This week we will bring the first of our units to an end as we complete our study of Scientific Investigation, although we will practice these skills all year. On Monday we will do our first experiment which will test safety and inquiry skills (Notepages #1 and #2). It will also reinforce the last scientific investigation notepage (#3) as we practice the steps of a Fair Test Experiment. As is often the case, these skills are not covered in-depth in our science textbook; as a result, students must depend on the information on the notepages provided in class and taped into their interactive notebooks.
On Tuesday students will be taught how to write a scientific conclusion. This is an important part of science, and it is technical writing (NOT creative writing!) at which many students can excel. However, students must follow the format given to them, which will be taped into their interactive notebook. We will write the rough draft of the conclusion to their Monday experiment during class, but students must complete the final copy at home for homework. Pre-AP students started their product testing project last week, and on Tuesday the rough draft of the materials and directions to the experiment they are designing is due. There will be no class on Wednesday due to special Rachel's Challenge events.
Students must be ready to copy the final draft of their conclusion onto paper during class on Thursday for a grade. We will spend the rest of that class period reviewing the steps of a fair test experiment in preparation for starting a class experiment on pansies in the classroom.
On Friday students will complete the design for the pansy experiment and begin their "lab write-up" to document the results as we set up the experiment in class. A unit test on Notepages #1, #2, and #3 will be given next Tuesday, September 28.
