Program Update: Science

6th Grade:

Why does a green car look black through a red filter? What happens to light after it is emitted from a source? Why are the primary colors of light (red, green and blue) different from the primary colors of pigment (cyan, yellow and magenta)? Using lots of hands (and eyes) on activities, these are just some of the questions the 6th graders have been tackling recently in science class. Here’s a link to some fun optical illusions. If you have a 6th grader in your household, ask them which one is their favorite and why.

7th Grade:

The 7th graders are in the middle of learning how traits can be passed down from parents to offspring. They investigated how cows could pass on the trait of having extra big muscles. We practiced building consensus models based on evidence and changed those models as new evidence was discovered. We also just finished learning about gene relationships by making sex cells of fictional animals (Sesame Street characters). We also saw how dominant/recessive and codominant genes interacted to form new genotypes. Students made posters of a mating pair and their offspring’s genotype and phenotype. They are hilarious and will be coming home soon for your enjoyment.

8th Grade:

Since returning from the sunshine of Rome, the 8th graders have been focusing on the question of Why it hails, rains and snows a lot at some times but not others. To figure out how hail forms in the first place, students looked at these wild images of hailstones below!

We’ve watched several videos of hailstorms and looked at maps to determine where hailstorms are most likely to occur. On Monday, students measured the air temperature at school at different heights and discovered that the temperature can be 2-3 degrees colder just three feet above the ground than at the ground! Next up is untangling why that happens and how it might be connected to hail. If you have an 8th grader in your household, ask them to share their thinking so far.