Saturday, April 19, 2014

Spring is here!

It's April already and Easter is just around the corner! This school year has just flown by! In science the students have been busy learning about God's wonderful and intricate Creation.

In 8th grade, we just finished up units on atoms and chemical reactions. Students built atomic models, and mixed, tested, and analyzed solutions. They distinguished acids from bases, determined the polarity of mystery substances, made molecular models and demonstrated the law of conservation,,, a fun, colorful, messy time was had by all! Now... on to space!



 In 7th grade, students recently discovered genetics and how God has given each organism a unique genetic code. Students enjoyed building their Spudoodle babies based on randomly selected chromosomes. They have now moved on to the animal kingdom. The students learned to use the dissection tools as they explored the digestive tract and circulatory system of 10 inch earthworms. Cutting open the intestine they found the expected favorite worm food: dirt! Yum! Next up - vertebrates and the much anticipated frog dissection!



In 6th grade the students have had fun learning about our rockin', rollin', explosive planet Earth. Student built structures made of sugar cubes, bouillon, and jello to explore the different effects of earthquakes. They also became safety inspectors for the day as they inspected their homes for earthquake safety and wrote a letter of recommendations to their families. Recently, they made volcanoes and experimented with different types of lava flow and the effects on habitats. After Easter vacation we will be shifting gears a bit and learning about biomes. Students will research and build biomes in class - they will be on display at our Expo! Come look!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Another year! We're off and running!

Wow! Summer flew by! 
It's the beginning of our 2013/2014 school year and UCA is teaming with new technology!  I am very excited to bring advanced, engaging resources into my science class this year. Praise God for continuing to shower our school with His blessings!

In science we are starting out our year with a short introduction on selecting and using lab tools, brushing up on the scientific method, and performing some fun labs and activities.  Then we'll dive into our textbooks and begin our study of God's wonderful Creation!

In 6th grade we will begin with a study of Earth's topography and landforms.  The students will get to make a mountain and translate it into a contour map. They will also explore a map of our local mountains, learning to locate different features and interpret symbols.
    
The 7th graders will learn about the modern classification system for living things. Each student will make an insect collection this fall, giving them an opportunity to identify and classify different species.

The 8th graders will kick the year off with a study of motion and force. The students will explore Newton's laws of motion as they crash tiny cars, compare speeds of different motions, and graph results.

Yep! It's going be a great year!

"Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works on man's behalf!"  Psalms 66:5 NIV