As a lifelong doodler, I didn't know as a child how beneficial doodling was in my notetaking. Now that I know the connection between drawing and increased memory retention, I regularly incorporate sketches into my guided notes. Check out samples of our notes. Royal Oaks School of the Arts

8th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts explored the interconnectedness of organisms by building a simple model of an energy pyramid. They had to come up with a food chain, determine how many organisms at each trophic level, and create scenarios to model what may occur to limit populations.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts conducted multiple quick labs to explore Newton's first law of motion. After their investigations, they recorded their observations and defined inertia.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts explored the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration during our catapult lab. Groups first had to design a catapult, then launch marshmallows of varying masses. They measured and recorded the distance, calculated averages, and analyzed results.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts completed a STEM challenge to launch a balloon rocket. They experimented with different variables (full balloon vs partially filled balloon, vertical vs horizontal path, etc). Finally, students explained how they demonstrated Newton's 3rd law of motion.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts are practicing their coding skills with Ozobot. They had to design a 2D roller coaster, determine appropriate codes for speed, and explain the transfer of kinetic and potential energy. We're making progress towards mastery!

Thank you to the Kannapolis Fire Department for bringing your ladder truck out! 7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts tested out their egg drop designs at 30 ft, 60 ft, and 85 ft. It was a memorable project and fun way to apply Science and Engineering Practices in our physics unit!

Need an engaging review activity? Select a high interest video; then generate a word bank of terms from the video. Students Royal Oaks School of the Arts fill in blank bingo boards with terms. To receive bingo, students cover terms they hear, then use words in a sentence to show understanding.

It's been another year of learning with another group of outstanding students! 8th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts grew tremendously in their scientific thinking, demonstrated mastery of concepts, and created memories along the way. I wish them the best in high school!

Middle school scientists Royal Oaks School of the Arts took turns measuring one another in centimeters, then created scale models of themselves. Check out our Mini-Me illustrations.

8th grade scientists Royal Oaks School of the Arts planned and conducted an investigation of how molecules move in hot water vs. cold water. Then, they created models to represent the speed of molecular motion when heat is added or removed.

8th grade scientists Royal Oaks School of the Arts created Pointillism-inspired dot paintings to represent the molecular movement of solids, liquids, and gases. Students titled and captioned their artwork. We love arts-integrated science!

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts have spent the past few days investigating the water cycle. They've compared rates of evaporation from different Earth materials, created models of condensation, and choreographed water cycle dances.

8th grade chemists Royal Oaks School of the Arts have spent the week exploring chemical properties and changes. We've compared endothermic and exothermic reactions, added catalysts to speed up reactions, and created artwork using turmeric as a pH indicator.

8th grade chemists Royal Oaks School of the Arts spent the week learning about patterns on the Periodic Table. We annotated the table, created edible Bohr models, and played Headbands to determine mystery elements.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts explored air masses and weather fronts with a lab demonstration, notes, video bingo, and acting out the formation of fronts.

8th grade scientists Royal Oaks School of the Arts explored the Law of Conservation of Mass by measuring the mass of reactants and products in open and closed systems. They also modeled chemical equations.

7th graders Royal Oaks School of the Arts took inspiration from Jill Pelto Jill Pelto. They used climate change indicator data from U.S. EPA to create illustrated graphs, then wrote Artist Statements to explain the science and art connection.