Mr Olivas’ Site of Science (SOS!)

Week of August 30th

You all have done a really good job so far of working together to plan, design and construct your Safety Posters! We will finish them in class on our first block day. If you are able to access YouTube, then try and see how many proper and improper behaviors or practices you can find on our Safety Video here. You can also find other safety videos to help you study.

This Week’s Learning Targets

• Describe the basic composition, properties, and structure of the atmosphere
• Demonstrate proper lab safety behaviors and techniques

Activities – These will help us hit the targets!

• Safety Poster constructions
• Reading of Atmosphere text (with pre-reading strategies)
• Looking at Vocabulary (strategies)
• Brainpop! – Atmosphere (login and password given in class)
• Performance Assessment – Atmosphere laboratory (safety first!)
• Safety Quiz – written

Learning At Home

• Review safety guidelines
• Read Atmosphere Text (ch 1 sec 1)
• Vocabulary exercise from reading

Greetings my young learners!

I am so glad to be here again and working with you for the 2010-2011 academic year. I love the energy, enthusiasm and curiosity of middle school students.  

Please feel free to check out this boring page of all the things we will be learning together this school year in science. The units are much more interesting in class than they read!

Now that you are in a real science lab, we will start the year by looking at how we can take care of ourselves and each other as we learn and perform our laboratories.

By the end of the week, you and a partner will produce an original poster of “Safety Art.” In fact, we will do many projects that involve art, drama, music, humanities, math and even sports. That’s right, they are all related and even depend on each other.

We will display your scientific artwork up in the class to remind us of how we can be safe all year long! Details in Class…

In the meantime, be thinking about some ideas about why safety will be important and what types of things we need to be aware of in the science lab. Tilt your head to the side, put your index finger on your head next to your eye (don’t poke yourself!) and say “Hmmmmm…..”  Now think, safety, safety, safety….. (NOTE: Ale has already beat us all to the punch! – Check out her awesome post on lab safety on her blog here! – Great job, Ale!)

April 30 – May 4, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Calculate an object’s speed and velocity.
• Demonstrate how to graph motion.

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

Use your Mousetrap car data for BOTH cars to:

• 1. Calculate the average speed (m/s) for each trial run
• 2. Calculate the mean of all the trials for distance (m), time (s) and speed (m/s) as well (most of you have already done this).
• 3. Produce a graph your data (ALL data on ONE graph).  Use different colors/legend to distinguish your data.
• 4. Write a short paragraph on your blog that CLEARLY explains what your graph shows. (it would be great if you could post your graph as well – take a picture or do it in Excel!!) Graph should be “publishable quality” when you are done.
• 5. Have you parents review your blog entry and graph (explain it to them). Bring in signed data sheet from parents on Wednesday 5 May, 2010.
• Here is a blank graph sheet if you need one.
• Forgot your data sheet? Here is one you can use for now

WEEK OF April 19-23, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Perform Trials lab
• Calculate an object’s speed and velocity.
• Demonstrate how to graph motion.

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

• Here is the Mousetrap Reflection sheet you need for your blog entry (4 questions)
• Here is an Alternate Mousetrap Reflection sheet in case the other one does not work
• Run speed and distance trials with cars
• In-class work with sub

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

Class 1 - as needed with sub

Class 2 – as needed with sub

WEEK OF April 12-16, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Determine when an object is in motion
  
• Calculate an object’s speed and velocity.
• Demonstrate how to graph motion.
• Analyze MagLev-trip motion data

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

• Build ‘Mousetrap’ cars
• Run speed and distance trials with cars
• Complete a review quiz on Ch 1 Sec.1 content
• Describing and Measuring Motion graph and walking activity
• Calculate speed of Maglev over time

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

Class 1 - Speed, Velocity and Acceleration Review

Class 2 – MagLev graphs

Class 3 – none

Class 4 – Review Quiz – home

WEEK OF April 6-9, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Determine when an object is in motion
  
• Calculate an object’s speed and velocity.
• Demonstrate how to graph motion.
• Analyze MagLev-trip motion data

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

• Review the Universal laws of Newton!
• Building ‘Mousetrap’ cars
• BrainPop movies  -Forces, Acceleration, Newton’s Laws of Motion
• Bill Nye -Motion and worksht
• Complete a review quiz on Ch 1 Sec.1 content
• Notes, Ch 1 Sec 1
• Describing and Measuring Motion graph and walking activity
• Calculate speed of Maglev over time

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

Class 1 – Read section 1 ch 1/Describing and measuring motion wksht

Class 2 – MagLev graphs

Class 3 – none

Also – Prepare for SLC (lots to do!)

Newton!

WEEK OF March  15-19, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Demonstrate and Apply Knowledge of Electricity Unit Concepts
  

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

• SLC Prep
• Unit Test
• online circuits simulator – virtual electricity
• Here is the Review sheet for Unit test
• Unit overview review Pic – get this!

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

Study for unit test!

Prepare for SLC (lots to do!

WEEK OF March  8-12, Twenty-Ten!

Objectives (What we need to be able to do)

• Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship among current, resistance, and voltage
• Identify practical uses of transferring electrical energy into other forms of energy (produce heat, light, sound, motion).

Activities (How we will learn the objectives)

• Van De Graaff demo’s (if humidity decreases!)
• online circuits simulator – virtual electricity
• V = I/R – click!
• The talking worksheet – review prep sheet
• Review sheet for Unit test
• Unit overview review Pic – get this!
• Brainpop – voltage and resistance

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

1st class - pic scripts

2nd class – Finish schematic diagrams

3rd class – TBD

4th class – organize materials this weekend for unit test next week.

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

1st block class – none

2nd block class – Talking worksheet scripts

3rd block class – Talking worksheet scripts

4thd block class – none

Homework (Learning out of the classroom)

1st block class – we will work on the Maglev calculations data when we return from break