Second trimester is beginning!  What a successful 1^st trimester the 7^th grade students had.  Along with our regular curriculum pieces, we are busy working on our Science Fair projects.  Students will receive a copy of their progress reports every other Friday during the months of November, December and January.  Please be aware that I am available every Monday – Thursday after school until 3:30 p.m. for extra homework help.  This is a great opportunity to get homework done and receive additional help from the teachers.

Students have chosen their Science Fair topics and are working on research and writing their hypothesis.  .  As part of the research process students are using note cards which will make writing their research paper a smoother process.  Each student in grades 6-8 has been given a copy of the book “Writing a Research Paper:  A Step-by-Step Approach”.  This reference tool will be used for their middle school years at St. Louis.  This book is a terrific resource for how to conduct research, take notes, and write a research paper.  It is critical that students use this reference tool when writing their paper for the Science Fair.  Copies of due dates and expectations are included on this web page.  I am excited about the experiments this year.  Although the fair isn’t held until January, students need to follow a systematic approach to conducting their

The 7^th grade students finished their Immune System unit and are now exploring the Circulatory System.  As we go through the human body systems this year students will develop a clear understanding of the interaction between all systems of the body.

The curriculum for science includes studies in the following areas:

Organisms
Cell Structure
Heredity / Genetics
Human Anatomy
Ecosystems and Ecology

Science Fair Expectations 

Experiment will follow all the steps of the Scientific Method

• Students will begin with a stated question/problem
• Students will be expected to research their question/problem
• Students will be expected to write a solid hypothesis
• Students will be expected to write out all materials needed and the purpose of the materials
• Students will carry out a procedure for testing their hypothesis (the experiment)
• Students will make observations and collect data
• Students will be expected to make a conclusion based on their experiment

Research expectations

• A minimum of 4 paragraphs will be written based on research
• Students must have an accurate bibliography (the book How to Write a Research Paper will be used…MLA formatting)
• Students need a minimum of 4 sources
  • 2 Sources may be from the internet
  • 2 sources are non-internet
  • Students will complete a minimum of 10 note-cards for each source.  Note cards will be turned in on specified dates and graded

Hypothesis/Experiment

• Students are expected to have a control and one variable

Tri-board

• Students will produce a tri-board for the Science Fair.  The tri-board will display:
  • Title of the project
  • A written copy of the hypothesis, procedures, materials, and conclusion
  • Observations and data (in the form of charts and graphs)
  • Optional – pictures of the project in various stages of completion

Due-Dates

• All 7^th grade students have been given the due dates for each step of this project
• All assignments for the Science Fair will be waited as a Quiz

Curriculum

• Experiment must be based on an objective from the 7^th grade curriculum

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