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

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Science Fair extension dates

The school science fair was changed from 4/11 to 4/15. Therefore, students that did not have a chance to present their Science Fair projects on the due dates will have another chance to do so on 3/8, 3/9, & 3/10. Presentation will be 2 minutes.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Weekly Reminders - 3/18/13

LAST WEEK FOR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS. A reminder for students in grades 5-8, this is the last week for Science Fair Projects. If you wait for last minute to do your project, I may not be able to grade your project because of time. Students will get a 0 for the 4th quarter if a project was not done before Easter break.

3/20 - Parent-Teacher Conference - 2-7 PM.

322 - Easter Break following dismissal

8th Grade - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bB-J7V21vxs1T6KLuppQNsofLhxJtNnYljJhoF8zlrE/pub
Homework:
3/19 - LL - Questions and answers:
What is a sphere?
How is it different from a circle?
Where is the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?
Where is the equator?
Where are the North and South Poles?
What are the names of the seasons?
How are the seasons different from one another?

3/20 - LL - Questions and answers

What is an axis?
Does the Earth tilt?
What does the Earth orbit?
How does the Earth rotate?
How can we act out axis, tilt, orbit, and rotate?
What is the name of the North Star?
Where does the Earth always tilt towards?

3/22 - What is the difference between direct and indirect light?
How does direct and indirect light affect the temperature of the
Earth?
How big is the Sun compared to the Earth?
When are the two solstices?
When are the two equinoxes?

7th Science - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k_ZfIhQSfLCQIPdY-CQ-SGvYRNpdNaIdYf7MhKIFRXg/pub
Homework:
3/19 - Copy and define vocabulary words in NB. Use a dictionary or web to define words.
3/20 - On LL - Write one (1) page and describe how the Earth's other inner layers, the mantle and the core, are related to the lithosphere.
3/22 - Write a statement using the vocabulary words in NB

6th Science - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qiQIRxsdGmoothu1ZxBVrhmWrvOsbx206HrQBZElKik/pub
Homework:
3/19 - Define vocabulary words in NB.
3/20 - WB p. 277. # -12. Questions and Answers on LL.
3/22 - In NB - WB p. 279. Draw the diagrams and answer the questions.

5th Science - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1478mE3nJtJLyzx8gK9W-gJq6hqtREZd2ZtwhLoIKoHM/pub
Homework:
3/19 - Copy and define vocabulary words in NB
3/20 - LL - WB. p. 53 # 1-12. Questions and Answers.
3/22 - I NB - p. A 78. Draw and label parts of a flower.

6th Social Studies - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YdJBtHWSbs0cye1d9CHurN9usY2AS0c12iOQ731JUuU/pub
Homework:
3/19 - Vocabulary words in NB. Chapter 14
3/21 - LL - 4 paragraphs (6-8) sentences. What conclusions can you make about life in Asia from the information in lesson 1. On what facts did you base your conclusions.
3/22 - LL - Textbook p. 397. Think About It # 1-4

5th Social Studies - 3/18/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cabKo-mN9h5aC3M1br1HizVAHRuy_PryFBVofTIVBbU/pub
Homework:
3/19 - Vocabulary Words in NB
3/21 - Textbook p. 434. # 1-5 on LL
3/22 - Thinking About Vocabulary p. 434. # 1-10 in NB

Sunday, March 10, 2013

8th Science - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1naWR9609JKzb_1cy1dXDR5DXNlHxsLimSd4ZaPydQT8/pub
HOMEWORK:
3/13 - Use the following questions to create and develop a power-point presentation. Do not plagiarize and must be able to present without reading from the slides. 5 -10 slides. 2 minutes limit.

What is the celestial object researched?
What does this celestial object look like?
How big or small can this celestial object be?
When and how did we discover this celestial object's presence in our solar system?
Where in the galaxy is this celestial object typically found and/or how can we detect this object in the night sky?
How does this celestial object affect life on Earth?

3/14 - Big 8 Review - p. 142 - 143. # 2, 3, 4. Complete questions and detailed answers on LL

7th Science - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b_T92me2o5yV1GxveMDN017SuepDpYJWKEgG7ZICcr4/pub
HOMEWORK:

3/13 - Create posters showing what the Grand Canyon looks like today and what it looked like when one of its layers was deposited.
3/14 - Write an essay on how the Grand Canyon was formed. 2 pages typed. double space using 12 font in black ink.

6th Science - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s4zqowDp-KKUTuYyg6lgYX3GcvpAe2lOIgveJB8K5jE/pub
HOMEWORK:

3/13 - On LL - Use the Internet for assistance in answering the following questions:

1.	What evidence is presented to indicate that memory is a biological process that can be controlled?
2.	Under what circumstances might it be appropriate to manipulate human memory?
3.	It is easy to imagine the influence of genes in the expression of traits such as height and weight. Discuss how much genes influence non-biological traits such as habits, gestures and personalities.
4.	Explain how your DNA is like that of flies, paramecia or flowers.
5.	How do genetic research and our further understanding of DNA bring us closer to solving the "riddle" of life?
6.	Decide whether or not genetic research should be regulated. If so, how?

5th Science - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G0JaM16tUb5-PeZ7jjYd2_WXbIRfIYCF6gQ7jlrVe_o/pub
HOMEWORK:

3/12 - ON LL - Write out and answer the questions on LL.
1. Did prehistoric animals have the same habitat needs as modern animals?
2. How culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions?
3. How human actions modify the physical environment?

3/13 - Essay "How does human activity affect the environment - 2 pages written or typed.

6th Social Studies - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aoHWKZLGakauYrZQIiAGDZA8jMDqPKLss4Xd7-Ca0mo/pub
HOMEWORK:
3/12 - LL - 1. Identify achievements of the Aztec.

2. Describe the major achievements of the Aztec empire.

3. What geographic features might have drawn the Aztec here?

3/13 - Write a one page journal entry telling what a young Ojibwa did on a typical day.

3/14 - Text p. 447 Summing up the Chapter on LL

5th Social Studies - 3/11/13

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HHSMgeOaC_AVLB9Va_pRrEWas_kKDWxIJ7VP4RIrP9M/pub

3/12 - Vocabulary words listed on separate post. Copy in NB

3/14 - On LL - Write a detailed and organized essay using following questions and class discussions as a guide:
State whether it's necessary and fair to require men over the age of 18 to register for the draft. Should women also be required to register? Is the draft a fair way to recruit people during a time of war? Was the draft a fair method of selecting people to fight in Vietnam?
3/18/12 - On LL - Answer the following questions. You can use the Internet for information.
Compare and contrast the public attitude toward the Vietnam War with that toward Desert Storm. Then consider what the legacy of the Vietnam War is. What has Vietnam taught us?

5th Social Studies Vocabulary words for 3/13/13

1. domino theory	Belief that if one country fell to communism, neigboring countries would likewise fall.
2. Vietminh	Common name for the League for Independence of Vietnam.
3. Geneva Accords	A 1954 international conference in which Vietnam was divided into two nations.
4. Viet Cong	Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam.
5. National Liberation Front	Political arm of the Viet Cong.
6. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution	1964 congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam.
7. land mine	An explosive device planted in the ground.
8. saturation bombing	The dropping of a large concentration of bombs over a certain area.
9. Agent Orange	A herbicide used as a chemical weapon during the Vietnam War to kill vegetation and expose enemy hiding places.
10. napalm	Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks during the Vietnam War.

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