-Mr. Ferrin- Physical Science
Welcome to 8th grade Physical Science! I am very excited to be teaching at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara. I have been in education for over 15 years, both as a middle and high school Science teacher, as well as an administrator (mostly working with alumni, special events, and fundraising).
I feel incredibly lucky to be a teacher. I love my job and I love coming to work every day. My students inspire me! They are kind, brilliant, curious, and capable of being compassionate leaders that will change our world.
In addition to teaching, I like to explore the city, read, and surf. I love studying languages and am currently focusing on my Japanese studies.
Office Hours: Tuesday from 2:30-3:00pm / Wednesday at recess / by appointment
Email: kenta.ferrin@asfg.edu.mx
Course Description:
I wonder what would happen if...I think that we could improve this by…
It’s questions like this that make me excited to be YOUR Science teacher. This year, we will be guided by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), it’s basically a ‘road map’ to ensure that we learn important science content in addition to lifelong skills that will help you become great communicators, collaborators, observers, and creators...
In 8th grade Physical Science we take a multifaceted approach to learning.
The content we will focus on include (information):
Forces & Motion, Energy & Matter, Waves & Electricity,
The Universe, Earth, & the Solar System, and Engineering (designing possible solutions to to engineering problems)
The skills and engineering practices we will be improving are (skills):
Planning and carrying out investigations, creating and advocating for arguments based on evidence, and gathering, synthesizing, and communicating information
The crosscutting concepts that will connect our learnings to your future and previous Science classes include (how is it related to other classes):
Cause & effect - when something occurs due to something else
Structure & function - the way something is designed determines how it works
Stability & change - Do things stay the same? Or do they evolve?
We'll be working on some engineering challenges during the year. This is a project using nothing more than marshmallows and toothpicks!
Course goals:
We will be learning and engaging with a lot of content this year, however, the goals I have for this class are more holistic. By the end of the year, you all will be able to:
Communicate effectively in both written and oral forms, using Scientific vocabulary
Gather, interpret, and analyze data to make conclusions
Act responsibly, both socially and ethically. Think about how science and engineering can better the world around you
Make observations about the world around you, and figure out next steps to answer the questions you might have
Engage in the scientific process and proper lab safety protocol
Collaborate with classmates to create an ‘end product’ that you are all proud of
