IMSA Parent Survey 2013

IMSA Student survey 2013

Christmas tree DNA code being revealed

IMSA Fusion student, Dalton, brought in the following article from the State Journal Register that matches our topic this unit in class:

"Scientists say they're making progress on a huge project: mapping the DNA of the Christmas tree. We're talking about the conifer, which is the umbrella term for trees like the spruce, fir, pine, cypress and cedar. Scientists want to identify the billions of DNA building blocks in the conifer genetic code. That should help in breeding and forest management. Cracking that genetic code is a challenge because it's so huge six times bigger that the code for humans. But teams in the U.S. and Canada recently reported preliminary results for the loblolly pine and the white spruce. And a Swedish team plans to follow suit early next year for the Norway spruce. David Neale of the University of California at Davis says conifer genetics is "entering the modern age."

Oak Tree Organics' Farmers Visit IMSA Fusion 6- 8

Click on the link above to view the PowerPoint presentation from Oak Tree Organics.

Food, Inc.

Students watched the documentary Food, Inc. about the food industry. We were particularly interested in the segment about genetically modified grain. See the trailer here.

Natural Selection Experiments

Students experimented with generations of "bean species" to test their predictions and investigate how environment and physical characteristics affect a population over generations.

Designer Genes

The link will take you to an overview of our Fusion lessons for the fall 2012 semester.

First meeting

IMSA Fusion 6 - 8 will begin Tuesday, October 2nd from 3:30 - 5:30 in the science lab.

IMSA Informational Meeting

Reminder for IMSA Fusion candidates: There will be an informational meeting for parents and students tomorrow (Tuesday 9/11/2012) morning 7:45 - 8:15 am in the science lab. If you are unable to attend please remember to turn in your applications on or before Tuesday, September 18th.

Invitations to join IMSA for continuing students and students new to IMSA were mailed home last week. Names were generated from ISAT scores and teacher recommendations.

Field Trip

IMSA students will be traveling to Champaign on May 8th to see two shows at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College. Anticipate a permission slip to be sent home soon.

Force & Motion

Our second semester unit finds us discovering how force and motion are connected. We will experiment with rubber band cars as well as rockets. Lots of hands on activities in this unit. Click on the title above to take you to the IMSA website to view descriptions of lessons.

Lessons

Newton's Laws of Motion Activities & Videos

Force and Action Interactive

Expanding Horizons for Girls

This is a day for GIRLS ONLY where you will:
* Try your hand at fun activities in three hands-on workshops;
* Learn about high-paying, exciting careers;
* Hear first-hand about the lives of women in science, math, and technology and the various paths leading to their careers.

Click on the title & follow the link to learn more about this opportunity for girls in 6th - 8th grades

NO 6 - 8 IMSA until January 24th

No 6- 8 IMSA Fusion 12 - 20

We wrapped up our Scale & Proportion unit with the movie Apollo 13. This will also connect to our next unit, Force & Motion, which we will begin January 24th.

12 Days of Christmas

Computing the cost of purchasing all the gifts given during the 12 days of Christmas according to PNC Bank index.

Problem of the Month

Students can click on the link to take part in IMSA Fusion's "Problem of the Month." At the end of the month each winning submission throughout the state is placed in a drawing for a prize.

Scale & Proportion

This semester students are discovering how scale and proportion help us to understand very large and very small numbers. Click on the title above to see the curriculum and visit the IMSA website.

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