Welcome to seventh grade Science! I am very excited to be returning to HFS in an expanded role this year.  I began my career twenty years ago in the Baltimore County school system, teaching 8th grade science.  In the intervening years, I have taught 8th graders and high schoolers in Chesterfield County, Virginia, as well as starting my own business as a science teacher to the home-schooled community. I have a great love for science, especially biology and chemistry, and am looking forward to sharing that passion with your children.   Included in this note to you is a brief course overview, a listing of what you should expect from me as your science teacher, what I will expect from you as students, and what parents might do to help their children.  Both students and parents are asked to read, sign, and return this sheet to me by Friday, SEPTEMBER 10

Course Description

Seventh grade science (along with the other grades) follows the spiral approach of the Maryland Voluntary Statewide Curriculum for middle school science.  As a result, the curriculum will touch upon various general science topics that will have been partially introduced in lower grades and will be revisited in more depth in the upper grades.  Using these topics as a vehicle, many critical thinking and problem solving strategies as well as general scientific skills will be developed.  Despite its generalist nature, the seventh grade curriculum concentrates more heavily on biology.

What students should expect from me…

• Hard work
• Commitment to their intellectual growth
• A sense of humor
• A warm and encouraging classroom
• Many hands-on activities
• Confidence in their ability to achieve course objectives and master the skills taught
• Challenges to their assumptions
• Availability to talk outside of class about class topics and skills
• A desire for students to set goals, work to achieve them, and recognize the resultant growth in their abilities

What I expect from students…

• Quality work – this includes well-developed answers, neatly written.
• Respect and responsibility of lab materials
• Organization
• Questions
• Class Participation
• Respect for others in class
• Encouragement and support of others in class
• Commitment to improving skills and understanding throughout the year
• Faith and confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed, adapt, change, and grow
• A sense of humor

What parents can do…

• Keep in touch with me, particularly in regard to long-term assignments, projects, and student reaction to course content
• Discuss course content and skills with your child
• Ask your child to share with you skills learned, knowledge gained, and discussions held in class

Nuts and Bolts

• Arrive to class on time, prepared to discuss or present homework due on that day.
• Have a writing utensil and binder with plenty of notepaper ready for use in each class.
• When submitting homework, write name, class and date in the top, right-hand corner of each   paper – staple together if submitting more than one page.
• Take all lab work seriously.  Work with safety in mind – both for the people in the class and for the equipment.
• See me if you have any questions or concerns about course content or assignments.  Never hesitate to submit suggestions to improve your experience in this course.

Assessment

• Participation
• Lab journal
• Classwork
• Homework and projects
• Tests and Quizzes – please refer to the handbook for revision policy.
• Science Fair project

Student Signature:

Parent Signature:

A NOTE TO PARENTS: Please feel free to contact me regarding questions or concerns about course content.  Also, if you have specialized training in or experience with any of the course content we cover, please volunteer to speak to the class! Please contact me if you are interested at cfoley@harfordfriends.org