Welcome to the Sciences Blog!
I'm Miss Carla, and my email address is carla@askeris.no
Unit 4
It's a cellular life.
Update - 02/05/2017
Week of 20/03/2017
Week of 13/03/2017
Unit 3
Defining motion, describing force
Key concepts
Unit 2
Some (re)actions needed
Patterns in chemical changes of matter can be described and predicted in terms of the types, interactions and motions of atoms present within it.
Key concepts
Week of 31/10/2016
Week of 24/10/2016
Week of 17/10/2016
Unit 1
Our Active Planet: Something is happening beneath the crust!
Week of 10/10/2016
Week of 26/09/2016
Week of 19/09/2016
Week of 12/09/2016
Week of 5/09/2016
Week of 29/08/2016
Week of 22/08/2016
Week of 15/08/2016
I'm Miss Carla, and my email address is carla@askeris.no
Unit 4
It's a cellular life.
(Navicular cells, by Librepath, licensed under Creative commons Attibution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
Statement of inquiry
Cells’ form and function depend on their relationship with the environment.
Key concepts
Relationships
Related concepts
Form, Function, Environment
Global Context
Scientific and technological innovations
Inquiry questions
F: What do cells look like?
C: How do cells sustain life?
D: Should scientific innovations be used to modify the form and function of cells?
Important dates
April 6th: written test
April 20th: essay due. Topic? Debatable question (see above)
June 6th: written test
Important dates
April 6th: written test
April 20th: essay due. Topic? Debatable question (see above)
June 6th: written test
Week of 29/05/2017
Week of 15/05/2017
Week of 08/05/2017
Week of 01/05/2017
The focus of this week's work is on cellular respiration and photosynthesis.
Week of 15/05/2017
What a better way to learn protein synthesis than with a hands-on activity?
Week of 08/05/2017
We continued working on how DNA controls the cell through protein synthesis.
Week of 01/05/2017
Videos we watched this week:
And check this one too: Pairing strands
We also extracted DNA from living cells following this protocol!
Who said revising definitions had to be boring? Enter Cell Taboo!
I realize it's been a while since the last update. Grade 8 students have been exploring the structure of cells for the past weeks. Last week, we started and finished an experiment to determine how osmosis affects potato cells.
Here are some pictures:
For a refresher on active and passive transport, check the following simulation:
Week of 20/03/2017
As announced last week, Grade 8 students had the opportunity to visit Nesbru videregående skole on Thursday, March 16th. Students were engaged in several activities designed to familiarize them with optical microscopes. They also were able to look at different permanent slides, exploring how cellular form varies with function and environment.
Miss Carla forgot to take pictures (!), but you can take a look at Grade 7 doing similar activities here.
Follow this link for useful information on microscopy.
Week of 13/03/2017
I am delighted to announce that AIS students will have access to the Science laboratories at Nesbru videregående skole. Grade 8 students will have their first session on Thursday, March 16th. We will leave the school by bus at 12:30 and come back around 14:40, right on time for the last period.
Unit 3
Defining motion, describing force
Statement of Inquiry
Newton’s laws explain how interactions among forces affect the movement of objects.
Key concepts
Systems
Related concepts
Movement, Interaction
AOI/Global context
Orientation in space and time
Inquiry questions
F: What are the ways to describe the motion of an object?
C: How does force affect the motion of an object?
D: Does gravity affect all objects the same way?
Week of 06/03/2017
Week of 24/01/2017
Week of 16/01/2017
Week of 09/01/2017
This week, Grade 8 students worked towards their summative assessment. Here are some pictures of what those activities looked like:
Week of 27/02/2017
For the past weeks, Grade 8 students worked on the Second and Third Laws of Motion. We combined work in the classroom with some hand-on activities to truly capture the meaning of both laws.
Here are some pictures from the activity designed to analyze the relationship between force and mass:
Here are some pictures about the activity designed to explore the third law:
This week, we started working on the summative assessment. Both the description and the rubric have been shared to the students via Google Drive.
Week of 24/01/2017
The summative assessment was announced this week. Most of the work will be done at school, although we should also expect to have to do some writing at home. Here you can read all about it.
We started working with the First Law of Newton, also known as the Law of Inertia. Instead of lecturing about it, we began with an experiment outside. As it turns out, trying to hit a target when running is not as easy as it looks! Check this pictures out:
Week of 16/01/2017
Grade 8 has been very busy learning how to describe motion using words and how to calculate those different concepts. Speed, velocity, acceleration, distance and displacement: all similar usage in English, but very different definitions in physics.
Week of 09/01/2017
We started this unit by learning about Isaac Newton's life. We briefly introduced the three laws stated by Newton with the following video:
Newton's 3 laws, with a bicycle
Then, we began describing motion. Even though we were all familiar with most of the words covered so far, it was interesting to learn what they mean to physicists. Here you can find the list of definitions included this week.
Newton's 3 laws, with a bicycle
Then, we began describing motion. Even though we were all familiar with most of the words covered so far, it was interesting to learn what they mean to physicists. Here you can find the list of definitions included this week.
Unit 2
Some (re)actions needed
Statement of Inquiry
Patterns in chemical changes of matter can be described and predicted in terms of the types, interactions and motions of atoms present within it.
Key concepts
Changes
Related concepts
Interactions, patterns
AOI/Global context
Scientific and technical innovation
Inquiry questions
F: How do substances combine or change to make new substances?
C: What happens when new materials are formed during a chemical reaction?
C: What happens when new materials are formed during a chemical reaction?
D: Are all man-made materials beneficial to society?
Week of 12/12/2016
Happy and relaxing holidays!
Week of 27/11/2016
Week of 21/11/2016
Week of 14/11/2016
We can wait ages until hydrogen peroxide decomposes...
Add a little salt and all is better!
Week of 07/11/2016
Happy and relaxing holidays!
Week of 27/11/2016
Task 2 of the summative assessment is coming! The test will be on Thursday, December 1st. Lykke til, alle sammen!
Week of 21/11/2016
Very short week this week. We reviewed the concepts we covered so far in preparation for the test on December, Thursday 1st.
Week of 14/11/2016
In the classroom, Grade 8 students had a reading comprehension activity to review the fundamentals of electron energy levels and atomic bonding.
We also were busy in the lab! We worked on the effects of temperature and catalysts on the rate of chemical reactions:
Can you guess in which one of these reactions the reactants started warm?
You're right!
We can wait ages until hydrogen peroxide decomposes...
But if we add some yeasts...
WOW!!!
Same thing here...
Add a little salt and all is better!
Week of 07/11/2016
Both days this week were spent in the lab (AKA, the SFO room). As we are learning about chemical reactions, a little more action was needed. Here is some proof:
All those bubbles!
Week of 31/10/2016
This week we learned about energy levels and valence electrons, and how they participate in chemical reactions. Here are some pictures of one of the activities. Who knew brass fasteners could help us out!
Week of 24/10/2016
Many things have happened this week!
We started on Tuesday with an extra lesson on plagiarism. Students will have to work on an article as homework, which has been uploaded to the common MYP Google Drive account. Just in case, you can find it by clicking here. It is due on Wednesday, Nov. 2nd.
On Wednesday, we started studying what chemical reactions are. We even started balancing chemical equations!
Finally, on Thursday I announced that the summative assessment will consist of a series of written exams. The first exam will be on Thursday, Nov. 3rd. It will cover everything up to this week.
Week of 17/10/2016
We started our new unit today. Here is a wonderful video about chemical reactions:
We also worked building atoms using a computer simulation. Try it at home!
Unit 1
Our Active Planet: Something is happening beneath the crust!
Key concepts
Change; Time, place and space
Related concepts
Movement, Interaction, Transformation, Consequences
AOI/Global context
Orientation in space and time
Statement of Inquiry
The surface of our planet is constantly changed by processes that occur at deeper levels.
Inquiry questions
Factual: How does the internal structure of Earth cause movements in its crust? Which interactions between tectonic plates transform Earth's surface?
Conceptual: What consequences do tectonic movements have for human life? What can be done to prevent the losses from earthquakes and volcanic activity? Why was the original idea about plate tectonics so controversial at its time?
Debatable: What would affect you more: a tsunami in Sognefjorden or an earthquake in Nepal?
IMPORTANT!
IMPORTANT!
- The summative assessment due date has been changed to the week after the break. Now it is due on Tuesday October, 11th.
- As the students start working on their summative assessment, it is a good idea to review the concepts of intellectual property. Here is a simple guide prepared by the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair that can help them when citing other peoples' work.
- Here are (again) the summative assessment and the rubric . Follow the links to download.
Week of 10/10/2016
This week we reflected on Unit 1. We will start the new unit on the week of 17/10.
Week of 26/09/2016
On Thursday, the students finished presenting about historical earthquake and volcanic events.
On Tuesday, we had a special guest during Sciences lessons. Mr. Haseung Choi (Lyn's dad from Grade 6), an architect that has worked in California for several years, gave a presentation on building design in earthquake-prone areas.
The students were very engaged throughout the presentation and asked many technical questions. It was unfortunate that we only had 45 minutes! It was also unfortunate that the teacher forgot to take pictures... seriously, Miss Carla?
Week of 19/09/2016
We began analyzing historical volcanic and earthquake events.
We watched the following videos to get the basics on volcanoes:
We watched the following videos to get the basics on volcanoes:
All about volcanoes for kids
We will also watch the following videos about earthquakes:
National Geographic Earthquakes 101
Understanding the 2015 Nepal earthquake
How does the Richter scale works?
We will also watch the following videos about earthquakes:
National Geographic Earthquakes 101
Understanding the 2015 Nepal earthquake
How does the Richter scale works?
Week of 12/09/2016
This week we did some hands-on activities to simulate how tectonic plates move.
We also worked on calculating how much the Pacific plate has moved in the last 13 years by using data from the Hawaiian islands.
Week of 5/09/2016
Grade 8 will share their boundaries classification this week and we'll wrap up the topic by Thursday.
The field trip programmed for Sept. 13th has been postponed. We need to return after school hours, so we need to have a better arrangement in place for those students responsible for taking their siblings home. Stay tuned for more info!
The summative assessment and the rubric were discussed on Thursday. Follow the links to download. The due date is by the end of the half-term, although it may be changed to a later date.
The summative assessment and the rubric were discussed on Thursday. Follow the links to download. The due date is by the end of the half-term, although it may be changed to a later date.
Week of 29/08/2016
We continued with the map activity. I am extremely impressed with the level of engagement from all the students!
Week of 22/08/2016
This week we are learning about Earth's internal structure and how it is related to continental drift. You can check the following videos to help you writing your homework:
On Thursday we started a long activity working on world maps containing real data about seismic and volcanic activity, crust age and geographic features. For the first part of the activity, students were separated into groups focusing on one specialty and were asked to evaluate plate boundaries according to the characteristics they could observe in the maps. We will continue this part on Tuesday of next week and move on to the other parts of the activity as the week develops.
A field trip has been announced for September 13th. You can read more about the area we'll visit here. We are also in the process of arranging a guest speaker visit for the next weeks.
A field trip has been announced for September 13th. You can read more about the area we'll visit here. We are also in the process of arranging a guest speaker visit for the next weeks.
Week of 15/08/2016
The first day of classes we focused on establishing routines and expectations. One important part of our routines is the initial reflection, in which a student presents to her/his classmates what we covered in the last class. The reflection is a good exercise for many reasons. For instance, it helps the students to be on top of what we are learning. It also allows bringing up possible confusions about the activities. Moreover, the students practice to stand in front of the class and speak to an audience.
We then started with an activity that was designed to determine what previous knowledge the students had about tectonic plates, earthquakes, and volcanoes. In it, they had to pretend they were advisors to the Prime Minister and had to answer several of her questions. This activity is directly linked to their summative assessment, which will be discussed later.
On the last day, we learned about Alfred Wegener's life and struggles to introduce the idea of continental drift into the scientific community.
We then started with an activity that was designed to determine what previous knowledge the students had about tectonic plates, earthquakes, and volcanoes. In it, they had to pretend they were advisors to the Prime Minister and had to answer several of her questions. This activity is directly linked to their summative assessment, which will be discussed later.
On the last day, we learned about Alfred Wegener's life and struggles to introduce the idea of continental drift into the scientific community.
thanks for the excellent effort for getting AIS students into lab of Nesbru School.
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