Science Day!!!! – Crazy Foam Experiment
Science day was a hit. I was so happy to hear that all the kids loved the activities that were planned for today. I hope you have fun and remember kids…make sure you have an adult with you.
Fun With Foam
Foam is fun! Check out this video to see our Fantastic Foamy Fountain in action. The experiment uses Hydrogen peroxide and dry yeast. Hydrogen peroxide is similar to water but it has an extra oxygen atom. This makes it more dangerous and only adults should handle the hydrogen peroxide.
When you add the yeast, it acts as a catalyst (a helper) to release the extra oxygen gas and the soap helps to create all the foam. Try it out yourself!
The second experiment with the giant foam eruption at the end used a more powerful hyrogen peroxide and a different chemical for a catalyst. The reaction happens very fast and gives off quite a bit of heat. It’s pure foam fun! I mean pure science.
Parent Meeting for ALL junior high parents
>There will be a parent meeting Monday, January 30 for all 6th, 7th and 8th grade parents. The meeting will be held in O’Ryan Hall at 8:15 A.M. This is an important meeting in which student achievement will be discussed. Report cards will be distributed after the meeting you can also stroll by the science fair on the 2nd floor.
St. Monica’s Learning Fair Assignements
Event Instructions for Prayer & Poetry. Please follow the directions.
“Going for the Gold”
Prayer & Poetry assignments are due this Friday.
PRAYER: Topic: Going for the Golden Rule in World Religions
Instructions: Compose a prayer or reflection showing how a World Religion (other than Catholicism or Christianity) such as: Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc, express the Golden Rule (treat others the way you want to be treated)
Students must compose the prayer/reflection under the supervision of the teacher. Parent/adult assistance is not permitted.
The length of the prayer/reflection is not to exceed one typed/double spaced page.
POETRY Assignment: To go with our Olympic theme, you are invited to write a poem describing an athletic scene. The poem should narrate a specific sport in detail and also include the theme of sportsmanship, camaraderie and fair play. The poem should describe a play in a game. It should be action based with plenty of strong verbs and accurate adjectives. Lastly the poem should invoke the mystery of the sport it is describing. Show us why basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis or any other sport is magical.
Science Week! Jan 22-29
I am so excited this week. Students in grades 6-8 will be presenting their science experiments to the Jr. High. I look forward to seeing all the hard work they have put into these projects. Students keep in mind to have fun and be confident. We will be presenting M-W during all science classes, every student in my class will listen to the entire Jr High present. This is a great learning opportunity for every student.
This Wednesday, 7th grade will host our monthly mass. Mass is held in O’Ryan Hall @ 10:15 am. Please come support our class.
On Thursday we have Science Day in which the students school-wide will participate in various science related activities, experiments and projects. Students will build bridges with pasta, look through microscopes at different cells & organisms, they will attend a “Rocks & Minerals” workshop + an activity, play brain training games, they will watch an awesome movie about outer space & aliens, the day will end with students extracting DNA from wheat germ. This will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I will need a parent volunteer on Thursday for Science Day. You will get to experience these science activities along with the kids.
For Catholic Schools Week the second and seventh grade classes will have the responsibilities of bringing up the gifts, ushering, and hosting at the photograph art gallery exhibit for the 10:30 a.m. Mass on January 29, 2012.
There will be a parent meeting Monda, January 30, 2012 for all 6th, 7th and 8th grade parents. The meeting will be held in O’Ryan Hall at 8:15 A.M. This is an important meeting in which student achievement will be discussed. Report cards will be distributed after the meeting you can also stroll by the science fair on the 2nd floor.
Update on Catalina Trip: We are now accepting payment for our very special 3 day excursion to Catalina, from March 13 – 15 . Checks are to be made out to Good Shepherd Catholic School. The entire trip will be $270, this will include food & board. Mrs. Widmann and I will be sending out a formal letter this Friday at the Parent Meeting. We can also answer any questions after. Please make sure your child hands me their check & 8th graders to Mrs. Widmann. We will check them off before turning them into our book keeper.
Thank you! See you all Friday!
Science Fair Judging Sheet-
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Science Fair Judging Sheet Excellent = 4; Good = 3; Partial = 2; Attempt made = 1; Absent = 0 |
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| Creativity | ||||||
| Does the student demonstrate curiosity? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the project or display demonstrate ingenuity in the design and development of the project? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Has the student shown creativity in the design of the display? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Scientific Thought | ||||||
| Is the topic or problem an appropriate subject for scientific investigation? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is the problem stated clearly? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is it sufficiently narrow? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is the method of investigation appropriate to the problem? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Have variables been eliminated, controls been made and results been double-checked? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the data collected justify the conclusion made? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Thoroughness | ||||||
| Is the project the result of careful planning? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the project indicate a thorough understanding of the chosen topic? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is all information accurate? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the notebook sufficiently document the student’s work? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Has sufficient data been collected? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the display represent a complete story? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Skill | ||||||
| Does the project reflect the student’s own work? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is the project sturdy and well constructed? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Is all equipment used within the student’s level of understanding or expertise? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Does the project meet safety requirements? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Clarity | ||||||
| Is the project self-explanatory? Can the average person understand it? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Are all lettering, signs, and diagrams neat and accurate? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Are lettering, signs and diagrams appropriately used or do they clutter or confuse? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| Are visual aids an asset to understanding the project or do they clutter or confuse? |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Totals: |
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| Notes: (back side) | ||||||
Change of Date: Alter Server
All the students in Grade 4 – 7 received this flyer in their classrooms. There has been a change of date for the meeting. It will now be on February 5th at 1:45 at Good Shepherd Church. We encourage all Catholic students to think about serving their Parish as an Altar Server. Service is an important goal of Good Shepherd School.
Good Luck to All My Students As You Prepare for the Science Fair
Shoot for the moon. Be sure to do your best work. Be proud of what you put together. I can’t wait for you to share it with me and the rest of the students at Good Shepherd.
Oral Presentation- Science Fair
All oral presentations will be done in the classroom. I have listed in sequence what I would like for you to practice on. This will be 25% or your science experiment grade. Please review all aspects of this outline. I will go over this with you in class.
Use an outline or note cards to aid in your presentation. You do not need to memorize your presentation. Practice explaining your project. The presentation should be approximately 4-5 minutes.
In presenting, the following sequence and approach is suggested:
1) Introduction: Give the project title, your name(s), grade. State how you got interested in this project and your reason for choosing it. Give some background explanation for your project (to familiarize the other students), scope of your study, etc.
2) Purpose and hypothesis: State exactly what the investigation is attempting to discover.
3) Acknowledgements: Give credit to those whom you have contacted and to those who have helped you. Also indicate any work done in the past pertaining to your project.
4) Procedure: Be complete and do not leave out necessary details. Proceed in a very logical manner, telling what you did step-by-step, starting with the very beginning. Use visual aids: charts, pictures, graphs, and diagrams. Point to your display, but stand aside when you do this. Use a pointer for pointing if you wish. Explain how your apparatus was used. I am more interested in your experiments, results, and conclusions than in your apparatus.
5) Results: Explain your controls and variables. Remember to use proper metric units with your data. Point to charts, graphs, etc. on the display board.
6) Discussion or Conclusion: State in a concise and logical order the conclusions you can validly draw from the experimentation you have done and the data and observations obtained. Admit any deficiencies or limitations in this regard. What were some errors? What would you have done differently? Judges will respect this.
7) Future Plans: What links to the real-world can you make with your project and/or results?
8) Questions: When you are finished, I or another teacher might ask you a question, think and answer slowly. If you don’t know the answer, admit that you don’t and indicate that you will check into the matter.
Helpful Hints: It is best not to skip any of the above sections. Speak slowly. Be forward but polite, dynamic, and above all enthusiastic about way you are presenting.
Practice your presentation! You might stand in front of a mirror to practice eye contact and gestures. Practice in front of parents, friends, and other willing victims. You may also video tape your presentation so you can see and hear yourself.
Some other tips that will make your presentation more professional include:
- Dress neatly and stand up straight.
- Stand to the side of your display.
- Speak loudly enough to be heard by all.
- Make eye contact.
- Point and make gestures while speaking, don’t just “stand there.”
- If you have a partner, be sure you share equally in the presentation.
Relax and enjoy presenting your research. Good Luck!
