The Student Edition of Synergized Middle School Chemistry (SMSC) is a complete middle school chemistry curriculum written for students. The SMSC Student Edition contains all student lessons found in SMSC's Matter's Phases and Properties (Vol.1) and SMSC's Elements and Interactions (Vol. 2). It is designed for use with a science notebook; thus, single copies can be used with multiple students or classes. The six, sequential lesson sets are aligned with the national content standards for middle school physical science - chemistry. SMSC lessons are engaging, hands-on, and relevant. Lessons use "green" materials found in local supermarkets and large discount stores. Students read, write, calculate, and communicate in the context of science. Reading strategies are provided to develop each student's ability to read science nonfiction selections with ease and understanding. In addition, the SMSC Student Edition includes a student introduction, practice post-asessments, and an appendix that includes the following sections: Reading for Success: On-My-Own Guide of Great Science Reading Strategies, Self-Evaluation Tools, Practice Post-Assessments Answers, Metric Measurement Guide, Resources and References, and a Periodic Table. It does not include the Teacher Notes or the Post-Assessments found in SMSC Volumes 1 and 2.
About the Author: Sharon Johnson and Jo Smith have more than sixty years of combined experience teaching middle and high school science. Sharon has both a BS and MS in the teaching of science as well as a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Illinois-Champaign. Jo has a BS in Botany from Colorado State University and an MA in Gifted and Talented Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Currently both Sharon and Jo mentor and teach middle school science teachers through the University of Colorado in Boulder and Denver. After sharing many of their tried and tested lessons with their teachers, the teachers requested that they "put their lessons together in a book." "The Book" is now three books: SMSC Volumes 1 and 2 are designed for teachers and the SMSC Student Edition is designed for student classroom use with a science notebook. The teachers reported that developmentally appropriate chemistry lessons for students grades 5-9 were hard, if not impossible, to find. The lessons use "green" materials that are economical and easy-to-obtain. Since science standard documents differ from state-to-state, district-to-district, and are constantly being reviewed, the national standards form the basis for the content. Currently both Sharon and Jo work as consultants to school districts and other science-related organizations. They have both presented at numerous conferences on topics related to standards-based science, assessment, the science and literacy connection, and calculator-based labs. Prior to writing the book, Sharon also worked as the K-12 Science Coordinator for a large Denver metro school district. She was the lead facilitator in the NSF CONNECT Systemic Initiative for Mathematics and Science and also is part of the NSF Rocky Mountain Middle School Math and Science Partnership. She received the Colorado MESA Outstanding Service Award (2002) and was a featured speaker on science and literacy integration at the Colorado Science Convention. Jo has received the Colorado Excellence in Teaching Science Award (1989), Access Excellence Fellowship (1996), and Radio Shack National Teacher Award (2002). She was also a member of the Pfizer Leadership Institute in Molecular Genetics at Cold Spring Harbor. Both Sharon and Jo live with their families in Colorado. Both enjoy many of Colorado's outdoor activities like skiing, hiking, rafting, and camping. And, both love to travel.