You are Here?!

Which of these links is a more accurate description of where you are? And why did you select it.

Milky Way

Branching Diagram

Answer by writing  a comment.

Study Island Assignments for Week of 9/27

Assignments have been added to your class lists under Study Island.  7th Graders have been assigned the unit on Natural Selection, and 8th Graders have been assigned Week of 9/27 Assignments (Properties and Sci Evidence) .  All of these testing questions will help you prepare for the science PSSA.  If you need help with any of the questions you may refer to the lesson in Study Island or use your textbook.

Your username is your first name followed by your last name without any spaces @mccall.
Example:
joesmith@mccall


Your password is your unique student ID number.


This first assignment will be due at the end of the day on Saturday October 2nd.  Let me know if you have any problems.

Mr. Knoflicek

Dr. Blumberg Extra Credit Assignment

On September 29th we have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Baruch S. Blumberg here at McCall.  Dr. Blumberg is a distinguished scientist and is the 1976 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine.  Dr. Blumberg has a very interesting biography and we would like to prepare for his meeting by learning about his achievements and being prepared to ask him questions about his experiences and how students can strive to success and contribute to the common good in their own way.  The following assignment is an assignment that when completed (according to the below checklists) will earn you a 100% on a quiz grade and a week homework pass.  Not a bad deal if you are dedicated enough and can budget your time wisely.  Rough draft is due Friday September 24 and final draft is due Monday September 27th.

Here are the Assignment Guidelines.  If you need help please let me know.

Biography Assignment

Write a 5-paragraph report on Dr. Blumberg's life and his achievements.
Report must:
•    Be typewritten •    Use 3 or more sources for information •    Have a cover page •    Have a bibliography •    Have one picture of the Dr. Blumberg and one picture representing his work
Rough Draft due: 9/24/10
Final Paper due: 9/27/10

Biography Report Steps

1. Questions - write down questions you have about Dr. Blumberg. What did he do? Why is he famous? How has he made an impact on our world today? In what ways can a young person be like them?
2. Gather Information – find as many books, magazines, encyclopedias and internet sites about Dr. Blumberg as you can.
3. Read, read, read! – You need to know about Dr. Blumberg if you’re going to tell other people about them, so read up!
4. Take Notes! – Write down facts as you find them. You can write these on index cards or in a special notebook with all of your research.
5. Check your questions – Have you answered them in your research? Do you need to research further? Is the question important?
6. Draw a web diagram – Write Dr. Blumberg's name in the middle and facts or ideas that you want to write about in each circle. When you find more details about your facts and ideas draw smaller circles off of the bigger ones. This web will help you as you write your sentences.
7. Write your first draft – This is also called a rough draft, it doesn’t need to be perfect, it is just to help you get your ideas on paper and get your paragraphs moving in the right direction.
8. Revise your paper – Use the revising checklist to make sure you have a great paper coming along. Read your paper and ask other people to read your paper.
9. Write your final draft – Now that you have worked on your paper and gotten some help from others, make changes until it is just as you like it.
10. Proofread your paper – Use the proofreading checklist to make sure you have not made any spelling or grammatical errors. Correct these errors as you find them
11. Write the bibliography – Use the bibliography sample sheet to correctly write down the information for the sources that you used.
12. Find your photos – If you have not found a photo of Dr. Blumberg and his work yet, find one and print it out. Look at the photo sample page for ideas.
13. Create your cover page – Your cover page should have the title of your paper in the center and your name underneath it. Look at the sample cover page for ideas.
14. Print everything out – Print out and gather all of your report papers and turn them in!

Revising Checklist

• Is my introduction interesting? 
• Does each paragraph have a topic sentence, three supporting sentences and a closing sentence? 
• Does each paragraph stay on topic? 
• Do my sentences make sense? 
• Is my ending well written?

Editing Proofreading Checklist

•  Did I use correct capitalization? 
• Did I use correct punctuation? 
• Did I use complete sentences? 
• Did I indent my paragraphs?
• Are any of my sentences run on sentences? 
• Did I spell correctly?

Completing the report

• Do I have a cover page? 
• Do I have 5 paragraphs? 
• Is it typewritten? 
• Did I include a bibliography with 3 sources? 
• Did I include a photo of Dr. Blumberg and a photo representing his work?

Study Island Assignments in Preparation for the 8th Grade Science PSSA

Assignments have been added to your class lists under Study Island.  7th Graders have been assigned the unit on Classification, and 8th Graders have been assigned the "Pre-Test" .  All of these testing questions will help you prepare for the science PSSA.  If you need help with any of the questions you may refer to the lesson in Study Island or use your textbook. 

Your username is your first name followed by your last name without any spaces @mccall.
Example:
joesmith@mccall


Your password is your unique student ID number.


This first assignment will be due at the end of the day on Saturday September 25th.  Let me know if you have any problems.

Mr. Knoflicek

Fungi and Animal Cards

Fungi

Animals

Links for Content Relating to Classification (7th) and Matter (8th)

7th Grade Classification Links

http://tolweb.org/tree/phylogeny.html

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/class/class.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/eukaryote_examples.html

http://www.pmbio.icbm.de/mikrobiologischer-garten/eng/index.php3

8th Grade Matter Links

http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/atoms/states.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/weight/index.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/difference-between-mass-and-weight.html

Happy Sequential Day

Yesterday Sequential Day was celebrated in Britain and many other countries where they abbreviate the date by having the day of the month followed by the month followed by the year (8/9/10) instead of the US version of the month followed by the day of the month followed by the year (9/8/10).

Sequential Day is celebrated at 12:34pm and 56.7 seconds on 8/9/10

The phenomenon is so rare that the last ‘pure’ sequence fell at 01:23 and 45 seconds on 6/7/89 and the next will take place at 01:23am on 4/5/67 - in 2067.

Where were you during Sequential Day at 12:34?

"Follow" mccallscience.com

In order to get emailed updates of all the recent posts to www.mccallscience.com sign in and "follow" the blog.

All students who become followers will get points for an extra credit assignment and will be the first to hear about new entries.

Mr K

First Day Back

Welcome all to the 2010-2011 school year!

Please remember to get all you school supplies (on the back of the 7th and 8th Grade Parent letter) by Monday at the latest. Also make sure and have your Lab Safety Contract signed.

7th Grade - We will start with a contrasting case tomorrow learning about the different levels of classification.

8th Grade - What is Matter? Lab tomorrow!

Mr. K

Science Lab Safety Contract

SCIENCE LAB SAFETY CONTRACT

Wow! It is so exciting that you would be able to perform a lot of "scientific investigations and experiments", but it can be dangerous if the proper precautions aren't followed. If a student chooses not to follow the rules below, you will not be allowed to participate in lab activities. You will do an alternative assignment, assigned by the teacher. To make sure that your laboratory experience is both exciting and safe, follow the general guidelines listed below:

1. Be respectful, follow your teacher's instructions, and don't take shortcuts.
2. Always get your teacher's permission before attempting any laboratory investigation.
3. Read the procedures carefully, paying attention to safety information and cautionary statements.
4. As a responsible citizen, be aware of the location of and the procedure for using the nearest fire alarms, fire-evacuation routes and any other safety equipment, such as fire blankets and eyewash fountains.
5. Never work alone in the laboratory.
6. Walk with care and keep your work area free from all unnecessary clutter. Keep backpacks and other belongings at a certain place designated by your teacher.
7. Dress appropriately on lab day, tie back long hair, remove dangling jewelry and wear closed-toed shoes or sandals in the laboratory. Wear an apron to protect your clothing from staining, burning, or corrosion if instructed by your teacher.
8. Certain products, like hair spray, are flammable and should not be worn while working near an open flame.
9. Wear approved safety goggles when working with or around chemicals, any mechanical device, or any type of flame or heating device. If any substance gets in your eyes or spills or your skin or clothes, rinse it immediately with water and have someone notify your teacher.
10. Wear protective gloves or oven mitts to avoid burns.
11. Be trustworthy and never touch, taste, smell or mix any chemicals unless your teacher instructs you do so.
12. Use knives and other sharp instruments with extreme care. Always cut an object after placing it on a suitable surface for cutting.
13. Handle plants and animals carefully and wash your hands afterwards. Always treat animals with care and respect.
14. While using electrical equipment, be careful about the wiring, hanging and damaged cords. Be sure your hands are dry and the electrical equipment is turned off before plugging it into the outlet. Turn off all equipment when you are finished using it.
15. Be a responsible and careful scientist by examining glassware to make sure that it is clean and is free of chips and cracks. Report damaged glassware to your teacher.
16. CLEANUP: Clean your work area before leaving! Follow your teacher's directions for washing, unplugging and putting away the equipment. Wash hands with soap and water after working in the laboratory.
17. Stay, work and talk to your own group. Don't leave your group and work area unless instructed by the teacher. Do not sit on counters or tables.

Student: I have read the science safety rules and agree to follow them.

__________________________________________ __________________
Student's Signature & Date

Parent: I have read and discussed the science safety rules with my child and agree to reinforce them.

__________________________________________ __________________
Parent's Signature & Date