Welcome to 6th Grade!

Hello 6th grade students and families! My name is Mrs. Saffer, and I'm thrilled to be teaching science and social studies at Garvy. This is my sixth year in the classroom, and throughout my career I have had the opportunity to teach a range of science courses and work with students across different grade levels. I have also worked in informal education, where I developed science curricula and educational programs for students and teachers.

 

At the center of all of my work in education has been one goal: making learning relevant, meaningful, and engaging. I love bringing real things into the classroom—whether that means investigating something we can observe in our own community, working with specimens and models, conducting an investigation, or simply asking a question about something students encounter in their everyday lives. I want students to see that science isn't just something that happens in a textbook or in a laboratory; it is happening all around us!

 

Our 6th grade Science curriculum uses Skyline OpenSciEd, a newly adopted CPS curriculum. OpenSciEd is a hands-on curriculum centered around investigating real-world phenomena. Rather than simply learning a science concept and then answering questions about it, students begin with something interesting or puzzling and work together to figure out how and why it happens.

 

Throughout the year, we will explore topics in Earth and space science, physical science, and life science while building skills that scientists use every day: asking questions, making observations, analyzing data, communicating ideas, and using evidence to support our thinking.

 

I am looking forward to getting to know each of my students and having a year full of questions, investigations, discoveries!