Dr. Michael Rockow
LESLIE MIDDLE SCHOOL
3850 Pringle Rd. SE
Salem, Oregon 97302
503-399-3206
Dear students and parents,
Welcome to 7th grade science. I am looking forward to a very successful semester. The purpose of this letter is to give you an overview of this class, including the curriculum, projects, class work, homework, supplies and grading policies.
We’ll cover:
Life Science:Cell processes and heredity
Physical Science:Energy, states of matter and chemical reactions
Space Science:Astronomy
You will:Need a journal. It can be a spiral or a bound one, as long as you have a place to put all your science work. You will not tear out any of the pages of your journal. I will keep them in class unless there is homework you want to keep them to study from. Make sure you have a couple of pens or pencils as well.
Read. This happens usually once a week. You will also take notes or make concept maps for the readings. Sometimes these come from the textbook, while others come from outside readings.
Write. a lot. You will write notes, paragraphs, children’s books, stories, songs & poems, and lab conclusions.
Have homework. usually once a week (although you might have time to start it in class). This is usually in the form of a tick-tack-toe board. You will get a choice from 9 possible assignments. I want you to do one so that you get more comfortable with the key concepts. The class will get a reward if 90% do the assignment.
Get dirty. I want to do as much hands on stuff as possible.
Do individual research (well, some of you will). Some of you will work on your own research project. I hope that you will be able to show it off at either the regional science fair in February, the state science fair in Marchor the district’s science expo in April. You will have opportunities to use class time.
Be respectful. Treat everyone in this classroom and all of their stuff with respect. That includes the teacher, the teacher’s things and any guest teachers that may be here.
Clean up after yourselves. Recycle or throw away any garbage – don’t leave it for the maid! The sinks are for water and liquids – not for garbage. Clean up at the end of labs and activities. If you need extra time to do that, let me know.
Enjoy this class (I hope).
Behavior:My expectations are for all students to be prepared for class and on time, in their seats and working, starting with the warm-up. Students should treat everyone in the classroom with respect. Students not meeting my expectations will receive discipline consequences such as a parent contact, removal from the classroom, citations or referrals.
Parents:Assignments, due dates, and science fair information can be found at my website: rockowsscienceclass.yolasite.com. I can be reached at or at 503-399-3206. Please check the InTouch system to get updates on students’ grades.
If you have a background in science or if you work in a science-related field, please let me know. During science fair projects, career week, or other times throughout the year, I could use advice from someone who may have more detailed knowledge about a particular subject. If you are interested in speaking to the classes about a science topic, please let me know as well.
Again, I look forward to this year and I hope you are too.
Dr. Rockow
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