January 17, 2015.
Dear Physical Science Families,
Welcome to Semester II and the halfway point of your child’s freshman year! It is amazing how quickly the year goes by! I wanted to take an opportunity to introduce myself to you, and to give you an outline of the topics we are planning on covering over the next several months. In addition to Physical Science, I am also teaching Biology I, and Principles of Biomedical Science (PLTW) this semester.
In the physical science classroom students will be delving into topics such as States of Matter, Classification of Matter, Properties of Atoms and the Periodic Table, and Elements and Their Properties. We have already completed a portion of Chapter 1 on Scientific Method, and wrapped up the topic on Friday with a review session and quiz, on which the students performed very well. Even though we are only two weeks into the semester, I am very excited about the focus students have displayed and their eagerness to learn the material.
On the first day of class your child received a copy of the syllabus, as well as the Classroom Management Plan, and Safety Guidelines, which we read together in class. All students signed and dated their Safety Guidelines. These documents should be located in their binders. I have encouraged students to utilize a binder for this class in order to keep their handouts, outlines, etc. in order. I am also an advocate for the usage of their student planner, in order to keep track of assignment due dates, as well as quiz and test dates. All daily activities, as well as due dates are located on my board, and are reviewed at the beginning of each class period with students. At that time I encourage them to write assignments in their planners.
During our Scientific Method Unit, students completed their first lab, in which they designed and tested their own experiment. They were also introduced to a formal lab report, and instructed on how to complete each step of their write up, and I shared with them how well they did with their work, especially since this was the first time they had been introduced to the report. We will be utilizing lab reports on a regular basis throughout the year, in order for students to become more accustomed to how scientific reports are to be documented in the lab.
On Monday, students will be introduced to section two of chapter 1 on measurement. There are several interesting labs your child will be completing over the course of the next couple of weeks, in order to apply their knowledge of the content. My classroom approach is built around student-centered activities, in which students can see the relevance and application of the material they are being presented in the class in the outside world. My goal is always to get students excited about what they are learning in the classroom, in order to facilitate deeper thinking and in-depth learning.
Finally, I am looking forward to working with your child over the course of this semester. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Email is the best way to reach me; however, you are also welcome to phone as well. If your child is struggling at any time with the material, please encourage them to approach me, as I am always happy to work with them outside of the class period.
Sincerely,
Tracy Meihls