8th Grade Science

Assumption-St. Bridget School

Tia Birmingham

524-7452 ext. 95                                 Hours:  M-F 9:30 to 1:30

tbirmingham@asbschool.org Last email check of day: 7:30 p.m.

Welcome to 8th grade science!  These first two weeks have been really wonderful!  We have been having great discussions, hands-on activities almost every day and they are really digging into it.  It should be a great year!  One important thing to note is that I am pregnant and due at the end of January so I will be out on leave sometime at the end of January until the Monday following spring break (April 12).  Ms. Hand will be taking over my classes during that time and is very excited to be coming back into the classroom and teaching science again.

I want to point out that physical science is a very different branch of science and, for some students, they find it very frustrating.  This is due to a few factors – there is more math than any other year of science and the concepts are much more abstract.  Also, the concepts build on each other throughout the year so it is important that the kids don’t cram. If your child struggles in science, I am more than happy to give additional help but I am only available at lunch recess, as I am part time (see above for my hours).    Feel free to contact me for any reason!

My personal style of teaching is to get the kids excited about the subject in order to foster a desire to find the answers.  That being said, I want to also spend time getting the kids ready for high school science expectations and success.  Many activities, procedures and standards are held in my class that strive toward that end, including working on learning to take a final as we will at the end of each FOSS kit.

Science explores a certain way of thinking about the world around us and asks us to think about our role in that world.  We will have many opportunities to experience science, not just to study it from a distance.  The state EALR’s/GLE’s, the National Science Standards, and our own Student Learning Expectations are incorporated into each lesson so that students are achieving the appropriate level of knowledge for their grade level.   All of the SLE’s fit into our various topics but those that I will be focusing on most (especially are the start of the year) are that of communicating effectively, striving for excellence, and thinking critically.

A few notes on basic classroom expectations:

Homework

  • Students can expect to have homework 3 to 5 times a week.  I try to avoid weekend homework but occasionally, it will happen.  This is especially true of long-term projects.
  • When students come to class, assignments are to be turned in within the first few minutes or they are late and subject to the middle school late homework policy.  (Please see that handout – they have it in their notebooks.)  The most important reason for this is so that students stay focused on class content and are not trying to finish work during class.
  • Sometimes, homework will be assigned reading with notes in their notebook.  When this is the assignment, they MUST have it completed by class time.  If they are unprepared, they are going to struggle through the whole class.  If notes are not done, they still need to do them so that they have the subject matter read and reinforced.  If a student is not prepared often, I will contact you quickly to nip the problem before it damages grades too much.
  • Students should do their own work – help them, but please do not do it for them.  The same goes for study groups – if students get together to work on an assignment, make sure that they are not just swapping answers.
  • If students miss a lab due to an absence, they will need to schedule coming in to see me in the morning.  There is the rare lab that can be done at lunch recess without me – this will have to be determined on a case by case basis.

Grading

Categories break down in the following ways:

Tests & Quizzes – 40%          Labs – 35%             Homework/participation – 25%

Curriculum Topics for 8th Grade:  Physical Science

þ Review of scientific method & hypothesis writing

* Lab tools and metric system                      * Electric Circuits        * Force & Motion

* Structure & Properties of Matter               * Energy                         * Elements, Mixtures, & Compounds

* Chemical Reactions                                        * Chemical Equations (& Intro to Balancing Equations)

 

Class Expectations