Homework Help for 8th Grade Science Class

Are you getting hung up on your science homework? Do you need homework help for 8th grade science? If so, you need to read this article. So, take 5 minutes now, to get yourself back on track for a good grade in science!

Most junior high school science classes broadly cover the natural science, from basic physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and biology. Grasping so many concepts can be tricky, though, so if you need homework help for 8th grade science, you should consider these following points.

Junior high (especially 8th grade) is the time when schools change from general ideas to specific concepts in terms of teaching science. Teachers are preparing you for high school the more rigorous science classes you will take in high school. Therefore, it is vitally important that you start building good study habits ASAP. Up until this point in school, you could probably get by without studying or readying the book too closely. Well, not anymore. It is really important to read the assigned chapters in the book and understand what the book is saying. Also very important is to do the homework and understand what you're doing! You will eventually be tested on the material covered in homework--that is a guarantee.

If you believe you're spending enough time reading the book but aren't getting the grade you want, you should consider getting homework help for 8th grade science from another source, be it your parents or a tutor. If you're already spending 4-6 minimum per week studying (that should probably be enough studying to get an A in most junior high science classes), then you need to seek outside help. A tutor can quickly help you get back on track with the concepts from class. Ask your teacher if you are looking for and can't find additional homework help.

This next point should be self explanatory, but I'm not at all surprised at how many students don't already do this--and this is that you need to pay attention in class. If you're sleeping or talking during class, not only are you going to miss what the teacher is telling you, but you're not even going to know WHAT topics have been covered in class. It is extremely difficult to study for a test if you don't know what topics to study for! Things you need to do to pay attention in class include getting enough rest (8 hours is recommended), eating enough for breakfast and lunch, and being prepared with paper and pencil. And a trick that will help you far into the future is to read the material ahead of time. When you hear the teacher talking about material you've already heard, it'll make SO much more sense. Following these tips will make science class easier to learn and reduce the amount of homework help for 8th grade science class that you'll need.

Get your kids excited about learing science! Read this and other articles at http://www.live-onlinetutor.com

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Making Science the New Gym Class

Ask any middle or high school student their favorite class in school, and 9 out of 10 will say gym. Or lunch. Or some may branch out and say history. But how many students would actually say science? Maybe 2-5 in an entire school? And these are probably the students who were pushed by their parents or some external source to do so and were born to end up in science-related fields. So how do we appeal to the other 400 students to at least consider science for their future? The easy answer: liven science class up!

So why is science class so boring? The easy answer would be to point to standardized testing and high school curriculum that put pressure on teachers to develop classes that emphasize facts and laws. But science isn't about about facts and laws. In fact, most science "laws" that have been developed over the past several centuries have since been altered or even proved incorrect altogether. Do you think any high school students would know this? And why shouldn't they?

So how can we make kids actually like science? We all know that telling them that science is cool will only make the problem worse. Maybe we should tell them we hate science ourselves, and their rebellion will push them towards science? Well, probably not. But, one feasible way would be to teach not just the theories and facts, but instead put them in historical context. Think about it - how were all of the discoveries that we take for granted actually made? How did Copernicus decide that the sun, not the Earth, is actually at the center of our universe? Was he the only person who thought this way? And what was the response to his theories? Was he widely accepted right away, or did his contemporaries consider him to be crazy? Putting scientific discoveries in an historical context adds a new dimension to the straight facts and laws we are all taught, and allows for students to put a face to these faceless names of science. Putting a face to famous scientists is just one way to liven up science education in our schools.

An even better way of getting science to stick with high school students is to teach it in the way it is actually practiced. Science is the ultimate exploratory class, and should taught as such. Sure, it is important to know the facts before we can further science along, but why can't students explore science in the way it was learned. Teachers should be setting up their students to make scientific discoveries on their own through innovative experiments. Why not setup Millikan's famous oil drop experiment to discover what electric charge is instead of learning the formula for it? Well, maybe setting up a uniform electric field might be a bit difficult for cash-strapped public schools, but the idea is the same. Setting up a creative and exploratory environment for science class can only lead to more interest in the subject.

For the United States to maintain its place among the superpowers in education, our educational system needs to adapt. This can only be achieved by the current scientific community reaching out to younger, impressionable students that represent the future of scientific research in this country. I myself am a PhD student in biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota, and have been tutoring middle school and high school students for the past 5 years. My favorite part of helping these students is not reiterating the same boring facts they can read for themselves in books; it is instead in relating my current work (or that of my academic peers) to what they are learning and explaining how scientific discoveries are made.

With this in mind, I have started a tutoring company in the Minneapolis metro area called Collegiate Tutors ( http://www.collegiate-tutors.com ) that matches young students with current PhD students to act as tutors and scientific mentors to them. It is my hope with this company that we can play a small role in developing the next generation of scientific researchers.

And hopefully we'll raise the number of students who love science to double digits.

"Improving the way science is taught, one student at a time"

Craig Markovitz
President and CEO
Collegiate Tutors
http://www.collegiate-tutors.com

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Your Kid's Science Class

Many parents are puzzled and taken aback by the number of topics and the complexity of today's science lessons for kids. Sometimes parents look at their children's notes and textbooks and think to themselves that they can not remember learning this lesson, or they remember learning it at a much later grade. Admit it, it happened to you! Do not worry, it is very normal for you to be surprised by your kid's science class. Truth is that kids are learning concepts faster than before and with all the modern advances being made in science, there is always more to learn!

The life sciences which you probably remember as biology, focusing on cell reproduction and photosynthesis now introduces the concepts of cell division at the fifth grade. What you were learning in high school, your kid's science class now teaches in the last year of elementary! To help tutor your kids with life sciences, always read their textbook a chapter ahead of them, and supplement your reading with some online research. You will find that you are learning some new and interesting concepts, and it will prepare you for the questions your child will throw your way!

Back when you were reading school books, earth science told us that there were nine planets in our solar system, and one asteroid belt. Well, nowadays, kid's science teaches them that there are only eight planets in the solar system, four dwarf planets (Pluto included), and two belts that orbit the sun. Right, two belts, that is news to you, isn't it? Like life science, earth science is constantly changing because of the new discoveries being made everyday. What was once a simple study on the different types of rocks, now discusses how to carbon date a rock!

One of the safer sciences in terms of how much new knowledge is added is physical science. This is because the laws of physics have held true for many generations, and when the complicated part of physics comes in, your kids will be in college and probably studying physics as their major. Also, developments in physics usually involve the very confusing and complicated formulas which no kid's science class will discuss unless your kid is in a school for geniuses. This makes it rather safe for parents as long as you and your child can keep up with the pace in which it is being taught. Chances are that you will be able to do so, this is one science you need not worry too much about!

On a final note, keep up with your kid's science class by keeping yourself up to date in the world of science. Try to read some science news online, and keep tabs on what your child is learning. Do not be afraid to speak to your child's teacher either. Many teachers appreciate it when parents want to help their children learn more and better, so all your efforts will be very welcome. Remember that when you can teach something to your child, they are likely to learn it faster and better!

To be able to help your child you should find out what concepts are being taught in your kid's science class. Knowing these concepts will better help you in creating projects for your kid's science class and you can just click on the links here for some project ideas you can use.

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