday’s discussion on The Life Cycle of Stars that is based on the different types of stars, the quantities of stars and their location on the H-R diagram that is based on the stages of their life cycles in terms of their surface temperatures and absolute magnitudes (The actual brightness of stars) compared to their relative magnitudes (as compared to our sun).

The reinforcement remains as one of our basic review approaches that has worked well for our section quizzes. Therefore, students are to complete the key term distinction, understanding the main ideas and mathematical relationships, and tackle three critical thinking questions on page 45 (1-12) in their notebooks!