Thursday end of the trimester

We graded last night's homework. A number of the students lost it, or left it at home, or it was in another backpack, or it was in their locker. Unfortunately it was due at the start of class. Some students didn't write complete sentences. That has been a requirement since August. They lost points. We had a lively discussion with some of the questions. Then we moved into the next project. We talked about the five paragraph essay that would be due on March 12th. The subject is "Spread the Word Not the Weed." The first paragraph is the introduction, then three paragraphs talking about the subject, then a concluding paragraph. The outline and rough draft are due on Wednesday March 4th. I will correct them over the week-end and then the students will have the opportunity to fix any errors. There will be a prized for the best three essays.

Tuesday

Today we discussed renewable and non-renewable energy sources. We talked about the positive and negative aspects of nuclear, fossil fuel, hydroelectric, solar and wind power. Then we watched some short clips about wind power and nuclear power.

The students have a homework assignment that is due on Thursday at the beginning of class. They are to do all of the problems on pages 92-93. The students are to write complete sentences to answer their questions. All words in the book must be spelled correctly. Some of the questions require some real thinking. The idea is for the student to come up with some logical ideas. Maybe the ideas aren't perfect, but were they well thought out and do they have some logical merit.

Monday homework error

The students are to read to E91.

Monday

I was shopping when I realized that I didn't get this done. My regular time was taken up by students. So sorry. Anyway, today we talked about different forms of energy, solar, wind, fossil fuel, nuclear, food, muscular and hydroelectric. We watched a few short videos on how solar power works. I challenged the students to think of ways they could make solar energy work. It just isn't that hard, once you understand the concepts. We also watched a short clip on a hydroelectric dam in Canada. Students should be done reading through E77.

Thursday

Tobacco use was the focus of today's lesson. The students discussed why people would ever start smoking with all the information available today. We watched a movie about the effects of cigarette smoke and the difficulty of quitting. The movie also discussed chewing tobacco. The students cannot imagine why anyone would begin to smoke, drink or do drugs. We can all hope they can maintain that attitude.

Wednesday

Today we learned a little more about pressure. Students were asked to recall the two types of energy and the three types of energy transfer and give examples. We watched the transfer of energy as dominoes fell. We watched a youtube of Bill Nye the Science Guy on Pressure.

Tuesday

We did an experiment about pressure today. We blew up two balloons. We used one as a control. The other balloon we put into a bucket of very hot water and then quickly moved it to a bucket of very cold water. You could actually feel the balloon expand in the hot water and contract in the cold water. The students quite enjoyed that. We talked about pressure and thermal expansion. Then we reviewed the three types of energy heat transfer. Students should be reading to E77.

Thursday

Mrs. Bloxham came in to our class today and presented another part of Project Northland. We learned about what can happen to people who chew tobacco and smoke. It was not pretty. We also discussed how much money people could save if they don't smoke or drink. One pack of cigarettes per day at $5.00 would cost $1825 per year. The students were amazed at how much they could save up for college if they didn't smoke or drink.
Monday is President's Day and there will be no school.

Wednesday - fixed test in tomorrow

Today the students had their tests returned to them. The students who want to improve their grade should take the tests home, get a new sheet of paper, and correct their mistakes by:
1. Writing down the number of the incorrect answer.
2. Write down the correct letter next to the number.
3. In a complete sentence, answer the question - do not write the question - write the answer. An example would be.

18. b Vinegar is an acid.

If the answers are not as required, the student will receive no points for their work. The handwriting must be legible. These assignments are to help the student learn material that they didn't get the first time. They must follow the rules.

Today we covered potential and kinetic energy. We played with little cars to determine when the cars were using kinetic or potential energy. We blew the top off a film canister to see that force x distance = work. We learned about conduction, radiation and convection. We watched a couple of youtube short films on potential and kinetic energy. Tomorrow will be our last Project Northland. It will also be the only dress-up dance for the year. Students who wish to attend the dance must be dressed in their very best clothes. Those who do not wish to participate in the dance will be able to watch a movie or play games.

Tuesday

Today was the test. The students checked it and I will have it back to them tomorrow. They are to be reading in the next section.

Monday

We reviewed for our test today. We covered converting meters to centimeters etc. We went over SI units of measurement. We covered acids and bases and a lot of questions about atoms, weight, mass, volume and what is an hypothesis. The test will be tomorrow. Students who do not do as well as they had hoped will be able to take the test home on Wednesday night. It will have to be back on Thursday. The answers must be in complete sentence form. The kids know the drill.

Thursday

Mrs. Bloxham came in today to talk to the students about techniques other kids might use to encourage them to do something wrong. The students practiced ways to say no.

We will be reviewing for our test on Monday, the test will take place on Tuesday. It will come directly from their notes and the book. They should study E1-E49 and read their notes to prepare.

Wednesday

We covered acids and bases in class today. Last night I bought a head of red cabbage. Then I chopped it up into little pieces, put it in a pan, covered the cabbage with water. The water boiled for ten minutes. I removed the pan from the heat and let it cool down a little bit. Then I strained out the cabbage and was left with a lovely blue liquid. When you add a drop or two of the liquid to different materials you can tell if the other materials are a base, acid, or anywhere in between. Acids come with a redder color - tonic water is an acid. Neutral is blue and a base is more of a greenish yellow color. We experimented with soap, cranberry juice, perfume, rubbing alcohol, and many other substances to find out if they were an acid or a base. We also did a short experiment with boiling water and very cold water. The students made an hypothesis; which temperature of water would have food coloring integrate the fastest. We dropped in the food coloring and the result was dramatic. Good experiment to try at home.

Tuesday

Today we learned more about chemical changes. We went into the lab and saw how boiling and melting water are physical changes. Then we added vinegar to baking soda and saw the release of carbon dioxide. Next we covered a piece of potato with hydrogen peroxide. Again, we saw the release of a gas, oxygen. The next experiment showed another sign of a chemical reaction, a powdery substance that sinks to the bottom of the container.

We then did a density experiment. We poured colored corn syrup, water, glycerin, corn oil and rubbing alcohol into a container. We could easily distinguish which of the liquids had a higher density as they sunk to the bottom, while the less dense liquids moved up.

Monday

Today we checked the homework that was assigned on Wednesday. Most of the students did get it turned in. Then we had a mock test about the atom, molecule, compounds and mixtures. Today we also had an interesting change of pace. The Special Olympics torch was brought to our school. The students were very receptive and enjoyed the event.