11/7

This week students focused on eukaryotic cells.  Seventh graders started creating their Cell Analogy Projects.  Students will be comparing each organelle to something with a similar function,  that they are more familiar with.  These familiar items will come from magazines.  As an extra challenge, some students have decided to base all their images around a certain theme.  I am very excited to view the final products on Tuesday before our next lab.

10/20

Students did a fantastic job on their Cell Theory projects.  They truly have become experts in how the cell was first discovered.  This week, students have been exploring the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.  Not only are students reading and discussing these differences, they are using the microscopes to visualize the differences, themselves.  Next, students took a deeper look into the eukaryotic cell (i.e. plant cell, animal cell, etc.) and the organelles that enable them to work efficiently.

10/14

This past week, students have become experts in the Cell Theory, along with the various scientists who took part in creating the theory for us today. Students were placed into groups and asked to find answers to given questions on the Cell Theory and the scientists behind it.  Students are creating a presentation and an activity for their classes.  In the next few days, students will be presenting their work.  I am very eager to see the final products!

10/3

Throughout this week students have been taking their time getting used to the microscopes.  As these are tools that the young scientists will utilize throughout the year, I want to make sure everyone feels 100% comfortable.
Students took their first assessment in science on Thursday, Chapter 2 and Microscope Quiz.  I am very impressed with how the students were able to demonstrate their knowledge of living things a long with the microscope.
The students ended the week with an ungraded Cells Pre Test.  Our next unit is on cells, and students were able to take a glimpse into that they will be discovering throughout this unit.

9/26

Now that students have their textbooks, we are continuing our learning about the characteristics of living things. Additionally students demonstrated what they already know about microscopes this week.  This second part of our short unit will emphasize the importance of the microscope, how to utilize them properly and most efficiently.  Students are completing Microscope Mania on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for their first science assessment on Thursday.

9/19

This week students were challenged to brainstorm characteristics that all living things share.  Not only did students actively come up with various characteristics, they were able to put their prior knowledge to work during a stations lab.  In the stations lab, students were asked to use their characteristics to identify whether a specimen was living, non living or dead.  After the two day activity students were quite surprised with some of the answers ( i.e.- living bacteria is in yogurt, grass seed is living, etc.).
To end off the week, students were given their Life Science textbooks to continue learning about living things.  With regards to the textbook, students can take these home for the year.  I have enough copies here at school where we will always have textbooks in the classroom for 7th graders to use.  I just ask that they are brought back to school in the same condition as they are today.
Looking forward, we will be exploring how to use the microscope next week.  Have a great weekend!!

9/3

Welcome back!!
Seventh graders are doing a nice job getting used to the science room and the expectations. Last week, we went over the science syllabus and completed a few activities where students demonstrated their readiness for 7th grade science.  The syllabus can be found on Google Classroom, under the "About" tab.  All important information can be found under this tab.
This week students will start going over lab safety and the scientific method.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 5/30

This week in Science, students learned about fungi. They studied the different kinds of fungi, parts of fungi, and how they reproduce.

Students finished the week with the pond water lab--taking pictures of protists, identifying them, and putting them in a Google Drive presentation.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 5/23

Students worked on the Pond Water Protist Project. Using the ELMO projector, computer, and microscope, students observed and captured images and video of protists in pond water samples. Students will create a Google Drive slide show presentation classifying, identifying, and labeling the protists they found.  All students were surprised to see so much life in just one drop of water and can't wait to share their findings with other seventh grade scientists.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 5/16

This week, students information about Kingdom Protista, discovering that most are unicellular eukaryotes. Students also created reference tools to help identify protists for the lab.  Finally, students began the pond water lab.  They were really excited and surprised to see how much life is in one drop of pond water! Students were able to see many organisms including an amoeba, parameciuim, and euglena--the same protists they have studied closely!  Next week, brings more pond water excitement as we use the water and technology for a project.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 5/9

Students completed their study of bacteria and viruses, and they were tested on Thursday. Our next unit will be about Protists--learning what they look like, how they move, and where they live.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 5/2

It was a bacteria-filled week!  After learning about the role bacteria plays in the world, students wrote questions and made hypotheses about bacteria growth in school. Then they collected samples to grow in a petri dish over the weekend.  Next week, students will compare their results with their hypothesis. Also, the test on bacteria and viruses will be next Thursday.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 4/25

It has been a busy week in Science. Students reviewed and took the test for Ch. 9.  Now that students have had an overview of Classification, Domains, and Kingdoms, they will look more closely at the Kingdoms, starting with Eubacteria and Archaebacteria. Students completed a lab, "Spying on Spirilla", looking at prepared slides of the 3 most common-shaped bacteria.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 4/17

During this short week, students worked in the IMC to develop a group presentation about one of the six kingdoms. Students gave their presentations to the class, highlighting the kingdom's cell structure, how organisms obtain nutrients, where they are found, interesting facts, and examples. Overall, students did an excellent job--the presentations were clear, filled with good information, and organized.

Next Tuesday, we will have our test on Classification (Ch. 9).  Students can use their notes and study guide to prepare.

Burrows/Gemmell, Science, 4/11

I am Mrs. Burrows, and I will be teaching Science for Mrs. Gemmell through the end of the year while she is on maternity leave.  I am thrilled to be filling in for Mrs. Gemmell with this seventh grade group of students!  

This week, we started a short unit, introducing students to scientific classification, the 8 levels of classification, and the proper format for scientifically naming an organism.  Next week, students will work in groups to learn more about the six kingdoms.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach me by email aburrows@ccsd66.org.

Maternity Leave

Dear Parents/Guardians,

   After Friday March 28th, I will be beginning my maternity leave for the remainder of the school year. Mrs. Amy Burrows will be taking over for me once Spring Break is over. I'm so glad to welcome her into my classroom because I know your students are in good, capable hands to finish out the school year with our science curriculum.  I have so enjoyed having your students in class and getting to know them this year.  It will be bittersweet, as I have seen them grow so much during their time in 7^th grade.  I will miss them!

   Prior to my absence, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.  For the remainder of the school year, if you have questions about your child's grade, you can contact Mrs. Burrows at aburrows@ccsd66.org. 

Thank you,

Kari Gemmell

3/21

Students completed the very much anticipated Frog Dissection today.  I am very impressed with the accuracy, patience, and team work I saw throughout this two day lab.  The students focused their time last week on the anatomy of the frog and the functions of each organ and definitely exhibited their understanding throughout the lab. I think we might have a few surgeons in this class!  The Frog Dissection Lab will be due on Monday.  If students did not finish their questions on the lab in class, they can go onto the Virtual Frog website.

3/14

This week, students have been preparing for the Frog Dissection.  Students have been studying the anatomy of the frog and will discover how various tissue and organs work together to function as a whole.  I really do feel that students are excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to see how they handle such a fun and educational lab.
This is usually a lab that the 7th graders complete at the very end of the year.  Due to my maternity leave starting on April 7th, I really wanted to make sure that the students experience the valuable lab prior to my absence.

3/6

This unit students have been actively simulating and learning about the theories of evolution and natural selection.  In the beginning of the unit, we watched some videos which really opened up some great questions regarding adaptations and various species.  Students kept busy learning about Charles Darwin, his finches, and the Galapagos Islands.  Last week, students were able to show their creative side by designing an animal based on an environment given to them.  Once the animal was designed, the climate was altered and seventh graders had to predict if their animal would be able to survive in the new environment.  I was really impressed with the creativity that was displayed.

Just this past week, during ISATs, students completed a Darwin Lab. Here they simulated how different fur color in a particular environment would or would not benefit a species.  Students will finish up this unit on Monday with a Quest (more than a quiz, less than a test).

2/14

I have been viewing all the students' Genetics Projects over the past 3 days, and I have to say how impressed I am with how well these presentations have turned out.  I think students have really taken ownership on their expert topics, and it has really shown through each time a new student presents to the class.  Well done 7th graders!!  We still have a couple more to view on Tuesday, see below for the order of presentations on Tuesday.  Have a nice long weekend!

Period 2 Presentations			Period 3 Presentations			Period 4 Presentations
1	Niomi		1	Phillip		1	Josh
2	Joe		2	Kristina
3	Stewart		3	Nora
4	Antonio		4
Period 7 Presentations			Period 8 Presentations
1	Kayla and Emily		1	NONE
2	Josh and Robert		2
3	Audie and Ryan		3
4	Francesco and Frank		4

Order of Due Dates and Presentations, 2/14

Period 2 Presentations		Period 3 Presentations		Period 4 Presentations
1	Katie and Brooke	1	Daya	1	Amelia
2	Courtney	2	Sushant and Paul	2	Josh
3	Adam and Jake	3	Heather	3	Sarah
4	Kate and Kelcie	4	Jazmin and Lauren	4	Erin
5	Connor and Dane	5	Sarah
6	Niomi	6	Jordan and Megan
7	Stewart	7	Phillip
8	Joe	8	Kristina
		9	Nora
Period 7 Presentations		Period 8 Presentations
1	Sarah	1	Ali and Danny
2	Kayla and Emily	2	Emily E and Alegria
3	Samantha	3	Julianna and Maya
4	Josh and Robert	4	Justin and Shadrach
5	Anupama	5	Maria and Alex
6	Audie and Ryan
7	Francesco and Frank

Order of Presentations, 2/13

Order of presentations for the Genetics Project.

Period 3 Presentations		Period 4 Presentations		Period 5 Presentations
1	Katie and Brooke	1	Max and Jack	1	Mitchell
2	Shannon	2	Nick and Matt	2	Jimmy and Kurt
3	Grace	3	Ina	3	Emily and Emily
4	Alyssa	4	Maddelena	4	Austin and Brendan
5	Steven	5	Khalil and Mike	5	Andrew and Nick
6	Adrian and Gavin	6	Daya	6	Amelia
		7	Sushant and Paul
Period 7 Presentations		Period 8 Presentations
1	Hamza	1	Jack and Jacob B
2	Tommy	2	Gianna and Teagan
3	Jenny and Erin	3	Luis and David P
4	Chris and Emmanuelle	4	Emily Y
5	Sarah	5	Ali and Danny
6	Kayla and Emily