Sixth Grade Earth Science
Welcome to Earth Science!
Sixth grade is a big year! As you move into the next phase of your school career, you're probably going to learn a lot about yourself and the people around you!
In Science, it's also a big year, because this is the year you'll learn a lot about the world around you - where it lives, how it came to be, how it works, and how we rely on and impact it. We'll start out by exploring the solar system and the Milky Way, and then we'll focus on how our planet has changed over time. We'll look at the systems that make Earth work, and the way water, in particular, connects the surface with the atmosphere.
Finally, we'll talk about our role as the dominant species on Earth. We'll look at how our activities impact the planet, and explore some strategies for taking care of it. It's going to be a great year, and I am honored to be here with you!
Meet Mrs. Hartley!
I grew up in the St. Louis area, graduated from Francis Howell North High School in 1991, and went to college at Missouri State University. I have ALWAYS loved nature and science, especially plants.
I taught high school Biology, Meteorology, Astronomy and Human Physiology for several years in Illinois, then stepped out of the classroom to be a full-time mom. I had always planned to return to teaching, but I wound up managing K-8 School Programs team at the Missouri Botanical Garden instead! My team created field trips, curriculum, and other resources for K-12 schools, and I loved the fact that I got to interact regularly with real scientists doing work all over the world! It was an amazing job, and I was very proud to be invited to Warsaw, Poland in 2018 to talk about our programs!
Much as I loved my job at the Garden, I did miss classroom teaching. Last year I went back to the classroom to help get a new charter school off the ground, but I heard about all of the great things happening at GSA, so I came to find out more! I'm very happy to be here and to be teaching you about the fundamentals of how our planet works. I hope we'll have a lot of fun together this year.
In my spare time, I'm a plant nerd; I am terrible at growing them, but I love studying them! This may be why I get along well with my husband, Chris, who is an entomologist (insect scientist). Together we love going to natural spaces to take pictures of interesting flowers and bugs.
I'm also a Mom to four teenagers now. I have two sons in college, a daughter in the 10th grade, and a son in 8th grade. We love board games, video games, animation, and travelling!
