Notes to Parents 23-24
8/9/23
WELCOME to all sixth graders and their parents!!! I will be putting updates for science here throughout the year. Hopefully, this will keep parents in the information loop and give everyone a heads up about the coming week and longer term projects.
8/18/19
Our first few days of science went very well. I am looking forward to getting to know the students better. It's going to take a little while until I get to know all their names - but I'm getting there! The short week gave us an opportunity to practice some of the science class procedures ( they had homework, their first QOTD - Questions of the Day, and got to present their science fields to the class) and students were trained on cell phone usage - the "Yondr" pouches.
This coming week we will have our first Quiz, on Friday, over all the information we've covered since school started. We will be learning how to think like a scientist, reviewing the scientific method, and, time permitting, start to learn about the metric system. Students will have their first "hands-on" - essentially a mini lab.
Students have homework every night in science. The expectation is that they study their notes so they are ready for class the next day. We will be working on their note-taking skills all year. Their notebooks and 3 ring binders will be checked for a grade once each trimester.
It should be a fun week!
Mrs. Bertsch
8/25/19
We had a good week! Students had their first hands-on (a mini lab) over the absorbency of paper towels on Wednesday. It was due on Friday, the 23rd. I was very pleased with how well students followed directions and followed the rules of the lab. Friday was also their first quiz. Students did very well on the quiz which covered Thinking like a scientist, the scientific method and lab materials.
This week we will continue to work on the metric system. We started a hands-on over Metric Length measurements last Friday that will be finished in class on Monday. This week we will be doing hands-on activities for volume and mass measurements.There will be a quiz on Friday on Metric Measurement and making metric conversions.
Students need to continue to review their notes every night including QOTDs and any hands-ons or classwork that are returned.
It should be a very straightforward week!
Mrs. Bertsch
9/3/19
I hope everyone enjoyed the toasty Labor Day weekend! Hopefully, you all got to spend some quality family time.
This week is predominately CogAt testing (Tues-Thurs, unless we need more time to finish). Students still need to continue to review their notes and practice with the metric system at home. The Mini Unit test(Big Quiz) will be at the end of next week and there will be a lab measurement quiz also in which students must demonstrate that they can accurately use metric measurement tools. We will be introducing scientific notation this week if we have time.
Last week's quiz had quite a few poor grades. It's important that students develop a more accurate sense of their knowledge. Only one student came to lunch study before the quiz for help. Quite a few students signed up for help, but then chose not to avail themselves of the opportunity. We will continue to work on metric conversions, but are also adding more topics. It is really important that students feel comfortable using the metric system.
There is no Quiz this week. Parents, please remember the Outdoor Ed meeting this Thursday at 6:30 pm.
That's it for science! Have a good week.
Mrs. Bertsch
9/9/2019
Hi all! I hope it was a good weekend for everyone - and you stayed dry amidst the downpours!
Last week was CogAt testing - a standardized test. We were able to just introduce scientific notation, but that was it for new material.
The Mini Unit Test is this coming Friday, September 13. Students should be studying all their notes from the beginning of the year and practicing metric conversions and writing numbers in scientific notation. There will be lunch study on Wednesday and Thursday for those who would like a little help and we will review on Thursday in class.
The Lab test will be next week, tentatively on Tuesday, September 17.
This week we will finish scientific notation and density. Students will get an opportunity to determine the density of unknowns in lab. This skill will be on the lab test next week.
That's it for science this week. Please remind your students to study every evening. Students should review their old quizzes, notes, and work that has been handed back including QOTDs.
Mrs Bertsch
9/16/2019
We had a good week in science - practicing scientific notation, metric conversions and starting our density lab.
Friday, students had their first Unit Test, albeit a short one. The test covered everything we've done since the beginning of the year. The results overall were fairly good, there were a lot of A's and B's - but too many students did poorly. Students who struggled with the test and knowledge required need to understand the importance of preparing for a test. Students had a week and a half to study and opportunities to get help in lunch study that were passed up. This is all part of the learning experience that goes with sixth grade.
I expect students will improve on the next unit test!
This is a short week. We will be finishing up the density lab we started last week. The Lab Test will be on Wednesday, to give an opportunity for all students to feel confident in their abilities before taking the test. Each student will have to perform measurements independently for metric length, volume, mass and density and answer questions pertaining to measurement and lab skills.
If students have missing assignments, they need to get them turned in by Wednesday!
Have a great week and enjoy the long weekend
Mrs. Bertsch
9/23/2019
For a short week - we had a lot going on in science. Last week students practiced determining density and finished their density lab, all in preparation for the lab skills test on Wednesday. The lab test was a new experience for the students. Each student had to perform in the lab by making individual measurements of metric length, volume, mass and calculating density. It was necessary for students to be competent and work quickly since there was a limited amount of time to do the measurements. I was very impressed with how well the students did on the lab test. Over three quarters of the students scored As, Bs or Cs on this difficult test!
This week we are starting a new unit on the Interior of the Earth and Plate Tectonics. We will be doing a lab on "Mystery Mantle" after we have class discussions on the Earth's interior. There will be a Quiz on Friday covering this week's material.
Students need to continue to study their notes each evening and review the metric system and scientific notation. Measurement stays with us throughout the year!
Enjoy the week!
Mrs Bertsch
10/7/2019
This week we will be studying sea floor spreading and plate tectonics. They are the final topics before students have a Unit Test after Fall Break. We discussed this in class today -- how to do the bulk of their studying this week and then some review towards the end of fall break. The Unit test will be on Tuesday, 10/22. There are many youtube videos on all the topics of this Unit - Interior of the Earth, Heat Transfer, Continental Drift, Sea Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics. In particular, videos by Bill Nye the Science Guy, CV Shorey (Plate Tectonics - a series of videos), Michael Sammartano, GeoScience Videos, and Earth Rocks! are great resources for all of this Unit's topics.
In the last two weeks - we made ooblek - I apologize if any of it made it home and caused a mess, and did a lab on Continental Drift that required use of coloring, cutting and gluing skills. The Quiz last Friday went very well with most students getting A's and B's! We are scheduled for a Quiz this Friday - but if everything goes well this week we may skip it for a review video. Students need to study their notes and review the material in their binders every night - this will help to ensure that they are prepared for the Unit Test. Some quick review of the metric system will come in handy, too.
Have a wonderful week - I'm hoping we can avoid the first snow of the season ( it's just too early, please!).
Mrs Bertsch
10/21/2019
I hope everyone had a great fall break! This week we will have our Unit Test on Tuesday and then its off to Outdoor Ed!!!! I'm excited to get to spend time with all my students during this fantastic, educational experience.
The review session today for tomorrow's test went quite well. Students had review questions to help them focus their studying for the test. The test is cumulative and will have a small number of questions on Measurement, though most of the Test is on the Interior of the Earth, Heat Transfer and Plate Tectonics (including Continental Drift and Sea Floor Spreading). The test is designed to expose students to many different types of questions. Good test taking strategies can make a huge difference in how students perform on the test. Students have known about the test since the Monday before Fall Break and were encouraged to do most of their studying before fall break. During review it was quite apparent that a number of students have been using their time wisely! Students need to really understand all of the diagrams we've gone over in this unit - Interior of the Earth, Sea-Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics - including all types of plate boundaries.
After tomorrow - the Unit Test will be behind us and students can just enjoy the experience that is Outdoor Ed!!!
Let's all have a great week - and hope the weather cooperates!
Mrs. Bertsch
10/28/2019
Weeeee! What a great week! Students rocked the Unit Test with 17 A's and numerous B's and C's. With Extra Credit, 7 students scored over 100%!
Outdoor Ed was fantastic! I really enjoyed getting to know students better and spending time with them outside of class. I was so impressed with how well behaved and respectful students were, and how open they were to new experiences.
This Week:
Today students were given their first trimester project - research and report on a famous geoscientist or astronomer. Students have the requirements in their binders and each chose a scientist from a pre approved list. The report must be typed and can be on a single posterboard (no trifolds, please) or an 8.5 x 11" report. Students saw examples of posterboard projects today in class. The project is due next Wednesday, 11/6/19. Students will present their projects to the class on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday is the last day of the trimester.
This week we are starting Unit 3 on Earthquakes, Folding and Faulting. Students will be learning about the types of stresses that act on the crust, resulting in faulting and folding. There will be a Quiz on Friday!
On a general note: Halloween is Thursday - students may wear appropriate costumes.
Saturday, 11/2, is the PTO Fall Festival from 9:30-11:30a.m. The pancake breakfast is $5 and tickets can be ordered online at
WCAFallFundraiser.com. Next Wednesday is the Prospective Family Showcase from 6-8p.m. If you know any families who would benefit from WCA, please encourage them to attend.
That's it for this week! Stay warm!
Mrs Bertsch
11/4/2019
We had a great week last week. I cancelled the quiz, we did a QOTD instead, since it was pretty obvious that Halloween came before studying for science and that's OK. I love Halloween, too! We started our Earthquake Unit and started a lab about types of faults.
This week SCIENTIST PROJECTS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY (Tuesday - if students want extra credit).
Students will be going to see the play "Peter and the Starcatchers" on Wednesday, but projects are due in my room in the morning.
We had Binder Checks today, and I will collect notebooks for the notebook check tomorrow.
There is no quiz this week. Students are watching a documentary on Earthquakes and answering questions, and presenting their projects this week. There is lunch study on Tuesday and Thursday for students who need to get assignments in for the end of the trimester.
Enjoy the long weekend!!!!
Mrs. Bertsch
11/11/19
We had a short week in science and spent most of it on students presenting their scientist projects. Students did a good job presenting and we'll have to work a bit on how to research and compile information. Overall, more than half the students received A's. We also had notebook and binder checks this week. Each was worth 20 points and students knew the check was coming. The first trimester is a wake up call for students who have not been following the class expectations. They have known since the beginning of the school year that they need to keep a notebook for notes and a binder for returned work and handouts to help their studying process. The new trimester continues these expectations.
Grades were due at the end of the week and soon students will be receiving their report cards. Students did a great job this trimester with 40% receiving A's. Very few students did poorly, and those that did were given a multitude of opportunities to improve their grades but chose not to. The biggest culprit is missing assignments - including, in some cases, no notebook, or binder, or project. This is not completely atypical behavior for sixth graders and, hopefully, they will improve as the year continues. New trimester - new opportunity to meet the expectations in science! I'm positive everyone can do well with appropriate effort!
This week we continue with our Earthquake unit. Students will finish their "Faulting" lab and do a lab on " Folding" this week. There will be a Quiz on Friday. Students will need to study their diagrams of faulting and folding and be able to draw labeled diagrams of their own. We will finish the earthquake video that students have been taking notes on.
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! What a nice break.
Happy Veterans' Day! May we always remember the sacrifices made by our military forces.
Mrs. Bertsch
11/18/19
We had a very nice weekend! It was nice to see the sun.
Last week students caught up on assignments from before the scientist projects and were able to take their projects home. Students reviewed faulting and added folding and seismic waves to their notes. Friday was a quiz that included drawing diagrams. It was a difficult quiz for those who hadn't studied and practiced how to draw the diagrams for faulting and folding.
A note to students in period 4. Their grades were quite low over the weekend. The class had lost participation points last week for incessant talking. The beginning of the trimester is a perfect time to show them how these points can affect their grades. PLEASE do not worry about the grades at this time. There is plenty of time for their grades to markedly improve.
This week there is a Quiz on Friday. If students miss it they will take it when we come back from the break. Students will be introduced to methods to measure earthquakes and how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake using the arrival times of seismic waves to a seismograph station. Students will need a math compass starting on Wednesday.
This Friday is a Free Dress Day for all students - thanks to reaching the Box Tops goal for the first trimester.
I hope everyone has a Happy Turkey Day and a wonderful break!
Mrs Bertsch
12/2/2019
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and, hopefully, the snow didn't affect anyone's plans. It was a good time to hang out with family and enjoy each other.
The week before the holiday students worked on labs and had a quiz. I realize the upcoming break seemed to have a fairly strong effect on the classes' quiz grades.Students also hadn't handed in work that was graded over the break. PLEASE do not get unduly distressed about their grades at this time. We have many more assignments and assessments this trimester that can help students improve their grades. We had a discussion about following directions and doing their best work. Many assignments were handed back with an incomplete or redo. They have until this Friday to make corrections and turn them in. Expectations for sixth grade students gradually increase as the year continues. This trimester we are emphasizing accurate and complete work that reflects the time and effort needed to complete it.
This week we are continuing our lab work on finding epicenters. We will do several of these exercises to make sure students understand how to do them. There will be a LAB TEST next Friday (12/13) that includes doing an epicenter exercise completely on their own. The UNIT TEST for Earthquakes will be Thursday 12/12. Students were told about the test on Monday and should be studying already. There will be another QUIZ this Friday (12/6) . We are already doing review with our Questions of the Day. There is lunch study Tuesday through Thursday for any students who need extra help. Students continue to need compasses for class.
I hope everyone enjoys this week! The weather seems to be cooperating! Yay!
Mrs. Bertsch
12/10/2019
So sorry I'm late with this update. I was absent from school yesterday. The students know what's going on, we discussed it in class and they forgave me for being gone. I'm going to keep this update quite short.
This is test week. Students have known about the two tests since last Monday. The Unit test on Earthquakes is on Thursday and the Lab test on Finding an Epicenter and Reading charts and diagrams is on Friday. Students need a compass for the lab test. The lab test is primarily a skill test and doesn't require a lot of studying. As long as students feel confident about how to find an epicenter, it will be fairly straightforward.We are reviewing on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is lunch study for anyone who needs a little extra help with their studying.
Today's review went very well. As long as they study their notes and quizzes, everyone should find themselves prepared. The quiz last Friday also went very well. There are 2 youtube videos from CV Shorey - one on Faulting, Stress and Strain, and the second one is on folding and joints. Both are a good review for any student struggling with faulting, folding, stress or strain concepts.
I hope everyone has a good week!
Mrs Bertsch
12/17/2019
Hi, all. Happy last week before break!
It's a good thing we had our tests last week since everyone seems a bit distracted this week.
First of all a huge "thank you" to my wonderful and caring students for their continued support. My husband was in intensive care last week but has been moved to a regular medical floor. He still has a long way to go but the scariest part seems to be over.
This week we started a new unit on Volcanoes. Students watched a video "Volcano Alert" by Naked Science (available on youtube) took notes, and are answering questions to hand in on Thursday. Those who had to make up tests from last week used this time to take their tests. We will hopefully get to go over the Unit test in class this week. Otherwise, we are jumping into volcanoes with notes that include a review of concepts from plate tectonics. I know it drives students crazy, but we do use the knowledge from previous units and will continue to do so throughout the year. Retaining knowledge is such an important ability!
To everyone's relief, there is no quiz this week!
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday break. Enjoy time with your families and loved ones.
To my students, I love you all very much - you always brighten my day.
Merry Christmas!
Mrs Bertsch
1/6/2020
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday break.
Before we go over the coming week's schedule, I want to sincerely thank all of my students and their parents who gave me such a wonderful and lovely Christmas! I had pretty much canceled Christmas, spending most of time advocating for my husband at the rehab hospital, - I didn't put up my Christmas tree until the weekend after Christmas, and it only had lights and tinsel. Finally, on Thursday, I went through the gifts from my students, and they made me smile and feel the love of the season and the caring we all have for one another. Thank you for bringing me such warmth and joy. I love you all.
This week we will continue to learn about volcanoes. There will be a hands-on, "Gases in Magma", on Wednesday and a Quiz on Friday. Students will also get their second trimester project on volcanoes that will be due on January 21.
Students whom have chosen not to hand in work from the last Unit on Earthquakes will see their grades negatively affected. If your student has a D or F in science, please encourage them to hand in assignments and study regularly. If they are struggling with science, there is my lunch study for more individual assistance. There is still time to increase grades for this trimester.
Let's get the new year off to a great start!
Mrs Bertsch
1/13/2020
Welcome to school week #2 of the New Year! It's a nice short week, but we still have a lot to do in science.
This week students will be learning about types of volcanoes, volcanic landforms, stages of volcanoes and inside a volcano. This information is helpful in understanding the research students are doing for their volcano projects. They will have Wednesday to work with their partners on the projects. The projects should be finished Tuesday of next week. Presentations start on Wednesday, 1/22. Tuesday,1/21, is for students to practice their presentations and make sure they have everything that is required in their presentation. I have been impressed with the effort students are putting into their projects and their excitement as they learn all kinds of interesting information about different volcanic regions of the earth!
Thursday is an early release day as we get ready for parent-teacher conferences. I really hope to meet a lot of the students' parents on Thursday afternoon and evening. Please try to attend. For students, there is a science quiz on Thursday.
I look forward to seeing you at conferences and have a great long weekend!
Mrs Bertsch
1/21/2020
It was really nice to meet so many parents at conferences last week. Thank you for taking time to come and check in!
This week students are presenting their Volcano Projects. Tuesday was the last opportunity to work out any kinks in their presentations and students used the time very wisely. Quite a few groups practiced their presentations. The rest of the week will be the real presentations. From what I've seen already, I'm really looking forward to them. Their written summary and notes are due when they present or on Friday at the latest.
There is NO quiz this week. Next week we will pick up with more on volcanic landforms as we start to wind down the volcano unit.
Short week - short on information!
Enjoy the week.
Mrs Bertsch
1/27/2020
Last week students presented their Volcano Projects. Quite a few students took advantage of the opportunity to practice on Tuesday and polish their presentations. Their work really showed! Many of the presentations were very well done. We still need to work on researching a topic and how to take notes on articles.
This week we'll be finishing up most of the volcano unit. Students will have a Unit Test next week. Depending on how this week goes, it will probably be Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Students should be studying each night so they are not overwhelmed. There is a big lab this week that requires a lot of using coordinate planes (latitude and longitude). It isn't due until the following Tuesday, but most students should finish it this week. They will also have a video and questions that will help them review for the Unit Test.
It's hard to believe that January is finishing up - but it is! If your student is still having trouble with their grades, please remind them to visit lunch study and/or get their labs and hands-on assignments turned in. I'm hoping for a strong finish for the Volcano Unit!
Have a great week!
Mrs Bertsch
2/3/2020
We are finishing the Volcano Unit this week with a Unit Test on Thursday. If, due to snow, our schedule changes - it may be moved to Friday but students should plan on Thursday. Last week students practiced using longitude and latitude coordinates to accurately find locations. They were able to work on the Lab - Mapping Volcanoes and Earthquakes in class and at home. The lab is due tomorrow - Tuesday. Monday and Tuesday classes are watching a documentary on Volcanoes and answering questions. The video is a good review and gives historical context to the effects of major eruptions on civilizations.
This is the end of our geology-intensive units. I know students are looking forward to our next topics - Ocean Motions and Ocean Life.
Please remind your student to study for the test each evening. Students should review their notes, quizzes, QOTDs and classwork.
Stay warm and safe!
Mrs Bertsch
2/10/2020
After ending last week with a snow day, we started off this week with the Volcanoes Unit Test. Students had been preparing for the test for over two weeks and had spent class time reviewing important concepts for the test. Learning how to study is an important skill, as is learning how to be confident in one's preparation. Students are still struggling with test anxiety although science is designed to allow students to be successful even if test-taking is not yet one of their strengths. Please help your students focus their energies on learning the material through repeated review throughout each Unit. Waiting to the last few days before the test to study is adding unnecessary stress to students. (They know so much more than they give themselves credit for!)
This week students will begin a new Unit on "Ocean Motions". There are still tie-ins with previous units (plate tectonics never goes away!), but this unit is a fun change from the more staid earth science we've been concentrating on up to this point. We will be learning about waves and erosion this week. There is NO quiz.
Here's hoping we make it through the week without having our schedule affected by snow!
Mrs Bertsch
2/18/20
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend!
This week students will continue to study waves and their effect on the shoreline. We have learned about different shoreline features including spits, tombolos, longshore drift, sandbars, barrier beaches and dunes. The last lab of the trimester is "Beach Erosion". Students will create beaches and demonstrate longshore drift and how to prevent beach erosion. There is a QUIZ on Friday over waves and beach erosion.
The trimester is over next Monday. All assignments must be turned in by this Friday, 2/21/20. Students should check in their binders or their bottomless backpacks for any missing work. If it doesn't have a grade on it, complete it and hand it in just in case. I saw numerous assignments that need to be handed in when I checked science binders.
Enjoy the week.
Mrs Bertsch
2/24/2020
Last week went quite well. Students enjoyed the Beach Erosion lab and absolutely rocked the Quiz on Friday. It was a great way to end the trimester.
This week we reviewed landforms from deposition along coasts, including dunes, and will be learning about buoyancy and ocean water chemistry. These topics give us a chance to introduce physics and chemistry concepts that they will elaborate on in 7th and 8th grade. Students will learn about buoyancy by designing boats to maximize load. It's fun and allows for creativity along with understanding the principles of Archimedes and Flotation. Ocean water chemistry centers around salinity and understanding how it changes due to conditions affecting the ocean.
There is a QUIZ on Friday covering the above topics (coastal landforms, buoyancy, and ocean chemistry).
Darron Gedge has 2 videos, one on Coastal Landforms - Erosion and the other on Coastal Landforms - Deposition. Both are on youtube and are very short ( about 5 and 7 minutes), but provide a great review.
Happy Mardi Gras! Have a good week!
Mrs Bertsch
3/2/2020
The first week of the trimester saw students learning about buoyancy and using their knowledge to design boats. The buoyancy lab gave each student the opportunity to create three different barge designs in a quest to have a barge carry the heaviest load. We discovered that a number of students probably do not have a future in boat building but a good time was had by all. Students were told that the Ocean Motions Unit Test will be on Tuesday, March 10.
This week we will finish the Unit by covering the last two topics - Currents and Climate, and Tides. There is a graphing lab for Tides this week. Students will receive a study guide for the Unit. These last two topics are the most difficult for students to understand. I have given students a list of short youtube videos that will help them if they are struggling with the material and can't make it to lunch study.
My goal is to have students complete this Unit and enjoy a stress free spring break. Please help your students focus on studying for the test. Living in a landlocked state - much of the information in this unit is fairly foreign to students. Students should review quizzes, QOTDs, labs/hands-on and notes.
Have a great week!
Mrs Bertsch
3/8/2020
It's almost here!!!! Spring break! BUT we still have a science Unit Test to get through.
We will review on Monday and students take the Ocean Motions Unit Test on Tuesday, March 10. Students were told about the test over a week and a half ago, received a study guide early last week, and should have been studying for the past week. Students should review their notes, quizzes, and classwork/homework.
Students who missed the buoyancy lab will have an opportunity to make it up on Wednesday during lunch/study.
Then its off to SPRING BREAK!! I hope everyone gets to spend some quality family time over break, relax, and come back healthy and refreshed!
Enjoy!
Mrs Bertsch
3/24/2020
I hope everyone had as good a break as possible. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of my most wonderful students - I miss you all.
Well, I guess we're off on a new adventure! Please bear with me as we get acclimated to virtual learning.
Any anxiety that students/parents have, I can assure you is matched by my own. We all know I am technologically challenged. So let's all take a deep breath and ease into this. Students have received invitations to science class on google.meet. Class times are the same as our usual schedule.
This week we will be doing a lab/project that I had planned for this week. Students will need a large piece of paper (approx 24" x 36"), a ruler, and markers/colored pencils/crayons. They will be creating a scaled representation of the water column. If you don't have a big piece of paper to draw on, students can tape white printer paper together or use the white back of a strong wrapping paper. We will figure it out together - no stress. If necessary, I can change the scale to make it smaller.
This week is going to be a learning experience for all of us.
Let's dive in!
Mrs Bertsch
3/30/2020
Wow! We had a great first week! It was wonderful to be able to see all my students and, together, we waded into virtual learning. I was surprised at how well everyone appeared to adapt - including myself!
The Water Column Project went quite smoothly. It's a difficult project when we're all together in class so I thought virtually could be quite confusing - but the students handled it like pros. We all seemed to enjoy discussing it and students liked the creativity they were able to showcase.
This week the schedule has been shortened to 40 minute classes. This should allow for a lot less down time between classes and let students work independently. I think it will work really well for everyone. 6th graders have a hard time staying focused for a 70 minute class on a computer. 3rd period starts at 8:45 am and 4th period begins at 9:30 am.
In class this week students completed the preunit survey today for our next unit on Ocean Life. We'll be doing notes and discussion for a few days. There will be a lab on mapping the ocean floor on Thursday (this is the tentative plan). The lab requires graph paper and a ruler for the mapping. It can be done without it, but it is MUCH easier with graph paper. Hopefully, students have some from math class at home. We will have a Quiz on Friday over the notes and discussions from this week.
To help students with their independent work, starting on Tuesday I will have a google.meet from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm on Monday through Friday. Students can check in with any questions if they so desire.
A huge thank you to all the parents for supporting your students (and I really hope your homes did not turn into a nightmare during the water column project, if they did, please accept my apologies).
That's it for this week! Have a good one.
Mrs Bertsch
6th Grade Science Update - 4/4/2020
Our second week of virtual learning gave students an opportunity to get back into a more conventional class organization style. Students took notes, drew diagrams and were assigned a skills lab that is due this upcoming Tuesday (4/ 7). We reviewed the lab and the graphing skills needed to complete it.
Almost all students sent in their Water Column Projects from the first week. Thank you to both students and parents for being creative at solving any issues experienced with trying to send pictures of the completed projects. This week students also had their first online science quiz.
The quiz served as a wake up call that studying is still necessary as we continue to add to their scientific knowledge base.
This coming week students will learn about resources from the ocean and start to explore different ocean habitats as we prepare for the Ocean Life Project in the near future.
There will be an online Quiz on Friday. Please encourage all students to review before Friday.
My office hours continue to be 2:30 - 3:30 Monday through Thursday. This is a great time for students with questions to get individual attention.
I appreciate everyone’s patience as we all get accustomed to virtual learning, especially my students who are unbelievably tolerant of my technological fumbling (I’m learning,though!).
I hope everyone has a good weekend.
Mrs Bertsch
6th Grade Science Update 4-18-2020
Thank you to the parents who visited with me at parent - teacher conferences. It’s always good to get feedback, especially when everything is so different.
By now you have seen the new schedule that will start on Monday. Science classes will be on Mondays (9:50 am for period 3 and 11:00 am for period 4) and Wednesdays. We will continue to cover new material through the end of the school year. There will not be office hours except by appointment during the week. I’m going to watch this carefully and may add reduced hours if there is a need ( similar to lunch-study that was available when we were in school). Fridays there will be office hours from 10am to noon. This time will be used for our Friday quizzes. Students will have to come to office hours for the quiz - it usually just takes 5 to 15 minutes. By using this time for a quiz, I feel I can cover much of the material in our Monday and Wednesday class time.
This past week we learned about coastal habitats including mangrove forests and salt marshes. I am using short videos to help students better understand the ocean habitats and the importance of these different ecosystems. We refer to their water column projects to help them relate the ecosystems to the properties of the water column. Students have been quick to understand how each environment can be adversely affected by changes from pollution, temperature, invasive species and human actions, to name a few.
Next week we will finish habitats - kelp forests, coral reefs, the open ocean, and, always a favorite, the deep ocean including hydrothermal vents. There will be a quiz on Friday on ocean habitats.
That should make for a good week!
Enjoy your weekend.
Mrs Bertsch
6th Grade Science Update - 4/25/2020
Hi, everyone.
We made it through our first week of the new schedule. It went pretty smoothly. Several students forgot to take the quiz on Friday, but the vast majority showed up and took the quiz. There was quite a bit of information covered on the quiz and most students did a fairly good job. Studying always helps! The notes were available for students on Wednesday and included short videos for each habitat we had discussed.
This coming week students will be assigned a habitat and need to get my approval for their in depth study of an organism that lives in their habitat. This is the final project of the year. It has several parts, including creating a model of their organism. The model must be created by the student - no buying a ready made model. Be creative - think outside the box - it’s amazing what you can do with things from around the house. Students will be researching and reporting on the life cycle, morphology, predator-prey relationships, and adaptations of their chosen organisms, to name a few of the requirements.
To help students better understand their organisms, we will be discussing classification this week. Students will need to know the scientific name for their organism - genus and species. There is NO QUIZ THIS WEEK. Students with questions on the project or other material from class should check in during my office hours on Friday (10-noon).
Enjoy the weekend! I think spring is finally here!
Mrs Bertsch
6th Grade Science Update 5-2-2020
We are quickly approaching the end of the academic year. This has been quite an experience for all of us. I am very impressed with students’ efforts to adapt to this new learning format and I REALLY appreciate their patience with me as I attempted to figure out what I was doing ( I surprised myself!) and tried to keep our class continuity going. Students will have covered all of the same material as last year’s sixth graders. They will enter seventh grade more than prepared for the additional rigors of chemistry, astronomy and genetics.
Students should be hard at work on the year end project. It is due on Monday, May 11 at class time. There are still several students who have not gotten their organism choice approved - you are running out of time. If you look at google classroom under ocean project and open ocean habitat groups, all the approved organisms are listed. Several students have already completed the project - a little concentration goe a long way toward getting it done. DO NOT procrastinate.
The final unit test of the year will be the last day of class - Wednesday, May 13 on The Ocean Life Unit. Students should be looking over their notes from Exploring the Ocean and the Ocean Floor up through Fish and Classification. We will be discussing fish this week. The test will be shorter than what everyone is used to (50-60 questions - yes, that is short for us) and will NOT be cumulative.
There will be NO QUIZ this week. (Work on projects and studying)
There will be NO CUMULATIVE FINAL. (Breathe a sigh of relief)
I think that’s it for this week! Enjoy the nice weather.
Mrs Bertsch
6th Grade Science Update 5-9-2020
Last week was the last for taking notes for the academic year!!!!! It was a lot to assimilate as we went over fish classification and the differences between the 3 classes of fish as well as fish anatomy.
Monday (5/11) the ocean life projects are due. Students should send me their slide show and images for their organism report. Everyone should have their organism model with them during class on Monday. Students should plan on giving a short synopsis of their organism’s special adaptations to the class.
Wednesday is the last day of class. Students in both classes overwhelmingly chose to have a study session during class and take the test in the afternoon. The test will be at 2PM on Wednesday (5/13). During class, I’ll be reviewing with the classes and answering questions. All students will need to check in during the afternoon google meet and take the unit test.
The project and test are the last two grades that will go into infinite campus for the third trimester.
This is it for the year. I hope everyone has a good weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!!!!
Mrs Bertsch