I've been teaching seventh grade science for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say that I love it! We had a TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE on what would have been the second day of school, so naturally I decided to start out teaching the Sun-Earth-Moon system. I gave the students solar eclipse glasses and homework on the first day! An awesome start to seventh grade, I think!
The first week, we learned about the effects of Earth's rotation and revolution (Why are these terms so easy to get mixed up?) and the effect of Earth's tilt. Some students remarked that the motion of the Earth is like a giant clock or calendar, always moving and keeping time. Good observation!
Last week, students learned about the moon and its phases. They all received a calendar to record the moon's appearance for the month of September. The moon was almost full last night and its color changed from red to golden orange (caused by all the smoke in the atmosphere from the wildfires in the northwest) before being covered by clouds. The calendar is due the first week of October. So please remind your child to go look at the moon! This week we will study solar and lunar eclipses in depth.
Next week we'll be reviewing and take our first test. Students should look over their notes and review vocabulary each night. Be sure to contact me if you have questions or concerns!
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Monday, July 31, 2017
Moving on to Seventh Grade Science!
Hello HMS Parents and Students!
I have had this blog for several years, so I have decided that, rather than creating a new one for 7th Grade Science, I'll just keep this one updated. It was originally meant to encourage elementary science teachers to use their local resources to involve their students in science. If you are interested in what my students and I have done in the past, feel free to read my earlier posts!
A little about me: I have been teaching in Harrisburg for 25 years - 14 in second grade and the past 11 in fourth. I am currently finishing up the Robert Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship, a five year science program at SIU. The focus of this program, which was funded by a National Science Foundation grant, is to improve elementary and middle school science instruction by involving teachers in authentic science. I’ve been in this program since 2013, and some of the areas I’ve studied are problem based learning, inquiry, research, and the NGSS. Last summer I received NASA Globe training in Earth and Space Science and attended a Noyce educators’ conference at Kennedy Space Center. Through the Noyce program, I have also been involved in scientific research based in the Cache River wetlands and will be completing my final project about perceived risk of mosquito-borne illness in Saline County this fall.
I have loved being in the Noyce program, and it has been great for my students because they have gotten to participate in actual, real-world science, which is so motivating and makes them feel important! They have loved it! In 2015, I received the Sigma Xi Outstanding Science Teacher award from SIU for the Saline River project. My students and I go to the Saline, measure width, depth, and stream flow, do chemical water quality testing, capture and count macroinvertebrates, and record these results on the Stream Discovery Fieldscope database, which monitors water quality in midwest rivers. One visible result of this project is the Middle Fork Saline River sign on Highway 45, for which my students wrote letters to several Illinois government officials to procure.
I have recently finished coursework for middle school endorsement and am so excited that I'm going to be spending my days teaching seventh graders! Since we have one day of school and then are out on Monday, August 21 so that students may experience the Great American Eclipse with their families and friends, our first unit will be on the Sun-Earth-Moon system. We'll learn how the movement of the Earth, Sun, and Moon cause seasons, tides, moon phases, and eclipses. Because I like to involve students in their learning, we'll be drawing diagrams, doing demonstrations, taking notes, and making models. Hands-on teaching requires lots of materials so, if you have a flashlight or two that you wouldn't mind us borrowing, that would be awesome! Please put your child's name on it so that I can get it back to the right person! Thanks!
We're going to have an amazing year in Seventh Grade Science!
Mrs. Plunkett
I have had this blog for several years, so I have decided that, rather than creating a new one for 7th Grade Science, I'll just keep this one updated. It was originally meant to encourage elementary science teachers to use their local resources to involve their students in science. If you are interested in what my students and I have done in the past, feel free to read my earlier posts!
A little about me: I have been teaching in Harrisburg for 25 years - 14 in second grade and the past 11 in fourth. I am currently finishing up the Robert Noyce Master Teacher Fellowship, a five year science program at SIU. The focus of this program, which was funded by a National Science Foundation grant, is to improve elementary and middle school science instruction by involving teachers in authentic science. I’ve been in this program since 2013, and some of the areas I’ve studied are problem based learning, inquiry, research, and the NGSS. Last summer I received NASA Globe training in Earth and Space Science and attended a Noyce educators’ conference at Kennedy Space Center. Through the Noyce program, I have also been involved in scientific research based in the Cache River wetlands and will be completing my final project about perceived risk of mosquito-borne illness in Saline County this fall.
I have loved being in the Noyce program, and it has been great for my students because they have gotten to participate in actual, real-world science, which is so motivating and makes them feel important! They have loved it! In 2015, I received the Sigma Xi Outstanding Science Teacher award from SIU for the Saline River project. My students and I go to the Saline, measure width, depth, and stream flow, do chemical water quality testing, capture and count macroinvertebrates, and record these results on the Stream Discovery Fieldscope database, which monitors water quality in midwest rivers. One visible result of this project is the Middle Fork Saline River sign on Highway 45, for which my students wrote letters to several Illinois government officials to procure.
I have recently finished coursework for middle school endorsement and am so excited that I'm going to be spending my days teaching seventh graders! Since we have one day of school and then are out on Monday, August 21 so that students may experience the Great American Eclipse with their families and friends, our first unit will be on the Sun-Earth-Moon system. We'll learn how the movement of the Earth, Sun, and Moon cause seasons, tides, moon phases, and eclipses. Because I like to involve students in their learning, we'll be drawing diagrams, doing demonstrations, taking notes, and making models. Hands-on teaching requires lots of materials so, if you have a flashlight or two that you wouldn't mind us borrowing, that would be awesome! Please put your child's name on it so that I can get it back to the right person! Thanks!
We're going to have an amazing year in Seventh Grade Science!
Mrs. Plunkett
Monday, February 29, 2016
Sign, Sign! Everywhere a sign!
Monday, November 23, 2015
Riverwatch, Part Three: The Saga Continues...
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| Part of our group at the river this fall. |
Isn't it funny how, when you do something new, at first it seems all important and exciting but, after you've done it for awhile, it becomes routine: just something you do (kinda like driving!)? That's kind of what our Saline River Project has become: part of my class routine. My fellow teacher, Miss Ozment, and I have taught our students about water quality and taken them to the river to test the water three times now. The first time, I did most of the testing and allowed the students to help. The most recent time, the students and their parents did most of the measuring, kicking up macro invertebrates, and chemical testing, and we supervised and helped. Yes, they're fourth graders being silly and having a good time in the water. But - they are also fourth graders doing physical, chemical, and biological surveys of our local river while being silly and having fun! They can do it!
We decided to find out if people in our area know the name of the main river in our county and its location, so I typed up a survey with a map of our county and various questions about the river: What is its name? Mark the location on the map. Rate the water quality 1-5. Have you ever seen a sign? Do you think there should be a sign? Why? The students took it home and surveyed their friends and neighbors, as well as students and staff here at school. After we tallied the results and found percentages, we found that 69% of those surveyed do not know the river's name (And I must admit that these results are skewed, because most of the students who knew the name were involved or at least knew about the project last year!)
Next, I taught my kiddos how to write persuasive letters. We had already worked on persuasive essays, so it was a natural next step. They could choose to write their letter to the governor, our state representative, our state senator, or either the director of the IDNR or IDOT. Each of the above received at least one letter (in cute fourth grade handwriting! Love it!) about the project and results of the survey. Students gave three reasons why the river should have a sign and asked for help in procuring that sign for the Saline River. (Who could resist that?) I also wrote a letter to each recipient and included pictures of the kids at the river.
So, last Friday, I received a phone call from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Apparently, the people that my students had written have gotten in touch with each other to see about getting a sign for the Saline River. Bottom line: he said that the DNR could make a sign and put it up! Success! The students are so happy! I am so proud of them! Hopefully, this will help them see that they can accomplish big things, even if they are small! I can't wait to post a picture of our Saline River sign!
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Turn Over A New Leaf!
Fall
By Jack Prelutsky
The leaves are yellow, red and brown,
A shower sprinkles softly down
And the air is fragrant, crisp and cool,
And once again, I'm stuck in school.
By Jack Prelutsky
The leaves are yellow, red and brown,
A shower sprinkles softly down
And the air is fragrant, crisp and cool,
And once again, I'm stuck in school.
Every year when the nights start getting cool and leaves begin to turn, I start thinking about leaf collections. I walk around my neighborhood with Maggie, my 12-year-old beagle, and collect leaves from all of the neighborhood trees. The next day I bring them to class and teach my kids some leaf basics, like simple and compound, needleleaf (evergreen) and broadleaf (deciduous), and we make rubbings. This is an old fashioned activity that kids don't get to do nowadays and they love it! They think it's magic when the shape of a leaf appears through the paper!
Fall is a great time to learn about trees and the Illinois DNR has published a great little workbook called Illinois Trees. I have used it with my fourth graders for about ten years now. I teach them some leaf identifiers, like different edges, pointed and rounded lobes, and even and asymmetrical bases. Then students use a dichotomous key to identify 15 leaves from Illinois trees. The first time I tried the dichotomous key with 9-year-olds, I thought it would be way too hard for them. I was so wrong. Most of the students caught on quickly and had all the leaves identified before the end of the period. Since then, my classes have all done just as well. Once in awhile someone will hit a snag, but with a little help from me or a classmate, will quickly get it figured out.
After they finish with the Leaf Identification booklet, I tell students that we're going to do a leaf collection. They love the idea. I have them collect ten leaves, identify, and classify them. They tape them into a simple booklet that we make in class and we use the leaf rubbings for the cover. Cute, simple, and easy! You could have them collect any number of leaves, but ten is enough for me. I mostly want them to get out in the backyard and do some science!
Sometimes there is a leaf that we have a hard time identifying. There is a great iPad ap called Leaf Snap that lets you take a picture of a leaf and will give you several options to choose from. There are also several leaf identification websites. If you're an Illinois teacher, the DNR has beautiful leaf posters that students can use to identify their leaves. And, you can always use a good, old-fashioned book!
I hope next fall you'll have your kiddos give leaf collecting a try!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
What is Your Problem?
This post fits more in the "Other Mysteries..." category. I'm going to tell you about a teaching strategy called Problem Based Learning. I hope you will give it a try!
Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great way to motivate and engage your kiddos. First, divide them into groups and give them a multi-faceted (OK-messy) problem that doesn't have just one answer. This is called "Meeting the Problem", which is the first step. Next, students brainstorm what they know about the subject and what they need to know in order to solve the problem (Step 2 -" Know/Need to Know"). Then they "Define the Problem" (Step 3): rephrase it or state it in their own words. Next they "Gather Information" (Step 4) to help them solve the problem. This can be done by internet research, field trips, personal interviews, etc. They then propose a solution ("Solve the Problem" - Step 5), explain their reasoning (why they chose that solution) and list pros and cons. Finally, the class votes for the best solution.
Last spring, I gave my class a problem stating that beavers were moving in to our area and farmers were afraid that they would cause problems for them. The kids had to find out what kind of problems the beavers might cause and what could be done about it. We took a field trip and looked for beaver signs. We had a speaker from SIU come to teach them general beaver information. The kids searched the web for information and possible solutions. They were on task and motivated. Finally, they shared their solutions: from painting the trees with hot sauce to putting fencing around the trees to planting trees that the beavers don't like so that they would move somewhere else. One group proposed building a beaver dome, catching all the beavers in the area, and charging admission to come view the beavers. That group was so proud of themselves for thinking out of the box that I let them keep it as their solution. After all, they're nine years old! They were really disappointed that the beaver dome wasn't chosen as the best solution!
A PBL unit could last from a week to a month or longer, depending on how engaged your students are and how much time you have. Solutions could be presented with posters (my pick) or projects from web pages to pamphlets to mock TV or radio shows. Let them be creative!
Possible Problems:
The flowers in the principal's garden aren't growing well. What could be wrong and what can she do to help them grow?
Kids in our school keep getting sick! Why and what can be done about it?
In the cafeteria, a large amount of food is thrown away. Why and how can we change this?
The bee population in America is shrinking. Why are bees important and why is this happening? What can we do about it?
You get the idea. The beauty and importance of PBL is the process that the kids go through and the learning and thinking that takes place, NOT the solution. In this case, the means is much more important than the end!
Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a great way to motivate and engage your kiddos. First, divide them into groups and give them a multi-faceted (OK-messy) problem that doesn't have just one answer. This is called "Meeting the Problem", which is the first step. Next, students brainstorm what they know about the subject and what they need to know in order to solve the problem (Step 2 -" Know/Need to Know"). Then they "Define the Problem" (Step 3): rephrase it or state it in their own words. Next they "Gather Information" (Step 4) to help them solve the problem. This can be done by internet research, field trips, personal interviews, etc. They then propose a solution ("Solve the Problem" - Step 5), explain their reasoning (why they chose that solution) and list pros and cons. Finally, the class votes for the best solution.
Last spring, I gave my class a problem stating that beavers were moving in to our area and farmers were afraid that they would cause problems for them. The kids had to find out what kind of problems the beavers might cause and what could be done about it. We took a field trip and looked for beaver signs. We had a speaker from SIU come to teach them general beaver information. The kids searched the web for information and possible solutions. They were on task and motivated. Finally, they shared their solutions: from painting the trees with hot sauce to putting fencing around the trees to planting trees that the beavers don't like so that they would move somewhere else. One group proposed building a beaver dome, catching all the beavers in the area, and charging admission to come view the beavers. That group was so proud of themselves for thinking out of the box that I let them keep it as their solution. After all, they're nine years old! They were really disappointed that the beaver dome wasn't chosen as the best solution!
A PBL unit could last from a week to a month or longer, depending on how engaged your students are and how much time you have. Solutions could be presented with posters (my pick) or projects from web pages to pamphlets to mock TV or radio shows. Let them be creative!
Possible Problems:
The flowers in the principal's garden aren't growing well. What could be wrong and what can she do to help them grow?
Kids in our school keep getting sick! Why and what can be done about it?
In the cafeteria, a large amount of food is thrown away. Why and how can we change this?
The bee population in America is shrinking. Why are bees important and why is this happening? What can we do about it?
You get the idea. The beauty and importance of PBL is the process that the kids go through and the learning and thinking that takes place, NOT the solution. In this case, the means is much more important than the end!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Star Light, Star Bright
Twinkle, twinkle, little star...How I wonder what you are! For so many generations, people used the night sky as a calendar, to guide their way as they traveled, or to create stories to entertain themselves and others. Some even used it to predict the future. It was an integral part of their lives. In our society, knowledge of the moon, stars, planets, and constellations is a lost art. I'm trying to bring back a bit of that lost art here in Harrisburg with my fourth graders.
Fall is a great time to study the moon, stars, and solar system. It starts getting dark earlier and is still warm enough to spend some time outside in the evening. Students just have to look up to see the beautiful, immense night sky, full of stars (and the moon) right out there in the backyard! A great opportunity for some backyard science!
Some time ago, I placed glow-in-the-dark stars on my light panels in the shape of constellations. So, every time we turn off the lights in the classroom, the kids can see Leo, Orion, the Big Dipper, Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, and other constellations. My class, of course notices these on day one. I explain what constellations are and how to connect the dots to see the shapes. They usually conclude that the ancients had vivid imaginations to make a man or a flying horse out of those shapes! I turn off the light and tell the stories, which I have kid-ified over the years. Then I give them a star map and teach them how to use it. You can find monthly star maps at www.skymaps.com. Sometimes at this point we borrow a class set of iPads and explore the Night Sky app. Their assignment is then to try to find the constellations at night and circle on the map the ones they find. The next day I have "constellation club" posters all around the room for students to sign if they found a certain constellation (Cassiopeia Club, Big Dipper Club, etc). I usually get a note or two from parents thanking me for a great family evening! From time to time, during the year I send home monthly constellation maps just for fun or extra credit. When my daughters were teenagers, they used to tell me that I was turning all my students into geeks. I prefer to think I'm turning them into astrophysicists!
We also make a book of moon phases (If you're into Pinterest, there's a fun idea you can try that uses Oreo cookies to model the phases of the moon.) and I assign moon calendars. Students observe the moon each night for a month and draw and label it. Students who return their moon calendars receive extra credit and Moon Pies - or Starburst - or Milky Ways. Be sure you check out moonrise and set times on this site www.timeanddate.com before you assign the calendar. Sometimes the moon isn't visible until the wee hours of the morning!
Over the years, I have done several other astronomy activities with my students that you might like to try. If you have access to a Star Lab portable planetarium or are close enough to a planetarium for a field trip, that is great! There are also local amateur astronomy clubs that love to introduce kids to the stars and planets by doing star parties. There is nothing like looking in a telescope and seeing Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons!
Fall is a great time to study the moon, stars, and solar system. It starts getting dark earlier and is still warm enough to spend some time outside in the evening. Students just have to look up to see the beautiful, immense night sky, full of stars (and the moon) right out there in the backyard! A great opportunity for some backyard science!
Some time ago, I placed glow-in-the-dark stars on my light panels in the shape of constellations. So, every time we turn off the lights in the classroom, the kids can see Leo, Orion, the Big Dipper, Sagittarius, Cassiopeia, and other constellations. My class, of course notices these on day one. I explain what constellations are and how to connect the dots to see the shapes. They usually conclude that the ancients had vivid imaginations to make a man or a flying horse out of those shapes! I turn off the light and tell the stories, which I have kid-ified over the years. Then I give them a star map and teach them how to use it. You can find monthly star maps at www.skymaps.com. Sometimes at this point we borrow a class set of iPads and explore the Night Sky app. Their assignment is then to try to find the constellations at night and circle on the map the ones they find. The next day I have "constellation club" posters all around the room for students to sign if they found a certain constellation (Cassiopeia Club, Big Dipper Club, etc). I usually get a note or two from parents thanking me for a great family evening! From time to time, during the year I send home monthly constellation maps just for fun or extra credit. When my daughters were teenagers, they used to tell me that I was turning all my students into geeks. I prefer to think I'm turning them into astrophysicists!
We also make a book of moon phases (If you're into Pinterest, there's a fun idea you can try that uses Oreo cookies to model the phases of the moon.) and I assign moon calendars. Students observe the moon each night for a month and draw and label it. Students who return their moon calendars receive extra credit and Moon Pies - or Starburst - or Milky Ways. Be sure you check out moonrise and set times on this site www.timeanddate.com before you assign the calendar. Sometimes the moon isn't visible until the wee hours of the morning!
Over the years, I have done several other astronomy activities with my students that you might like to try. If you have access to a Star Lab portable planetarium or are close enough to a planetarium for a field trip, that is great! There are also local amateur astronomy clubs that love to introduce kids to the stars and planets by doing star parties. There is nothing like looking in a telescope and seeing Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons!
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