5/27/2013 – 5/31/2013
8th Grade Science:
What are the parts of an atom?
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5 step lesson plan
Nucleus – center, or core of an atom
Proton – particle that has a positive charge
Neutron – particle that has no charge
Electron – particle that has a negative charge
*Use the Periodic Table to identify atomic number, atomic mass, periods and families, metals and
nonmetals
**Assessment: What particles are located in the Nucleus? Where are the electrons located?
What is an atomic number?
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5 step lesson plan
Atomic number – number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
Atoms of different elements have different numbers of protons
No two elements have the same atomic number
The number of electrons in an atom is the same as the atomic number of that element
*Use the Periodic Table to identify atomic number, atomic mass, periods and families, metals and
nonmetals
*Assessment: How do we find the atomic number of an element?
How are electrons arranged in an atom?
 5 step lesson plan
 Energy level – place in an electron cloud where an electron is most likely to be found
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It is not possible to predict the exact path of an electron
Electrons are arranged in energy levels around the nucleus of an atom
An energy level is the place in the electron cloud where an electron is most likely to be found
Each energy level can hold only a certain number of electrons
*Use the Periodic Table to identify atomic number, atomic mass, periods and families, metals and
nonmetals
*Assessment: Draw energy levels for various elements
8th Grade Religion
Time for Reform
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In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther and others challenged the Church
Although it helped the Church address problems, the Protestant Reformation divided the Church
Groups of Christians left the Church and rejected the teachings
Many who remained in the Catholic Church sought to reform the Church from within
*Name and explain the significance of important leaders and events in the Church, e.g. the Protestant Reformation
**Assessment: discuss Thomas More Defender of the Faith
The Call for Reform
 Throughout the period of the Reformation and during other times of trouble, the Catholic Church found that remaining
focused on the presence of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Jesus Christ was a source of strength and motivation to live
the Gospel
 As individuals we cannot expect to change external sources of injustice and misunderstanding unless we are grounded in
the values of the Gospel
 True reform begins within our hearts as we seek God’s truth
*Name and explain the significance of important leaders and events in the Church, e.g. the Protestant Reformation
**Assessment: Which is easier to walk away from a problem or stay and solve it? What happens when you walk away?
A Time of Division
 Martin Luther set out to reform what he believed to be errors in the way the Catholic faith was being preached
 Before the Church could resolve these issues, Luther and his followers decided to break away from the Church, causing a
schism or division
 Eventually, Martin Luther denied the living Tradition of the Church, the divine authority of the Pope and all but two of the
Sacraments
*Name and explain the significance of important leaders and events in the Church, e.g. the Protestant Reformation
**Assessment: What were the issues as Martin Luther saw them? What was the Church’s resolution? At what council
were these addressed?
7th Grade Science:
Comets
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5 step lesson plan
Comets are loose collections of ice, dust, and small rocky particles whose orbits are usually very long, narrow ellipses
Coma – clouds of gas and dust form a fuzzy outer layer
Most comets have two tails, a gas tail and a dust tail
Most comets are found in one of two regions of the solar system: the Kuiper belt and the Oort cloud
The Kuiper belt is a doughnut shaped region that extends from beyond Neptune’s orbit to about 100 times Earth’s
distance from the sun. The Oort cloud is a spherical region of comets that surrounds the solar system out to more than
1,000 times the distance between Pluto and the sun
*Identify natural objects in the solar system (comets, meteoroids, etc.)
**Assessment: What are the characteristics of comets? What is the Oort cloud? What shape is a comet’s orbit?
Asteroids
 5 step lesson plan
 Asteroids – rocky objects revolving around the sun that are to small and numerous to be considered planets
 Most asteroids revolve around the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter
 Asteroid belt – the region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where many asteroids are found
 Most asteroids are small, only Ceres, Pallas, Vesta and Hygiea are large more than 300 kilometers across, Ceres was
recently classified as a dwarf planet
 Scientists hypothesize that the asteroids are leftover pieces of the early solar system that never came together to form a
planet
*Identify natural objects in the solar system (comets, meteoroids, etc.)
**Assessment: Name the four largest asteroids. Has Earth ever been hit by an asteroid?
Meteors
 5 step lesson plan
 Meteoroid – a chunk of rock or dust in space
 Meteoroids come from comets or asteroids, some form when asteroids collide in space, others form when comets break
up
 Meteoroids that pass through the atmosphere and hit Earth’s surface are called meteorites
 Meteor – a streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth’s atmosphere
*Identify natural objects in the solar system (comets, meteoroids, etc.)
**Assessment: What are the main sources of meteoroids? What are the differences between meteoroids, meteors, and
meteorites?
Life on Earth
 5 step lesson plan
 All living things on Earth have characteristics in common: all living things are made of one or more cells, living things take
in energy and use it to grow and develop, living things reproduce and produce new living things of the same type
 Earth has liquid water and a suitable temperature range and atmosphere for living things to survive.
 Scientists sometimes call these favorable conditions the “Goldilocks” conditions, the temperature is not to cold and not to
hot, it is just right
 Scientists have discovered living things in places where it was once believed that life could not exist, these discoveries
show the range of conditions in which life can exist is much greater than scientists once thought.
*Identify natural objects in the solar system (comets, meteoroids, etc.)
**Assessment: How does studying unusual organisms (like giant tube worms ) on Earth help scientists predict what
extraterrestrial life might be like?
7th Grade Religion:
The Miracles of Jesus
 Mary and Martha went for Jesus after their brother died because they had a strong faith in his power to heal
 Jesus performed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead as a sign that he was sent by God to save the world
 In John’s Gospel, such happenings are actually called signs instead of miracles because each sign helps us better
understand who Jesus is, Jesus as Christ is the Anointed One and Messiah who had come to bring new life
*Identify key events in Jesus’ life
**Assessment: Why did Jesus perform his healing miracles?
Miracles the People Witnessed
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Healing the Paralytic (Luke: 5:17-26)
The Man Born Blind (John 9:1-17)
The Man with a Withered Hand (Matthew 12: 9-14)
The Cure of a Demoniac (Luke 4:31-37)
*Identify key events in Jesus’ life
**Assessment: read the Scripture readings of the Miracles
Jesus Cures
 By his command or by his touch Jesus cured people of their illnesses
 His healing and miracles were visible signs of God’s love
 More important, Jesus brought peace to those he healed, the peace that comes from being embraced by Jesus’ love
*Identify key events in Jesus’ life
**Assessment: How do we know Jesus’ love? How do we feel his peace and embrace? Is it only physical illness that Christ
heals?
6th Grade Science:
Shark Anatomy
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5 step lesson plan
Shark anatomy – the body is divided into the head , the trunk and the tail
The lateral line made up of a series of tiny pores leading to nerve receptors, is sensitive to vibrations in the water
Anterior – toward the head; Ventral – toward the belly; Dorsal – toward the back; Posterior – toward the tail
The anterior dorsal fin is larger than the posterior dorsal fin
Caudal fin – is divided into two lobes
The rostrum is the pointed snout
Spiracle – openings located above and behind each eye, water passage leading to the mouth
Gill slits – located behind the mouth and in front of the pectoral fins; water taken in by the mouth and spiracles passes
over the gills and is forced out through the gill slits
 Nares - external nostrils are located on the ventral surface of the rostrum anterior to the jaws ; water goes in the large
hole and out the smaller one
 Pores - on the ventral side of the snout sense small electrical impulses from the muscles of other living things
*Assessment: notes; and questions
Shark External Features
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5 step lesson plan
Locate Dorsal, ventral, anterior & posterior on specimen
Which type of vertebrate is a shark?
What parts of a sharks anatomy make it a great hunter?
Locate: anterior dorsal fin, posterior dorsal fin, tail fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin,
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Are the top and bottoms parts of the tail fin the same size (like a goldfish) or not the same size? Why?
When you hear the “Jaws” theme music, and see a fin approaching in the water which fin are you seeing?
How many gill slits are there?
Locate the sharks eye, identify the cornea, iris and pupil
Find the lateral line
How does the shark get oxygen? Can you find another way for the shark to get oxygen when its mouth is full?
Locate: the nares, pores, mouth and teeth
*Assessment: hands on external shark anantomy
Sharks Internal Features
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5 step lesson plan
Make cuts posterior to the head
Carefully look for the sharks liver, how many lobes can you find?
Esophagus – look for the cilia
Locate - Stomach “J” shaped organ, spleen, spiral intestine, rectum, pancreas, and cloaca
Urogenital system
Locate the heart……where is it?
Locate the dorsal aorta, gently tease membranes away to find other arteries branching off the aorta. How many branches
can you find? Look for two lateral veins on the ventral wall of the shark.
 With your scissors make two small slits in the large lobe of the liver
*Assessment: hands on dissection of internal organs
Post Dissection
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5 step lesson plan
What does the lateral line do?
What sex was your shark, how did you determine this?
Is the sharks nose connected to its mouth?
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What is the largest organ in the shark’s body?
Where are the cilia located?
Where is the shark’s heart located?
When your mouth is full you breathe through your nose, when a shark’s mouth ifs full how does he bring in oxygenated
water?
 What does a shark use to sense muscles movement in his prey?
 When blood leaves the heart via the aorta, it travels to an organ where it becomes oxygenated, what organ does it travel
too?
 What is the large red artery on the dorsal wall of the shark called?
*Assessment: questions
6th grade Religion
Singing Praise
 For centuries David was thought to be the author of the Psalms, in the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament, however
several people may actually have written them
 The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 religious songs and prayers
 The word psalm comes from the Greek word psalmterion which was a stringed instrument
 Psalms are the basis for many of the hymns we sing at Mass
*Describe different forms of prayer
**Assessment: read several psalms
Psalms Purpose
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Often a psalms purpose was to express praise, thanksgiving, or sorrow
We believe that the Psalms were composed for use during religious ceremonies
The singing was often accompanied by stringed or wind instruments
The Psalms tell of God’s great actions and people’s response to God
They may be prayed alone or with a congregation
*Describe different forms of prayer
**Assessment: How do the Psalms help us pray?
The Lord is my Shepherd
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For centuries Psalm 23 has comforted people
This Psalm offers words of trust in God to carry us through difficult times
Tradition holds that David, the shepherd who became king, wrote Psalm 23
We believe that even Jesus himself knew it well
*Describe different forms of prayer
**Assessment: Which part of this Psalm were you already familiar with? When do we most often hear this Psalm read or
sung? Why ?