8th Science 2017-2018 Archive Page

By Kyle Kordon
19/07/18 at 14:35
0 Comments

This is the archive page for my 2017-2018 Science class.

Week of 6/11/2018 – 6/15/2018: Finishing our chapter together

Monday 6/11: Trimester Reward Lab

Tuesday 6/12: Final Lab: Wrapping up Middle School Science

Wednesday 6/13: 8th Grade Field Trip

Thursday 6/14: 8th Grade Promotion Practice, and Promotion Ceremony

Friday 6/15: No School for 8th Grade

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Last Day of Science Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Finished grading all pages. Make-up deadline for physical science (blue) notebook is Wednesday 6/13 by 4:00.

Homework: None assigned.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to the last week of 8th Grade Science. It’s really difficult to type those words. I am going to keep this brief, but this is going to be an incredibly difficult week – saying goodbye is never easy, but it is a vital step in the transition to the next stage in our lives. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your students over these last several years. I have loved each day working with them, and know that they will do amazing things in high school and beyond. If any of you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Yes, your student will no longer be in my class every day, but I will always consider them to be one of my kids. Thank you, and until we meet again: be well, have a great summer, and good luck.

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Week of 5/28/2018 – 6/1/2018: Science HS Placement Test

Monday 5/28: Memorial Day – No School

Tuesday 5/29: Science HS Placement Test Review & Physical Science: Contact Forces

Wednesday 5/30: Science HS Placement Test

Thursday 5/31: Solar Cars

Friday 6/1: Solar Cars

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9 @ Cal Young Middle School, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook:

Homework: None assigned as of 5/28.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th grade science! This week we will be getting close to finishing up solar cars. Students will have two days this week to work on their cars, and perhaps a day or two next week. The Solar Car Challenge is on Saturday, June 9, so we will finishing up with the cars right around then. As we close in on the end of the school year, I also have my short human growth and development unit to complete (about 3 days) on human anatomy, physiology, and HIV prevention. I will be sending home a letter regarding this with the students, and have attached it to the email. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 5/21/2018 – 5/25/2018: Science Review & Science OAKS

Monday 5/21: Science Review Activity

Tuesday 5/22: Science OAKS Review

Wednesday 5/23: Science OAKS

Thursday 5/24: Science OAKS

Friday 5/25: Physical Science: Systems & Contact Forces

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Science OAKS Testing 5/22-5/24, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9 @ Cal Young Middle School, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Solar Cars updated (through page 86). Physical Science through page 21 will be updated at the end of the week.

Homework: None assigned as of 5/21.

Announcements: Hello and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be completing a review activity, Science OAKS, and doing a little bit more of our physical science unit. Next week we will have a day of review on Tuesday 5/29 before we take the HS Science Pre-Assessment on Wednesday 5/30 and/or Thursday 5/31. I will be giving students some review material this week that they can work through over the weekend. The review material is the review sections of the HS text. If parts of the review are complex or confusing, I suggest that they use a search engine to help with the concepts – it is on HS physical science content, and while many of the concepts will undoubtedly be similar to things I have covered in my physical science units, they will be more complex than can be covered in a middle school setting. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything else.

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Week of 5/14/2018 – 5/18/2018: Physical Science, Science Review

Monday 5/14: Solar Cars: Finish Initial Building & Testing

Tuesday 5/15: Physical Science: Magnet Cannons, Driving Question Board

Wednesday 5/16: Physical Science: Newton’s Cradle, Analyzing Apparatuses

Thursday 5/17: Physical Science: Analyzing Apparatuses, Systems & Contact Forces

Friday 5/18: Early Release (Periods 1-3) Science Review Activity

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Science OAKS Testing 5/22-5/24, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Will be updating through page 86 of INB on Synergy early this week before we transition to Physical Science & Science Review for a couple weeks.

Homework: None assigned as of 5/14.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th grade science! This week we will get a heavy dose of our physical science unit for a few days before starting some good review for our upcoming tests. Next week (5/21-5/25) we will do some review and then do Science OAKS. OAKS will give students a good indication of how the HS placement test will work the following week (5/28-6/1). I will be providing students some example problems for the HS placement test that they can do at home in the next week or so if they so choose. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 5/7/2018 – 5/11/2018: Solar Cars, Science Review

Monday 5/7: Solar Cars: Gears, Motors, Batteries & Solar Panels

Tuesday 5/8: Solar Cars: Final Roll-Down Tests or Science Concept Car Proposal

Wednesday 5/9: Finish Solar Cars: Final Roll-Down Tests or Science Concept Car Proposal

Thursday 5/10: Kordon Gone (District Track Meet) Revenge of the Electric Car

Friday 5/11: Science Review Activity

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Science OAKS Testing 5/22-5/24, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Next notebook check is Wednesday 5/9 through page 86 (Final Roll Down Test/Science Concept Car Proposal)

Homework: None assigned as of 5/7.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will focus on Solar Cars for a couple days so that we can get to the point that students have the car made in principle going into the weekend. We will then shift gears over the next week or two to really get into physical science, and get some review in before state testing and the HS Science placement test. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 4/30/2018 – 5/4/2018: Solar Cars

Monday 4/30: Solar Cars: Initial Rough Draft & Roll-Down Tests

Tuesday 5/1: Solar Cars: Gears, Motors, Batteries & Solar Panels

Wednesday 5/2: Solar Cars: Final Roll-Down Tests or Science Concept Car Proposal

Thursday 5/3: (Kordon Gone: Sub-Districts Track Meet) Revenge of the Electric Car

Friday 5/4: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Science OAKS Testing 5/22-5/24, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Life Science INB pages 20-63 make-up deadline is Thursday 5/3.

Homework: None assigned as of 4/30.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will have a heavy dose of Solar Cars planning & initial building as we head into mid-trimester grading. The material that students work on this week will not impact the mid-trimester grade, but will be posted onto the 2nd half of the term. When we return from the weekend for the first full week in May we will have a heavier dose of our physical science unit. This will allow students to refine their ideas about their cars on their own time if they so choose, and begin to think about how the lessons from physical science (such as Newton’s Laws of Motion) apply to the physics of the cars that they are building. In case you did not receive the 9th Grade Science Pre-Assessment letter that the district sent out last week I have attached it to the email, and will give students a physical copy on Monday. The letter indicates a wider date range for the test of May 21-31. Students will be taking the test around May 29 or 30 in my class. I have talked to students extensively about the format of the test, and am happy to answer any questions about it that you might have. It will be approximately 30-45 multiple choice questions done on a scantron and will include analyzing data, graphs, and other observations while focusing on content that would be covered in the freshman-level physical science classes in the 4J high schools. Overall, I am confident that students will do fairly well on it as physical science tends to be of high interest to them. We will have a couple more sessions between now and the end of the month where we will focus on reviewing material for these tests so they can put their best foot forward. Lastly, there is a school board meeting on Wednesday at 7:00 PM, and a discussion of the proposed school schedules is expected to be had. If you would like your voice to be heard (either in favor or against the schedule) here is some information about how to go about it: http://www.4j.lane.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/4J_DraftSchoolSchedule2_2018-04-24.pdf, and https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/4Jschedule2. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 4/23/2018 – 4/27/2018: Start Solar Cars & Physical Science Units

Monday 4/23: Finish Characteristic & Variations Assignment

Tuesday 4/24: Solar Cars: Electric Cars Initial Hill Climbing Build

Wednesday 4/25: Solar Cars: Electric Cars Modifications

Thursday 4/26: Solar Cars: Chassis Design, Bearings, Axles, and Wheels Research

Friday 4/27: Early Release (Period 4-6) 6th Period catches back up with 1-3

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 4-6 Friday 4/27, Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Science OAKS Testing 5/22-5/24, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, HS Science Pre-Assessment 5/29-5/31 Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Solar Car Challenge Saturday 6/9, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Life Science INB pages 20-47 make-up deadline is Friday 4/27. Life Science INB pages 48-63 make-up deadline is Thursday 5/3.

Homework: None assigned as of 4/23.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be starting our Physical Science/Solar Cars dual unit. We will be doing these units simultaneously by doing Physical Science for a few days, and then applying what we learn to Solar Cars. Sometimes we will do Solar Cars for a few days, and then learn about how it applies to physical science. We will start with a couple of lessons on Solar Cars to introduce the concept of the hill climbing car. Last year students concentrated on Speed/Art Concept Cars, and this year they will have the options of Hill Climbing Car or Science Concept Car. I created a brand new student workbook for the unit, and will be picking them up from the print shop on Monday. These will be an upgrade even beyond the life science workbooks that I made that we just finished with. I have a meeting this week regarding the HS Science Placement tests, and will be reporting back to the students by the end of the week with the details. I will communicate these findings in the announcements next week. Also, this is the last week that I can accept any anecdotes for the ACE Award nominations that I am submitting for our Assistant Principal, John Wayland, and our Custodian, Jeremy Niccum. If you would like your voice heard in the nominations that I am submitting for them, please get these to me ASAP (I have to submit them by May 1). I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 4/16/2018 – 4/20/2018: Finishing Life Science & Genetic Inheritance

Monday 4/16: HS Science Pre-Assessment & State Testing Discussion, Genetics Terms & Concepts

Tuesday 4/17: Genotype & Phenotype, Punnett Squares

Wednesday 4/18: Punnett Squares & Genetic Inheritance

Thursday 4/19: Alleles, Regulatory, and Complex Genes

Friday 4/20: Complex Genes & Resulting Genotypes & Phenotypes

Science Notebook: Make-up deadline for INB pages 10-19 is Friday 4/20, INB pages 20-47 make-up deadline is Friday 4/27.

Homework: None assigned as of 4/16.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we should be wrapping up our Life Science unit before we jump into our Physical Science unit that we are combining with Solar Cars. Until we reach Friday 4/27, 6th period will be a day behind periods 1-3 (this is due to the early release schedule that we had this past Friday). Any students who did not complete forecasting can see me this week and I will assist them (I will have 6th period finish this on Monday). While I have been preparing them for it over the last two years, I received word at the end of the week about how the High School Science Pre-Assessment will be offered for 4J this year. We will take the pre-assessment in science sometime during the week of Memorial Day 5/29-5/31. The pre-assessment determines which science classes that students should start at in high school. Most freshman start by taking the physical science classes on energy and matter, and the pre-assessment will let the HS science teachers in 4J know if a student should take those classes or if they can move directly into Biology as a freshman (another reason why the physical science unit is one of the last I teach so that the material is fresh in their minds). I have a meeting next week with the HS teachers to get more details and be able to ask questions, but it sounds like there will be a heavy focus on Scientific Explanations – specifically the Reasoning portion of them (which is one of many reasons why we focus on these between 7th & 8th grade in my class). It is my opinion that the State test that we will take the previous week, 5/22-5/24, should be good practice for this pre-assessment – which, of course, please let me know if you have questions or concerns about. As with anything we do, I want student to do well, but I will be proud of them and their efforts regardless – which is the exact message that they get from me every single day. It is hard to believe that we are already have only a single-digit number of weeks left together. On a final note, I am planning some activities on Engineering Design and our Human Growth & Development material to finish the year off with as we conclude the physical science unit. I will get you information about the Human Growth & Development material a couple of weeks before delivering the curriculum. The ACE Awards were recently opened, and I want to take the opportunity to make a “last call” for any anecdotes, stories, etc. that you may have in support of the two people I am nominating: Mr. Wayland in the Administrator category, and Mr. Niccum in the Classified Employees category. Please get these to me ASAP if you want to have your voice included in the nominations I am writing – thank you for those who have already sent this to me. Lastly, you may have noticed that scores are being reported to synergy differently than in the past. I have altered the way that I report the scores on Synergy & to the students in their notebooks so that scores are more meaningful. What I am looking for in their notebooks, however, has not changed. Sorry for the lengthy announcements this time – there was a lot to report on. Please let me know if you have further questions about this. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 4/9/2018 – 4/13/2018: Inherited Traits, Plant Reproduction & Inherited Traits

Monday 4/9: Discussing Traits

Tuesday 4/10: Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday 4/11: Dissecting Flowers

Thursday 4/12: Confirm HS Classes, Gregor Mendel

Friday 4/13: (Early Release, Periods 1-3) Basic Genetics Terms

Upcoming Calendar Dates: NEHS 8th Grade Parent Info Night/Open House Wednesday 4/11 6:30 PM, Early Release 1-3 Friday 4/13, Early Release 4-6 Friday 4/27, Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Make-up deadline for pages 10-19 is Friday 4/20.

Homework: Confirm with your family about which classes you will be taking in HS.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we have a couple of labs to learn further about inherited traits, and about how plants are able to reproduce. On Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM there is an 8th Grade Parent Open House at North Eugene HS in the cafeteria. This is the last opportunity to really ask about things such as classes for next year as students will be confirming their class selections on Thursday in Science class. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 4/2/2018 – 4/6/2018: Characteristics, HS Forecasting

Monday 4/2: Introduction to Characteristics: Traits & Variations

Tuesday 4/3: Human Traits

Wednesday 4/4: HS Forecasting

Thursday 4/5: Inherited Traits vs. Acquired

Friday 4/6: Science Review Activity

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 1-3 Friday 4/13, Early Release 4-6 Friday 4/27, Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Science Notebook: Make-up deadline for pages 10-19 is Friday 4/20.

Homework: None assigned as of 4/2.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we are going to be talking about genetic traits & variations. Also, NEHS will be doing High School Forecasting with the students through science on Wednesday. This is where students will get to see the types of classes that are offered in high school, what a high school transcript looks like, how to read a transcript & class guide, and select what classes they could possibly have next year. Even for students who do not plan to go to North it is a highly informative class as the process for signing up for classes is very similar at other schools. I have finished the final edit for the life science notebooks, and am almost done adding the pages to the student’s notebooks. I will be able to input the first grade into the grade book for them later this week, and then you will be able to see more frequent grade posts in synergy thereafter. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 3/19/2018 – 3/23/2018: Finish Chemistry, Start Life Science

Monday 3/19: Finish Transfer of Matter & Energy Project, Setup Spring Trimester

Tuesday 3/20: Life Science Pre-Assessment, Moth Activity

Wednesday 3/21: Peppered Moths

Thursday 3/22: Peppered Moths

Friday 3/23: Early Release 4-6

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23, Spring Break 3/26-3/30.

Science Notebook:

Homework: None assigned as of 3/18.

Announcements:

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Week of 3/12/2018 – 3/16/2018: Carbon & Energy Cycles

Monday 3/12: Carbon Cycle

Tuesday 3/13: Transfer of Matter & Energy Project

Wednesday 3/14: Transfer of Matter & Energy Project

Thursday 3/15: No School – End of Winter Trimester Grading Day

Friday 3/16: Teacher Inservice

Upcoming Calendar Dates: End of Trimester Grading & Planning/PD (No School) March 15 & 16, Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23, Spring Break 3/26-3/30.

Science Notebook: Makeup deadline for Notebooks 10, 11, 12 (pages 91-120) is Wednesday 3/14.

Homework: None assigned as of 3/11.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we are finishing up our chemistry unit with a final project to learn about the flow of carbon & energy in an ecosystem by evaluating the place of specific organisms within their food web & environment. All work that is assigned this week will not impact the winter trimester grade, but will instead be graded for the spring trimester. The final grade for the spring trimester was Notebook 12. Students still have until Wednesday when I go home from track practice in order to fix anything from notebooks 10, 11, & 12 (pages 91-120). In the week before spring break, and the two weeks thereafter we will be doing an abbreviated version of the life science unit that focuses on heredity & genetics. As I mentioned previously, it’s not too late for your student to join track! Packets are available in the office, and we don’t have our first meet until the week after spring break. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 3/5/2018 – 3/9/2018: Cellular Respiration, Transfer of Matter

Monday 3/5: Cellular Respiration Study

Tuesday 3/6: Cellular Respiration Investigation

Wednesday 3/7: Cellular Respiration Models

Thursday 3/8: Transfer of Matter

Friday 3/9: Transfer of Matter

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Track starts Monday 3/5, end of Trimester Grading & Planning/PD (No School) March 15 & 16, Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23.

Science Notebook: Notebook 12 (pages 111-120) due Wednesday 3/7. Makeup deadline for Notebooks 10, 11, 12 (pages 91-120) is Wednesday 3/14.

Homework: None assigned as of 3/5.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! Track season is upon us. If your student is still interested in coming out for track, it’s not too late. They can still turn in their completed track packet after the season starts, but the longer they delay, the more they will miss out on. With track starting this week, my availability after school becomes essentially non-existent (except for Fridays), but students can still come see me before school or at lunch while they eat if they need anything. I was out one day last week due to illness as my daughter, Olive and I both got sick (my daughter does a great job sharing, but I really did not need her to share her head cold with me), and with the social studies field trip on Thursday, we got put behind where I wanted to be. We should be done with this unit right around the end of the trimester. We will be doing a mini-unit on genetics & heredity before moving on to our physical science unit that I am combining with solar cars. As I have mentioned before, I am trying to create my own interactive notebook that will combine the two units. I did something similar for the math class that I last taught two years ago. These will be decidedly less bulky than the math INBs, but it will be nice that students will have everything for the unit at the outset. Notebook scores have been updated through page 110. The last notebook score for the trimester will include up to page 120, and everything thereafter will impact the 3rd trimester. Students may make up anything up to page 120 until Wednesday, March 14 – the last day of the trimester (and pi day, of course). I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 2/26/2018 – 3/2/2018: Burning Calories, Cellular Respiration

Monday 2/26: Burning Calories

Tuesday 2/27: Burning Calories

Wednesday 2/28: Kordon gone (family illness)

Thursday 3/1: Most 8th Grade – Field Trip to State Capital (remaining science students learned about polymers and how they relate to food molecules)

Friday 3/2: Cellular Respiration Introduction

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Track starts Monday 3/5, end of Trimester Grading & Planning/PD (No School) March 15 & 16, Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23.

Science Notebook: Notebook 10 (Pages 91-100) make-up deadline Wednesday 3/14, Notebook 11 (Pages 101-110) make-up deadline Wednesday 3/14.

Homework: None assigned as of 2/27.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! My apologies about getting this email out a little later than I’d like. As I mentioned last week, I was gone this last weekend for a conference in Washington. The conference went well, and I am glad to have gone. However, the weekend did come with some bad news. While I was at the conference, I found out that my aunt passed away. I talked to the kids about it a little bit on Monday (they have asked about her often as a way of checking on me and how things are going), and a couple of you have been asking as well; thank you for your positive thoughts. This week we get to take a closer look at the chemical reactions that occur when we exercise, and spend some time working through cellular respiration. We are almost done with our chemistry unit, and will be doing a short life science unit on genetics and heredity thereafter. Typically, we would create a new notebook after our 2nd unit, but I told the kids that I am building my own notebook for the rest of the school year that I will get printed, and give to the kids. I will have notebook 10 & 11 graded by the end of the week. Notebook 12 might be the last notebook score for this term; we’ll see where we are that last week. Lastly, several of you have sent me anecdotes for the ACE award nomination that I have started for Mr. Wayland. If any of you would like to contribute, I just need to have it by spring break. I am also nominating our custodian, Jeremy Niccum, in the ACE Award classified employee category, so if anyone had anything they wanted to send me for him as well, it would always be welcome. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 2/19/2018 – 2/23/2018: Finish Photosynthesis, Collaborative Study Groups Part 3

Monday 2/19: No School – President’s Day

Tuesday 2/20: Finish Photosynthesis

Wednesday 2/21: Collaborate Study Groups Part 3

Thursday 2/22: Collaborative Study Groups Part 3

Friday 2/23: (Kordon gone)

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Kordon gone for conference Friday 2/23, Track starts Monday 3/5.

Science Notebook: Notebook 10 (Pages 91-100) make-up deadline Friday 3/2.

Homework: None assigned as of 2/18.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be finishing our investigations into the chemical reactions that occur during photosynthesis, and then will complete our next round of collaborative study groups. The scientific models that students are creating during collaborate study improved dramatically from round 1 to round 2 last month. Also, my apologies about not getting a newsletter out last week. The students already know this, but one of my close relatives is in hospice care, and we were expected to have to say goodbye last week. This wasn’t the case, but will be something that happens quite soon (there have been a few scares, but the doctor thinks it could happen between a couple days, and a couple weeks from now). I let the kids know what was happening a couple weeks ago, and the support they have responded with has been amazing. On a separate note, I will be gone on Friday this week due a conference out of state, and will be getting back late Sunday night. Track season starts in just two weeks! Some of the advisory lessons this week will have some material that I have been working on to promote the upcoming season. My goal is to have at least 70 8th graders out for track this year. If you have questions about track, or if your student is interested in joining the team, have them pick up a packet this week. I hope you all have a fantastic week! As always, let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 2/12/2018 – 2/16/2018: Finish Proteins, Photosynthesis

Monday 2/12: Finish Proteins

Tuesday 2/13: Photosynthesis: Glucose

Wednesday 2/14: Photosynthesis: Oxygen

Thursday 2/15: Photosynthesis: Carbon Dioxide

Friday 2/16: (Early Release, 1-3) Photosynthesis: Water

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Kordon gone for conference Friday 2/23, Track starts Monday 3/5.

Science Notebook: Notebook 10 (Pages 91-100) due Thursday 2/15. Notebook 9 (Pages 81-90) make-up deadline Friday 2/16.

Homework: None assigned as of 2/10.

Announcements:

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Week of 2/5/2018 – 2/9/2018: Proteins, Mid-Unit Test, Plants

Monday 2/5: Finish Proteins

Tuesday 2/6: Mid-Unit Review

Wednesday 2/7: Mid-Unit Test

Thursday 2/8: Plants

Friday 2/9: Plants

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Kordon gone for conference Friday 2/23, Chemistry Mid-Unit Test Wednesday 2/7, Track starts Monday 3/5.

Science Notebook: Notebook 9 (Pages 81-90) make-up deadline Friday 2/9.

Homework: None assigned as of 2/3.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be wrapping up the first half of our chemistry unit. I think that we will be ready for our review to happen on Tuesday with our test on Wednesday. The test happens is going to happen in two parts: multiple choice and a scientific explanation. I will have the multiple choice portion graded & entered quickly, but it will be a couple of days for the scientific explanation part. Notebook 10 (pages 91-100) is also due by the end of the week. If students have anything that they want to make-up from Notebook 9 (page 81-90) the deadline is this Friday 2/9. I am working on creating my own interactive notebook for the physical science until combined with Solar Cars. This year we concentrate on Hill Climbing Cars and Science Concept Cars for the unit. Last year, Mr. Dawson had an 8th grade group win the Science Concept Car competition at the EWEB Solar Car Challenge (Saturday, June 9 @ Cal Young MS this year), and I had a group win the same competition the year before. I would love if we had an 8th grade group win it again this year. Also, the students already know this, but I am in the process of nominating Mr. Wayland, our Vice Principal, for an award for an award based on his work with the kids (he doesn’t know about this). If anyone would like to contribute an anecdote (a short and positive story) showing how he has made a positive impact on your student, I would love to hear from you. If you’re interested in helping me with this, take a look at the indicators linked below, and email me your response. I will keep your name private on the nomination (only indicating that it came from a “student” or a “student’s parent/guardian.” I wrote a successful nomination for the award winner last year for classified staff, and would love to see Kelly MS have another person recognized. The committee loves to hear from staff & community members about the positive impact the person has had in the nomination. Here is a link to the things that the committee looks for in the administrator category: http://blogs.4j.lane.edu/kordon_k/files/2018/02/Administrator-ACE-Award-Nomination-Indicators.pdf. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 1/29/2018 – 2/2/2018: Carbohydrates & Proteins

Monday 1/29: Finish CSG Part 2, Finish Carboyhdrates

Tuesday 1/30: Storing Food Molecules (Super Size Me)

Wednesday 1/31: Discuss Storing Food Molecules, Proteins

Thursday 2/1: Proteins

Friday 2/2: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 (Kordon gone), Kordon gone for conference Friday 2/23, Chemistry Mid-Unit Test Tuesday 2/6, Track starts Monday 3/5.

Science Notebook: Notebook 6 (Pages 51-60) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 7 (Pages 61-70) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 8 (Pages 71-80) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 9 (Pages 81-90) make-up deadline Friday 2/9.

Homework: None assigned as of 1/29.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be hitting the half-way point of our chemistry unit. Early this week we will be showing part of the documentary Super Size Me within the context of discussing how efficient our bodies are with storing excess food molecules. I will be out all day on Tuesday 1/30 due to AVIDize in the morning, and I will be doing some work for our school programs in the afternoon. I graded notebooks through Notebook 9 this weekend, and that is the last score that I will be inputting for mid-trimester grading. Students have until the end of the day on Thursday 2/1 if they want to make anything up for Notebooks 6, 7, and 8 (pages 51-80). Students have until Friday 2/9 to make anything up from Notebook 9 (pages 81-90), but this will not impact their mid-trimester grade if they fix something after 2/1. Track season is coming up faster than students realize as it starts on Monday, March 5. Track packets are available in the office. As 8th graders, if your student had a physical in 6th grade, they probably need to have another physical done, and doctor’s offices typically book up quickly with these. Physicals are typically good for 2 years. I would love it if we had 70-80 8th graders come out for track this year. Like everything else that Miller and I do, we teach teamwork, effort, and have a great time with the kids each year. As they have done all year long, I expect my 8th graders to be great models and ambassadors for the track program. Over the next couple of weeks I will be having several students help me create a track music video during my prep period to help get the word out about track. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 1/22/2018 – 1/26/2018: Working with Food Molecules

Monday 1/22: Plants Update, Food Molecules Scientific Explanation

Tuesday 1/23: Food Molecule Modeling

Wednesday 1/24: Breaking Down Complex Carbohydrates into Simple Carbohydrates

Thursday 1/25: Breaking Down Complex Carbohydrates into Simple Carbohydrates

Friday 1/26: Science CSG Part 2

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 (Kordon gone), Kordon gone for conference Friday 2/23, Track starts Monday 3/5.

Science Notebook: Notebook 9 (Pages 81-90) due Friday 1/26, Notebook 6 (Pages 51-60) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 7 (Pages 61-70) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 8 (Pages 71-80) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 9 (Pages 81-90) make-up deadline Friday 2/16.

Homework: Plants Reading (Page 82 in INB) due Thursday 1/25.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be working with food molecules with a heavy focus on carbohydrates. We are also about a week or two out from the midterm of our unit. I have to be out next Tuesday 1/30 due to an AVID event at South Eugene, but I think that we’ll be ready for our midterm early the next week. The students have been very curious in the unit so far, and have been asking fantastic questions. I also plan on grading Notebook 9 (pages 81-90) later this week. Overall, students have been doing a much better job in their notebooks lately. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 1/15/2018 – 1/19/2018: Plants, Food Molecules, and Collaborative Study Groups

Monday 1/15: No School – MLK Jr Holiday

Tuesday 1/16: Science CSG Part 1

Wednesday 1/17: Finish Science CSG Part 1, Plants

Thursday 1/18: Food Molecules

Friday 1/19: (Early Release 4-6) Science CSG Part 2

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 (Kordon gone)

Homework: None assigned as of 1/15.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we only have a few full days due to the MLK Jr. holiday yesterday and the early release day on Friday. We will be doing the initial work for some investigations that we will complete later on in the unit by planting wheatgrass in a variety of environments – isolating variables to determine how they affect growth. We will then start examining the different types of “food molecules” in the foods that we eat. Last week I introduced the concept of the Science Collaborative Study Group. It is organized similarly to how we do tutorials in AVID, and is a highly effective way of having students collaborate on content in any class. I have graded through Notebook 8 (page 80) in the Science Interactive Notebooks. As I have told students in class, they have until Thursday 2/1 to fix anything in Notebooks 6-8. Once we are done with the chemistry unit (estimate for the end of February) students will need a new science notebook for the last two units as will be out of room in our current notebooks. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 1/8/2018 – 1/12/2018: Chemistry

Monday 1/8: Finish Exercise Investigation, “Burning” Calories

Tuesday 1/9: “Burning” Calories Investigation

Wednesday 1/10: Evaluating Investigations

Thursday 1/11: Evaluating Investigations

Friday 1/12: Science Collaborative Study Groups Part 1

Upcoming Calendar Dates: MLK Jr. Holiday Monday 1/15 (No School), AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 (Kordon gone)

Science Notebook: Notebook 6 (Pages 51-60) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 7 (Pages 61-70) make-up deadline Thursday 2/1, Notebook 8 (Pages 71-80) due Wednesday 1/10.

Homework: None assigned as of 1/7.

Announcements:

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Week of 12/11/2017 – 12/15/2017: Seismic Building Analysis

Monday 12/11: Seismic Building Analysis

Tuesday 12/12: Seismic Building Analysis

Wednesday 12/13: Seismic Building Analysis

Thursday 12/14: Winter Fest Investigation

Friday 12/15: Early Release (per. 1-3) Explain Everything Screencast

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release (per. 1-3) Friday 12/15, Winter Break 12/16-1/2. First day after break Wednesday 1/3.

Science Notebook: Notebook 6 (Pages 51-60) due Thursday 12/7, Notebook 7 (Pages 61-70) due Thursday 12/14.

Homework: None assigned as of 12/11.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week students will be completing the seismic building analysis report to finish off our STEM Project. Students were assigned a classroom in the school today, and they started working on their reports. On Thursday, we will also be completing the lesson that I was going to do with the students when I was out sick for the fall fest. On Friday for the Early Release, students will be doing a screencast using their iPads of the presentations. Over the winter break, I will be grading the reports, and will be catching up on any grading that I don’t finish in the next couple of days. When we return from the break, we will be completing our chemistry unit. At the start of the year, I had planned on completing the chemistry unit last, but I’m feeling confident that the students are ready for it. My next weekly email will be sent out a day or two before we come back from winter break. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 12/4/2017 – 12/8/2017: Earthquake Epicenter Triangulation, Liquefaction, Begin Seismic Building Analysis

Monday 12/4: No School – Teacher In-service

Tuesday 12/5: Earthquake Epicenter Triangulation

Wednesday 12/6: Liquefaction Lab

Thursday 12/7: Finish Liquefaction Lab, Finish Epicenter Triangulation Lab

Friday 12/8: Assign Building Analysis Rooms, Seismic Code Research, Kelly MS Building Materials

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release (per. 1-3) Friday 12/15, Winter Break 12/16-1/2. First day after break Wednesday 1/3.

Science Notebook: Notebook 6 (Pages 51-60) due Thursday 12/6.

Homework: None assigned as of 12/4.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This is the first week of the trimester, and we have only a week left until Winter Break. It is hard to believe that the school year is already 1/3 over. I will be grading Notebook 6 (pages 51-60) towards the end of the week. We will be finishing up the last parts of the STEM project this week as students complete their building analysis of a room in the school. Each lab group of 4-5 students will be assigned a room that they will evaluate for seismic preparedness. We will spend about 3-4 days working on this capstone project for the unit. After we get back from break we will either start the life science unit on genetics and basic heredity or the chemistry unit on how our bodies process and use food for energy. I am leaning towards the life science unit first, but it will be either of these. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 11/27/2017 – 12/1/2017: Earthquake Simulation Investigation, Liquefaction, Structural Integrity

Monday 11/27: Earthquake Simulation Investigation

Tuesday 11/28: Earthquake Simulation Explanation, Liquefaction Pre-Lab

Wednesday 11/29: Structural Integrity (Kordon Gone)

Thursday 11/30: Structural Integrity

Friday 12/1: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Field Trip to Oregon State Wednesday, November 29th (Kordon Gone), Last day to turn in make-up work for fall trimester grading Thursday 11/30. Fall Trimester Grading Day, Professional Development, and Teacher Planning (No School) Friday 12/1 & 12/4.

Science Notebook: Notebook 5 (pages 41-50) make-up deadline Thursday, 11/30.

Homework: None assigned as of 11/27.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we get to conduct our Earthquake Simulation Investigation, start thinking about Liquefaction, and learn about the structural integrity of different types of building materials, architectural designs, and the relative strength of different geometric shapes in construction. A reminder that the last day for students to turn in make-up work for the Fall Trimester is this Thursday, November 30. The work that we are doing this week will go towards the first notebook grade of the Winter Trimester. Next week we will further investigate Liquefaction, do an Earthquake triangulation activity so that the students can use data from different seismometers to figure out the location of the earthquake based on the collected data. Thereafter we will start taking a look at earthquake preparedness, and how we can improve our emergency plans & procedures, and then finish with a seismic analysis for different rooms throughout the school. This should take us up to right around the start of winter break. For the Winter Fest on 12/14, I will be doing the lesson that I had been planning to do for the Fall Fest. I was out during the Fall Fest, and did not have the energy to do the lesson until just recently, so I will be taking the opportunity that day. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 11/20/2017 – 11/24/2017: STEM Project Pre-assessment, Earthquake Simulation Machines

Monday 11/20: Notebook Maintenance, finish STEM Project Pre-assessment school observation tour

Tuesday 11/21: Earthquake Simulation Lab

Wednesday 11/22: No School – Make-up conferences

Thursday 11/23: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Friday 11/24: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Student-Led Conferences Tuesday 11/21 from 5:00-8:00, AVID Field Trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29th (Kordon Gone), Last day to turn in make-up work for fall trimester grading Thursday 11/30. Fall Trimester Grading Day, Professional Development, and Teacher Planning (No School) Friday 12/1 & 12/4.

Science Notebook: Notebook 5 (pages 41-50) make-up deadline Thursday, 11/30.

Homework: None assigned as of 11/20.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! We only have a couple of days together this week with conferences Tuesday evening and Thanksgiving break. I have finished grading the most recent test and have graded in the notebooks through page 50. If any student wants to take their notebook home over the break, they are free to do so. The deadline for make-up work is going to be the last day of the term (Thursday, 11/30). The last thing that I have left to grade for the fall trimester grade are the salt-dough models that we made of a cross-section of the Earth – these will probably be done in the next day or so. If your student wants to take their notebook home to work on over the short break, they should take it after conferences. I hope to be able to see all of you at conferences on Tuesday. If you can’t make it on Tuesday, please get in touch with your student’s advisory teacher to make arrangements to come in Wednesday during the make-up session. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 11/13/2017 – 11/17/2017: Introduction to Waves, STEM Project

Monday 11/13: Student-Led Conference Reflections & Goals

Tuesday 11/14: Modeling Transverse (Electromagnetic) Waves

Wednesday 11/15: Modeling Longitudinal (Mechanical) Waves

Thursday 11/16: STEM Project Pre-assessment, Earthquake Simulation Machine

Friday 11/17: Early Release (Adv., Per 4-6) Finish Paddleboat Engineering Design Challenge

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon Gone) Tuesday, November 14, Student-Led Conferences Tuesday 11/21 from 5:00-7:30, AVID Field Trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29th (Kordon Gone), Last day to turn in make-up work for fall trimester grading Thursday 11/30. Fall Trimester Grading Day, Professional Development, and Teacher Planning (No School) Friday 12/1 & 12/4.

Science Notebook: Notebook 4 (pages 31-40) make-up deadline Friday 11/17, Notebook 5 (pages 41-50) due Thursday 11/16 (make-up deadline Thursday, 11/30).

Homework: None assigned as of 11/11.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th grade science! We’re almost done with the fall trimester, and the first third of the school year. We have finished the main portion of our Earth Science unit, and will now start working on our STEM Project that I developed when I was part of a grant through the University of Oregon two years ago. The students will be examining the potential impact of a major earthquake to our school and community. We will be studying the different types of seismic waves (using real data from our seismometers), using triangulation methods to learn the location of earthquakes, liquefaction, talk about seismic building code, the relative strength of different building materials, and develop a seismic building analysis report on the rooms & main areas of the school that would be impacted by a major earthquake – and make recommendations about earthquake safety procedures, and what (if any) retrofitting or improvements should be made to create a safer environment in the event of an earthquake. I am looking forward to seeing what the students will be able to do with this. As indicated above, the last day to turn any make-up work for the fall trimester is going to be Thursday, 11/30. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 11/6/2017 – 11/10/2017: Cross-Section Models of the Earth

Monday 11/6: Cross-Section of the Earth Models

Tuesday 11/7: Cross-Section of the Earth Models

Wednesday 11/8: Tectonic Plate Model Reflections, Recycling of the Earth

Thursday 11/9: Earth Science Unit II Test

Friday 11/10: No School – Veteran’s Day

Science Notebook: Notebook 4 (pages 31-40) make-up deadline Friday 11/17.

Homework: None assigned as of 11/5

Announcements:

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Week of 10/30/2017 – 11/3/2017: Hotspots, Predicting Plate Movement, and Cross-Sectional Models of the Earth

Monday 10/30: Hotspots

Tuesday 10/31: Predicting Plate Movement

Wednesday 11/1: Plate Tectonics & Cross Sectional Diagrams

Thursday 11/2: Salt Dough Preparation

Friday 11/3: Cross-Section of the Earth Models

Upcoming Calendar Dates: School Picture Retakes Monday 10/30, Fall Fest Tuesday 10/31, AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon Gone) Tuesday, November 14, AVID Field Trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29th (Kordon Gone).

Science Notebook: Notebook 3 (pages 21-30) make-up deadline Friday 11/3. Notebook 4 (pages 31-40) due Thursday 11/3.

Homework: None assigned as of 10/29

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! First of all, my apologies for not emailing everyone last week. The weekend before was crazy (Friday 10/20 was a 17+ hour workday for me, I even came to school both Saturday and Sunday over the following couple of days to get some things done), and then I got sick for the first time this school year. Many of you may already know, but I’ve been home with Pneumonia since Wednesday. I felt fatigued on Tuesday at school, and went to bed right after I got home as a fever began to spike. I was hoping that it was some bug that had been going around, but by Thursday afternoon I had almost a 105 fever, and had my wife take me to Urgent Care (I’ll spare you the details). We were there for a few hours, and they diagnosed Pneumonia. Never had it before, would love to be rid of it soon (thank you, antibiotics), and never get it again! I’ve missed being in my classroom and seeing my students. That being said, I’m not allowed to return until Wednesday at the earliest depending on my energy level (right now it’s tough to carry on a conversation for more than a minute or two without losing my breath). I’ve communicated with my guest teacher, one students have had a number of times, and he is going to run class as close as he can as I run it. He’ll pick up where I left off before I got sick. I hope (fingers crossed) to be back Wednesday because I hate even missing one day for something like being ill. Once I am back, we will be working on our review activity for the second part of our unit – the cross sectional model of the earth made from salt dough. I know that students have done a wonderful job with having to have some guest teachers last week. Two out of my three guest teachers described my students as “fun” and “wonderful” in separate texts, and I love that. Have a great rest of your Sunday, everyone, and students, I hope to see you again in a couple of days. Take care!

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Week of 10/23/2017 – 10/27/2017: Volcano Formation, Tracking Plate Movement, and the Ring Of Fire

Monday 10/23: When Tectonic Plates Collide,

Tuesday 10/24: Volcano & Mountain Formation, Hotspots

Wednesday 10/25: Tracking Tectonic Plate Movement

Thursday 10/26: Ring Of Fire – Kordon Gone

Friday 10/27: Begin Unit II Review Presentations Activity

Science Notebook: Notebook 3 (pages 21-30) make-up deadline Friday 11/3. Notebook 4 (pages 31-40) due Thursday 11/9.

Homework: None assigned as of 10/23

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! We took a little more time to get things done last week, so we will be doing the Volcano Formation Lab early this week. We are getting close to wrapping up the second part of our unit before we get to the project-based portion of it. The last third of the unit the students will be doing several investigations with the intention to complete a seismic building analysis of the school and make recommendations for earthquake procedures and any possible retrofitting or proactive maintenance for different areas of the school. This focus will allow us to focus on how what we’re learning directly impacts our school and the community, and what we can possibly do about it. I have to be gone on Thursday this week, but the students have a pretty cool opportunity. My guest teacher on Thursday is one of my teachers from high school who was one of my many inspirations to become a teacher. Both the students and my guest seem excited about the opportunity. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 10/16/2017 – 10/20/2017: Metamorphic Rocks, Tectonic Plates, and Volcano Formation

Monday 10/16: Metamorphic Rocks Lab

Tuesday 10/17: Finish Metamorphic Rocks Lab, When Tectonic Plates Move

Wednesday 10/18: When Tectonic Plates Move & Collide

Thursday 10/19: Volcano & Mountain Formation

Friday 10/20: (Early Release, Adv., Periods 1-3) Engineering Design Challenge: Paddle boats

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release Friday 10/20, Diversity Event Friday 10/20 5:00-8:00 PM, School Picture Retakes Monday 10/30, Fall Fest Tuesday 10/31, AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon Gone) Tuesday, November 14.

Science Notebook: Notebook 2 (Pages 11-20) make-up deadline Friday 10/20. Notebook 3 (pages 21-30) due Friday 10/20.

Homework: None assigned as of 10/13

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we have a number of labs and simulations regarding tectonic plate movement, and the geologic features that form as a result of that movement. The 2nd half of this unit is lab/investigation/simulation heavy, so if students are gone, and need to make one up they Friday is an early release day, and I only have science periods 1-3 on this one. We will be completing our second Engineering Design Challenge of the year, and period 6 will get the opportunity at the next early release in November. Just a reminder that students who still owe me the Continental Drift presentations or the Earth Science Unit 1 Test can still complete these, but they will not impact the mid-trimester grade as these grades were due & posted on Thursday 10/12. The deadline for any makeup work for Notebook 2 (pages 11-20) is Friday 10/20. I will start grading Notebook 3 (most likely pages 21-30) at the end of this week. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 10/9/2017 – 10/13/2017: Tectonic Plate Boundaries & Tectonic Plate Movement

Monday 10/9: Edible Tectonics

Tuesday 10/10: Evaluating Scientific Explanations from ES3 Midterm 1

Wednesday 10/11: Convection in the Mantle and Tectonic Plate Movement Demo, Metamorphic Rocks Lab

Thursday 10/12: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Friday 10/13: No School – Statewide Teacher In-service

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Mid-Trimester Grading (No School) Thursday 10/12, Riverwalk Incentive Party Thursday 10/12 7:00-9:00 PM, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13, Early Release Friday 10/20, Diversity Event Friday 10/20 5:00-8:00 PM, School Picture Retakes Monday 10/30, Fall Fest Tuesday 10/31, AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon Gone) Tuesday, November 14.

Science Notebook: Notebook 1 (Pages 1-10) make-up deadline Wednesday 10/11. Notebook 2 (Pages 11-20) due Wednesday 10/4 – make-up deadline Friday 10/20.

Homework: None assigned as of 10/9

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! It’s hard to believe that we’re at the mid-point of the fall trimester, but here we are. This week is a short one due to the mid-trimester grading day on Thursday, and the Statewide Teacher In-Service on Friday. The most recent test has been graded and input into Synergy. If students earned less than an 8/10 on it then they can do test corrections to make up points up to the 8/10 mark. Students were given their tests back this week, and have until Friday 10/20 to do test corrections. If students wait until after the progress report to do the corrections it will not be reflected on the mid-term grade, but will be calculated into the final grade for the trimester. This week we are focusing on tectonic plate boundaries, and what causes the plates to move. I hope you are having a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 10/2/2017 – 10/6/2017: Finishing Part 1 of Earth Science

Monday 10/2: Tectonic Plate Models

Tuesday 10/3: Mid-Unit Review

Wednesday 10/4: Mid-Unit Assessment

Thursday 10/5: Field Trip/Cosmos – the Lost Worlds of Planet Earth

Friday 10/6: Riverwalk

Upcoming Calendar Dates: LCC Field Trip Thursday 10/5, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading (No School) Thursday 10/12, Riverwalk Incentive Party Thursday 10/12 7:00-9:00 PM, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13, Early Release Friday 10/20, Diversity Event Friday 10/20 5:00-8:00 PM, School Picture Retakes Monday 10/30, Fall Fest Tuesday 10/31.

Science Notebook: Notebook 1 (Pages 1-10) make-up deadline Wednesday 10/11. Notebook 2 (Pages 11-20) due Wednesday 10/4 – make-up deadline Wednesday 10/11.

Homework: None assigned as of 10/2

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! I have finished grading Notebook 1 (pages 1-10), and will start grading Notebook 2 (pages 11-20) when we finish it later this week. Most students have started doing quite well in their notebooks. If students missed points it is because of unsatisfactory completion of a page in their notebook. If a notebook was scored as “missing” it is because either the student did not leave the notebook in class for me to grade, or it is because they have not properly submitted their work to the notebook. Each page in the notebook has a specific page number that is both written on the page, and posted multiple places on the board in my room. (In other words, page 12 needs to go on page 12 of the notebook – which students are given time each day to make sure they are properly organized.) Each page is worth 1 point towards the Daily Work grade. Students earn their points by answering questions, making observations, drawing diagrams, etc. Students typically have 2 weeks from the grading date to re-submit their notebook for grading if they finished previously missing or incomplete work – unless this overlaps a grading period. I keep track of these final dates in the “Science Notebook” section above. Just a reminder, that if We have a bit of an odd schedule this week, and only three days of regular science class as a result. We will have our first test on Wednesday covering the major topics of our Earth Science unit so far – Earthquakes, Volcanoes, & the Theory of Continental Drift. On Thursday there is an optional field trip to LCC. We will be going to LCC to tour the machine shop, and work with some of the engineering teachers and professors. We will leave at approximately 9:00 AM and get back around 1:00 in time for 2nd lunch. As I mentioned to the students, LCC can only take 100 students – meaning that about 40 students will be staying behind. I will be handing out permission slips on Monday during science classes, but if there are more than 100 students who take one, I will have to have a drawing to see who the alternates are. If any student who is not an alternate either does not return the permission slip by 8:45 on Thursday, or who is absent when we have to leave, we will take the alternates in the order that they were drawn. Friday there will be no regular classes due to the Riverwalk. Students will attend an extended advisory period, have lunch, and then will embark on the walk. I will be walking with those undertaking the Cooper Challenge on the Riverwalk – we’ll see how well the sprained knee that I got last month has healed. We will only have 3 days of school the following week due to mid-trimester grading on Thursday 10/12, and a state-wide teacher inservice on Friday 10/13. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 9/25/2017 – 9/29/2017: Theory of Continental Drift

Monday 9/25: School Pictures, Continental Drift Presentations

Tuesday 9/26: Finish Continental Drift Presentations, Alfred Wegener

Wednesday 9/27: Exploration of the Sea Floor

Thursday 9/28: Tectonic Plate Models

Friday 9/29: (Early Release – Advisory, Periods 4-6) – Watercrafts

Upcoming Calendar Dates: School Pictures Monday 9/25, Open House Wednesday 9/27 6:30 PM – 8:00 (Dinner starts at 5:30), Early Release Friday 9/29, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading (No School) Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13.

Science Notebook: Notebook 1 (Pages 1-10) due Wednesday 9/20. Notebook 2 (Pages 11-20) due Wednesday 10/4.

Homework: None assigned as of 9/25

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade Science! This week we will be focusing on the evidence that supports the theory of Continental Drift before moving on to our first Tectonic Plate models. Friday is an early release day for periods 4-6, so the only science class to meet will be 6th period. 6th Period will get the opportunity to do the Watercraft engineering design challenge that periods 1-3 were able to do on the first Friday of the year that was run as an early release with the extra PBIS rotations & follow-up in the afternoon. I’m looking forward to seeing all of you who are able to make it for Open House on Wednesday. Have a great week, and let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 9/18/2017 – 9/22/2017: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Theory of Continental Drift

Monday 9/18: Worldwide Pattern of Volcanoes, Worldwide Pattern of Earthquakes

Tuesday 9/19: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and World Elevation

Wednesday 9/20: Continental Drift

Thursday 9/21: Continental Drift Readings & Posters

Friday 9/22: Continental Drift Posters

Upcoming Calendar Dates: School Pictures Monday 9/25, Open House Wednesday 9/27 6:30 PM – 8:00 (Dinner starts at 5:30), Early Release Friday 9/29, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13.

Science Notebook: Notebook 1 (Pages 1-10) due Wednesday 9/20.

Homework: None Assigned as of 9/16.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to 8th Grade Science! Now that the school year is rolling, I am going to restart the weekly newsletter emails. We have just begun our first major unit of the year that concentrates on the large geological changes and mechanisms within the Earth. As the only teacher to have the entire 8th grade, I have been looking forward to this school year for quite a while. We will be doing even more hands-on in-depth projects this year. I’ll give you more details at Open House. I will be start grading Notebook 1 (Pages 1-10 of the INB) this Wednesday. Even though I gave them out during the first week, I will attach the syllabus to this email if you would like it. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

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Week of 9/11/2017 – 9/15/2017: First full week of school

Monday 9/11: Setup INBs, start initial STEM Investigation

Tuesday 9/12: Finish initial STEM Investigation

Wednesday 9/13: Scientific Argumentation

Thursday 9/14: Scientific Argumentation

Friday 9/15: Earth Science Unit Pre-Assessment

Upcoming Calendar Dates: School Pictures Monday 9/25, Open House Wednesday 9/27 6:30 PM – 8:00 (Dinner starts at 5:30), Early Release Friday 9/29, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13.

Science Notebook: Bring on Monday 9/11 to setup.

Homework: Safety Letter signed & returned due Monday 9/11.

Announcements:

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Welcome to 8th Grade Science! Use this page to keep up on what is going on in class. I will post assignments, resources, and helpful links on here so that you can have a successful year.

Mr. Kordon's Website

8th Science 2017-2018 Archive Page

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