This ambitious enterprise lasted for the first marking period of my teaching assignment in the 2001/2002 school year. Other responsibilities eventually caught up with me and made it impossible to continue posting my plans. Ideally this kind of information would evolve over time - none of the activities below is perfect. I am leaving them here, however with some notations and the usual caveat that you should always try activities yourself before doing them in class. Likewise, any of the quizzes, tests, and study guides should be tailored to the needs of your own students. That is why I've presented them, where possible, as Word & Publisher files so you can download and adapt. PDF format you can also download and from there you can copy and paste text and graphics into almost any application or any platform (MAC, e.g.). This copying and pasting can also be done from a web page (HTML format) but is a little more complicated.
Perhaps the most important aspect of this page is the process that brought it about. I began the year with no curricular materials from the school or district and had to find, adapt, or invent activities to reach the content objectives outlined in our frameworks. Most of our teachers are forced to teach in this same manner. I have a new-found appreciation for how difficult this is. It is a laborious and frustrating process that we are endeavoring to eliminate or minimize at the district level, but of course it requires a tremendous amount of money!
Internet explorer: right click, then specify where on your hard drive to download the file.
Netscape: left click, then specify where on your hard drive to download the file.
Mac Users: you're on your own!
PDF files: require Acrobat Reader. You can download it for free if you don't have it. Strongly recommended.All downloadable documents are in MSWord or MSPublisher -- You must have Publisher 2000 or later for Publisher files
Instructional Strategies (Hyperlink outside this web page)
I've started a thread on the discussion forum for instructional strategies (in cooperative learning they're called structures). I'm defining an instructional strategy as a particular method that can be used to deliver a variety of different content objectives. Please contribute a strategy that you have found to be effective and an example of how you used it.What is a scientist? (Word)
Introductory activity that leads to deputizing students as scientists. Details.Code of Conduct (Word)
My rules and expectations, consequences. To be signed by student and parent. Details.Conduct Quiz (Word)
Only assigned if student does not turn in signed Code of Conduct on time. Details.Time Out Assignment (Word)
To allow students to reflect on their behavior and to remind them that there will be further consequences if they continue to choose to break the rules.Unit Calendar (Publisher) or click here for web version.
A VERY rough outline of the first mini-unit within heredity, Cells & Reproduction. I do not have a lot of activities for this unit yet but I know generally what I want to do. Finding activities won't be that difficult. Details.Getting to Know ME! (Word)
Activity for student introductions that also serves as a lead-in to the Heredity Unit. Details.Grade 8 Science (Word)
Draft Version (9/3/01) outlining content for the year and some requirements for passing. Needs to be finalized in consultation with Principal, AP, science department.Grade 8 Science Quiz (Word)
Only assigned if student does not turn in signed Grade 8 Science on time.Cells Analogy Collage (Hyperlink)
From Access Excellence. I will use pretty much as is, no student worksheets needed.Vegetative Propagation (Hyperlink)
Also from Access Excellence. Project for students with instructions, no worksheets. Students keep a journal.Heredity Unit (Publisher -- or click here for PDF version)
Includes "Family Tree." A series of activities designed to demonstrate Heredity concepts outlined in MSSCF (Middle School Science Curriculum Frameworks). Also see the Autobiography assignment below. Details. (Note: You may want to add some vocabulary that I left out such as homozygous and heterozygous - it really makes it easier to discuss the various genotypes and phenotypes.)Science Never Sucks (Word)
Demonstration with instructional strategy Predict-Explain-Observe-Explain. Details.Microscope Introduction (Word)
(Adapted from Cliff & the Gang at Queens Multidisciplinary Resource Center)
Just a quick introduction. I treat the microscope as a tool to be used in context, not a subject in itself. I want students to know the parts (for communication purposes) and some basics about what the microscope does to an image and what kinds of things can be seen under a microscope. From there we move on to looking at cells.
SMALL WORDS (Publisher) For preparing slides to go with introductory activities.Microscope Slide GRIDS (MS Publisher 2000): Exactly 1 mm square grids for printing on Avery 5160 labels or equivalent. Three grids per label that you simply cut and paste onto a slide to use for estimating the size of an object under a microscope. Laser printing highly recommended.
Microscope Slide Grids (MS WORD with Avery Wizard)
This version is for those of you having trouble with Publisher 2000 documents. You can download the Avery Wizard for making labels, free, from their website. It automatically plugs into MSWord, but it only works for PCs. Sorry, Mac users! The grid lines look all wrong on the monitor, but they do print correctly. Don't ask me why!Cells (Word)
(Adapted from Cliff & the Gang at Queens Multidisciplinary Resource Center)
Scallion, elodea, cheek. Includes wet-mounting and staining instructions.Cells-R-Us (Word)
Study guide with key concepts about cells -- cell theory, structure & function, with my own selection of organelles -- I think the workings of the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus are more than I want to tackle with 8th graders ( how to explain that 3 different organelles plus the nucleus are involved in the production, refinement, and distribution of proteins when they have no idea what proteins are?). I've included ribosomes and lysosomes. I won't talk much about chromosomes until we start the reproduction unit.Cell Quiz (Word)
Multiple choice with explanations, identify parts, and an essay on plant & animal cells. My quizzes are tailored to my teaching, so this quiz focuses on identifying structures or institutions that are analogous to cell organelles and explaining how they are analogous. I don't want the quiz to be too long, so I'm only asking how the structures ARE analogous. Later, on a unit test perhaps, I will also expect them to explain how they are NOT analogous.Museum Field Trip: Reproductive Strategies (Publisher or try the PDF version)
You will want to try this yourself first. Contact me if you have any questions. I suggest you adjust this activity to your own style and priorities. There are other exhibits in the museum that you could use. Since there is a bird on the cover, maybe a question about birds would be nice. Students will need some prior knowledge of reproduction before the trip: sexual & asexual reproduction, sperm, egg, fertilization, and maybe some specific content related to the dioramas you visit. (Historical note: This activity was written the weekend before September 11, after which all field trips were cancelled by the principal indefinitely and I wasn't able to try this one.)Line Graph Checklist (Publisher: Click here for PDF or here for the Word version)
Ten-point checklist for students to use when preparing line graphs. A time vs. distance graph is included for reference. Remember, by convention the independent variable is usually plotted on the X axis. Memory device: I say horiXontal to help me remember which axis is which, and stretched the idea to indeXpendent to remember which axis takes the independent variable. Go ahead, say it out loud. Silly yes, but it worked for me! A perhaps more sophisticated trick is to remember that a problem question can be asked in the form of "How does X affect Y?" where X is the independent variable (X axis) and Y is the dependent variable (Y axis).Sexual Reproduction Simulation (Word)
A pasta and zip lock bag activity on strategies for transferring genetic material. I actually start my reproduction unit with this activity, and work backward to mitosis and meiosis.Cell Division Simulation (Word)
Another zip lock bag & pasta activity. Demonstrates the need for cells to grow and make copies of genetic material (chromosomes) before splitting. (You could include other organelles in this activity - just find appropriate pasta and larger ziplock bags - and discusswhat happens to them when the cell divides: they are distributed between the two daughter cells roughly equally, with additional copies of these cytoplasmic organelles occurring during interphase, not during mitosis.)Reproduction Study Guide (Word)
In the absence of any coherent curricular materials that address reproduction as a unit, I had to put something together for the students. This mini-unit included cellular and human reproduction, with some diagrams.Reproduction Quiz (Word)
Covers concepts outlined in Study Guide as well as the pasta and zip lock bag simulations.Autobiography of an Alien (Word)
A writing assignment to go along with the Heredity Unit. I've broken down the larger task of writing an autobiography into 5 smaller assignments. Each involves group brainstorming and planning, individual writing, peer review, revision, and final drafts for publication. (Note: This proved far too ambitious for me and as written would have required an inordinate amount of class time - perhaps better used in a situation where you can work with a Language Arts teacher.)Pedigree Chart Worksheet (Publisher, or click here for pdf version)
A three-generation pedigree chart for free or attached earlobes. Students must determine the possible genotypes for each individual. Students may need to use Punnett squares to make sure their answers are plausible.
That completes my first unit and about a third of the school year. I will be fine-tuning the contents of this page as the year goes on, plugging in the little activities and any other information I can put together that might be useful so check back from time to time.
Notes
Introducing Science ..
A great introduction to Science at the beginning of the year is to talk about scientists. Give your students a piece of white paper and tell them to draw what they think a scientist looks like. Let them have about 10 minutes or so to do this. Then instruct students to write on the paper what they think a scientist does. Encourage them to use a word or short phrase. Ex. read, study, mixes things, experiments, observes, etc. After a few minutes, have students put their pencils down and ask them to share different words that they wrote. Ask the students, Do you read? Have you ever experimented with things? What about things in the kitchen? Have you ever created something? Objective is for the students to realize that they are all scientists. A scientist does not have a particular look. They are all scientists. From A to Z Teacher Tips Submitted by: Karen Wilson, Grades 3-6.Follow up:
A couple of years ago I "deputized" my students as scientists because I noticed that sometimes when I asked a question, the response would be "I don't know, I'm not a scientist." So I made them all scientists. They were sworn in with an oath along the lines of:(Repeat after me) I will always use the methods and habits of science, among them observation, asking questions, research, experimentation, logic, creativity, cooperation, communication, and openness to new ideas, to seek answers to questions about the physical world around me.
or something hokey like that -- you can get creative or corny as you like. I pronounced them all scientists.
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Code of Conduct
There will be other day-to-day routines that we go over as needed, such as moving into and out of groups, dismissal, handing in and out papers, etc. No need to give too much information all at once. I will go over these rules with students, and clarify any questions or misunderstandings. Parent signature is homework. If not returned on time, a little "quiz" will be added to the assignment in keeping with the idea that make-up work will be more burdensome that the original assignment.
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Heredity Unit Calendar
At this time (9/1/01) I don't have my exact schedule, so I will need to fine-tune the dates on Tuesday. I will also only teach 4 days per week, one of which will be a double lab period. Check back for an updated version. I am also being optimistic about the timing, but I plan to work at a pretty steady pace and keep the kids on task. The cell stuff is review, so they should be somewhat familiar with cells already. The main thing is to have a rough sketch of what needs to be done for each unit or mini-unit. I think of this Heredity unit as 2 mini-units: Cells & Reproduction and Mendelian Genetics. The second part is pretty well taken care of by the activities below. I'm anticipating about 2 1/2 months to finish Heredity, that includes time spent working on Exit Projects -- you gotta have goals!
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Getting to know me
I want to have students introduce themselves, even though most of them know each other already by the time they get to 8th grade. This is a simple activity in which the student chooses what he/she wants the class to know, and the partner presents the information to the class. I've included a little piece where students are asked to name some things that they have in common with their parents. This discussion will lead directly into Heredity. Introduce the term "traits."
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Heredity Unit
This unit contains one central hands-on activity and a series of other activities, including a family tree, Punnett squares, and probability tables. This unit does not cover the necessary review of the cells or reproduction, which are pre-requisites to studying heredity -- I'm working on those, but as a last resort I can teach that through the textbook and lecture/discussion/demonstration. I'm also working on a pedigree chart, which I will add later.
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Science Never Sucks
You will need to look around your science department for a test tube with a lip. The opening should be large enough to allow a penny to rest nicely within the lip of the test tube. Using a little soapy water to provide a nice seal around the lip/penny, you will warm the test tube by gripping it in the palm of your hand (wrap your fingers around it) with the penny on top, then cool the test tube by holding it by the lip between thumb and index finger, creating a difference in the pressure between outside and inside the test tube, which will allow you to turn the test tube upside down and the penny will remain in place.
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