Blue Moon Tonight- Happy New Year

Don't take me literally! The moon won't actually be blue. Read about the blue moon.
There will also be a partial lunar eclipse tonight, but you will only be able to see it if you happen to be spending the new year in Africa, Asia or Europe!
Read more.
Why won't we see the eclipse here?

Volcano Mayon

There is some interesting stuff happening in the Phillipines with the volcano Mayon.  The CNN link below mentions the Ring of Fire.
 
Click here to learn more.

Teacher Topic:

I hope you enjoyed the movie today. For your Teacher Topic, please reflect on the following:


1. When the kids end up out in the yard, they state that since they are 1/2 inch tall and they are 64 feet from the house, that would be the equivalent of 3.2 miles. How do you think they came up with that number?

2. The kids also state that the relative size of the butterfly's wingspan would be 42 feet in length. How could they figure this out?

3. If the kids were originally about 60 inches tall and they are now, 1/2 inch tall, what scale factor was used to shrink them?

4. If a human was really reduced to 2 inches in height, do you think that our bodies would still be able to function in the same way? Why or why not?

Read and Respond

Read and respond to the nanotechnology article that you were given today.

Aid Memory: Scale

Create something tonight to help you to remember what we are learning about scale.
Ratio Math Challenge

Expand Vocabulary

This week's words:

Relative Scale
Scale Factor
Scale
Proportion
Ratio

Any remaining math task work is due to me by the beginning of class tomorrow!

Math Tasks Due at the End of the Period Monday

Make sure you work on your tasks this weekend!

Work on Math Tasks

Make sure to work on your math tasks for at least 30 minutes tonight!

Lady Lava and Friends

Check out the videos that our students produced!!!!

For our timeline!

Check out this cool website. It should be useful for our timeline!

Trailblazing Timeline

To the finish...

You will have one more hour tomorrow to work on your rock cycle projects. I am so excited about the work I have seen so far. We will have a magazine, a music video, a claymation, and several songs presented on Monday and Tuesday. I can't wait!

Take responsibility for your actions and learning...

I've been a broken record lately. You guys are doing a great job staying on track and on task. Keep it up. Remember that you should have your research completed for your rocks by tomorrow, and you should have begun your word problem.

Begin Unit 3 Tasks and Rock Cycle Project

Today, we began our rock cycle projects by researching rock types and rocks. Students worked with their partners to determine a game plan for the week. They are working on setting their own deadlines to accomplish tasks.

Three Main Rock Types
More on three main rock types...
USGS Search
Type in your rock name and search for specific information about your rock.

Rock Cycle Project

Link to Resources and Website about Rocks
Tonight, please decide on your rock types and begin research.

Order of Operations Continued and One Step Equations Preview

We finished up our review of reducing fractions and continued our work on order of operations. We also previewed the vocabulary and basic concepts neccessary to understand one step equations.

One Step Equation Explanation
One step equations easy practice
One Step Equation Game

Review of Reducing Fractions
Reducing Fractions Practice

Lowest Terms Fractions Game

FRIDAY!!!!!!

I thought our new structure went really well today. Let me know what you think.
Remember, if you want bonus points for your science quiz complete your rock cycle poster or rock identification field guide. Look back at this week posts for links to help with this assignment.
See you next week!!!!

Teacher Topic:

Why is it important to solve problems using the order of operations? Give an example.
Think of something you do everyday that you have to do in a certain order. What happens if you don't?

Read and Respond

You can read one of the articles provided in class or choose your own.
Order of Operations Review and Practice- Easy
Medium Practice
Harder, especially if you can do page 3.
Too hard? Try the TUTORIAL

Aid Memory

Create something to help you remember/review the questions that you missed on your quiz.

Bonus Opportunities- Due by Monday!
1- To make up points for the General Concepts portion of your quiz, you may create a rock cycle poster. It should show the three types of rock and how each rock can become each other type of rock. (+10 points on quiz grade)

2- To make up points for the Rock ID portion of your quiz, you may create a chart that shows the key ways to identify each of the three types of rocks. (+8 points on quiz grade).

Rock Cycle Video
Rock Cycle and Identifying Rocks
Rock Chart
Interactive Rock Identification

Expand Vocabulary

This week's words:
variable
inverse
equation
algebraic expression
isolate

Solving One-Step Equations Sorry about the ad!

Math quiz tomorrow- fractions, decimals, percents!
Long Division Practice

Happy Weekend

Enjoy your weekend. I will be playing soccer and having dinner with friends and reading and relaxing- and playing with Dean, of course! What are you doing?
Dean will be practicing his sliding skills. Check out his progress so far!

Complete Math Tasks

That's all folks.

Read and Respond

Choose any article that relates to math, science or technology.

Article about Acids and Bases- Hint: This will help you understand your penny lab.

Here are some links to help you find articles.
Science News for Kids
Atlanta Journal Constitution
New york Times- Technology
New York Times- Science
Scientific American- Math News
Scholastic News for Kids
Time for Kids
Remember you should have three paragraphs in response to the article that you choose: Issues, Evidence and You.

Aid Memory- Weathering and Erosion- Sinking England

Tonight complete your Aid Memory assignment. Remember, no pneumonic devices!!! Also, make sure to spend at least 1/2 hour tonight working on your math tasks.
Geokids- Weathering and Erosion
Weathering and Erosion Jeopardy

Sinking England

Rock Identification

As you try to identify your rock, you may use the following resources.
USGS Rocks and MInerals Site
Rock Identification Key
Bob's Rock Shop Rock Key

Expand Vocabulary

Challenge- Write a PARAGRAPH instead of connections this week.
Don't forget to draw a picture for EACH word!!!

This week's words:
Erosion
Chemical Weathering
Physical (Mechanical) Weathering
Lithification
Deposition

Remember to bring in a penny and a plastic jar or bottle for this week's labs!

Happy Weekend

Enjoy your weekend. Look out for rocks that might be of interest to the class!
At your request here are some pictures of Dean from Halloween!

For Teacher Topic tonight, you need to find a rock and then use what you have learned the past two days in class to solve the mystery of how your rock was formed. Please write a story describing the journey your rock may have taken to end up in your hands! USGS Rocks and MInerals Site Rock Identification Key Bob's Rock Shop Rock Key

A Day

Today you worked to classify rocks by their formation. Tonight, please create something to help you remember the information that you learned about the three types of rocks. IF you can't remember much about the rocks :)
click to have access to a variety of videos on rocks. There are three 10 minute videos, one on each type of rock!

Expand Vocabulary

E day words:
texture
igneous rock
metamorphic rock
foliated
fraction
percent

Several of you mentioned in your Earth Journals that you needed help with minerals. Here is a 3 minute video on MINERALS.

Happy Halloween

For all of you who celebrate Halloween, have fun this weekend. There is a new poll to the right in regards to how you will be spending your evening! I will be dressed up as a knight with my son who will be playing the dragon! Be safe. See you on Monday. Remember, if you need help with anything, I am here at 7:30 AM on Monday.

Miss you!

I miss you all !!!! I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Mr. Torsch sent me you HW, so here it is.
Student conferences are coming up.  What elements from this class will you use to show what you've learned and how you have improved in MST?  List some goals for yourself this coming term in MST.

E day! Eureka

The words for this week are:
mineral
element
natural resource
product
quotient
divisor

Hope you enjoyed Eureka today. Can you solve the problem that was given? If you folded a piece of paper over onto itself fifty times, how thick would the paper be? How did you solve the problem? How do you know you are right?

Terrific Timeline

The timeline looks WONDERFUL. It is filled with artifacts and evidence from each time period. Come check it out! We will be returning to math tasks on Monday, so get some popcorn and watch some movies to review fractions, decimals and percents this weekend!

Percents Brain Pop Movie
Fractions Brain Pop Movie
Decimals Brain Pop Movie

User Name: ACMS
Password:Science

Printing

If you have something that you need printed, and you do not have a printer, please post the link to the image to the blog. Thank you.

Project Timeline

I can't wait to see your artifacts and hear your presentations tomorrow!

Read and Respond- Fossils

Please read the following and write three paragraphs in response. Issues, Evidence and YOU!
Fossils and Rocks

Fossil Succession

Tomorrow will be your last day to work on Project Timeline with your partner in class. You will have 1 hour. Your items will be added to the class timeline on Friday. Remember you can have at most six- 6" x6" x 6" items. You do not have to have six items as long as the items you do have address the areas on the rubric.

1. Animal and/or plant life during the period
2. Index fossils for the period
3. The condition and makeup of the atmosphere during the period
4. The surface of the Earth and tectonics, include maps

Can't wait to see what you create!!!

Math Tasks and Project Timeline: READ ME

As we move towards the end of term one and throughout the end of the year, we will be expecting more and more independent thought and work from our students. Today, all MST students were given a packet with ten tasks that will be completed over the course of the next three weeks. The tasks require students to use their knowledge of decimals, percents, and fractions to solve problems. In their packet, the students were given a checklist for each task and a rubric explaining the level of thought and quality expected for their completed task. We expect that the students not only arrive at an appropriate solution to each task using mathematical models and problem solving strategies, but that they are also able to defend and justify their thought process and solution.

Some students who felt confident in their prior knowledge of decimals, fractions, and percents began task one today. Mrs. Cannon gave a mimi-lesson on decimals, fractions, and percents for those students who did not feel comfortable with task one. They will begin task one on Thursday or Friday of this week depending on their level of comfort.

If you want to review how to represent fractions, decimals, and percents on a number line, please review the following links:


Decimals on a Number Line

Fractions on a Number Line

Identify Fractions on a Number Line

Converting Fractions, Decimals, and Percents

Check your knowledge. Do you get it?


Homework tonight is aid memory. You can just tell me something that you learned from one of the above links or tell me something that you learned about your time period!

Reminder: Project Timeline is due on FRIDAY. You will have about 45 minutes on Thursday to complete your project with your partner. Make sure you are ready!

Expand Vocabulary

Hope you had a thoughtful experience on the field trip today, but you still have HW. Your words are: sedimentary rock, nonconformity,superposition, and common denominator.

Project Timeline

Students began their timeline projects today in class. Their mission should they choose to accept it (by the way you have to!) is to research their assigned period from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic or Cenozoic Era with their partner and then create items to add to our class timeline. The objects must be able to fit within a 6"x6"x6" cube and should be as creative as possible. All students received a copy of the rubric for the project. It is due on Friday, 10/23!

We also took an assessment in math that covered GCF, LCM, prime factorization and reducing fractions to their lowest terms. Overall, I was impressed with the knowledge that students showed on the assessment.



Bonus: Find possessive pronoun in the today's blog post.

EARTH JOURNALs are BACK

I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend. Now, it's back to work on a new unit! We are moving into Fractions, Decimals, and Precents in Math and Rocks and Minerals in Science.

Homework for tonight:
Expand Vocabulary:
equivalent fractions
relative age
absolute age
numerator
denominator

Fraction Video- Review- WATCH ME

Reminders

If your PPT hasn't been posted yet, please email it to me at scannon@atlantachartermiddle.com.

If you need to revise work or just want help with something we are working on, I am available on Mondays and Fridays starting at 7:30AM.

Remember to bring in your storyboards and source information tomorrow. They will be a part of your project grade.

Thank you!

Tsunamis by Hunter

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

Great Presentations from Today

Excellent Work!!!

F Conner And Z Spencer

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

Rose S. Tsunami

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

Coty And Kynedi Awsome Slide Show

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

It has begun...

The presentations are off to an EXCELLENT start. Today, we learned about trenches, tsunamis, and mid-ocean ridges. Below, you can see Asa's presentation on trenches. I will get the rest up ASAP.

This week we are working on remediation and or enrichment of the skills we have been working on for the past several weeks. Therefore, there is no specific HW, but I do expect each of you to spend some time working on your areas of remediation using the websites I have posted over the last few weeks. Everyone can practice long division! You can also use this week to enrich your knowledge of the topics we have been working on by doing further research or study.

Trenches by Asa

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

Presentations Start Monday

Be ready to present your project to the class on Monday. Who wants to go first?

NPR and GOOGLE Docs

Listen to the Earthquake Story on NPR
Students, please ask your parents if you can set up a gmail account. The account will be used primarily as an access to Google Docs. This will allow you to upload documents that you work on school, so that you can work on them at home as well. It also allows you to share documents that you are working on with a partner. See the info about Google Docs below.


Create and share your work online

Upload from and save to your desktop
Edit anytime, from anywhere
Pick who can access your documents
Share changes in real time
Files are stored securely online
It's free!

PowerPoint Creation

Tomorrow, we will have the laptops all day. Please come to class with your story board ready to be reviewed by Mr. Torsch or me.


If you are nervous about creating a PowerPoint, please review this site. It will show you everything you need to know!
Microsoft Office's Online Course on How to Create a PowerPoint

PowerPoint Dos and Don'ts

Quiz Tomorrow!!!!!! Storyboard due Thursday!

We will have a quiz tomorrow on Greatest Common Factor, Least Common Multiple, and Prime Factorization. You should be able to do the following problems:

1. Find the GCF of 32 and 80.
2. Find the LCM of 18 and 12.
3. Complete Prime Factorization for 68.
4. Write a word problem that requires the use of GCF or LCM.

Prime Factorization Video

Let the Research Begin AND Prime Factorization

No Earth Journals this week.
Instead of Earth Journal, tonight each student will need to complete one internet source sheet on his/her research topic. The students chose the following topics:

Volcanoes:
Robert and Samazie
Naima and Atlantys
Nadia

Earthquakes:
Kynedi
Coty
Pedro

Mid-Ocean Ridges/Sea-Floor Spreading:
Zoe and Fenn
Ella
Alex M.

Mountains:
Alex T. and Griffin
Chermaine and Diamond

Subduction Zones/Trenches:
Asa
Skyler

Tsunamis:
Hunter
Dontavius
Spencer

Review of Prime Factorization

Prime Factorization Self Test- What score did you get?

Google Reader

Students if you have a google account and you follow several blogs, you can use google reader to keep up with them. Check it out at http://www.google.com/reader.

PowerPoints and Dynamic Earth Book Online

This weekend, please decide on the topic that you want to research for your PPT presentation. Also, decide if you want to work with someone else and if so decide on a responsible partner. If you want to propose your own topic, please have the proposal ready by Monday or post to the blog for approval.
Here is the link to The Dynamic Earth book we have been using in class if you want to begin research.

Project Overview Document

PowerPoints and Word Problems

Tonight for Teacher Topic, you will be writing and solving TWO word problems. One should use Greatest Common Factor to be solved, the other should require the use of Least Common Multiple to be solved.

Today, Ms. Dickie shared her PowerPoint on Plate Tectonics. You can watch it again below. Tomorrow, you will receive more information about the presentation that you will be doing for the class. Please think about the topic that you would like to learn more about. You may choose from the following topics:
Earthquakes, mountains, volcanoes, deep-sea trenches, mid-ocean ridges, or a student proposed topic with prior teacher approval.


Plate Tectonic PPT Presentation

Plate Tectonic

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

Greatest Common Factor

Today, we worked on finding the greatest common factors of groups of 2-3 numbers using venn diagrams. Tonight, for homework, please create something to help you remember greatest common factor OR plate boundary information.


Greatest Common Factor Game- How many did you get right in 60 seconds?


Greatest Common Factor Game II

Make sure to return your Jekyll Island and Eureka Field Trip forms ASAP.

Boundary Types

Today, we read and presented on the three boundary types. For HW tonight, students will expand vocabulary for the following words:
exponent Click to watch a brain pop movie on exponents. ACMS, science
square number
convergent Click to watch a brain pop movie on plate boundaries..
divergent
transform
Remember, you need a definition and picture for each worda nd connections or a paragraph for the group of words.

Challenge: Write a word problem that requires you to use greatest common factor to solve it.

FRIDAY and Field Trips

Make sure that you turn in your Jekyll Island Permission Slip if you want to join us for the tip in February... and BELIEVE ME, you want to join us. For more information about Jekyll read below.
Jekyll Island 4-H Center
News from Jekyll: The Story of Boo Boo, Godzilla, and Dory

Teacher Topic

Today we explored two new layers of the Earth, the asthenosphere and lithosphere, by man handling Milky Way bars and then devouring them! In addition, we began to look at the lithospheric plates that make up the crust of the Earth and how those plates interact with one another.

For homework tonight, please read yhe article that was given to you and answer the following two questions:
What evidence did you find in the article to support the theory of continental drift?
How does this article help you to understand plate movement?

Plate Boundary Map and Information

They Might Be Giants

Looks like They Might Be Giants had to do an Aid Memory assignment on the elements.
Click to Play

Read and Respond and Brain Popping + LLLLOOONNNGGG Division

Tonight's homework is to read and respond to a news article relating to science, math or technology.
Science News for Kids
Atlanta Journal Constitution
New york Times- Technology
New York Times- Science
Scientific American- Math News
Scholastic News for Kids
Time for Kids
Remember you should have three paragraphs in response to the article that you choose: Issues, Evidence and You.

Brain Pop Division Structure of the Earth
User Name: ACMS Password: Science

Long Division STEP BY STEP

Quiz Tomorrow!!!!!!

Quiz tomorrow. Study Study Study.
Don't forget to bring in your Jekyll Island Permission Slip. You want to be a part of this trip!


Enjoy the student's powerpoint that was presented on Continental Fit.

Continental Fit

View more presentations from Susan Cannon.

E_X_P_A_N_D Vocabulary

The words for this week are:
greatest common factor
least common multiple
multiple
subduction
plate boundary
sea-floor spreading

We will have a quiz on Wednesday covering the following topics:
Prime vs. Composite Numbers
Finding Factors of Numbers
Mean, Median, and Mode
Evidence for Continental Drift

Students will be presenting their powerpoints on evidence for continental drift tomorrow. We would love to have visitors if anyone is available.

Yes, a Milky Way Bar

Your students will be asking you to buy them a Milky Way Bar. They are telling the truth :). We need the bars for an activity we will be doing relating to Earth's layers this week. It should be just a standard Milky Way bar, not one of the new flavors.
Thank you for your support!

More Long Division Practice

Factors and Multiples Video- Amusement Park

Teacher Topic

Write a speech as Alfred Wegener. What would would you say to your colleagues to make them believe you? Note: Wegener died well before the Theory of Continental Drift was accepted by the scientific community.

Alfred Wegener Video

Scientific Theory

Today we debated what the word theory means in scientific terms. We decided that theories do the following:
They include observations
They are inferred explanations, strongly supported by evidence.
They have been tested many times.
They can be used to make predicitions.

Here is a youtube video on scientific theory.

We also talked about factors and played the factor game.
Click for a Brain Pop review of Prime Numbers.

Login as ACMS, Password- science

Expand Vocabulary

This week's words are:

array, convection, continental drift, Pangaea, decompose

More about the history of continental drift.

Enjoy the Weekend

Have a great three day weekend. Don't forget, if you have a survey question that you want answered, send it my way.

Composite vs. Prime Numbers

AAA Math- Prime vs. Composite

Prime Numbers

View more presentations from Taleese .

Teacher Topic for Tonight:
Construct Arrays for the following numbers:
17,16,24,31 Bonus:91

Perfect Portfolios and a Play on the Horizon

Tonight, we are suspending Read and Respond homework, so that students can complete an extra portfolio entry. If your parents would like to come in and view your portfolio, please have them stop by or email me to make an appointment. Congratulations, to some of our students who will be preforming at this Friday's morning meeting. Zoe wrote and is directing a play about mean, median, mode and has enlisted a troupe of actors from the class. It should be quite a experience. Come check it out!!!

More Portfolios and Multiplication War

Today we completed our Density Lab, played three rounds of multiplication war, and worked on portfolios. Remember, that automaticity with math facts will help you to be more successful in higher order math skills. If you were unsure of your multiplication facts today, you can review at the following sites:
Math is Fun (Here you can practice particular tables that you might have trouble with, ex. 9s or 8s)
AAA Study, Scroll down to the section that says Practice
Gamequarium, several different types of games with multiplication.

What's an asthenosphere?

Remember to Expand your Vocabulary tonight. You need a picture and a definition for each word and connections or a paragraph for the group of words. This week's word are:
asthenosphere, lithosphere, prime, composite, tectonic (lithospheric) plate.
Check out the Visual Glossary at the USGS (United States Geological Survey) for this week's science words.

Bravo!

Great work this week on pulling together your portfolios for the first time. They look wonderful. I know some of you wanted to practice long division. Here is a some information on long division if you like.

PORTFOLIO, PORTFOLIO, PORTFOLIO

Tonight you should be putting the finishing touches on you portfolio pieces. I can't wait to see the finished products!

Are we preforming for Friday Morning Meeting this week?

What do you guys think?

Read and Respond

Tonight's homework is to read and respond to a news article relating to science, math or technology. Please find an article that includes a GRAPH for this week. Here are some sites that you can use to find your article.
Science News for Kids
Atlanta Journal Constitution
New york Times- Technology
New York Times- Science
Scientific American- Math News
Scholastic News for Kids
Time for Kids
Remember you should have three paragraphs in response to the article that you choose: Issues, Evidence and You.

Earth's Density

Today, all students graphed the density of the Earth's layers in Excel as a part of their portfolios for unit one. Click for more information on the Interior of the Earth.
Information about Graphing in Excel
For HW tonight, students are creating a Memory Aid for the topic that was hard for them on the quiz or with their new vocabulary. The words for the week are:
scale
interval
outliers
analyze
rubric
survey
Students, be ready to work tomorrow. We have a lot to do by Friday!

Portfolios

This week, we will be working on pulling together work that shows how students have met the standards. By the end of the week, each student should have the following required submissions ready for their portfolios:

• A graph comparing the temperature of the Earth at various depths from the crust to the inner core.
• A graph displaying the density of the layers of the Earth. (We will complete this in class this week.)
• Construct a graph comparing/contrasting the thickness of each of the layers of the Earth.
• Two survey questions for a chosen population, appropriate sample size, and appropriately constructed graphs for those questions.
• Examination of variation for at least two of the above graphs.
• Mean, median and mode of at least two of the above graphs.


Brain Pop - GRAPHS
User name: ACMS Password: science

Frequency Table Practice

Data Picking GAME

Show What You Know

Next week, you will be working on portfolio entries to show what you know about the standards that we have been working on so far. Over the weekend, think about how you are going to show your knowledge and level of mastery of the following standards. We look forward to hearing about your ideas!

S6E5: Investigate the scientific view of how the Earth’s surface is formed.
a. Compare and contrast the Earth’s crust, mantle and core including temperature, density and composition.

M6D1: Students will pose questions, collect data, represent and analyze data.
b. Using data, construct frequency distributions, frequency tables and graphs.
c. Choose appropriate graphs to be consistent with the nature of the data (categorical or numerical). Graphs should include pictographs, histograms, bar graphs, line graphs and line plots.
d. Use tables and graphs to examine variation that occurs within a group and variation that occurs between groups.
e. Relate the data analysis to the context of the questions posed

Quiz Tomorrow

On Friday (tomorrow!), we will have our first quiz which will assess the skills and knowledge we have been working on for the first two weeks of school.  The quiz will require you to know the difference between categorical and numerical data, understand the layers of the Earth and how they compare to each other in terms of temperature and thickness, and recognize and be able to interpret graphs (line graph, stem and leaf plot, line plot, bar graph, pictograph and histogram).

Mean, Median and Mode Practice

Vocabulary Word Crossword Graphing

Review of the Structure of the Earth

How does the temperature of the Earth vary with depth?

Today we grappled with graphing the Earth's internal temperature versus depth.  All the students completed their graphs and analysis.  There were definitely some points of frustration along the way.  Next week, we will explore using Excel to make tasks such as these easier!  

Developing a Common Language

Today we completed our pre-assessments and reviewed the vocabulary for the week.  The students worked in groups to act out or draw pictures to represent the words we learned.  The skits and images were extremely creative.  We have a very talented class.

We are working towards having a common language in the classroom, so that we all know that when we use the word categorical we are referring to questions whose answers can be sorted into groups.  We are not using the term to mean clear and evident as in the sentence, "I have categorical evidence that she murdered my sister."  

One student gave us a hint today on how to know if a question will result in categorical or numerical data.  He stated that categorical questions usually have stems such as "How," "Who" or "What", while numerical questions usually have stems such as,  "How many," How much," or "When"?  

Post an example of a question that would give a numerical answer and one that would give categorical data.  

For homework tonight, students will create something to AID THEIR MEMORY.  They have the requirements for this assignment in their EARTH Journal.  Whatever they create should help them to remember what we are learning in MST (graphing, structure of the Earth, types of data, mean, median and mode).  

Linear Function Applet 

Test Your Knowledge of Graphs

Try the Mean Machine- I Mean It!

Welcome to Week 2

I enjoyed reading the EARTH Journals and learned a lot about our student population.  A small number of the students asked questions about stem and leaf plots.  I think that this is a representative sample of the class and that other students probably have the same question, so here is some more information on stem and leaf plots:

Stem and Leaf Plot Explanation and Practice
Interactive Stem and Leaf Plotter

Remember tonight's homework is to Expand Vocabulary for the following words: numerical, categorical, population, frequency, sample, mean.
We look forward to seeing your pictures and hearing your definitions and connections tomorrow.
A student asked this question today.  Click to find out about the temperature on the sun.  
How does the temperature of the sun compare to the temperature of the Earth?

How Am I?

As we finished our first week of school, we took some time to reflect on our progress so far. In only one week, we have journeyed into the Earth, analyzed and discussed six types of graphs, and gotten to know each other a little better. Next week, we will continue to explore these topics and delve into more detail. The students will also be creating their own graphs. The EARTH Journal will continue next week with new words and new things to remember. Mr. Torsch and I enjoyed our first week with you all, and we look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Teacher Topic

Chocolate was on our minds again today as we graphed individual and class totals of each color of M&M.  We also discussed mean, median, and mode.  Try the activity below to review.  Tonight's homework is a T day, TEACHER TOPIC.  Tonight, the Teacher Topic is as follows: Compare and contrast the Earth and  a Peanut M&M.  How is each layer alike and different?  Write your response to the Teacher Topic in your journal. For more information on the Structure of the Earth. Click Here

Read and Respond

I am so excited about the A day assignments from last night!  We were lucky enough to be serenaded by Zoe, and we got the pleasure of hearing poetry and reading cartoons about the parts of the Earth and graphs.  I can't wait to see what next week brings.  

Busy is the theme for the week!  Today we read about the layers of the Earth and charted the characteristics of a peanut M&M and the Earth.  Tomorrow, we will be comparing them to each other and looking for trends and patterns in the characteristics of the layers of the Earth.  Tonight for HW, each student should be writing three paragraphs about the article that they read in class.  They were given requirements for their paragraphs in class.  

We also learned what a cross-section is today, so don't be surprised if all your fruit ends up cut in half :)

Aid Memory: Organizing and Remembering

Today we worked to answer the essential question: How does the way we organize data influence how we understand and remember it?  For HW tonight, A day, the students will create a tool to organize information that AIDS their memory (concept map, pneumonic, song, etc.).  We looked at several examples in class today.  We also explored the difference between a line graph and a line plot.  

More information on concept maps. 

http://www2.etown.edu/bap/Resources/conceptmap.pdf

More on mnemonics. 

http://www.betterendings.org/Homeschool/Fun/mnemonic.htm

Line Plots:

http://www.highpointsmath.com/SiteMap/LinePlot.html

Line Graphs:

http://www.highpointsmath.com/sitemap/LineGraph.html

We had a busy, busy first day of class.  The students learned how to do their E day homework in their EARTH Journal.  They will do the E day assignment for the following words: core, mantle, crust, density and composition.  Each student was given a red folder in which to keep their papers and two composition books (EARTH Journal and LABS).  The LABS composition book will live at the school.  Each student also received a syllabus to read over and have signed by their parents.  Mr. Torsch and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone.  See you tomorrow. 

Welcome

Welcome to Math, Science, and Technology class.  Mr. Torsch and I are looking forward to spending this year exploring with you.  Since we focused on vocabulary today, please post one of your favorite vocabulary words.   Also, make sure that you vote in the survey on the right of the page.