Today we had to have a talk about electronic responsibility and how it relates to social networking sites.  I would love to talk to all of the parents about this soon.  After that we watched a video on how a lava lamp works and introduced convection.  Guided reading worksheet was started in class and should be finished at home if they didn’t finish in class.  We also talked about a chocolate sauce convection lab we might attempt later this week.

Quiz on this week’s material and we had a great talk on the earthquake from the East Coast.  It’s always excellent when mother nature’s social calendar coincides right with my curriculum.  I’ll post the grades form the quiz asap and get done reading the science controversy papers soon.  Next week we move ahead.

Here’s the directions for the Inside Earth Foldable:

List the Crust, Mantle and Core

List the two types of each and explain how thick it is, what is in each layer as well as three more facts.  You can use the entire textbook for that information!  Also a picture must be drawn and colored identifying each layer.  Be colorful and creative!  Use markers, crayons or colored pencils to do so.

Next up was a writing exercise about a science controversy:

Science Controversy Cartoons

These cartoon are depictions of scientific controversies seen throughout the world.  They are based generally on the way certain people view scientific advancement, evidence and its effect on people, politics, and the rest of the world.

1. Take a few minutes and pick a cartoon to study.
2. Consider what the central theme of the cartoon is.  Who is the center of the issue?
3. Look at the surroundings and try to determine what the message is.  Describe the cartoon and what it says.
4. Consider who is affected on both sides of the issue.
5. Who benefits from science in the cartoon?  Who doesn’t benefit?
6. What is the major problem?
7. How do we solve the problem?

Write your responses in a clear, concise manner.  Use complete sentences.  You will be graded on the content of your thoughts about the cartoon.  Have fun and try to think outside the box.

Today in class we worked on a crossword over the concepts in the first chapter and started a foldable art exercise over the layers of the Earth.  If the kids didn’t get it done in class, which most didn’t then they need to take it home and work on it.  I will give them time in class tomorrow to finish as well.  I’m introducing a homework challenge for both of my classes here.  This is to see how well they can work out a problem on their own.  Give it a shot folks.  Let’s see what we come up with.

Homework Challenge!

I am going to test your algebra skills a little by asking you to calculate the distances of the layers of the Earth (and some other markers), if you were and inch tall.  We are going to use the football field behind Lux as a visual reference to do this.  We will be referring to measurements such as feet, miles and inches because you are more familiar with them at this point.  We will convert to the metric system later.

Now imagine:

1. You are a six foot person shrunk down to an inch tall, standing on the far eastern edge of the Lux football field, facing West.
2. How far would you have to walk across the field to illustrate the depth of the photic zone of the ocean?
3. How far would you have to walk to illustrate the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean?
4. How far would you have to walk to illustrate the bottom of the Earth’s crust?  You might have to walk past the boundary of the Lux football field…
5. How far would you have to walk to illustrate the core of the Earth?

Now consider these measurements:

The Lux football field is 500 feet wide, East to West.

The photic zone is 150 meters or about 500 feet deep.

The Mariana Trench is over 6.5 miles or 39940 feet deep.

The Crust is 3 miles deep under the Mariana Trench or another 15840 feet.

The core is 4000 miles below the Earth’s surface.

To answer these questions you will have to calculate a proportion equation!  For example, 1 inch is to 6 feet…

1 inch ___   =      ______X_______

6 feet                      Depth of photic zone

Try to figure out these distances and we will talk about them in class!

Both of my classes got their pictures taken today.  Nothing major to report there.  After we got back into class we did a Powerpoint on the layers of the Earth and a discussion about how big, tall, wide and long things are such as the capitol building, the Husker stadium, the room we are in, the football fields behind Lux, and so on.  We will be working with this information more in order to establish a better frame of reference for measurements they read about.  No homework today, more to come later.

I handed out textbooks to both classes today.  Be careful with those!  Treat them with the utmost care.  Read them.  Study them.  Use them over and over.  That’s what they’re there for.

We watched a video titled Inside Earth today, wrote out some facts from it and then worked on our first guided reading worksheet for section 1 of Chapter 1.  If it wasn’t done in class, then it’s homework.  We will be revisiting that information later in the week.  Tomorrow is picture day so comb your hair and brush your teeth.

Class went great, again.  We reviewed what science is and what it is not.  I introduced the scientific method and how to apply it on a sudoku puzzle.  Remember, sudoku puzzles a re much like biomes in that there is an interconnectedness between actions and consequences.  Science attempts to solve problems based on observable, testable phenomena and sudoku puzzles force us to always ask and answer “if-then” questions.  Next week we will get into the text and start with some experiments.  The cryptic super scientist worksheet we did in class was the first work ethic grade on Pinnacle.  No homework!

Lux Flash Mob

Today was another insightful day with the kids.  We watched the flash mob and I’m happy to report that I’ve got mad skills.  “Moves like Jagger” as Maroon 5 would say.  If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself in the link above!

In class we talked about the nature of science, what science is and what it is not.  Along with a Frayer model graphic organizer we determined that science is most definitely not cheese pizza.  We talked about horoscopes as well and tomorrow we will explore the scientific method and how to apply it.  I handed out notebooks to the kids to keep in their class tub and to use throughout the year as well.  I planned on handing out homework for tomorrow but we ran a little long so we’ll get to that later.

Today was another great day.  BIST powerpoint and discussion, a little scavenger hunt quiz and room policy talk, as well as learning who the students would want to teach my class if they could pick any celebrity.  After the votes were tallied, it was a three way tie for Jack Black, Megan Fox and of course, Justin Bieber.  Remember to get in your Science Safety Sheet on or before Friday since that is the first recorded grade in Pinnacle.  It’s an easy 10 points.

We will be getting into the nature of science in the next few days and we will be opening up our textbooks at the beginning of next week.  Fun fun fun!

Today was a blast!  The flash mob was way less embarrassing than I thought it would be (probably since we’re all such good dancers) and the classes went great.  I introduced myself and gave them my Prezi presentation as well as a load of papers to take care of.  There are some things my students need to remember:

1. Get the Science Safety Contract read, checked off, signed by their parents and returned on or before Friday the 19th.

2. Sign and hand in the locker agreement sheet that was handed out in their planners this morning.  First period should hand that in to Mr. Benson tomorrow.  All other first periods might have already done that.

3. Remember to keep your name tag for a little while until we all have the names memorized.

4. Tomorrow 1st period will meet in class as usual and then move out to the commons area at 8:05 for a team meeting.

5. Don’t forget about picture day coming up next week.

More news will follow and I’ll post everything I can here.