Monday test Wednesday on section C

Today we learned about tsunamis. We saw a short clip showing how earthquakes cause tsunamis. Then we used a map and found the longitude and latitude of various earthquakes and volcanoes. Tomorrow we will be studying for our test and Wednesday we will see how much we know.

ISATs are coming up. For band and choir students, the first tests will be Thursday. For everyone else the tests start Monday. Remember, get enough sleep, eat well and make sure that you get enough to drink. All of these things keep your mind more alert.

Thursday - test on Wednesday

While I enjoyed a very interesting conference yesterday on how to help students succeed, even if they don't want to, Mrs. Romrell substituted for my class. Each team was given a different catastrophe and then they were given questions on how they would prepare for an emergency. Finally each team gave a presentation to the entire class so everyone would learn.

Today we worked on our scientist reports. Most brought their information with them. Those that forgot that information were allowed to go to the library to find information. We also used the encyclopedias in class and online information. This report's rough draft is due on April 29th. I will get those corrected so the students can finish the final draft.

There will be a test on section C on Wednesday. ISATs start on April 29th and will go through the next week. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and eating healthy to prepare for it.

Tuesday

We finished our earthquake movie today. We learned about how important it is to be prepared for any kind of disaster. The man in charge of community safety in the Los Angeles areas stressed that government cannot take care of people, that they need to be prepared to take care of themselves as much as possible.

We corrected the vocabulary from D18. Tomorrow there will be a substitute. Students will be doing a safety activity in teams.

An open-book test which will cover all of section C will be on April 28th. Students need to have their scientist rough draft turned in on April 29th. We will work on that in class this Thursday. Sundials are also due. The sun is setting at 8:11, so a student could actually get this done after school if they are home by 4.

Monday

Today we finished the conservation posters and discussed the earthquake we had last Thursday. Students discussed what they felt during the earthquake. We talked about faults and the different types of earthquakes. We also discussed primary and secondary waves. Then we started a movie showing what different areas are doing to protect themselves from a major earthquake. We should finish the movie tomorrow and then on Wednesday we will talk about emergency safety.

The sundials are due Thursday, April 22nd. The weather was lovely all week-end and so students need to get the sundials turned in.

The rough draft for the scientist report is due April 29th. We will work on those this Thursday during class time. Students need to bring their information with them.

Thursday

We have 26 sundials turned in, a few more were sent home to fix. The sundial rules are these: Orient the paper or cardboard you are using so that the indicator (pencil, stick etc) is at the bottom on the south end. Mark the shadow, from beginning to the end of the shadow at hour intervals, four hours, five marks. The weather is supposed to be good. If you miss an hour, then do a couple more hours after that and indicate where you missed the hour. They will be due next week as the weather man has promised at least one good day this weekend. (Actually, he promised three good days, but last weekend we only got one.)

Today we learned about Harry Hess and the spreading seafloor. We learned that subjuction keeps the earth from growing while the spreading seafloor adds more mass to the planet. It is a nice balance. Students can read this weekend if they have time. They should be up to D37. On Monday the vocabulary words on D18 will be assigned and due on Tuesday. We are finishing our posters.

Wednesday

Today we put a puzzle together. It was a puzzle of the continents. Alfred Wegener thought perhaps the continents had moved around, and although he was scoffed at in his day, today they realize he may have been correct. We then watched a couple of youtube videos that talked about how plate tectonics may have happened. We also learned about subduction, convergent plates, divergent plates and slip strike faults or transform faults.

The videos we watched are on the links under Plate Tectonics and Plate Tectonics vocabulary.

Tuesday

Today students received the rubric for their final report. They chose the scientist yesterday, this rubric explains what is expected on the report. We will take two, maybe three days of class time to work on it.

Today we learned about stars. We corrected the vocabulary for last night's homework and spent about 15 minutes working on the conservation posters.

Monday

We are, again, putting off the due date for the sundial. They will be due April 22. We are looking for a sunny week-end and I don't mind putting this off until we have sunshine. I guess we should be grateful for the moisture. We have had about four sunny days since the assignment was given, but we will see if we can get one more day. About half of the students have their sundials turned in and corrected. Some students are turning is sundials that are incorrect. The sun directly overhead has a very different shadow than one early or late in the day. There also is a specific way the numbering should go. I measure these two factors to see if the sundials are correct.

In class today we worked on our conservation posters. Homework is the vocabulary words on D4. We will finish stars tomorrow and start on plate tectonics.

Thursday

We continued working on our solar systems today. Sundials need to be finished this week-end if there is any sun out. Make sure you draw to the end of the shadow. If you run out of paper tape another paper to your page. Sundials are worth 50 points. Have a good week-end.

Wednesday

We started on our solar systems today. Students use hangers, string and construction paper to create a solar system. The purpose is to give the students the opportunity to put the planets in order and to better comprehend the different sizes of the planets.

I am checking the sundials. Please make sure you follow the directions as some of them are not done correctly and must be fixed.

Tomorrow students will chose their scientists.

Tuesday

This morning the school had an assembly dealing with cyber responsibility. The speaker told us that ANYTHING we put online can be seen by anyone who knows how to hack. They told about people in other countries, who for a small fee, can hack into anyone's site, get your pictures and other information. That information can be posted on the "world-wide-web" and sent all over. These people generally do not care about your family picnic, they want pictures that can be used for blackmail. Our students were warned against sexting, cyber bullying and putting anything up that might cause another grief because it isn't private. Anyone who is trained can pull up what anyone texted, put on their password protected facebook, myspace, photobucket, or any other site, and use that information. Talk about it, it was very interesting.

In class we started on our conservation posters. We will be doing those and our planets all week. Sundials will be due April 15th as the weather this week-end was not conducive to making sundials.

Wednesday -Spring Break Thursday - Monday

We are having an interesting learning experience today. The people from Bear Lake, Preston and Soda Spring's Soil and Water Conservation District have come to teach the students about how to take care of their habitat. The students also get to make paw prints and identify animals by their pelts.

We are having a dance this afternoon. The students are dressed in their best clothes and look very nice.

Remember, sundials are due Thursday April 8th. This Spring Break would be a great time to get it done. However, if the weather is bad the entire week, we will change the due date to April 15th.

Tuesday

We watched Plato today and learned alot about the different planets. Did you know that Jupiter is 11 times larger than Earth, yet its days are about 9 Earth hours? Tomorrow we will be having visitors come and the students will be making animal prints and learning how to take care of our natural resources.

Tomorrow is also a dance just before spring break. Students are to dress in their best clothes.

Spring break lasts from Thursday through Monday. Sundials are due one week from this Thursday. If we have any clear skies, watch and you can see Venus and Mercury together just after sunset.

Monday

I hope you are watching the moon as it was full last night. With the weather changing it will be hard to watch as it goes into its waning phase, but try and see what you can.

Vocabulary words were due today. They were assigned on Wednesday. Those who did not get them done will be in remediation today.

The teams met together today to research planets. We will work on planets today and tomorrow. On Wednesday a group is coming to talk to the 6th graders about animals and our water. It should be fun.

Tomorrow is Bling Day for Spirit week

Thursday - check out Mars next to the moon tonight

We finished our movie today. It excellently shows that although we have learned a lot through out the time of man, we do not know everything. We learned today why the Big Bang theory was finally accepted over the Steady State theory. We learned about Fred Hoyle and George Lemaitre and how prejudice can keep you from considering new ideas.

According to the forecast the weather might be perfect for sundials this week-end. Students need to bring their metal hangers and finish last night's homework assignment.

Mars should be visible tonight next to the moon - see if you can see it there.

Spirit week starts Monday, where blue and white.

Wednesday

We reviewed the moon information today and then began on the second of three parts of the movie on the Big Bang.

Homework tonight will be the vocabulary words on C46, C58, C70, C82. The words are in a little box called vocabulary on the top of the pages. You are to write the word and then find the definition and write it. This will help you understand what we are reading about.

Please bring wire hangers, if you have some extras, please bring them ASAP. Also, this week-end finish your sundial. Please follow the instructions.

Tuesday

We have started a movie that teaches the Big Bang Theory. We will be watching parts of it for the next few days. This movies shows how scientific theory has changed over the centuries. It covers much of what we will be reading about in the next few days.

I still have nine students who have not returned their spring pictures. Either the pictures or the money must be here by Thursday.

Students need to be working on their sundials and bring in wire hangers. Remember, sundials will be due on April 8th. The instructions are on this blog on Thursday March 18th.

Monday sundials and hangers

The Hubble space telescope has sent some fantastic pictures back to Earth. Today we viewed some of the favorites of scientists. We reviewed the uses of satellites and talked about how useful they are on Earth. We showed how communication satellites can give us information. We also showed how the Earth compares to other planets and stars. It is truly amazing.

Then we moved onto why we have seasons. We used a model to show the tilt of the Earth and what causes seasons. Then we viewed a short clip on Youtube that showed the Earth, Sun and seasons. Finally we discussed tides. The spring tide is when the tide is unusually high and it is caused when the sun and moon are in line with each other. The neap tide is a very low tide and it occurs when the sun and the moon are at a 90 degree angle from each other.

Students need to bring a wire coat-hanger to class. If you have extras, please bring them for the students that have none. Sundials are due on April 8th. Please make sure that you line it up North South East West and that your stick is at the bottom next to South. The lines need to be drawn out to the very end of the stick. If it goes past your paper, tape more paper on so you get the full length. Very long sticks require a very large drawing surface. Too short of sticks won't show up.

Thursday with Sundial Instructions

We had an interesting class today learning about satellites. We are showing images from weather satellites and agriculture satellites that show moisture in soil and how well crops are growing. We discussed why we have time zones and watched on-line a current satellite map that shows where it is night time and where it is daylight. We also discussed the differences we learned from yesterday's experiments.

Here is a site that shows some of the images sent back from the Hubble telescope http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/multimedia/ero/index.html

Students were give a handout for making their sun-dial. I am also including the instructions here:
Sundial Instructions - Due Date April 8th:
Supplies:
1. Large piece of paper, cardboard, paper plate or other flat object that can be drawn on
2. A stick, pencil or other straight tall object to use to mark the time
3. Something like clay to anchor the straight stick
4. A marker or pencil

Instructions:
1. Find a good place where the sun will shine for at least five hours
2. Place your flat paper or other object in the sun, anchor it to the ground
3. Determine the directions, North, South, East, West
4. Put the stick or pencil in the bottom center of the paper
5. On the next hour, mark the shadow of the straight object – make sure you draw to the end of the shadow
6. Set a timer and then mark the shadow every hour – draw the new line including width and full length
7. Five hour markings are required

Cautions:
1. Put the paper in a place that will not be bothered by animals or wind and anchor it down
2. If you are forced to move the paper, use a compass or marker so you can reset it exactly
3. Set a timer – you think you will remember but it is really frustrating when you miss it by a few minutes

Wednesday

Today we discussed refraction, reflection and the electromagnetic spectrum. Then we went to our lab and saw what we were talking about. We held up the spectroscope to the fluorescent light and the incandescent light. Students recorded the differences they saw. Next they went to the table with the bowl full of water and a ruler. By putting the ruler in the water they could see how materials appear to bend when moving from one substance, air,to another substance, water. Lastly they went to the table to practice making the phases of the moon. We used a light and a ball and moved it around to see the eight phases of the moon.

Tomorrow we will compare what they saw. Then we will move into satellites.

Homework tonight is to read C6-C15.

Tuesday

Some students still have not turned in their spring pictures/money. The names have been sent to the office.

We corrected Thursday's classwork/homework. It was an open book review. If students didn't finish in class, which some did, they were allowed to finish it over the week-end. Those who didn't have it finished Monday were sent to rememdiation to have more time, although they would lose some of their points. After we corrected the papers we learned about different ways to observe the universe. We saw many different telescopes and two of the classes were able to see some beautiful moon pictures.

Monday

Students turned in their homework. We will correct it tomorrow. Quite a number did not finish their work and went to remediation. We learned about eclipses and the phases of the moon today. Students drew the 8 phases of the moon. They are to watch for the moon and determine which phase it is in.

Thursday

Today was our open book assignment to finish this unit. Students have 33 questions to answer on pages 46-47 1-15, 19, 20 and pg 92-93 1-16. This is open book and can be finished at home. It is due Monday morning at the beginning of class.

Wednesday

Today is the school play. Our classes are a bit shorter and we will not have learning stations. In class we reviewed the six types of simple machines and then students were asked to draw a cartoon, Rube Goldberg style, using the simple machines to do a common job. This should allow them to review the simple machines while using some creative skills.

Spring pictures or money is due now. Please make sure that you get this in. Tomorrow we will have an open book review for the chapter and next week we begin Earth Science. Students have been asked to start moon watching.

Daylight savings time starts on Sunday. Students will need to be getting up an hour earlier. It is a good time now to go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier to start setting your inner alarm clock.

Tuesday

Simple Machines was the topic for today's lesson. The students had the opportunity to sketch the three types of levers. Then we discussed inclined planes, wedges, pulleys, screws, and wheel and axles. We followed the discussion by having the students go into the lab and identify several of the items we discussed.
We also corrected yesterday's assignment. Students are to finish reading Unit F and to start watching the moon.

Spring pictures or the money are now due. Please make sure they get turned in as soon as possible.

Monday

We are asking the students to either return their spring pictures of turn in their money this week and no later.

Due to the play practice today we concentrated on reading the chapter on Energy and Work and doing the worksheet with that. All students should have one and it is due tomorrow. Tomorrow we will correct the worksheet and then do a lab on simple machines.

Thursday

Yesterday the school sent home spring pictures with the students. The pictures or the money must be returned as soon as possible.

Today we had a discussion about plagiarism. It is very important that students learn to do their own work. There is a real temptation to copy off of the Internet, copy and paste are so simple to use. But we are trying to teach the students that it is illegal. Any student who copies work will get a zero.

Today the students gave examples of Newton's laws. We discussed how to find force, mass and acceleration. Then students finished working on a project for next year's Project Northland.

The final copy of the Weed Essay is due Monday at the start of class. This will give me the chance to get them read before they are due. Fifteen essays that follow the rules and are well written will be turned into Todd Transtrum and they will choose the finalists from those fifteen essays. I have told the students that they must follow the rules or their paper will not be turned in. However, all students will get a grade for their own work.

Wednesday

The weed essay is due today. Many are coming in, hope they all do! Today we did an experiment racing a marble down a ruler and bumping it into a cylinder. Students experimented with different ways to make the marble go faster or slower. Some timed it and found the actual speed and velocity of the object. We discussed Newton's laws, potential and kinetic energy, gravity and friction, all concepts we have been learning in class.

The final weed essay must be in on Monday as I will need to read them and have them turned in by Tuesday. I will have all corrected rough drafts ready to hand back tomorrow.

Tuesday

Today we learned about Newton's second and third law while reviewing Newton's first law. We watched free fall prove Galileo's concept of gravity. Then we watched an explanation of the three laws.

Please, the weed essay's rough draft is due tomorrow. It is five paragraphs on Why Weeds Won't Wait. It must be in tomorrow so I can grade it and get it back on Thursday. The final paper is due on Monday, so it must be in on Wednesday. Late papers lose half the points. I am offering time to students with no computer to type their paper at school. Please make sure it is in at the beginning of class or your grade will really look ugly.

Monday

We are learning about Newton's laws. Today we discussed force, friction, balanced forces, unbalanced forces and Newton's first law which is an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by another force and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by another force. The word for this law is Inertia. We had students demonstrate balanced and unbalanced forces by doing a tug-of-war. We demonstrated friction by trying to slide a book on a rough surface and then by sliding the same book down a smooth surface.

The weed essay's rough draft needs to be turned in as soon as possible with Wednesday being the final day. The final copy must be in on March 8th. The rough draft is worth 50 points. The final copy is also worth 50 points.

Thursday

We began work on our weed essay today. Each student has a piece of paper telling about the essay. The rough draft must be typed and is due March 3rd or before. The final copy is due March 8th or before. The essay is 5 paragraphs and 750 words or less. The theme is Why Weeds Won't Wait The idea for the essay is why it is important for us to identify and eradicate weeds before they take over and destroy our economy.

We also finished working with our temperature graph finding out the mean, median, mode and range of the highs and lows the last week of January. We made the graph all during January so that the students could practice making and reading charts and graphs.

Wednesday

Today did not go as planned, but we managed to make things work. Yesterday the students were given information about a weed essay that they will be required to write. But the papers with the information did not arrive till 2nd hour today. Tomorrow we will start on the essays in class. The students will be bringing home the information sheets tomorrow. The due date on the final copy will be March 8th. The rough draft will be due March 3rd. This will be graded.

Today we continued our work on gathering data and creating charts and graphs using the information. Students invented their own graphs and then worked on them to make them better.

Tuesday (and Monday)

The school computers were down for much of the day yesterday and so Monday's assignment did not get put up. The students were to do the worksheet that goes with pages F4-F15. We learned about position, motion, velocity and speed by using toy cars on a very large map.

Today we corrected the homework and then learned about making data charts and graphs. We raced four cars down a ramp, compiled the information and tomorrow we will use that information to find speed, velocity, acceleration and momentum. The students timed the cars at .5 meters, 1 meter, 1.5 meters etc until we reached 3 meters. The goal of this lesson is to help the students learn to take data, put it into a chart and make a graph of the information they have found.

The 6th graders will not go to learning stations today, instead they will go to an assembly which will tell them about a weed essay that they will be writing soon. There are prizes associated with the essay. Students should be bringing the information home with them today.

Thursday

Today we did our last video of Project Northland. This video was about alcohol abuse. The students learned that alcohol is not a choice that just affects the drinker, it affects everyone.

On Tuesday the week control program will be here. Students will be writing a paper about controlling weeds. Information should be coming soon.

Wednesday dress up dance on Thursday

Today we learned that speed = Distance/time in seconds. We learned the equation then we went into the hall, and with timers walked and then ran for 20 meters. The students timed each other and then we came back into class and determined our speed. We will continue with this lesson on Monday. We also corrected last night's homework.

Students were given back their corrected tests. These tests can be corrected for half points following the instructions I sent home at the beginning of the year and reviewed with the students today. (Must be on a separate paper, stapled to the test, complete sentences are required, not questions and answers but complete sentences) These corrected tests are due Thursday at the start of class. Late tests will not be accepted.

Tomorrow is the school's Valentine's Day dance. Students are strongly urged to dress in their nicest clothes for this dance. The dance begins about 3 p.m.

Tuesday

I hope you all had a great vacation yesterday. We are back at work today. We corrected and reviewed Wednesday's test. I will go through those and have them back to the students tomorrow. Anyone who wants to improve their grade can fix each incorrect question for half credit. If the student missed a lot of spelling words, they can write the word correctly ten times and they will receive 1/4 points. (Mis-spelled words lose 1/2 point) For the student to get the corrected test's points they must: 1. Write the number of the problem. 2.If it is multiple choice, write A, B, C, or D. 3.Then, and this is absolutely required, they must write the answer out in a complete sentence, even the multiple choice questions. An example would be

2. C Volume is the amount of space an object takes up.

I don't want them to write the question, I want an answer so complete that I know what the question was.

Tonight's homework is reading F2-F15 and the questions on page F15 1-5.

Thursday - No school Monday because of President's Day

During Project Northland today, we watched a movie showing our students the effects of cigarette smoking on skin, faces, lungs, voice box, etc. The students all agreed that smoking would be a wsste of time, health and money. We will be starting our scientist reports soon. I am still correcting tests. Hope to finish that over the week-end. Remember, no school on Monday. Have a great week-end

Wednesday

It is test day. We had to add a few more places for the students to find the volume of regular and irregular objects, but other than that slow-down, all went well. We are now starting into section F. The students will be working on their second report soon. This report will be about a scientist. More information will be coming soon.

Tuesday test tomorrow

To review for our test, students went to the lab and answered as many questions as they could in twenty minutes. For example, number 1 was a fork in warm water. That is an example of conduction. Number 2 was the sunshine, that was an example of radiation. After twenty minutes we stopped and I went through and told them the answers at all of the stations. Students should have that paper and yesterday's review notes to study. Remember, in science, spelling does count. I will have all the main words on the board and students are allowed to ask for the spelling of any word that they need for the test. Wednesday is the test and Thursday is Project Northland.

Monday - Spring pictures are tomorrow

Today we finished learning about electromagnetism, made a model of a motor (that is just fun) and then began the review for our test which covers E1-E140. The questions on the test cover material that we have been reviewing regularly. The test will be on Wednesday.

Tomorrow afternoon we will take Spring pictures. Students do not need to bring money until parents have approved the pictures. A flier should be coming home today.

Thursday - test Wednesday

Some 8th grade students and Mrs. Braun came in today to help Mrs. Bloxham with Project Northland. The students brought in two lungs, one a healthy lung and the other a lung affected by cigarette smoke. The healthy pink lung inflated nicely while the black lung was hard to inflate. Students that wanted to put on gloves and felt how differently the two lungs felt. Students were encouraged to protect their lungs.

We have a test on Unit E on Wednesday. We will be reviewing Monday and Tuesday.

Wednesday

Today we watched Plato and learned about magnetism and electromagnets. We could see what magnetic domains look like. We will finish this on Monday. There will be a test a week from today, Wednesday February 10th. Tomorrow is Project Northland, be sure to bring back your books with the activities accomplished and signed by your parents.

Tuesday

We studied the scientific theory of why the Earth has a magnetic field. The students are still learning to use the metric system and we reviewed that today. We corrected last night's homework and discussed the importance of learning as much as we can. Students discussed how different electrical devices, such as MRIs, have helped them and their families.

Students should review the reading assignment. There will be a unit test on Wednesday of next week. We will review for that test on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday

We learned about magnets today. We are making a nail into a magnet using wire, a battery and a nail. Students then went to the lab and worked with different materials to see how many layers would stop the magnetic force.

Students have homework tonight. They are to ready E116-125 and do the worksheet Electromagnets. They should have it in their science book.

Wednesday

Today was a review day. We discussed open and closed circuits, AC & DC current, types of energy; potential and kinetic and methods of transferring energy; conduction, convection and radiation.

Students were then given their alternative energy project summaries. They fixed these papers to be more in line with what was required.

Tomorrow is Project Northland. Students need to complete the assignment in the booklet and return it signed at the beginning of class tomorrow. The assignment was to observe commercials, ads and tv shows that glamorize the use of alcohol and tobacco products.

Tuesday

We learned about alternating and direct current today. We watched a short video that demonstrated the movement of the electrons. Then we went to the lab and experienced that in D.C. the electrons move from the negative to the positive pole. We experienced open and closed circuits. We examined an A.C. wire and noticed that there are two parts, one that allows the current to go in and one that allows the current to exit.

We also wrote the metric prefixes down again so the students can use the prefixes in calculating metric changes.

To study for this lesson go to Youtube and watch Bill Nye on Electricity.

Monday

We corrected the homework from Wednesday. It had a lot to do with electricity, open and closed circuits, current, and electrons. We then viewed a movie that showed clearly how electrons work.

There is no homework tonight other than re-reading the assignment.

Thursday

Today was Project Northland. The students learned different ways to relax and have fun without using drug or alcohol.

Homework was turned in today by most of the students. Those who did not turn in their assignment can receive half credit if the completed assignment is turned in on Monday. Students that did only part of the assignment will receive half credit on the problems that were not done. The papers are marked.

Wednesday

We practiced our vocabulary words today. We had different questions on papers around the room. The students had ten squares of paper and had to write the correct answers on the papers. Then we added up the correct answers and discussed the questions.

Students have homework tonight. They are to read E106-E113 and do the worksheet that each student received in class today. It is due at the start of class tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Project Northland, the drug and alcohol prevention class. Student need to bring their Project Northland booklet back for points.

Tuesday

We had a great time yesterday purifying water, drying clothes, cooking cookies, and making windmills. The students really worked well on this and learned that alternative energy doesn't have to be that difficult.

Students, you need to do your reading. Learning will only take place as you do your part. The reading assignment from yesterday was E98-E105. If you didn't read it well enough to be able to answer the red questions at the top of each section, re-read it.

Today we learned about static electricity. We learned how lightning occurs and why a balloon, when rubbed on hair, will stick to a wall. There is no homework for tonight except to read or review last night's reading assignment. Again, if you can answer the questions in red, then you are done reading.

Monday doing projects using alternative energies

In our first hour class we watched water turn clear by using a charcoal purifier, a dryer that almost worked, cooked oatmeal and eggs with (fake) solar power, and saw a miniature windmill with cups on the end trying to pick up water. It was fun, but I believe the students learned that we can use alternatives to energy when we want to. I am looking forward to what the other classes have planned.

Homework tonight is to read E98-E105. First hour students will think it is E103, but if you are reading this, read to E105.

Thursday - remember supplies for Monday

Today Mrs. Bloxham came in to do Project Northland. The students learned about the poisons in drugs and discussed fun things to do that don't require alcohol. Their homework is to find out how much a six pack of beer costs and what a pack of cigarettes costs. They also are to do their "Slick Tracy" comic book with an adult before next Thursday.

Students are doing a team project on Monday. They need to remember to bring the supplies for their team. We are making things that use alternative forms of energy.

Wednesday

On Monday students were given a paper to help the school earn money. It is an online connection so that if anyone in your family orders anything online, money will be given to the school if you do it through the correct connection. It doesn't sound difficult. Students, please make sure you get this paper to your parent. It would be nice to get money from a source outside of Bear Lake.

Today in science we discussed the different alternative energy sources. We watched a film clip of solar cooking happening in countries that do not have electricity for many of their citizens.

Then students got in teams to plan how to make a "fake" alternative energy device. They were assigned, by their teams, of items to bring for their part of the device. Tomorrow is the drug prevention class, so students will work on their device on Monday. They can bring their supplies tomorrow or Monday and we will store the parts.

Tuesday

Unfortunately many students did not finish last night's homework. The reading assignment is designed to assist the students in the next day's work. So today we are adding more homework, it is to read, again, E84-E87 and come prepared tomorrow to discuss the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.

Today we learned about different sources of energy. We discussed solar power, and biofuels. We learned the about the different output of ethanol and algae as a source of future energy use.

Tomorrow we will discuss nuclear power, wind power and what a kilowatt really is.

Monday

We watched hot air expand and cold air contract today through two different experiments. We put a balloon in hot water and it expanded. Then we put it in cold water and it contracted. Then we did a short experiment on convection by putting a green ice cube in warm water. First hour the experiement didn't work because the water was in motion. But in 4th and 5th hour we made sure the water was still and the convection current was obvious. We will redo the experiment in first hour tomorrow.

Reading for tonight's homework in E78-E91. Some students are going to remediation to assure that they understand the information in the assignment.

Thursday Project Northland

On Thursdays, for the next six weeks, the students will be doing something called Project Northland. This is a class to teach students the dangers of alcohol, drugs and tobacco. A specially trained person will come and talk to the students. Today the students took the survey pertaining to the class.

In Science we discussed the three types of energy transfer, radiation, conduction and convection. Then we reviewed the measuring worksheet that we have finished in class.

Wednesday

We learned about transferring heat energy today. There are three main ways to transfer heat energy, radiation; as in waves from the sun or other warm objects, conduction; heat transfer by direct contact, and convection; heat transfer through liquid or gas. We did a demonstration showing all three of the heat transfers using a boiling beaker of water, a cold fork, and a beaker of room temperature water. Next we watched a short video clip on youtube called Eureka! This Eureka! lesson re-taught the information on heat energy transfers. Students also completed a sheet on S.I. measurements and did quite well on it.

Homework tonight is to read E66-E77.

Tuesday

We finished up our measuring work today. I thought it would be a good idea to have the students finish it after Christmas break so they could remember how to measure using the metric system. We also started something new today. We are going to track the high and low temperatures each school day for the month of January. This will give the students experience on graphing while paying attention to the current temperatures in Montpelier.

Our notes today started with a review of comparing and contrasting invertebrates and vertebrates. Next the students were asked to compare and contrast kinetic and potential energy. Last they were asked to use their periodic table and draw an oxygen atom.

Monday January 4th 2010

Students were asked to write their definition of energy. We then learned that it is a Greek word. "En" means in and "Ergon" means work, so energy is "work in." (Actually I think it should be in work, but I am not a Greek scholar so I won't argue the point.) We watched a couple of video clips on potential and kinetic energy. Then we did an experiment. Students were asked to come up with an hypothesis; what would happen if we put a drop of food coloring in hot water, cool water and ice water.

Homework tonight will be reading pg E50-E65.

Monday before Christmas

We are planning to finish our measuring today. A few students might have to finish on January 4th, but that is alright as we will review what we learned that day. Tomorrow the students will go to first hour as regularly scheduled. Then there will be SSR, Channel One and breakfast. Following breakfast will be a movie in the auditorium, a dance in the gym, and lunch. Students will be dismissed at 1 p.m. for the Christmas break. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the time with your family and friends. Find joy!

Thursday

We are measuring today. We are measuring length, area, volume of regularly and irregularly shaped objects. We are finding the mass and changing between fahrenheit, celsius and kelvin temperatures. We are using seconds to determine time. It is fun. We will finish this on Monday. That way students will have to remember how to do this measuring over the week-end. I am hoping that will help the knowledge to stay in their heads. The students are enjoying this and learning too, what could be better?

To practice at home see the links: Finding volume with cubes, measure with centimeters, and metric conversion practice.

Wednesday

We learned more about measuring today by watching a video clip. The students practiced converting kilograms to hectograms and centigrams to decigrams. They drew an atom starting with the atomic number and figured out how many neutrons the atom would have.

The Project Northland paper was due today. For those who didn't get it in, it needs to be in now.

Tomorrow we will use what we learned today to do some measuring of distance, volume, time, mass and temperature.

I have added a few links, measurement, finding volume with cubes, metric conversion practice, and centimeter practice.

Tuesday

If you haven't turned in the Project Northland permission paper, it is due tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16th. You will get extra credit points for turning it in by tomorrow.

Today we played with a pH indicator and the students saw the color of the acids and bases change. It was fun and hopefully we learned about some of the properties of acids and bases. There is also a song on my links about acids and bases.

Monday

We corrected the students' work from Thursday. Then we began learning more about atoms. We studied the different energy levels that the electrons circle in and discussed why some atoms are heaveier than others. Tomorrow we will be doing some experimenting with acids and bases.

Thursday

Today turned out differently than I thought it would. I had some business to take care of and needed to leave town. The students were assigned the chapter review, I believe on page 50-51 or 48-49, 1-20. Students were supposed to finish it during class, if it is not finished, it is homework. The last five questions take some real thinking. If you will at least make an intelligent guess, you will get points. If not, they are worth five points each. Good luck.

Wednesday

We spent today getting our periodic tables ready for learning. Students colored them according to the different types of elements and included a key on the top so they can better understand how the periodic table works. We reviewed our SI song and the notes today were about SI measurements

Homework today is to finish reading the section through E47.

Tuesday

Our classes are shorter today because we have an assembly this afternoon. The homework for tonight is to read E28-E41. We are starting to learn about physical and chemical changes. The notes today explained the difference between the two. We are also learning the song included on the list of sites named, "Something Called SI."

Monday

We had fun learning how to make an atom today. We have studied that uncharged atoms have equal numbers of protons and electrons. We have also learned that the protons and neutrons are in the nucleus. So today, using pipe cleaners, beads, fruit loops and fish line we made the atoms we have been talking about.

Our notes today were to draw a helium atom, define hypothesis, and convert 15 cm to mm.

Tomorrow our school will have the opportunity to watch the high school play, Secret Garden. This will take place at the end of the day.

Wednesday

Today was a little odd. First hour students took the Direct Math Assessment which lasted for 90 minutes. They had no Science homework. Fourth and fifth hours had a lesson on how to correctly answer the questions in the Science book. We took the questions on E27, which follows their reading assignment, and they practiced answering questions with complete sentences, correct answers and words written and spelled correctly. Their homework is the last question, #5. The exact answer isn't in the chapter, they need to read and then make some assumptions. It is an important skill for the students to learn.

Tuesday

Today we watched a video about atoms and molecules. Students who turned in their fixed test will have the grades changed by tomorrow. We also corrected last night's homework. Tonight's homework is to read E16-E27.

Sixth graders will be taking the Direct Math Assessment tomorrow morning. Please make sure to bring a pencil.

Monday - fix your test

Today in class we did an experiment. We poured blue water, babyoil, corn syrup and corn oil in a beaker and watched as the liquids changed positions according to density. We discussed matter, mass, density and physical properties. Then the students had 15 minutes to work on their homework E15 1-5.

Students also had their tests returned and have until tomorrow to get the tests made up. They must do the test makeup on a separate piece of paper. Only do the questions that are wrong. Put the question number, if there is a letter answer put that next. Do not write the questions, but do write complete sentence answers. These makeup tests are due at the beginning of class. If they are not turned in at the beginning of class, no credit will be given.

6th and 8th graders have the Direct Math Assessment on Wednesday morning. 7th graders have the Direct Writing Assessment on Tuesday morning. Please make sure your student has had a good night's sleep and eats a good breakfast on those days. It really helps them.

Tuesday - Test Day

The class took its Science Test today. I will have the grades in, hopefully, at the end of the day. On Monday I will give the tests back to the students and they can correct and make up their test -according to the instructions they have been given. It will be due on Tuesday at the start of class.

On Monday we will start reading in Section E and begin Physical Science. There is no homework over the holidays.

Parents, if your student is having a difficult time with the reading assignments, do team reading. Sit down with them and have both of you read aloud together. This helps the student hear the word, read the word and allows them to learn better.

Monday of Thanksgiving week

We only have two days of school this week, Monday and Tuesday. Today we reviewed for the Science test which will be on Tuesday. We went over every question and the students were instructed to write down any they didn't know. The questions were repeated at least five times (it is part of a game we play to review) so the students should have enough time to write them down. Students were also encouraged to take their Science Journals home tonight so they can study for the test.

Any student who will not be here tomorrow was told to come in after school during learning stations and they will be allowed to take the test.

There is a game in my links called Cells, Quia, All About Cells. It is also on Quia.com. This game should help students practice for the cell part of the test.

Thursday

Just as a heads up, we are having our test on Tuesday. It will cover B1-B125. Some of the things the students should know are the differences between a population, community and ecosystem. They need to understand the organelles of a cell, a little bit of meiosis and mitosis, biomes, and the standard question - what is a hypothesis.

Today we reviewed all of these areas and Monday we will specifically review the test. Students handed in their Human Genetic paper that they worked on with their families last night. Grades are up, minus the Human Genetics assignment.

Thanksgiving break begins after school on Tuesday. So we have Wednesday and Thursday off of school. If your family will be gone on Tuesday the students need to take the test during remediation or after school on Monday. If the student waits until the following Monday, they might not do as well.

Wednesday - test next Tuesday

Today we checked our experiment of the eggs and found that the egg in the corn syrup had lost water, while the eggs in the green water and the salt water had gained water. We talked about osmosis and diffusion. In class we watched a video and then started on today's homework. Students have a worksheet and will be asking their parents, brothers and sisters about specific dominant traits. It should be fun, but it is homework and needs to be turned in tomorrow. Monday we will be reviewing for the test and Tuesday will be the test for this unit.

Monday and Punnett Squares

Gregor Mendel, an Austrian Monk was curious why all brothers and sisters do not look the same. He began experimenting with plants learned how different traits are passed on to their offspring. We discussed this in class today. Then we made a punnett square and learned how traits can be inherited. We talked about pureblood plants and hybrid plants, about dominant traits and recessive traits. We also discussed George Washington Carver, a professor at Tuskagee Institute in Alabama. When the boll weevil destroyed the cotton plant, Carver convinced the farmers to plant peanuts and sweet potatoes. The crops were successful and the farmers were saved. We also discussed Luther Burbank who cross bred many different plants. Reading should move forward to pages B84-B95

Thursday

Teams, organizations, and re-take pictures were taken today. In Science students drew a cell and wrote the parts of the cell. We watched a short video on mitosis. Students have homework of reading to page B95.

Third hour finished their oral reports. Students who did not turn in their reports on time, unless for reason of extended illness, will only earn 60% of the grade.

Go to the Mitosis link under Favorite Links to watch mitosis occur.

Wednesday - picture retakes tomorrow

Students gave their reports today. We are not done yet, but we are getting there. Some of the posters were works of art and the information given by the students was very interesting. We will finish the reports tomorrow.

Tomorrow is picture re-take day during first hour. If you want your picture redone you must bring the pictures you want to exchange them for. You also must pay at the time of the picture taking. There will also be pictures taken for the teams, choir, band etc.

It is likely that our next test will be November 24th.

Tuesday - Reports and poster are due tomorrow

We started class with a couple of experiments about osmosis, diffusion, passive transport and active transport. First we opened a container of perfume. Students were asked to raise their hands when they could smell the perfume as it diffused through the room. We talked about molecules moving from areas of high concentration to areas of lower concentration. Then we had all the students move into a tight huddle at the front of the classroom. We talked about how they wanted to move further away from the huddle - just as the perfume molecules wanted to diffuse and move to an area of lower concentration.

Next we put a tea bag and sand in warm water. After 15 minutes we observed that that the tea - through passive transport had moved out of the tea bag, but the sand hadn't moved into the tea bag because there needed to be active transport, energy, to move the sand into the bag.

Our last experiment was putting 3/4 cup of water in two separate beakers. To one we added 15 grams of salt and a slice of potato. To the other we added only the slice of potato. After 20 minutes we took out the potato and noticed that osmosis caused the potato in the salt water to lose water, it was very bendable. The water in the potato left the potato to balance with the salt water. The potato in the plain water was still firm.

Veterans assembly is tomorrow at 10:40. Thursday morning will be picture retakes.

Monday

There was a sign outside the classroom door this morning reminding all students to bring their biomes and that the report is due on Wednesday. I am sure it helped with some students. Some still forgot. We worked on the biomes and fixing the cell organelle quiz for the first half of class. During the second half of class we discussed the importance of nutrition. I found some good information on mypyramid.gov to help the students understand how much of each category they should eat.

Remember the final animal paper and poster are due on Wednesday at the beginning of each class.

Thursday

Today students took a quiz on the job of each cell. Some students didn't know as much as they thought. We talked about atoms, elements, molecules and compounds just briefly. We also talked about the different elements in the human body. Then we went into the lab and looked at the different things inside the food we eat.

Students were told to write down everything they eat in one day. On Monday we will look at that list and compare it to the foods they should be eating. Biome drawings should be about done and are due on Monday. Also, the final animal reports have been coming in for the last two weeks. Students need to be sure to have the reports and posters turned in by Wednesday at the start of class. They will be giving their oral report Wednesday and if necessary on Thursday.

Thursday morning is the day for picture re-takes. The pictures will be going home today or Monday.

Wednesday

In class we reviewed cells and then we went to the lab. The students were supposed to bring supplies representing different parts of the cell. One girl brought a purse to represent the Golgi complex as it packs and moves cellular material. Students brought batteries to represent the mitochondria, the energy producer of the cell. A belt was brought to represent the endoplasmic reticulum, the conveyor belt of the cell. It was fun, and the students learned what the parts of the cell do.

Homework tonight is to read b42 - B55. Students should read the question in red at the top of each section. Do they know the answer? Then read the chapter, find the answer and ask the question again? If they know the answer, read the next section, if not, re-read until they find the answer. Students also should be working on finishing their biome drawings, they have had three hours in class to work on them. The biomes will be due on Monday. They must have each biome drawn and colored.

The cell parts we have covered are: Cell membrane - to provide a barrier and protection for the cell, Nucleus: information center, Endoplasmic reticulum: moves the cellular material in the cell, Mitochondria: makes energy for the cell, Golgi Complex: packs and stores cellular material, Lysosomes: disposal unit of the cell, Ribosomes: links amino acids to make protein, Vacuole: Stores food and water for the cell, small in an animal cell. Additional organelles in a plant cell are: Cell wall: to support and give stability to the plant cell, Chloroplast: uses the sun for photosynthesis, Large Vacuole: a plant cell has a very large vacuole to store the food made by the chloroplast during photosynthesis

Tuesday

We worked on the cell organelles today. We watched a video showing the different organelles.

The students have homework tonight. Each team assigned its members different things that represent the organelles in the cell. An example would be to bring a water bottle which would represent the vacuole. Tomorrow we are going to put the different materials the students bring in and build some cells. By doing this the students should remember the jobs of the cell organelles.

Monday

Today we worked on our biomes. The students who do not have them done took the biomes home for homework. We will be starting on cells tomorrow. Students who have been absent need to make up their work and get their notes copied.

Picture retakes were scheduled for tomorrow, they have been changed to next week.

Thursday

We worked on our Biomes today, class was short as we had a drug free assembly and the Halloween Dance. Students should be reading B16-B31. We hope to finish the Biomes on Monday and then start of food chains and cells.

Remember that the final copy of the animal report is due on November 11th. We will listen to the oral reports that day and if need be, the next day too. The posters are also due on the 11th. Please get them in on time or early. Losing 100 points will be fatal to any grade and the wrestling team.

Wednesday

Biomes was the subject of discussion today. We discussed the different biomes and then the students are drawing them. It is easy to forget things that are discussed, much less easy to forget something you have created.

The school has started its "Learning Station/Remediation" program. Students have the opportunity, if they are caught up in all their classes and not struggling with a specific concept, to go to different learning stations. There are two learning stations each week. These will change every six weeks. Students who are struggling with a concept, or need help catching up on work will be sent to a subject specific teacher for remediation. The teacher will help the student learn the missed concept, finish missed homework and then ship them back to their learning station the next day if possible.

Tuesday

In Science today we talked about different types of cells, blood cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and skin cells. We also discussed the organization of cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, organisms, populations, communities and ecosystem.

We also watched Bill Nye the Science Guy on cells. Tomorrow we will be drawing cells, populations, communities, ecosystems, food chains and biomes.

Monday

Students received their rough draft back today. We discussed how to better organize our papers. We also discussed plagiarism. There was too much of that. The students who did copy someone else's work received a zero on their rough draft. I also included the Internet site that their work was copied from. It is so important that they learn this is totally unacceptable. Hopefully they will learn from this experience.

Many students have been ill, please make sure they are healthy before they return to school. We can beat this illness if we just don't take chances. If you are concerned about your student getting behind in their work, contact the school and we will send work home for them.

Thursday - the test is done

Students took their animal kingdom test today. If the student didn't do as well as they had hoped, they should bring the test home tonight. Then they will write the ones they missed as complete sentences. The spelling and handwriting should be correct. The fixed test is due on Monday morning at the start of class.

We are starting on a new section on Monday. We will be reading B2-B15.

There is a real concern about the spread of H1N1. Each classroom has hand sanitizer and we are asking the students, if they are ill, to please stay home. We can beat this thing if people wash their hands, refrain from touching their faces, and stay home if they are ill.

Wednesday

The student's rough draft of their animal essay is due today at the beginning of class.

Today we studied for the test. First, we watched various videos of invertebrates. Next we went into the lab. On each of the seven tables are models or pictures of animals. The teams were asked questions and they had to hold up the picture or model that answered the question. Then they were asked to tell what they knew about the animal. The test will also include the class definition of hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess based on study and observation - it can be tested. Students also will be asked to give a plan on how to protect species so they don't become endangered.

Tuesday -Rough Draft due tomorrow!!!!

A good part of the day was taken up with the kindness campaign. This is an occasion for the students to take part in various activities to help them learn to be kinder to the students they associate with.

For the time that we had class, we watched a movie on the human machine. Tomorrow, at the start of class, our animal essay's rough draft is due. We will study for the test tomorrow and then Thursday the students will take the test.

A few students have asked that I add the SI song on the links. I hope to get that done today.

Monday reports and test this week

In class today we identified pictures as the different invertebrates. Then we compared the vertebrates with each other. We are preparing for the test in class. Remember, the test is Thursday, October 22nd. The rough draft of the animal report is due on Wednesday at the beginning of class. Any student who wants to turn it in early is welcome to do so. The posters are due with the final copy which is due on November 11th.

On Tuesday the 6th graders will participate in the Kindness Campaign. This will take about 2/3 of the day. Seventh and eighth graders will have it later in the week.

Thursday

The students used the class period to work on the rough draft of their report. Four students turned them in and one turned in the final copy today. The reports are due on Wednesday the 21st. The chapter test will be the next day and shouldn't be very difficult. We will review for it on Wednesday after the papers have been turned in. Students should get their rough drafts back by Monday or Tuesday. They need to correct the mistakes, add any information they have left out, and then have the final copy and poster done by November 11th.

Don't forget the homecoming parade at noon tomorrow and the football game tomorrow night against Marsh Valley.

Wednesday Parent-Teacher Conference 4:30-7:30

Today we reviewed the last chapter about animals. We learned aobut life span, life expetancy and life cycle. We discussed the importance of clean water, healthy food, and a safe environment for a healthy life. We also discussed the different stages of life. We discussed people in Malawi and what their life expectancy would be compared to that in the United States.

Tomorrow students need to come prepared to work on their report. They have had the rubric for a week now and should be prepared to write their rough draft.

Tonight the school is holding parent/teacher conference. Please feel free to come and discuss your student for a few minutes. Thanks

Monday - Parent Teacher Conferences Wednesday

Hello, today we worked on a worksheet to see how well the students knew about vertebrates. They did pretty well on it. Then we watched a couple of short videos on endangered species.

Tomorrow we will finish our measuring and then compare different vertebrate's characteristics.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday afternoon from 4:30-7:30 in the gym. Please come and learn how your child is doing.

Thursday

Today students took notes on the different types of vertebrates with examples of them. Then we watched a power point presentation that went into more detail about the differences of the vertebrates. We then went upstairs to the library to do research on their reports. Remember the rough draft is due October 21st.

This afternoon we will be attending an assembly to encourage our students to stay away from drugs. Experts say that the best way to accomplish this is for parents to talk to their children about their expectations for them to stay drug-free.

Tonight there will be a program for adults and children at the Middle School at 7 p.m. It is sponsored by Enough is Enough Bear Lake Valley Anti-Drug Coalition. We would encourage you to come and bring your family.

Wednesday - first report rubric came out today

Today the students received a note for their parents and the rubric to tell the student precisely how to write their first Science report. The instructions are quite precise. The student needs to have their rough draft in to me on or before by Oct. 21. A rough draft should be done well so there are just a few corrections to make. The student should follow the rubric carefully and then they will get all the points. The final draft is due on or before Nov 11th. Then they will do an oral report on their animal. A poster is required. The students will have four days of class time to work on their report. It must be hand-written. Students who have mastered the skill of handwriting will, after the first report, be allowed to type. However, students who still need handwriting practice will be required to write their papers until they have learned that skill.

Each student drew an animal out of a jar and that is the animal they will write their report on. Parents are allowed to correct spelling and encourage good handwriting. However, be careful to allow this report to be the student's work.

Tuesday - Pictures are tomorrow

Our notes this morning were to write about how people are affected by invertebrates and where the simplest invertebrates live. The students then practiced changing milliliters into hectoliters.

We then watched different clips that taught about invertebrates, where they live and what they do.

Homework tonight is to read A50-A63.

Remember, it is picture day tomorrow. All students will have their pictures taken, but only those with the money can get the picture packages.

Monday and snow

Today we corrected our invertebrate charts. We discussed the different characteristics of the invertebrates. Then we went to the lab and worked on our measurements in metric and in Standard English. We will be starting on Vertebrates this week.

Remember, Wednesday is picture day. Students should be bringing home the information from Bell Photographers today. It was handed out during 6th hour. Only students that pay for their order on picture day will receive a portrait package. All students need their picture taken for the student ID card.

Thursday

I was in Salt Lake yesterday and so missed the blog. The students watched a movie and filled out a worksheet. The movie was on Reptiles and Amphibians.

Bacteria and Fungi were the topics of discussion today. We learned about the shapes of bacteria and the foods that are made from it. Then we learned about fungus and that it can be helpful and harmful. Then we went into the lab and tasted some foods made with fungus and bacteria. We grew some yeast, tasted sour dough, feta and blue cheese, yogurt, mushrooms and saw some kefir grains. The students could choose which foods they preferred to taste. Then we watched some youtubes seeing bacteria and fungus grow.

On Monday we will be starting on vertebrates. There will be an animal kingdom report paper coming home sometime next week. Please check that out.

Picture day is October 7th so make sure you are prepared for that.