Friday, 1 October, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from laboratory experiments and classroom discussion to
-compare and contrast physical and chemical changes.
-compare endothermic and exothermic reactions.
-use power writing to write up lab experience.

Students completed the laboratory activity, as well as the power write up of the laboratory experience. Learn more about the power write up by reading pages a and b in the back of your interactive notebook.

Students will have a problem set based on the benchmarks as their home learning assignment.

Wednesday, 29 September and Thursday, 30 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from laboratory activities and classroom discussions to
-measure temperature as a model greenhouse and a control are heated.
-determine the temperature changes for the two containers.
-use the results to make conclusions about the greenhouse effect.

Students did the chemical change lab.

For those students who were absent, visit the Dr. Gayden's Science Zone for 7th Graders (drgcdms7.podomatic.com) and click the link for the lab. Be sure to follow all directions.

If you were present in class on Monday and Tuesday, and finished the skate park activity, we'll do the energy conversion activity, found by clicking the link under Wednesday's date at Dr. Gayden's Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com).

The home learning was to update the notebook and write up the lab using the power writing technique found on page A of the interactive science notebook.

Monday, 27 September and Tuesday, 28 September, 2010

This is HL #9. Follow all written directions!


This handout is to be used to complete the virtual activity.


This is your do now sheet. Complete the Venn diagrams before writing complete sentences.

Students will be able to:
use information from handouts, internet access, and classroom discussion to
-distinguish between kinetic energy and potential energy.
-interpret and evaluate data/observations in order to formulate a logical conclusion.

Students did a compare and contrast Venn diagram on potential and kinetic energy. They then wrote, using the Cornell notes style, the contents of the Venn diagram as complete sentences. You can find the handout above.

You can also find the handout, HL #9 at the top of this blog.

Students then explored the pHet simulation on kinetic and potential as it relates to the skate park. You can find the simulation by cutting and pasting the following into the browser window....http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park.

Be sure to also do the pendulum activity, which is the second link.

The home learning for Tuesday AND Wednesday is to update the interactive notebook. Be sure to power write up the lab!

Friday, 24 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from baseine examination and classroom discussions to
-debrief he exam.

Students took a quiz on properties of matter.

Students then completed debriefing of the District benchmark assessment.

Students were issued home learning 8, titled Types of Energy. Students should label their loose leaf notebook paper properly, with the information in the UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER ABOVE THE FIRST LINE (last name, first name; date; Period; HL #8). They should use blue/black ink or pencil to record the letter answers only for questions 1-7. You can find the home learning at the top of this blog.

Thursday, 23 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from the baseline and classroom discussions to
-debrief the exam.

Today was early release. Students reviewed the baseline examination.

Wednesday, 22 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from videos from the virtual laboratories, the internet, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-identify characteristics of physical changes of matter.
-identify characteristics of chemical changes of matter.
-recognize examples of physical and chemical changes.
-record observations of physical and chemical changes of matter.

Students spent the entire period performing the virtual activity on physical and chemical changes. The handout can be found at the top of this blog. You can find the activity by either clicking the link below or going to Dr. Gayden's Science Zone (drgcdms.podomatic.com) under the date Tuesday, 21 September, and clicking the 7th grade link.

http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E03/E03.html

Tuesday, 21 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from textbooks, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-identify characteristics of physical changes of matter.
-identify characteristics of chemical changes of matter.
-recognize examples of physical and chemical changes.
-record observations of physical and chemical changes of matter..

Students first reviewed the lab safety from page C in their interactive notebooks. They were then given a sheet to identify unsafe laboratory procedures. You can find this sheet at the top of this blog.

Students received a safety contract. This is to be signed by student and parent. This is HL #7. It should be brought back tomorrow.

Students spent the remainder of the class preparing a graphic organizer denoting physical and chemical changes.

Interactive notebooks were collected.

Monday, 20 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from videos from the internet, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast physical and chemical changes.
-differentiate between exothermic and endothermic reactions.

The do now was to write an example of a physical change and a chemical change. For each, students should explain WHY it is THAT type of change.

Students reviewed home learning 6.

Students reviewed what is necessary for notebook check 1. Students should have ALL pages pasted in, which includes inside front and back cover, pages 1, 5-10 and a-o. They should have table of contents completed, and paste in the last page of the table of contents. All notes should be done, including the three questions, the highlighted answers, and the summary at the bottom of the page. All home learnings should be pasted in. FInally, they should teach one of the concepts to an adult, and have the adult write what they learned on page K of the notebook, and sign in the appropriate place.

Students watched a BrainPop on the Property Changes. You can watch the video by going to the following site, scrolling down until you reach property changes. Then click the link and enjoy!

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078600510/student_view0/brainpop_movies.html#

Students took notes on physical and chemical changes, which include:

Physical change-changes the form, shape, state, or size of a substance. Tearing paper is a physical change.

A chemical change changes the substance into a new substance with new properties. Burning paper is a chemical change.

An exothermic reaction is a reaction that gives off heat. It releases heat energy into the atmosphere. An endothermic reaction is a reaction that absorbs heat energy from the environment.

You can tell when a chemical change has occurred because:
-color change
-order or smell produced
-solid precipitant formed
-gas produced
-energy given off in the form of light and/or heat.
The home learning is to get the notebook ready.

Since I have not posted pages a-o before, please look under Saturday, 18 September, 2010 to find all pages a-o.

Each group researched and discussed to come up with other examples of physical and chemical changes.

Saturday, 18 September, 2010

Here are the handouts for pages a-o.

Friday, 17 September, 2010

This is HL 6. Please use a sheet of regular loose leaf paper, headed correctly.

Students will be able to:
use information from internet access, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-observe and infer relationships between UV light and radiation.
-analyze the effect of UV light and radiation on humans.
-describe the ways human beings protect themselves from hazardous weather and conditions.
-evaluate the effects of the loss of ozone on the environments of the earth.

As a do now, students were asked to draw the way molecules in solid, liquid, and gas look.

Students then went to the BBC sites and learned about how matter changes form and the states of matter.

Home learning 6 is due on Monday. Be sure to answer all questions. It ca be found at the Top of this blog/

Thursday, 16 September, 2209

Students will be able to:
use information from videos from the internet, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-interpret from everyday examples the states of matter and explain how energy is added or released to change state (i.e. lake, cooking, glacier, snow, clouds or steam) .
-recognize that adding heat to or removing heat from a system may result in a temperature change and possibly a change of state
-describe and illustrate what will happen to the heat and kinetic energies within a glass of ice water if left out in a room vs. being left in a freezer and/or the refrigerator.

The do now was to describe and illustrate what happens to the heat and kinetic energies within a glass of water left out in a room verses being left in a freezer and/refrigerator.

Students watched a BrainPop movies on states of matter and on matter changing states. They learned that:

-solids turn to liquids when heat is added, the temperature at which a solid melts is its melting point. The molecules begin to move faster, and the kinetic energy increases.
-liquids turn to gas when heated; the process is called vaporization.
-some solids, such as dry ice, changes from a solid directly to a gas in a process called sublimation.

Remember science fair plans are due!

Tuesday, 14 September and Wednesday, 15 September, 2010

These are the science fair planning sheets. Please write legibly.

Students will be able to:
use information from lectures and the internet to
-understand how to research a problem.
-write a reference using the ALA or MLA styles.
-write a science fair plan.

Students were in the media center learning about the difference between plagearism, quoteing, and paraphrasing. They also learned how to cite references. All this preparation is to get ready for the Science Fair project. Science fair plans are due Friday.

Students watched a BrainPop movie on Wednesday on Citing Sources.

Monday, 13 September, 2010

This is HL 4. Do both on the same sheet.


This is HL 5. Do on a separate sheet.

Students will be able to:
use information from videos from the internet, supplementary texts, and classroom discussions to
-interpret from everyday examples the states of matter and explain how energy is added or released to change state (i.e. lake, cooking, glacier, snow, clouds or steam) .
-recognize that adding heat to or removing heat from a system may result in a temperature change and possibly a change of state
-describe and illustrate what will happen to the heat and kinetic energies within a glass of ice water if left out in a room vs. being left in a freezer and/or the refrigerator.

The do now was to complete the table on Properties of Matter:

State----Definite Mass----Definite Volume----Definite Shape----Physical Properties----Chemical Properties
Solid
Liquid
Gas

They then received home learnings 4 and 5, which can be found at the top of this blog. While HL 4 and HL 5 should be done on separate sheets of loose leaf notebook paper, be sure that BOTH pages for HL 4 are on the SAME sheet.

Students watched a BrainPop on measuring matter and then discussed the following terms:

Matter-anything that has mass and takes up space.

Mass-the amount of matter in an object.

Volume-the amount of space an object occupies.

Physical properties-properties of matter that are observable and measurable, such as mass, volume, density, color, size, shape, state.

Chemical Properties-those properties that can only be identified if the material is changed chemically, such as a match by burning.

Students also received the remainder of the pages for the interactive notebook. Because the pages are so numerous, they will be posted on a separate day (Saturday, 11 September, 2010). If you loose them, you can check that date to print out new ones. I will stay after school this Thursday to help anyone needing help assembling their notebook.

Friday, 10 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from hands on activities and classroom discussions to
-design an experiment to test heat transfer from one object to another.

Students did an individual investigation using Mexican Jumping Beans. Students made sure to answer the following for the investigation:

-Question: What do you want to find out?
-Hypothesis: What do you think will happen?
-Procedure: Design your experiment. Write the steps for your experiment in the space below.
-Safety Rules: What safety rules do you need to follow during your experiment?
-Data: Create a table, chart, or graph to record your data.
-Conclusions/Analysis: What did you find out? Did your results support your hypothesis? Are your results reliable?

Students must draw a representative of the activity done in class. They should then complete the notes by writing what they learned.

Tuesday, 7 September and Wednesday, 8 September, 2010

Corrected for the definition of wavelength.

Students will be able to:
use prior knowledge to
-take a baseline assessment in science.

Due to a mistake on my part, the 7th graders short story information was incorrect. As a result, you have been given an additional day to work on your stories. Your stories are due tomorrow, with no penalty. However, be sure to adhere to the rubrics you received. I am reposting the rubrics page with the corrected information at the top of this blog.

Students took the first half of the baseline assessment today and will complete the exam tomorrow.

Students will submit short stories tomorrow.

For home learning, design an experiment that would test the observation that an object tends to move more when its warm.

Friday, 3 September, 2010

Remember to follow all directions carefully!

Students will be able to:
use information from text, inquiry activities, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the relationship between heat and temperature.
-design an experiment to demonstrate the flow of heat.

Students took a quiz covering materials covered in class so far, which include the scientific process and heat transfer.

Students received instructions for writing short story one, which is due on Tuesday. The instructions and rubrics can be found at the top of this blog.

Students reviewed the concepts of heat and temperature via BrainPops.

Students updated their interactive notebooks. By now, notebooks should include:
The Scientific Process notes, questions and summaries, cartoon.
Heat Energy notes, questions, summaries, home learning 1, cartoon.
Heat and Temperature, notes, questions, summaries, home learning 2.
Heat, notes, questions, summaries, home learning 3.

We began the GIZMO on heat energy transfer, as a whole class activity. This will be finished after the baseline exam.

Remember, your short story is due on Tuesday!

Thursday, 2 September, 2010

Students will be able to:
use information from text, inquiry activities, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the relationship between heat and temperature.
-design an experiment to demonstrate the flow of heat.

The do now was to list three real world examples of heat transfer.

Students submitted and reviewed home learning 3.

Students viewed and took notes on the BrainPops on heat and temperature.

Students updated the science interactive notebooks.

Wednesday, 1 September, 2010

Please follow all written directions when you do these home learning questions!

Students will be able to:
use information from text, inquiry activities, and classroom discussions to
-compare and contrast the relationship between heat and temperature.
-design an experiment to demonstrate the flow of heat.

The do now was a quick write: Write to explain the difference between temperature and heat.

Students received home learning 3, which can be found at the top of this blog. Be sure to properly head your loose leaf paper. Write only the numerical answer. Do not copy the written statements. Remember, your home learning should be on loose leaf paper, written in blue or black ink or pencil.

Students saw heat transfer in action as they watched a "dancing penny" demonstration and the radiometer demonstration.

Students completed the handout on thermal energy. They also updated their notebooks by pasting in home learning 2 and all other handouts.

Students will paste in all handouts and home learnings at the next class meeting, as well as write their three quality questions and lesson summary.