Kirtland's Kapsule: February 2011

Welcome

Welcome to 2nd semester. We have covered a lot of ground and have a lot more to do. I am very pleased with the progress the students made during first semester. I want you to know that all their hard work will serve them well this semester as we undertake the study of physical science.

Our first topic is chemistry. As always, it is important that they know their vocabulary words so they can learn the concepts as they are presented in class. Having an understanding of the vocabulary really gives them an advantage as they come to class and we discuss different topics. I would like for them to show understanding of the word instead of just being able to give me the book definition. It is also very important that students spend some time each evening studying their notes and vocabulary. They do not have to spend more than a few minutes -- whatever it takes for them to go over the material, but the consistency is important.

If you have any questions for me, you can reach me through the school email or I have given all my students my phone number. Do not hesitate to call me. If you do not reach me, just leave a message and I will return your call.

Kay Kirtland

Friday, February 25, 2011

I have not done a very good job of keeping this blog up to date. Please forgive me and I promise I will make an effort to update very often from now until the end of the year.

We have just finished our unit on Chemistry and are now beginning a new Chapter (E3) where "Energy" will be our topic. This is a chapter that provides us with the opportunity for some fun activities. We will work with magnets as well as electric circuits. Check back so you can see some of the exciting things we will be doing.

This is the time of year when keeping students focused can be a challenge. They are letting me know how busy they are with various spring-time activities so I would like to encourage everyone to make time to study for a little while daily. The students who have been conscientious about this have consistently done well on quizzes and tests. The ones who have not are beginning to struggle.

For those who were not in my class today, we did the vocabulary for Chapter E3. The list of words is on page E72. Please be sure to get your definitions from the glossary instead of in the text of the chapter. This will be homework next week if not done by then.

The 9 -week grading period ends next Friday, March 4th. We will have a quiz on the first lesson of the new chapter next week. I believe it will be on Thursday.

Enjoy the great weather! Ms. Kay