Welcome to 6th and 7th grade science. I am excited to be here. I am looking forward to a great year learning more about you. I hope to share my excitement for God’s amazing universe with you.
Curriculum
The two grades are together because it is a rolling two-year cycle. This means that both grades will go over the same material this year. Next year will be the other half of the two-year curriculum.
The following is a basic outline of the stimulating topics you can expect this year. For more details see “6th-7th”curriculum under the Mr. Sportel on Dutton’s website.
Cells: structure of life
Motion and Forces: Newtonian physics, forces
Earth’s Waters: Oceans and freshwater
What You Need for Class
·Pencil or Pen (blue or black ink only)
·Spiral Notebook (normal 70 pager is plenty)
·Folder for assignments
Important Guidelines
These rules will help class move more smoothly and help everyone enjoy it. We will follow these rues and of course the school specific rules. Failing to follow these rules will lead to yellow or red cards.
·Respect the teacher and other students (this includes others property)
·Listen when I or others talk and when you talk we will listen
·Complete work on time or loose points
·Come to class prepared and ready to learn, when the bell rings you are in your seat
·When in doubt ASK politely
ARP and Articles.
Science can be seen as almost a different language sometimes. To learn to read it takes practice. In order to practice and keep current in a subject with new information constantly being added I require ARP and Articles. The ARP portion is where students read a science based ARP book and take the test. The other portion is the articles. Students are required to read an article in a newspaper, magazine or a news website. They will have to answer questions and attach the article. I will provide 3 articles for the students and the students will need to provide 3 they found on their own for a total of six each quarter. The grade is a combination of the articles and the ARP test. Zoobooks maybe used for the ARP portion two of the dates. See Mrs. Fuller for more information on what books may be used each quarter.
Here are the dates for the ARP/Article.
October 21 - May be a Zoobook
January 6 - Nonfiction Science
March 17 - May be a Zoobook
May 28 - Fiction Science
ARP book: Read an ARP book, take the test, print the results and turn it into Mr. Sportel
Article: (1)Find 3 articles about science from the newspaper, a magazine, or the internet (from home only). (2) Cut/print out articles and answer questions. (3)Turn both article and question sheet in.
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is a chance for students who have an extra interest in science. We encourage any student who likes to dig into science more to participate. We will start preparing for the competition right after Christmas break. Parent volunteers are also encouraged to join our team. Let me know if you are interested in encouraging youth and learning more about a topic in science. You don’t need any previous experience or special knowledge. It’s a great opportunity to meet and encourage some of Dutton’s great students. For more information and some links to check out, check out Science Olympiad under Mr. Sportel on Dutton’s web page.
Keeping in Touch
Parents, the easiest way for me to keep in touch is with e-mail. For your first homework assignment as parents, please send me an e-mail so I can add you to my address book. If you are a parent of a 6th grader, Mr. Sloterbeek would appreciate it if you included him as well. If you would like an update just drop me a line anytime. I will have this document and other information on the website as well. Please check out what is available. I am also open to calls at school or at home.
Home phone: 301-3952 E-mail: rsportel@duttonchristianschool.org
