Welcome to 6th Grade Earth Science!

Welcome to 6th Grade Earth Science with Ms. Paulson!

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Hello! Welcome scholars and their families to a new school year!

My name is Gina Paulson and I am super excited to begin my third year at The ASK Academy teaching 6th grade Earth Science. Although newer to ASK, this school year marks nearly 19 years as a teacher and 3 years as an assistant, in all 22 years in education. My experience includes work at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind, The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, Groner K-8 School, and most recently Cielo Azul Elementary with Rio Rancho Public Schools.

It was my time at Groner K-8, in Hillsboro, Oregon, that I strengthen and developed my love of teaching science. This amazing, tiny school became one of the first schools in their district to develop a STEAM program and I had the honor of being a part of the beginning stages working directly with the students and the community creating an agricultural based STEAM program that serves K-8th grade. This incredible school left an indelible mark on my heart and The ASK Academy reminds me a great deal of my dear old school. I look forward to developing new relationships here and I am excited

to be here!

Science is a passion of mine and I am so lucky to witness your joy in observing, exploring, and learning all about the world around us.

Always Question, Always Wonder

Unit 1: The Scientific Method is underway! Check Google Classroom daily, for lessons and access to materials.

Posts

Time to test that filter scholars! It's testing, analyzing, and making conclusions this week plus we are wrapping up our first unit on The Scientific Method. Take a moment to review all the steps and what they mean, your unit test in next week. Study guide on Thursday.

Experiment time! Test that water and make it safe. Be sure to wear your lab equipment! Lab Day #3 Fresh Water Filtration due 8/28/23
What does your data look like? Are there any correlations in the data? Time to ANALYZE! 💭📈📊
Conclusion: What makes a good conclusion? What evidence and reasoning do we have to help us draw solids conclusions about our experiment? Assignment: Write a conclusion due 9/1/23
Thursday, we bring it all together. How do we present our findings? Was our hypothesis correct or disproven? Share what you learned. 🗣️

***If you are at home, especially for the lab day, please follow up with me when you return and schedule an appointment on Friday to ensure you understand all the pieces of our experiment. Check in with your team too! You got this!

🧑‍🔬 It's EXPERIMENT week scholars! Time to put our hypothesis into action and collect some results! What is a procedure and how do we analyze the data? Let's get our science on and clean up some water ( 😉 hint) and design an experiment that will revolutionize the world, or at least our classroom!

Time to write a procedure! Why is this part of your experiment important?
Class experiment time: What type of solutions can we, create to help purify and conserve our freshwater resources in New Mexico? We begin a LIVE class experiment challenge.
Analyze the data: What do you need to collect? Then, what do you do with all that data? Assignment: Analyze the Data due 8/24
Lab Day #2: Build the experiment this Thursday! Come prepared.

*If you are at home, continue to check Google Classroom daily as I post everything there for you to access. Check in with me when you return to ensure you understand the content and feel free to set up an appointment for Friday as well. You got this!

Hello scholars! How's it going? 🙂 Time to take a breath and reflect on what you have learned and how you are feeling about school. The theme this week is "reflect". We will start our week with reflection on what we have accomplished so far, and end the week with reflection to deepen our understanding.

Time to revise those good questions you wrote last week. The questions were mind blowing! As a group, let's share these ideas and triple check that we have clearly defined and measurable scientific questions.
The HYPOTHESIS! The amazing statement that leads the experiment, collect and analyze the data, and answer that awesome question! So, what is a hypothesis and how do I write one? Assignment: Hypothesis Practice due Thursday 8/17
Hmmm...., we have generated a ton of awesome, clearly defined and measurable science questions....this lead to developing some amazing, testable hypotheses, and now we discuss what variables are. Hope you can escape the room of variables. 🤫😉🔐
Just as we began our week with REFLECTION, we shall end it in the same way. Gaming style reflection of the scientific method concepts we studies this week. Assignment: Scientific Method Review due by 8/18

*If you are at home, be sure to check Google Classroom because I post every single day. Double check the notes and follow up with me on any concepts or assignments you are not understanding. This Friday, 8/18, is another opportunity to check in. **Schedule an appointment. 👍

Hi there scholars! Welcome to your second week of school, how are you doing? Last week we covered all the basics of the classroom (where things are, expectations, google classroom, etc.), this week we dive right into our first unit, The Scientific Method. Plus, our first lab is on Thursday! 🥼

Unit 1 begins with Observation vs. Inference and we head outdoors for our first scavenger hunt! Notes for our binder.
Questions are great but what makes a good question, a good question in science? Assignment: 5 Question Activity due 8/10
Wednesday is all about lab safety as we prepare for our first lab day. Our fun, but serious, Anti-Lab in-class activity is a safety tour and what to expect.
Thursday: LAB DAY! The first of the year! Come prepared with lab goggles and either a lab coat, apron, or old shirt to protect your uniform. I do have extra lab goggles just in case. 😉 Lab Assignment: Lab #1 Neutralize Food Coloring in Water 🥽 due 8/10

*If you are absent, or missed something during class, be sure to check Google Classroom. I post daily and provide you access to all the items I share in class. You got this!

We made it scholars and families! The end of the school year is here and it is time for finals. My hope is for you all to have amazing adventures this summer with the ones you love. Keep up your passion for science too! Be sure to keep in touch with your 6th grade science teacher every now and then. 🤗 🏖

Finals Schedule

Monday May 22nd	Tuesday, May 23rd
P1 8:00-9:20 AM	P5 8:00-9:20 AM
P2 9:20- 10:40 AM	P6 9:20- 10:40 AM
P3- 10:40-12:00 PM	P7 10:40-12:00 PM

Wednesday- Make up day

Final week of instruction before the final! The year has flown by and we have been learning a ton! Wrapping up our mini unit on space this week with black holes, constellations, and a journey of the exploration of space travel. To the moon!

Seasons and Lunar Phases 🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕🌖🌗🌘 The What and Why's of this awesome topic!
Black Holes & Constellations 🌌 Time to explore dive deep into space and use the stars as navigation. Exploring the stars and a fun demo on black holes.
Space Exploration: We round out our mini journey of the solar system with how far we have come in the short amount of time, and the knowledge we've gained about the universe. Incredible!

Finals Schedule

P1-3 May 22

P5-7 May 23

Make up day May 24

Science the week of May 8-11, 2023

Hey there science peeps! The end of our unit, Human Impact is on Tuesday and we will begin a mini tour of the universe for the last two weeks of school. There is an Asynchronous day this Thursday, May 11, 2023 for the 11th graders to take their requires testing.

Monday- wrap up Human Impact with closing activities including peer review, reflections, and review of taught concepts.
Tuesday- Test on Unit 4: Human Impact. Scholars may use their binders for reference, study guide is in Google Classroom. Be prepared!
Wednesday- we begin to explore our universe and all that we know about it. Well, not all about it but we will explore some of the basics of our solar system. 🌌
Thursday- ASYNCHRONOUS DAY- NO SCHOOL. There will be a short assignment for you in Google Classroom on this day.

***Last day to submit any science assignments will be this Thursday, May 11th. NO exceptions, past all due dates and extended time allotted at this point, plus the year is almost over. Study for your final, all about Earth Science.

We Built this City Final Project this week and I am so excited! Our Human Impact unit is coming to an end and its time to build a city and apply the concepts we explored about habitat loss, water, light, and noise pollution. We begin the early stages of city planning and end with the BIG build, let's roll.

Plan it Monday: 💡What will you build? The details begin, let the planning commence! Teams will begin to organize and plan their section of the city. It's go time!
Develop those ideas: time to make the connections to the impact humans have had on our environment and our wildlife.
Prepare for your build: 👷What role does each person have on your team? Practice the timing and backup plans for your big build.
We Built this City! Time to build the dream! 🏙 Final project due Thursday, May 4th.

***The biggie if you miss class this week, do what you can at home and stay in communication with your team. All grades are updated in Powerschool, please check up and follow through. Time is running out to get your work in.

Science the week of April 24-27, 2023

🤓 Hey there science friends and families! This week we have our last round of testing on Tuesday and Wednesday and scholars are allowed to wear jeans on these 2 days. Here is the plan....iMSSA EOY Bell Schedule

It's all about POLLUTION ⚠ this week as our Human Impact unit continues. Monday, we explore how our water systems are impacted by pollution and what are some solutions to improve the quality of our water. Assignment: Build #3 Water Pollution
Tuesday and Wednesday: Scholars will head to their FC class at 8:00 AM for the EOY state testing followed by their regular schedule of 45 minute periods. Our exploration of pollution continues with noise and light pollution. Assignment: Build #4 Light and Noise Pollution
Thursday is a catch up and complete day for scholars. Take this time to ensure your builds are all completed and your details are included in your post. We will have a special *Surprise Build* competition with a prize for top builds. 🏆

* If you are at home and have access to Lego, then build it! You have full access to the lesson, the task, and the link to post your work. Don't fall behind on this one.

SCIENCE the WEEK of APRIL 17-20, 2023

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Hello scholars and Happy Earth Day! Of course, without a doubt, we are celebrating the Earth this week in a multitude of ways and it all ends with our Earth Day Campus Cleanup on Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 8-11 AM.

Super excited for our first Lego build of our Human Impact unit! Last week scholars explored many reasons as to why and what factors are contributing towards climate change. Coming soon...a LEGO gallery of our creations.
Tuesday is a focus on habitat loss and will lead to your first assignment due on Tuesday: Build #1:Bird
Wednesday- ASYNCHRONOUS DAY Scholars will not be on campus. There will be an Earth Day assignment posted in Google Classroom at 8:00 AM this day. Due by Friday.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” Scholars did a great deal of pleading to watch The Lorax in celebration of Earth Day. Bring your own snacks, sit back and sing along...warning, I might sing along too.😆

**This unit could be a challenge if you miss on a build day, so be sure to email me and follow up on what you missed.

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Science the week of April 10-13, 2023

🖖 Greetings my science peeps! This week is a tad out of the usual, but I know we totally got this! Big focus this week is studying and preparing for the Unit 4: Weather & Climate test on Tuesday. Also this week, Unit 5: Human Impact begins on Wednesday with the carbon cycle.

Monday - ASYNCHRONOUS SCHEDULE- No physical school. Scholars are to check with each project manager's Google Classroom for details. Study for your test on Monday.🧑‍🏫
Tuesday: Final Assessment for Unit 4: Weather & Climate
The Carbon Cycle- beginning the background basics of our Human Impact unit.

* If you are at home, I do prefer you wait until your return to take the final assessment. Be sure to follow up on all the work you may miss. Spend some time studying for your final on Monday, it is important.

Science the Week of April 3-6, 2023

🖥 Testing Week! This week our schedule is adjusted due to the state testing. Classes will be 45 minutes in length and we wrap up our unit on Weather too. Let's go! NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY 4/7

Review time! What did you learn about weather? Time to go back, review, and ask questions.
One official assignment is graded this week: Science Binder Check on Tuesday. There were not as many notes in this unit, please be ready.
We talked about weather, now time to discuss the climate. What do you know? Notes and exploration on climate the remainder of the week.

*Biggie! If you are at home, be sure to check Google Classroom every single day, I post what we are doing and provide additional support until you return.

Science the week of March 27-30, 2023

🌈 Welcome back scholars! I hope you had a chance to get out a little over the break, the weather was so wild! All sorts of precipitation, temperature fluctuations, and the cloud formations were simply amazing! This week we wrap up our Weather & Climate unit and prepare for your final project presentations this Thursday. Let's roll!

Easing back in from spring break/work time on your final project for Monday. Please come prepared to work, you got this! 👍
Layers of the Atmosphere- how many layers are there? What does it all mean? BIG Q: How does temperature and pressure connect to all of this? 🤔
Work on it Wednesday- time to review the unit concepts and wrap up any loose ends. This is time to study, submit late work, and be prepared for your final projection presentation tomorrow.
Thursday- The Final Forecast Project Film Festival. Bring the popcorn, its time to watch the weather projects! FINAL due before start of class and is uploaded in Google Classroom. 📽

** In case you are at home, be sure to check Google Classroom for access to all your work and what the lesson is for the day. Review and follow up, its your work, not mine.

See you all back on March 27, 2023! Relax and get outside too.🌷

Science the week of March 13-16, 2023

It's SLATE Week folks and that means we have a unique schedule this week plus the final project is rolling out too! Here we go!

All about Hurricanes- Safety and Weather Map Project continues with historical hurricanes on record. What is the science behind the formation of this front? 🌀 Assignment: Weather Map Time sheet #3
The Final Project for Unit 4: Weather & Climate is launched this Tuesday: Final Wild Weather Report, details in Google Classroom.
Wednesday & Thursday are a half day schedule 8-12. Work time for your final project will be available. A Check in on variables and systems (not graded) is also on the agenda.
- Wednesday P1 8-9:20 AM and P2 9:20-10:40
- Thursday P5 8-9:20 AM P6 9:20-10:40 and P7 10:40-12:00 PM

* If you are at home for some reason this week, please follow up on the final project details when you return to ensure you understand what is going on.

Name: Ms. Gina Paulson
Position: Project Manager- 6th grade science
Email

Address: 4550 Sundt Rd NE
Rio Rancho, New Mexico 87124

More info