Monday and glaciers

Today we made mini glaciers and pushed them over gravel so we could learn about till and moraine. The plan was to go outside and see our own "glaciers" and the till they had deposited, but last night's snow made that impossible. The students had fun moving their own glaciers around. We then watched a ppp about the chapter Erosion and Deposition. There will be a quiz on this information tomorrow.

Homework tonight it to continue reading to D-79. Students should take notes on their reading so they can remember the new vocabulary.

Field trip

The 6th graders had a fantastic field trip today. We went to Logan and watched the Chinese acrobats. It was unbelieveable the things those young people could do. We all watched in awe as they performed. What a great experience. We then ate at the USU cafeteria, it was pretty good food too. Then we got to see the museum and the library. They have a vault down in the library with books that are very old-and a room with furniture from before the time of Christopher Columbus! The boys missed out on the museum and the girls only got to see a small part of it, but both the museum and the library are open to the public and are open Fridays and Saturday afternoons.

Homework is to finish reading to D65 about Erosion and Deposition. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday

The students wrote an essay today about how to preserve our water. We watched some short videos and saw a power point presentation about taking care of our water. Most of the essays were turned in at the end of class, those who were not able to finish were allowed to take the essays home. But, they must turn the essays in before the field trip tomorrow. Anyone who wants to come in before school and finish the essay is welcome.

The field trip is tomorrow. Mr. Belnap has asked the students to bring a $5.00 bill to pay for lunch. This should help the lunch line move along more quickly than if the students need change or have five ones. Everyone is to dress neatly, in their school best. Good behavior is expected.

Tuesday & Thursday's field trip

Today we had the people from Water, Soil, and Conservation come to teach the students how to take care of our water. They also had the students make a mold of an animal's paw print. The students tried to identify the pelts, skulls and skat of different types of animals.

The field trip will be Thursday. We will leave the school at 8:05 and be home by 3:45. We will be going to Logan, watch the Chinese acrobats, tour the museum at Utah State University, eat lunch and have some Aggie Ice Cream. The cost is only $5.00 and that is to pay for lunch. The students are to dress in their best school clothes. They are expected to behave. Sounds like fun.

Wednesday Have a fun Spring Break

Today we handed back the tests. The students all have the opportunity to take the test home and fix it. They must do it on a separate sheet of paper. They can't write 1. True. They must write a complete sentence. The purpose of this redo is not solely to help their grade. It is so they can re-learn the information they didn't remember the first time. They will only get half of the points, but the main purpose is to learn what they should have learned at the first. It is due the beginning of class on Tuesday. Late test make-ups will not be accepted unless the student is absent, then it is due the first day back.

We also had a quiz today on last night's reading assignment. As we do this more than half the time, no one should have been surprised. Then the class watched a power point presentation on Mountains and soil. We saw fold mountains, fault-block mountains and plateaus. We talked about weathering and erosion, and about the different types of soil. We will review that ppp on Wednesday

Monday is a holiday. Tuesday Soil and water people come in to present a lesson. Wednesday we will review the new information and Thursday is the 6th grade field trip. More on that later.

Tuesday

Today we took the test on D1-D41. Tomorrow we will start working on the next section. Reading will be Chapter 8 lesson 4 from D42 - D 53 on making mountains and soil. I want to cover that before the long holiday so if any students are traveling, they will be able to look for the different mountain shapes.

We won't be back till Tuesday when the Soil and Conservation people will come in to teach a lesson.

Tuesday is test day - Study

Today we reviewed for the test. On the test students will need to answer questions based on the Mercalli scale. We have learned about the theory of Continental Drift and the students will need to know about plate tectonics, plate boundaries and seafloor spreading. They will need to know the difference between magma and lava. They will need to know the layers of the Earth, the three types of volcanoes and what a caldera is. Students should know about primary, secondary and compressional waves. And as always, students must be able to define "Hypothesis" and draw an atom correctly. Study hard and good luck.

Friday and Volcanoes

Today we watched a powerpoint presentation on volcanoes. We discussed the three types of volcanoes, how magma becomes lava, and the dangers and benefits of volcanoes. Most of the information is straight from the book, although there were more pictures and sound effects. The test is Tuesday so we will review on Monday.

The test will cover plate boundaries, plate tectonics, continental drift, earthquake waves, types of volcanoes, seafloor spreading, Pangaea, faults, the three layers of the Earth, focus and epicenter. Students also need to recall the names and spelling of the Planets, definition of a hypothesis, and how to draw an atom.

Wednesday Read through D37

Today we watched a movie on Earthquakes. We saw a lot of faults and a lot of earthquakes. It was amazing to watch the damage that can be done. The homework is to finish reading through page D37 and review for the test on Tuesday the 18th of March.

Tuesday read D19-D27

Today we watched a couple of Earthquake clips and a Tsunami clip from National Geographic. We discussed and took notes on Normal, Reverse, and Strike Slip faults. We also discussed Primary and Secondary waves and how a Richter scale operates. Did you know that a 6.5 earthquake is 10 times as powerful as a 5.5? Homework tonight is to read D19-D27.

Project Northland

Today was the last day of Project Northland. We watched a video on the dangers of cigarette smoking. Later this year we will watch a video about the dangers of drinking.

Tomorrow we will be starting the section on Earthquakes, so we need to finish up to D-17. The next reading section will be to read to D-27. If you are done with your reading, read ahead.

Plate tectonics

Today we learned about convergent, divergent and transform plate boundaries. We played with blocks to see how the different tectonic plates react. Students should have read and understand D-1/D-17. Monday will be project Northland then we will finish chapter 7. It is likely we will have a test on March 16th. The reading should be done through page D 41. Have a great week-end.

Pangaea and Continental Drift

Today we learned about Pangaea, continental drift, and plate tectonics. We cut out a map of the world and made it fit like a puzzle piece. We also went to Plato and watched the first half of plate tectonics. We should finish it tomorrow. Students should be familiar with the information from D1-D17.

If you did not finish your planet drawing, this is what is required:
Moon phases
Meteors, Meteorites, Meteorides, draw then in a way that I can identify the differences.
Asteroid, draw and tell what it is made of
3 parts of a comet
4 levels of the atmosphere starring the one we breathe
4 layers of the sun
Realize that because this is late, you will not get full points, but more than zero!

Moving forward

The test is done and we are moving onto Unit D. Nearly everyone had time to read during classtime today. If you didn't read, get started and go to at least D-17.

Test Tomorrow

Today we reviewed every question that will be on the test tomorrow. Everyone was encouraged to take notes. If they study this information, they will be ready for the test.

We will then move on to Section D chapter 7 where we will be studying about the Earth's moving crust, Earthquakes and Volcanoes. Should be exciting stuff.