Interactive Science Journals (ISJ) are an integral part of our class. They are student created "textbooks" that are interactive - they give a "voice" and shared information from the teacher and from students, peers, and parents. At the heart of the ISJ, is each student's reflections, drawings, and responses to information being learned. They become unique to each student.
In addition to quizzes, tests, and projects, students earn grade points for each unit in their ISJ based on work completion, understanding of concepts based on individual student ability, and peer reviews. Pages need to be titled, underlined, and dated, and recorded in the Table of Contents.
The backbone of Science is understanding vocabulary, and the ISJ is the perfect place to build this knowledge. New vocabulary will usually be given weekly. Journals will provide the place for students to list each word, the definition/paraphrase, and a sketch representing the word. This allows students to learn through different modalities. Adding support to vocabulary acquisition, students will have Video Notes on each unit section. These "flipped" lessons will also allow for learning through different modalities (watching, hearing, writing) and provide learning at individual student pace.
Students will need to come to class daily with their journals and should bring them home nightly to review and/or complete classwork not finished for homework. If a students loses their ISJ, they will need to remake one, as the information in the journals serves as a review of material to study from for the NCFE (Science - NC Final Exam).
If you every have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
In addition to quizzes, tests, and projects, students earn grade points for each unit in their ISJ based on work completion, understanding of concepts based on individual student ability, and peer reviews. Pages need to be titled, underlined, and dated, and recorded in the Table of Contents.
The backbone of Science is understanding vocabulary, and the ISJ is the perfect place to build this knowledge. New vocabulary will usually be given weekly. Journals will provide the place for students to list each word, the definition/paraphrase, and a sketch representing the word. This allows students to learn through different modalities. Adding support to vocabulary acquisition, students will have Video Notes on each unit section. These "flipped" lessons will also allow for learning through different modalities (watching, hearing, writing) and provide learning at individual student pace.
Students will need to come to class daily with their journals and should bring them home nightly to review and/or complete classwork not finished for homework. If a students loses their ISJ, they will need to remake one, as the information in the journals serves as a review of material to study from for the NCFE (Science - NC Final Exam).
If you every have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!