This year you will experience the responsibility of having your own computer, collaborating with other students and learning to become an independent learner.  This class is filled with experiments, labs and hands on activities that will require you to stretch your thinking and perform activities that are new to you.  I am excited to start the 2010-2011 school year off with a you!

Mrs. Dorsey

Unit 1 – The Scientific Method

Students are learning how to solve problems by designing a bottle rocket.  The goal of the unit is to utilize the steps in the scientific method to solve their problem.  The fun part is to build and launch their rockets.  Check out our pictures on the flikr tab.

Unit 2 – Cells

Students will be studying the cell theory, the components of cells and how cells move. Stay tuned for pictures, podcast research, cities and our final writing piece!

Students created a cell city project based on analogies connecting the parts of a cell to the parts of a city.  Students learned that in order for a city to function it takes several jobs working together which is how a cell works.

Lastly, students  worked with Mrs. Simonson on their writing skills by completing a conclusion over their Cells Unit.

Unit 3 – Heredity

Students will learn how genes are passed from parent to offspring.  They will start off by learning the difference between mitosis and meiosis.  Mitosis produces body cells and the Meiosis produces germ cells.  With the understanding of how DNA is made up of a 4 letter alphabet and those letters combine to make words, the words combine to make sentences the sentences make the genes and the genes make the protein to make you who you are.

Students created a cootie family to demonstrate how traits are passed from parent to offspring and how the genes are mixed up during meiosis and that is why sometimes the offspring does not look like the parents but an ancestor.

For fun students will extract DNA from sweet peas.  This should be an exciting time because students will take something that can not be seen with the naked eye and make it so it can!

Lastly, we will be connecting with a professor from Duke University and the Henry Doorly Zoo to discuss genetic conservation and saving the lemurs.

Unit 4 – Project Madagascar

After meeting with Duke and the zoo, each class completed a different project that connected with Madagascar.  4th and 5th period classes looked at the poverty of Madagascar.  The kids were given money and had to create a budget based on if they lived in the United States then that money was taken away and they had to create a budget on a yearly wage from Madagascar.  Students were shocked going from $2400 a month to budget to $30 a month to budget!

One class worked with their ecological footprint.  They took an ecological quiz online to figure out how many global acres they use in a weeks time.  They then selected one item, like their cell phone, then created a footprint to see how many resources are used to get that cell phone into their hands.

My last class broke up into specific groups with specific jobs and debated over a piece of land in Madagascar.  Each group had to present facts, wants and needs of why their group should be presented the land.  The governing body, the teacher, has the last say on which group presented the best project and earned the land.

Unit 5 – Classification

Students researched about the history of classification and then classified some “unknown” specimens of their own.  They created a classification tree and from that data then created a dichotomous key.

Unit 6 – Bacteria

While learning about bacteria the students were able to collect samples from around the school.  They learned and understood the importance of washing their hands and personal hygiene.

Here are some of the bacteria they collected.  We do not know what kind or if it was helpful or harmful bacteria.

Unit 7 – Fungus / Protista

Students learned that being in middle school is like being part of the Protista Kingdom.  It is the most diverse kingdom and it is made up of all the “left overs” that don’t fit into any other category!

The kids also worked with the Fungus kingdom by making bread!  This was a yummy unit!

Unit 8 – Plant Kingdom

Students are learning how important plants are to the environment, what they are made up of and we are watching some grow from our classroom!

Unit 9 – Animal Kingdom