Wednesday, 29 February, 2012

This is HL 12. Letter answers only on your own paper!

Students will be able to:
use the information from laboratory activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-explain why we see moon phases.
-relate moon phases to the moon's position.
-name the phases of the moon.

Students received HL 12, which can be found at the top of this blog.

Students did a mini inquiry lab to determine how the moon moves. This should be written up using the regular lab format. It is due in class on Thursday.

Monday and Tuesday, 27 and 28 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-explain why we see moon phases.
-relate moon phases to the moon's position.
-name the phases of the moon.

Students will not have home learning on Monday and Tuesday, but they will have an assignment on Wednesday.

Students submitted notebooks for notebook check.

Students received the GIZMO sheet for Phases of the Moon. This will be placed in the notebook after notes on the moon's phases and the home learning on the moon's phases.

Students also received the remediation sheet. This week's remediation reviews the sixth grade earth and space benchmarks. Use the information below to complete your understanding of these topics.

Remediation Week of 2/27/12

SC.6.P.13.1 Investigate and describe types of forces including contact forces and forces acting at a distance, such as electrical, magnetic, and gravitational.
If you got questions 10, 14, 15, and/or 16 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activities:
How are forces described?
What are the main types of forces?
2. Also, go to the Explore tab and click the link for Chapter 9 and then Chapter 9.1 Types of Forces. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Art in Motion activity.
3. Then, go to ylearn.co.uk and do the activity Types of Forces. Use your name and the access code: sc6p131

SC.6.P.13.2 Explore the Law of Gravity by recognizing that every object exerts gravitational force on every other object ant that the force depends on how much mass the objects have and how far apart they are.
If you got questions 2, 5, and/or 12 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activity:
What factors affect gravity?
2. Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) click the link for the pHet activity. Follow the directions to learn about mass and distance and forces!

SC.6.P.13.3 Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.
If you got questions 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, and/or 17 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activities:
How do forces affect motion?
What is Newton’s First Law of Motion?
What is Newton’s Second Law of Motion?
What is Newton’s Third Law of Motion?
2. Also, go to the Explore Tab and click the link for Chapter 9 and then Chapter 9.2 Balanced and Unbalanced Forces. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Interactive Art activity AND the Apply it! activity.
3. Then, go to the Explore Tab and click the link for Chapter 9 and then Chapter 9.3 Newton’s Laws of Motion. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Directed Interactive Lab.
3. Then, go to ylearn.co.uk and do the activity Balanced and Unbalanced Forces. Use your name and the access code: sc6p133

Friday, 24 February, 2012

These are the directions for Project 3. Be sure to follow them completely and accurately, noting the proper units. Report findings using scientific notation.

Students will be able to:
use the information from science bowl, and classroom discussions to
-review 6th and 7th grade information on natural selection and the earth in space.

Students received the information for Project 3 Planet Study. The handouts can also be found at the top of this blog.

Students participated in the science bowl, answering questions about natural science and the earth in space. Home work coupons will be distributed to the winners on Monday.

Notebooks will be collected on Monday.

Thursday, 23 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the geocentric and the heliocentric models of the solar system.

Students took an assessment on this week's remediation topics, which were centered around the sixth grade earth and space topics. They also took an assessment on 8th grade topics of stars, galaxies, and the universe.

Students then watched a BrainPop movie on Galileo Galilei to introduce the topic of the historical evolution of the heliocentric model of the solar system.

Students then took notes, using either a Venn diagram or an H diagram, of the geocentric model vs the heliocentric model of the solar system. This information can be found on pages 169-173 in the eighth grade science text.

There was no nightly home learning, but there will be a notebook check on Monday. There should be four sections completed so far this grading period:
-notes on the effect of gravity on planets, stars, and solar systems. In this section, include home learnings 1-3 and and the GIZMO handout on Gravity Pitch.
-notes on the sun. In this section, include home learnings 4-6 and and the GIZMO handout on Star Spectra.
-notes on the solar system objects (the earth's moon, the inner and outer planets, the other objects in the solar system). In this section, include home learnings 7-9 and and the GIZMO handout on the Solar System.
-notes on the models of the solar system. In this section, include home learnings 10 and 11 and the differentiated instruction handout (with notes) that you took in class on Tuesday of this week.

Wednesday, 22 February, 2012

These are the lab handouts.

This is HL 11. Complete on your own paper, answers only.

Students will be able to:
use the information from laboratory activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the geocentric and the heliocentric models of the solar system.

Students today role played to understand the history of how the solar system is constructed. The activity, found at the site
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/astro/bayarea/VirtualVenus.pdf

can be used, along with the handouts found at the top of this blog, to determine if we have a heliocentric or geocentric solar system.

Home learning 11 can also be found at the top of this blog.

Tuesday, 21 February, 2012

This is HL 10. Do both on the same sheet of loose leaf paper. Use complete sentences to answer the questions.

Students will be able to:
use the information from internet access, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the geocentric and the heliocentric models of the solar system.

Students will work on remediation of sixth grade earth and space benchmarks:

Remediation Week of 2/21/12

SC.6.E.7.1 Differentiate among radiation, conduction, and convection, the three mechanisms by which heat is transferred through Earth’s system.
If you got questions 1 and/or 18 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activity:
How is heat transferred?
2. Also, go to the Explore Tab and click the link for Chapter 5 and then Chapter 5.1 Heat Transfer. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Interactive Art activity.
3. Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and click the first link to review heat transfer by playing the game.

SC.6.E.7.4 Differentiate and show interactions among the geosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
If you got questions 6, 8, and/or 24 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activity:
What are the main parts of the earth system?
2. Also, go to the Explore tab and click the link for Chapter 7 and then Chapter 7.1 Interactions among Earth’s Spheres. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Interactive Art activity.
3. Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and review all the information in the second and third links. There are multiple links within the links, so visit each one!

SC.6.E.7.5 Explain how energy provided by the sun influences global patterns of atmospheric movement and the temperature differences between air, water, and land.
If you got questions 15, 29, and/or 32 wrong:
1. Do the Pearson assigned activity:
Greenhouse Effect
2. Also, go to the Explore Tab and click the link for Chapter 7 and then Chapter 7.2 Energy in Earth’s Atmosphere. Click the Elaborate tab and complete the Interactive Art activity.
3. Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s science zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and click the fourth link. Read and take notes.

In addition, HL 10 can be found at the top of this blog.

Friday, 17 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the characteristics of objects in the solar system.
-compare the characteristics of objects in the Solar System with Earth's characteristics.

Students took the remediation quiz on the sixth grade life science benchmarks. We also reviewed the Solar System lab. Be sure your graph is correct and complete. You can turn the lab in on Tuesday with no penalty.

Students role played the planets, including the dwarf planet Pluto and used to scale pictures to line up showing the distance between these objects and the sun. Students were amazed to see how far Pluto was from everyone!

There was no home learning, but you should update your notebook. In the table of contents, write today's date (2/17), the benchmark (SC.8.E.5.7) and the topic The Solar System. Then, turn to the next available page in your notebook and make a Cornell Notes page. Remember to record this page in your table of contents. On the Cornell notes page, draw something (in color) to remind you of the solar system and the objects in it. On the following page, write notes about chapter four. This should include information on: What makes up the solar system; how did the solar system form; what is the moon like; what do the inner planets have in common; what are the characteristics of the inner planets; what do the outer planets have in common; what re the characteristics of each outer planet; and how do scientists classify small objects in the solar system. Again, this information can be found in pages 137-167 of the 8th grade text.

Thursday, 16 February, 2012

This is the front of the lab sheet. Be sure to use scientific notation to record the distance from the sun and the diameter.

This is HL 9. Answers only on ONE sheet of correctly headed loose leaf paper.

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the characteristics of objects in the solar system.
-compare the characteristics of objects in the Solar System with Earth's characteristics.

Students worked on the lab Solar System, which can be done online. You can find the handouts above, along with tonight's home learning 9. The graph paper is not online. You can get a copy from me or I will upload it tomorrow.

The site you need to complete the chart can be found at:

http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/trading/game.htm

Thursday, 9 February, 2012

This is HL 8. Be sure to do both on the same sheet of loose leaf paper. Answers only. Do them in the correct order.

Students will be able to:
use the information from handouts and classroom discussions to
-explain the process of natural selection.
-explain that natural selection can change the charactaeristics of a population.
-explain how an organism's adaptations help it to survive and the inability to adapt may contribute to the extinction of that species.

Students reviewed crunch time information from the seventh grade by reviewing natural selection. Students read a selection on natural selection in class and answered questions.

Students are reminded that HL 8 is due in class on Thursday. Both handouts (Earth's Moon and Small Solar System Objects) should be answered on only one sheet of loose leaf paper. Answers only. You can find the handouts at the top of this blog.

Monday and Tuesday, 13 and 14 February, 2012

This is HL 7. Read pages 137-141 to answer the questions. All answers on your own paper. Answers only.

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activities, textbooks, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the characteristics of objects in the solar system.
-compare the characteristics of objects in the Solar System with Earth's characteristics.

Students worked for two days on their remediation of the sixth grade life science benchmarks. They should visit the Pearson site (myscienceonline.com), use their ID number as user name and password, and complete all the interventions dealing with the cell, the body, classification, and organization of living things.

They should also complete the other exercises listed on the remediation handout:

Remediation Week of 2/13/12

SC.6.L.14.2 Investigate and explain the components of the scientific theory of cells (cell theory); all organisms are composed of cells (single-celled or multi-celllular, all cells come form pre-existing cells, and cells are the basic unit of life.
If you got questions 8, 15, and/or 18 wrong:
Do the Pearson assigned activities:
What is the cell theory?
Then, Google fact monster cell theory and read the passage.

SC.6.L.15.1 Analyze and describe how and why organisms are classified according to shared characteristics with emphasis on the Linnaean system combined with the concept of Domains.
If you got questions 2, 13, 20, 26, and/or 29 wrong:
Do the Pearson assigned activities:
How are organisms classified into Domains and Kingdoms?
What are the levels of classification?
Why do biologists classify organisms?
Then, go to ylearn.co.uk and type in your name access code SC6L151 and complete the activity.
*
SC.6.L.14.4 Compare and contrast the structure and function of major organelles of plant and animal cells, including cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and vacuoles.
If you got questions 1, 10, 12, and/or 25 wrong:
Do the Pearson assigned activities
How do the parts of a cell work?
What are cells?
Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s science zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and click the first link. This will lead to a Discovery Education activity. Type in your first and last name, enter, and click the exploration. Complete the accompanying handout.
*
SC.6.L.14.1 Describe and identify patterns in the hierarchical organization of organisms from atoms to molecules and cells to tissues to organs to organ systems to organisms.
If you got questions 3, 5, 11, and/or 28 wrong:
Do the Pearson assigned activities:
How is your body organized?
What are the levels of organization in an organism?
Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s science zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and click the second and third links. Read the pages to learn about the organization of living things. Record the information in your notes
*
SC.6.L.14.5 Identify and investigate the general functions of the major systems of the human body (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, excretory, immune, nervous, and musculoskeletal) and describe ways these systems interact with each other to maintain homeostasis.
If you got questions 4, 7, 9 14, 17, 21, and/or 24 wrong:
Do the Pearson assigned activities:
Body systems in action.
How does your body stay in balance?
What is the role of the excretory system?
What systems control body functions?
Then, go to Dr. Gayden’s science zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) and click the fourth link. This will lead to a Discovery Education activity. Type in your first and last name, enter, and click the The Human Body Game. Follow the directions.

Also:
Complete the GIZMO activity Solar System. This will be placed in your notebook with this week’s notes.

In addition, HL 7 can be found at the top of this blog. It is due in class on Tuesday. Students have the remainder of the home learning pack. HL 8 is due on Thursday, and HL 9 is due on Friday.

Friday, 10 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use science bowl questions to
-review evolution, natural selection, and heredity.

Students competed in the second Science Bowl. Students in my class competed with those in Ms. Wingate's class on topics such as the Cell Theory, cell structure and function, and Classification.

Those classes not involved with the bowl played Jeopardy by team in the classroom.

There was no nightly home learning assigned.

Thursday, 9 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activites and classroom discussions to
-describe the structure of the sun.
-recognize the features of the sun.

Students took notes today on the features of the sun.

However, before adding these notes to their interactive journal, students updated the journal with the notes from 1/31. The benchmark was SC.8.E.5.4 and the topic was Gravity and Motion. Be sure to add this information to your table of contents. In addition, set up a Cornell notes page with the date and topic. Be sure to draw something to remind you of gravity. Then, on the next page, paste in the three pages of notes via graphic organizers. Next, paste in the three home learnings (1, 2, and 3). Finally, paste in the GIZMO Gravity Pitch. All this should take four pages. Don't forget to write your three leveled questions, use your highlighters to find the answers to the questions in your notes, and to write your summary at the bottom of the Cornell notes page.

For today's lesson, write this information in the table of contents: Date 2/9 Benchmark: SC.8.E.5.5. Topic: The Sun. After skipping the four pages you saved for the notes on Gravity, begin a new Cornell notes page. Draw and label the sun or something that reminds you of the essential questions for the section on the sun (pages 123-127). Also, paste in home learnings 4, 5, and 6 after these notes. Then, place the GIZMO handout on Star Spectra in your notebook. Make sure that you draw a two column notes section on the page directly adjourning the input page for this topic. Make sure you write notes on: The three layers of the sun, the layers of the Sun's atmosphere, and on the features seen on the sun.

There was no nightly home learning.

Wednesday, 8 February, 2012

This is HL 6. Answers only on your own correctly headed loose leaf paper.

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activites and classroom discussions to
-describe the structure of the sun.
-recognize the features of the sun.
-determine how density relates to mass.

Students watched a BrainPop movie on the Sun.

Students then performed a laboratory exercise entitled Density mystery, where they determined how scientists can learn about the interior structure of the sun. Students used balloon models with and without marbles to simulate how the density of a sun may be different depending on what its core is made of. Students are to turn in the completed lab activity tomorrow.

Students also must turn in HL 6, which can be found at the top of this blog.

Monday and Tuesday, 6 and 7 February, 2012

This is HL 4. Answers only on your own paper. It is due on Tuesday.

This is HL 5. It is due on Wednesday. Complete sentences on your own paper.

Students will be able to:
use the information from virtual activites and classroom discussions to
-describe the structure of the sun.
-recognize the features of the sun.

Students submitted lab 23 and short story three.

Students will use the next two days to work on the GIZMO Star Spectra and to review the secondary benchmarks on classification, the cell theory, energy transformation, and the the sun's energy.

To those ends, students took diagnostic tests from the sixth and seventh grade texts. Areas not at mastery are automatically remediated via the Person online program myscienceonline.com. Use your student ID number as your username and password to access the program.

Students should also complete the following:
SC.6.L.14.2 Investigate and explain the components of the scientific theory of cells (cell theory); all organisms are composed of cells (single-celled or multi-celllular, all cells come form pre-existing cells, and cells are the basic unit of life.

If you go questions 8, 15, and/or 18 wrong:
What is the cell theory?
Then, Google fact monster cell theory and read the passage.

SC.6.L.15.1 Analyze and describe how and why organisms are classified according to shared characteristics with emphasis on the Linnaean system combined with the concept of Domains.

If you got questions 2, 13, 20, 26, and/or 29 wrong:
How are organisms classified into Domains and Kingdoms?
What ore the levels of classification?
Why do biologists classify organisms?
Then, go to ylearn.co.uk and type in your name access code SC6L151 and complete the activity.

SC.7.P.11.2 Investigate and describe the transformation of energy form one form to another.

If you got questions 7, 9, 11, and/or 23 wrong:
Go to www.explorelearning.com and complete the GIZMO Energy Conversions.

SC.7.P.10.1 Illustrate that the sun’s energy arrives as radiation with a wide range of wavelengths, including infrared, visible, and ultraviolet, and that white light is made up of a spectrum of many different colors.

If you got questions 1, 2, 4, 20, 24 and/or 30 wrong:
How do electromagnetic waves compare?
How des the sun’s energy arrive on earth?
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
Then, go to ylearn.co.uk and type in your name access code SC7P101 and complete the activity.

Home learnings 4 and 5 can be found at the top of this blog. Home learning 4 is due on Tuesday and home learning 5 is due on Wednesday.

Thursday, 2 February, 2012

Students will be able to:
use the information from hands on activities and classroom discussions to
-undertstand the relationship between mass and gravitational force.
-remediate benchmarks not at sufficient.

Students reviewed how to graph the information and write the conclusions for the lab on mass and gravitational force.

Students then worked on mastering topics for which they needed help. Students individually did readings and hands-on activities from the four reporting categories to boost their knowledge in those areas in which they performed poorly.

Remember, the lab and the short story are due on Monday.

Wednesday, 1 February, 2012

These are the directions for short story 3. Be sure to follow them and turn your story in on time!

Students will be able to:
use the information from hands on activities and classroom discussions to
-understand the relationship between mass and gravitational force.

Students received the instructions and rubrics for short story 3. They can be found at the top of this blog. The short story is due in class on Monday.

Today was Digital Day! Students participated with other students around the Nation by using technology in the classroom. Today, students used the Vernier Dual Force probe to investigate the relationship between mass and force. The lab write up is due in class on Monday.