Halloween Week

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Halloween weekend.  There will be no school on Monday, but come Tuesday its back to business.

Biology:  We will be finishing up Community Ecology and will take a test on Thursday Nov. 3rd.  Reminder that tests are cumulative in Biology so Ch. 20, 19 and 18 will be assessed.  For students who are going on the Drama Field Trip that day, the Test will be given in After School Tutoring that afternoon.  Below I am inserting a few pictures of the Owl Pellet Lab we did on Thursday Oct. 27th.  The kids really enjoyed it.

ESP: Test Retakes for Ch. 20 will be given on Tuesday Nov. 1 in after school tutoring.  Any student scoring in the low 70's or below are encouraged to retake the test for a new score averaged with the previous one.  On Tuesday we will be moving away from Astronomy and centering ourselves on the Earth and its processes.  A vocabulary quiz over Ch. 21 will be on Thursday Nov. 3.

Biology Lab Pictures

Have a Fun-Filled Halloween!
Ms. Gardner

Apologies!

I had to be unexpectedly out on Wednesday so this has caused Wednesday's activities to be pushed to today.  But as we learn in science, "Life happens so we must Adapt!" :) Therefore, here are the changes:

Biology:  We will be doing the Lab today in class.  So far the kids have really enjoyed digging into their owl pellets and discovering the small skeletons of rodents, moles, birds, and shrews.  They are connecting the concept of ecological food chains with  real world evidence.  Seriously, they are having so much fun.  Ask them about it tonight.  Because we are a day behind, the test may or may not be pushed back next week as well.  It will depend on how much ground we can make up until then.  I should have a better idea the beginning of next week.

ESP:  We will be taking our test over the Universe today.  The students were given a whole class period in my absence to study so they should do well; Hopefully, if they took advantage of the extra time.  Retakes will be given on Tuesday Nov. 1 in after school tutoring.

Have a great Halloween Break!
Ms. Gardner

ESP Test Change of Date

I have pushed back the ESP Universe Test to Wednesday, Oct. 26th to give us more time to review.  Students need to make sure to study the sections, notes, organizers and constructed responses over the Universe chapter.

Ms. Gardner

October 24-28

*Reminder that Tutoring is on Tuesday and Thursday for anyone who needs extra help.*

Biology: On Wednesday 26th we will be having a Lab that demonstrates Species interactions in an Community.  The Community Ecology chapter we are on is a short one.  We will be having a cumulative test over it as well as Ecology and Populations content previously covered on Wednesday Nov 2nd (tentatively).

ESP: Test over Ch. 20 The Universe will be Tuesday Oct. 25th.  Test Retakes will be on Thursday Oct. 27th  for those who scored in low 70's or below.  They will be able to retake the test for a new score that is an average of the two tests. On Wednesday we will be moving away from Astronomy and begin a new content area over the Earth and its processes.

Have a safe weekend!
Ms. Gardner

Weekly Summary

*Tutoring for both Biology and ESP will be on Tuesday and Thursday each week.  When the End of Course Assessment materials become available, I will set aside special days for Biology Tutoring.  I will keep you posted.*

Biology:
This week Biology is finishing up Chapter 19 with a test they took on Monday and we will begin Chapter 20: Community Populations, on Wednesday. 

Ch. 19 Test Retakes will be given Thursday 20th in After-School Tutoring.  Any student who made in low 70's or below that wish to retake it needs to be here on Thursday afternoon.  This is the only day and time it will be offered. 

Ch. 20 Vocabulary Quiz will be on Friday 21st.

ESP:
This week we are finishing up Ch. 20 on the Universe.  Today we will be doing a lab that demonstrates how the universe may be expanding. 

Our Ch. 20 Universe Test will be Tuesday 25th.

Back to Business

I hope everyone had a great and much needed break over Fall Break.  But time is now ticking away and it will be Christmas before we know it!  I going to outline what each class will be doing now and in the near future.

Biology: We are finishing up our chapter on Populations.  We have several out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday for various activities so we will have the Cumulative test over Populations AND Ecology on Monday Oct. 17th.  All tests are cumulative because we are preparing for the End of Course Assessment at the end of the year.  Seeing it and studying it all year long is going to payoff in the end!

ESP:  We are still working on our Universe chapter.  This week we will be reading, taking notes and answering questions about our universe.  On the creative side, students are preparing a short story about possible alien life forms that come straight from their imagination and incorporates all they have learned about space.  It should be interesting.  I will be giving extra credit for the students who wish to share their stories with the class. 

Have a great week!
Ms. Gardner