Science Study for Our Changing Earth

Embedded below is a window into Quizlet, an online app that allows teachers to post vocabulary words and students to practice them in fun and unique ways. Currently posted are a set of 12 science terms for Our Changing Earth: Weathering, Erosion, and Tectonic Plates.

The activity in the window is called LEARN, a definition is posted and students must type the word on the space provided. At the bottom of the window can be found  CHOOSE A STUDY MODE. This is a drop down menu of alternate study activities. The bars at the upper right of the window allow you to customize the activity and/or to start over.

We will be using Quizlet in class through the end of the school year for Science material as a fun, engaging way to encourage students to study vocabulary.

What's even more fun than practicing on the computer like this is practicing on a personal device! Visit Quizlet and download an app for Android or iOS.

Photo-ops

Lots of pictures from recent activities.

Hard Boiled Earth

Chi Rho Fish (Toaster Oven Science) 

STEM at United Skates of America

Weekly Spelling Assignments Revamped

As we continue to learn and grow, the work we do needs to remain challenging. As a result, our sixth grade students have been reassessed mid-year as to their spelling growth. Students have been reassigned spelling buddies, had their target number of words adjusted, and received an updated list of weekly spelling assignments. Please find below the new list of weekly spelling assignments from which students must select work totalling 25 points. You can download and print your own copy HERE.

Spelling Bee

We have been preparing for the annual St. John Spelling Bee during our classes since Christmas break. The sixth graders have narrowed the field for their class representatives in an exciting competition. The following sixth graders will represent their class in the bee:

Tom Miller
Alondra Rocha
Sarah Breland
Cienna Wojcieck
Sadie Nejbauer
Maddie Blenman
Karl Furman
Jesus Hernandez (Grade Six Champion)

Our seventh grade students are in the middle of their competition and will complete it this coming Wednesday, Feb. 1. Names will be posted when their competition is completed.

Due to snow days and Catholic Schools Week activities, the seventh grade spelling bee was delayed a few days. The finalists are...

Dominic Keck
Anthony Keck
Isaac Rocha
Natalie Fowler
Anya Shevchik
Alex Delia (Grade Seven Champion)
Russell Simeone
Jack Kollhoff

Our school bee will be held Feb. 7, 2017 at 1:30pm in the school cafeteria. Parents are welcome to attend.

UPDATE 2/8/17...
After a long fought contest (it had to be held over to a second day), our school Spelling Bee winner is seventh grader, Dominic Keck. This is Dominic's second year to represent St. John School in the Ashtabula County Spelling Bee which is being held at the former State Road School on Feb. 15, 2017. We wish Dominic well!

Chem Matters December/January Issue

Thanks to Dr. Ann, our class now receives a monthly digital chemistry magazine appropriate for middle grade students. This month's issue is full of interesting articles pertinent to young people, among them

*How to help keep skin acne-free
*How the lanthanides (rare earth metals) allow us to have smart phones, computers, and TVs
*The science behind self-warming and self-cooling cans

Click HERE to access the latest issue of Chem Matters.

Element Report gr. 6... UPDATED 12/7/16

With the addition of our Chromebooks, our sixth graders have been able to do some exciting techology activities! One that they are currently working on is creating a Science report about an element. A report doesn't sound very exciting, but the completed report is no normal report. Rather, it is a webpage, complete with links, graphics, and text.

I had hoped to complete the webpages prior to Thanksgiving break, but our schedule was such that time did not allow. The webpages should be completed by the end of the evening on the Wednesday after break, November 30, 2016.

Please find HERE a copy of the instruction sheet that each sixth grader received. Elements have been chosen and students should have logged in to make their initial webpage. Most students have begun their research, and some have started typing text into their pages. This coming week, students will learn how to copy/paste the links into their webpages and how to download/upload photos.

Please encourage your sixth grader to be working on this so that the pages are completed on time.

HERE is the link to view all of the webpages created by our sixth graders!

Music Makes Learning More Fun...

... and really helps students remember information more readily!

How many of you can still sing a commercial jingle from your childhood? Amazing, isn't it? Music accesses multiple areas of brain so when we learn a song we are using more of our brain than if we just memorize a poem or math facts. However, if we add music to memorizing that poem or those facts our brains will store the words more readily, the information moves into our long term memory. Because of this, I often try to add songs to Science, Religion, or Language Arts class to help our students remember important (and often challenging) information.

Here are a few songs we've already learned this year. You might recognize one or two.







Stop back again as I'll be adding more as the year goes on!