Mrs. Boyles' Announcements
February 2nd Announcements:
6th Grade:
DON'T FORGET------------
WE GO TO THE LIBRARY ON MONDAY (FEB. 6TH)
BRING A BAG LUNCH INCLUDING A DRINK AND WEAR YOUR UNIFORM!!!!
*At the library the students will be given a presentation by the research librarian Mark Darby about exactly HOW to use a library to do research. They will also be looking for books and other materials to begin their science fair research.
*****SCIENCE FAIR DUE DATES ARE NEVER EXCUSED AND MAY NEVER HAVE A HOMEWORK PASS****
1) What have we already done?
*chosen our science fair question (the Question that will be our Topic for the research and experimentation for Science Fair for 6th and 7th grade)
*Talked about exactly HOW their paper should be written since it must be TWO typed pages (times new roman, 12 font, double spaced, with 1 inch margins) We SHOULD begin with the 1st Research Topic which should be the most broad information and should introduce the reader to our paper (so if our Question is "Which baseball is the most Accurate when pitched?" our most broad topic would be baseball). The 2nd Research Topic should be the information that is less broad (in the question above we would select Pitching a Baseball as well as another topic of Pitching with accuracy). The 3rd Research Topic should be the one that is the most narrow and most often the information will probably come from either the internet, a personal source, or a brochure from an agency (in the question we would write on the two different baseballs that we are testing - we would gather information about each one and determine what the differences are in the two.
2) What will we be doing?
*get books, newspapers, reference books such as encyclopedias and dictionaries to use in researching our Question. We will try to locate things in the young adult or children's sections because it will be easier to read and understand (sometimes the adult information is just TOO difficult)
*we must have 5 or more sources (books, brochures, newspapers, internet sources, magazines (research type)
*if we don't have enough information from this trip to the library we have to continue to look
*I will notify the students when each component is due BUT they need to begin to read their information and take notes over this on index cards (they will need AT LEAST 25 FILLED index cards to type a 2 page paper)
IMPORTANT NOTE: After we go to the library as a class this project will be done by the students at home and they will be given due dates in which their folders and other information will be due in school. Remember that this is a project for students (parents should be helping ONLY by taking to the library but never doing the research or writing) and your students can do this on their own as they will need this skill during middle school, high school, and college. Even at the Islands Branch Library the Research Librarians will be SO glad to help your students to search for materials since that is what they are there for.
*****SCIENCE FAIR DUE DATES ARE NEVER EXCUSED AND MAY NEVER HAVE A HOMEWORK PASS****
Keep your eyes on this page to see what we are doing and when it is due.
Our first due date over: Writing Bibliography Cards for 5 sources will probably be about Feb. 21
This will be very closely followed by: Turn in 25 index cards with information for all 3 of your topics
Your students will know exactly what we have done but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
6th Grade Science Information/Science Fair for 6th Grade
After the Christmas break your 6th grade student MUST have:
*A Library Card which is ACTIVE (this means that whether it is used or not it expires after 2 years) so PLEASE go by the library – any of our public libraries will do – and make sure that the card is active!!!
We will also be beginning our Science Fair process. In 6th grade we will:
*Discuss Science Fair
*What a Science Fair Project vs. an experiment
*What our interests are and how to turn it into a project
*Pick our topic (always in the form of a question)
*Go to the Bull Street Library to begin our research
*Start our research (2 typed pages with 5 sources, MLA bibliography)
*Complete research & bibliography by the end of the year
We do all of the parts of this project in small steps with sections due at different times for a grade. If your student fails to turn in a section they must still complete it since it is part of a requirement for science.
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7th Grade Students and Parents:
The year is halfway over and let's fast forward one year from now. NEXT year at this time if your student wants to go to BC he will have already taken his placement test. If they want to attend Savannah Arts they will be working on their application and audition. If they want to go to St. Vincent's they will be taking their placement test the second weekend of January.
But in all of this and for the high schools the grades that are used along with the testing are the entire 7th grade and the first quarter of 8th grade. SO it is still important to keep on with the studying and homework. Time flies faster than we would like it to doesn't it?
If your child did not achieve the grade they wanted please remind them of good study habits to include:
*Begin to study when we begin the chapter and re-read each section, look through the notes, and study the vocab words when we finish each section
*Don't wait until the night before the test to look over the material
*Even if the workbook pages or chapter reviews are not assigned for a grade do them as a study practice anyway
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6th Grade Parents -
I no longer initial planners since the 1st quarter is over. If your student is having difficulty writing their assignments down please make sure to ask about what they have for homework.
I will also be assigning more questions and work to be done and completed in class so that I can make a better assessment of what these students need to work on.
When Science work comes home in the Tuesday folder please sign and return this work to school so they can place it in their binder. It is required for their binder check at the end of each quarter. The binder check counts as a test grade (anyone should be able to make a 100 on this since they should be keeping everything in their binders).
6th Grade Parents -
I currently post homework on the board every day and after the first quarter I don't initial their planners.
Please check your students planners every day and help them develop good habits in doing their homework. In my class the homework is weighted the same as the tests so even if they are not good test takers every student can do homework.
Labs are very difficult for the 6th graders in the beginning of the year since they have never written up a lab sheet before. Labs continue to be the most difficult part of science as they move through high school and college. It is an exploratory process and no black and white answer. Make sure that they know that they WILL begin to understand how to read and do a lab and this will take time. It is a frustrating thing at first.
But these are great students and very eager to learn. Email me with your concerns.
7th Grade Parents -
I do not initial the planners of these students. We usually have homework most days. Please also encourage your students to actively participate in class discussions.
Life Science is something that builds on what they learn in the beginning so please encourage your student to study and memorize the material because if they don't get Chapter 2 then they will struggle with the other chapters which is never fun.
Life Science information repeats itself when the students get to high school Biology in 9th grade. Just think, it's only 2 years away!
If you have any questions or concerns please email me. Thanks so much.
