In weeks 1-2, the class spent time "Building Community" by each student creating and presenting their own "Getting to Know You Presentations". I presented first so students could get to know me as a new teacher to Decatur, and then students took turns presenting to the class. Community Building is essential as students will be expected to work in smaller teams from time to time this year in Science class, not to mention, scientists and engineers work in teams in the real world! The "Getting to Know You Presentations" were also a fun way to learn more about and celebrate the rich cultural diversity within our classroom and our Decatur Community! Starting in week 2, students were introduced to their Scholastic Science World Magazine online accounts. We read some articles together, and students learned how to analyze and interpret the articles through writing in a format known as "3-2-1", where they state 3 important things learned, 2 questions that come to their minds, and then take their own curiosity/inquiry further by researching one of their 2 questions, sharing what they learned from that research, and also sharing the link/resource to their research. These are practices scientists and engineers do everyday, especially when working in international teams like scientists from around the world collaborating on finding a vaccine for Coronavirus. Lastly, in week 3 we began watching together the documentary film, "The History of the World in 2 Hours". By viewing the film together, students are able to see how we will be exploring Science this year from many different lenses, or disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, earth science, and engineering. The film also highlights important Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas that all middle school students investigate deeper in Science class.