We are halfway through the 3rd quarter here at St. Joseph’s and it is tough to believe! The 2011-2012 school year has flown by, and we will soon be starting preparations for the end of the year and 8th grade graduation. But, until then, Science class continues on its journey to discover and explore new concepts.
The 6th grade class has just started a unit on atoms and The Periodic Table. These two items can be difficult topics for students to grasp as they are somewhat intangible. Because of this, donations for the Science lab, such as supplies like different colored, rubber bouncy balls and various sizes of styrofoam balls would be greatly appreciated. These inexpensive tools can help make the concept of atoms much more concrete for my 6th graders.
In 7th grade, we are about to wrap up the topics of heredity and DNA. The students have really enjoyed predicting the possible outcomes of different traits by using Punnett Squares and Pedigrees. Throughout this unit we use dried beans and peas are used to demonstrate possible outcomes of traits. Dried peas and beans seem like an odd donation to a school, but they are greatly appreciated! Different colored clay or play dough is also used, allowing students to fashion their own DNA sequences.
Since the return of students from Christmas Break, the 8th grade has been discussing The Rock Cycle and the three different types of rock: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. Early in this unit we created crystals using only water, salt, Styrofoam cups, string, and pencils. Donations of salt would be greatly appreciated! These crystals depleted my supply. Styrofoam cups, string and pencils are also welcome tools in the Science lab. The students thoroughly enjoyed this activity and really took ownership of their crystals. I had students reminding me it was time for them to observe their crystals.
Thank you so much to all you who donate to St. Joseph’s Indian School and also to those of you who keep our organization in your prayers. You are very special to us. You bring inspiration and hope to many.
God Bless You,
Sarah
Needed supplies for the Science room:
- Rubber bouncy balls in different colors
- Styrofoam balls
- Dried peas and beans
- Clay or play dough in different colors
- Salt
- Styrofoam cups
- String
- Pencils
