Quiz on Thursday and Exam Review

Coming up on Thursday, we will have a notes quiz to make sure that students have everything needed upon their return in January. The PowerPoint is posted here. It will be open-note and is intended to see if students understand the content we have covered so far. We are basically going to move the content and full test intended for last two weeks of this quarter into next semester as the pacing guide constructed this summer was a little bit ambitious. This quiz should have no major effect on grades provided the students have paid attention in class.

I know this is a time of year when we are all sick, and there are many distractions. However, lots of students have missed class for various reasons, and not being here does affect grades. Here are some tips to help you get through these last few days of school and do well on assignments:

1. Get lots of rest and eat healthy.
2. Prioritize. If you have classes in which you are struggling, get help there first.
3. Complete all unfinished work. Some teachers will let you go back more than 3 days. I don't, but if you were sick, I'm can be lenient if you have a track record of turning in work on time.
4. Avoid absences for non-essential events.

If you follow those four recommendations, the end of the semester will be easy. Although it's a little late in the game, keep these in mind for next semester as well.

Science Olympiad and science fair will be taking up quite a bit of time when we return. I will cover the possible topics and procedures with the students upon our return in January. I am also going to start a separate blog that will cover the science fair as well as Science Olympiad.

That's about it for now. Hope you have a good week!

Updated notes are here

Please click on this link for updated notes for the test. There are some adjustments to the notes to help you in creation v. evolution, chemotrophic organisms, and life units. This is not a major revision, but enough that you may want to spend a few minutes looking over. Sorry for the delay on the test. One 7th grade class was out this morning with the spelling bee, so I've decided to test both classes tomorrow. Good luck!

Introduction to Biology Test on Nov. 30

Tuesday after we return from Thanksgiving, I will give a test on our introduction to biology. The notes are posted here. Please download them and compare to your notes. I have given a review in class and will not post a study guide this time. There is a lot of material here, so study a little at a time over the break and you'll be good to go.

Grades have been updated this week. There is quite a bit of material left to cover before the semester break, so there will be more grades.

Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

Link for Rock Cycle

This is the link for the activity on the rock cycle. Go through this activity and you should be prepared for much of what is on the test. :)

http://www.learner.org/interactives/rockcycle/index.html

This week: Nov. 8

A good evening to all. Just getting ready to head home for the night, but not finished with work
:(.

1. We will be having a short test on rocks on Friday, after we return from our much deserved break. 50 points maximum.
2. Biology starts next week. Be ready for a lot of notes and a lot of fun.
3. We are approaching the middle of the quarter. Make sure your assignments are being completed accurately and on time.

Have a great week.

Short Test on Wednesday, Nov. 3 with Notes

Since the students have actually done most of the science involved in the unit on minerals, we will be having a short test based on the limited notes from this chapter as well as the mineral tests. It will be no more than 15 questions, and will count as a partial test grade (40-50 points). After the test, we will be briefly covering rocks before moving on to biology, which is the really fun stuff. I'll be letting you know more this week. Notes for the test are posted here. The students may use their lab sheets to help them on the test.

Grades updated

Post title says it all. :)