7^th Grade –

In science we are working on completing our unit on Genetics. It has been a lot of fun to watch students process the information and come up with real life questions. With genetics it is easy for students to find many real life examples. Also, all the students did a wonderful job of researching and teaching the class about a human genetic disorder.

Starting on Monday we will be starting our unit on animal classification and ecosystems. The seventh grades students will be studying this through the end of the quarter. Students will be having a test on this unit on Thursday, December 18 (the last day before winter break). If you know that your child will not be attending school on this day, please make sure they arrange to take their test before they leave.

8^th Grade –

In science have been busy studying weather and climate. The students have become familiar with the basic terms of weather and how to read a weather map. In this unit we have also been studying climate and climate change. The students will show their knowledge of climate change next Tuesday during our in class debate on global warming. It has been really great watching the students work together in groups and put together all the necessary information for the debates. I am really excited to see the final production.

Beginning next week the 8^th grade students will move on from Weather and Climate and begin to study forces and motion. In this unit we will be spending a lot of time looking at Newton’s three laws of motion. During this unit students will be asked to complete a larger assignment, the Egg-Drop Challenge. Students will be expected to complete most of this project at home and you should anticipate the students wanting to do several trial runs before the project is due!