7th grade science class

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Test taking strategies - study during spring break

Flocabulary Test taking strategies

http://www.flocabulary.com/test-taking-strategies/

Video One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fYI95bz4FE

Video Two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9qSYngKBWE

Video Three https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl3DmdV-QrA

Video Four https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cNEYagZY8M

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Biome travel brochure project

Biome project: Due
Introduction: A travel agency is trying to boost travel to different parts of the world by increasing the advertising and selling vacation packages. You have been hired to make a brochure or pamphlet to sell a travel package
Task: Working individually or with a partner, develop a short presentation and brochure to the class to sell your vacation package. After all presentations are finished, the class will vote on the most appealing vacation. Winners will receive a bonus!
Vacation Packages

taiga (coniferous forest)

tundra

tropical rain forest

desert

temperate grassland (prairie)

savannah (also listed as grasslands on some sites)

temperate deciduous forest

freshwater (lakes, rivers, or streams)

ocean

Process: Each student/pair will be assigned a biome by the teacher. It is your job to research the biome and gather facts and information about that biome. You will become an expert in each aspect of the biome. You will create a brochure or pamphlet that showcases your biome as a vacation spot. Students will use a word processing program to create the brochure. Pictures and facts should be included.
Roles

Botanist	Plant Expert
Zoologist	Animal Expert
Meteorologist	Weather Expert
Geographer	Map and Area Expert

Remember that you are responsible for learning about the biome you are presenting, but your role reflects an area of particular focus for you as your research.
Each member should choose a website from the resource list and find their biome, they should record facts and information about the biome. This factsheet will be turned in to show that you did your share of the group work.. Please do not print out whole webpages, a list of facts on notebook paper is fine. Fact sheet due:
Remember your role. You can write down anything useful you think the team will need, but your focus should be on the role you were assigned (geographer, meteorologist, Zoologist, Botanist)
Some questions to consider: What kinds of activities could people do in this location?
What kinds of plants and animals live there?
What kind of clothes should they bring?
What's the weather like?
What is the best time of year to travel there?
What part of the world will they be traveling to?
Are there any dangerous elements to traveling there?
Resources: Textbook: pg 728-735 Coach book: pg 16-21
Some Resources other than textbook: www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/summary.html
www.windows.ucar.edu (type “biomes” in search box)

Evaluation

	Needs Work (1 pts)	Adequate (2 Pts)	Excellent (3 pts)
Content
weather	information lacking or inaccurate	includes accurate information, though lacking in volume or depth	includes accurate and relevant information
plants	information lacking or inaccurate	includes accurate information, though lacking in volume or depth	includes accurate and relevant information
animals	information lacking or inaccurate	includes accurate information, though lacking in volume or depth	includes accurate and relevant information
geography	information lacking or inaccurate	includes accurate information, though lacking in volume or depth	includes accurate and relevant information
Creativity	Flyer is not interesting, minimal effort involved	Flyer has some interesting features that may appeal to the audience	Flyer has images and facts that are interesting to the reader, appeal to audience
Format	Major errors in layout, grammar, such that flyer is nearly unreadable	Some spelling or grammar errors	Flyer has no spelling or grammar errors, layout is organized, easy to read
Fact Sheets (individual)	Fact sheet turned in, research not extensive	Fact sheet turned in, shows extensive research
Total	18 (team) + 2 (individual) = 20 possible

Biome Diorama project

Activity #1 Biome Diorama
Materials

· A shoebox

· Scissors, Glue

· Magazines, plastic animals or other resource for pictures

· String, paper, cardboard

Instructions
1. Choose a biome you want to construct Land biome or Aquatic Biome.
2. Draw or glue pictures of the background of your biome on the inside parts of the shoebox. The shoebox will stand on one side, so the bottom of the box will be your main background.
3. Cut out or draw plants, animals and other things found in that biome.
4. Paste those pictures on cardboard and you can stand them on the side part of the box. Place them in different places around the box to make it look like the biome. You can also use string and hang some from top side.
5. Write a narrative story about what it would be like to live in that biome you chose. Include facts about that biome (example: temperature, precipitation). Mention plant and animal adaptations that allow them to survive in that biome.
Resources
The biome chart you made in class.
Textbook: pg 728-735
Coach book: pg 16-21
Websites: www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/summary.html
www.windows.ucar.edu (type “biomes” in search box)
Assignment due:
100 points see rubric.

Diorama Scoring Rubric Name ________________________

Date _________________________

Diorama Components	Yes	No
Background ( 25 pts)
Plants (15 pts)
Animals (15 pts)
Narrative Story (45 pts)
Total Points Possible: 100	Total Points Earned: _____

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Food Chain Activities-Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/games/foodchaingame.htm

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/foodchains.html

http://www.vtaide.com/png/foodchains.htm

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2science.html#foodchains

http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/foodpuzzlechain.html

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Advanced: Classification poster project (extra credit for some folks!)

See pages 7-9 for the actual project pages
https://www.georgiastandards.org/Frameworks/GSO%20Frameworks/7%20Alternative%20Integrated%20Framework%20Taxonomist.pdf
Click on this link for the research info
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html

after you finish your Fossil Project... CLASSIFICATION JEOPARDY!

Click to download

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Helpful links

the importance of fossils -

http://www.gsa.state.al.us/gsa/fossil_imp.html

what can fossils tell us?

http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/fossils/intro/proof.htm

What is a fossil/How are they formed?
http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/whatisafossil.htm
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/fossils/intro/

Evidence of Evolution?
http://www.agiweb.org/news/evolution/examplesofevolution.html
http://bioweb.cs.earlham.edu/9-12/evolution/

Evolution Project - due December 16, 2013

You are a researcher assigned to a company that builds large resort hotels and vacation complexes in exotic places. One of your company’s projects is being held up by the findings of a large number of fossils of extinct animals that inhabited the earth a long time ago. The government wants your company to stop all building but this will cost your company several million dollars a day which it cannot afford. Your contractors and subcontractors, as well as your financial supporters (the banks that have loaned you the money for the project), must be paid and no one is doing any work. The president has asked for a short paper explaining how these fossils can be that valuable and what the company can do to get back to work on the project. The president does not believe in this evolution theory and asked for a paper explaining this to him.

Explain to the president how the fossils tell a story and how evolution has played an important role in nature.

You are one of several researchers who are trying to be the first to explain this problem to the president. The first one with the best explanation will receive a large bonus. You are writing to the president and his immediate staff. You are trying to be the first with the most accurate information and simple answer to reach the president. Your paper and others will be screened by the president’s chief advisors.

You must prepare an essay of at least five paragraphs – more, but not much more, would probably be more effective – explaining the way scientists use fossils and how these are used to explain evolution. The president does not want garbage. He also does not like excess information. He is very busy so don't waste his time. A successful paper would be one that explains to the president and his staff what these fossils show and why they are important. A suggestion of what the company should do to minimize its losses would be helpful as well.

Links

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/darwin/index.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_5449833_fossils-important-science.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution

http://www.windows2universe.org/php/search/search_new.php?search_phrase=fossils%27&submit=Search&search_level=mid&edu=mid&lang=en

http://www.becominghuman.org/

http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/faqs-evolution.html