Mrs. Ramsey Blog - Where Science and Technology come ALIVE!: December 2015

Monday, December 14, 2015

Weekly Reminders - 12/14/15

12/14 - 12:00 DISMISSAL

12/15 - Grades 5-7 to the Cloisters

12/17 - Students need to bring in small plastic bags to pack their books safely in the closets for Christmas break.

12/18 - Lessons and Carols in the AM followed by class Christmas Party

5th Grade students won a $30 Dominoes gift card for having the most points in Achieve 3000 Science class. It will be used to order Domino pizza on 12/18 for their Christmas Party.

TO ALL OUT STUDENTS AND FAMILIES: WISHING YOU A VERY SAFE AND BLESSED HOLIDAY SEASON!

8th Science - 12/14/15

12/15 - Find an experiment online and complete the following experiment on typing paper. It must be neatly, completely, correctly, full of details and information. If the project is not done correctly your grades will reflect the outcome.

PURPOSE: How do earthquakes form

HYPOTHESIS: If earthquakes ............ then,

MATERIALS: must include materials

PROCEDURE: at least 5 steps

EXPERIMENT: Use drawings and diagrams to show experiment

RESULT: 4 sentences

CONCLUSION: 6-8 sentences

7th Science - 12/14/15

12/16 - Type up the following Cell Experiment. NEATLY! We will do the experiment in class and finish the result and conclusion.

PURPOSE: What are the structures of a cell

HYPOTHESIS: If cells make up all living things, then cell must have specific structures in order to divide

MATERIALS: clear cup; raw chicken egg; paper towel

PROCEDURE: 1. gently break egg without breaking the yolk
2. Take out thin film from inside of egg shell
3. Observe the shell, thin membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus

EXPERIMENT: In class you will: Draw and label each part of the egg cell

RESULT:

CONCLUSION: in class

6th Science and Social Studies - 12/14/15

12/15 - Copy or type the following Scientific Methods on Volcanoes: NOT in NOTEBOOK

PURPOSE: How do volcanoes form?

HYPOTHESIS: If volcanoes form ..............., then

MATERIALS: materials you used for your project

PROCEDURE: List the steps you took in building and showing how the project works

EXPERIMENT: Draw and label your project- the different parts of your project

RESULT: did it erupt or what was the result (4-8 sentences)

CONCLUSION: summarize your experiment (6-8 sentences)

Free Scientific Method and recording sheet for your next science experiment:

Free Scientific Method and recording sheet for your next science experiment:

5th Science and Social Studies - 12/14/15

12/15 - On loose-leaf or typing paper, copy the Scientific Methods. Leave

PURPOSE: How does the Water Cycle work?

HYPOTHESIS: If water is recycle or renewed, then water is constantly moving in a circle

MATERIALS: clear jar, clear plastic, hot water; shavings of ice; small rock, rubber band

PROCEDURE: 1. Fill jar with 1/4 cups of hot water
2. Put 3 TBSP of ice shavings in the hot water
3. Cover with clear plastic by placing rubber band around the jar
4. Place small rock on top of plastic cover.

EXPERIMENT: (You will draw your observation in class)

RESULT: in class

CONCLUSION: in class

Free Scientific Method and recording sheet for your next science experiment:

Monday, December 7, 2015

Weekly Reminders - 12/7/15

12/11 - Full day of school this Friday. Regular Dismissal at 3:00 PM. Friday is FULL DRESS UNIFORM DAY - just like the first day of school.

12/14 - Monday - HALF-DAY - 12:00 Dismissal

8th Science - 12/7/15

8th grade, MAKE SURE your homework is handed in when due. Place notebooks on the table.

12/8 - In notebook, copy and answer the questions completely
1. Where are earthquakes located?
2. Name the three types of fault.
3. What is a strike-slip fault

12/10 - Why is a seismic record from three locations needed to determine the position of an epicenter? in NB

7th Science - 12/7/15

MAKE SURE your homework is handed in when due. Place notebooks on the table.

12/9 - In NB - Draw and label an animal cell

12/11- What is the cell theory? Name the cell theory in NB after explaining what it is.

6th Science and Social Studies - 12/7/15

SCIENCE

MAKE SURE your homework is handed in when due. Place notebooks on the table.

12/8 - In Notebook - Describe in your own words how the Earth's layers were formed. You can use the internet or your text.

12/10 - Write paragraphs explaining the reasons why earthquakes and volcanoes tend to occur on plate boundaries in notebook.

SOCIAL STUDIES

12/9 - In notebook - Why was religion important to the ancient civilization? Use text or internet.

12/10 - REMINDER THAT VOLCANO AND EARTHQUAKE PROJECTS ARE DUE THURSDAY!

12/11 - Compare and contrast monotheism and polytheism. NB

5th Science and Social Studies - 12/7/15

SCIENCE

MAKE SURE your homework is handed in when due. Place notebooks on the table.

12/8 - In notebook answer the following question:

Which members of a population are more likely to be eaten by predators? Why do you think that is? Write out questions.

12/10 - Handout: Worksheet on the water cycle.

SOCIAL STUDIES

12/9 - In Notebook, copy and define the following vocabulary words - astrolabe; compass; maps; sextant

12/11 - In Notebook - How and Why did Europeans came to the New World

Friday, December 4, 2015

WEEKLY REMINDER - 12/4/15

12/11 - HALF-DAY NEXT WEEK FRIDAY IS CANCELLED. THERE WILL BE A FULL DAY!

12/14 - THERE WILL BE A HALF-DAY ON MONDAY 12/14.

Events in History - 1/9 - 1/13

January 9
Connecticut entered Union, 1788 (5^th)
Mississippi seceded from the Union, 1861
President Richard M. Nixon was born, 1913
January 10
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was published, 1776
London's Metropolitan; World's first underground railway, opened to the public, 1863
The League of Nations established 1920
The Holocaust began, 1933
January 11
Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury was born, 1757
Alabama seceded from the Union, 1861
Major League Baseball (American League) adopted the designated-hitter rule, 1973
January 12
Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I died, 1519
The Alamo, a Franciscan Mission, was built, 1722
The first public museum in United States (South Carolina) established, 1773
January 13
Hood resigned as commander of the Army of Tennessee, 1865
Hubert H. Humphrey, former vice president, died in Waverly, Minnesota at age 66, 1978
Air Florida jet crashed in Washington, D.C., 1982
The Beatles US album Yellow Submarine was released, 1969

Scientific Method

Rules to follow in using the Scientific Method when experimenting.

Steps of the Scientific Method
Detailed Help for Each Step
Ask a Question: The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
And, in order for the scientific method to answer the question it must be about something that you can measure, preferably with a number.
Your Question
Do Background Research: Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.
Background Research Plan Finding Information Bibliography Research Paper
Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work:"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."
You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way to help you answer your original question.
Variables Variables for Beginners Hypothesis
Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.
You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.
Experimental Procedure Materials List Conducting an Experiment
Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if your hypothesis is true or false.
Scientists often find that their hypothesis was false, and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis starting the entire process of the scientific method over again. Even if they find that their hypothesis was true, they may want to test it again in a new way.
Data Analysis & Graphs Conclusions
Communicate Your Results: To complete your science fair project you will communicate your results to others in a final report and/or a display board. Professional scientists do almost exactly the same thing by publishing their final report in a scientific journal or by presenting their results on a poster at a scientific meeting.

Rules to follow when using the Scientific Method when experimenting.

A message from the Holy Father on Advent and Christmas

On the first Sunday of Advent, Benedict XVI reminded the faithful that Christmas is about God who "comes to be with us."The Holy Father's comment was heard by thousands who had gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus. He highlighted the significance of Advent as a time to prepare for the celebration of Christ's birth."In Advent, the liturgy often repeats and assures us, as though seeking to defeat our mistrust, that God 'is coming,'" the Pope said."He comes to be with us, in each one of our situations; he comes to live among us, to live in and with us; he comes to fill the distances that divide and separate us; he comes to reconcile us with himself and with one another," the Pontiff said.God, Benedict XVI added, "comes in the history of humanity to knock on the door of every man and woman of good will to offer individuals, families and peoples the gift of fraternity, concord and peace.""Therefore, Advent is par excellence the time of hope, in which believers in Christ are invited to remain in vigilant and active expectation, nourished by prayer and by a concrete commitment to love," the Pope said.

Why do we eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

Although juicy and tender butterball turkeys are the main cuisine of today's Thanksgiving celebrations, these birds were NOT the most popular centerpieces on the first Thanksgiving tables.
In 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians celebrated the first Thanksgiving, they were gobbling up many more foods than just turkey. Since lobster, goose, duck, seal, eel, and cod were plentiful during this time, these foods were most likely the main courses of this first feast. Deer meat and wild fowl are the only two items that historians know for sure were menu of this autumn celebration.
So how did the turkey become the main mascot of modern-day Thanksgiving if we don't know for certain that turkeys were at this first feast?
One story tells of how Queen Elizabeth of 16th century England was chowing down on roast goose during a harvest festival. When news was delivered to her that the Spanish Armada had sunk on it way to attack her beloved England, the queen was so pleased that she order a second goose to celebrate the great news. Thus, the goose became the favorite bird at harvest time in England. When the Pilgrims arrived in America from England, roasted turkey replaced roasted goose as the main cuisine because wild turkeys were more abundant and easier to find than geese.

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Mrs. Ramsey

Mrs. Ramsey Blog - Where Science and Technology come ALIVE!