Friday, 27 January and Monday, 30 january, 2006

Using information from classroom activities and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-determine the soil types found in Florida.
-calculate the percentages of the different soil types found in Florida.

Students on Friday read an article dealing with the wooly mammoth and its relationship to modern day elephants. The article determined, that, by DNA testing, the wooly mammoth was more closely related to the Indian elephant than to the African elephant. Students used Venn diagrams to compare and contrast the different elephants.

Monday, students read from the book A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Axel becomes separated from his uncle and Hans, but luckily, is found. They find a large sea underground. In the sea are animals that have been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. They continue on their journey to the earth's center.

After reading, students worked on their soil project. They calculated the percent of the different soils found in Florida.

Home learning was to continue work on the written report on erosion, due February 6/7. Blocks 1, 3, and 5 also are reminded that HL #7 is due on Tuesday, Jan 31.

Wednesday, 25 January and Thursday, 26 January, 2006

Using information from SciencePlus Interactive Explorations Level Red and classroom activities:
Students should be able to:


-compare and contrast the properties of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
-generate a rock cycle that explains how rocks change from one form to another.
-take an exam that measures proficiency of the topic Processes that Shape the Earth.

Students took the exam Processes that Shape the Earth.

Students were given information for the third grading period project: The Soil Project. The project will include identifying soil profiles, determining soil horizons, discussing the soil profiles found in Florida, identifying soil types in Florida, and relating soil type to soil use. Pages for the project, due February 23/24, can be found at the top of the Jan2/30 blog.

Students then completed the virtual learning program Rock On by classifying rocks as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary, using the characteristics and properties of each rock to determine classification.

Home learning #7 begins the topic Earth and Space, and is on stars. It can be found at the top of this blog.

Monday, 23 January and Tuesday, 24 January, 2006

Using information from classroom activities, the computer program Science Plus Interactives Level Red, and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-compare and contrast the properties of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks.
-generate a rock cycle that explains how rocks change from one form to another.
-take a quiz on weathering and erosion.

Students took a five question quiz on weathering and erosion.

Student read from the novel a Journey to the Center of the Earth. The team of Hans, Professor Lidenbrock and Axel have descended into Mt. Sneffles. There, the shadow of Scartaris showed them which of three tunnels to enter. After entering, they took a wrong turn and have followed a path that has led them far from water. During journey until they ran out of water. Luckily, Hans found a place behind granite, which he was able to penetrate with a pick axe, Although the water was boiling hot, the travelers were glad of the refreshing drink. After allowing it to cool, they drank from the "Hans River".

Students then used the computers to learn about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. They virtually studied the rocks to determine properties such as color, striations, banding, cleavage, etc. They used this information and a classification key identify and classify the rocks. They then sent their "data" off!

HL #6 dealt with soils, soil formation and properties. Handouts can be found at the top of this blog.

Thursday, 19 January and Friday, 20 January, 2006

Using information from laboratory activities and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-hypothesize, test, and draw conclusions from data about soil acidity and color.

Students were given the information for the written report, due February 6/7. The rubrics can be found at the top of this blog. Students were reminded that after school tutoring and help can be obtained on Thursdays from 4:40 to 5:40. The activities bus will be available to students who ride Dade County transport.

Students performed a lab where they used LabPro/TI-84 set ups to measure the pH of various colors of soil. Students made a soil solution with distilled water and vigorously shook the soil 50 times, let it sit for 5 minutes and repeated the process for another 5 minutes. After letting the soil sit, students used the Vernier pH probe to measure the pH of the soil samples. While there was no positive correlation between soil color and pH for all the classes, most classes found that the lightest soil did have the most alkaline pH. More studies must be done to definitely prove this.

HL #5 on glaciers was distributed. The sheets can be found at the top of this blog.

Tuesday, 17 January and Wednesday, 18 January, 2006

Using information from the FCAT 7th Grade Coach Book and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-practice reading and answering FCAT science questions.

Students read from the book A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Professor Lidenbrock and Axel have left Hamburg Germany to travel to Iceland. There, they hire a guide that will take them to Mt. Sneffels to begin their journey to the earth's center. On the way, they run into a mistour, an Icelandic word for whirlwind, which, if not for Han's quick thinking, would have torn them to shred before the journey even had a chance to begin!

Students spent the remainder of the class time practicing taking FCAT type questions. Questions were on Strand D: Processes that Shape the Earth. Topics included such things as motions of water, weathering and erosion, fossils, effects of changes in the environment, charting processes on earth, and conserving natural resources.

Home learning included HL #4 on erosion by running water and ocean waves. The pages can be found at the top of this blog.

Thursday, 12 January, and Friday, 13, January, 226

Using information from the Science News for Kids, laboratory activities, and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-read an article to discover how glaciers are being affected by global warming.
-take a benchmark exam in science.
-hypothesize and test how rocks are affected by chemical and mechanical weathering.

Students were given an article entitled Shrinking Glaciers to read as a homework assignment.

Students then took a benchmark analysis test in science, dealing with objectives from all eight strands of the Sunshine State Standards.

Students then performed a lab where they took marble rocks, massed them, and subjected them to chemical weathering by pouring 1% hydrochloric acid over the rocks and letting them sit in the acid for 15 minutes. They then calculated the percent of the rock that was removed by chemical weathering. Students also took marble rocks and, after determining the mass, placed them in capped jars and shook for 15 minutes (in water) to simulate mechanical weathering. They also calculated the percent of weathering caused by mechanical weathering.

Most classes determined that mechanical weathering caused more weathering than chemical weathering. Classes concluded that perhaps the surface area affected the amount of chemical weathering. Also, if the shaking was extremely vigorous, perhaps more mechanical weathering might occur.

Tuesday, 10 January and Wednesday, 11 January, 2006

Using information from the computer program SciencePlus Interactive Level Green and the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth:
Students should be able to:


-read a work of science fiction to find the science facts it contains.
-predict the effect of dams on a natural river environment.
-virtually experiment to determine the effects of dams on river environments.

Students used a computer program to simulate how a dam would affect the river environment of a community. The program allowed students to predict, hypothesize and test their hypothesis. Students learned that, while a dam prevents flooding, it changes the natural environment of a river. Sediments usually carried and deposited by a river are not carried and are usually deposited on the river bed. This allows for plants to grow and choke the river. This then affects animals and fish that live there. Also, dams, change the temperature of a river, which also affects the inhabitants of the river. Many food chains and food webs are disrupted by the presence of a dam.

Once students finished the program, we continued reading from the novel. The note written by the explorer has been interpreted and read. Now the pair have begun their journey, leaving Germany and traveling by boat to Iceland, where they intend to hire a guide to help them reach the center of the earth.

HL # 3 on erosion and deposition, gravity and erosion, and wind and erosion was distributed. The pages can be found at the top of this blog.

Friday, 6 January and Monday, 9 January, 2006

Using information from a magazine article on weathering:
Students should be able to:


-take a quiz on the internal earth.
-analyze an article on chemical and mechanical weathering.

All students practiced for the FCAT by doing FCAT coach questions. Questions dealt with mechanical weathering and the Earth's time line.

All students took a quiz on the internal earth.

Students then read an article on how cemeteries can be used as a place to study chemical and mechanical weathering. The article discussed that mechanical weathering of tombstones and monuments included wind-blown soil, water, hail, and rain. Monuments made of granite don't weather as much. Monuments made of brick or concrete did show mechanical weathering. Also metal monuments showed little weathering.

Monuments and tombstones made of marble or copper showed chemical weathering, which could be caused by acid rain, biological materials excreting acids that broke down the materials of the tombstones, and harsh cleaners such as bleach and soaps being used to scrub the stones. Monuments made of copper chemically weathered by forming a green patina on the surface that often bled down to the stone.

Home learning was on mechanical and chemical weathering and came from Concepts and challenges in Earth Science, pages 81-84, doing the check on both. Page 82 had questions 1-4 and page 84 had questions 1, 5, and 7.

Wednesday, 4 and Thursday, 5 January, 2006

Using information from the novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth", reading selection from A Day in the Desert, and laboratory activities:
Students should be able to:

-read a science fiction novel to discover the science facts it contains.
-create a "RAFT" from a reading section.
-hypothesize and test to determine which models best represent the earth's interior.

Students continued learning about weathering and erosion by completing and discussion Lesson 20: Weathering and Erosion in the 7th Grade FCAT Coach booklet.

A selection from the book "Ice Mummy" was read and a "RAFT" was modeled. A RAFT is another way to write a summary of a reading selection where:
R-Role or audience, who are you? person, place, or thing
A-Audience, who are you writing to? person, place or thing
F-Format, what form will your writing take? poem, letter, rap, newspaper article, journal entry, etc.
T-Topic, about what topic are you writing?

Students were then placed in groups and read excerpts for Jean Craighead George's book, A Day in the Desert. They then composed a RAFT based on their reading, with the topic weathering or erosion. RAFTS were then shared with the class.

We read from the novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth". Axel and his uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, discover a note written in code. It turns out that the note was written by a famous Icelandic explorer, who claimed to have journeyed to the Earth's center by entering a volcano. The duo are about to try to repeat the adventure.

Students then performed a lab using M&M plain and peanut candy to determine which makes the best model for the internal earth. All students concluded that the peanut model was best because the peanut M&M most closely resembled the external shape of the earth. Also, this candy had a candy shell, which corresponded with the crust of the earth, a chocolate layer that corresponded with the mantle, and a peanut layer that corresponded with the solid inner cores. Students concluded that a layer relating to the liquid outer core was not present in the candy and speculated on what could be done to make the model more like the earth. Some suggestions were to add a caramel liquid layer beneath the chocolate but above the peanut.

Students also discussed other models for the Earth's internal structure, including a boiled egg, a peach, a mango, and a plum.

Home learning was from Concepts and Challenges in Earth Science, pages 22-23. Students did check (1-5)

Monday, 2 January and Tuesday, 3 January, 2006

Using information from the novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" and classroom activities:
Students should be able to:

-read a science fiction novel to discover the science facts it contains.
-create a "RAFT" from a reading section.
-compare and contrast weathering and erosion.

Students were introduced to the topics weathering and erosion. A KWL chart for weathering and erosion was created and discussed.
Students then viewed BrainPop movies about the Earth's interior, Weathering, and Erosion.
Students read from the FCAT coach book about weathering and erosion, and answered questions based on the reading passage. They also practiced long response writing.
Students then read from the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth.

All blocks:
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks. There are two types of weathering: mechanical and chemical. In mechanical weathering, rocks are broken down without changing their chemical composition. This might occur when wind blows particles of dirt and small stones against another rock, scouring the surface. Mechanical weathering may also be caused when plants grown into the cracks of rocks, pushing them farther apart, and causing them to break. Animals that burrow into the earth create tunnels that allow water to enter the soil, which may help rocks break. Some animals also burrow into rocks. Frost action also causes mechanical weathering when water enters the cracks of rocks and freezes. As it freezes, it expands, and widens the cracks. When it melts, new water may enter and repeat the process until the rock breaks.

Chemical weathering also breaks up rocks, but the chemical composition is changed in the process. When substances from the air or water react with the elements in rocks, they may change and cause the rock to weaken. This will eventually cause the rock to break. Oxidation is one form of chemical weathering. Sinkholes and caverns are formed when limestone is worn away by acidic rain or river water. Plants growing into rocks release chemicals that react with the elements in rocks to weaken them and cause them to break.

Home Learning- Write a 5 sentence summary of the novel thus far: who, what when, where, and why