Hi, my name is Brenda Klicsu and I am extremely honored to be a teacher at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea. I am a native San Diegan, and a graduate of CSUSM. Before joining St. Mary’s, I taught for Vista Unified School District for 10 years. When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two sons. Together we love traveling, camping, biking and spending time at the beach.
This year I have the pleasure of teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Science. All my lessons align to Next Generation Science Standards, and are based on the 5E model which promotes collaborative, active learning in which students work together to solve problems and investigate new concepts by asking questions, observing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions. Each Unit will include:
- Teacher Led Demo: Promotes inquiry, illuminates key concepts and, most importantly, leads to heightened curiosity.
- Guided Inquiry Lab: Include observing, predicting, classifying, measuring, inferring, controlling variables, manipulating materials, interpreting data and experimenting.
- Guided Interactive Notebook: Use creative activities to motivate students to process information and demonstrate critical thinking.
- Science Stations: Provide an engaging way for students to extend their knowledge and skills by working independently from me in small groups or pairs.
- Task Cards: Collection of review cards to be used for review, such as game-style review, group review, one-on-one tutoring, ect
- Quizzes/Chapter Tests: Each quiz and test are designed to access different levels of student thinking and skills. They will include multiple-choice, completion, interpreting diagrams and essays.