Hour of Code

Give coding a try!: Kahn Academy makes it easy. Check out this video for more info and get started!

Reflecting on Experiences

Take some time today to reflect on your learning in science class.  Think about the learning you feel was most important or meaningful to you in our last unit.  You can think about the project, test preparation, or anything else that has been meaningful to your learning.

It does not need to be directly related to learning science.  Did you feel your learning developed in how you learn, think or act?

You will write a 1-2 paragraph reflection in a new post your portal (blog).  Some ideas that might help you:

Reflections show growth: The simple phrase "I used to think...now I think..." can be an easy way to communicate your new understanding.

Reflections admit short comings:  It is hard for anyone to admit challenges or mistakes.  Yet, as you write about these things an amazing thing happens: your brain searches for ways to improve in the future.  This is learning.

Reflections point others to the things that worked: Summarizing what worked well can also be a powerful way to not only show yourself learning, but help others to learn too.  Consider sharing your reflections on your portal.

For some other simple ways to write reflections check out this document.  Pages 3 & 4 have some helpful ways to communicate your reflections.

Science Test Info & Study Help

Next week we will have our first major science test this year:

6.1, 6.2, 6.3 - Tuesday, November 5
6.4 - Wednesday, November 6

All the help you need is in the unit goals and resources. To focus your studying, please find this Study Group Doc that connects you with the most imporant resources to help you study.   The 4 areas found in this document to study for the test include:

1. Writing a hypothesis
2. Metric measurement coversion (length)
3. Unit goals on Soil and Erosion
4. Science Vocabulary

Please feel free to send questions or write your thinking down and email me for feedback about any area in which you are feeling unclear.

Science Project Survey

We just finished with our first project.  Please take a moment to reflect on the project.  Your response will give us useful feedback that will help us to design more useful projects this year.

Thanks so much for your help with this!

Note: You must be logged in to your AISB Google account to submit

Student Unit Goals

You are expected to understand each unit goal by the end of this unit.

Students have worked hard to create material that can be useful to your understanding of each unit goal.  Please take time to visit this document when you finished your project and add anything that was helpful to your understanding of the unit goal or driving questions.

The doc will be used by everyone in the grade.

It will also be added to your main unit blog post (see pic below - it is the one you see by clicking the unit tab).

Now you can access student unit goals from the main unit blog post

Rubric: Soil, Erosion, Landforms Presentation

Please find your rubric for this project.

Notice that you will get feedback on your critical thinking, feedback, and final presentation in class.

Your focus for the project should be on critical thinking, your thinking while you present, as well as your openness to use others thinking to help you think more deeply and clearly.

While your class appreciates well decorated and polished projects, the focus should be on how you are thinking.  Thinking is the focus of this assessment.

click link to read the whole rubric

Feedback: Are you looking for it or waiting for it?

Feedback is an important part of the Design Thinking process.  Successful companies that make products from The iPhone to Coca-Cola are constantly looking for feedback about how they can become better.

In each stage of design, how do we know if we are on track and creating something people can use?  Feedback can provide this help.

How are you getting feedback for your project?  Are you waiting for the feedback to come to you, or are you going out and actively finding feedback?

What is your mindset when it comes to feedback and learning?

Consider looking at the following documents to give yourself feedback on your project and how you are working in a group.  They can be used as a guide in the midst of the collaborative design process.  Parts of these rubrics will be used in your final assessment of this project.

Feedback rubric - working together

Feedback rubric - presentation of your project

Due Dates: Soil & Erosion Project

To help you keep track of important project dates, please find your unit goal in the class calendars below:

6.1 Science Project Due Dates

6.2 Science Project Due Dates

6.3 Science Project Due Dates

6.4 Science Project Due Dates

Add it to your personal Google Calendar; look for "copy to my calendar," (highlighted below) when you click on the individual assignments.

Design Thinking - Intro & Empathize

What is design thinking?  How can this type of thinking help us do science together?

What does it mean to empathize?  How can this be important in creating new things?

Class Friday, September 27

Use our class time today to get involved in the following activities:

1. Consider design thinking - Take some time to look over this diagram, how could it be helpful to us in the class this year?

   

   Design Thinking Can Help Us Make Things People Want

2. Get feedback from classmates and post to Twitter on the notebook
3. Mr. Farren's Portal Feedback Form
4. Mr. Scanga's Survey on Class so Far
5. Look at new unit goals (below), consider ideas for designing an experiment/graphic/movie for next unit
6. Give feedback or ideas on Google Moderator to classmates ideas for experiment/project for next unit

Scientists In Action Group Activity

As we are learning the world of science is HUGE!  The goal in this activity is to explore the common characteristics of how scientists think.

You have already come up with some great ideas in our group brainstorm.

Your task is to use what you know and read about actual scientists to identify examples of how they are exploring and experimenting in our world.  Use this project guide with an assessment rubric and an example.

Hopefully after this activity you will have a better idea of how a scientist thinks and acts.  This will be very helpful as we continue to do science this year and beyond.

Finish Portal - Paste Link

Find your class with tabs at the bottom and paste your link into this spreadsheet. You are expected to have the 6th Grade Academic Calendar tab, links to Veracross and to all of your teacher's pages. Other links are optional, but could make your portal more useful.

Portal Google Image Search

Creating an AISB Portal

Last week we had a great start to our work on our Portal.

We used Blogger to make a space to help us organize all our links.

Feel free to take some time at home to add links to your portal.  The more links you add, the more useful your blog will be to you this year.

Check out the Portal Creation Help Sheet and see Mr. Scanga or Mr. Farren if you need any help at all.

Portal help sheet gives checklist and examples to help you create your blog

Unit Goals - A Key to Understanding

Begin each unit with the end in mind...

To make sure you are understanding what you need to know, each unit will end with a test.

There is no need to worry because you will be given plenty of experiences and practice learning what you need to know. 

To help you make sense of what you actually need to know you have a guide called the "Unit Goals."

Included after each goal you will find a page with hints to help you understand what is expected you know. Also included are links to places you can go online to better understand each "goal."

See this example of a unit goal, hint, and online resources:

View in a larger size

Finding Things Online at AISB

If you find you need help finding the sites you need to for this course, this chart might help.

Top 6 Videos of 6th Grade Science

We had a great year experiencing what science is.  To look back on this outstanding year, check out the videos with which we enjoyed (or at least couldn't get out of our heads for a while).

Unit Goals - Dates for Feedback

If you want feedback on your unit goals 1-9, you must complete and turn in on during class on the days listed below.

If you do not make these due dates, please see me outside of class time for feedback on any unit goals.

Weds 29 - Unit Goals 1 & 2
Thurs 30 - Unit Goals 3, 4 & 5
Tues 4 - Unit Goals 6 & 7
Weds 5 - Unit Goals 8 & 9
TEST THURSDAY

Article Review (2nd Part) Tips

For the second part of your writing, keep in mind that the way a person personally reviews something is very closely related to a personal reflection.  Lucky for us, we've done this before!

To help you remember some key words or prompts we used last time we did reflections check out this document (one used in class this past week).

Article Review Summary Tips

Assignment Rubric and Example

If you are working on your summary and need a little help, read on:

1. You've done this before: Don't forget you all picked an article to summarize way back in March.  You can find your Google doc with your work to see an example.  Email me if you can't find yours.
2. Main idea and Supporting details:  Finding these in your article could be very useful.  This organizer might remind you to do this.
3. Share/read other's work: Other people are working on this same project and could provide useful examples for you for you.  Please don't forget to share a link for all to view (see pic below for a reminder of how to do this)
4. Be on time: If your summary is late on Wednesday this makes much more work for you later in the week and maybe even next weekend. 

Created using Skitch by Evernote.

Test - Friday, May 3

There will be a test coming up soon in science on Friday, May 3:

Do you know your vocabulary? (Quizlet flashcards just added)
How is your understanding of Unit Goals?  Be sure to get these goals in on time to get feedback.

Find the due date schedule for unit goals below:

Weds, April 24 - Unit Goals 1 & 2
Thurs, April 25 - Unit Goals 3 & 4
Tues, April 30 - Unit Goals 5 & 6
Thurs, May 2 - Unit Goals 7 & 8

Lesson 5 - How can we tell that a change is chemical and not physical?

Lesson goal:  

You should be able to list the clues that scientists use to know if a chemical change takes place or if the change is just a physical change.

Materials needed: 

Signs of Physical and Chemical Change notes sheet, pencil

Lesson Steps:

1. Listen to this Jing - Evidence/Clues to Chemical Reaction & Homework Night 3
2. Explore headings on pages 81-84 in textbook, hard copies of this book are available in class.
3. Watch videos in this slideshow, use the box on each slide and pick the clues that match the reaction.  Answers to each reaction is found later in the slideshow.
4. Using book, fill out Signs of Physical and Chemical Change notes organizer
5. Share ideas with class

Measuring your learning:  

You will know you are understanding if you can think of at least two ways that show that a chemical change took place.  You will also show you understand this by investigating this for your chemical reaction.  Evidence of a chemical reaction will go on your final project.  

No homework, unless you still haven’t found your chemical formula for your project

Lesson 4 - What are the reactants & products in our chemical reactions?

Lesson goal: 

As a group you should be able to find the chemical formula for the reactants and products for each person your group.  Please understand that some reactions are much harder to find/understand than others, do your best, and email Mr. Scanga with questions.

Materials needed: 

Chemical Reaction Slide Spreadsheet, 1 laptop per group (5 groups)

Lesson steps:

1. Didn’t watch last class?  Watch this BrainPop Chemical Equations un: aisbudapest pw: brainpop
2. Get into groups (Find groups color coded on spreadsheet)  6.1   6.2   6.3   6.4   
3. Look at each person in group’s work from last night
4. Together, search for formulas that include both the reactants and products for each group member (Ex: 2Na+Cl2 ⇢ 2 NaCl)
5. One person email Mr. Scanga questions from group make sure to cc: your group members in this email, see example of what I mean

Measuring your learning:  

Your learning here may not be your own reaction, but you should be able to see that all reactions have things in common.  You can measure your learning by being able to explain some of the things that all reactions have in common.

No homework, unless your group was not able to figure out your chemical formula in class

Lesson 3 - What are examples of chemical & physical change?

Lesson goal: 

Share ideas about chemical and physical changes with each other to:

a.) deepen understanding of a chemical/physical change

b.) create a list of chemical changes to use on your Chemical Reaction Project
Materials needed: 

Chemical/physical change notes organizer, pencil

Lesson steps:

1. Look at examples from the night before and discuss using comments:       
   6.1   6.2   6.3   6.4   
   
2. Finish filling in Chemical/Physical notes organizer
3. Check organizer as a class
4. Watch this Jing - Homework Night 2
5. Extra time? Watch this BrainPop Chemical Equations un: aisbudapest pw: brainpop

Measuring your learning: 

You should be able to explain the difference between a chemical and physical change in your own words with examples.

Homework: 2 parts

Part 1: Pick a chemical reaction to research.  Each student in class must pick a different chemical reaction.  

Part 2: Look on internet for the products and reactants.  If you can’t find them after 10-15 minutes, wait for class tomorrow.

You must choose a CHEMICAL reaction not a physical change.

Chemical Reaction Project

Chemical Reaction Project
Project Guidelines
Slideshows (only able to edit own class project)
 |  6.1  |  6.2  |  6.3  |  6.4  |

Lesson 2 - How are chemical and physical changes different? (1 period, 10-15 minutes of homework)

Lesson goal: 

You should be able to tell the main differences between a chemical change and a physical change, then to show you understand give examples of both chemical and physical changes.

Materials needed: 

Chemical/physical change notes organizer, textbook, pencil

Lesson steps:

1. Watch Jing - Review from yesterday
2. Today’s Goal & Homework Night 1
3. Watch this BrainPop un: aisbudapest pw: brainpop
4. Explore headings on pages 78-84 in text
5. This website also explains this well
6. Begin to fill out this organizer (not homework - leave unfinished for tomorrow’s class)
7. View The Google Doc “Chemical Reaction Slide Spreadsheet” for your class: 6.1   6.2   6.3   6.4   

Measuring your learning: 

At this point you should begin to be able to tell the difference between a chemical and physical change.  You will show this by finding an example of each for homework.
Homework: Find one example of a chemical change and one example of a physical change.  Place examples next to your name on the spreadsheet. Do your best to find a different from the others in your class.

Chemical Reaction Project Info

Chemical Reaction Project Guidelines

Project is due Tuesday, April 23. 

If parts of the project are confusing, don't worry, we will go over each required part during class.  You will also get at least 2x40 minute classes to work.

Remember, you must do a different chemical reaction than another person in your 20 person class.

Lesson 1 - What is a chemical reaction? (2 class periods, no homework)

Lesson goal: 

You should be able to explain in your own words what happens to atoms and molecules in a chemical reaction.

Materials needed: 

matches (teacher), candle, jar, What is a Chemical Reaction? Packet, scissors, markers, glue stick, pencil, red crayon/pencil/marker

Lesson steps: 

1. Watch this Jing - Introduction
2. Teacher will light a candle; observe
3. Teacher will put a jar on candle; observe & explain what happens - Fill out packet 1-3
4. Watch this Jing - Candle Reaction Packet - 4
5. Watch this Jing - Activity Intro & Instructions
6. Color, cut, and show products (right side)
7. Move molecules to reactants (left side) 
8. Recreate products on right side again 
9. Summary Question Explained 
10. Make sure to answer all questions in packet
11. Extra time in class?   Share and revise your summary & watch Jing - Review

Measuring your own learning: 

At this point you should begin to be able to explain that for a chemical reaction to take place, the bonds between atoms in the reactants are broken, the atoms rearrange, and new bonds between the atoms are formed to make the products.  

Did you see a conservation of matter in this chemical reaction?  If so, you should be able to explain that just like state change, in a chemical reaction, no atoms are created or destroyed -- things just change place.

Homework: None, unless packet is not finished by the end of the second 40 minute class

Chemistry Writing Project

Use this document to help you complete your project: Chemistry Writing Project

In the document you will find:

• Tips and ideas for organizing and presenting your information
• Videos and songs that help you learn more about informative writing
• Step-by-step resources to help you complete the project including copies of writing organizers and and grading rubric guides