Ryan Murphy Grades 5-8 General Science
Welcome! Below you will find useful information that can assist you throughout the entire year. The posted slideshows, homework bundles, worksheets, readings, and notes can be found below under the units of study for 5th,6th/7th, and 8th grade. You'll need to sign into your ae/ms account to access the unit information.
Contact
Email - rmurphy@aemseagles.org Please see the attachment below that describes the units of study / four year curriculum (5-8).
Below you will find the current units for this year. they will updated when we get to the next unit. You will find the topics covered in each unit. If interested in standards in this unit can be found by visiting Topics, Standards.docx . You'll also find shareable links to view the class slideshow, work bundle, and unit notes below.
PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW! You will find the unit notes that are extremely helpful. Feel free to print these notes and bring them to class. They can help you on review games, the homework bundle, and classroom lessons. You will also find the homework bundle that chronologically follows the PowerPoint slideshow. Feel free to print this one if you lost the one I gave you or if you want a color copy. You'll also find the attached PowerPoint slideshows with academic links to learn more about topics covered. Use the slideshow to assist you with the homework bundle. Please do not go ahead of daily lessons. It will make the upcoming lesson boring if you've already seen it. It also might give away some of the surprises. The resources below are critical if you were absent and a fantastic resource for everyone.
6th and 7th Grade Science Geology Topics Unit
-Areas of Focus within The Geology Topics Unit: Plate Tectonics, Evidence for Plate Tectonics, Pangea, Energy Waves, Layers of the Earth, Heat Transfer, Types of Crust, Plate Boundaries, Hot Spots, Volcanoes, Positives and Negatives of Volcanoes, Types of Volcanoes, Parts of a Volcano, Magma, Types of Lava, Viscosity, Earthquakes, Faults, Folds, Seismograph, Richter Scale, Seismograph, Tsunami’s, Rocks, Minerals, Crystals, Uses of Minerals, Types of Crystals, Physical Properties of Minerals, Rock Cycle, Common Igneous Rocks, Common Sedimentary Rocks, Common Metamorphic Rocks., Age of the Earth, Uniformitarianism, Principle of Superposition, Earth History, Time Units, Timeline of Events, Basic Evolution, Mass Extinction Events, Dinosaurs, Early Mammals, and more.
Work Bundle (OFE) and Notes Geology Unit
8th Grade The Cell Biology Unit
-Areas of Focus within the Cellular Biology Unit -What is SPONCH?, SPONCH / Biologically Important Molecules, % of SPONCH in Living Things, What does it mean to be living?, Characteristics of Living Things, Needs of Living Things, Cellular Biology, History of Cellular Biology, Modern Cell Theory, Types of Cells, Prokaryotic Cells, Eukaryotic Cells, Cellular Organelles, Cell Wall, Plasma Membrane, Passive Transport, Diffusion, Osmosis, Active Transport, The Nucleus, Chromatin / Chromosomes, Transcription, Nucleolus, Nuclear Membrane, Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum, Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum, Ribosomes, Protein Synthesis / Translation, Golgi Apparatus, Lysosomes, Cytoskeleton / Microtubules / Microfilaments, Centrioles, Plastid, Mitochondria, Vacuoles, Organelles by real images.
Cell Biology Unit Slideshows 1-3
Work Bundle / OFE and Notes Cell Biology Unit
Neat Links with relevant learning experiences for all grades and every unit of study this year...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/ For Daily Science News
Top Ten neat science educational sites
Course Information for grades 6-8.
What does it mean to come to class prepared?
· You will need to arrive on time, every minute is important.
· Materials to have everyday are the following:
1. Science Journal "White lined" (I will be giving you one although you can buy a nice one if you like because we will be using them many years to come.
2. Assignment book (For recording homework and hall passes)
3. Pen or pencil
Extras that may help you – Small tool kit with colored pencils, ruler, scissors, calculator, protractor, straight edge, and compass.
Science Journal
A science journal is a written record that you will be keeping of what you are learning in class. We very rarely use a textbook in science. Instead, you will be writing in your journals everyday such as taking classroom notes, answering journal questions, drawing graphs, and making observations. Journals are an important resource for your year. A science journal should be valuable resource to complete your work bundle. They can also be used for the review games. They will be checked for periodically throughout the trimester for neatness, completion, and quality. You will be filling in the entire journal with writing and drawings by the end of the year.
Bundled Homework Package
Most of the homework and tests this year are grouped together in something called an end of the unit assessment or "OFE" (Opportunity For Excellence). They're similar to a test but differ in some ways. They range somewhere between 8-16 pages covering the various topics throughout the trimesters. Each year students will complete 4-10 of these bundled homework packages. They are passed out near the beginning of a unit and should be completed as part of nightly homework. They are due shortly after the end of the unit. The due dates should be copied into the student agenda book. Students should use their notes from their science journal as a reference to assist them. Students can also use the internet, books, family members, relatives, and past students for help. Students can also assist other students as long as it is not direct copying. Direct copying from another student’s assessment is considered cheating. My expectations for a well done assessment are very high because students are given several weeks to complete, access to class notes in their science journal, access to the internet, and the ability to discuss questions with peers and myself. Do not wait to the last minute, as a well done assessment takes a considerable amount of time and chronologically follows the notes from the science journal. Always complete your bundled homework / assessment up to the most recent notes in your science journal - I call this “Staying Current”. Students should be working on the bundled homework package for 15-20 minutes a night or an hour a week. Homework from now till the end of the year is to “stay current” on your bundled homework package. The slideshows posted below can help your student with this challenging work bundle.
Review Games
PowerPoint Review games look a lot like that familiar game show Jeo_ _ _ _ _ . I don't play them the same way. Students work in table groups and usually use their science journal to help them as they move through 20 challenging questions. 5 bonus questions, and then a final wager question conclude the game. Having a neat and organized science journal of classroom notes is crucial to student success in these challenging review games. The review games are found at the end of each part of the PowerPoint roadmap. Be prepared for the review games as we approach the end of each part. Students are allowed to retake the review game if they did poorly the first time. Just see me during flex for a new template 1-25 sheet. These will be worth 10 points.
Absence
Please see me after an absence to discuss what you have missed. You can obtain missed class notes by going through the class slideshow on the student computer located in the corner of my room. You can also use a friends science journal to record the missing the notes or see me for a copy. In all cases, taking a proactive approach to your missed days is recommended.
Additional Help
If you need help with an assignment then please come and see me. I'm here to help you in whatever way I can. I am usually available during most study halls. I am also available to assist you after school if needed. Please let me know in advance if you would like to stay after school so I don’t make any other appointments. My scheduled homework support day is every Wednesday from 2:45-3:30 PM from now to June.
Grading:
I use an electronic grading system that uses points. Some assignments will be given more points while smaller assignments are less points. The work bundle is the largest assignment and will be 100 points. It's very important to be successful on every assignment to obtain a strong grade. A printed copy of your student’s individual grades can be obtained by request and is provided periodically throughout a trimester. Students who score below an 74% at progress reports will receive a printed copy of the grade report. As a note, the science journal is incredibly important. Besides being a written record of the trimester, it will also get periodic checks worth 30 points every few weeks. It is helpful to complete the bundled homework package. A well done and organized science journal makes completion of the homework bundles that much easier. Most every question on the homework bundle can be found in a neat and organized science journal.
Sincerely,
Ryan Murphy, M.Ed