Science Connections Updates from Room 126 @ JCS
Welcome to Mrs. Fink's Classroom at Johnsburg Central School.
Wow! It's amazing to think about how time has flown by since we began school in September. Now that 2016 is here, I have to thank all of my students and the fantastic JCS community for welcoming me to the district and making me feel so "at home," well, at home! I am truly loving being able to live and work in this district and cannot believe how many connections my son (Ryan - kindergarten) has already made with my students, too. They've gone out of their way to make sure we both have a great school experience.
Check out all of the excitement from 2015!
Science 5/6:
5th and 6th grade students blast off...
How do you learn about the process of science? An engineering project like building rockets helped students understand the necessity of accounting for all the variables in an experiment. Each student constructed a paper rocket by adjusting only one factor from the "base model," then launched and measured the results.
In the end, the classes compared data, made some great conclusions about the "best" rockets, and had a whole ton of fun (selfies included) exploring how science works.
Math 7:
7th graders find their competitive streak...
It might not be traditional for a science teacher to teach a math class, but I've told my students that you can't do science without math, and vice versa. A great example of this came out when we were studying ratios and used the density formula D = M / V. Later, we found that the equation of a line (y = mx) could be used for solving percent deviation.
The 7th graders are quickly learning that memorization of facts only gets them so far in solving the conceptual problems that we discuss. Real-life scenarios require a lot more problem solving than just "knowing the facts."
However, without a fluent knowledge of some math facts, students would be lost. Knowing that seventh graders have a true competitive spirit, we've been using an online study tool, Quizlet, for that needed practice.
Science 8:
Upcoming...
Earth Science 9:
Plate tectonics... in edible form.
What does it take to demonstrate the complex motions of Earth's tectonic plates? Just follow this delicious recipe:
- Upper layer of thin yet dense oceanic crust? "Basalt" graham crackers.
- Upper layer of thicker yet less dense continental crust? "Granite" crispy treats.
- Lower layer of flexible, plastic asthenosphere? Gooey Nutella.
Push, pull, crash... Tectonics in action.
Forensic Science:
Caution... Crime Scene Ahead!
JCS students are pretty excited about taking Forensics... maybe a little TOO excited! While we typically look at case studies and simulations, a certain student who happened to have a birthday recently REALLY wanted to create a crime scene of her own. As we happened to be studying blood spatter patterns and how an analysis of their geometry can help investigators recreate what occurred at a scene, we decided that creating our own spatter patterns would be a perfect outlet to grant this birthday wish. RIP, Sponge Bob. (And in case you were wondering, yes, there really is a product we used called "I Can't Believe It's Not Blood!")
What's the best way to stay connected to your student's classroom?
STUDENTS: Don't forget to check your Google Classroom page.
PARENTS: Google Classroom does not have a built-in parent access feature (*yet!). Ask your student to log in and take you on a tour of our classroom page. Announcements and assignments are posted on a daily basis, so this time can prove invaluable as a way to help your student communicate about course expectations.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
- email (preferred): sfink@johnsburgcsd.org
- school phone: 518.251.2921 extension 2-126 (leave a voicemail)