Science+-+8th+Grade+-+Meeting+Notes



11/16/2010:

Topics to Discuss: 1. Differentiating for our science classes. Having alternative activities for "gifted" students, SPED, ELL, etc.. 2. Discuss the possibility of going to Chem Club USM.

12/14/10:

We worked on setting up a new differentiated unit on the periodic table. In the weeks prior to this we developed a density unit that worked very well, it gave the student lots of choice in how they were going to learn the content. We are also working on developing our classroom websites on moodle.

FALL 2010 skill
 * Tuesday, September 15 2009:** Members Present Makin, Stiles, Campbell
 * 1) Discussed leadership vaccum at PLC.
 * 2) Decided that we wold rotate notetaking and wikki reporting.
 * 3) Discussed common assessment around measuring. We have a "stations" quiz where we set up various measuring spots in our lab and kids
 * station 1: definitions of mass
 * station 2: conversions
 * station 3: measuring distance
 * station 4: volume of 4 regular solid block
 * station 5 volume of liquid and volume of irregular shaped object
 * station 6 mass of solid and mass of liquid
 * station 7 temperature

content questions: involving definitions of units, abbreviations, prefixes


 * Tuesday, September 22, 2009.** Members present Makin + Stiles
 * 1) Discussed learning activities around teaching the scientific method and experiments
 * 2) Began looking at lab supplies to figure out what to take and what to leave in the new labs


 * Tuesday, September 29.**
 * Continued Workon chemical inventory, cleaning out unused chemicals and sharing uses for those we kept
 * Helped discuss/brainstorms ideas around bulb planting
 * Discussed our "locations" in the scope and sequence of our curriculum


 * Tuesday, October 13th**
 * reviewed the common assessments for our upcoming chemistry units,including chemical/physical change and states of matter
 * discussed sequence of topics and learning activities for this section - agreed to not follow book
 * shared learning activities for chemistry section


 * Tuesday, October 20th**
 * Brainstormed solutions for the upcoming bulb planting
 * Reviewed our missions - to review essential outcomes and to develop common assessments for th

Questions that were brought up/

Will we be switching form Maine Standards to New England Standards? Should we spend much energy retooling our outcomes if they might change?

How closely do our outcomes match with the schools curriculum? the states? New Englands? we'll take a look over time.

**Tuesday, October 27th** Members Present: Makin And Stiles Absent: Campbell (bulb planting)

Attempted upload of common assessments to master chart - modified and uploaded density quiz and chemical and physical change test.

Discussed learning activities and experiences for our kids over the next topic - States of matter and changes Discussed scheduling of move and packing up of equipment needed for instruction up until move - logistics for using what, when. Discussed budgeting for technology:
 * Tuesday, November 3rd**:

Question for Mr Mazjanis: How can we find funds for explore learning membership? This will allow our students to use "gizmo's" How can we sign up for "brain pop."

Reiterated our mission as a PLC - to continue to look at our essential outcomes and to create common assessments there fore.


 * Tuesday, February 9**


 * Discussed and researched lesson plans to transition between physical science and life science .** Discussed the various entry points as students come from 7th grade and how to accommodate any disparities.


 * Tuesday, March 1**


 * discussed learning activites involved with Cell Reproduction (aka mitosis and meiosis) **


 * Learning activities:** diagrams; flip book, straw activity, venn diagram/ tchart, essay, quiz, website animations


 * Common Assessment**: ideas--- T- chart quiz comparing and contrasting mitosis and meiosis, or essay comparing the two processes.

No meeting
 * Tuesday, March 9th**


 * Tuesday, March 16**

Discussed at length what our primary goals as a PLC were.

Began to discuss new types of common assessments that focused on "take away knowledge" rather than on more exact information from units that we studied.

Shared grading strategies and systems, and discussed our individual philosophies on late work and make up and how that would translate to performance on some of our common assessments.

Discussed/Shared "genetics with a smile" learning activity.
 * Tuesday, March 23**


 * Tuesday, March 30:**

Discussed order of learning activities of our Mendelian genetics lesson plans


 * Tuesday, April 6**

searched for relevant material for section 3 - genetic engineering

explored this site. Found many applicable lessons

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/


 * Tuesday, April 13**

Discussed big ideas involved with next unit of study - evolution looked at maine gle's for this unit, listed below

searched websites and learning activites for "a" below. Found these:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/virtualdig/index.html [|fossil site- sea monsters]

8th grade team meeting
 * Tuesday, April 27**


 * Tuesday, May 3rd**

Discussed "unit image of". the evolution unit:

read section newspaper article use teacher's domain (whale, tuberculosis : evolving ideas" why does evolution matter now?

, sickle-cell anemia) [|teachers domain]

Todd introduced a new learning activity: a pictorial representation of the 5 tenets of Natural selection, modified after his "shared life characteristics." Discussed protocol and learning around "dating the fossil record"

Standards for Ecology

e2 Ecosystems


 * Tuesday, May 10**

Planned units for the rest of the year. Discussed Maine Explorer simulation and "oh deer" project.


 * Tuesday, May 17**


 * A. Discussed keystone predator simulation schedule + activities**
 * 1) day 1 introduction to program +**


 * day 2-4 research about six creatures using teacher generated worksheets**
 * 2,3,4 do the worksheets on the program**


 * Last day - do the research paper**


 * b. Explored websites and teachers domain for ecology activities **

Maine Learning results for Evolution: a. Explain how the layers of sedimentary rock and their contained fossils provide evidence for the long history of Earth and for the long history of changing life.
 * c. Discussed mea preparation for years later **
 * __**

b. b. Describe how small differences between parents and offspring can lead to descendants who are very different from their ancestors.

c. Describe how variations in the behavior and traits of an offspring may permit some of them to survive a changing environment.

d. Explain that new varieties of cultivated plants and domestic animals can be developed through genetic modification and describe the impacts of the new varieties of plants and animals.

a. List various kinds of resources within different biomes for which organisms compete.
 * **Students examine how the characteristics of the physical, non-living (abiotic) environment, the types and behaviors of living (biotic) organisms, and the flow of matter and energy affect organisms and the ecosystem of which they are part.**

b. Describe ways in which two types of organisms may interact

including competition, predator/prey, producer/consumer/decomposer, parasitism, and mutualism) and describe the positive and negative consequences of such interactions.

c. Describe the source and flow of energy in the two major food webs, terrestrial and marine.

d. d Describe how matter and energy change from one form to another in living things and in the physical environment.

e. e Explain that the total amount of matter in the environment stays the same even as its form

and location change. ||