Welcome to 7th Grade Science!

Hello, families!

I am excited to begin my 36th year of teaching at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD)! I attended the University of Texas at Austin for both undergraduate and graduate school—Go Horns!—and began my teaching career at TSD in 1991.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to teach in many different roles. From 1991–2003, I taught mixed-grade Life Skills and Academic classes in the Special Needs Department. I then taught Science to students in all grade levels in the Special Needs Department from 2003–2018. In 2019, our students transitioned into grade-level schools, and I joined the Middle School team as a Science teacher.

During my years at TSD, I have had the privilege of presenting at workshops and school programs, serving as a lead teacher and mentor, supervising summer programs, participating on department and district committees, and taking on many other roles to support our school community. In 2019, I was honored to receive the Eugene W. Petersen Award for Excellence in Service at the ADARA-AMPHL Conference.

Currently, I teach 7th Grade Science, and I am also known around school as the teacher with the most classroom pets!

Our Classroom Philosophy

I believe students learn best when they are active participants in their education. In my classroom, I often remind students that this is not just my class—it is our class.

Students are encouraged to help develop classroom procedures and expectations, share their ideas, ask questions, and take an active role in the learning process. If a student has an idea that connects to what we are learning, I will do my best to incorporate it—even if that means changing or replacing an activity I had planned!

I also believe that giving students choices helps them become more invested in their learning. Whenever possible, students may have choices about where they sit, who they work with, which activities they complete, and how they present what they have learned.

My goal is to create a classroom where students feel comfortable participating, taking risks, sharing ideas, and advocating for themselves.

Parents and guardians, please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns. I value working together with families to support student success. I also encourage students to practice advocating for themselves and communicating their needs.

Grading Policies

I want families to have a clear understanding of how grades are handled in our classroom.

• Classwork: I will let students know whether an assignment needs to be completed by the end of class, may be finished for homework, or can be completed during Friday Advisory. If the work is not submitted by the stated deadline, it will be recorded as a 0.
• Homework: Homework is due the next school day unless otherwise stated. If homework is not turned in on the due date, 5 points will be deducted for each additional late day.
• Absences: For an excused absence, students will have the same number of days to make up their work as the number of days they were absent. Work missed due to an unexcused absence will receive a 0.
• Corrections: Students who receive a 75 or below on an assignment will have an opportunity to correct their mistakes and earn half credit for the corrections.

Please note: Work that is more than one week old cannot be accepted for credit unless prior arrangements have been made.

7th Grade Science Curriculum

Our science curriculum is called Green Ninja and is aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

Green Ninja is a unit-based curriculum, which means that the concepts students learn are connected and build upon one another. Each unit ends with a hands-on project or challenge that asks students to use what they have learned to solve a real-world environmental problem.

This approach gives students opportunities to make meaningful connections between science and the world around them while understanding why they are learning these concepts.

Unit 1: Food

Challenge: Reduce the Carbon Footprint

Students will:

• Explore and expand their understanding of energy.
• Estimate the environmental impact of different foods.
• Study chemical reactions.
• Analyze data about the amount of energy needed to produce food.
• Design investigations to study the rate at which substances dissolve and form solutions.

Culminating Experience:
Students will create a nutritionally balanced, low-carbon-footprint recipe and explain the choices they made to reduce its carbon footprint.

Unit 2: Water

Challenge: Create Solutions to Mitigate and Adapt to Flooding

Students will:

• Model the behavior of water.
• Apply heat-transfer concepts to forecast atmospheric changes.
• Analyze data related to thermal expansion, water access, and the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone.
• Explore technologies that can help reduce the effects of natural hazards.

Culminating Experience:
Students will design a neighborhood and experiment with different ways to prevent flooding. They will also participate in a cooperative challenge where they work together to "Beat the Surge" using what they have learned.

Unit 3: Humans and Life

Challenge: Develop a Solution to Help an Endangered Species Survive

Students will:

• Use models to understand how mutations can result in changes to organisms.
• Explore how humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
• Research and learn about the major systems of the human body.

Culminating Experience:
Students will create a project focused on a body system of their choice.

Unit 4: Exploring Early Earth

Challenge: Use an Understanding of Earth's History to Plan for a Sustainable Future

Students will:

• Create and use models to explore the Laws of Motion and gravity.
• Analyze evidence that demonstrates how continental drift occurs.
• Explore how Earth's history and scientific concepts can help us think about the future of our planet.

Culminating Experience:
Students will use what they have learned to explore how these concepts may affect Earth in the future and consider how we can plan for a more sustainable future.

Let's Have a Great Year!

I am looking forward to another exciting year of learning, discovery, and—of course—a few classroom pets along the way!

Thank you for partnering with me to support your student's learning and success. I look forward to getting to know you and your student and having a wonderful school year together!