Science is all around us! The largest way that you can support your student in science content is helping them create questions and RESEARCH answers.
The National Science Teacher Association has a great webpage with a variety of resources: http://www.nsta.org/parents/
Academic Support
In order to be successful in high school and beyond students MUST be prepare academically and personally for the rigors. Please ensure:
Your student is paying attention and taking notes in class. You can do "spot checks" so to speak or simply ask them what they are learning.
Your student is doing their homework and projects. Homework and project typically reinforce the concepts learned in class. In order for students to practice the material in order to internalize, it is VERY important that it gets done!
Your student studies for quizzes and tests. Studying is hard, and it is a skill. Students should set aside time before a test or quiz to review vocabulary terms especially.
Your student is organized. This is a challenge particularly in 7th and 8th grade. As you know though, this skill is imperative, in life! Students should be able to tell you what their homework is and explain why their notebook is set-up that way, or why their papers are in that specific order. I have seen students fail high school because they couldn't find the work that they had done. Especially when it comes to applying for high school and college is vital that everything is in order!
High School Preparation
8th grade students are already there, but 7th grade students need to think about what high school they would like to go to. Their success in 7th grade will determine where they can get into high school, so they should know what they are aiming for. Here are a few resources:
Great Philly School Guide: This website provides an overview of every school in Philadelphia and awards it from a 1 to a 10. They review safety, academics, etc.
School District of Philadelphia: Scroll down a bit and you will see the information relevant to the high school process. The guide provided has a good overview of schools as well as the process.