Mrs. Slade's science page

Dissection day #1 Molluscs! Enjoy!

2010-05-03T12:55:00.001-07:00

The competition!....

2010-03-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

buoyancy and our Boat competition

2010-03-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

First off...let's introduce the concept. The students were instructed to make a boat out of anything. No bigger than 4 x 6 in.

Here is a picture of the boats and the students preparing the pennies for the competition to see which boat coudl hold the most.

FUN FINALS!!

2010-03-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

An Oxymoron?!....Not in Mrs. Slade's class!!!!...

Here are my fun 8th graders during our final hours. Instead of a written test each group had to develop a review game for a unit we had studied during the year.

Fun huh? And yet it was their final. Not all of my classes were so lucky, but I didn't take pictures of them because they would be boring!

Second challenge for Psychology!

2010-02-05T09:27:00.001-08:00

Each group gets two shorts strips of rope, one rubber band, and ten cups spread out all over the floor. When I say, "go"...you must stack the cups into a pyramid 4-3-2-1 without coming within 1 foot of each cup. The winners? Chase, Rachel, and Jenna....Great job....

Psychology FUN!....Go Seniors

2010-02-05T09:23:00.001-08:00

Our first Challenge of the intelligence activity day. Separate yourself from your partner without removing your rope from your wrist...It took a while. One group figured it out on their own. Mrs. Slade shared the secret to the rest...

8th grade probability activity....YEA flipping coins!

2010-02-05T07:38:00.001-08:00

I'm Back...Actually I never went anywhere but my camera was out of commission and so taking pictures just didn't happen in class. Don't think that doesn't mean we didn't learn a ton and have a lot of fun at times.

Now, I have a new camera (thanks to my wonderful husband who purchased just what I wanted for my birthday) and so pictures are coming again!

Here is my 8th graders flipping coins to see if reality matches probability of genetics. Oh how much we love genetics!

Anatomy reviewing Mitosis and Meiosis

2009-10-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

These are my anatomy Students reviewing the processes of Mitosis and Meiosis. Go kids. Glad you all are back and having a grand old time.

Oh...if anyone reads this...come tell me in the morning. Whomever tells me first will get a free cup of hot cocoa. Enjoy!

A new year...already behind

2009-10-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome all!

It is a new year and guess what? Despite the fun we have already had, I have yet to post anything on our blog.

I have decided this will change. So, begin to look forward to pictures and information about what your kids are learning this year.

Kids, I will have a prize periodically for anyone who reads this and is asked to tell me you read it. So, look at the blog periodically, just to win a prize!

Oh, and everyone. Don't forget, hot chocolate for sale in Mrs. Slade's room before school.

Yea!

PIG GUTS

2009-05-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

There are few words to describe this experience. I would say that a picture is worth a thousand words...and leave it at that.....a movie is worth at least ten thousand!

Heart day

2009-05-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Today we dissected the heart. What great fun. sorry you missed out Emily. Maybe next time. It was a bit of a shocker to find you curled up on the floor.

We saw all kinds of things. What an amazing organ the heart is. Hope you guys learned lots.

Enjoy!!!

Today

2009-04-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Clams!!!!!

WORMS

2009-04-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

WORMS! enough said.

Spring clips

2009-04-14T08:48:00.001-07:00

Here is our lab for 7th grade. Spring clips! Just enjoy the pictures...

2009-04-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few songs written and performed by my students in Anatomy.
They are all about hormones. They might be a bit silly and long but the kids had a great time. ENJOY!

seventh grade -- kinetic and potential energy

2009-04-08T12:41:00.001-07:00

here are my students doing a simple lab demonstrating the wonder of the transfer of energy compared to mass. They had a lot of fun...Enjoy the pictures...

AP Biology and Shoes....

2009-04-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when students whine and whine and whine and so finally I give in to repeat a lesson done years previously (eight grade). Here we are, creating a dichotomous key for shoes...Crazy fun, I know!

Earth time Line

2009-03-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

O.k. I admit. I do not enjoy teaching the time periods of Earth's history. I am not sure other than it always turns out rather boring to me and it seems to my students also since they doze much more often than normal.

So, few years back I decided to try a different method. I give each student a time period to learn about. The next day I have them draw a depiction of their time line...with the amount of space they get proportional to the amount of time it lasted. This helps them stay awake and helps them at least learn one of the time periods in great detail.

The last day I have each student stand in front of their time period and teach the class about what happened. And then...we hang it up for all to see. So awesome. And me? Well I get to take pictures and then blog the entire thing to share with others.

exciting times today

2009-03-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today in AP Biology we were supposed to have a test. Oh the whining I heard when I first came in was incredible. "OH please, please, let us take it on Monday, please, we will do anything!" MMM? I think some of them meant it. Oh the benefits of bribery.

In 7th grade we had our big boat competition. We have just finished learning about Archimede's principle of buoyancy and displacement. The assignment...build a boat no bigger than 6' x 6" x 3". A few boats sunk fairly fast (I think we might need a lesson on water proof material) Others held a great deal of pennies.

Our winner.....EMMA LYNN! Congratulations Emma. Your boat held 470+ pennied before it sunk. Unfortunately because you were our photographer we don't have a wonderful picture of you. But still you win!

Later

Teddy Graham Day

2009-03-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's Teddy Graham day in 8th grade biology. During this class we use teddy grahams and a story about the land of Teddy Grahams and the swamp thing. You see the swamp thing can only see bears that have their hands up! Each year He can only eat 8 bears and each year each pair of bears can only have 1 baby bear (mating is completely random).

We begin the population with one hands down bear and 23 hands up bears. From generation to generation we see the population begin to change and the number of hands up bears decreases and the number of hands down bears increases until there are no more hands up bears for the swamp thing to eat.

This is one of the kids favorite activities to do every year. At the end they get to eat all the bears they want..YUM!

Brain Day!

2009-03-03T12:51:00.000-08:00

You are probably wondering what it means...brain day. Well, here are a few pictures of my 9th grade anatomy students dissecting sheep brains. They had a lot of fun and were able to see many things like the corpus callosum, the arbor vitae, and the cerebrum vs. the cerebellum. If you don't know what these things are, just stop one of my anatomy students in the hallway and ask them.

Enjoy!

...and the student has surpassed the teacher!

2009-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

I have been teaching here for 14 years. During these years I have tried hard to instill in my students the desire to be the best they can be. Today I am beginning to see many of my students become great and wonderful things.

These are two of my past students who have come into my life once again. One is going to be the new Head master here at Meridian and the other is a Sophomore at Dartmoth medical school.

It made me think...my students are surpassing me. How do I feel? Absolutely wonderful!

Being a teacher is very much like being a parent, especially when you open up your heart to your students. Your love for them increases each year and your desire truly is to see them succeed and become everything they can. To reach their potential, or at least to begin to and to live their dreams.

I am lucky enough to be a part of this. So, how do I feel working for someone who once sat in my room learning from me. How do I feel learning from them? Great! If I can only claim to be a small influence in their lives, then all this sacrifice is worth every minute.

Thanks to all my students who keep in touch. I am proud of each and every one of you. Live your dreams and find joy in your lives, that is the greatest thing you could ever do for me.

Balloon Rockets

2009-02-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is a typical end of the day for Mrs. Slade.... So tired! Not really everyday, but sometimes.

Today is 7th grade we made balloon rockets and then calculated the velocity of differently weighted balloons. Such Fun! ENJOY!

Tootsie Pop's

2009-02-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

I had two students who became rather bored while waiting for the judging of the science fair. During this time they decided to use the time to create and do another one.

Title -- Tootsie Pops! Takin' a lickin'

Hypothesis -- We presumed that the time taken to reach the center of a tootsie pop would be 1 hour.

Experiment: We (Matthew and Jordan) each took a standard build tootsie pop, and commenced the licking process. Patrick acted as teh lick tallier. WE synchromized our licks, and licked our tootsie centers out.

Reality: It took 550 licks to reach the center of a tootsie pop

Paper...

As we watched the other science fair projects commence, the question popped into our heads...."Mr. Owl, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie pop?".

'How many licks indeed?' We asked. And so we were off! ....

End....

It was a long, hard, and tiring process; but after about fifteen minutes, we struck the El Dorado that we had been searching for...550 licks it took, but we hit not the Ag treasure that the Spanish Conquistadors quested for, but that of a tootsie roll. We had succeeded, and determined that, Mr Owl, it indeed takes 550 licks to reach the Tootsie Roll center.

Translation

2009-01-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

when one translates they convert the meaning of one language into another. The same occurs in your cells when you produce proteins needed for the function of the cell. The language of mRNA must be converted into the language of amino acids. The language of mRNA involves four letters A,C, U, and G. The language of proteins involves twenty amino acids. In order to convert his language you need to have a three letter code of mRNA nucleotides for each amino acid. These are pictures of the process of translation acted out by my wonderful juniors. I find it amazing how you can convince them to stick things on their forhead and look a little silly instead of taking notes and/or listening to a lecture given by Mrs. Slade.

Each student represented a tRNA molecule. This is the molecule responsible for the actual translation process. On the board the the three sites of the ribosome (A,P, and E) . The long strand of tape with letters on it represent the mRNA molecule. This was made from a code in DNA called a gene. Each gene codes for a single polypeptide chain. Well enough said...Enjoy the pictures.

2009-01-15T09:08:00.001-08:00

I bet you didn't know that one way of helping kids understand the concept of a half life is by using pennies. But you can...first you take 100 pennies and place them in a bag. Spill the pennies out and take out all the heads. (close to half--or it should be...this also helps students realize that not everything always works out perfectly).

Then you take those out..place the remainder in the bag and do it again and again until you run out of pennies. Of course you are keeping track of how many heads you remove each time. The kids see that, WOW, almost always 1/2 of what you have.

So cool...enjoy the pictures of your cute kids.

We're Back!

2009-01-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

It has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things here at Meridian. I got used to sleeping in and taking my time...so, blogging hasn't gotten done....until today.

Here are two of my classes. The second group is Physical Science building their polymers out of marshmallows. There is no more fun way to learn the way atoms are built to make molecules than actually using marshmallows and toothpicks to show it. They had a great time and were busy looking in advanced science books to understand them better and find out how two monomers combined to form a large polymer. Go 7th graders.

The first picture is my Anatomy class taking their dreaded bone test. It is a 50 question test where all I do is point to bones (or bumps on bones, or holes in bones, or parts of bones) and they have to write the name...all from memory. The interesting thing is this is one of my best exams (score wise) every year. They dread it but study so hard. I love it.

2008-12-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is a wish that goes out to all my students and their families. Being a teacher is an awesome responsibility. Each student learns and behaves differently and teachers have to be constantly adapting to help each and everyone of them.

Some may say that we are the hardest working people out there...I disagree. I see many other people who work harder and for longer and often even get paid less that I do. Sometimes I feel bad about how easy it is for me, and then other times I am just grateful I get Christmas breaks off and summer's off just to recooperate from the exhaustion I often feel.

Anyway, I want to send my thanks out to all of you. Thank you for being great parents and students. Thank you for your understanding when we have a hard or busy day. Thank you for your encouragement throughout the year and your support.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful break and I will see you next year!. Remember school starts January 5, 2009.

Mrs. Slad

structure of the bone -- using chicken...

2008-12-04T09:31:00.001-08:00

Here are my ninth graders....dissecting chicken legs in order to better understand the structure of a long bone.

They love any excuse to sit, talk, and cut instead of listening to a lecture by me. Fun times for all...OH and guess what the Slade family is having for dinner? The legs that weren't used! Yea Us!

What the Heck!?

2008-12-02T13:20:00.000-08:00

O.k. my room has been taken over. Yikes, Ballroom is here.

So..here is Tasi Young trying hard to use my classroom to teach ballroom to a bunch of girls and two..count them...two boys.

Oh well, I don't mind. It is fun to watch. The only down fall..I don't get to dance. maybe.. just maybe Tasi will dance with me on occassion. :) He is a great dancer...and fun to dance with.

Enjoy the pictures!

Thanks Watabe for the idea--Brilliant!

2008-11-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of an idea I stole from Watabe. He has in is classroom small white boards. He will give the students math problems and then they will work them out and hold up their answer. This helps him see who understands something and who doesn't easier. Today I borrowed his white boards to help the students review for a test. I loved it. I am so going to make my own! Thanks Watabe for the use of the boards for a day and for the great idea.

AP biology and Cellular Respiration

2008-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Cellular respiration is a fairly complex chain of events. It is the process of converting glucose into the usable form of energy called ATP. Over the years I have tried to find ways to help the students gain an understanding of what is happening and how changes affect the whole process (for example..what happens if there is no oxygen...etc...)

Well a few years ago I had a brilliant creative moment and developed a "skit" where the students acted out the whole process. They have a lot of fun and it really seems to help (or so they say). so here is a short clip of the whole thing.

8th grade cell reports

2008-11-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

Here they are...the cutest class ever. They were assigned to find out about one type of cell and build a model of it to share with the class and then to write a report discussing the job of the cell.

We had quite a variety.
Mesophyll cells of plants
amoebas
nerve cells
eye cell (rod or cone)
The protist, Trypanosoma Brucei, that causes African sleeping sickness
A my personal favorite...the dinoflagellate! otherwise known as algae...

8th Grade cell models

2008-11-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

Cell Cookies

2008-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

The competition is on!

Boys vs. Girls

Each team was given three cookies and a whole lot of candy. Using their knowledge and notes on types of cells (prokayotic, animal, plant) they were asked to create each.

Tomorrow the winner will be decided.

Here are the beginnings of each...tomorrow we will have pictures of the final products.

Reaction Time

2008-10-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today my seniors did a lab to determine if the length of a nerve affects the reaction time. They did this by catching a yard stick in different situations.

If you wonder what happened....ask a senior.

Some comments I heard today.

"My reaction time is terrible" - Meagan

"It's so funny to watch." - Victoris

"My toe sucks" - Sammy

"I got a one with the foot thing" - Sarah

"NOW!" - Everyone (during the ear part)

AP Lab -- Potatoes and water potential

2008-10-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

Part C of the AP #1 Lab....Yea students.

Who is this very good looking somewhat older man?

2008-10-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

So... This afternoon during a time when someone was not too preoccupied...this man showed up. Who is it? Can we really allow someone so "scary" looking to enter our school?

Well check out below to see who it is and how he came about....

The process.....

2008-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Check this out....

Anatomy fun

2008-10-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

I have been somewhat neglectfull in my blogging. Despite this some of my classes have had such a great time lately. Others, unfortunately have had exams. Few view this as enjoyable.

but I am back. I just hope someone out there is looking at this and appreciating their own child and the learning that they are participating in.

Today in 9th grade anatomy we used the beautiful black table tops to create cells and with beads, tape and string. Modeled the process of Mitosis.

Mitosis, for those of you who do not know is the process of cell division. It is not a simply process that only involves splitting a cell into two. It is very precise. You have in each cell 46 chromosomes made from thousands of genes which in turn are made from thousands upon thousands of nucleotide sequences. Each sequence is a code for a protein in your body. One mistake in copying it and or splitting it results in some pretty bad mutations.

so..the process is pretty complicated

Pictures for your enjoyment.....

8th grade lab fun

2008-10-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are...look how safe we are being. We used red cabbage juice to determine whether or not some unknown substances were acids or bases. We also practiced using litmus paper. Yea students.. so do you think these goggles will become all the rage soon? I do...He hE

Those who didn't win!

2008-09-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

One of the requirements for science is memorizing the six functional groups. One way is to make it a memory. So this year I asked the students to write songs about them...with all the information they need to remember for their test later and the AP exam at the end of the year. So cute...enjoy!.. IF nothing else they laughed alot. Most students said they would remember more. I hope they do. I still have anatomy kids from years ago who remember their songs.

AP Biology functional Group songs

2008-09-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

Here is the winner of the competition....But I have decided I will post them all...so enjoy!

dating, engagement, and marriage in 8th grade?

2008-09-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

O.k. not really what you think. Here we are...learning the bonds between atoms.

Ionic
covalent
Hydrogen

One way to remember them is to compare them to dating, engagment, and marriage.

Fun! Especially for kids who really aren't sure about what is happening?

The best form of torture...

Marshmallow molecules

2008-09-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

O.k. so one of the things we as a class must learn is the four macromolecules of life....Proteins, Lipids, Carbohydrates, and Nucleic acids.

The students must have a concept of the structure of each (because structure = function)...

This includes ingredients and how they are put together (how many bonds between atoms etc...)

One of the funnest ways is to have them build these out of colored marshmallows. Here they are...they had done this in eight grade but really wanted to do it again and a refresher.

Enjoy!

More seventh grade fun!

2008-09-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

YEA! Incredible how much fun this is... and yet how challenging it is. Today we used the concept of density to find the thickness of aluminum foil. They did awesome even when it came time to use MATH!.

so proud of them!

You decide

2008-09-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

You decide...does this look like these kids are working?

Well, actually they are...Today my AP Biology Lab class were working on a lab which includes tests on someone after reclining for 5 min, exercising, and standing. They were able to use the skill of measuring blood pressure and heart rate.

So....be careful when you walk into my class room and "think" nothing is being done. You just never know!

By the way....the students said that this is by far their favorite lab thus far.

Seventh Grade reports

2008-09-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

here they are....My adorable seventh graders....giving their reports for science.

Go kids!

The Juniors and Oh deer

2008-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how frequently my older students, like my juniors, enjoy the fun little games we play. Today they decided that they too wanted to play Oh deer...to better understand the concepts of carrying capacity, population growth, and predator/ prey relationships.

so...of course...any excuse to go outside....Here they are....A great class.

Head master hike

2008-09-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today was our annual Headmaster's hike. It was great fun. We hope the back to school party tonight is as enjoyable. Good Luck Volley ball girls on your game.

Here are some pictures of lunch. What a beautiful way to appreciate the wonderful mountains.

Thanks to all who helped drive and coordinate the great events.

Oh Deer

2008-09-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

In 8th grade we are studying population growth and the patterns created by them.. In order to really show the students what happens naturally we play the game "oh Deer" (another excuse to go outside!. )

Here they are.. and then of course we had to graph all the data we collected!. Great Kids!

8th grade Biology

2008-09-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Using the quadrant method of counting population sizes. Any excuse to go outside. Fun times. I think this is the first time we have spotlighted the eight graders. Go 8th graders.

seventh grade fun

2008-09-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Another day in the lab! Check us out!

Only one casuality today. We had to say good bye to one of our graduated cylinders today. It happens.

It is worth the price to learn.

AP Biology Fun-- blood pressure

2008-09-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Look!

Today my AP biology class learned how to take blood pressure. Fun times.

Today I remembered why I teach here. I was visited by two students who graduated last year. They are both incredible students and dear friends of mine. One of them sat and we talked for 45 minutes. The only reason we stopped was because I had a class come in I needed to teach.

We talked about everything. Our eyes teared up as we remembered all the great times and how much we understood each other and how well we know each other. As she left and I turned my attention to my Juniors I realized that is why I am here. I am priviledged to teach students for multiple years. I become someone dear to their lives. Someone who is a friend and yet always and forever...Mrs. Slade.

Money can not buy something like that. So, when I think of all the money and benefits I am "missing out" on I remember...sometimes other things are worth so much more. Like family. Meridian is like family to me. I am here and plan on staying. Thanks wonderful students and family.

Today's fun!

2008-09-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! I am not sure I am going to be able to keep up with the fun at Meridian. I hope parents begin to check this out to see what their kids are doing at school. Fun!

Today my seventh graders did their first lab. Here are some great pics.....

My anatomy students learned about the directional terminology....Of course I got to get up on the table so they could see me well. What's crazy is how shy I really am...not kidding!

Psych FUN!

2008-09-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

O.k. if you have never had me for Psychology you are missing out.

Here are some pictures of the fun my seniors and I were having today. Each couple of students were assigned to learn about one of the perspectives in Psychology and how a person who followed this perspective would attempt to help a patient with a problem.

We set up the stage and I was the patient. It was hilarious, except for the ones which told me I was hopeless and should simply commit suicide. FYI...that is never the answer! I think they were frustrated and just gave up.

Hey, like my outfit? They have decided that we teachers can have casual Friday as long as we wear these green polos and jeans. I am o.k. with jeans! Cute?

My AP Biology lab

2008-09-04T13:45:00.001-07:00

Hey look...we used the lab area!. I love it. I am so excited to be able to make a mess and not have it interfere with my teaching. I really scored in this new building.

Your fearless leaders

2008-09-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

So....Mr. Watabe and I now run the school. Just kidding Rachel, and Kris, and all the seniors who probably really run the school.

But...we have a lot of ideas now that we are the supervisors. Mr. Watabe is the upper school supervisor and I am the middle school supervisor. This means we get to plan all the fun with the kids. YEA!.

So the first day of school we had an assembly. We decided to put on a little skit just to show how much fun we can be (really how much of a fool we can make of ourselves)

I was assigned to be the annoying part....why is that?

So here are some pics. My student (who I don't get to teach this year...bummer!), Ryan took the pictures...so if they are bad...blame him...... He He

O.k. all of the pics are blurry...Thanks Ryan... I think I had my camera on the wrong setting. But you get the idea.

Enjoy and do your homework if you are one of my students....See you next class period.

Welcome Back!

2008-09-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for this year...so let's look at what I have going all day long. First an introduction to my classes and students.

These are my before lunch classes. IN order #1 -- first period My juniors! I have missed teaching them and am glad they have me this year. (AP biology)

#2 -- My cute adorable 7th graders! They are new to Jr. High. I have a special place in my heart for this group...probably because one of them is mine...but really I love them all (Physical science

#3 -- third period ...My wonderful ninth graders and my favorite subject...Anatomy and Physiology. they were not very excited to have the books with the "guy" on the front but this is going to be the greatest class ever!

#4 -- fourth period ....My 8th graders...welcome back...I love these guys. They even made a "tip" jar for me at "color me mine" they are so cute and adorable. One smart group (Biology)

I will have to do a second post later for my after lunch classes. I was tired and forgot to take their pictures...So they will get a post all their own. -