Welcome to 8th Grade Science!
Welcome to your child's final year of middle school! All student work will be posted to Google Classroom, along with my "W.A.G." (Week-at-a-Glance), which is where students can go to make up work when absent. Daily lesson slideshows will be there along with any handouts that can be printed at home.
Our curriculum is based on the Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org). The shift in science education is to teach students critical thinking skills which will serve them well in any science class, as well as their everyday lives as they move toward adulthood. Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson is quoted as saying, "Science is not a body of knowledge. It's a way of thinking and querying the world around you." He could not have said it better! We will not be focusing on memorizing minutia, but instead will learn to problem-solve and simulate real-life situations.
Our curriculum is based on the Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org). The shift in science education is to teach students critical thinking skills which will serve them well in any science class, as well as their everyday lives as they move toward adulthood. Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson is quoted as saying, "Science is not a body of knowledge. It's a way of thinking and querying the world around you." He could not have said it better! We will not be focusing on memorizing minutia, but instead will learn to problem-solve and simulate real-life situations.
Supplies
- Travis Ranch "Binder Reminder" student planner
- Spiral notebooks (2 total, one for each semester) with the following criteria
- The paper inside should be 11 inches x 8 ½ inches in size (you should be able to set a piece of printer paper on a page in the notebook, and it should not be hanging off the edges.)
- minimum of 100 pages
- plastic cover (cardboard covers will fall off)
- pockets inside for storage
- Pens (black, blue, red, green) - the "clicky" kind with all four colors is the best!
- Pencils with erasers
- Glue sticks or white glue
- Highlighter (any color)
- Colored pencils and a small pencil sharpener
- Small post-it notes to “flag” certain pages in the notebook
Parents: If you are unable to provide these items. Please let me know so I can make arrangements to supply your student.