We are wrapping up our lessons on topographic and aerial maps and will have a quiz on it Wednesday. Students received a small review sheet on Monday to help them study. We discussed the difference between aerial and topographic maps, and last week students drew a topographic map of the Grand Canyon and Mt. Shasta. Students have also had the opportunity to interpret topographic maps, including their elevations. We looked at google images to see aerial maps and students interpreted an aerial photograph of Mt. Shasta.
Our next lessons are extremely important and will examine the impact that weathering, erosion, and deposition have on creating landforms. We will pretend to be water in rivers and the ocean and will beat rocks together to show weathering, carry sediment to show erosion, and deposit sediment in a pan (the delta) to show deposition. We will play the game Simon Says so students get ample practice with these processes, and participate in a sorting activity to determine the difference between weathering and erosion. I will show them real life examples of weathering and erosion from Chimney Rock, and from the Pacific West coast (ocean erosion and weathering). Finally, all students will participate in an erosion student inquiry to see which situation promotes the most erosion and which promotes the least. We will put soil outside the ramp by itself, cover the same soil with straw to represent crop residue, plant vegetation, put pine forest needles on it, put a steep slope on the soil, and finally put a hill. We will examine each over a week to determine which had the most erosion and why. This will lead to a discuss about why we should not build on steep slopes, why we should plant vegetation, what farmers can do to prevent soil erosion after harvesting crops, and how to prevent erosion in general.
Homework for the week:
Monday night: study for the Topographic and aerial map quiz on Wednesday
Tuesday: study for the Topographic and aerial map quiz on Wednesday; write one example of weathering, one example of erosion, and one example of deposition
Wednesday: Weathering and Erosion Questions (Worksheet 1)
Thursday: Weathering and Erosion Questions (Worksheet 2)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Grade 6: Week of February 27th to March 2nd
In these two weeks we have received five new students to our class. Welcome to Neuse Charter School!
We are continuing to study the properties of minerals and will shortly move on to the Rock Cycle. On Monday we tested our rocks aquamarine, emerald, mica, fool's gold, and quartz for their hardness on the Mohs scale by using a copper penny. If the copper scratched the rock then it had a hardness scale of less than 3.5. On Tuesday we will continue our student inquiry by examining cleavage, fracture, density, and so on. Our Rock Cycle unit will begin with igneous or volcanic rock and we will compare and contrast intrusive (in the volcano) and extrusive (outside the volcano) igneous rock. Our study will lead us to examine common igneous rocks such as granite, pumice, obsidian, and basalt. Students will observe crystals, holes, among other things to determine if the rocks formed inside or outside of a volcano.
Homework for the week:
Monday: Pg. 451 Review #2,3,4,5
Tuesday: pg. 451 Review #1, Reflect #2, 3,4
Wednesday: pg. 464 Review #1-3, Reflect #1
Thursday: finish the Venn Diagram of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks (if not already finished)
We are continuing to study the properties of minerals and will shortly move on to the Rock Cycle. On Monday we tested our rocks aquamarine, emerald, mica, fool's gold, and quartz for their hardness on the Mohs scale by using a copper penny. If the copper scratched the rock then it had a hardness scale of less than 3.5. On Tuesday we will continue our student inquiry by examining cleavage, fracture, density, and so on. Our Rock Cycle unit will begin with igneous or volcanic rock and we will compare and contrast intrusive (in the volcano) and extrusive (outside the volcano) igneous rock. Our study will lead us to examine common igneous rocks such as granite, pumice, obsidian, and basalt. Students will observe crystals, holes, among other things to determine if the rocks formed inside or outside of a volcano.
Homework for the week:
Monday: Pg. 451 Review #2,3,4,5
Tuesday: pg. 451 Review #1, Reflect #2, 3,4
Wednesday: pg. 464 Review #1-3, Reflect #1
Thursday: finish the Venn Diagram of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks (if not already finished)
Grade 8: Week of February 27th to March 2nd
Grade 8s have done a wonderful job on their Elements project using either Prezi or Glogster to create power points, webs, and posters. The most difficult part for students was researching to see if their element formed organic compounds such as hydrocarbons and polymers. 8A is finished but 8B will finish up presentations on Tuesday. This week we will explore various chemical reactions and their reactants and products. Students will do a lab with endothermic and exothermic reactions. We will learn about a very important principle: The Law of Conservation of Mass: all mass is conserved in reactions, but might take on a different form, or a different volume. On Friday we will revisit ionic and covalent bonds.
Homework for the week:
Monday night: three examples of physical change and three examples of chemical change
Tuesday night: 8A (possibly 8B depending on time): Give five chemical formulas of your own showing reactants and products. Use the periodic table to combine metals and nonmetals, for a combination of 8 valence electrons in the outer shell.
Ex) Na + Cl --> NaCl Na and Cl are reactants and NaCl is the product.
Wednesday night: Pg. 295 Review #1-4, Reflect #2, 3 (Class 8B will need to read Chapter 10 on reactants, products, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and the Law of Conservation of Mass because they are missing Science class to receive peer tutoring in Math this time only.)
Thursday night: Study guide: chemical reaction to bond: definition and example of each. Use the textbook and internet to find examples.
Homework for the week:
Monday night: three examples of physical change and three examples of chemical change
Tuesday night: 8A (possibly 8B depending on time): Give five chemical formulas of your own showing reactants and products. Use the periodic table to combine metals and nonmetals, for a combination of 8 valence electrons in the outer shell.
Ex) Na + Cl --> NaCl Na and Cl are reactants and NaCl is the product.
Wednesday night: Pg. 295 Review #1-4, Reflect #2, 3 (Class 8B will need to read Chapter 10 on reactants, products, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and the Law of Conservation of Mass because they are missing Science class to receive peer tutoring in Math this time only.)
Thursday night: Study guide: chemical reaction to bond: definition and example of each. Use the textbook and internet to find examples.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Grade 5: Week of February 21st to 24th
Parents please note that progress reports go out on Tuesday.
Since students have had a long weekend, we will begin the week by studying for our Rivers test. We will then begin studying aerial maps, topographical maps, and contour lines. We will observe maps from google images, and students will trace them to map topographical maps. Friday we will continue this activity with traceable foam so students can connect aerial to topographical maps and create a topographic map of Mount Shasta with an aerial photograph. Thursday is the Rivers test.
Homework of the week:
Tuesday night: Study for the Rivers Test
Wednesday night: Study for the Rivers Test
Thursday night: Competitive Edge pg. 200-201 #1, 5, 7
Since students have had a long weekend, we will begin the week by studying for our Rivers test. We will then begin studying aerial maps, topographical maps, and contour lines. We will observe maps from google images, and students will trace them to map topographical maps. Friday we will continue this activity with traceable foam so students can connect aerial to topographical maps and create a topographic map of Mount Shasta with an aerial photograph. Thursday is the Rivers test.
Homework of the week:
Tuesday night: Study for the Rivers Test
Wednesday night: Study for the Rivers Test
Thursday night: Competitive Edge pg. 200-201 #1, 5, 7
Grade 6: Week of February 21st to 24th
Parents please note that progress reports go out on Tuesday.
We will begin the exciting Rock Cycle unit. First we will explore what minerals we use in our every day lives, and then which minerals North Carolina produces. Students will research their own birthstone and present it to the class. Finally we will examine properties of minerals and identify common rocks according to their color and Mohs hardness scale.
Homework for the week:
Tuesday night: Make a list of 10 objects made from minerals
Wednesday night: Research your birthstone and write a paragraph; pg. 455 if not finished
We will begin the exciting Rock Cycle unit. First we will explore what minerals we use in our every day lives, and then which minerals North Carolina produces. Students will research their own birthstone and present it to the class. Finally we will examine properties of minerals and identify common rocks according to their color and Mohs hardness scale.
Homework for the week:
Tuesday night: Make a list of 10 objects made from minerals
Wednesday night: Research your birthstone and write a paragraph; pg. 455 if not finished
Elements Project sheet
Elements Project
You will create a Prezi powerpoint on your element, by going to www.prezi.com. Register if you are not already a user and go through the tutorial or get help from someone who has already designed a Prezi presentation. You may work alone or with a partner, but no groups of three. You will have two and a half classes to research and create your Prezi presentation. During this time you may not go on Facebook or chat with your friends by email – this is a working period only. You may email yourself information to include in the presentation. Make sure you include all of the following information below. Some useful sites are: chem4kids.com (see Elements), www.wikipedia.org, and http://www.chemicalelements.com/index.html. If you lose this paper, you may reprint the information or see it on my blog at: http://neusecharterschoolscience.blogspot.com/
Homework and deadlines:
- Tuesday night: research your element. If working with a partner, decide which information each partner will research. Read pgs. 310-314 about organic compounds to see which compounds your element can make.
- Wednesday: finish researching your element; work on the Prezi presentation
- Thursday: put finishing touches on the Prezi presentation
- Friday: presentations
| Atomic structure of ______________________ | Physical properties of ___________________ |
| Name: Number of Valence Electrons: Family or Group’s characteristics: Atomic Structure/Bohr diagram:
| Density: Melting Point: Magnetic: Soluble with water: Malleable: Ductile: Conducts electricity: Specific heat: Chemical reactivity (what it reacts with, if it is very reactive, not very reactive – see the family it belongs to):
|
| Special facts about ______________________ | Common compounds of _________________ |
| Date of Discovery: Discoverer:
| Common compounds:
Organic compounds (see pgs. 310-314):
|
Grade 8: Week of February 21st to 24th
Students will receive progress reports on Tuesday. I have included a note about EOG remediation if I believe your child would benefit from it, based on what s/he scored on the practice EOG, grades, and general reading ability. I am teaching students either Monday or Wednesday to start preparing for the Science EOG.
Students will begin the elements project and create a Prezi power point. They will receive two and a half days to research and create the power point and will present it on Friday.
Homework:
Tuesday night: Research your element, read pgs. 310-314 about organic compounds to see which compounds your element can make.
Wednesday night: continue to work on the Prezi power point
Thursday night: add the final touches to the Prezi power point
Students will begin the elements project and create a Prezi power point. They will receive two and a half days to research and create the power point and will present it on Friday.
Homework:
Tuesday night: Research your element, read pgs. 310-314 about organic compounds to see which compounds your element can make.
Wednesday night: continue to work on the Prezi power point
Thursday night: add the final touches to the Prezi power point
Science Olympiad tournament
This past Saturday thirteen students from Neuse Charter School participated in Science Olympiad at Campbell University, Buies Creek. They competed in twenty three events against twenty five teams from other schools. I am proud of our team for many reasons - first, our team spent time and effort outside of school to prepare their events, sometimes with parent volunteers to learn the material. Only five schools competed in all events - Neuse Charter School was one of them. Third, it was our first year in this competition, and students maintained a positive attitude in the face of adversity. Our students competed in both academic and design events and engineered everything from helicopters, towers, trebuches (catapults), Rube-Goldberg devices, and mousetrap vehicles, to bottle rockets. Academic events included everything from Crime Busters to Food Science to Reach for the Stars. Kennith Raba won fourth place in forestry. Even though we did not qualify for State this year, I believe Neuse Charter School cougars will be back! Congratulations to all students who participated for making it the success it was.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Grade 5: Week of February 13th to 17th
We were a little bit delayed because of the practice EOG testing, so students will present their landform projects on Monday. We will begin our rivers unit about river landforms on Tuesday. We will learn about how rivers change the land, and how rivers affect the landscape by weathering, erosion, and deposition. On Thursday we will examine how the volume of water and steepness of slope affect a river's ability to erode away sediment with a fascinating and messy experiment! Students can expect to receive a River's review sheet Friday.
Homework:
Tuesday: Worksheet on rivers
Wednesday: Worksheet on rivers; (study guide on rivers landforms if time)
Thursday: Finish the erosion experiment
Grade 6: Week of February 13th to 17th
Last week I did not see students for three days because of practice EOG testing. Therefore, we will spend two days on our review sheet, study and have our Plate Tectonics test this Thursday. On Friday we will watch the PBS movie, "Deadliest Earthquake". This movie focuses on the earthquakes of Haiti and Chile, what caused them, and current seismic research.
Homework for the week:
*There are a number of students who have not turned in their Plate Tectonics Study guide from last week. We did half of this study guide in class. Students were supposed to complete the words in bold and pictures on page 8, and the words "seismologists", "seismic waves", "seismographs", and "magma" on page 10. If I do not receive the study guide by Tuesday, your child will receive a detention notice so they come on Wednesday 2:45-3:15 to complete this late work. Late work receives a maximum of 70%, or a D grade.
Monday: first three pages of the review sheet, study for the Plate Tectonics Test Thursday
Tuesday: finish the review sheet and study for the Plate Tectonics Test
Wednesday: study for the Plate Tectonics test
Grade 8: Week of February 13th to 17th
Students have received the Periodic Table Review sheet and we will continue to review Monday and Tuesday for the test. Students will receive their project sheet on elements on Tuesday - parents will receive a copy by email. On Wednesday students will be "Crime Busters", just like CSI, and examine different the reaction of different powders with Biuret reagent, Lugol's iodine, and Acetic acid. Given the reactions of these powders with the substances, students must infer what Mystery substance 1 and 2 are from their observations. On Thursday students will receive their test on the Periodic Table. We will begin the Elements project on Friday and continue to research in the computer lab.
Homework:
Monday: finish the Periodic Review sheet and study for the test Thursday
Tuesday: study for the Periodic Table test, decide on an element to study for Friday
Wednesday: study for the Periodic Table test
Thursday: finalize decision on which element to do the project on, begin initial research
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Grade 5 Science tests
Every class in Grade 5 will have their Landform test on Thursday. I do not want to have an EOG practice test and then a Landform test on the same day.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Grade 5: Week of February 6th to 10th
Due to this week's practice EOG tests, some homework will be delayed by one day. Please expect the Nine Week's Practice EOG retests given back this Monday. The practice EOG Newton's Nine Week's test was already given back last week on Wednesday.
What great landform models! Thank you very much for supplying your child with clay. They have had a lot of fun and learned a great deal from creating a model of their region (ocean, desert, mountains, or plains). Students have already received a review sheet that they need to study for Tuesday's test. Students also need to study pictures of landforms in their Competitive Edge (pgs. 187-192), and their landforms chart of landforms in different regions (ocean, desert, mountains, and plains). Unfortunately, due to reduction in photocopies, I only photocopied one part of the review sheet. However, students should have the rest to study in the Competitive Edge, or in their chart in their notebook. The land form test is on Tuesday for 5A and 5C. 5B's test should be on Thursday.
Students will also present their landform model, and then weather, erode, and deposit sediment on their model. This is to prepare students for the river unit (also dealing with river landforms). Some questions we will ask in this mini unit are: Where does sand come from? Can water and wind break rocks? If so, how can water and wind break rocks? Where do rivers form? Where do they end? Students will have a chance to explore these questions and erosion as well.
This week's homework:
Monday: study for the landforms test (review sheet, pictures in the Competitive Edge pgs. 187-192, landform chart on oceans/mountains/deserts/plains)
Tuesday: Look up floodplain, watershed, fertile, runoff, delta, tributary, meander on google images. Print off one picture for each word by copying it and pasting it in a Word document.
Wednesday or Thursday night: review these images
* Homework is subject to change depending how much time we have due to the practice EOG tests.
What great landform models! Thank you very much for supplying your child with clay. They have had a lot of fun and learned a great deal from creating a model of their region (ocean, desert, mountains, or plains). Students have already received a review sheet that they need to study for Tuesday's test. Students also need to study pictures of landforms in their Competitive Edge (pgs. 187-192), and their landforms chart of landforms in different regions (ocean, desert, mountains, and plains). Unfortunately, due to reduction in photocopies, I only photocopied one part of the review sheet. However, students should have the rest to study in the Competitive Edge, or in their chart in their notebook. The land form test is on Tuesday for 5A and 5C. 5B's test should be on Thursday.
Students will also present their landform model, and then weather, erode, and deposit sediment on their model. This is to prepare students for the river unit (also dealing with river landforms). Some questions we will ask in this mini unit are: Where does sand come from? Can water and wind break rocks? If so, how can water and wind break rocks? Where do rivers form? Where do they end? Students will have a chance to explore these questions and erosion as well.
This week's homework:
Monday: study for the landforms test (review sheet, pictures in the Competitive Edge pgs. 187-192, landform chart on oceans/mountains/deserts/plains)
Tuesday: Look up floodplain, watershed, fertile, runoff, delta, tributary, meander on google images. Print off one picture for each word by copying it and pasting it in a Word document.
Wednesday or Thursday night: review these images
* Homework is subject to change depending how much time we have due to the practice EOG tests.
Grade 6: Week of February 6th to 10th
Due to the practice EOG week, some of our homework and studies may be delayed by one day.
On Monday we will continue the Plate Tectonics/Earthquakes study guide and I will help students understand the Richter scale and Ring of Fire. Students found the videos of earthquakes and tsunamis especially fascinating last week, especially the tsunami of 2004. With your permission, they can watch more on you tube, or a site of your choice. Students will receive the review sheet on Tuesday, have time to work on it Wednesday, and have the Plate Tectonics test Friday.
Homework for the week:
Monday: Finish the study guide of the words in bold: definitions and pictures
Tuesday: Finish the first three pages of the review sheet; study for the test Friday
Wednesday: study the review sheet for the test Friday
Thursday: study for the test Friday
On Monday we will continue the Plate Tectonics/Earthquakes study guide and I will help students understand the Richter scale and Ring of Fire. Students found the videos of earthquakes and tsunamis especially fascinating last week, especially the tsunami of 2004. With your permission, they can watch more on you tube, or a site of your choice. Students will receive the review sheet on Tuesday, have time to work on it Wednesday, and have the Plate Tectonics test Friday.
Homework for the week:
Monday: Finish the study guide of the words in bold: definitions and pictures
Tuesday: Finish the first three pages of the review sheet; study for the test Friday
Wednesday: study the review sheet for the test Friday
Thursday: study for the test Friday
Grade 8: Week of February 6th to 10th
Due to our Practice EOG week, our schedule will be different and some of the homework will be delayed one day.
We will continue learning how to interpret the periodic table in terms of shells (periods), atomic number (number of protons and electrons), and valence electrons (groups and families). We will continue learning about the families and their characteristics, including conductivity, shininess/dullness/ solidity/gaseous properties, reactivity/stability, and so on. Students will have a practice EOG on the concepts they have learned Friday , including Hydrology, Geology, and Chemistry.
Homework for the week:
Monday: 8B pg. 265 Review all; 8A pg. 268 all, pg. 272 Review #1-3
Tuesday: 8B pg. 268 all, pg. 272 Review #1-3
Wednesday: I probably will not see grade 8s
Thursday: 8A and B: pg. 281 Review #1, 2, 3, 5
We will continue learning how to interpret the periodic table in terms of shells (periods), atomic number (number of protons and electrons), and valence electrons (groups and families). We will continue learning about the families and their characteristics, including conductivity, shininess/dullness/ solidity/gaseous properties, reactivity/stability, and so on. Students will have a practice EOG on the concepts they have learned Friday , including Hydrology, Geology, and Chemistry.
Homework for the week:
Monday: 8B pg. 265 Review all; 8A pg. 268 all, pg. 272 Review #1-3
Tuesday: 8B pg. 268 all, pg. 272 Review #1-3
Wednesday: I probably will not see grade 8s
Thursday: 8A and B: pg. 281 Review #1, 2, 3, 5
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