I s s ue 3
Camden Bradley, 8th Grade
Nov ember
I like a lot of things about OLMS; the teachers, students and sports.
2015
Ian Hanyes, 7th Grade I really like saying GOOOOO VIKINGS on the announcements!
Sasha Selektor, 6th Grade I like the food, I mean REALLY like the food!
Viking VOI CE
NEWS FROM THE BRIDGE With just two weeks before winter break, grade games start at 4:00, and the 8th grade games start ten minutes after the we have a lot of activities in a small 7th grade game ends. window of time. Our choir, orchestra and band all have concerts from now until break starts on December 18th. Mrs. Trotter's orchestra will perform at All City Concert on December 8th, starting at 7:00 PM, at Abbott. Mr. Stein will showcase our band students on Thursday, December 10th, at WBHS starting at 7:00 PM as well. Lastly, Mrs. Tini will have our choirs well tuned for their annual Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 15th in the cafeteria at OLMS with the same 7:00 PM start time as our band and orchestra.
On December 18th, all students will take the National History Bee screener test in their history class room. Over the past four years, OLMS students have qualified for the state and national finals. Giving the screener to all students will give more students an opportunity to work with Mrs. Sepetys after school to participate in this great event. Lastly, all of us from OLMS want to wish all of you a happy holiday season. This is a great time to relax, enjoy your families and pick up a nice book or two to read and enjoy. Have a great break!
Our boys basketball season has started, and the 7th and 8th grade teams are off to a great start. Both teams are undefeated and have not encountered a Morrison Borders, EdS team that can stay closer than 20 points. Principal The boys have two home games before break - December 8th and 15th. The 7th
Viking Spotlight The Viking Spotlight will give you a closer look at our staff members by the department in which they teach. This month the spotlight is on our amazing Science Department! Our Science Department is made up of Mrs. Hetisch, Mrs. Raiti, Mrs. Williams, and Mr. Williams.
THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity. Tim Minchin
NEWS FROM THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT As students move through the science curriculum at OLMS, they develop the skills of a scientist and critical thinker. At each grade level, students experience the process of doing science rather than just learning about science. Through hands-on, engaging lessons that incorporate collaboration and argumentation, students learn to ask scientific questions, develop and use models, plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations from evidence, and communicate information. Through these activities, students learn the science content at a deeper, more meaningful level.
heredity. Content covered in 8th grade includes the formation of the universe, weather, climate and climate change, plate tectonics, and biochemistry. As a science department we use a common format for our unit maps for all units in 6th, 7th and 8th grade. The unit map is used as a study guide and it includes an overarching unit essential question, mini essential questions, ?I can statements? or learning targets and important vocabulary. The unit maps are presented to students at the beginning of each unit so that they can see the overall direction and goals for their learning. As the unit progresses we look back at the unit map to see what we have Students develop these skills learned so far and where we more completely at each grade will go next. Ask your child level while also learning about to show you their current unit different content topics. In map! 6th grade, students learn about our solar system, Earth?s 6th Gr ade weather and climate, Earth?s Our sixth grade scientists hydrologic cycle, cells, and started the year with metric body systems. In 7th grade, measurement and students will learn the basics observations. As part of the of chemistry, physics and
measurement unit we found the volume of liquids with graduated cylinders, the volume of non geometric shapes with the volume displacement method, the length of various objects with a metric ruler and found the mass of objects using a triple beam balance. All sixth graders are able to make qualitative and quantitative observations about the world around them. As practice, some classes were able to invite nightcrawlers into the lab while others classes used the school?s community garden to make observations with their new skills. Recently all sixth grade students participated in a grade level project by creating compost for the garden. Carol Scheuer, master gardener and master composter, facilitated a compost workshop where our Vikings shredded greens (grasses), cut up browns (leaves) and searched for decomposers (worms and other bugs) in logs. Once the students accomplished this all
materials were combined, we added soil and water and will watch our mixture turn to soil for the garden in the spring. Currently, 6th graders are investigating the solar system with the unit essential question of, ?What patterns exist in our solar system?? To begin we created a model of the solar system where we found patterns
THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity. Tim Minchin
NEWS FROM THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT within the inner and outer solar system. After that, students graphed and/or found patterns in the rotation and revolution times for each planet. Finally, students discussed patterns the sun goes through both during the day and throughout the year. Next up-phases of the moon! Watch for the new unit map. 6th STEAM 6th grade STEAM science covers the same content expected for all 6th graders in Michigan but with a twist! STEAM science content is delivered in a project-based format that allows students a unique way of applying what they are learning. Students are also learning to build relationships and improve their communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Each unit that we cover is associated with a unit driving question and a project designed to target this question. In our first unit on measurement and the metric system, the unit driving
question was ?How can I use density, every group was able measurement to solve a to overcome this challenge. problem??. The unit project presented students with a challenge in which they needed to float six keys across a moat and through a 5 cm hole in a castle wall to save their friends who were trapped inside. They had to build a boat to carry the keys with only a 5X5 in square of tinfoil!
Currently, STEAM scientists are exploring our solar system. Their unit driving question is ?Are we safe from space??. For this project, students will be researching something from space that could possibly be harmful to us. They will then design an invention that could protect us The boat and keys needed to from this danger. Students float for at least 20 seconds in will build a model of this order to be considered a invention, and we will share success. On our first try at the our designs at an inventors beginning of the unit, students fair. had little success. After 7th Gr ade applying what they had In 7th grade, we have learned about the metric successfully completed our system, buoyant force, and
Metrics and Measurement unit. Your scientists spent time in lab learning how to properly use science laboratory tools such as beakers, graduated cylinders, pipets, scales, and meter sticks. This unit provided a segway into Chemistry. In October, all 7th grade students had the opportunity to take a science field trip to Schoolcraft College to
THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity. Tim Minchin
NEWS FROM THE VIKING SCIENCE DEPARTMENT experience Mind Trekkers! This was an awesome experience for everyone! Students were able to roam through numerous demonstrations and various activities related to science, technology, engineering, and math. The first unit of Chemistry focuses on observing Matter. We explore density and phase changes through laboratory experiments. In lab this week, students had the opportunity to experience first hand the effect density has on different liquids. Each lab team was given four test tubes with unknown liquids.
Your Chemist had to use his/her science skills to find the mass and volume of each of these liquids in order to calculate their densities. Once they found the densities of the liquids, they were able to identify each unknown liquid. Their knowledge was put to the test when they had to create a density tower in a test tube!
8th Gr ade The 8th grade science year is off to a great start as students learn and practice the skills needed to be successful come their freshman year in high school. In 8th grade the students are currently
finishing up the unit on space and beginning to talk about weather. During the space unit students explored concepts such as the Big Bang Theory and the Nebular Theory through models and socratic discussions in class. In the weather unit students will build on knowledge gained in 6th and 7th grade while they learn about how Earth?s atmosphere responds to many changing variables, such as pressure, temperature, and humidity. By the end of the unit students will be making predictions based off of current data to predict future weather patterns. These skills aren?t just useful for predicting the weather either! By being able to analyze current situations and then by making accurate predictions about future events students gain the skill set to be able to become more independent as they move towards the end of the year. Later in the year students will be studying how the ocean?s effect Earth?s land masses as
well as how those land masses move and shift because of tectonic activity. The year ends with an introduction into biology, which every freshman at West Bloomfield High School will be taking. This introduction will help pave the way for success at the high school level.
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Viking Spotlight on the Science Department
Our Science teachers, from left to right, Mrs. Heitsch, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Raiti, and Mr. Williams. Mrs. Heit sch attended Central Michigan University for her undergraduate degree and Concordia for her Masters. She teaches 6th and 7th grade science and 7th grade AVID. "Things I enjoy doing while I am not at school are doing puzzles and reading with my daughters (2 and 5), playing catch and golfing with my husband, organizing the house and being outside. " Mrs. Raiti attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduated degree and Wayne State University for her Masters. She teaches 6th and 7th grade science. "I enjoy spending time and travelling with my husband and three children. "
Mrs. Wil l iams attended the University of Michigan - Flint for her undergraduate degree and Walden University for her Masters degree. She teaches 6th grade STEAM science and 8th grade science. I am a big Star Trek fan. :) The original series is my favorite. I have seen all of the original cast members live and have autographs from William Shatner (Captain Kirk), James Doohan (Scotty), and George Takei (Sulu). Mr. Wil l iams attended Michigan State University for his undergraduate degree and Wayne State University for his Masters. Mr. Williams teaches 6th and 8th grade science and is also our wrestling coach. "Before I was a teacher, I worked as a herpetologist at a zoo and venom research facility in Kentucky. "
