"Science Brain Dump"
Right before the test, I give my students a copy of the Periodic Table - similar to the one they will get to use on the FSSA. I tell them, we are going to do a "Brain Dump" about everything they know about Science that might be on the test.
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| *The released test has an old Periodic Table from 2012 - we review theories & laws and how theories can change over time... |
I got this idea from Chris Kesler's Hacking the 8th Grade STARR Science Test that has many of the same topics that we cover.
Here's how we adapted this to our standards:
Front
- Properties - chemical/physical, metals, nonmetals and metalloids and their location
- Subatomic particles - location, size and charge & how to calculate the # in each element (APE MAN)
- Periodic Table - groups/periods, atomic #, atomic mass, families, trends (reactivity)
- Chemical formulas - subscripts/coefficients
- Chemical equations - reactants, products
Back
- Moon Phases & Tides - spring/neap
- Seasons - equinox/solstice
- Plate Tectonics - boundaries and formations
- Life Science Vocabulary - abiotic/biotic, prokaryote/eukaryote, autotroph/heterotroph, sexual/asexual reproduction
- Body Systems functions - nervous, digestive, circulatory, immune, excretory
- Cell Organelles - mitochondria, vacuole, nucleus) differences between plant and animal cells
- Density - using the density triangle, units
Students and their parents are always asking for a "study guide." This was a good way to engage students in making their own. With the time left in class, students play a review game using their sheet.
