Sixth Grade
Currently: No homework right now. We are engaged in activities which demonstrate the concepts of adhesion and cohesion. Stay tuned!
Seventh Grade
Homework: Have your science fair topic, variable, purpose, and direction of research ready (Fri. 1/10)
Currently: We will begin becoming familiar with the steps and standards of the scientific method as it will be applied to our science fair projects.
Eighth Grade
Homework: Have your science fair topic, variable, purpose, and direction of research ready (Fri. 1/10)
Seventh and Eighth Grade PSD
We will take up XC on Fridays starting January 10. Please be sure to bring your labelled XC equipment to school before Friday, January 10. You are also expected to be able to put your gear on by yourself, so practice by going out skiing over the vacation. (Now THAT'S what I call homework!)
Friday, October 4, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
What's up for the week of September 23-27
This will be a short week for us here in the Upper School science "department." The sixth grade will take a trip to Lake Champlain on Thursday and Friday to study the history and ecology of Vermont's biggest puddle. We have just wrapped up a look at Champlain's creation in science. The seventh grade will look at different forest zones as we hike up Mount Moosilauke on Wednesday. After a restful night at the rustic Ravine Lodge at the mountain's base, we will head to the Montshire Museum to enjoy the exhibits and take part in an aquatic investigations class. The eighth grade is learning how to calculate the density of common substances; they will visit secondary schools of interest on Friday. Have a happy week!
Monday, September 16, 2013
The week of September 16-20
According to Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth, one drop of water contains 3 sextillion (that's 21 zeros!) water molecules. An average water molecule will spend 3,160 years in the ocean but only 9 days in the atmosphere. And a glass of water contains ten million molecules that have passed through a buffalo, one of our early ancestors, or a dinosaur. This week, in preparation for their trip north, the sixth grade will study the formation of Lake Champlain, one of my favorite places to find water molecules.
The seventh grade has flagged their tree plots in the TGS woods and will start collecting data on the trees this week. We are also looking at the forest zones found as one ascends a typical New England mountainside. The zones--northern hardwood, transition, spruce-fir, balsam fir, krummholz, and alpine--can be found on the flanks of Mount Moosilauke. We will look for them on our hike there next week.
If someone mixes your salt, sand, and dried beans together, how to you separate them without freaking out? Ask the eighth grade! They can tell you ways to tease apart these materials, which mixtures are heterogeneous and homogeneous, and how to purify a solution. We hope to work with properties of matter this week and follow this up with the difference between chemical and physical change.
The seventh grade has flagged their tree plots in the TGS woods and will start collecting data on the trees this week. We are also looking at the forest zones found as one ascends a typical New England mountainside. The zones--northern hardwood, transition, spruce-fir, balsam fir, krummholz, and alpine--can be found on the flanks of Mount Moosilauke. We will look for them on our hike there next week.
If someone mixes your salt, sand, and dried beans together, how to you separate them without freaking out? Ask the eighth grade! They can tell you ways to tease apart these materials, which mixtures are heterogeneous and homogeneous, and how to purify a solution. We hope to work with properties of matter this week and follow this up with the difference between chemical and physical change.
Monday, September 9, 2013
The week of September 9-13
The sixth grade will continue their study of Earth's water cycle, the stations where water is found, and how much water is available for human consumption. Grade seven will establish their tree plots in the TGS woods where they will conduct surveys of the local species of trees. Finally, the eighth graders are getting a toehold in the sometimes steep slope of chemistry through their work with matter as a general concept.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Welcome to the 2013-2014 year in science!
Thank you for tuning in! We have planned a great year in science, and I wanted to give you a quick overview of what is to come. The sixth grade will start the year with a study of water. We will "dive" into the cycles, testing, availability, and properties of this most wonderful substance. In January, the Earth's atmosphere will be our focus. February will bring our Mystery Class, a unit where students will determine the location of ten mystery sites only from eleven weeks of sunrise-sunset times and four cultural clues. Last year's sixth grade was the first to get all ten sites correct--can this year's class do the same? We will learn about our solar system in April and May, and complete the year with a brief investigation of each student's own design.
The seventh graders will be working in the woods this fall. They will establish tree plots in the TGS woods, learn about the many tree species in Vermont, and experience different forest types by hiking on the slopes of Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire's White Mountains. We will also do investigations with our soil, either in late fall or in the spring. January and early February is the time for the science fair (this is also true for the eighth graders) when students design, conduct, and present the findings of an experiment of their choosing. The rest of the year will be devoted to activities of physics: pendulums, rockets, and other things that move.
The eighth grade will begin with matter and chemistry. Atomic structure, bonding, acids and bases, and the Periodic Table will all be part of the mix. We will try to sneak a little forensics in, as well. After the science fair, the TGS elders will embark on a study of the human body's systems.
Finally, I wanted to relay to you the common threads that I pass along to the kids at the start of every year, and they are the three simple yet comprehensive expectations that I ask everyone, myself included, to meet: 1. Demonstrate respect for yourself, others, and the process of learning. 2. Come to class prepared for the process of learning. 3. Do your best to go beyond what you think is your standard for excellence. I am happy beyond words to be part of your child's educational experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments that you would like me to address.
The seventh graders will be working in the woods this fall. They will establish tree plots in the TGS woods, learn about the many tree species in Vermont, and experience different forest types by hiking on the slopes of Mount Moosilauke in New Hampshire's White Mountains. We will also do investigations with our soil, either in late fall or in the spring. January and early February is the time for the science fair (this is also true for the eighth graders) when students design, conduct, and present the findings of an experiment of their choosing. The rest of the year will be devoted to activities of physics: pendulums, rockets, and other things that move.
The eighth grade will begin with matter and chemistry. Atomic structure, bonding, acids and bases, and the Periodic Table will all be part of the mix. We will try to sneak a little forensics in, as well. After the science fair, the TGS elders will embark on a study of the human body's systems.
Finally, I wanted to relay to you the common threads that I pass along to the kids at the start of every year, and they are the three simple yet comprehensive expectations that I ask everyone, myself included, to meet: 1. Demonstrate respect for yourself, others, and the process of learning. 2. Come to class prepared for the process of learning. 3. Do your best to go beyond what you think is your standard for excellence. I am happy beyond words to be part of your child's educational experience. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments that you would like me to address.
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