IMPRT Break Assignments!

Hey Kids!

I wanted to get this information to you earlier, but traveling and holiday activities have kept me quite busy. Here's the low-down on science fair: If you have approval on your project (everyone except Mahmmud and Odey) and you are allowed to do it at home (everyone except Layla), you should be experimenting all break! Remember to record data in data tables in your LAB NOTEBOOK; write down the date and time everytime you work on the project and write down EXACTLY what you do. Have the data tables drawn before you write in the data. Make sure that experiments are done more than once. Results MUST be repeatable.

In addition to experimenting, you will write two sections of your research paper: the introduction and the methods. The intrpduction is the "research" part of the paper. You will have to read about your topic and learn as much as you can. Then, write a 2 page esay "introducing" your topic, which should include the history of the topic, general background knowledge and informatiion, and a description of why your specific project is interesting, why other people should care about your project, and how your project will help people or advance science. Your methods section is like a procedure, but is written in paragraphs instead of as a list. The methods are written in the past tense, since you should have done the experiment already. It should sound like this: "one hundred mL of water was added to 50mL of olive oil and allowed to settle. Two drops of food coloring were dropped into the oil/water mixture and was observed for two minutes. Observations were recorded every 30 seconds for the 2 minute period." If you use sources that were not on your original References list, please make a new reference list. The introduction and methods sections will be typed in 12pt font and double spaced and printed so that I can mark it.

On the fist day after break I will collect your introduction, methods, and your lab notebook. I will grade these three things and they will count as a separate "project grade" and will therefore have a large effect on your overall grade. Please work very hard on this assignment and take it seriously!
I'd love to see Salam Academy send students to States again this year! And, I know you would love to have sonme extra cash and glory :)

Mrs. Brisbin

Lessons and HW Dec. 17-21

Hey Y'all!
Hooray for Quests and Vacation! This week we will finish chapter 6 and have a Quest on Thursday. Do not miss school! Friday will be important, too. Vacation starts on Saturday!

Monday:
Today we went to the lab space to observe cells. Bilal, Mahmmud, and Sannan got their turn at the microscope and looked and corn root cells and human motor neurons! Isa finally took the chapter 1 test, and everyone else got a headstart on the homework coloring packet, "Cells and their Organelles."

Tuesday:
We will start a lab experiment in the classroom today. The observations will be made on Friday (one of the reasons Friday's class is so important!). This lab will exemplify the scientific method, but is also related to what we are learning and what we will be learning after break as it will involve bacteria. After we set up the lab (should take 20 minutes), we will start reviewing in our textbook together. We will begin the chapter review in the text. Homework will bea  review worksheet handed out in class and the section 3 assessment questions (write your answers in your packet).

Wednesday:
In class, we will finish the review section from the textbook. As we do this we will discuss any questions that arise. If you are confused about anything in chapter 3, now is the time to bring it up!
Homework is to STUDY!! Remember, if you did not score well on the first test, you already used your "freebie." Make this test a good one!!

Thursday:
Quest day :)
I hope you studied ;)

Friday:
We will observe the results of our first bacteria lab. Lab questions will be completed in class and the lab page will be due this day. Please, do not skip school!

Break work will mostly involve the science fair and more information will be given to you soon!

Lessons and HW Dec.10-14

Hi Everyone!

We are starting a new unit studying cells. We will learn about prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, and viruses. Once we thoroughly study the cell structures and the differences between the different types of cells, we will move on to cell processes and cell division leading up to heredity and genetics. It will be an exciting couple of months! We will do several labs and activity looking at different types of cells under the microscope and growing bacteria on nutrient agar plates. I am also really excited about the new lab space and plan to make good use of it! But, before we can really do good lab work, we have to have a solid understanding of the basics.

Monday:
Today I handed out Friday's Quest, and the grades were not all good. If you are worried about your grades, please remember that the lowest test grade will be dropped, just take this as a reminder to study harder in the future! If you got a great grade, you have a "freebie" saved up for when you may be having a bad day. For homework, please get your test signed by a parent and rewrite all answers to answered incorrectly in a correct full sentence.

Tuesday:
We will continue to read and discuss chapter 2, section 1 in class today. Homework will be to complete the section 1 assessment questions 1-7.

Wednesday:
We will begin a lab in class today utilizing the scientific method to determine what types of liquids support bacterial growth. Although we will begin this lab today, we will not finish it until next week when we make our final observations. Homework will be to complete this online quiz: Ch. 3 Sect. 1 online quiz

Thursday:
We will read and discuss chapter 3 section 2: Viewing Cells. For homework complete the section 2 assessment questions 1-5.

Friday:
We will start looking through the microscopes today. We will learn parts of the microscope, how to safely carry a scope, how to use and focus the scope. Each student will have a chance to practice using the microscope and observe cells under the microscope. While waiting for a turn to use one of the two scopes, students will work on a reading and coloring packet about the parts of a microscope(Please bring markers, colored pencils, or crayons!). Homework will be to complete this coloring packet if not done in class and pages 1-6 in the Cells and Their Organelles packet. Please color the parts of the cell the color requested in the packet and very carefully! Make these look nice so we can hang them up in our classroom!

Watch this video, and enjoy your weekend!!

How the Body Works: The Cell

More educational games & videos on Cell Structures at NeoK12.com  

Example Research Plan

Example Research Plan
A. Question or Problem being Addressed
Does compost or fertilizer help plants grow faster?

B. Goals/Hypotheses/Expected Outcomes
My hypothesis is that compost will help plants grow faster. My goal is to help people grow bigger plants faster and cheaper.

C. Detailed description of methods or procedures
1. Collect materials: three equal sized pots, measuring cup, potting soil, radish seeds, compost from my backyard, fertilizer from home depot, water.
2. Fill the three pots to the same level with potting soil.
3. Add a quarter cup of fertilizer to pt 1, a quarter cup of compost to pot 2, and nothing to pot 3 (the control)
4. Place two radish seeds 1.5 inches apart in the center of the 3 pots.
5. Water each pot with a quarter cup of water every other day.
6. Record when each seed germinates.
7. Measure the height of the plant each day after germination for 2 weeks.

D. References
www.epa.gov/compost/
**Students need FIVE (5) references and at least 1 needs to be a .gov, .com, , or.org**


Here is a link to the official instructions:
Research Plan Form

Science Fair Resources

This site has a lot of really great information! Check it out:
Archimedes Initiative

Watch this video about the Hypothesis!

Lessons and HW Dec. 3-7

Monday:
Today will finish reading and taking notes on chapter 1 section 2. For homework, please finish section 3 assessment questions we did not finish in class and the online chapter review: online chapter 1 review

Due on Monday:  
1. One page essay on your favorite outdoor place. 
2. Research plan rough draft.

Tuesday:
In class we will be doing an activity regarding scientific experimentation. Homework will to be to finish the questions about the activity in this weeks packet and to make sure that your graph is absolutely perfect! Make sure you include a title, label the axis, use units, and neatness counts!

Wednesday:
We will read and take notes on chapter 1, section 3. Homework is to finish the section assessment questions at the end of the chapter and to do the chapter 1 online test prep: Ch.1 online test prep

Thursday:
In class we will review chapter 1 and do the chapter review in the text book. Homework will to be to finish any questions that we did not finish in class and to study for Friday's quiz. The quiz will cover all of chapter one, so study all the vocabulary, the packets, the summaries in the textbook, and the online quizzes.

Due on Friday: This week and last weeks packet!

Friday:
Quiz Day! Hooray!

Here are some pics from class this week!

And, this is Charlotte, the puppy my husband and I are fostering!

Science Lessons and HW, Nov 26-30

Hi!

This week we will be studying the scientific method in preparation of tackling the science fair in earnest.

Tuesday: Following a quick demonstration illustrating the importance of measurement in science, We will read Chapter 1, Section 1 "What is Science?" Vocabulary definitions and answers to reading questions will be recorded in the weekly packet provided tomorrow. Do not lose the packet! It will contain all your classwork and most of your homework for the week! Monday's homework will be to finish the Section 1 Assessment if we do not finish it in class and to do the section one online quiz: Ch. 1 Sect. 1 Quiz. Make sure that you send your quiz results to maggi.mars@gmail.com or you will not get credit for the assignment!

Wednesday: We will read Chapter 1, Section 2 "Doing Science." Again homework will be to finish the section 2 assessment if we do not have time in class and to do the section two online quiz: Ch. 1 sect. 2 quiz. Remember to email me the results.

Thursday: We will do the mini-lab on page 18, to practice parts of the scientific method. Homework will be to finish the questions and bar graph that are started in class. In addition, Science Fair research plans are due tomorrow!

Friday: We will read Chapter 1, Section 3 "Science and Technology." Homework will be to finish any section 3 assessment questions unfinished, do the chapter quiz: chapter quiz (remember to email results), and write 1 page of nonfiction about your favorite outdoor place (based on pages 30-31 in text).

This week's packet will be due on Monday.

Hello!

Dear Salam Academy Middle School Parents and Families,

As of today, I will be taking over as your child’s science teacher. Some of you already know me well, but others do not. My name is Maggi Mars Brisbin, and I taught middle school science at Salam Academy last year. As an undergraduate, I took a pre-med curriculum and was officially a biology major (GPA 3.93). I completed 2 semesters each of chemistry, organic chemistry, and university physics. So, even as a biology major, I am proficient in the other sciences as well. After studying abroad in Australia and Ecuador, I felt a stronger pull towards natural science than medicine and attended graduate school at Stony Brook University. I studied marine science (GPA 3.75), which was an interdisciplinary program including core classes in biological, chemical, geological, and physical oceanography. This program relied heavily on a firm understanding of all aspects of science, not just biology. I have taught general chemistry, microbiology, and marine biology at the university level and I have taught marine biology and conservation policy to high school students receiving college credit. I have also taught outdoor environmental education for middle school students, grades 5-8. These experiences have shaped my teaching philosophy and I strongly believe in hands on activities to make science, and learning in general, fun.

It is difficult to have a new teacher in the middle of the school year, but I am going to work my very hardest to make this transition and the rest of your child’s school year successful. In order to make this possible, I would like to build an open relationship with parents and families so that information can flow freely between us. I am going to be closely following the student handbook in my classroom management and discipline policies. Based on my experience last year, the most common discipline issues are classroom disruptions. Students will receive a verbal warning, followed by a written warning. If another warning is needed after the written warning, a lunch detention will be assigned. All written warnings will be posted on GPA and lunch detentions will be accompanied by an email. Because I believe so deeply in hands-on, active education, there will be an experiment or activity in class at least once a week. Because experiments can include boiling water, using glassware, or even using scapulas for dissections, attention and awareness is imperative. On experiment days, students will receive one verbal warning and then will be asked to leave the class and miss the activity, which will have an effect on his/her grade.

Homework will be assigned nightly and will include readings from the workbooks, online quizzes on the textbook’s web page, watching and summarizing short science videos, working on science vocabulary, doing online lab experiments, finishing class work, and writing lab reports, among other things. The week’s homework and due dates will be posted on the class blog page so that parents will always be aware of what is expected of their students. Links to sites that are needed to complete homework and weekly lesson plans will also be available on the class blog. In addition, I will be updating grades on GPA at least once a week, so please stay current on whether or not your student is doing his/her homework.

 To find your class blog, visit brisbinscience.blogspot.com. In the top left corner there are four buttons (home, 6^th grade, 7^th grade, and 8^th grade), click on your students class. Please sign up to receive email alerts from the class blog by entering your email on the right side of the page.

My email address is maggi.mars@gmail.com and my mobile is 631 871 9089. Please feel free to contact me with questions and concerns. I am looking forward to a successful science program at Salam Academy and more than anything need the support of parents and families to make this possible.

Sincerely,

Maggi Mars Brisbin, M.S.

P.S. please return the attached index card with your current contact information including an active email address and phone number.