7th Grade Life Science--- Teacher: Mr. Kloeckl (629-4186) [email protected]
Dear Parent/Guardian/Students,
Welcome to the never-ending search for knowledge and understanding of how this wonderful world works!
*This page is to inform you of the major emphasis of 7th Grade Life Science as well as classroom procedures and expectations. Your son or daughter will be bringing home this information during the first days of class for you to read through, sign, and return. I also encourage you at that time to look through our main resource the textbook Holt Life Science. I believe the book, along with the teacher support materials, is a great resource for teaching and learning about the extensive realm of concepts in life science. I will supplement the curriculum with various activities and materials, listed below, to help make the students’ 7th grade science experience rigorous and rewarding. I hope to make this an enjoyable process for students by keeping topics relevant and fostering a respectful classroom where we can build relationships and work as a team.
*For the students, class should be a combination of learning through fun activities and sharing of information as well as some strenuous(hopefully still enjoyable) vocabulary and knowledge building. I will try my best to accommodate the various learning styles of students through a variety of instruction and individual work as well as cooperative grouping.
Major topics:
-The study of living things: What is life science and what is “alive”?
-Cells: as the basic structural and functional units of life
-Heredity, Evolution, and Classification: genes and DNA; biological change over time and the theory of natural selection; history of life on earth; taxonomy
-Simple Organisms, Fungi, and Plants: bacteria, viruses, and protists; fungus among us!; plants and their processes
-Zoology: the study of animals; the diversity from sponges to blue whales!
-Ecology: the interactions of living things; cycles in nature; ecosystems; environmental problems and solutions
-Human body systems: (tentative depending on 8th grade curriculum)
*The primary goals of the 7th grade Life Science class are to prepare students for higher-level science classes and to give them a good general education in life science. Vocabulary, knowledge development, and learning about the scientific process are all important.
*Junior High students need to learn organizational skills, personal responsibility, and time management. To aid in that process all students will be given a handbook/planner on the first day of school which students should bring to class each day along with a textbook, folder, paper, and pencil. I encourage you to check this planner and their science work regularly. Help your son or daughter develop a distraction-free time, place, and routine for study. Their future success and independence might depend on you helping them to set goals for discipline, study, and achievement, and establishing rewards when those goals are met.
*I will try and communicate with parents in a variety of ways including written updates of topics we’re learning about, midterms, quarter grades, emails, and study sheets. Often this will involve having students bring items home for you to sign and then bringing them back to me for credit or bonus points. Give me a call if you have comments or questions. I enjoy talking and connecting with parents especially after spending my day with masses of 12 year olds. Don’t take me wrong … I think teaching 7th graders is awesome, but you join 25-30 of them in a room and strange things can happen to an adult brain.
*I am looking forward to a rewarding year in 7th grade Life Science and getting to know you and your son or daughter!
Sincerely, Mr. Kloeckl
Disclaimer: Parents/Students
If you have any questions or concerns regarding materials or subjects covered in 7th grade science, please contact me at the number or email above to discuss curriculum. If we can’t come to a mutual agreement, there is a form and a procedure for you to supply alternative assignments. I’d like to think you will find me open, flexible, and friendly.
Current topics and controversy
I believe that discussing and learning about current topics in science is one of the best ways to keep the subject interesting and relevant for students. Most topics picked will be due to high interest or relevance to student learning. Due to the investigative nature of science and because scientific research is used in so many ways by members of our society, certain topics become controversial. This is not new to science or our society and is most often an important part of scientific discovery, debate, peer review, and the acceptance of new information.
I will encourage students to contemplate these topics with a scientific mind. To me that means: thinking logically; trying your best to understand; gathering information from many credible sources; recognizing bias; being open-minded yet skeptical; discussing intellectually with a polite and even temperament; thinking about causation vs. correlation; and recognizing the difference between information based on research versus thoughts and opinions.
Again, please contact me if you think there are problems so that we can avoid misunderstandings and work together to solve problems should one come up.
Materials, Reading, electronics, video used:
- HRW- Holt Science and Technology- Life Science textbook and teacher support materials
-Miscellaneous scientific equipment
-Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
-Outdoor News
-Occasional newspaper and magazine articles
-Internet for research, activities, information
-Various videos and DVDs: Science Channel specials; Discovery Channel Schools; CNN Presents-Science in The News; PBS- Nova; Time Life video; National Geographic; Marty Stauffers- Wild America
-“An Inconvenient Truth” documentary on climate change
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Syllabus
Students, You will be required to know and follow the guidelines on this syllabus. These guidelines will provide you with a positive and safe learning environment.
Attendance
It is important for you to be in class every day. You cannot learn if you are not in class. If you are absent, ask your classmates what you missed and pick up any hand-outs or assignments from the teacher. Do not forget about the school attendance policy stated in the Dragon Folder! You have two days for every day that you had an excused absence to complete your work. There is no additional make-up time for assignments missed due to an unexcused absence, and they may be treated as a late assignment (see below).
Assignments
Assignments will be turned in on the due date. You will be allowed to turn in up to two assignments after the due date per quarter for an omit(E-excused). Keep all returned assignments in a folder to prepare for tests, and as evidence of completed work should there be any disagreement between your records and the grade book.
Tests and Quizzes
Throughout the quarter there will be a number of tests and quizzes given. Each test will be announced 3-5 days in advance. However, there will be both announced and surprise quizzes given. Therefore, students should make sure that they complete their assignments every day. If you are absent on the day of an announced test or quiz, you will be expected to take it the day you return. If you were in class the day a test/quiz was announced, but absent the day before the test, you will be taking the test with the rest of your class unless prior arrangements are made with your teacher.
Grading
Assignments, quizzes, and tests will be recorded as points, and not by the letter grade. The final quarter grade is generally based on the following percentages:
Tests 40%
Assignments 40%
Quizzes 20%
Letter grades are determined by the following percentages:
A 100-90%, B 89-80%, C 79-70%, D 69-60%, F< 60%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classroom Management Plan
Guideline for Classroom Behavior
If what I am doing distracts from what we are here for, it is not acceptable.
Classroom Rules
1. Be Prompt
I will be in my assigned seat when the tone sounds or I will
be tardy. (3 tardies = detention and absence)
2. Be Responsible
I will have all my materials and be ready to work when the tone sounds.
I will have my dragon handbook in class every day and turn assignments in on time.
3. Be Attentive
I will listen, not speak, when others are speaking.
I will follow instructions the first time they are given.
I will always do my best.
4. Be Considerate
I will raise my hand and be recognized before speaking or answering questions
I will respect: Myself. Others. Property.
I will remain in my assigned seat during class.
If I Choose To Break A Rule
1. Warning
2. Change in seating, discussion with teacher
3. Detention
4. Removal from class if necessary
Rewards
1. Positive class atmosphere
2. Special privileges
Classroom Procedures
When entering the classroom
- Immediately go to your assigned seat
- Take out your materials (book, folder, note book, pencil)
- Look for a bell ringer. Work on the assignment from the overhead or board in your note book
When Tardy
- Enter the classroom quietly without disrupting others
- Place your admit pass on the teacher’s desk sit in your assigned seat.
- Begin work from the overhead, or whatever the class is working on.
When you forget a pencil
- Borrow from a friend
When your pencil lead breaks
- Fix it or sharpen your pencil if no one else is at the sharpener.
If you finish work early
- Quietly put your papers away
- Read silently from your reading book
When passing in papers
- We’ll pass our papers in, starting from the left and passing to the right putting your paper on
top.
When taking a test
- Work quietly and keep your eyes on your test. You must be quiet until everyone is finished with their test
When absent
- Bring you admit slip to class and place on the teacher’s desk
- Check with a friend or the calendar to see what you’ve missed
- Get your work from your hour’s basket
If you have to go to the bathroom
- Try to find a quiet time. Sign out and take your pass with you. Upon returning, put your pass in the can at the back of the room.
At the end of class
- Work in your seat until you are given instructions by the teacher
- Wait to leave until the teacher dismisses you
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Please read the course syllabus with your son or daughter and let me know you’ve seen it by signing below or emailing me. I will try and put together an email list of parents to help communicate dates of tests and quizzes. If you do not have the time or capability for email, have your son or daughter return this bottom portion of the syllabus. If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me at the number or address above. Thank You!
Mr. Kloeckl
Student Name______________________________
Student Signature_______________________________ Date_______________
Parent or Guardian Signature_________________________________
e-mail address:____________________________________________
Dear Parent/Guardian/Students,
Welcome to the never-ending search for knowledge and understanding of how this wonderful world works!
*This page is to inform you of the major emphasis of 7th Grade Life Science as well as classroom procedures and expectations. Your son or daughter will be bringing home this information during the first days of class for you to read through, sign, and return. I also encourage you at that time to look through our main resource the textbook Holt Life Science. I believe the book, along with the teacher support materials, is a great resource for teaching and learning about the extensive realm of concepts in life science. I will supplement the curriculum with various activities and materials, listed below, to help make the students’ 7th grade science experience rigorous and rewarding. I hope to make this an enjoyable process for students by keeping topics relevant and fostering a respectful classroom where we can build relationships and work as a team.
*For the students, class should be a combination of learning through fun activities and sharing of information as well as some strenuous(hopefully still enjoyable) vocabulary and knowledge building. I will try my best to accommodate the various learning styles of students through a variety of instruction and individual work as well as cooperative grouping.
Major topics:
-The study of living things: What is life science and what is “alive”?
-Cells: as the basic structural and functional units of life
-Heredity, Evolution, and Classification: genes and DNA; biological change over time and the theory of natural selection; history of life on earth; taxonomy
-Simple Organisms, Fungi, and Plants: bacteria, viruses, and protists; fungus among us!; plants and their processes
-Zoology: the study of animals; the diversity from sponges to blue whales!
-Ecology: the interactions of living things; cycles in nature; ecosystems; environmental problems and solutions
-Human body systems: (tentative depending on 8th grade curriculum)
*The primary goals of the 7th grade Life Science class are to prepare students for higher-level science classes and to give them a good general education in life science. Vocabulary, knowledge development, and learning about the scientific process are all important.
*Junior High students need to learn organizational skills, personal responsibility, and time management. To aid in that process all students will be given a handbook/planner on the first day of school which students should bring to class each day along with a textbook, folder, paper, and pencil. I encourage you to check this planner and their science work regularly. Help your son or daughter develop a distraction-free time, place, and routine for study. Their future success and independence might depend on you helping them to set goals for discipline, study, and achievement, and establishing rewards when those goals are met.
*I will try and communicate with parents in a variety of ways including written updates of topics we’re learning about, midterms, quarter grades, emails, and study sheets. Often this will involve having students bring items home for you to sign and then bringing them back to me for credit or bonus points. Give me a call if you have comments or questions. I enjoy talking and connecting with parents especially after spending my day with masses of 12 year olds. Don’t take me wrong … I think teaching 7th graders is awesome, but you join 25-30 of them in a room and strange things can happen to an adult brain.
*I am looking forward to a rewarding year in 7th grade Life Science and getting to know you and your son or daughter!
Sincerely, Mr. Kloeckl
Disclaimer: Parents/Students
If you have any questions or concerns regarding materials or subjects covered in 7th grade science, please contact me at the number or email above to discuss curriculum. If we can’t come to a mutual agreement, there is a form and a procedure for you to supply alternative assignments. I’d like to think you will find me open, flexible, and friendly.
Current topics and controversy
I believe that discussing and learning about current topics in science is one of the best ways to keep the subject interesting and relevant for students. Most topics picked will be due to high interest or relevance to student learning. Due to the investigative nature of science and because scientific research is used in so many ways by members of our society, certain topics become controversial. This is not new to science or our society and is most often an important part of scientific discovery, debate, peer review, and the acceptance of new information.
I will encourage students to contemplate these topics with a scientific mind. To me that means: thinking logically; trying your best to understand; gathering information from many credible sources; recognizing bias; being open-minded yet skeptical; discussing intellectually with a polite and even temperament; thinking about causation vs. correlation; and recognizing the difference between information based on research versus thoughts and opinions.
Again, please contact me if you think there are problems so that we can avoid misunderstandings and work together to solve problems should one come up.
Materials, Reading, electronics, video used:
- HRW- Holt Science and Technology- Life Science textbook and teacher support materials
-Miscellaneous scientific equipment
-Minnesota Conservation Volunteer
-Outdoor News
-Occasional newspaper and magazine articles
-Internet for research, activities, information
-Various videos and DVDs: Science Channel specials; Discovery Channel Schools; CNN Presents-Science in The News; PBS- Nova; Time Life video; National Geographic; Marty Stauffers- Wild America
-“An Inconvenient Truth” documentary on climate change
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Student Syllabus
Students, You will be required to know and follow the guidelines on this syllabus. These guidelines will provide you with a positive and safe learning environment.
Attendance
It is important for you to be in class every day. You cannot learn if you are not in class. If you are absent, ask your classmates what you missed and pick up any hand-outs or assignments from the teacher. Do not forget about the school attendance policy stated in the Dragon Folder! You have two days for every day that you had an excused absence to complete your work. There is no additional make-up time for assignments missed due to an unexcused absence, and they may be treated as a late assignment (see below).
Assignments
Assignments will be turned in on the due date. You will be allowed to turn in up to two assignments after the due date per quarter for an omit(E-excused). Keep all returned assignments in a folder to prepare for tests, and as evidence of completed work should there be any disagreement between your records and the grade book.
Tests and Quizzes
Throughout the quarter there will be a number of tests and quizzes given. Each test will be announced 3-5 days in advance. However, there will be both announced and surprise quizzes given. Therefore, students should make sure that they complete their assignments every day. If you are absent on the day of an announced test or quiz, you will be expected to take it the day you return. If you were in class the day a test/quiz was announced, but absent the day before the test, you will be taking the test with the rest of your class unless prior arrangements are made with your teacher.
Grading
Assignments, quizzes, and tests will be recorded as points, and not by the letter grade. The final quarter grade is generally based on the following percentages:
Tests 40%
Assignments 40%
Quizzes 20%
Letter grades are determined by the following percentages:
A 100-90%, B 89-80%, C 79-70%, D 69-60%, F< 60%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classroom Management Plan
Guideline for Classroom Behavior
If what I am doing distracts from what we are here for, it is not acceptable.
Classroom Rules
1. Be Prompt
I will be in my assigned seat when the tone sounds or I will
be tardy. (3 tardies = detention and absence)
2. Be Responsible
I will have all my materials and be ready to work when the tone sounds.
I will have my dragon handbook in class every day and turn assignments in on time.
3. Be Attentive
I will listen, not speak, when others are speaking.
I will follow instructions the first time they are given.
I will always do my best.
4. Be Considerate
I will raise my hand and be recognized before speaking or answering questions
I will respect: Myself. Others. Property.
I will remain in my assigned seat during class.
If I Choose To Break A Rule
1. Warning
2. Change in seating, discussion with teacher
3. Detention
4. Removal from class if necessary
Rewards
1. Positive class atmosphere
2. Special privileges
Classroom Procedures
When entering the classroom
- Immediately go to your assigned seat
- Take out your materials (book, folder, note book, pencil)
- Look for a bell ringer. Work on the assignment from the overhead or board in your note book
When Tardy
- Enter the classroom quietly without disrupting others
- Place your admit pass on the teacher’s desk sit in your assigned seat.
- Begin work from the overhead, or whatever the class is working on.
When you forget a pencil
- Borrow from a friend
When your pencil lead breaks
- Fix it or sharpen your pencil if no one else is at the sharpener.
If you finish work early
- Quietly put your papers away
- Read silently from your reading book
When passing in papers
- We’ll pass our papers in, starting from the left and passing to the right putting your paper on
top.
When taking a test
- Work quietly and keep your eyes on your test. You must be quiet until everyone is finished with their test
When absent
- Bring you admit slip to class and place on the teacher’s desk
- Check with a friend or the calendar to see what you’ve missed
- Get your work from your hour’s basket
If you have to go to the bathroom
- Try to find a quiet time. Sign out and take your pass with you. Upon returning, put your pass in the can at the back of the room.
At the end of class
- Work in your seat until you are given instructions by the teacher
- Wait to leave until the teacher dismisses you
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Please read the course syllabus with your son or daughter and let me know you’ve seen it by signing below or emailing me. I will try and put together an email list of parents to help communicate dates of tests and quizzes. If you do not have the time or capability for email, have your son or daughter return this bottom portion of the syllabus. If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me at the number or address above. Thank You!
Mr. Kloeckl
Student Name______________________________
Student Signature_______________________________ Date_______________
Parent or Guardian Signature_________________________________
e-mail address:____________________________________________