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

Thursday, November 12, 2009

REMINDERS

On November 17th and 18th (next week) the 5th grade students will be taking the New York State Social Studies Exam. They need pens and pencils.

Map of the Month is due 11/30/09

Monday, November 9, 2009

11/9/09 - Weekly Vocabulary Words.

1. Renaissance - a period of great cultural and artistic rebirth in Europe.

2. Astrolabe - an instrument used to find direction by the stars.

3. Mayflower Compact - a form of government written by the Pilgrims for the
Plymonth Colony.

4. Elevation - the height of land above sea level.

5. Almanac - a reference book that contains information about the stars and the
weather.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

8th Science - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_79khqhqgfc

Monday - Big 8 Review p. 174, # 1+ 2 on LL due 11/12

7th Science - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_84gkrqp8c7

HOMEWORK:
Monday - Research the ice age and glaciers and how they have affected the Earth. 2 pages typed. due 11/13

6th Science - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_83mhhrxsdz

HOMEWORK:
Monday - LL - Use the following words in a complete sentence. Underline the word and skip lines for each sentence. due 11/10

1. crust
2. plate tectonics
3. epicenter
4. seismograph
5. fault
6. focus
7. continental drift
8. sea-floor spreading
9. lava
10. aftershock

Tuesday - LL - How destructive is an earthquake? Use pp D24-D25 and the Richter and Mercalli Scale for comparison. You can also use the internet. 1 or more pages. due 11/13

5th Science - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_82fj44d5dm

HOMEWORK:
Monday - Workbook p. 145 1-15 on LL. Questions & Answers. Skip lines. due 11/12

6th Social Studies - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_81gvmcjwdg

HOMEWORK:
Monday - Students write an essay on LL (2 pages) on what type of covenant God made with Abraham, Moses, and Noah. due 11/12.
Thursday - 5 questions on LL will be given in class.

5th Social Studies - Week of November 9th, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_80f97d5b7c

HOMEWORK:
Monday - LL - Describe Thanksgiving in the United States and how do you celebrate Thanksgiving. due 11/12. 2 pages
Thursday - Homework to be determined.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Vocabulary Words - Week of November 2nd, 2009

1. Alleles - different forms a gen may have for a trait.
2. Allulvial fan - triangular deposit of sediments that is formed when a river empties from a mountain valley out onto a flat, open plain.
3. Atherosclerosis - cardiovascular condition resulting from fatty deposits on aterial walls, which can clog blood vessesl and interfere with blood flow.
4. Antigens - proteins and chemicals that are foreign to the body.
5. batholiths - largest intrusive ignesous rock bodies that form when magma cools underground before reaching Earth's surface.

8th Science - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_77gc8wz2fj

Monday - Big 8 Review - pp. 161 & 169 due 11/4
Wednesday - In notebook, chapter 8 vocabulary words. due11/6

7th Science - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_76fd88ffc9

Monday - Researh- 11/2 pages(typed)- Why some plants grow better in humus-rich soils. due 11/4
Wednesday - Research how farmers can improve the quality of soil by planting legumes. 11/2 pages typed. due 11/6

6th Science - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_75m5j7qfp5

Monday - In Notebook - Chapter 8 vocabulary words. due 11/4
Wednesday - On LL - p. 199 - Draw diagrams and answer questions. Questions & answers due 11/6

5th Science - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_74hrg6xxdd

Tuesday - On LL - Chapter 7 - Lesson 1 & 2 vocabulary words in NB. due 11/5
Thursday - On LL - WB p. 135 & 136 questions and answers. due 11/6

6th Social Studies - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_73crs7ftcc

Monday - On LL-p.94+ - Make a conclusion about the variety of goods available in ancient Egyptian cities. What evidence can you find in lesson 4 to support your conclusion? due 11/4
Wednesday - On LL - Suppose you are a scribe in ancient Thebes. Write a letter to the owner of a large farm. Tell him or her what goods to send to your city. due 11/6

5th Social Studies - Week of November 2nd, 2009

http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw24msz_78ddtc5sc5

Monday - On LL - How did the meeting between the Taino and Christopher Columbus changed the world. Chapter 6 - due 11/4

Wednesday - On LL - Suppose you were there at the first meeting of Columbus and the Taino. Describe the meeting from the point of view of a Taino.

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