Tues Dec 4 –
Friday Nov 30 -Review uneven heating principles. Hadley cells, surface currents in oceans, deep-ocean currents. Chemistry of oceans: salt = density = lower freezing point. HW – Prepare lab for next class (come in ready to do a lab on albedo / heating)
Wed Nov 28 – Introduce weather & climate. Radiation –> uneven heating –> convection cycles in atmosphere & water. Review water cycle.
Monday Nov 26 -Review last lecture in pairs. Announce Unit exam for first class next week. Final lecture in astronomy unit: types of galaxies & Hubble’s discoveries
- 1924 Hubble discovers the existence of galaxies.
- Cepheid variables: blink faster the brighter they are. We can use these to find distance to other galaxies by looking at how bright their cepheids look.
- Hubble discovers “types” of galaxies: sprial, barred spiral and elliptical galaxies. He is wrong about one type turning into other types but his tuning fork diagram is still useful for organizing galaxy types
- We study distant galaxies with Hubble Telescope
- Deep Field – 3000 galaxies in a “dark” part of the sky (in big dipper). Takes 10 days of “looking”
- Deep Field South – repeats DF and gets same result – confirms cosmological principle
- Ultra Deep Field – 11 days of looking. Sees galaxies 13 billion years old
- Extreme Field – 50 days of looking. Sees galaxies 13.2 billion years old!
Monday Nov 18 -Hand in types of telescope assignment. Discuss the death of stars
- Gravity vs. fusion. If fusion wins –> red giant then white dwarf
- Gravity vs. electron degeneracy pressure. If gravity wins –> neutron core –> further collapse of gas envelope –> envelope rebounds off neutron core resulting in destructive explosion of supernova –> leaves neutron star behind
- Gravity vs. neutron degeneracy pressure. If gravity wins –> neutrons collapse on themselves leaving nothing but a black hole behind
Thursday Nov 14 -Review Big Bang & Nebular theory. Fill in details of nebular theory. Compare land based & space based telescopes. HW: find out what astronomers use each different wavelength of light for. Bring in a specific example.
Tuesday Nov 13 – Finish Exam. Introduce Astronomy unit. How the sun came to be… how the universe got here…
Friday Nov 9 – Start Exam
Wed Nov 7 – Practice exam questions.
Monday Nov 5 & Tuesday – Quiz. Review for exam over Rock Cycle & Tectonics.
Friday Nov 2 – Practice concepts related to soils. Rock identification lab. Introduction to Soils Project: describe the site, dig a hole (call BEFORE you dig), identify the layers, describe the layers. The written project can be found here:
- Introductory Material (pages 1-9)
- Site Selection & Description
- Site Description Data Sheet
- Soil analysis protocol
- Soil horizons Data Sheet
Wed Oct 31 -Soil lab. Students brought dirt, we got messy, the lab was fun but also educational. Turns out there is more to dirt that most people knew.
Monday October 29 – Review rock types & characteristics. Introduce reaction to acid as identifier for limestone or any rock containing CaCO3. Soil lab.
Take quiz that B-day class took Friday. Friday Oct 26 – Quiz (Thursdays class already took the quiz) over Radiometric dating. Video clip: crystal cave in mexico. Continue rock identification practice. Ask if a) you can dig a hole in your back yard b) how deep it can be (we would like to go down to about a meter).
Wednesday Oct 24 -Review rock cycle. Key characteristics of each type of rock. Practice identifying rocks. Short schedule
Monday Oct 22 & Tuesday – Review C-14. Tectonics & the Rock cycle. Rock cycle powerpoint & discussion. Rock Cycle game & comic strip. HW: find the sections on tectonics & the rock cycle in your textbook. Read & take notes. Learn to use the objectives sheet for this class. It is a GREAT guidebook.
Friday Oct 19 – no classes other than research. Shakespeare in the afternoon.
Wed Oct 17 -Index fossils, C-14 dating, plate tectonics.
Friday Oct 12 -Practice exam. Index fossils, plate tectonics.
Wed Oct 10 – short schedule.
Monday Oct 8 – Reading the rock record. (Tuesday: many people on Biology field trip, we did our own field trip to the creek.)
Thurs Oct 4 – Mark out sick. Take notes on Timeline while watching video: How the Earth was made.
Wed Oct 3 -Video: How the earth was made. Take notes on timeline.
Monday October 1 & Tuesday – Discuss timeline project. Video: first 20 minutes of Earth: Power of the Planet (Earth)
Thursday Sept 27 & Friday – Mark out & sub in on Thursday, work on geologic timeline project.
Tuesday Sept 25 & Wed -Fake Pop Exam over Unit 1. Turn in all material related to Island project. HW: Reading assignment for Unit 2. You should have the first 2 or 3 done for next class.
- pages 533-556
- pages 557-569
- pages 577-588
- pages 601-617
- pages 625-641
Friday Sept 21 -Quiz. Teams send last 5 probes. I page essay: 4 paragraphs telling what you know about each of the 4 spheres and 1-2 paragraphs for how spheres interact. Total: 5-6 paragraphs, typed, double spaced etc. Due next class. Also turn in table summarizing what you learned from each probe sent.
Wed Sept 19 – FPQ over Electromagnetic spectrum. Probes 1-5 sent.
Monday Sept 17 -Short lecture / discussion: what is remote sensing? RS occurs when what we want to study is too distant, dangerous or is invisible. Occurs whenever we are not able to be in physical contact with what we are studying. Can use satellites, airplanes, space stations etc. Examples: GPS, sonar, radar, landsat etc. Viewed 3D models through telescope then determined a grid system for studying projects.
Thursday Sept 13 – Students continued work on topo project.
Monday Sept 10 -Fish kill at Cotton Tail lake is a good example of how one “sphere” interacts with and affects another. Continue work on project. Start filling in background / foundational information about the land you have designed. There will be a QUIZ next class. All groups must be ready for their land to be explored starting Monday of next week.
Thursday Sept 6 – Continue work on Island / Continent Mapping project. Handed out the first list of things that are required to be turned in with some specific instructions. In general, students need to turn in a) 2 profiles of the island b) a topographic map c) a 3-D model. We started the 3-D models in class today. Reviewed Topo maps packet. HW: Read & take notes over Ch22.
Tuesday Sept 4 – Contour maps, contour lines, contour intervals. Today was about topographic maps. Other terms: gradient = change in elevation / change in position = rise / run, sea level, cross section, aerial view. Work on Island / Continent Project. HW: topographic maps packet. Turn in notes from chapter 2. Complete packet for next class.
Thursday Aug 30 – Carbon Cycle Quiz. Island Mapping Project. HW: Read Ch2 and take notes (to be turned in next class). Diff students need to complete the Carbon Footprint assignment from packet.
Tuesday Aug 28 – FPQ: Carbon Cycle. Packet: Carbon cycle. In class assignment: analysis questions on carbon cycle. Class activity: visit antelope creek – use creek to show how carbon moves through the 4 spheres and from pool to pool. Identify as many processes as possible. Turn in carbon cycle diagram. Hint: quiz on carbon cycle next class.
Friday Aug 24 – Discussion of spheres, scientific method & Captain Barbosa’s explanation of “the code.” Quiz. Lecture: Carbon Cycle. Homework: find online resources explaining carbon cycle, draw a diagram showing a) 4 spheres of earth b) “pools” of carbon for each sphere and c) “processes” by which carbon moves from one pool to another.
Wed Aug 22 – Finish 4 spheres poster. Pond observations: use pond as a way to show the interaction between all 4 spheres. In class assignment: write a 1-2 page essay explaining connections between spheres using the pond. Turn in essay and poster. B-day students took a quiz on Thursday. A-day students will take it next class.
Monday Aug 20 – Fake Pop Quiz (4 branches, notes from Ch1). 4 spheres discussion: Geosphere, Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Bioshpere. Assignment: 4 spheres poster.
Wed Aug 15: 4 branches of geoscience are geology, astronomy, meteorology, oceanography. Philosophy of learning. Understanding your earth. Homework: Read Chapter 1. Complete safety contracts.