The last five weeks of school are upon us, and they'll move fast!

The 7th graders have a biome project this week:

In groups of 1-3, they chose a biome and a specific geographical location to research. They need to find:

*the major native species of the area (flora (plants) and fauna (animals))

*any human activities that are impacting the area

*the climate of the area (specifically statistics on rainfall and temperature)

They also need to create food web of a minimum of 5 organisms (more is better) in their area, including:

*at least one major producer

*at least one major first level consumer

*at least one major second level consumer

*at least one major decomposer

All this information needs to be presented on a small poster board-- larger than a piece of construction paper, smaller than a desk top-- that can be displayed in the classroom. Some groups have already asked to do a diorama instead of a poster board, and as long as all of the requested elements are present, that's fine with me.

Students need to be prepared to present their research, food web, and poster in a 5 minute presentation Monday 3 May.

The 8th graders are learning about the skeletal system and muscles of the body. They'll have coloring sheets and lots of practicing to do to remember the names of the major bones and muscles, so please help them by quizzing your student at home! They will have a project assigned to them next week, due before the 8th grade trip, so keep an eye out for the requirements as we move through the unit.

The next exam for the 8th graders is Friday 14 May, and the 7th graders have a test Wednesday 5 May.

The Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) will be in the mornings of 12 April - 19 April. The schedule is as follows:

Day 1 (12 April-Monday): 7th grade takes the writing exam

Day 2 (13 April-Tuesday): 7th and 8th grades take Part 1 of both the reading and math exams

14 April-Wednesday: Regular Wednesday schedule, no AIMS

Day 3 (15 April-Thursday): 7th and 8th grades take Part 2 of both the reading and math exams

Day 4 (16 April-Friday): 7th and 8th grades take Part 3 of both the reading and math exams

Day 5 (19 April-Monday): 8th grade takes the science exam

Students need to arrive as promptly as possible on these days, well-rested, and having had a nutritious, delicious, breakfast!

In the afternoons of this week, 8th graders will continue their AIMS review, focusing especially on the Scientific Method, while 7th graders will begin studying ecosystems and energy roles. Homework will be extremely light, if there is any at all.

After AIMS, 7th graders will be picking a biome to study in-depth (in a group), focusing particularly on the food webs and resources present in their biome, while 8th graders will be learning the names of the major bones and muscles of the body.

Progress reports come out 20 April (Tuesday), and students will have some time in class to make sure they're all caught up as we head into May!