Welcome to the Sciences blog!
I'm Miss Carla, and my email address is carla@askeris.no
Unit 4
It's a cellular life.
Week of 15/05/2017
Week of 08/05/2017
Week of 01/05/2017
Week of 20/03/2017
Week of 13/03/2017
Unit 3
“Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I’ll move the world”
Week of 06/03/2017
Week of 27/02/2017
Week of 24/01/2017
Week of 16/01/2017
Week of 09/01/2017
Unit 2
It's just a matter of organization
NEWSFLASH!!!! Just as we are almost done learning about the periodic table, this article is published:
It's official: your periodic table is now obsolete.
Unit 1
The practice of science
Week of 10/10/2016
Week of 26/09/2016
Week of 19/09/2016
Week of 12/09/2016
Week of 5/09/2016
Grade 7 has shown a tremendous improvement in their working routines. I am very glad to see this change. Well done!
Week of 29/08/2016
Week of 22/08/2016
Week of 15/08/2016
I'm Miss Carla, and my email address is carla@askeris.no
Unit 4
It's a cellular life.
(Navicular cells, by Librepath, licensed under Creative commons Attibution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
Statement of inquiry
Cells’ form and function depend on their relationship with the environment.
Key concepts
Relationships
Related concepts
Form, Function, Environment
Global Context
Scientific and technological innovations
Inquiry questions
F: What do cells look like?
C: How do cells sustain life?
D: Should scientific innovations be used to modify the form and function of cells?
Important dates
April 6th: written test
April 20th: essay due. Topic? Debatable question (see above)
June 8th: written test
Week of 28/05/2017Important dates
April 6th: written test
April 20th: essay due. Topic? Debatable question (see above)
June 8th: written test
The focus of the week has been on cellular respiration and photosynthesis.
Week of 15/05/2017
Students from grade 7 continue to explore how the nucleus controls cell functions. Here they are, modeling protein synthesis:
Week of 08/05/2017
This week, it was all about DNA. Here are some useful links to videos:
We also extracted DNA using household materials. Here are some pictures.
And check this one too: Pairing strands
We also extracted DNA using household materials. Here are some pictures.
Week of 01/05/2017
After postponing an update on the blog for a few weeks, here are some news.
Grade 7 students have been busy exploring the components of cells. Last week, we moved on to investigate in more detail how the cell membrane works. We started and finished an experiment about the effect of osmosis on the change in mass of potatoes.
Here are some pictures:
Here are also two useful links to review the concepts we learned:
Week of 20/03/2017
As announced last week, Grade 7 students had the opportunity to visit Nesbru videregående skole on Tuesday, March 21st. Students were engaged in several activities designed to familiarize them with optical microscopes. They also were able to look at different permanent slides, exploring how cellular form varies with function and environment.
Here are some pictures of the visit:
Week of 13/03/2017
I am delighted to announce that AIS students will have access to the Science laboratories at Nesbru videregående skole. Grade 7 students will have their first session on Tuesday, March 21th. We will leave the school by bus at 9:00 and come back around 11:00.
Unit 3
“Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I’ll move the world”
Statement of Inquiry
When using simple machines, humans manipulate the relationship between force and distance to make work easier.
Key concepts
Relationships
Related concepts
Function
AOI/Global context
Scientific and technical innovation
Inquiry questions
F: How do simple machines do work easier?
C: What is the relationship between force and distance in simple machines?
D: Have machines replaced the human workforce?
Week of 06/03/2017
This week, Grade 7 students worked towards their summative assessment. Due to an off-site meeting, the final report is now due on Monday, March 13th.
Next Monday we will start a new unit!
Next Monday we will start a new unit!
Week of 27/02/2017
For the past weeks, students in grade 7 have been working on the designs for their compound machine. Here is the summative assessment description and here, a copy of the rubric.
The summative assessment due date is Thursday, March 9th.
Take a look at their hard work!
Week of 24/01/2017
The summative assessment has been announced. It involves designing a compound machine using 3 or 4 simple machines and it is inspired on the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. The summative assessment will be conducted mostly at school, although some writing will have to be done at home as well. You can read the document here.
We also started exploring how simple machines make work easier by performing 3 simple machines involving levers, inclined planes and wedges.
We kept working on balanced and unbalanced systems and started to look at work. The concept of work, which has a very specific definition in physics, is needed to understand why is it advantageous to use simple machines.
Week of 09/01/2017
The first 7:14 minutes of the following video introduce briefly what we will cover in the next 6 weeks:
Working together
We then started reviewing concepts learned last year that will be fundamental to understand how simple machines work. The rest of the week, we have been busy determining net forces in unbalanced and balanced systems.
Working together
We then started reviewing concepts learned last year that will be fundamental to understand how simple machines work. The rest of the week, we have been busy determining net forces in unbalanced and balanced systems.
Unit 2
It's just a matter of organization
Statement of Inquiry
The periodic table represents the patterns in the form, properties and relationships of the elements.
Key concepts
Relationships
Related concepts
Patterns, Form, Function
AOI/Global context
Orientation in space and time
Inquiry questions
F: What are atoms?
C: How is the periodic table organized?
D: Is hydrogen in the right place in the periodic table?
Summative assessment, due Thursday, December 8th.
Rubric
Thanks to Ramla for pointing out the Google Drive account does not work. Here is the link we used on the UN activity that might be helpful for the summative:
Periodic table history
Summative assessment, due Thursday, December 8th.
Rubric
Thanks to Ramla for pointing out the Google Drive account does not work. Here is the link we used on the UN activity that might be helpful for the summative:
Periodic table history
NEWSFLASH!!!! Just as we are almost done learning about the periodic table, this article is published:
It's official: your periodic table is now obsolete.
Week of 12/12/2016
Week of 27/11/2016
Week of 21/11/2016
Week of 14/11/2016
As the end of the term arrives, I wish you all happy and relaxing holidays!
Week of 27/11/2016
As the end of the unit approaches, we have been watching a long documentary from BBC called "Discovering the elements". The documentary covers the history of the men behind the early discoveries and the context in which they worked. It provides a great opportunity for tying up unit 1 and unit 2, because we can discuss how the scientific world can be influenced by culture and societal values. Ask you child how phosphorus was isolated and what phlogiston was!
Week of 21/11/2016
Two days reviewing what we learned so far. Lots about the periodic table!
Week of 14/11/2016
Reading lots about the history of the periodic table this week:
We also worked in identifying number of protons and neutrons in different elements.
We finally got to break down the organization of the periodic table on Thursday. Grade 7 students got a copy of a super cool version of the periodic table that can be found here.
Week of 07/11/2016
Week of 31/10/2016
This week, the focus is on the periodic table. We watched the following videos:
We also had a find and match activity where students needed to find the elements based on descriptions provided for them. Unfortunately, Miss Carla forgot to take pictures (again!).
We started the week analyzing how the concept of atoms has changed over time. For the first part of one activity, students were divided into expert groups in charge of investigating one particular atomic model. Then, we put the information together in a timeline. Here is the presentation that helped us to review all models.
The summative assessment and the corresponding rubric were introduced on Thursday. You can find links to both documents at the beginning of the page, below the inquiry questions for the unit.
The summative assessment and the corresponding rubric were introduced on Thursday. You can find links to both documents at the beginning of the page, below the inquiry questions for the unit.
Week of 24/10/2016
This week started with an activity to celebrate UN day. We investigated which countries have contributed more in the discovering of the elements and how that pattern has shifted over time.
Then, we continued studying subatomic particles. Check out this great animation from the University of Colorado:
Week of 17/10/2016
On Monday we had a very special visit from scientists working at Bayer, Drs. Christine Ellignsen and Alex Papple.
We asked many questions about their research (killing cancer cells!) and discussed more general issues such as being a scientist as a career, what motivates and inspires them, and how animal testing is done.
After the talks, we even got to do some experiments to generate carbon dioxide!
Here are some pictures:
The practice of science
Key Concepts
Connections, Communication
Related Concepts
Evidence, Interactions, Patterns
AOI/Global Context
Scientific and technical innovation
Statement of Inquiry
Scientific research helps us understand connections in the natural world through a repeatable, methodic approach that provides evidence for patterns and interactions.
Inquiry questions
Factual: How do scientific do sciences?
Conceptual: How can we recognize what is and what is not science?
Debatable: Science is the only path to finding the ultimate truth about the universe. How far do you agree?
IMPORTANT!
IMPORTANT!
- The summative assessment is due on Monday, October 10th.
- Here is (again) the guideline for citing prepared by the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair.
Week of 10/10/2016
This week we shared the summative assessment work with the class and reflected on Unit 1. We will start the new unit on the week of 17/10.
Week of 26/09/2016
In preparation for the summative assessment, here is a list of the key terms to be used with definitions (in English and Norwegian).
Week of 19/09/2016
We started working on the summative assessment this week. As the students progress in their projects, it is good idea to review the concept of intellectual property. Here is a document prepared by the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair to help them cite the work of other people.
Week of 12/09/2016
We are still working on the different aspects of the scientific method. We have completed a number of activities to help us understand key concepts when designing a research project.
The summative assessment due date has been changed to the week after the break. We will have some time during class to work in the assignments.
Week of 5/09/2016
This week, the focus is on the different steps of the scientific method. We are currently working on thought experiments to analyze all the parts involved in a well organized research project.
Grade 7 has shown a tremendous improvement in their working routines. I am very glad to see this change. Well done!
Week of 29/08/2016
The summative assessment was discussed on Tuesday. You can read about it here. At the end of the document are the possible topics for researching.
The rubric was distributed on Thursday. You can download it from here.
NOTE: If you had problems accessing the links earlier, I've changed the sharing settings now. Please, let me know if problems persist.
The rubric was distributed on Thursday. You can download it from here.
NOTE: If you had problems accessing the links earlier, I've changed the sharing settings now. Please, let me know if problems persist.
Week of 22/08/2016
This week is focused on understanding the scientific method. We watched the following video to help us with the technical vocabulary:
We started an experiment on Thursday that gave us the invaluable opportunity to discuss how experimental designs can be improved. It turns out chewing gum is not all the same for blowing bubbles!
Week of 15/08/2016
The first day of classes we focused on establishing routines and expectations. One important part of our routines is the initial reflection, in which a student presents to her/his classmates what we covered in the last class. The reflection is a good exercise for many reasons. For instance, it helps the students to be on top of what we are learning. It also allows bringing up possible confusions about the activities. Moreover, the students practice to stand in front of the class and speak to an audience.
The next two periods we worked on one activity to start thinking about how science work and how scientists deal with new ideas. We extended the activity by analyzing some quotes from famous scientists. We have also begun analyzing the scientific method, a fundamental step towards the summative assessment, which will be announced later.
An important note regarding this unit
This unit continues the work started in grade 6 regarding scientific research. I think revisiting the topic once more will allow all students at AIS to have a clear understanding of how science works - for instance, how hypotheses are formulated, what makes a good experimental design, and the importance of evidence when reaching conclusions.
An important note regarding this unit
This unit continues the work started in grade 6 regarding scientific research. I think revisiting the topic once more will allow all students at AIS to have a clear understanding of how science works - for instance, how hypotheses are formulated, what makes a good experimental design, and the importance of evidence when reaching conclusions.
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