Friday, 29 January, 2010

This is the lab sheet. Use pencil for all data. Use blue/black ink for everything else.

This sheet will help you identify the names of the minerals used in the experiment.

Students will be able to:
use information from virtual laboratories, and classroom discussions to
-find the mass and volume of a mineral sample with a balance and a graduated cylinder.
-calculate the density of a mineral sample by dividing its mass by its volume.
-measure and observe mineral properties.
-use a key to identify a mineral sample based on its properties.

The do now was to update the interactive science notebook and the notes from Wednesday. Students wrote 3 Costa leveled questions, one from each level, and used their highlighters to link the questions with the answers. Some questions, by level include:
1-What are some mineral uses?
1-Name the uses for minerals.
1-How does the body use minerals?

2-Compare and contrast precious stones and semiprecious stones.
2-Compare and contrast metal and non metal ores.

3-If global warming destroys the ice caps, how might this affect our ability to mine ores?

The remainder of the period was spent working on lab 9 about minerals. Students also began the laboratory notebook write up of the lab. The lab can be found at GIZMO, or (http://www.explorelearning.com). Use your assigned user name and password. f you have forgotten them, please email me and I will send you your username and password. You can find the lab handout at the top of this blog. Also, use the information sheets to find the name of the sample, based on observations.

Remember, HL #2 is due on Monday.

Thursday, 28 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from videos and classroom discussions to
-identify processes that shape the earth's crust.
-explain how the earth's crust is built up and torn down.
-describe the earth's interior.

Students updated their interactive notebook as their do now.

Students then watched a BrainPop movie on the earth's structure.

Students watched a Bill Nye video on the Earth's crust.

The home learning was listed at the top of yesterday's blog (HL #2) and is due on Monday.

Wednesday, 27 January, 2010

This is HL #2, which is due on Monday, 1 February. Do on a sheet of loose leaf notebook paper in blue/black ink or pencil. Be sure to head your paper correctly, according to page 10 of your interactive notebook (upper right hand corner-last name, first name; date; Period _; HL #2. All this should be BEFORE the first line. Write the heading for the home learning on the first line (How are minerals used?) Number your paper 1-5. If the statement is true, WRITE true. However, if the statement is false, look at the underlined word. Think of a word that would make the statement true and WRITE THAT word. DO NOT WRITE THE WORD FALSE!

Students will be able to:
use information from the supplementary textbooks and classroom discussions to
-state some common uses of minerals.

The do now was another quick write: Which mineral test would you most like to perform and why?

Students turned in and reviewed HL #1.

They also updated their notebooks by adding pages 3 (assignment tracker) and N (adult input) for third grading period. Be sure to fill out HL #1 and HL #2 spots on the sheet.

Students received HL #2, which can be found at the top of this blog. Home learning is due on Monday, February 1.

Students then read the lesson on Ores and Gems, taking notes as they read. A synopsis of the notes can be found below.

*Minerals are used to make many products. For example, quarts is used to make glass and sandpaper, while graphite is used to make pencil lead.

*Minerals are needed by the human body. Minerals like iron are needed by the body to make red blood cells. Calcium and phosphorus are used to make strong teeth and bones.

*A mineral that is mined because it contains a useful metal or nonmetal is called an ore. Metallic ores such as baxite contain aluminum. Nonmetal ores include halite, which contains salt.

*Gemstones are rare, beautiful, and long-lasting minerals. Gens are gemstones tat are cut, polished, and made into jewelry. Diamonds and emeralds are precious gemstones, but garnet and topaz are only semiprecious gemstone.

*Gems are gemstones that are cut, polished, and made into jewelry.

Tuesday, 26 January, 2010

This is HL #1. The sheets should be on the same loose leaf paper, headed properly and containing both home learning names. From sheet 1 (What is a mineral/) answer the questions with the letter only. On sheet 4 (What are fracture and cleavage, answer the question by writing down the word that fills the space.

Students will be able to:
use information from the textbook, videos from the internet, and classroom discussions to
-define mineral.
-summarize the properties of minerals.
-identify minerals by testing them for key properties.

The do now was to update the interactive notebook, using reciprocal teaching methods. Students wrote three Costa leveled questions about the notes on mineral identification. They used their highlighters to identify both the question in the left column of their Cornell notes and the answer from the notes. They also wrote a summary at the bottom of the page.

Students received home learning 1, which can be found at the top of this blog. While you only answer the first and last page, be sure to read all pages, as you WILL be quizzed on it!

Groups that needed to complete their presentations did so.

Finally, students visited a virtual Glencoe lab to identify unknown minerals. To do the activity, go to Dr. Gayden's Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com), click the first link, and begin the activity.

Monday, 25 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from the textbook, videos from the internet, and classroom discussions to
-define mineral.
-summarize the properties of minerals.

The do now was a quick write. Students wrote to define minerals.

Students then watched the BrainPop movie on Mineral Identification. To see the movie at home, email me, and I will send you the username and password, which should be written on the inside back cover of your interactive science notebook.

Students then read the text, pages 220-222 to find the characteristics of minerals. You can read the Florida Reading Essential book, pages 113-117. The basics of the notes are written below:

Mineral Identification
A mineral is a solid, inorganic, nonliving substance that is found naturally in the earth's crust.

Properties to identify minerals:

Crystals-minerals are made of orderly, regularly repeating patterns of atoms.

Cleavage-the ability of a mineral to split into pieces with smooth, regular planes that reflect light.

Fracture - the ability of a mineral to break into pieces with jagged or rough edges.

Color - a visible property of minerals, determined by the elements found in the mineral. While different minerals can look similar in color, the same mineral can occur in a variety of colors, due to slight impurities in the mineral.

Streak - the color of the powdered mineral left behind when the mineral is rubbed on an unglazed surface.

Luster - describes how light reflects from the surface of a mineral. May be metallic or nonmetallic.

Hardness - the ability of a mineral to resist scratching. The hardness of a mineral is measured on Mohs scale, with minerals with a scale of 1 being very soft and easily scratched, while minerals with a hardness of 10 are extremely hard and cannot be scratched by other minerals with a hardness less than 10.

Specific gravity - compares the weight of a mineral with the weight of an equal volume of water.

Other properties used to identify some specific minerals include:
-the ability to be attracted by a magnet.
-the ability to fizz or bubble in acid.
-the ability to show a double line, or double refraction.
-having a taste.

There was no home learning.

Thursday, 21 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from the video Planet Earth: Deserts and classroom discussions to
-list factors of the desert that allow for erosion.
-describe land artifacts that are the result of erosion.
-hypothesize about the conditions needed in deserts to begin weathering and erosion.

The do now was a quick write. Students wrote what they think a desert looks like.

Students then watched the Planet Earth video on deserts. They observed erosion and deposition, along with weathering of rocks. Students were able to view the processes that shape our earth, which is the strand we will begin studying on Monday.

Since today is the last day of the grading period, there was no home learning.

Tuesday/Wednesday, 19/20 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-take an exam of energy/force and motion.

Students submitted their Rube Goldberg designs.

Students received a make-up exam for energy/force and motion. They used texts to find answers. Tomorrow, they will use the CPS clicker system to enter their answers. The exam will substitute for one failed exam this grading period.

Tomorrow, notebooks are due. Be sure you have written up labs 7 on Work, Force, and Distance and lab 8 on Electromagnetic Waves. Also, be sure your parent or guardian has written what you taught them on page M, the last section of the adult input form.

The questions for the exam are:

Extra Credit Exam Second Grading Period

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. The ability to do work is called
a. velocity.
b. energy.
c. conversion.
d. friction.


____ 2. Energy is measured in units called
a. joules.
b. pounds.
c. meters.
d. horsepower.


____ 3. The energy associated with motion is called
a. kinetic energy.
b. elastic potential energy.
c. gravitational potential energy.
d. nuclear energy.


____ 4. Kinetic energy increases as
a. mass increases and velocity decreases.
b. mass decreases and velocity increases.
c. both mass and velocity increase.
d. both mass and velocity decrease.


____ 5. The total potential and kinetic energy of the particles in an object is called
a. mechanical energy.
b. thermal energy.
c. chemical energy.
d. electrical energy.


____ 6. An example of something that stores chemical energy is
a. lightning.
b. a microwave.
c. a match.
d. light.


____ 7. Which of the following has kinetic energy?
a. a rock poised for a fall
b. an archer’s bow that is drawn back
c. a rolling bowling ball
d. a car waiting at a red light


____ 8. Unlike kinetic energy, potential energy is
a. energy of motion.
b. stored.
c. conserved.
d. not measurable.


____ 9. Potential energy that depends on height is called
a. kinetic energy.
b. gravitational potential energy.
c. elastic potential energy.
d. mechanical energy.


____ 10. Energy stored in the nucleus of an atom is called
a. electromagnetic energy.
b. nuclear energy.
c. mechanical energy.
d. chemical energy.


____ 11. The tendency of an object to resist change in its motion is known as
a. mass.
b. inertia.
c. force.
d. balance.


____ 12. The force of gravity on a person or object on the surface of a planet is called
a. mass.
b. terminal velocity.
c. weight.
d. free fall.


____ 13. The force that one surface exerts on another when the two rub against each other is called
a. friction.
b. acceleration.
c. inertia.
d. gravity.


____ 14. Air resistance is a type of
a. motion.
b. acceleration.
c. velocity.
d. friction.


____ 15. The product of an object’s mass and velocity is called its
a. inertia.
b. momentum.
c. acceleration.
d. force.


____ 16. The achievement of lifting a rocket off the ground and into space can be explained by
a. Newton’s first law.
b. Newton’s second law.
c. Newton’s third law.
d. the law of conservation of momentum.


____ 17. The amount of matter in an object is called its
a. inertia.
b. mass.
c. force.
d. balance.


____ 18. Which of the following is an example of increasing friction intentionally?
a. waxing skis
b. adding grease to gears on a bike
c. throwing sand on an icy driveway
d. oiling a squeaky door


____ 19. Speed equals distance divided by
a. time.
b. velocity.
c. size.
d. motion.


____ 20. When you know both the speed and direction of an object’s motion, you know the
a. average speed of the object.
b. acceleration of the object.
c. distance the object has traveled.
d. velocity of the object.


____ 21. You can show the motion of an object on a line graph in which you plot distance against
a. velocity.
b. time.
c. speed.
d. direction.


____ 22. If one of Earth’s plates moves 5 centimeters every year, how far will it move in 500 years?
a. 25 kilometers
b. 25 centimeters
c. 25 meters
d. 250 meters


____ 23. How many different forms, or states, does most matter on Earth exist in?
a. one
b. two
c. three
d. fifty


____ 24. The temperature at which a solid changes into a liquid is called
a. the boiling point.
b. the freezing point.
c. the melting point.
d. absolute zero.


____ 25. Water freezes at 32 degrees on which temperature scale?
a. Fahrenheit
b. Celsius
c. Kelvin
d. absolute zero


____ 26. What do machines do?
a. change the amount of force you exert or the distance over which you exert the force
b. increase the amount of work that is done
c. decrease the amount of work that is done
d. eliminate friction


____ 27. Pulling down on a rope to hoist a sail on a sailboat is an example of a machine
a. multiplying the force you exert.
b. multiplying the distance over which a force is exerted.
c. changing the direction over which a force is exerted.
d. reducing friction.


____ 28. The mechanical advantage of a machine is the number of times a machine increases
a. the distance an object is moved.
b. the amount of friction.
c. the change in direction.
d. the force exerted on the machine.


____ 29. Without friction there would be
a. less machine efficiency.
b. greater output work than input work.
c. greater input work than output work.
d. equal input and output work.


____ 30. An ideal machine would have an efficiency of
a. 1 percent.
b. 10 percent.
c. 50 percent.
d. 100 percent.

Friday, 15 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from virtual laboratories and classroom discussions to
-write up the laboratory experiences using power writing.

Students updated their notebooks by writing information for labs seven and eight. The notes should be on a modified Cornell notes page (do not draw the summary section on the bottom of the page, but keep the column on the left.

Students drew something for each lab that reminded of the activity, such as a frog jumping, an ant pushing a crumb in an anthill, or a rabbit pulling a carrot from the ground.

Possible notes, which answer the questions found on index page B in your notebook include:

Lab 7: Work, Force, and Distance

1. We were trying to find out the relationship between work, force, and distance.

2. The hypothesis was supported by the data. When the amount of force used increased, the amount of work done increased.

3. The major findings were that when the amount of force used or the distance traveled increased, work was done by the animal.

4. Everyone found out that work can only be done if an object moves.

5. There is a relationship between work and force. Work is directly proportional to force.

6. The experiment can be changed by changing the distance the object moved or the force used by each animal to do the work.

7. We can calculate how much force is needed to move an object a certain distance while doing a specific amount of work.



Lab 8. Electromagnetic Waves

1. We were trying to find out about the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum.

2. The hypothesis was supported by the data. The greater the frequency, the shorter the wavelength.

3. The major findings were that as the frequency of the waves increased, the wavelength decreased. The amount of energy in each type of wave increased as the frequency increased.

4. Everyone found out that as frequency increased, wavelength decreased. Also, energy carried in the waves increased as frequency increased.

5. As you move from left to right on the electromagnetic spectrum, frequency increases, energy increases, but wavelength decreases.

6. We can improve the experiment by measuring the amount of energy found in each type of wave.

7. We can determine if certain types of waves are dangerous or not by finding their frequency and wavelength, or by looking at the electromagnetic spectrum.

Thursday, 14 January, 2010

This is the lab sheet for lab 8. Complete the sheet by doing the online activity found at Dr. Gayden's Science Zone, entitled Electromagnetic Waves. All data should be in pencil.

Students will be able to:
use information from virtual laboratories and classroom discussions to
-match visual representations of waves to their written descriptions.
-identify and describe the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
-compare and order diffferent types of electromagnetic waves by frequency, wavelength, and energy.

Some students took the mid-term examination.

The remainder of the class worked on laboratory 8: Electromagnetic Waves. The lab sheet can be found at the top of this blog. Be sure to use pencil for the data section. You may use blue/black ink or pencil for the remainder of the sheet.

To do the lab, visit Dr. Gayden's Science Zone (http://drgcdms.podomatic.com) under the date Thursday, 14 January, 2010. Click on the glencoe link to enter the lab. Complete the chart and answer the questions. Be sure to bring the completed handout to class tomorrow.

Wednesday, 13 January, 2010

This is the lab sheet for lab 7. Complete the sheet by doing the online activity found at Dr. Gayden's Science Zone, entitled Force, Work, and Distance. All data should be in pencil.

Students will be able to:
use information from virtual laboratories and classroom discussions to
-determine the relationship between work, force, and distance using the equation W=Fd.
-apply the equation W=Fd to predict how much work is being done.
-identify and explain the scientific units of work, force, and distance.

Some students took the mid-term examination.

The remainder of the class worked on laboratory 7: Work, Force, and Distance. The lab sheet can be found at the top of this blog. Be sure to use pencil for the data section. You may use blue/black ink or pencil for the remainder of the sheet.

To do the lab, visit Dr. Gayden's Science Zone (http://drgcdms.podomatic.com) under the date Wednesday, 13 January, 2010. Click on the glencoe link to enter the lab. Complete the chart and answer the questions. Be sure to bring the completed handout to class tomorrow.

Tuesday, 12 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-take a mid-term examination.
or
-present science fair projects.
-view the video Planet Earth.

Students submitted notebooks after taking the mid-term examination.

Those students not taking the exam presented projects that had not been previously presented.

The class then watched the video Planet Earth, specifically the section Pole to Pole, writing down ten facts presented in the video, with three of the facts concerning energy. This was submitted as an extra credit assignment.

Students should be completing their Rube Goldberg machine designs, which are due in class on January 19.

Monday, 11 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-take a mid-term examination.
or
-present science fair projects.
-view the video Planet Earth.

Students submitted notebooks after taking the mid-term examination.

Those students not taking the exam presented projects that had not been previously presented.

The class then watched the video Planet Earth, specifically the section Ice Worlds, to put into perspective what "real" cold weather is.

Students should be completing their Rube Goldberg machine designs, which are due in class on January 19.

Friday, 8 November, 2010

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-take a mid-term examination.
or
-solve wavelength, wave height, or wave frequency problems.

Students began taking mid-terms today.

Classes not working on the mid-term first completed Science Fair presentations.

These classes also solved equations for wave speed, wave frequency, and wave length.

The only home learning is to study for mid-term and/or to complete the Rube Goldburg assignment.

Thursday, 7 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
take a classroom examination of simple machines and waves.

Students took a test on simple machines and waves.

Students should also be studying for their mid-term examinations. The schedule is:
Friday - Periods 1 and 6.
Monday - Periods 2 and 4.
Tuesday - Periods 3 and 5.

Students should also continue to complete their Rube Goldberg machine design, due in class January 19.

There was no additional home learning.

Wednesday, 6 January, 2010

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
review for the mid-term examination.

Students wrote examples of each of Newton's three laws of motions as their do now.

Students turned in and reviewed home learnings 16-18.

Students also took a quiz on waves.

Finally, students reviewed similar questions for the mid-term review. A copy of the review will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

Students are to study for an exam on simple machines and waves for Thursday.

Tuesday, 5 January, 2010

This is HL #16. Head your paper correctly and write only the letter answer.


This is HL #17. Head your paper correctly and write only the letter answer.


This is HL #18. Head your paper correctly and write only the letter answer.



These are the sheets for Technology Report 2. Be sure to turn in the page by the due date. Use blue/black ink to complete all information. You may use crayons, colored pencils, or markers to draw your Rube Goldberg machine.

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-list the characteristics of waves.
-describe the parts of a wave.
-differentiate between different types of waves.

The do now was to solve the following mechanical advantage problem:
A machine uses an input force of 200 newtons to produce an output force of 50 newtons. What is the
mechanical advantage of this machine?

Students received home learnings 16, 17, and 18. Each is to be done on a separate sheet of loose leaf, properly headed notebook paper, using blue/black ink or pencil. Be sure to write the title of each sheet on the first line. Also, record letter answers only.

Students also received the instructions and grading rubrics for technical report 2. The Rube Goldberg machine report is due in class on January 19.

Students took a short quiz on simple machines.

Finally, students took notes on waves. Be sure to include a drawing of a wave and the wave parts in your notes, even though the drawing is not included in the notes found below.

Waves-a disturbance that moves through matter and space and carries energy.

Categories of Waves
-Mechanical waves-waves that can travel only in matter and not through space. Examples include sound waves, ocean waves, seismic waves.
-Electromagnetic waves-waves that can travel through both matter and space. Examples are radio waves, x-rays, and light.

Types of Waves
-Transverse Waves-a mechanical wave that causes particles in matter to move at right angles to the direction in which the wave travels.
-Compressional Waves-a mechanical wave that causes particles in matter to move back and forth along the same direction in which the wave is traveling.

Properties of Waves
-Wavelength-the distance between any point on a wave and the nearest point just like it.
-Frequency-the number of wavelengths that pass by a point each second, measured in hertz (Hz).
-Amplitude-the maximum distance that matter moves as the wave passes.
-Wave speed- the speed at which a wave travels, depends on the medium through which the wave travels.

Wave speed = wavelength (in meters) X frequency (in Hz)

Wavelength (in meters) = wave speed (in m/s)/ frequency (in hertz) or λ /ƒ = v

Monday, 4 January, 2010

This is an example of what notes on simple machines should include. Be sure to include a drawing in your notes.

Students will be able to:
use the information from textbooks and classroom discussions to
-describe the types of simple machines.
-differentiate between simple machines.
-justify the use of simple machines.
-calculate mechanical advantage.

Welcome back to a new year!

Today, students received their notebooks and began taking notes on simple machines. A facsimile of accepted notes can be found at the top of this blog.

Students are reminded that they MUST:
-complete the notes by asking three leveled Costa questions (see pages G and H in the back of your notebook)
-use three different colored highlighters to accent the question AND answer in their notes.
-write a summary on the notes on simple machines.
-attach all handouts, including past and present home learnings.
-teach the information to an adult in the household. Further, the adult MUST write a 2-3 sentence summary of what they were taught on page M in the back of the notebook. The adult must also sign.

There will be a notebook check on Wednesday.