Mrs. Goodale's class
WEEK IN REVIEW

Hualalai Academy Middle School Science & Math Newsletter from Donna Goodale

UPDATE: September 5, 2008

Note: Please check my web page for a detailed list of homework assignments, due dates and projects. For a shortcut to my web page, just type donna.goodale.org into a web browser.

ALGEBRA 1a:
The algebra class finished up Chapter 1 this week with a test on Thursday. We have already started our study of “real numbers” in Chapter 2. As a reward for all their hard work, the students have a weekend free from algebra homework.

LIFE ON THE EDGE… AKA INVERTEBRATE BIOLOGY:
The highlight of this week was a field trip to the tide pools on Ali’i Dr. in front of the “Living Stones Church”. The students did a great job of marking out the perimeter of a tide pool and then collecting triangulation data. They then used that data to make a scale graph of the tide pool. All the students agreed it was a great learning experience. Many thanks need to go to Nancy Bellatti and John Kilkenny for chaperoning. Back in the classroom, we launched into a study of osmosis so the students could better understand the chemical stresses encountered by tide pool organisms. The class has a project due on Weds. 9/10. They are designing an organism which will be adapted to life in a tide pool with all its physical and chemical stresses. We have also been working on a science fair research paper. The students have a very beefy, properly formatted and referenced outline due on 9/15.

IT’S A CELL’S LIFE… AKA CELL BIOLOGY
We divided our time this week between working on Science Fair research papers and studying cells. The students have the first draft of their paper due on Monday, 9/8. They are required to have it edited by an adult prior to printing it. During our study of the cell, the class played a game simulating a gum factory which also simulated the function of a cell. Some of the students figured this out before we were done. We will continue with science fair and cells next week. We will also be wrapping up our early studies with a test on Thurs., 9/11.

ADVENTURE FRIDAY – ONE FISH, TWO FISH, PARROT FISH, MU FISH
Our class did not meet this week; however, we will meet at Kahalu’u next Friday, 9/12 to study Trigger fish and a few other interesting creatures.

ROBOTICS:
The class worked on building this competition area structure that they started last week. We got pretty close to finishing. Our robot kits have arrived. Yeah! The students were given a VEX Inventor’s Guide. They were asked to read pages 1-10 for next week when they will have a quiz on the subject matter.

Sincerely,

Donna R. Goodale