Monday's homework is to read an article about oil spills in the Niger Delta in Nigeria. Please code the text and then write a 1-paragraph response on looseleaf paper. (Note that the document includes two versions of the article, designed for students who read at different levels. The more challenging, longer version is first, followed by the easier one.) You might want to look at the slideshow that accompanied the original New York Times article.

Individual students may have additional work to complete at home on their final lab reports if they do not get them finished in class.

 The final exam is approximately 35 questions taken from previous years' NYS Intermediate (5-8) Level Science exam. I chose the questions that relate to material we covered this year. Most are multiple choice. Topics that will definitely be covered are heat & temperature, energy transfers and types of energy, the electromagnetic spectrum, the water cycle, changes in state/phase (liquid-solid-gas), food webs/chains, reading a graph or data table, etc. 

Study by reviewing your notes from the year and completing all review activities in class and at home. Take it seriously but don't stay up all night or stress out. If you've done what you were supposed to do during the year, and you refresh your memory through the review activities, you should be fine.

If you do not have an opportunity in class to complete all the review activities, I strongly encourage you to finish them. This is the document listing Tuesday's and Wednesday's review activities in case you lost yours.

 Thanks to everyone who brought in plastic bottles - the experiments have started, no more bottles needed!

(But you can make bottle ecosystems at home this summer, if you want...)

Monday: Do one of the four activities in the exam review packet.

Tuesday: Do another of the four activities in the exam review packet.

Wednesday-Thursday: Do another of the four activities in the exam review packet.

Friday: Final Exam! - No homework over this weekend.

DON'T FORGET YOUR PERMISSION SLIPS!!! Field trip is Tuesday, June 8 (1a, 3a classes) and Wednesday, June 9 (1b, 3b classes). You will need comfortable outdoor gear, water, a bag lunch, and materials for art, science, and ELA. 

We still need 2-liter soda bottles!

This week, you will have only one homework assignment, a packet that you will receive on Monday and must turn in next Monday. The packet includes two articles about the Gulf Coast oil spill. Here is a sample schedule for completing this assignment:

• Monday - read the first article, code the text
• Tuesday - read the second article, code the text
• Wednesday - take a break
• Thursday - talk to adults & friends about the oil spill, look at websites, watch the news to learn more
• Friday/weekend - plan and then write your 3-paragraph response

Here is the assignment - Gulf Coast Oil Spill Response.

If you find a good article or website or video about the oil spill, please post it in the comments! 

Personally, these photos make me very sad.

We still need 2-liter soda bottles!!

We need about 15 more. I have moved the project so that we have more time to collect bottles - keep bringing them in, please... 

Tuesday: Adaptations to the Estuary assignment 

Wednesday: No homework.

Thursday: Invasive Species article for students who have Science 1B or 3B on Fridays; Predators & Prey assignment for students who have Science 1A or 3A on Fridays.

Friday: Finish the Predators-Prey Lab if not done in class

Monday: Tree of Life handout

Tuesday: Kingdoms of Life handout

Wednesday: No homework (unless you need to finish in-class dichotomous key activity)

Thursday: Flashcards - make them & study them!

Friday: TBA

 For a science project on Thursday next week, we need at least 32 soda bottles. They should be the large (2-liter) size. Please rinse them and leave them open to dry overnight before bringing them in. The more bottles we get, the better our project will be! 

Monday, May 17th: Homework break for all who completed their projects on time! You deserve a day off!  If you owe any part of the project or are handing in any of the packets a second time to improve your grade, Tuesday is the last day.

Tuesday, May 18th:  Ask someone else in your family the question, "What makes something alive? How do you know when something is alive?" Write down their answer, and have them sign it. (Another way to ask this is, "What are the characteristics of all living things?")

Wednesday, May 19th: No homework.

Thursday, May 20th: Characteristics of Life article & questions - please be sure to code the text in addition to answering the questions.

Friday, May 21st: Do either the basic or challenge level cells assignment (article & questions - please code the text!) (Both are in the same document.)

This year's World Festival of Science is coming up (June 2-6th), and there are many family-friendly events, including a free science wonderland in Washington Square Park, a performance of amazing feats of mental math by "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin, and a demonstration of experiments related to absolute zero. Also, one of our students will be taking part in a free event about life in the International Space Station (Sunday, June 6th) - let's turn out to support her! 

Here is the plan for completing the climate projects:

Monday-Wednesday, May 3-5: In class, we studied factors that affect climate, specifically, latitude, elevation, ocean currents, and marine/continental.

For homework each night, we did part of the second research packet which you received on Monday. This packet is due next Monday in class and will be graded!

Thursday, May 6: In class, we will have a 35-min. work period. You can use this period for any of the following: (a) finish your research packet, (b) preview examples of blogs/books/podcasts to see what a good project will be like, (c) start planning your final project using the project assignment packet.

Homework is to finish the research packet and begin planning your final project.

Friday, May 7: In class, we will begin research packet #3, Climate Change. 

Homework is to finish planning the first two sections of your final project. That means that you should be almost done with the planning materials in your project assignment packet. You may also set up your blog on Weebly.com, practice using GarageBand, write a first draft of a blog post or a section of your broadcast, or begin making your book.

Mon.-Tues., May 10-11: In class, we will finish the climate change packet. This packet will be due Monday, May 16th, along with the final project.

Homework is to continue working on your final project. That might mean writing first drafts, drawing illustrations, practicing your broadcast, and so on. It will be different for each project.

Wed.-Fri., May 12-14: In class, you will have time to work on your final project. Homework is to continue this work. ... Read more

Dennis Hong runs RoMeLa, a robotics lab at Virginia Tech that has built some truly incredible robots! Click here to watch him share photos and videos of his robots - including ones that can climb up cliffs, walk on three legs, play soccer, and much more! Plus, at the end he shares the secrets of his team's success. A must-see for anyone excited by robotics, engineering, and creative projects. 

Coming soon! Documents to help students & families with the climate project:

Data Analysis Packets:

Beijing, Mexico City, Khartoum, Santo Domingo, London, Canberra, Islamabad

Challenge Choices - students who hope to earn 90% or higher on this assignment must complete at least one challenge option with a high degree of success.

This week, we will begin a 3-week climate project. Each student will choose one of seven world cities and will become an expert on the climate of that city. I will post project materials on-line as they are ready.

Monday: Read the project introduction letter. Complete the form at the bottom. Students with time & interest should consider researching the cities to make a more informed choice. 

Tuesday: Complete data analysis for City B. Due to the test, please do not spend more than 15 min. on this assignment; whatever is done in 15 min. is enough.

Wednesday: No homework. If you did not finish data analysis for your city during school, you might choose to finish it at home, but this is not required.

Thursday: Finish analyzing the data for your city, including the seasonal analysis we worked on during class.

Friday: We started working on final products during class (blog/book/radio broadcast). Continue working on your product. Take a look at the product samples if you have not done so already.

If your family has a strong interest in science, keep an eye on the World Science Festival page for dozens of events in the first week of June. Many of the events link art & science, and there are plenty aimed at young people, including a family science day in Washington Square Park. Also, one of our students will be asking her question about life in the international space station live through video uplink to the astronauts in an event on June 6. More info to come!

Monday: Water Cycle article & questions - for full credit, you must code the text as explained in the directions

Tuesday: Students will be working in two different groups. Depending on the group, some students will complete this Cloud Seeding article & questions, and the others will complete an alternate assignment to be posted soon.

Wednesday: No homework.

Thursday: Finish the Evaporation Rate Lab Report. (Note that all versions are contained in this document; students should already have one of the three versions, A, B, or C.) The majority of this assignment should have been completed in class on Wed. & Thurs.

Students will have a 10-question quiz on the water cycle on Friday. They should review all materials from the week to prepare for it. Students who worked on cloud formation on Tuesday should also review that material.

Friday: Humidity article & questions, to be posted soon.

Welcome back, everyone!

Please note the competitions posted below. NASA has extended their deadline for NYC students to ask questions of an astronaut - questions are due by THIS FRIDAY. So, take a minute to submit your ideas!

Students are working on a comic strip or brochure project this week, due Monday. They will have class-time as well as working on it for homework Thursday and Friday. There are two topics - review of winds or the rain shadow. Students were assigned to one or the other. They received the assignment information in class today. Please make sure I receive good quality work on Monday!

The PBS Design Squad challenges you to create a useful invention out of at least 2 recycled materials. You have the summer to work on this - projects aren't due until September. Here's where you can find out more about Trash to Treasure 2010.

I hope you are all enjoying your time off! I just got an email letting me know about a special opportunity - but you have to act fast, time is running out.

The World Festival of Science is collecting questions from students about life in the International Space Station. If you have anything you'd like to ask an astronaut, this is your chance. Fill out this form and ask your question; the WSF will choose five questions and invite the five students to attend the festival event and ask their questions to a real astronaut who is about to go into space.

The deadline for submitting your question is APRIL 2nd - that's coming up soon so don't miss out!

Choose ONE project from the three projects in the Vacation Homework Packet.

The choices are to build & use a rain gauge, to build and use an anemometer, or to observe and identify clouds.

(If you do more than one, you will receive extra credit, if they are your best work.)

Depending on which project you choose, the project will require:

• 15-45 min. to set up
• 5-15 min. per day for five days to gather data
• 15-30 min. to answer analysis questions

Note that you must gather data for FIVE DAYS. Start the project early and get it out of the way! 

Apologies for the long gap in posting. Feel free to email any time if homework is not posted and you are wondering what is due. My goal is to update the blog more frequently for the rest of the year.

Monday: Global Convection Cells hand-out

Tuesday: The Coriolis Effect & Wind ("Pressure differences get air going...")

Wednesday: No homework

Thursday: Quiz Review - Global Wind Patterns

Friday: There will be a short (10-15 questions) quiz on the material we covered this week, mainly so that it's fresh in our minds rather than waiting until after break. Students who are absent on Friday should come prepared to take this quiz immediately after break.

There will be a spring break packet with three weather experiments. All students must choose one assignment from the packet to do. Students who want extra credit may complete two or three of the assignments. The packet will be handed out Thursday and posted here as well. Please plan ahead, as the assignments, while not meant to take very long in total, require students to gather data on five separate days.

A make-up quiz (for last week's Density Quiz) will be given on Friday during class.

• Students who earned less than 50% on the quiz will attend a study session on Thursday before or after the field trip and will be required to take the make-up quiz.
• Students who were absent on the quiz date and have not taken it yet will also attend Thursday's review session and take the make-up quiz.
• Students who earned more than 50% and wish to re-take it should see me at lunch on Wednesday with their quizzes for extra help, and should study independently.
• The make-up quiz will be very similar to the original, but not exactly the same. Studying your old quiz and your notes is a good idea!
• Students may use one index card of notes while taking the quiz.

All lab reports will be handed back Tuesday if they have not yet been given back. Any student who wishes to may re-write their lab report for a higher grade. It is up to the student to find a time to meet with me if they need help or materials. Please note that templates for the lab report are online in an earlier post and can be downloaded. Lab report re-writes must be turned in by Friday.

All assignments subject to change based on what happens in class! 

Monday: The Atmosphere article & questions

Tuesday: Air Pressure article & questions

Thursday: TBA

Friday: Vacation assignment will be announced and linked here.

What you have to do:

• Visit the sites below and take some time to look around. 
• With your partner, list as many questions as you can about weather & climate. Use the sites to get you started.
• With your partner, list as many ideas as you have about weather. What do you already know? Use the sites below to remind you of things you already know.
• Once you have a list, click "Comments" and leave a comment. Use both of your first names, for example "Sade and Izzy." Then list the questions you have and the things you already know about weather.

Click "more" for the sites... ... Read more

All assignments subject to change based on what happens in class.

Monday: Density Practice 3

Tuesday: Study for Thursday's quiz on density. 

For quiz topics, click to see the rest of this post. ... Read more

Here's one article explaining more about the causes of the earthquake in Haiti. And here's another.

 Here's where excellence in science can take you: all the way to the White House! Li Boynton is a high school senior who has done award-winning experiments. As a result of her achievements, she's been invited to sit next to Michelle Obama during tonight's State of  the Union address. 

Her science research is interesting and potentially helpful to people all over the world. First, she invented a method for getting the salt out of seawater to make the water potable (safe to drink). Then, she came up with a way to test water for pollutants, using bacteria that glow!

I'm inspired. What do you think?

 All assignments subject to change based on what happens to class.

Apologies for the lack of posting; the end of the term comes with an enormous amount of work for teachers!

Mon., Jan. 25: Density Practice 1

Tues., Jan. 26: Density Practice 2

Wed., Jan. 27-Fri., Jan. 29: Density Lab Report, due Monday. ... Read more

All assignments subject to change based on what happens in class.

Monday, Jan. 11: Study for quiz on states of matter. Students should be familiar with topics on quiz since we used today in class to study.

Tuesday, Jan. 12: Density Diagnostic. Please do NOT get a parent's help on this as it will be used to determine which students are ready for more challenging work and which may need extra support during this unit. If you have no idea, write a note saying that.

Wednesday, Jan. 13: No Homework.

Thursday, Jan. 14 & Friday, Jan. 15: (Double-period!) Volume worksheet.

Here are links to the videos and other sites that we visited in class this week. Check out the ones you didn't see and review those you did.

On-line simulation of states of matter of neon, argon, water, oxygen - we used this for the computer lab.

Chelsea sent me another simulation of changing states. This site has many science games, animations, and simulations.

StudyJams States of Matter - includes the song "Solids, Liquids, and Gases."

"Plasma Ball" video from the Ontario Science Centre. Here's another video about how plasmas are made.

"As cold as it gets" video about Bose-Einstein Condensates. Here's another video about BEC's, sent to me by Anne and her mom.

From the University of Colorado comes a webpage that does a nice job explaining in everyday language BEC's, absolute zero, and other topics related to heat, temperature, and changes in state.

Enjoy!

The homework assignment for Dec. 21 through Jan. 4th is to write a lab report about heat. We did three experiments in class, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (except in class 3B we only met Monday and Tuesday due to the Talent Show).

Choose ONE of the three experiments and write up a very professional lab report following the instructions on the assignment sheet. Most of the project is simply rewriting and editing your notes from class, but you must also answer the analysis questions and make a line graph to display their data. ... Read more