Posted on January 5, 2009 by Mrs. Bugenske
Welcome back! Hope you are all rested and ready to tackle our new unit on CELLS. They’re little buggers, but they sure are important. As we move through our unit we will be coming back to these essential questions:
-Why is the cell considered the basic unit of life?
-To what extent does the cell do the same things that we do?
-How does a tiny cell affect the larger organism/community/planet?
-How is the scientific method used to investigate the world around us?
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Posted on December 17, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Posted on December 17, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Well, I have to put some pictures and video on about my own daughter. She did an outstanding job in her Global Natives Project. The whole fifth grade did a great job! They had to research a global native people and work in teams to deliver a presentation of their research, with artifacts and speeches. Take a look at a few pictures of Abbey and a video of her talking about Hopi clothing with her teacher from last year. The sound isn’t too good, but she looks good doing it! Video is in the 1st post…it keeps messing up my formatting!
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Posted on December 10, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Posted on December 10, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
When you turn your power point project in on Mon, Dec. 15 (H/I) or Tues, Dec. 16 (J/K) to the S:// drive, please also turn in your rubric with a self-evaluation score. Use the rubric to review your project and then make the necessary changes before handing the project in.
Also, re-read the assignment sheet to be sure that you are following the intent of the project.
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Posted on December 7, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Answering the Essential Questions - Dynamic Earth
(3 Blog Posts)
On your blogs, I would like you to answer 2 out of the 3 following essential questions for our Dynamic Earth unit.
Please write each as a separate post, with the question as its title. Answer each question in at least 75 words each and give examples to support your reasoning. Try to use our science vocabulary and concepts around plate tectonics as much as possible.
You will also need to comment on at least one other students’ post.
1) How would you feel if your home were destroyed by an earthquake or volcano?
2) Why is it important that the dynamic nature of the Earth be respected?
3) Why do we continue to develop communities in geologically active areas?
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Posted on December 3, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Students were asked last week to write a narrative in science class, describing the sight, sounds, and smells they might experience during a large magnitude earthquake. Students will be posting their narratives to their blogs soon. Here is what Kate Ma wrote:
The ground is rumbling and I don’t know why. Everywhere around me, people have a shocked expression glued onto their faces. I see a man shout and scramble from a taxi. He’s clutching a briefcase, his face is pale. There’s a crash, and people around me scream. A man has fallen from a ladder, a paint brush in hand. He was painting a sign, and now he’s in pain. A baby begins to wail. All around me, I can see the world moving up and down, vibrating. My friend grabs me by the arm. I can smell oil, and I see a bus has crashed on the street. I can see everything happening, but I don’t realize it [is an earthquake].
Suddenly I’m on the ground, gripping the sidewalk curb, watching as a building down the block bursts into flames. Someone was cooking and set their building on fire. All around me, I see police cruisers with wailing sirens. I see a huge red fire truck roar down the street towards the burning building. There’s a determined look on every face of the fire men. They jump from the fire truck even before it has stopped, clutching a ladder. I can smell smoke. I scream as the building above me rumbles, as broken glass rains down on me from the building’s broken windows. A scared kid wanders in the street. She is younger than me, and I can see the fear in her eyes. I wonder what’s going on. Suddenly people scream, leaping away from the side of the road. My friend pulls me onto the sidewalk and against the wall of a building. I watch as clouds of dirt rise from the ground, and thin, narrow, and jagged crack appears down the center of the read, running along the yellow line in the center, crawling up the street like magic. My friend breathes one word - “Earthquake”.
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Posted on November 30, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Our first interdisciplinary day is now well under way. Last Friday, we gave a short introduction to the project and passed out the togas (OK, they’re just 6 meter of white fabric, but we know how to be creative!). The project will culminate on Dec. 11 -12, during core time.
In each H block, the group will design, act out, and film a short movie in the form of a news program live at Pompeii in 79 A.D. when Mt. Vesuvius erupts. Each student will be responsible for learning a science (plate tectonics), math (story problems, recipes), and humanities (daily life of Rome) component for the project during regular class. Then on two successive days (Dec. 11 & 12), students will become experts, anchors, interviewers, and the commoners of the Roman Empire.
Parents are invited to attend and have been asked to provide recipes and a Mediterranean dish to share on Friday, Dec. 12. More on that later…
For now, students should wash their toga material and get their costumes ready. More information will be given as we approach the active portion of the project.
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Posted on November 30, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Our Plate Tectonics Project will be introduced on M, Dec. 1 and T, Dec. 2. The project will be due on M, Dec. 15 (H/I) and T, Dec. 16 (J/K).
You will be assigned to the role of an engineering geologist, who needs to evaluate three locations to build luxury condominiums. You will assess these locations based on their proximity to plate boundaries, the surface characteristics caused by plate tectonics and their associated hazards, and any history of surface activity.
The report will be in power point format, but will not need to be presented orally. The assignment letter and rubric are attached below.
Condo Assessment Letter
Condo Assessment Project Rubric
Condo PP Planning Page
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Posted on November 19, 2008 by Mrs. Bugenske
Giant Tube Worms Near an Ocean Vent
After today’s class you will have a foundation in plate tectonics, including sea floor spreading. I would like you to make a post answering the following two questions in at least 75 words each and leave a comment on two other students’ posts. Try to use science terminology as much as possible so that we can “talk like scientists” and you can practice.
1) Why is the Atlantic Ocean getting bigger and the Pacific Ocean getting smaller? (Thanks to Meg and Royce for catching my error…its the Atlantic that is getting bigger and the Pacific that is getting smaller!)
2) Describe one kind of really wacky organism that is able to live in the deep, dark ocean because of plate tectonics (i.e. subduction zones, ocean ridges, vents, etc.) and why? Include a picture. You can get some background information from this website or find one yourself.
Background Information
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