Weekly Updates

Grade 8  

8th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Waves, where they shifted from exploring sound sound waves into investigating how light waves can be both harmful and beneficial to humans.

Students conducted cooperative lab experiments to learn about the reflection and absorption of light waves along with the wavelengths of the visible light spectrum, they watched a documentary film on the historical evolution of human understanding of the physics of how light can behave as both a wave and particle, and they will move into more interactive labs where they will explore the selective transmission of light energy and the phenomenon of refraction.

Grade 7

7th grade took a one week break from exploring their "Forces & Motion" physics SEPUP unit to take time to work on their class Decatur Fundraiser auction item.

Each student researched about a plant, that could represent themself, that has meaning to them personally. For example, some students were named after plants such as a rose or lily, while others chose chose plants that reminded them of them of their grandparents' homelands, thus having meaning to their family histories. Each student then created a puzzle piece where they themselves are the plants that they chose. The pieces will be glued together to make one large puzzle, which will then be framed to auction off at the Decatur Fundraiser on the 16th of March.

This project also helped set the class up for this coming Monday's field trip to The Plant Chicago , where the class will tour one of the largest zero-wastes indoor aquaponics facilities in the world and conduct a hands-on lab to learn more about native pollinators that they can eventually begin planting at school.

This week after Monday's field trip, the class will dive back into their SEPUP physics unit by exploring Newton's Laws of Motion.

Grade 6

6th grade began exploring Solar Energy as part of an integrated Science + Math class project known as

Solarize Your School .

During Science period, the class learned about how photovoltaic systems work and this week will conduct some hands-on investigations into how solar energy is transformed into either thermal energy or electricity to do work. This project will eventually culminate with the class submitting an official proposal to help Decatur Classical School and our surrounding community to seek out Photovoltaic solar systems to generate electricity. More on that will come later!

Grade 8  

8th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Waves, where they continued exploring our unit issue of how sound sound and light waves can be both harmful and beneficial to humans. 

Students are now transitioning in this unit from sound waves to exploring light waves. 

This coming week, the class will also continue digging deeper into our integrated Chicago Symphony Orchestra project by exploring the history of the Chicago River and it’s watershed. 

8th grade class will be exploring this CSO inquiry unit along with our 5th grade students and they will be learning about music and water’s connectedness (particularly the Chicago River and our shore of Lake Michigan) during science and music class with Ms. Schmittle. More news on that to follow::)

Grade 7

7th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Forces & Motion where they learned how engineers use scientific models (SEPUP unit cart and track systems) to design motor vehicles for improved car and driver safety. 

Students worked in cooperative learning groups to explore in more depth how energy transfers in moving vehicles. Using SEPUP materials to make a highway system scientific model, they collected, analyzed, and interpreted their own experimental data on how much gravitational-potential energy transfers into kinetic energy based on variables such as height up a ramp and how that energy then transfers to other objects during a vehicular collision. 

This week, the class will dive deeper into how to more accurately use mathematical and computational thinking to explore the impact of other variables such as the mass and speed of two different vehicles during a collision. 

Grade 6

6th grade continued digging into their Life Sciences SEPUP unit, From Cells to Organisms, where they continued exploring how epidemiologists use microscopy skills when investigating disease outbreaks. 

Students explored the "History of Cell Theory and Germ Theory of Disease", and while doing so, they noticed that our class textbook only highlighted important contributions to both theories from men, and no women. So, they decided to draft emails to our SEPUP textbook editors asking why? We look forward to hearing back from them (Mr. K personally knows some of the editors!)

This week, students will work in small cooperative learning groups to set up an experiment to show evidence that cells are alive through observing the cellular respiration of yeast cells that are commonly used for baking. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Waves, where they continued exploring sound energy and how it can impact human hearing.

Students also began work on their collaborative and integrated Science & Music class Chicago Symphony Orchestra Project (CSO) by responding to the prompt: Think about what you know about music. Think what you know about water. Show how they are connected.”

8th grade class will be exploring this CSO inquiry unit along with our 5th grade students as they will be exploring music and water’s connectedness (particularly the Chicago River and our shore of Lake Michigan) during science and music class with Ms. Schmittle. More news on that to follow::)

Grade 7

7th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Forces & Motion where they learned how engineers use scientific models (SEPUP unit cart and track systems) to design motor vehicles for improved car and driver safety. Students worked in cooperative learning groups by learning the correct procedures for measuring the velocity of a moving vehicle. 

Grade 6

6th grade continued digging into their Life Sciences SEPUP unit, From Cells to Organisms, where they continued exploring how epidemiologists use microscopy skills when investigating disease outbreaks. Students worked in collaborative groups to examine four different microorganisms that can cause disease: Euglena, Amoeba, Paramecium, and mixed bacteria. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Waves, where they continued exploring sound energy and how it can impact human hearing.

Students explored to model sound waves, how sound impacts the human auditory system, which type of signal is better for transmitting sound: analog vs digital. 

Students also presented at this year’s Decatur Classical STEM Fair. Congratulations to: Clare & Neil, Sienna, and Elliot for advancing onto CPS Network 2 Regional STEM Fair! Please see the video slideshow in “Posts”! 

Grade 7

7th grade continued digging into their physics SEPUP unit, Forces & Motion where they continued exploring how engineers design vehicles to reduce the risk of accidents and improve car & driver safety. 

Students also presented at this year’s Decatur Classical STEM Fair. Congratulations to: Maizie and Adrian for advancing onto CPS Network 2 Regional STEM Fair! Please see the video slideshow in “Posts”! 

Grade 6

6th grade continued digging into their Life Sciences SEPUP unit, From Cells to Organisms, where they continued exploring how epidemiologists have historically used experimentation, data collection analysis, and science & engineering practices collaboratively around the world to advance medical science to treat and combat disease outbreaks such as bubonic plague. 

Students also presented at this year’s Decatur Classical STEM Fair. Congratulations to: Maja, Zoe, Raaga, Aaron & Johaan, and Sriya & Saliha for advancing onto CPS Network 2 Regional STEM Fair! Please see the video slideshow in “Posts”! 

Grade 8  

8th grade conducted an owl pellet dissection to culminate their ecology SEPUP unit, and then dove right into a physics SEPUP unit, Waves, where they began exploring sound energy and how it can impact human hearing.

Students also worked on peer reviewing each other’s STEM Fair Project documents, worked in class on getting their presentations ready to present to their class, and several students have been choosing to come in during their lunch break as well to get ready for their project presentations. 

Grade 7

7th grade applied what they have been learning about the role of genetics in heredity through creating models of "critters" based on crossing of the known genotypes of the two critter parents. 

Students also worked on peer reviewing each other’s STEM Fair Project documents, worked in class on getting their presentations ready to present to their class, and several students have been choosing to come in during their lunch break as well to get ready for their project presentations. 

Grade 6

6th grade wrapping up their earth science SEPUP unit, Geologic Process, by investigating the theory of continental drift and then diving right into a new biology SEPUP unit, From Cells to Organisms, where they ran a fun real-world simulation where they worked as epidemiologists to determine the most likely cause of a bacterial diseases outbreak. 

Students also worked on peer reviewing each other’s STEM Fair Project documents, worked in class on getting their presentations ready to present to their class, and several students have been choosing to come in during their lunch break as well to get ready for their project presentations. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring their SEPUP inquiry unit of study, Ecology. This unit sets the stage for our 8th graders to begin partnering with professional ecologists from Friends of Chicago River & Urban Rivers to do important environmental stewardship work along our Chicago River. They will be working with Ecologists this coming week on their field trip to The Wild Mile at the Chicago River.  

8th graders went on a field trip last week to The Wild Mile and learned from professional ecologists of Urban Rivers. They learned how the Wild Mile’s floating gardens have been designed and installed, studied macroinvertebrates that can be analyzed to determine the water quality of the Chicago River, and this partnership will lead to our 8th grade class designing, constructing, and installing similar floating gardens in the Chicago River near River Park. 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 7

7th grade class continued exploring deeper their SEPUP inquiry unit, Reproduction. Students explored the crossing of alleles that sometimes lead to what is known as incomplete or codominance. 

This past week, 7th grade explored live organisms that reproduce asexually such as Daphnia, Planaria, and Paramecium, with Planaria being able to regenerate when dissected, thus showing asexual reproduction of an organism as part of their biology unit exploring reproduction in general.  

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 6

6th grade had a successful field trip to Dunes Learning Center at the Indiana Dunes National Park. Students were led by Dunes outdoor education staff on several fun community-building activities and a long nature walk to learn about the National Park’s ecological preservation efforts. 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring their SEPUP inquiry unit of study, Ecology. This unit sets the stage for our 8th graders to begin partnering with professional ecologists from Friends of Chicago River & Urban Rivers to do important environmental stewardship work along our Chicago River. They will be working with Ecologists this coming week on their field trip to The Wild Mile at the Chicago River.  

8th graders have been exploring food webs of wildlife within our region and will continue to do so on this week’s field trip. Students will begin exploring some hands-on investigations this coming week where they will investigate the interactions of the smallest members of our local aquatic ecosystems by collecting and analyzing macroinvertebrates while on their Wild Mile field trip, as well as studying small macro and microinvertebrates such as Blackworms, Daphnia, Planaria, and Paramecium, as well as soil decomposers known as nematodes. 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 7

7th grade class continued exploring deeper their SEPUP inquiry unit, Reproduction. Students explored the crossing of alleles that sometimes lead to what is known as incomplete or codominance. 

This coming week, 7th grade will explore live organisms that reproduce asexually such as Planaria being able to regenerate when dissected. 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 6

***Important Reminder of 6th grade field trip, this Thursday November 9th, to Indiana Dunes National Park Education Center!!!

6th grade dug deeper (no pun intended:)) into their SEPUP Unit--Geologic Processes by conducting a cooperative lab investigation where they explored various volcanic eruptions that are dependent upon gas content below the earth’s surface as they continue to seek evidence to support their own claims as to the best place underground to store hazardous/radioactive nuclear wastes produced by nuclear power plants and industry. 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should begin setting up their experiments/engineering designs if they have not started yet.  All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring their SEPUP inquiry unit of study, Ecology. This unit sets the stage for our 8th graders to begin partnering with professional ecologists from Friends of Chicago River & Urban Rivers to do important environmental stewardship work along our Chicago River. 

8th graders are exploring food webs of wildlife within our region as well as seeing them in action in our classroom through feeding live minnows to our Lake Michigan fish (large-mouth bass, bluegill, rock bass, and invasive gobis), and 8th graders also fed live crickets to our pet bearded dragon, Snickers, along with our new live Venus Flytrap plant that was donated to our Science lab by a Decatur parent 

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should be working on their materials and procedures list, as well as setting up their initial trials for their chosen experiment or engineering design process. All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 7

7th grade class continued exploring deeper their SEPUP inquiry unit, Reproduction. Students explored the role of genetics and how traits are passed on from parents to offspring. 

7th grade continued exploring genetics by learning how geneticists use Punnett Squares as a way of predicting the genotypes and phenotypes of offspring given the cross of the parents' genotypes.

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should be working on their materials and procedures list, as well as setting up their initial trials for their chosen experiment or engineering design process. All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 6

6th grade dug deeper (no pun intended:)) into their SEPUP Unit--Geologic Processes by working in small cooperative research groups and teaching the rest of the class about recent significant natural disasters as they continue to gather evidence to support their claims as to where would be the best underground location to store hazardous nuclear waste.

For their STEM Fair Projects: students should be working on their materials and procedures list, as well as setting up their initial trials for their chosen experiment or engineering design process. All assignments, including student examples for each, are posted in our Science Google Classroom page. Students can email me with any questions, and some students even take advantage of asking to see me during a lunch break for extra help. 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit of study, Ecology. This unit sets the stage for our 8th graders to begin partnering with professional ecologists from Friends of Chicago River & Urban Rivers to do important environmental stewardship work along our Chicago River. 

Students also began researching their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom. 

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 7

7th grade class continued exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit, Reproduction. Students explored the impact of genetic conditions of Marfan Syndrome and Sickle Cell Disease. 

Students also began researching their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom. 

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 6

6th grade continued exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit, Geologic Processes, by beginning to gather evidence to support their eventual decisions on dealing with the problem of where to store nuclear wastes produced by nuclear power plants and industries.  

Students also began researching their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom.

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 8  

8th grade began exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit of study, Ecology. This unit sets the stage for our 8th graders to begin partnering with professional ecologists from Friends of Chicago River & Urban Rivers to do important environmental stewardship work along our Chicago River. 

Students also worked on selecting their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom. 

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 7

7th grade class began exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit, Reproduction. Students began learning about certain health conditions are sometimes passed down from parents to offspring through genetics. 

Students also worked on selecting their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom. 

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 6

6th grade class began exploring their first SEPUP inquiry unit, Geologic Processes, with a scavenger hunt activity as a way of previewing the unit textbook to become familiar with all of this anchor text features and tools to support their learning. 

Students also worked on selecting their topics for this year’s STEM Fair Project. Their assignments and due dates for the project are all posted in Google Classroom. 

Please check out Decatur JHS Science Webpage Home for the past three week’s slideshow segments of pics of these activities! 

Grade 8  

8th grade settled in for the first 2 weeks back to school by reviewing class norms, choosing new class helper positions for everyone to take ownership in the day-to-day runnings of our classroom, participating in several community-building team challenges, and taking a look at this year’s timeline for their STEM Fair Project (more information will be sent home on week 4). It was so refreshing to see everyone back and welcome in our new classmates to Decatur this year! 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for several pics of these activities! 

Grade 7

8th grade settled in for the first 2 weeks back to school by reviewing class norms, choosing new class helper positions for everyone to take ownership in the day-to-day runnings of our classroom, participating in several community-building team challenges, and taking a look at this year’s timeline for their STEM Fair Project (more information will be sent home on week 4). Since 7th grade is my homeroom, they also got to choose the name of our new class pet bearded-dragon lizard, “Snickers”. It was so refreshing to see everyone back and welcome in our new classmates to Decatur this year! 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for several pics of these activities! 

Grade 6

8th grade settled in for the first 2 weeks back to school by reviewing class norms, choosing new class helper positions for everyone to take ownership in the day-to-day runnings of our classroom, participating in several community-building team challenges, and taking a look at this year’s timeline for their STEM Fair Project (more information will be sent home on week 4). It was so refreshing to see everyone back and welcome in our new classmates to Decatur this year! 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for several pics of these activities! 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring a SEPUP Unit on “Waves”. They conducted an  investigation on how sound waves can travel as either analog or digital waves through telephone landline systems (which are now almost obsolete), and they did a fun community builder that built upon their previous “Chemistry of Materials Unit” as they made their own keepsake mini lava lamps. 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for pics of these activities as well as pics from our first Decatur Family STEM Night event! 

Grade 7

7th grade dug deeper into their "Reproduction" SEPUP unit through an lab exercise where they needed to argue from evidence to try and figure out which pollinators with unique adaptations best pollinated various plants with unique adaptations. The class also learned how cell proteins are constructed from DNA subunits in order to have specific structures that lead to various functions by specific proteins. 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for pics of these activities as well as pics from our first Decatur Family STEM Night event! 

Grade 6

6th grade continued exploring their SEPUP Inquiry Unit, “From Cells to Organisms. They learned how past epidemiologists from around the world collaborated in order to solve the mystery of how Bubonic Plague spreads. Ask your child more about it! They also investigated the historical evolution of modern Biology by chronicling significant scientific advancements since the 1500s that led to both “Cell Theory” and “Germ Theory of Disease”

The students also discovered that the Bluegill fish in our classroom aquatic ecosystem will sometimes nibble on fingers that are dipped into the surface of the aquarium. They wiggled their fingers like a worm and some got to feel the nibble. 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for pics of these activities as well as pics from our first Decatur Family STEM Night event! 

Grade 5

5th grade continued exploring together their new inquiry unit “Energy Transformations”. They spent a whole class period outside on an 80 degree afternoon investigating solar water heaters, and how color matters in how much radiant energy from the sun transforms into thermal energy in water tanks. The class also worked in small cooperative teams to investigate other energy transformations by rotating through a series of “Energy Stations”. Students got to learn all about transformations such as chemical to electrical to mechanical energy by making apple batteries. 

Please check out the past two week’s slideshow segments for pics of these activities as well as pics from our first Decatur Family STEM Night event! 

Grade 8  

8th grade began exploring a SEPUP Unit on “Waves”. They conducted a couple of investigations on sound waves and learned about pressure waves, a phenomenon of how sound energy travels through matter but does not displace the matter itself when traveling from it’s source to our ears. 

Special congratulations to Lucy and Francesca, each of whom represented Decatur well at the CPS Citywide STEM Fair held at IL Institute of Technology. They competed with the top students across the district. Special congratulations extend also to Francesca, who will continue to represent Decatur at the IL State STEM Fair, which will be held at Southern IL University in Carbondale in late April. 

Grade 7

7th grade dug deeper into their "Reproduction" SEPUP unit by creating critters, which they created using a crossing of both critter parents genes randomly being passed onto their offspring’s genotypes, which then were used to construct the phenotypes (physical traits) expressed in their critters. 

Special congratulations to Clare, Elliot, and Sienna, each of whom represented Decatur well at the CPS Citywide STEM Fair held at IL Institute of Technology. They competed with the top students across the district. Special congratulations extend also to Elliot and Sienna, each of whom will continue to represent Decatur at the IL State STEM Fair, which will be held at Southern IL University in Carbondale in late April. 

Grade 6

6th grade began exploring their next SEPUP Inquiry Unit, “From Cells to Organisms. They watched a PBS Nova documentary called “Superbugs, the Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria” and started their first investigation acting as epidemiologists to track down the source of an infectious disease outbreak. 

Grade 5

5th grade wrapped up their “Weather & Climate” SEPUP unit. They demonstrated their understanding of the main unit concepts of wind and water currents being driven by thermal energy to affect regional and global climate patterns. The will next start a new inquiry unit exploring “Energy”. 

Grade 8  

8th grade wrapped up their "Chemistry of Materials" SEPUP Inquiry unit with an activity to dig deeper into how chemists cross link polymers to create various types of plastics; students wrote city council proposals for how the city can best deal with the problems of plastic wastes; and the unit culminated with them taking their final exam to demonstrate their understanding of the unit’s NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Performance Standards. 

Grade 7

7th grade dug deeper into their "Reproduction" SEPUP unit by watching a National Geographic Documentary Film made by geneticists called, The Human Family Tree. It tells the story of how our human species has evolved from starting out in Africa and migrating over time to populate all parts of the world. The students learned how the diversity of our outside physical appearances, “phenotypes”, evolved through genetic drift and adaptations to the Earth’s varying climates, yet how we are all so genetically similar due to our shared DNA from our common ancestors that originated in Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago. They are now creating their own multimodal presentations to share their understanding with our greater community by retelling this story by choosing from the following formats: short movie; storyboard; flipbook; written composition; or graphic novel. 

Grade 6

6th grade wrapped up their “Geologic Processes” SEPUP inquiry unit by revisiting the unit’s anchoring inquiry questions around where is the best place to store nuclear wastes. They concluded the unit by playing classroom Jeopardy and taking their final exam to demonstrate their understanding of the unit’s NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas and Performance Standards.

Grade 5

5th grade conducted a cooperative group and partner activity as part of their “Weather & Climate” SEPUP unit. They analyzed and interpreted data as teams of meteorologists and practiced the roles of weather forecasters in front of class. Be sure to check out this week’s video slideshow showing how excited the class was when hearing Mr. Murray making an all school PA announcement of the classes who were in the lead for the Student Council charity supply drive! 

Grade 8  

8th grade continued exploring their "Chemistry of Materials" SEPUP Inquiry unit with a lab investigation where they worked as chemists to cross link two different polymers to make a type of plastic that resembled slime; a further investigation as they analyzed the pros and cons of plastics in society was they performed a taste test experiment to see if they could actually taste the difference between water taken directly from our school tap, bottled purified water (which is just bottled water taken directly from another municipal tap somewhere), bottled distilled water, and bottled spring water. Ask your child about the class data results as they discover that bottled water cost a lot more than water out of the tap and is it really worth the extra costs? 

Grade 7

7th grade dug deeper into their "Reproduction" SEPUP unit by investigating further how geneticists predict the likely outcomes of alleles of genes passing from parents to offspring through a coin toss model as well as with the use of Punnett squares. This allowed them to conceptualize as well the connection between genotypes and phenotypes. Confused? Ask your child more about it:)

Grade 6

6th grade approached the end of their “Geologic Processes” SEPUP inquiry unit by investigating how the Earth’s natural resources are unevenly distributed around the world due to past geologic events. They worked in teams to collect, analyze, and interpret data of how ground water aquifers in places like California are impacted by both geologic events and human activities. 

Grade 5

5th grade conducted a couple of cooperative group and partner activities as part of their “Weather & Climate” SEPUP unit. They collected, analyzed, and interpreted data of the Earth’s regional prevailing wind patterns to explain how prevailing winds drive regional climate conditions around the world. 

Grade 8  

8th grade explored through a lab investigation and computer simulation how atoms and molecules move differently between the states of solid, liquid, and gas depending on thermal energy within a system as part of their "Chemistry of Materials" SEPUP Inquiry unit.

Grade 7

7th grade dug deeper into their "Reproduction" SEPUP unit by investigating how geneticists predict the likely outcomes of alleles of genes passing from parents to offspring through a coin toss model as well as with the use of Punnett squares. This allowed them to conceptualize as well the connection between genotypes and phenotypes. Confused? Ask your child more about it:)

Grade 6

6th grade learned more about the Earth’s "Rock Cycle" by playing a simulated geology board game where they learned more about the natural causes and effects that drive Earth's rock transformations over time both at the surface and deep below in the mantle between 3 main types--igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks as part of their “Geologic Processes” SEPUP inquiry unit. 

Grade 5

5th grade became teachers as they worked in cooperative groups to create visual teaching lessons for the rest of the class on a lesson about the causes of climate. They learned from each others' lessons through a gallery walk where they learned from each groups' visual lessons as part of their “Weather & Climate” SEPUP unit. 

Grade 8  

8th graders continued digging deeper into their SEPUP Unit, “Chemistry of Materials” by working in cooperative teams to continue exploring molecular structure of atoms, molecules, compounds, and extended structures. Students began exploring why atoms bond in various ways through either covalent and ionic bonding. 

Grade 7

7th graders continued exploring their next SEPUP Inquiry Unit on “Reproduction” by working in cooperative teams to create and teach lessons about asexual vs sexual reproduction and cloning to their class with a strategy known as “reciprocal teaching”. Their lessons will serve as anchors of subsequent lessons throughout the unit. 

Grade 6

6th grade class continued with their SEPUP unit, “Geologic Processes” by simulating how convection in the Earth’s mantle drives lithospheric plate movements above within the Earth’s lithosphere. The students got together and worked in teams to create and present skits to the class only using their bodies and sticky notes as props in order to demonstrate further their understanding of the processes that take place deeper in the Earth’s mantle and the lithosphere to cause tectonic plate movements that sometimes lead to devastating earthquakes such as the recent devastating one along the Turkish-Syrian border. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring their SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate” by conducting a cooperative group activity of reading, analyzing, and interpreting a skit to further investigate how the Earth’s warm and cold ocean currents drive weather patterns and affect regional climates around the world. The skit included 18th century scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin time traveling to today in order to interact with a hydrologist and climatologist to show how science has evolved over time with the use of advances in technology to better understand the important role global ocean current patterns play in driving weather and climate. 

Grade 8  

8th graders continued digging deeper into their SEPUP Unit, “Chemistry of Materials” by working in cooperative teams to begin exploring how atoms combine to form various molecules and compounds.  

Grade 7

7th graders continued exploring their next SEPUP Inquiry Unit on “Reproduction” by investigating how genes are passed from parents to offspring through heredity. 

Grade 6

6th grade class continued with their SEPUP unit, “Geologic Processes” by exploring how convection in the Earth’s mantle drives lithospheric plate movements above within the Earth’s lithosphere. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring their SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate” by conducting a cooperative lab investigating how thermal energy leads to differences in the density of water, thus driving the Earth’s Global Conveyor Belt of cold vs warm ocean currents. They used their data from this investigation to connect back to some articles read in class about how climate change due to melting sea ice is actually causing some locations’ climates to actually get colder rather than warmer. 

Grade 8  

8th graders continued digging deeper into their SEPUP Unit, “Chemistry of Materials” by working in cooperative research teams to collect evidence as they argued in a mock Chicago City Council meeting whether the city should use glass, aluminum, or plastic as the material of choice for drink containers. 

Grade 7

7th graders wrapped up their SEPUP Unit, “From Cells to Organisms” by completing their unit final exam; 7th grade also received a special visit from 3 Northwestern University students who are part of NU’s Engineers Without Borders Chapter; the NU EWB members led a fun engineering and design STEM Challenge where both 7th grade classes got together and formed cooperative teams of 3 to see who could design the most effective water filter device. Congratulations to the team of Myar, Leilah, and Neelam for being the winning team in this first in a series of engineering-design STEM challenges led by our NU EWB partners! 

7th grade also began exploring their next SEPUP Inquiry Unit on “Reproduction” by learning about genetic disorders such as Marfan Syndrome and how traits are passed from parents to offspring through heredity. 

Grade 6

6th grade received a special visit from 3 Northwestern University students who are part of NU’s Engineers Without Borders Chapter; the NU EWB members presented to the class on their work around the world with EWB where they work in developing nations such as Ecuador to work together with local citizenry to design and build infrastructure such as bridges and public water systems. The students learned how each of the 3 EWB members, Zeynep, Ethan, and Matt began their paths towards STEM while in middle school and high school, and they shared with the class their majors and how they also enjoy many personal interests too such as skiing, tennis, sailing, soccer, etc. Students enjoyed meeting our NU EWB partners and asking them  questions about high school and college life. This is the first visit with 6th grade class and next time they visit it will be to lead an engineering design STEM Challenge with them! 

Students wrapped up their work on their team engineering project investigating how various green roof designs can help solve problems related to a phenomenon known as “The Urban Heat Island Effect” and urban runoff that leads to increase flooding. Both of those problems are right here in Chicago and either contribute to or are impacted by global climate change. Students made observations of their cover crops seedlings and started new seedlings that they will then use to simulate grasses, along with succulent plants, to simulate their groups’ urban green roofs designs. The students tested their own team’s hypothesis by collecting data from their control and experimental groups through repeated trials, and then began analyzing and interpreting the data from their groups. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring their SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate”. They investigated how the Earth’s surface ocean temperatures are influenced by a region’s latitude north or south of the equator. Students worked in teams to record temperature data, and they analyzed the patterns that the data was revealing. Students will continue investigating weather and climate further next week with a lab activity on how ocean temperature variation leads to convection currents which drive ocean current global patterns thus influencing weather and climate patterns around the world. 

Grade 8  

After all students presented their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates, several students chose to then present to volunteer judges who also share a passion for STEM learning at our Decatur STEM Fair. I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. The judges were very impressed with our students’ presentations and congratulations to Francesca and Lucy for advancing to represent Decatur at CPS Regional STEM Fair competition! 

8th graders continued digging deeper into their SEPUP Unit, “Chemistry of Materials” with lab investigations that investigated physical vs chemical properties of elements/substances, and they also began exploring the property of density through an online Phet Simulation. 

Grade 7

After all students presented their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates, several students chose to then present to volunteer judges who also share a passion for STEM learning at our Decatur STEM Fair. I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. The judges were very impressed with our students’ presentations and congratulations to Elliot, Clare, and Sienna for advancing to represent Decatur at CPS Regional STEM Fair competition! 

7th graders wrapped up their SEPUP Unit, “From Cells to Organisms” with fun interactive lesson where they played the roles of teams of epidemiologists tasked with engaging in argument from evidence to determine the cause of a microbial disease outbreak. Students also played TEAM Jeopardy to review for their unit’s final exam. 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class continued investigating further “Geologic Processes”, by exploring the scientific theory of “Continental Drift”. The learned how German geologist, Alfred Wegener, first proposed the theory by analyzing fossil evidence of extinct plant and animal species that are today found on different continents, and geologic rock samples that are similar around the world, to deduce that the Earth’s continents were once connected millions over time drifted apart. Students referred back to earlier lessons on how geologists today use GPS Satellite data to show how the Earth’s land masses are continuing to move in various directions by only a few centimeters each decade. 

Students continued work on their team engineering project investigating how various green roof designs can help solve problems related to a phenomenon known as “The Urban Heat Island Effect” and urban runoff that leads to increase flooding. Both of those problems are right here in Chicago and either contribute to or are impacted by global climate change. Students made observations of their cover crops seedlings and started new seedlings that they will then use to simulate grasses, along with succulent plants, to simulate their groups’ urban green roofs designs. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring their SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate”. They investigated the ratio of water to land on Earth by using their own mathematical reasoning, and several students shared out their thinking in front of the class. 5th grade also conducted a cooperative group lab investigation to explore how the Earth’s land and water absorb and release thermal energy at different rates. This activity will lead into upcoming investigations on how proximity to water influences regional and even global weather and climate patterns, such as Chicago being warmer than areas further inland in winter when wind blows from the East off of Lake Michigan, but cooler in the spring and summer. Cub fans who’ve been to Wrigley Field on “Lake Breeze” days know what this means:)

Grade 8  

This week students in grade 8 finished presenting their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates. 

After having completing the rough draft initial stages of their projects such as forming their own researched-based Purpose Statements and Hypothesis Statements, this project has provided students authentic opportunities to experience the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science & Engineering Practices from “Asking Questions & Identifying Problems”, “Designing & Carrying Out Investigations”, “Collecting, Analyzing & Interpreting Data”, to now “Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information”.

Some of the projects students investigated and then presented on this week included STEM topics such as: the effect of music genres on students’ comprehension; effect of font types on memory; and the effect of solar energy on desalination and filtration of water. 

I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. 

Grade 7

This week students in grade 7 finished presenting their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates. 

After having completing the rough draft initial stages of their projects such as forming their own researched-based Purpose Statements and Hypothesis Statements, this project has provided students authentic opportunities to experience the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science & Engineering Practices from “Asking Questions & Identifying Problems”, “Designing & Carrying Out Investigations”, “Collecting, Analyzing, & Interpreting Data”, to now “Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information”.

Some of the projects students investigated and then presented on this week included STEM topics such as: effect of transportation type on urban air pollution; engineering design of storm water drains on litter entering aquatic ecosystems; and how forest fire smoke impacts plants ability to produce oxygen through photosynthesis. 

I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class, students continued investigating further “Geologic Processes”, of the various ways lithospheric plates interact with each other at plate boundaries around the Earth. They explored how geologists collect evidence to support the theory of Continental Drift to explain the evolution of Earth’s physical surface over time. 

Students continued work on their team engineering project investigating how various green roof designs can help solve problems related to a phenomenon known as “The Urban Heat Island Effect” and urban runoff that leads to increase flooding. Both of those problems are right here in Chicago and either contribute to or are impacted by global climate change. Students made observations of their cover crops seedlings and started new seedlings that they will then use to simulate grasses, along with succulent plants, to simulate their groups’ urban green roofs designs. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring our SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate”. They investigated how climatologists use averages of meteorological data to identify a region’s climate type, such as Chicago being within the “Severe” climate type. Students also got to interview one of our 8th graders as she presented to them about her family’s experience surviving a recent major hurricane when they lived in the US Virgin Islands. Students will be able to later relate their knowledge and skills acquired in this unit back to our “Energy Action Team” at-home project! More news on that soon! 

Grade 8  

This week students in grade 8 began presenting their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates. 

After having completing the rough draft initial stages of their projects such as forming their own researched-based Purpose Statements and Hypothesis Statements, this project has provided students authentic opportunities to experience the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science & Engineering Practices from “Asking Questions & Identifying Problems”, “Designing & Carrying Out Investigations”, “Collecting, Analyzing & Interpreting Data”, to now “Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information”.

Some of the projects students investigated and then presented on this week included STEM topics such as: natural alternatives to antibiotic surface disinfectants; mealworm bioremediation of toxic styrofoam wastes; effect of video games on executive functioning; aerodynamics of rocket designs; and rabbit manure as an alternative fertilizer for plants.

I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. 

Grade 7

This week students in grade 7 began presenting their STEM Fair Projects to their classmates. 

After having completing the rough draft initial stages of their projects such as forming their own researched-based Purpose Statements and Hypothesis Statements, this project has provided students authentic opportunities to experience the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science & Engineering Practices from “Asking Questions & Identifying Problems”, “Designing & Carrying Out Investigations”, “Collecting, Analyzing, & Interpreting Data”, to now “Obtaining, Evaluating, & Communicating Information”.

Some of the projects students investigated and then presented on this week included STEM topics such as: impact of fertilizers on nitrate levels in aquatic ecosystems; effect of temperature on maglev train performance; blood stain pattern analysis used by forensic CSIs; microbial fuel cells; effect of miracle berries on taste receptors; and acid rain’s effect on plants.

I am so proud of the way the way our students challenged and supported each other while listening to their classmates’ presentations through the peer review process that all scientists practice when presenting their research-based experimental findings. 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class, students continued investigating further “Geologic Processes”, of the various ways lithospheric plates interact with each other at plate boundaries around the Earth. They will begin exploring what geologic processes occur below the Earth’s lithosphere that drive plate movements and continental drift over time. 

Students continued work on their team engineering project investigating how various green roof designs can help solve problems related to a phenomenon known as “The Urban Heat Island Effect” and urban runoff that leads to increase flooding. Both of those problems are right here in Chicago and either contribute to or are impacted by global climate change. Students began planting cover crops seeds to simulate grasses and they selected various types of succulent plants that will be used as they set up their cooperative groups’ experimental trials next week. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring our SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate”. They investigated how meteorologists use weather data such as monthly temperature and precipitation averages to identify patterns that can be used to forecast future weather as they collected and analyzed Chicago’s recent weather data. They also began a lesson that will take their inquiry further into the area of climatology, as climatologists look at longer term weather data over the course of 30 years or more to better understand climate change. Students will be able to later relate their knowledge and skills acquired in this unit back to our “Energy Action Team” at-home project! More news on that soon! 

Grade 8  

Grade 8 Science class students explored the first series of activities in their new SEPUP Unit, “Chemistry of Materials. They debated the tradeoffs of human societal use of plastic, glass, and aluminum materials for single use drink containers. 

Students also worked on the last stages of their STEM Fair Projects that they designed: data collection, analysis, & interpretation and forming their conclusion to see how their data supports or refutes their own research-based hypothesis. Some students modeled our Decatur pillar of “taking care of each other” as they participated as test subjects in other classmates’ behavioral science projects!

Students will begin presenting their STEM Fair Project to their classmates this coming week of Dec. 12-16! 

Grade 7

Grade 7 Science class students conducted a lab to explore how plants both produce and consume oxygen through photosynthesis in high light conditions, and cellular respiration during low light conditions such as night as part of their SEPUP Unit, “From Cells to Organisms”.

Students also worked on the last stages of their STEM Fair Projects that they designed: data collection, analysis, & interpretation and forming their conclusion their data supports or refutes their own research-based hypothesis. Some students modeled our Decatur pillar of “taking care of each other” as they participated as test subjects in other classmates’ behavioral science projects!

Students will begin presenting their STEM Fair Project to their classmates this coming week of Dec. 12-16! 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class, students continued investigating further “Geologic Processes”, with a computer simulation to investigate the various ways how lithospheric plates interact with each other at plate boundaries around the Earth. They learned that plate movements vary and can lead to geologic processes such as volcanoes and earthquakes, and significantly alter the Earth’s features over long periods of time. 

Students also continued work on their team engineering project investigating how various green roof designs can help solve problems related to Climate Change related phenomena known as “The Urban Heat Island Effect” and "urban runoff". Both of those problems are right here in Chicago and either contribute to or are impacted by global climate change.

Grade 5

5th grade scientists began exploring their next SEPUP Unit, “Weather & Climate”. They set the stage for further activities by brainstorming factors that are related to either “weather” or “climate” and came up with their own working definitions of each, as well as shared their own initial inquiry questions that they began adding to our “Class Driving Questions” board, which anchors students’ inquiry throughout this unit of exploration. Students will be able to later relate their new knowledge and skills acquired in this unit back to our “Energy Action Team” at home project! More news on that soon!

Grade 8  

Grade 8 Science class students continued investigating their first Physical Science SEPUP Unit exploring “Forces and Motion”. Their anchoring phenomena involves the essential question of “How can people reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents?” Students explored the interactions of force, mass, and acceleration to realize the equation in physics F=m x a, and the class learned about Newton’s Laws of Motion by working in partners outside on a sunny day. Students also continued work on their STEM Fair Project Research to write their rough draft Purpose Statements and Literature Reviews. 

Grade 7

7th Grade Science class the students continued exploring “From Cells to Organisms”. Students conducted a lab in Scientific Modeling to discover the function of the cell membrane, which sets the stage for further microscopy investigations with cells. Students got to open the boxes and turn on our new digital and compound light microscopes, which are needed for numerous upcoming lessons. SStudents also continued work on their STEM Fair Project Research to write their rough draft Purpose Statements and Literature Reviews. 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class, students continued investigating further “Geologic Processes”, with their unit guiding question, “where should we store nuclear wastes?” Students explored authentic Geologic GPS data from various global locations and in the process discovered from the data that the Earth’s crust moves at millimeters per year, but over the course of time leads to drastic changes. This allowed for some in-depth data analysis and interpretation and arguing from evidence as they continue to seek evidence to support their claims as to where nuclear wastes should be stored underground. 

Grade 5

5th grade scientists continued exploring “Solar System & Beyond”, by shifting from investigating the phenomenon of the Earth’s Moon’s phases to the phenomena of the why the Earth’s Seasons change. They worked in partners to analyze and interpret data patterns of how the amount of daylight and the sun’s angle changes throughout the year in our latitude, and they graphed the data to get a better visual of those patterns. Please see the weekly post slideshow as the photos of students getting a close up look at the live feeding of the fish in our classroom’s Lake Michigan aquatic ecosystem. The smiles on their faces are simply priceless! 

Grade 8  

Grade 8 Science class students continued investigating their first Physical Science SEPUP Unit exploring “Forces and Motion”. Their anchoring phenomena involves the essential question of “How can people reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents?” Students completed labs in cooperative groups to learn more about how mass affects the transfer of energy from one object to another upon a collision; lab investigations also included exploring the role of balanced vs imbalance forces on an object’s direction and speed. Students also began work on their STEM Fair Project Research to lay the groundwork for establishing stronger hypothesis and purpose statements. 

Grade 7

7th Grade Science class the students continued exploring their first SEPUP Life Science unit called, “From Cells to Organisms”. Students conducted labs on Cellular Respiration and researched all about cell structures and their functions in both unicellular and multicellular organisms. Students also began work on their STEM Fair Project Research to lay the groundwork for establishing stronger hypothesis and purpose statements. 

Grade 6

6th grade Science class, students continued their first SEPUP inquiry unit, “Geologic Features”, with their unit guiding question, “where should we store nuclear wastes?” Students did a lab investigation that investigated the role of gas content in volcanoes and how that contributes to different types of igneous rock formations over time; students also did an in-depth analysis of geologic data on global earthquake and volcano patterns as they continue to seek evidence to support their claims  as to where nuclear wastes should be stored underground. 

Grade 5

5th grade Science class students continued exploring their first SEPUP Unit, “Solar System & Beyond”, by investigating the Earth’s Moon’s phases. They worked in pairs to analyze a computer simulation to help develop a better understanding as to what causes our Moon’s phases to change about every 29 days in its cycle. Next week, the class will begin exploring the phenomena of “What causes the Earth’s Seasons to change?, which is relevant to understanding why our daylight time is lessening each day and why tree leaves are turning into their vibrant colors this time of the year. 

Grade 8  

This week in Grade 8 Science class students continued investigating their first Physical Science SEPUP Unit exploring “Forces and Motion”. Their anchoring phenomena involves the essential question of “How can people reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents?” Students completed 2 cooperative labs to learn more about how gravitational potential energy transfers to kinetic energy and how this energy is transferred from one vehicle to another in case of a road collision. 

Grade 7

This week in 7th Grade Science class the students continued exploring their first SEPUP Life Science unit called, “From Cells to Organisms”. Students conducted a fun interactive simulation of an infectious disease outbreak. Through extensive data collection, analysis, and interpretation, students were able to use deductive reasoning to determine the source of the disease outbreak from 5 different simulated places they visited in the community. Students made several connections between this simulated activity and how scientists are still working on current disease outbreaks such as Covid-19 variants and Monkeypox. 

Grade 6

This week in 6th grade Science class, students continued their first SEPUP inquiry unit, “Geologic Features”, with their unit guiding question, “where should we store nuclear wastes?” Students explored their first lab investigation to learn more about how ground water interacts with sedimentary rock derived from clay vs sandstone. This investigation helped them refine their ideas and add to their initial hypotheses on where nuclear wastes should be stored if underground. 

Grade 5

This week in grade 5th grade Science class students began exploring their first SEPUP Unit, “Solar System & Beyond”, by learning about historic and recent missions to explore space such as the Apollo Program, Cassini Mission to Saturn, the Hubble Telescope, and the Mars Rovers. This coming week the class will begin investigating the phenomena of the Earth’s moon phases. 

Grade 8  

This week in Grade 8 Science class students began their first Physical Science SEPUP Unit exploring “Forces and Motion”. Their anchoring phenomena involves the essential question of “How can people reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents?” Students worked this week to learn how to use our SEPUP science models of vehicles on roads to investigate how to properly measure speed. This will set the stage for all several upcoming lab investigations exploring our unit essential question. Students were also excited to share their own ideas for their STEM Fair Project and began their initial project outline!

Grade 7

This week in 7th Grade Science class the students began their first SEPUP Life Science unit called, “From Cells to Organisms”. Students continued their work in small cooperative groups to learn how to use light microscopes effectively to view slides of once living microscopic organisms such as: amoeba; paramecium; euglena; and mixed bacteria. Students also got practice with a stereoscope and digital microscopes. Students began the first few lessons in their the unit, such as learning about how significant historical discoveries and microscope technological advancements contributed to cell theory helped, which then contributed to the development of germ theory of disease. Students were also excited to share their own ideas for their STEM Fair Project and began their initial project outline!

Grade 6

This week in 6th grade Science class, students added their initial inquiry questions to our class “Driving Questions Board” SEPUP built around their “Geologic Features” unit guiding question, “where should we store nuclear wastes?” Students began the first lesson by working in cooperative groups devising their initial ideas based upon some textbook background reading. Students also began to discuss the trade-offs of their initial decisions. I am so impressed with the level of student discourse that was taking place just in the first lesson of our unit! 

Grade 5

This week in grade 5th grade Science class students learned about our first SEPUP Unit, “Solar System & Beyond”, by participating with a partner in a SEPUP textbook scavenger hunt. This will help students understand how to properly use all of the textbook features and resources as we begin our first lessons next week. As an initial inquiry experience to remind students of the importance of “Asking Questions” as the main catalyst in Science, each student got to make their own UV Bead bracelet to keep and we went outside to make observations of how the beads changed colors when exposed to sunlight. The students had fun with this activity and it serves as a reminder that our Earth is just one planet in our Solar System, which is only one of billions of solar systems, just within our Milky Way Galaxy alone!

Grade 8  

This week in Grade 8 Science class students began their first Physical Science SEPUP Unit exploring “Forces and Motion”. Their anchoring phenomena involves the essential question of “How can people reduce the risk of motor vehicle accidents?” Students worked in groups to propose their own initial inquiry questions to our class “Driving Questions Board” and began analyzing vehicle features that may impact different car models’ overall safety.  

Grade 7

This week in 7th Grade Science class the students began their first SEPUP Life Science unit called, “From Cells to Organisms”. Students worked in small cooperative groups to learn how to use light microscopes effectively to view slides of once living microscopic organisms such as: amoeba; paramecium; euglena; and mixed bacteria. Students learned how to draw images in their Science Notebooks of what they viewed given the various microscope magnification levels. 

Grade 6

This week in 6th grade Science class, students completed their lab safety course and did a cooperative Scavenger Hunt of our first unit’s textbook. This will help them be familiar with the SEPUP curriculum texts and how to use all of the text features as a guide for each lesson as we begin our first Earth Science inquiry unit called, “Geologic Features”.

Grade 5

This week in grade 5th grade Science class the we learned all about Lab Safety, as the majority of lessons students will explore in Science class will be through cooperative groups. Students will begin their first SEPUP Astronomy Inquiry Unit called “From Our Solar System and Beyond” next week after they first take their quiz on our Lab Safety Rules on Monday.  This sets the stage for students living up to our Decatur pillars of: Being Present; Enduring Challenges; and Taking Care of One Another! 

Grades 5 - 8

This week's slideshow highlights: all classes in 5th-8th Grade Science Class continuing to build community to set the stage for cooperative learning through a series of team building challenges; students observing up close our pet Bearded-Dragon Lizard, Curtiss, along with our 55 gallon Lake Michigan aquatic ecosystem, which includes Rock Bass, Small-mouthed Bass, Bluegill Sunfish, and Crayfish caught from Belmont Harbor; all classes reviewed what a Scientist does and were reminded that "Everyone is born a scientist" and it is up to each of us to continue to tap into our own curiosity and wonder about the world; and 6th-8th grade students practiced some active reading strategies of science text and scientific writing through our latest issue of our class subscription of Scholastic Science World Magazine, in order to get ready for our first units of SEPUP/NGSS inquiry next week! Thank you for checking in with us this week:)

Grades 5 & 6

For the 1st week back to school, in science class students participated in some community building team challenges to welcome everyone back, welcome our new classmates who are new to Decatur, and set the stage for working in cooperative groups in Science class this year! Each student also completed an Interest Inventory/Survey so that Mr. K can get to know each of them as unique and valuable members of our Science class learning community! Please ask your child all about it and thank you for checking in with us this week:)

Grades 7 & 8 

For the 1st week back to school, in science class students participated in some community building team challenges to welcome everyone back, welcome our new classmates who are new to Decatur, and set the stage for working in cooperative groups in Science class this year! Each student also completed an Interest Inventory/Survey so that Mr. K can get to know each of them better as unique and valuable members of our Science class learning community! Please ask your child all about it and thank you for checking in with us this week:)