TROY

For each unit, it is my goal to credit a way for students to receive extra credit. Extra credit is not an excuse to not study for a test, and will not be granted to individuals that demonstrate a consistency of poor grades due to lack of applying effort. 

• Pick an article from a newspaper or magazine that relates to one of the branches of science: Chemistry, physics, biology, ecology, geology, astronomy, oceanography or weather and climate. Cut out the article and secure it to a piece of blank paper. If it is an online article print a copy of it out. Earn up to 10 Extra Credit Points on a low daily grade. Write a brief summary about the article and include: 

1. What is the article about?

2. Where does the article take place?

3. When did this happen?

4. Which branch of science is it? (the subject might overlap branches) 

5. Why did you choose this article? 

6. After you have read it, do you have any questions about the topic? 

7. What did you learn about this topic?

8. Did you learn any new vocabulary words?

• These sites have some great ideas for projects ("science fair" type experiments). Complete the labs and write a summary including pictures of what you did and what happened and to show you doing the lab. You can earn up to 10 Extra Credit Points that will be added to your lowest test grade. Check out http://www.rossarts.org/naples/ideas.htm or http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/ . You can also type "kids science experiments" in your Google search box and find several sites where you can get ideas.

• Keep a Weather Observation Journal for a period of two weeks. You can earn up to 5 Extra Credit Points that will be added to a low daily grade.

• Create a crossword puzzle as a review for a Unit that we have covered during the six weeks. You have to have at least 15 questions relating to the unit. You may use your notes and any worksheets that we might have done covering that unit. You can earn up to 5 Extra Credit Points to add to a low daily grade.

• Interview a Science Professional: An extra credit project for science class is to interview a science professional and to write a news story on them. The science professional can be a science teacher (it cannot be Mrs. Jackson), a lab technician, a doctor or a biologist from the local area. Your news story needs to include the questions that you asked (get creative with your questions!) and their answers. Remember you are interviewing them. You can earn up to 10 Extra Credit Points to add to a low daily grade.

• For each unit, students are able to earn extra credit by creating a 3D model of a concept discussed. For example, in the 7th grade students study the cell. A student can make and label a cell out of any desired material. The student will present the model to me and the class. The more concepts a student can explain using his/her model, the more points he/she will earn. A model is worth 3-10 Extra Credit Points on a low test grade, depending on the amount of material covered in the model and depth of explanation the student can give on the model.

Take a virtual tour of one room of the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. and pick 1 exhibit to visit. Write me a page about what you saw and information you learned about in the exhibit you choose to visit this 6-weeks. . http://naturalhistory.si.edu/VT3/NMNH/z_NMNH-016.html 15 points on a low daily grade.

Science Related TV Show - Write a 1/2 page to a Full page about the show you watched. Include the name of the show, date and time you watched it and the network it was on (Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, PBS, etc....) MUST be Science related! 10 points on a low daily grade.

Go to the Perot Museum's different exhibit halls, read about each different exhibits they have. Write me a 1/2 page to a Full page on the exhibit you would most like to visit and why. http://www.perotmuseum.org/explore-the-museum/exhibit-halls/index.html 15 points on a low daily grade.

Dates Extra Credit is Due: Extra Credit is due the THURSDAY before the end of the 6-weeks!