8th grade science overview

 

8th graders at Ashford School focus on the following areas of study in science: Biodiversity conservation (Classification of living things, plant reproduction, and genetics); Natural Satellites (Moon phases, reasons for seasons, Galileo, and the universal theory of gravity); Physics of Transportation (Roller coasters, friction, building bridge engineers); and Energy Conservation and Transformation.

Throughout the year, all 8th grade students will learn how to collect data, formulate hypotheses, design experiments to test their predictions, and communicate their findings.

In science Comprehension Strategies, students will explore Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection.

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Science Night

All students in 8th grade are required to complete an independent scientific investigation, which will be showcased at Ashford School's Science Night, scheduled this year for February 4, 2009. This independent investigation is a wonderful opportunity to learn first hand what the scientific process is all about. To see a .pdf file that includes a schedule of deadlines and a rubric, please click here.

Four qualifying entries are selected to enter a project in the Connecticut Science Fair. For more info about how to qualify for the Connecticut Science Fair competition, please click here.

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Science Bowl Team

Ashford School Science Bowl Team met after school on Tuesdays until late bus dismissal time. Sixth through eighth graders prepared themselves for either the academic or the fuel cell car competitions that are held at UConn each spring. The 2008-2009 competition will be held on March 28, 2009 at UConn. To learn more about the competition at UConn, click here. As part of their preparation for the academic quiz bowl, students test themselves on questions from a number of different sources. One cool website to test your science knowhow is called getsmarter.org. Check it out!

Science now included on the CMT!

Last spring (2008) marked the arrival of science on the CMT test that was administered to all fifth and eighth graders. Students devote some time each academic year preparing for the test by answering sample questions and analyzing sample answers. Students may begin practicing answering CMT-like questions by going to the NAEP web site and viewing science questions asked on previous NAEP tests. To go to the NAEP web site, click here.

 

Homework Policy

All late homework will be marked as a zero. Longer-term assignments, which are worth more points than a daily homework assignment, will be marked down one full grade point (10%) for every school day that it's late, regardless of whether or not a particular class meets on any given day. Students who are absent should contact me upon their return to receive any homework assignments they may have missed. It is the student's responsibility to complete make-up work within the time frame I assign.

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 Language Arts

I am not teaching language arts in this school year, so I have removed the language arts overview from my web page. The science and language arts teachers will collaborate on the skills necessary to conduct research and write an independent research paper. Check out the links at the top of the page that may help you find a great book to read or to recommend.

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Contact Me

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at: aperkins@ashfordct.org; or by phone, 429-6419.

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