Mrs. O’Malley Life Science, 2013 - 2014Grade 7

The Wildcats TeamMrs. Gibbons- Social Studies

Miss Hayward- English

Mrs. O’Malley- Science

Mrs. Roan - Math

Mrs. Dean-Social Studies

Find The Fiction…

I won a surf competition when I was 15.

I am a Va. Tech fan.

I have four children. The ages range from 15-18.

Mrs. O’Malley’s Contact Information

School Phone: (757) 648-4950, *extension 62716

E-mail: clomalle@vbschools.com or catherinel.o'malley@vbschools.com

pams-omalley.wikispaces.com

(This is the preferred method of contact! I’ll check my e-mail daily – and frequently.)

If you leave a message for me through the school, I will try to check it. Please do not call directly into the classroom unless it is an emergency!

What about SOL’s?Advance students will take the

8th grade core science SOL.The test is cumulative of 6th, 7th,

and 8th grade material.Review sites and notes are

located on my wiki.Core science will not have a

science SOL until 8th grade.

What Can Parents Do to Help?

Check your child’s homework via My School Mail and School Net!

My wikispace pams-omalley.wikispaces.comPlease sign up for Parent PortalGet interested in Science and quiz them

about what we are learning!Each child needs a 3 ring binder with

pocketsMake sure they have supplies- ANY extra

supplies that the class can use would be great! (pencils, glue sticks, colored pencils, glue sticks, tissues, glue sticks…)

Unit One:UNIT 1: THINKING LIKE A SCIENTIST AND PATTERNS OF CELLULAR ORGANIZATION

UNIT 2: INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETICS, EVOLUTION, AND CLASSIFICATION 

Unit Three:Energy and Ecosystems

Unit Four:INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

Unit Five: Investigating the Relationships Between Solar Radiation, Water, and Weather

Mrs. O’Malley’s Class InfoFind me at : pams-omalley.wikispaces.com

Text book is on-line. Directions for access will be on my wiki.Books will also be checked out. During the course of the school year, you can expect to find classwork activities, homework, make-up assignments, review guides, and materials to review in preparation for the Virginia SOL Test.

How is your child assessed?This year science is incorporating

Standards Based Grading: What is it?The approach is to first assess where the

students are in the process of learning a specific topic, and then to gear their progress around that. Students are given a series of formative and summative assignments resulting in a mastery level of the topic that becomes their grade. Keywords: Rigor and Relevance!

Students will track their assignments in their learning portfolio. Student Lead conferences will be offered at the end of each 9 weeks.

Student Learning Portfolio

Each student has their own folder. Within their folder, there is a list of the standards and the tasks for those standards. Each student will record their own assessments on their learning portfolio as well as I will have a copy. Those are the assessments you will see on parent portal. During the school year, there will be opportunities for a student lead conference with their learning port folio folders.

GRADES-STANDARD BASED GRADINGThe primary purpose of standards-based

grading is to evaluate students at the highest level of learning they are able to demonstrate through the evidence of their work. Each assignment a student completes is associated with a learning target, and the students’ work is scored on a rubric relative to that learning target. The emphasis is on providing students the opportunity to produce a body of evidence to demonstrate their learning over time. They are provided motivation by being given opportunities to improve.

SBG continuedSBG

In this system, teachers are better able to differentiate instruction because they are more precisely able to target students’ strengths and weaknesses. Hence, they can plan for and provide intervention for students who are struggling with concepts, or enrichment to students who are demonstrating mastery. Because non-learning factors are removed from consideration, the standards-based grading system places a value on the quality of student work rather than on the quantity of it.

Report Card Addendum

MARKING PERIOD 

1ST 2ND

3RD 4TH FINAL

CITIZENSHIP 

         

Listens and follows rules, procedures, and directions

         

Exhibits self-control and resolves conflicts effectively

         

Is a respectful contributing citizen in the school community

         

PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION 

         

Works effectively within a group, including leadership roles

         

Actively participates and offers ideas          Encourages others to participate by listening and building off the ideas of others

         

PRODUCTIVITY 

         

Identifies, pursues, and reflects on goals

         

Creates work of the highest quality          Completes and turns in work on time          Perseveres even when work is difficult

         

COMMENTS    

         

_N Novice- Needs Improvement; not making expected progress toward proficiency DP Developing Proficiency – Beginning to grasp and apply key concepts, processes, and skillsP Proficient - Regularly grasps and applies key concepts, processes, and skills with limited errorsAP Advanced Proficient – Consistently demonstrates proficiency; grasps, applies, and extends key concepts, processes and skills

In Parent Portal, parents will see two types of grades: assignment grades and standards grades. Students will receive a score of 0-4 on each assignment they complete, and that grade will be recorded in the grade book. Each standard will be measured by multiple assignments, so a parent will also see a standard grade as well, which will also be 0-4. In fact, the assignment grades themselves do not have weight. Each assignment targets a different level of thinking, and hence a different level of mastery. Parents will see letter grades next to each assignment in Parent Portal. Those letter grades should be disregarded. Instead, the assignments will reflect student growth over time, and the grade for the standard will be given once all evidence is collected. At the end of each quarter a student’s grade is determined using a total points scale. The only points that are counted are the points the students earned on each standard. A final letter grade is determined at the end of the quarter using a conversion of points to corresponding letter grades. The conversion scale is as follows (if there are 5 standards, multiply the values below by 5):

  A 3.4-4.0 B- 2.3-2.4 D 0.8-1.5A- 3.2-3.3 C+ 2.1-2.2 E 0.0-0.7B+ 3.0-3.1 C 1.8-2.0B 2.5-2.9 C- 1.6-1.7

 

Standards and Objectives Advanced Unit 1

Task(s)                  

                     The student will plan and conduct investigations in which: (lS.1)

                   

a)       Data are organized into tables showing repeated trials and means;

                   

b)     Metric units (SI - International system of units) are used;

                   

c)       Variables are defined;                    d)       Models are constructed to illustrate and explain phenomena;

                   

e)       Sources of experimental error are identified;

                   

f)        Dependent variables, independent variables, and constants are identified;

                   

g)       Variables are controlled to test hypotheses, and trials are repeated;

                   

h)       Continuous line-graphs are constructed, interpreted, and used to make predictions;

                   

i)         Interpretations from a set of data are evaluated and defended; and

                   

j)     An understanding of the nature of science is developed and reinforced.

                   

The student will investigate and understand that all living things are composed of cells. Key concepts include: (LS.2)

                   

                   

Grading scale/rubric for each strand of an standard objective

Work is complete and meets or exceeds the expectations of the

assignment.  There is extensive evidence

that the student made an effort to clarify

her/his understanding of the purpose of the

assignment.  The student uses comments on

homework to improve future work.

Work is complete and

meets all expectations

for the assignment. 

There is evidence that the student

made an effort to understand the purpose of

the assignment.

Work is incomplete.  There

is little evidence that the student made an effort to understand the

purpose of the

assignment.

There is no

evidence that the student tried to

understand the

purpose of the

assignment.

There is not

enough informati

on to make a

judgment.

4=AP 3=P 2=DP 1=N 0=NE