Yay! Engrade is finally back up! In the meantime, here's a little something I put together for you to go and strengthen your vocab and concept skills on chapter 8.
http://www.studybulb.com/item/1008111815048
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
New Information
1) The CSI form that I have been handing out is worth 10 pts. of extra credit if you attend. i will find out the due date ASAP.
2) If you want some really good, in depth information on today's (Earth Layers and Structure) discussion, go to this website: http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/earths_interior.htm. I just read it and it has some information that wasn't covered. Also dispells a few things I was taught back in middle/high school.
Enjoy!!!
2) If you want some really good, in depth information on today's (Earth Layers and Structure) discussion, go to this website: http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/earths_interior.htm. I just read it and it has some information that wasn't covered. Also dispells a few things I was taught back in middle/high school.
Enjoy!!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Notes
I almost forgot to revisit this. Note-taking. I will be posting a very skeletal, as in basic, version of the class notes on Engrade and making them available as hard copies. Do not think that you will be able to simply get by without taking note of what I am saying and showing to you or it will hurt you. Please remember that understanding these concepts goes beyond memorizing the vocabulary. You will be expected to note and find the connections between this material and other aspects of life, be they other areas in science, other subjects (like social studies or math), or everyday/worldly occurances.
Hello, Teachers, Parents, and especially, students of 6B:
Well, one nine weeks down and three to go. I first want to congratulate everyone for your hard work. It was a breeze for some, a challenge, for others, and just right for a lot of you. As we embark on our journey into the 2nd Nine Weeks, it's safe to say you have officially been ushered in as 6th graders! Congratulations on the successful completion of your first quarter as Julia Landon College Preparatory Leadership Development School students. With that accomplishment under your belts comes responsibility. You have been acclimated to middle school and it is time to take off the training wheels. At Julia Landon we are all leaders and leaders must be held accountable. I hope you all will take the new quarter as an opportunity to become a leader.Now that we've had a chance to become acquainted and you know what to expect, I'm sure you are ready to really dig in.
I'd now like to take the time to announce some changes and augmentations that I''ll/we'll be making in our
classes.
First, homework/turn-in policy:
The expectation from Team B for classwork/homework is on the fourth late assignment you will be issued NO credit. Excused absences are the exception. For projects (research papers, science fair, presentations, etc.) , there will be a letter grade penalty per day the project is late. It is important to come to class prepared each and everyday. This means coming to class with assignments completed and ready to be turned in. Remember we will accept three late assignments with penalty; however, on the fourth late assignment you will NOT be given ANY credit.
Homework will still retain the Monday-Wednesday schedule. However, the collection will be different. Instead of turning it into the cage as soon as you walk in, you will go straight to your desk and copy down any new information AND place your homework out onto your desk. During Bell-Ringer Session, I will call you by groups to go up to the cage and turn in your homework. You are only to go to the cage if you have HW to turn into it. I will be taking note of who goes up and writing down what was turned in by whom. If you go up to the cage pretending to turn in something and I find nothing from you (I'll be checking this before the HW even leaves the cage) you (and possibly your parents) will be hearing from me. I do this to cut down on the probability of HW being misplaced. It is your responsibility to get this in and place it into the correct bin. If you do not get up when your group is called, then you miss your chance to turn in the HW for full credit.
Change #2--Bell-Ringers and Notebook Checks
- Bell Ringers are now being graded by me. For every ten Bell-Ringers in a row, you will receive ten points. If you skip one BR, then it is nine points out of ten, skip three and its 7/10 and so on. Once we reach ten in a row, I start it over for the next set of ten and so forth until then nine weeks ends.
- I will also be conducting notebook checks for a class work grade. I will be looking to see if you have all of your tabs/sections in the correct order, if you have been taking good notes (more on this in a minute), if you have been keeping all of your homework/returned work (except those I place into your portfolio) and if your bellringers and glossary are up to date. Even if you miss a bell ringer for whatever reason, it is still your responsibility to get that into your notebook. A rubric on this will be circulated/posted on Engrade later this week.
Change #3
Expect to have more hands-on activities and labs as well as other activities that I would like to collaborate with you on. I don't want to spoil anything but I will be letting you know what we'll be doing ahead of time so you can be able read/research ahead and be ready to give full participation. I'll be placing the week's plans onto my board agenda as before, but there will be a new catch to that....
Change #4- Extra opportunities
I will be providing extra opportunities for you to receive bonus points tacked onto your scores. There will be a variety of ways to get bonuses and each way will have a different point value. There will be a maximum amount of points/bonus assignments you can attempt to receive/complete. Here's a starting line-up:
5 pts (choose any 1-4)
- Donate pink Yoplait Yogurt foil covers. I'm saving these to send in out of cancer awareness. The number of covers dose NOT increase the number of points. The numberof times you donate does NOT increase the number of points. But it does make you feel good to know you're standing up for a positive cause and that counts towards leadership.
- Donate any middle school level and up books for my library.
- Bring in any article related to what we are currently discussing in class.
10 pts (Choose any 1-2)
- Donate a Choose-Your-Own Adventure or similar (Which Way, Find Your Fate, etc). book to my library.
- Bring in any article related to what we are discussing in class and write a one page summary about it explaining why this information is important.
- View a documentary on something that we are covering in class and type a one page summary about it explaining how the information you viewed could be used to help others, either in the class or in the real world.
- Bring in any materials related to what we are discussing in class (like models, dioramas, etc.) These must reflect effort and a rubric will be created for this option, should oyu choose to accept it.
20 pts (the maximum amount for any opportunity so you may only choose one)
Note: All assignments in this category will be rubric based to a maximum of twenty points. the number of points you receive will reflect the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into this task should you accept it.
- Perform a demonstration of something we are discussing this nine weeks. Try to keep it current. A redoing of any demo or lab already performed in class will not be accepted. you must think outside the box for this one. (Rubric based)
- You may take a previous demonstration or lab from this or last nine weeks and modify or change it in some noticeable way. (Rubric based)
- Focus on a topic covered in class and write an in depth report on it. (Rubric based)
The maximum number of points I will allow is 20. You may use any combination you wish but you wil not be allowed more than 20 points of EC.
There's the starting line up for extra ops. More will come available as the nine weeks moves on so continue to chekc back with me.
Well how's that for a kick-start to the nine weeks? Keep checking back on the blog for more hot tips and info. Out.
Thank you for an amazing first nine weeks, let's roll up our sleeves as we enter the second quarter.
Well, one nine weeks down and three to go. I first want to congratulate everyone for your hard work. It was a breeze for some, a challenge, for others, and just right for a lot of you. As we embark on our journey into the 2nd Nine Weeks, it's safe to say you have officially been ushered in as 6th graders! Congratulations on the successful completion of your first quarter as Julia Landon College Preparatory Leadership Development School students. With that accomplishment under your belts comes responsibility. You have been acclimated to middle school and it is time to take off the training wheels. At Julia Landon we are all leaders and leaders must be held accountable. I hope you all will take the new quarter as an opportunity to become a leader.Now that we've had a chance to become acquainted and you know what to expect, I'm sure you are ready to really dig in.
I'd now like to take the time to announce some changes and augmentations that I''ll/we'll be making in our
classes.
First, homework/turn-in policy:
The expectation from Team B for classwork/homework is on the fourth late assignment you will be issued NO credit. Excused absences are the exception. For projects (research papers, science fair, presentations, etc.) , there will be a letter grade penalty per day the project is late. It is important to come to class prepared each and everyday. This means coming to class with assignments completed and ready to be turned in. Remember we will accept three late assignments with penalty; however, on the fourth late assignment you will NOT be given ANY credit.
Homework will still retain the Monday-Wednesday schedule. However, the collection will be different. Instead of turning it into the cage as soon as you walk in, you will go straight to your desk and copy down any new information AND place your homework out onto your desk. During Bell-Ringer Session, I will call you by groups to go up to the cage and turn in your homework. You are only to go to the cage if you have HW to turn into it. I will be taking note of who goes up and writing down what was turned in by whom. If you go up to the cage pretending to turn in something and I find nothing from you (I'll be checking this before the HW even leaves the cage) you (and possibly your parents) will be hearing from me. I do this to cut down on the probability of HW being misplaced. It is your responsibility to get this in and place it into the correct bin. If you do not get up when your group is called, then you miss your chance to turn in the HW for full credit.
Change #2--Bell-Ringers and Notebook Checks
- Bell Ringers are now being graded by me. For every ten Bell-Ringers in a row, you will receive ten points. If you skip one BR, then it is nine points out of ten, skip three and its 7/10 and so on. Once we reach ten in a row, I start it over for the next set of ten and so forth until then nine weeks ends.
- I will also be conducting notebook checks for a class work grade. I will be looking to see if you have all of your tabs/sections in the correct order, if you have been taking good notes (more on this in a minute), if you have been keeping all of your homework/returned work (except those I place into your portfolio) and if your bellringers and glossary are up to date. Even if you miss a bell ringer for whatever reason, it is still your responsibility to get that into your notebook. A rubric on this will be circulated/posted on Engrade later this week.
Change #3
Expect to have more hands-on activities and labs as well as other activities that I would like to collaborate with you on. I don't want to spoil anything but I will be letting you know what we'll be doing ahead of time so you can be able read/research ahead and be ready to give full participation. I'll be placing the week's plans onto my board agenda as before, but there will be a new catch to that....
Change #4- Extra opportunities
I will be providing extra opportunities for you to receive bonus points tacked onto your scores. There will be a variety of ways to get bonuses and each way will have a different point value. There will be a maximum amount of points/bonus assignments you can attempt to receive/complete. Here's a starting line-up:
5 pts (choose any 1-4)
- Donate pink Yoplait Yogurt foil covers. I'm saving these to send in out of cancer awareness. The number of covers dose NOT increase the number of points. The numberof times you donate does NOT increase the number of points. But it does make you feel good to know you're standing up for a positive cause and that counts towards leadership.
- Donate any middle school level and up books for my library.
- Bring in any article related to what we are currently discussing in class.
10 pts (Choose any 1-2)
- Donate a Choose-Your-Own Adventure or similar (Which Way, Find Your Fate, etc). book to my library.
- Bring in any article related to what we are discussing in class and write a one page summary about it explaining why this information is important.
- View a documentary on something that we are covering in class and type a one page summary about it explaining how the information you viewed could be used to help others, either in the class or in the real world.
- Bring in any materials related to what we are discussing in class (like models, dioramas, etc.) These must reflect effort and a rubric will be created for this option, should oyu choose to accept it.
20 pts (the maximum amount for any opportunity so you may only choose one)
Note: All assignments in this category will be rubric based to a maximum of twenty points. the number of points you receive will reflect the amount of time and effort you are willing to put into this task should you accept it.
- Perform a demonstration of something we are discussing this nine weeks. Try to keep it current. A redoing of any demo or lab already performed in class will not be accepted. you must think outside the box for this one. (Rubric based)
- You may take a previous demonstration or lab from this or last nine weeks and modify or change it in some noticeable way. (Rubric based)
- Focus on a topic covered in class and write an in depth report on it. (Rubric based)
The maximum number of points I will allow is 20. You may use any combination you wish but you wil not be allowed more than 20 points of EC.
There's the starting line up for extra ops. More will come available as the nine weeks moves on so continue to chekc back with me.
Well how's that for a kick-start to the nine weeks? Keep checking back on the blog for more hot tips and info. Out.
Thank you for an amazing first nine weeks, let's roll up our sleeves as we enter the second quarter.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Some important info...
Well, we are almost ready to end out our nine weeks. Here's some annoucements:
- We will be continuing to maintain our new weather log, even though we are through with weather as a unit. I will be looking into seeing if this information can be posted on the Landon website. We'll be making at least one more tool to help with this and will be doing daily in small groups.
- Many of you have made the ten-HW limit. Several of you have exceeded that limit. Those of you who do not make that limit by the end of this week can expect zeroes for those missing assignments and for your grade to drop. You've had all of nine-weeks to get your HW in on time or to call any empty spaces to my attention, especially with me giving two days of work time for each assignment. Points on late work will be assigned based on how recently the assignment was given (I.E. an assignment from the beginning will get 5/10, an assignment from two weeks ago gets 6-7 out of ten. Last week's assignment if it's late will get 8/10. I will set aside time on the 20th and 21st for any lab makeups.
- The nine weeks exam date for science is slated for the 16th (This coming Thursday). As a result, any presentations being held on that day will be moved down to the 17th if and only if we are unable to get to them and any presentations on the 17th will be moved to the 20th, again if and only if we are unable to get to them.
- The behavior in all of the periods has been largely acceptable but there are some kinks. Some groups need to synergize more and argue/bicker less. When we switch groups for the nine weeks, some individuals will either be staying where they currently are or will be moved to work on their own until they can demonstrate effective teamwork skills and classroom behavior. Remember, this is a science lab and misbehovior, horseplay, etc. can result in injuries and damage. As young scientists, you (and I) are all bound by ethical responsibility to act in a way that minimizes risks and keeps the lab safe and fun for all.
- We will be continuing to maintain our new weather log, even though we are through with weather as a unit. I will be looking into seeing if this information can be posted on the Landon website. We'll be making at least one more tool to help with this and will be doing daily in small groups.
- Many of you have made the ten-HW limit. Several of you have exceeded that limit. Those of you who do not make that limit by the end of this week can expect zeroes for those missing assignments and for your grade to drop. You've had all of nine-weeks to get your HW in on time or to call any empty spaces to my attention, especially with me giving two days of work time for each assignment. Points on late work will be assigned based on how recently the assignment was given (I.E. an assignment from the beginning will get 5/10, an assignment from two weeks ago gets 6-7 out of ten. Last week's assignment if it's late will get 8/10. I will set aside time on the 20th and 21st for any lab makeups.
- The nine weeks exam date for science is slated for the 16th (This coming Thursday). As a result, any presentations being held on that day will be moved down to the 17th if and only if we are unable to get to them and any presentations on the 17th will be moved to the 20th, again if and only if we are unable to get to them.
- The behavior in all of the periods has been largely acceptable but there are some kinks. Some groups need to synergize more and argue/bicker less. When we switch groups for the nine weeks, some individuals will either be staying where they currently are or will be moved to work on their own until they can demonstrate effective teamwork skills and classroom behavior. Remember, this is a science lab and misbehovior, horseplay, etc. can result in injuries and damage. As young scientists, you (and I) are all bound by ethical responsibility to act in a way that minimizes risks and keeps the lab safe and fun for all.
G.R.A.S.P.
Hello, students and parents. I've just been informed that there is a "Nine Weeks Unit Challenge" that has to be completed. I've looked it over and it is relatively fun, simple to conduct, and basically takes only 20 minutes (plus write-up time) to finish. This is meant to be a home project. If possible, I will try to set up an in class center designed for this project but no guarantees. Also bear in mind that since it takes 20 minutes to conduct, it will only be do-able by a certain number of students during days that my lessons will allow for said time frame. That said, you are encouraged to do as much as you can of this project at home. I am setting the due date for October 23, to allow for the other nine weeks project that has already been assigned. This will be a 100 point assignment based on completion (you either do it in its entirety or don't do it at all and receive a zero or point deduction for lateness) and will be counted as the first grade of the second nine weeks. Again it is short and simple to do so don't sweat it so much until after you've completed your other nine weeks project and the exam.
And without further adieu...here it is:
1st Nine Weeks Unit Challenge
G.R.A.S.P.
[G]oal
To understand the effect of the atmosphere on air temperature over land and water.
[R]ole
You are a meteorologist at the local television station.
[A]udience
Your audience will be television viewers.
[S]ituation
You have been asked to build a model and collect data to show the effect of the heating of land and water on air temperature. You will need to further explain to your audience why hurricanes only form over warm oceans and move in predictable directions.
[P]roducts
You need to design and create a model and collect data that will explain to TV viewers the effect land and water on air temperature: Since you are a meteorologist, your results will be given as a news report during the weather report
Atmosphere Model Investigation Materials and equipment (per group)
• 2 empty water bottles (500 mL)
• play ground sand and water
• lamp
• 2 thermometers
• timer
Put 100 g of each substance in a separate bottle. Insert a thermometer into the substance (do not let the thermometers touch the bottom of the container). Turn the light on. Record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes. Turn off the lamp and continue to record for 10 minutes more. Graph your results.
Analyze the results and use them to respond to the following:
1. In which container did the temperature increase faster?
2. How did the temperatures change once the light was off?
3. Explain to your viewers why beach people have a cool breeze every afternoon in the summer.
4. Explain to your viewers why summers are cooler and winters are warmer when you are near the ocean.
5. Explain to your audience why storms such as hurricanes only form over warm oceans.
6. Explain to your audience why FL experiences storms such as hurricanes.
And without further adieu...here it is:
1st Nine Weeks Unit Challenge
G.R.A.S.P.
[G]oal
To understand the effect of the atmosphere on air temperature over land and water.
[R]ole
You are a meteorologist at the local television station.
[A]udience
Your audience will be television viewers.
[S]ituation
You have been asked to build a model and collect data to show the effect of the heating of land and water on air temperature. You will need to further explain to your audience why hurricanes only form over warm oceans and move in predictable directions.
[P]roducts
You need to design and create a model and collect data that will explain to TV viewers the effect land and water on air temperature: Since you are a meteorologist, your results will be given as a news report during the weather report
Atmosphere Model Investigation Materials and equipment (per group)
• 2 empty water bottles (500 mL)
• play ground sand and water
• lamp
• 2 thermometers
• timer
Put 100 g of each substance in a separate bottle. Insert a thermometer into the substance (do not let the thermometers touch the bottom of the container). Turn the light on. Record the temperature every minute for 10 minutes. Turn off the lamp and continue to record for 10 minutes more. Graph your results.
Analyze the results and use them to respond to the following:
1. In which container did the temperature increase faster?
2. How did the temperatures change once the light was off?
3. Explain to your viewers why beach people have a cool breeze every afternoon in the summer.
4. Explain to your viewers why summers are cooler and winters are warmer when you are near the ocean.
5. Explain to your audience why storms such as hurricanes only form over warm oceans.
6. Explain to your audience why FL experiences storms such as hurricanes.
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