EARTH'S RESOURCES

Hello everyone,

I wanted to start by apologizing for missing our last couple of bi-weekly updates. March was incredibly busy between early dismissals, schedule changes, and Easter break, and the time definitely got away from me. Although I was able to send a brief update in one of the Team's updates. I appreciate your patience as we get back into our regular rhythm for the remainder of the year.

Where We Were

We just wrapped up the final chapter of our Weather & Climate unit and completed our unit test. Overall, I was really pleased with the effort students put in. For students who are not satisfied with their test grade, test corrections are available. Students can go into Schoology, review what they got incorrect, and correct their answers on lined paper (making sure to number each question). They will earn half points back for each corrected response. I strongly recommend this for students who earned around a 70% or lower, but any student is welcome to complete corrections if they would like to improve their understanding and grade. Corrections will be due Monday during Core Extension.

Below: Some students' Severe Weather Parody Song Cover Art images.

Where We Are

We have now transitioned into our Earth’s Resources unit. We kicked things off by connecting it to climate change, using station rotations to explore different pieces of evidence and discussing the greenhouse effect. Next week, we will be watching David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet. This is a powerful documentary that looks at how Earth has changed over the course of David Attenborough’s lifetime. He turns 100 years old on May 8th, which makes the perspective in the film even more meaningful.

After the documentary, students will participate in a series of three structured debates based on the ideas and themes from the film. This is always a fun and engaging way for students to think critically and express their ideas, especially during a busy testing period.

Speaking of testing, ELA PSSA testing will take place Tuesday through Thursday, April 21–23. The following week, we will hold our debates, followed by the Math PSSA on April 28–29 and the Science PSSA testing on April 30. The science PSSA is 25% Earth Science (what we covered this year), 25% Physical Science (6th grade), 25% Life Science (7th grade), and 25% Technology & Engineering (Tech Ed courses 6-8th grades). I have given students PSSA prep questions to practice for the science PSSA, but it really comes down to understanding and analyzing graphs, data, diagrams, etc. Then being able to connect those images to vocabulary and concepts they've learned since 4th/5th grade. I think most students will do pretty well on it.

Where We’re Going

After our debates, we will dive deeper into our unit’s guiding question: Why are floods and droughts increasing in different parts of the world? Students will analyze both global and local data to understand these patterns better. From there, we will explore how humans use Earth’s resources and what it means to live sustainably. Students will investigate renewable and nonrenewable resources, how resource use impacts the planet, and what solutions exist to better manage these systems moving forward. The goal of this unit is to help students think like scientists and problem solvers, using evidence to understand how Earth’s systems work and how human actions influence them.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood where I share updates and snapshots of what we are learning.

P.S. If you haven't purchased a Yearbook, there are only a few copies left. You can buy a copy here: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1044712/Gerald-G-Huesken-Middle-School/

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood