6th Grade Science: Pretty Minerals!
Exploring minerals and their properties!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
May the Force be with you!
Yes, it's that time again. The 8th graders are learning all about forces: balanced, unbalanced, contact, non contact, gravity, friction, and of course, how these all tie into Newton's Laws of Motion!
The students have been experiencing first hand the power of these forces; crashing cars, rolling tennis balls, sliding blocks on multi-surfaces.
Meanwhile, the 6th graders have been learning about Earth's structure, rocks, minerals, and the rock cycle.
The students have been exploring this wonderful recycling of materials that God has set in place; the formation of Earth's layers, landforms, and the beautiful minerals and rocks that He has placed here for our use and enjoyment.
We will be finishing off the unit with an investigation of minerals and their properties. The students will use what they have learned to identify a mystery mineral and will be treated to a light show of glowing rocks!
Dim the lights - the fun is about to begin!
Yes, it's that time again. The 8th graders are learning all about forces: balanced, unbalanced, contact, non contact, gravity, friction, and of course, how these all tie into Newton's Laws of Motion!
The students have been experiencing first hand the power of these forces; crashing cars, rolling tennis balls, sliding blocks on multi-surfaces.
We plan to finish off this unit with a rocket racer competition as the students investigate force pairs and action/reaction forces.
Meanwhile, the 6th graders have been learning about Earth's structure, rocks, minerals, and the rock cycle. The students have been exploring this wonderful recycling of materials that God has set in place; the formation of Earth's layers, landforms, and the beautiful minerals and rocks that He has placed here for our use and enjoyment.
We will be finishing off the unit with an investigation of minerals and their properties. The students will use what they have learned to identify a mystery mineral and will be treated to a light show of glowing rocks!
Dim the lights - the fun is about to begin!
Saturday, September 26, 2015
It's a new school year and I can't wait to see what God has in store!
In science, both the 6th and 8th grade students have been learning about the nature of science. They have practiced using the lab tools and becoming familiar with the scientific process.
In the next few weeks the students will begin exploring space. In both 6th and 8th grade, the students will learn about our unique, unlikely place in the universe.
Students will focus on the interactions between the Sun, Earth, and Moon and come to recognize how wonderfully the solar system is designed and how much our God loves and cares for us.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalms 19:1
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Spring is just around the corner! We have been so busy in science this year. The 8th graders have been exploring force, motion, and energy. The 6th graders have been busy learning about God's wonderful creation - the Earth!
Here are a few photos of the students putting their new knowledge to work.
Here are a few photos of the students putting their new knowledge to work.
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| 8th grade exploring friction and its effect on force. |
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| 8th grade racing their Rocket Racers and learning about Newton's laws of motion. |
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| 8th grade measuring the effect of mass and height on potential energy. |
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| 8th graders observing the effect of kinetic energy on temperature. |
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6th graders measuring carefully as they test minerals and try to identify the mystery mineral.
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| Making careful observations and recording data. |
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| 6th graders building a landscape to demonstrate landforms and their formation. |
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| 6th grade videoing and diagraming a convection current. |
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Fall
Autumn is here! Leaves are falling and the air is cool and crisp! The skies are clear and it is the perfect time to learn about the heavens! In 8th grade, students have been focusing on the Earth, Moon, and Sun systems; using models to simulate eclipses and lunar phases. In 6th grade, students have been studying space beyond our solar system; learning about the characteristics and beauty of God's wonderful creation: the stars. The 6th graders have been busy designing experiments to test different types of magnitude and will finish the unit using their improvisation abilities to act out the different categories of stars. We were especially blessed this year when, right in the middle of our space unit, a total lunar eclipse occurred. Several students got up at 5am and took a selfie with the eclipse in the background. Anything for extra credit!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Wow! We have been busy in science lately!
In 8th grade we just finished up a unit on the solar system and are now studying star formation and the universe. Students modeled our solar system out in the courtyard and learned that it stretches much further than anticipated. Using our scale of one shoe equals 15 million km, it extended way out into the parking lot! Later, we darkened the classroom and students modeled the lunar phases as the moon circles the Earth. We will finish the year building and racing Rocket Racers!
In 7th grade the students did an excellent job on their frog dissections. There was only an occasional "gross" or "eeew" heard. Mostly it was "that's VERY scientific" (code for "gross" and "eeew"). Within minutes, all students were engaged in the activity and learning about the frog's digestive system. We have now moved on to a study of the human body; learning about reproduction, the skin, the bones, and to finish strong - the muscles!
In 6th grade we finished our unit on biomes. The students formed groups and built and presented different biomes to the class. The construction took place entirely in class - and what a great job they did! We have now started studying the Earth's atmosphere and hope to get a chance to do another construction project - building anemometers!
In 8th grade we just finished up a unit on the solar system and are now studying star formation and the universe. Students modeled our solar system out in the courtyard and learned that it stretches much further than anticipated. Using our scale of one shoe equals 15 million km, it extended way out into the parking lot! Later, we darkened the classroom and students modeled the lunar phases as the moon circles the Earth. We will finish the year building and racing Rocket Racers!In 7th grade the students did an excellent job on their frog dissections. There was only an occasional "gross" or "eeew" heard. Mostly it was "that's VERY scientific" (code for "gross" and "eeew"). Within minutes, all students were engaged in the activity and learning about the frog's digestive system. We have now moved on to a study of the human body; learning about reproduction, the skin, the bones, and to finish strong - the muscles!
In 6th grade we finished our unit on biomes. The students formed groups and built and presented different biomes to the class. The construction took place entirely in class - and what a great job they did! We have now started studying the Earth's atmosphere and hope to get a chance to do another construction project - building anemometers!
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!
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!
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