Mr. Lance's Science Blog

Day 5, 6, 7, 8--Unit 4

2008-11-05T19:59:00.002-05:00

It seems I have lost steam here--I had such great plans to post every day.

Well, lets catch up on the class lately. We are studying the periodic table now--looking first at what is found in every box on every table--atomic number (number of protons), atomic mass (the average of all the mass numbers of all the isotopes found in nature), the symbol, and the name of the element. Students have this down pretty well. We have been drawing the Bohr models of the isotopes and writing out the nuclear notation for any given isotope. Pretty impressive stuff, I'd say. We took a quiz on the 25 elements I had given them two weeks ago when we started the unit. The average was about a B, but many students got A's and even a few A+'s.

Now we will talk about the groups and families on the chart, and about periodicity, how the properties of the elements repeat themselves periodically throughout the chart. We are also coloring a chart in lab--two weeks on this and then we will have a test on it worth 50 points. Time is moving fast, though. Only two and a half weeks until Thanksgiving break.

SJ.

Day 1,2,3, 4--Unit 4

2008-10-27T21:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to our new unit on the periodic table and the elements. I apologize for being behind here--nothing to blame except my absent-mindedness. Our newest unit is starting well. Students made flashcards and did two homework assignments so far. The flashcards are on the 25 elements that I want students to memorize. They need to know names and symbols. Knowing atomic number is optional. We took a practice quiz in the O section and they did pretty well.

The 27th, today, is actually my birthday. Colleen Duran of the S section bought me a cake, which was so nice, and we ate it together, all 30+ of us. Yum. Mrs. Nolan cut the cake up into the appropriate number of pieces, which was amazing using her plastic knife.

So, what are we learning right now? Isotopes and atomic mass, atomic numbers, protons, neutrons, electrons. It is mostly new, so I consider it a tough unit. On day 4 I showed students how Hydrogen has three isotopes, each only different because of how many neutrons they have. We looked at how the atomic mass is an average while the mass number is a whole number (the number of protons plus neutrons).

Tomorrow, the 28th, is the big vocab test 1. There is a practice test online--lets home many, many students are using it to get ready.

Sweet justice.

Lab 6--Density roundup

2008-10-20T19:46:00.002-04:00

We did a round the lab trip for density stations this week, the seventh week of school (thus the 6th lab). We saw moth balls in vinegar get raised with air bubbles, saw that hot water is less dense than cold water (with a density ball--a ball with a density very close to 1 g/cc), ranked cylinders from least dense to most dense, and tested antifreeze concentrations. I had students wear safety goggles and aprons, which they don't like that much, but which is much, much safer and better practice for a scientist.

Sweet j.

Lab 5--density

2008-10-20T19:45:00.001-04:00

Catching up a bit with labs . . .

Lab 5 was a density lab where we computed mass and volume at 8 different stations. It was the first chance to use the new digital scales. It was also the lab where one was stolen. Yikes. Now I only have 7.

Not so sweet j.

Day 4, 5, 6--Unit 3

2008-10-20T19:39:00.003-04:00

Well, where did the time go? How did I get to day 7 already in class, but I haven't blogged days 4, 5, and 6 yet?

I will blame the magazine dance, as well as my wife running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this weekend. Both kept me off of my game after school, so to speak, the time when I normally devote a bit of time to this blog.

I will also blame the YouTube/Google connection at school which prohibits me (for some reason) from connecting and uploading pictures. I have a video from the O section to post, but cannot get it on. I will persevere.

Day 4 was a bit different for each section. The W, L, and S sections got to see the vacuum pump in action, showing how Boyle's law works. As the pressure around the outside of the marshmellows/peeps/balloons got less, the volume increased. Pressure up, volume down and vice versa.

For the O section, this was dry ice day--finally I was able to put together a system that actually created dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) in class. I made bubbles with it, put it into acetone, tried to freeze a bouncy ball, and all in all showed how sublimation looked. It is a bit confusing to know that when you see a cloud or fog, you are not seeing a gas, you are seeing the condensation in the air. Tricky.

Sweet justice.

Day 3 Unit 3

2008-10-13T23:24:00.003-04:00

Studying phase changes is not quite as interesting as it might sound :) Actually, depending on the demonstrations I am doing that day, it isn't so bad. On this particular day, the thrill was simply talking about how a toilet works, which, on the hole, isn't actually a phase change, though it does involve at least a couple of phases, and sometimes all three.

The principle we were looking at was how a siphon works. It is actually pretty amazing to watch when a siphon takes over. I have a tantalus cup in class that shows the basics behind the siphon tube in a toilet's bowl. When the siphon is completely full of water, it drains itself and the bowl. Pretty slick.

SJ.

Day 2 Unit 3

2008-10-13T23:20:00.002-04:00

I have started a new tradition (assuming it lasts) of letting students work on that night's homework while the homework for that day is checked. Mrs. Nolan and I like the system so far. First, it reduces the workload for our overworked students. Second, it is a quiet time where I am sure that students are actually reading the material themselves and attempting to answer the questions themselves. This is so important. On parents' night I talked about our effort as a team to reward and encourage effort above sheer ability. I think that students want to make the effort but too much HW curtails their attempt and makes them take shortcuts. This is a little way to pay into that system of rewarding effort.

SJ.

Day 1 Unit 3

2008-10-13T23:16:00.003-04:00

Ah, the start of a new unit. You can almost feel the excitement in the air. Or maybe that is the smell of mothballs from this week's density roundup lab. I can't tell, myself, being colorblind.

This unit is on solids, liquids, and gases. What are their main differences and what are their similarities? First, they are all just different phases or states of the same substance. For water, the substance we know the best for these three states, it is easy to tell differences in volume and shape.

I also talked about the fourth (actually the fifth) state of matter: plasmas. The first state of matter, from least amount of thermal energy on up, is Bose Einstein Condensates. Have fun reading about them.

SJ.

Day 14 Unit 2

2008-10-13T23:12:00.003-04:00

I am rapidly falling behind on my goal to blog everyday. My apologies.

This was test day. Not really a fun day like I try to usually have, but a necessary one. Test scores overall were good, I thought. Some students need to spend more time studying, especially taking my online practice tests.

SJ.

Day 13 Unit 2

2008-10-13T23:11:00.002-04:00

Day 12--Unit 2

2008-10-07T21:01:00.003-04:00

I don't have an agenda to post--mainly because I am not able to upload from school right now. This was a bit of a filler day--a day to let me adjust the test date and to show and discuss a good film on the properties of matter. I collected the worksheet, which allowed us to discuss the properties of gold and carbon--how a diamond is different and the same as graphite.

Because of this adjustment day, I got to postpone the test so that no students took it directly after the weekend. Flexibility is good.

Sweet justice.

My thoughts on parents night

2008-10-07T20:57:00.002-04:00

Wow. I could not believe how many parents showed up on Thursday. Amazing. We counted, and we had 58! That is 58 out of 102 possible parents--well over 50%.

Thank you to all of the parents that stopped in--I wish I had more of a chance to speak to each of you, but I am glad that I got to present both my wonderful team of teachers and the things we are trying to do to connect our students and bridge the gap to the high school as well as the way that I teach science.

I am also glad that in all four presentations, I got the glassware/jenga tower of imminent failure to actually work--not breaking one thing. Whew!

Sweet justice.

Day 11--Unit 2

2008-10-07T20:52:00.002-04:00

So, this was an interesting day--another chance to look at inertia with the jenga blocks, but mostly a chance to look at energy transformations. Energy comes in many flavors, so to speak, electromagnetic, kinetic, potential, chemical, thermal, electrical, and many others. Each form can become the other forms, and understanding this is an important leap for all students of science. But it is not an easy one. We spent some time looking at how the energy from the sun becomes the energy we need to turn a page in a book. Most students were able to come to the understanding that photosynthesis is part of this, a very important part. Without it, we'd have almost nothing to show for all that energy that hits the earth.

Sweet justice.

Lab 4--measuring mass and volume

2008-10-01T22:02:00.002-04:00

Today was the final day of our fourth lab where students got to use triple beam balances, digital scales, and graduated cylinders to measure mass and volume. All week the students did well, and got to practice some of the things we have been studying in class in a hands on way. I did lose two beakers to the lab (broken) and one of my digital scales disappeared (I hope it is just misplaced), but I consider the week a success. Students had to pay an OWLSbuck if they did not leave a station the proper way--it did wonders for the lab stations, honestly. I used to charge points, but this method is so much better--it doesn't hurt a grade, but it does reinforce something I think is very important--proper care for equipment. That goes beyond science.

Sweet justice!

Day 10--Unit 2

2008-10-01T21:56:00.004-04:00

Well, tomorrow is parent's night. I am hoping for a big turnout, but I'll be happy even to speak to a room of four. It is always an energizing night for me, to make a connection with my student's parents.

Today in class was a day for adhesion and cohesion again. I filmed a small clip in the L section, but it is on my computer at school waiting to be processed. I'll post it soon. The video is of me putting a diaper in a large beaker and watching it absorb all of the water (well, actually about half of it) with the sodium polyacrylate that is inside it.

Here is the video of the diaper from the L section:

I also showed surface tension (a physical property) and stretch heated glass (another physical property). Tomorrow will be an inertia day, a more interesting day I think for students as I have an activity to get them involved.

Sweet justice.

Day 9--Unit 2

2008-09-29T12:55:00.005-04:00

Most of today was taken up with the density column project--I explained it, handed out test tubes, and everyone went to their lockers to deposit them. So far, only one is broken. I am charging a dollar if it is broken, which seems like a lot to me, but I feel it is necessary to impel students to make sure they take care of them and bring them back. My return rate in the past was about 80% (when it only cost 50 cents). Of course, back then a gallon of gas was $1.20.

We also went outside with spectroscopes and got to see how color can be measured, using numbers (the wavelengths of light in nanometers) to show which specific colors are given off by a source. The sun gives off them all (we did not look directly into the sun), while the room lights give off five bands.

I also stuck the DVD case on the cabinet using only water. Last year it stayed up the whole year. I can only hope!

Sweet justice.

Day 8--Unit 2

2008-09-29T12:53:00.005-04:00

I did some demonstrations today. For your education, here are two of them. First is the impermeability demo with the S section:

Next is the flame test demonstration with the W section. This gets a little dark. I am filming from a small webcam set up with a ringstand, so it works actually better than I expected.

Sweet justice.

Day 7--Unit 2

2008-09-29T08:36:00.008-04:00

Here is the agenda for today:

I will start posting these, as it gives an insight into what I planned for the day. It isn't much help for homework, as each section has their days on different days of the week, but for a student that missed or wants to look back, I think it will work ok. Thanks for being patient while I figure out the best way to use this blog.

This was fair week, btw, so I didn't give any homework. Next week, I will give the density column assignment, which is actually fun and educational, whereas much HW is not fun but educational, and some HW is so little fun it cannot hope to reach the level of educational.

Sweet justice.

Day 6--Unit 2

2008-09-24T14:59:00.002-04:00

Another day like yesterday, filled with measurements and discussions of how they are done correctly. Today, the goal was to make sure that students could use a graduated cylinder correctly--first, fill it to 10 ml, then measure the volume of 3 orange plastic marbles. They put their data on the smart board, and we ran out of time to discuss it. One common error was to forget to subtract their original volume. This is called the displacement method because the water is displaced by the volume of the object measured.

Day 7 will bring some discussions of this, and then review of some properties of matter.

Sweet justice.

Day 5--Unit 2

2008-09-24T13:41:00.002-04:00

Today was a hands on day in science class, a chance for students, in pairs of two, to work with a triple beam balance and come up with data, then to put it into an excel file on the smartboard. Here is a sample screenshot of the data.

Coming soon . . . the file won't upload at school :(

This process went very well--it was an excellent way to learn how to use a triple beam in preparation for next week's lab activity.

Lab 3--metric review

2008-09-20T14:40:00.002-04:00

In today's lab the students are measuring various objects--a lab table, a metal box, a floor tile, an open door, etc. I am finding out if they remember how to measure correctly and to round to the nearest millimeter. Not a tough lab at all. Students are not terribly happy that I assign their groups, but it is such a better method than letting them choose their own. They focus better and ultimately learn more.

Sweet justice.

Day 4--Unit 2

2008-09-20T14:33:00.002-04:00

Today was another density/sig fig day. We began going over homework, taking notes about how density is calculated. Density = mass/volume, with the units of g/ml for liquids and g/cc for solids. Water's density is 1.0 g/ml. You can find out if an object is less dense or more dense than water by placing the object into water. If it floats, it is less dense. If it sinks, it is more dense. We dropped bouncy balls and homies into the water and watched the magic.

Next we moved on to calculating with sig figs. When you add or subtract, you round the answer to the same place value of whichever of your numbers has less places. When you multiply or divide, you round to the sig figs of whichever number has the fewest. Watch this video to help you better understand, and also to blow your mind.

Sweet justice.

Day 3--Unit 2

2008-09-18T14:58:00.005-04:00

Today we played a density game. First, I got several boys up in the room and gave them different color spheres which were all the same size but different masses. I had them line up from least dense to most dense and then timed them. Next the girls went and we compared times. Each section had different results. Next I gave them cylinders with the same mass but different sizes--harder! Same rules for lining up (in both cases a mistake cost five seconds). Finally, the last challenge used five objects but I gave them no heads up--which section could go the fastest? The S section had a group go in 15 seconds, the O section in 16, and the L section in 17. Very commendable results.

Following this we worked on sig figs again. Sig figs are important when you measure and use calculations based on your measurements. The rule of thumb is that your answer can't have more sig figs than the term you use that has the least. Complicated? The students are amazing me with how well they pick this up.

Sweet justice.

Day 2--Unit 2

2008-09-18T14:58:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well, another exciting day in science class. We discussed our homework, which included the concept of mass and weight--what is the difference? The difference is that weight is the force of gravity acting on mass. Your weight can change, but your mass remains the same regardless of where you go. We also discussed volume measurements, noting that cubic centimeters (cc) are used for solid volume while milliliters (ml) are used for liquid volume. One cc is equal to one ml.

We next started learning about significant figures (sig figs) by watching the worlds greatest sig fig video. Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Enjoy!

Sweet justice.

Unit 2--Day 1

2008-09-16T20:16:00.002-04:00

Today we started unit 2 on the properties of matter. I had assigned HW 1,2,3 from the study guide to be completed after the test prior to class. We went over this HW, which included three main concepts: the difference between a physical property and a chemical property, the difference between an element and a compound, and the difference between a mixture and a pure substance.

To show the physical vs chemical difference, we talked about a piece of paper--what are some properties of it? Color, bendability, weight, mass--these are physical because you don't have to change the substance to note them. The flammability of the paper is a chemical property, because as it burns, it becomes a new substance.

We looked briefly at the periodic chart and could see that hydrogen and oxygen are elements which water (H2O) is a compound which has vastly different properties than either H or O. We talked about ratios (2 parts H to 1 part O for water).

Next we discussed the difference between a heterogeneous mixture and a homogenous mixture. Milk is a great example of both. Homogenized milk is all one color--well mixed--while milk out of a cow is heterogeneous. I also showed students my six year old milk which I keep in a cabinet. Yuck. Salt water is a mixture because it can be separated by simple physical means--there is not a special formula for salt water as there is for salt or water alone. You can prove this with a simple distillation process (or simple evaporation).

Class ended with me burning magnesium in the fume hood to show a dynamic chemical change as it turns into magnesium oxide. Where does the oxygen come from?

Sweet justice.

Unit 1--Day 11

2008-09-16T20:14:00.002-04:00

Today we took the test. I arranged for this to be an online test--all done in the media center, each student on a computer. The test shuffles the questions and answers, so there is little chance of peeking, but the best part is that the feedback for the test is immediate. Students know right away how they did. Overall, I was impressed. The average score was about 56 out of 71. This could go up if the students had all taken advantage of the fact that there were practice quizzes online which mimicked the format of the test itself.

So, unit 1 down, unit 2 on the properties of matter to come. Sweet justice.

Lab 2--the paper tower challenge

2008-09-11T19:41:00.002-04:00

My first year teaching 8th grade science (12 years ago) I introduced this paper tower challenge to my classes. The idea is this: you get one piece of paper, 30 cm of masking tape, and an unlimited amount of attempts to see how tall you can build a tower that stands freely for at least a count of five. The W section went today. My grade was only on effort for this--for participation, really. It takes some outside the box thinking and an ability to work effectively with someone else. I choose lab partners for my students using a round robin method. Over the course of the year, each student will work with each other student in the lab approximately 3 times.

I used to allow students to pick their own partners, but this fails for a couple of reasons. One, it is important that students learn how to cooperate with a diverse population, not just their current friends. Second, the students are more focused when they work with a partner NOT of their own choosing. Third, for some students, it avoids a very awkward moment when they realize no one wants to work with them.

This lab gives me a chance to get to know my students better--I get to walk around and talk with them, get a sense of how they think and react to a challenge, and how well they work in a small group.

Sweet justice.

Unit 1--Day 10

2008-09-11T19:35:00.003-04:00

Today was a day for review--we went over the review homework, using Scottie and Chipper's special seat picker, then got out the computer response pads and everyone answered questions about the unit from the smart board. The system is amazing. If you are a parent, I wish you could see what an amazing tool this is. I don't use it everyday--but for review it is great for both focusing and for everyone getting to participate equally. The question is posted on the board and then students answer by pushing the appropriate button. I run the review as a bit of a game--the top seven students in the room get an OWLSbuck each. Each question is worth 20 points and the first correct answer gets an extra 5 points.

The test for this unit will be taken in the library. This is a unique way to do it, and provides instant feedback to the students--no waiting to find out their score. They also immediately see their incorrect answers and, ideally, learn from their mistakes. Taking it this way makes the review online even more valuable. Parents, please encourage your son or daughter to take advantage of this tool in Moodle.

Sweet justice.

Unit 1--Day 9

2008-09-10T20:34:00.004-04:00

There are some things that students may say about my class that may not be true. They may claim that I let them watch a bunsen burner for a couple of minutes while we listened to a SpongeBob song. They may say I have a monkey collection, and a homie collection, and a paper hole collection. They may say that an electric burner caught on fire in science today when we were making popcorn for an educational learning experience about scientific inquiry. If they are in the O section, that last one is true.

We did learn a lot about scientific inquiry. We posed a question, created a hypothesis, then came to an understanding about our manipulated variable (independent), our responding variable (dependent), and our control variables (everything we did not allow to change during the trials). From there, I experimented and had students watch our for my wrongnesses. (Apparently that actually is a word--the spell checker is not catching it). I messed up a lot, which was my goal actually. One of my goals is to make class so enjoyable that it flys by, that you forget it is actually education. I don't always achieve that, but I often do. I think I did today.

Sweet justice (or today, salty justice).

Unit 1--Day 8 part 2

2008-09-10T20:29:00.004-04:00

I missed writing about this day yesterday--we were in the library learning how to use some of the etools that we have for science this year. Along with my moodle page, we have an online version of our textbook and access, at least for a while, to a site called explorelearning.com It is awesome--it uses gizmos to teach basic concepts that we cover all year long. I really want us to use it this year as much as possible, and convince the district that we need to renew the license.

The moodle page has so much--I post the unit study guide and have many a practice quiz and text there to use. My practice tests are VERY similar to my actual tests, and students that take the time to use them do very well for me.

And of course, I have my blog here. I hope that you find it useful.

Of note today was doing the cheer in the library. The S section did it with two fingers so we could be extra quiet. I also discovered that someone stole one of my monkeys--it was actually the monkey that Hunter brought it. It is being ransomed off for $1,000,000 OWLSbucks.

Sweet justice.

Lab 1--Safety Lab

2008-09-08T20:08:00.002-04:00

Lab 1 is not the most exciting lab of all time, but it is an important one nonetheless. We talked about rules and I showed how to use the fire extinguisher, the fire blanket, the eye wash station, and the protective eyewear. We also watched a video that was made in the 70's--Accident at Jefferson High. I love this movie, and can almost recite the entire thing from heart. Watching it 8 times a year (at a minimum) pays off.

Remember kids, be careful, and proceed with caution. A science lab can be a dangerous place.

And keep those science rules in your binder.

Sweet justice.

Unit 1--Day 8

2008-09-08T20:04:00.002-04:00

I am using a new convention for referring to the days in class. Because of our half-group schedule, it can be confusing to talk about days. A day for the S section in class might be completely different than for the O section, and so on . . .

So, on Day 8 for unit 1 I took the classes to the library. My goal was to show the students all of the resources I provide for them--there really is a lot. I showed them how to access the online textbook, how to get to my moodle page, how to take practice quizzes, how to get to this blog, and also how to get onto explorelearning.com. Each is an important part of a rapidly changing environment in the classroom, though none is essential to doing well in my class.

Check out your resources, use them often. They will pay off.

For now, sweet justice.

The Second Week

2008-09-07T20:29:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well, we are well on our way now, aren't we? The second week is done. For the most part, the tools charts are finished and most of the homework for the section has been completed. Has anything out of the ordinary happened yet? Of course.

In the L section, I accidentally sent a piece of blue paper up into the fume hood where it was ripped to shreds and apparently is still stuck to the fan. That is hush, hush, though. All of the sections got to see me try to teach the difference between an Erlenmeyer flask and a Florence flask. I created Earl and Flo, and almost universally, I would say my students now know. Once I get access to my school computer, I'll post a pic of Earl and Flo for you.

Unit one is almost done--I expect to start testing at the end of this week. Keep yourself ready with my moodle practice quizzes. Yee-hah!

Sweet justice.

Day 1 - 4 2008-2009

2008-09-02T14:19:00.002-04:00

Well, this year is off to a quick start. Today in science class, we covered our books. It took a bit longer than I anticipated, but now these books will last that much longer , as they have super strong paper covers. The book socks too often are too small and don't protect the books as well as the paper does.

Last week went very fast. We got to play a game in class on Thursday where I held up a tool and the students came up with names and uses without knowing the real one. It is based on a game called Balderdash where you use vocabulary terms for the same thing.

More work tomorrow on the tools.

Sweet justice.

Short Circuits

2008-04-10T13:49:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick lesson on short circuits. It isn't so funny, but I think it explains it well.

Sweet justice.

My Apologies

2008-04-09T21:21:00.002-04:00

Well, for anyone that has been stopping by lately, I have been absent here. Not just here, but at school, where the past couple weeks have been a blur of sickness. Starting on career day, when I got the flu, and until today, when the doctor diagnosed me with a sinus infection, and including yesterday, when I ended up in the ER with a bleeding eye (my son accidentally poked me playing basketball) I have been sick like dog.

In class we are wrapping up electricity. The test is Monday, which seems soon, but I think the students are going to do pretty well. Don't forget there is an online practice test at my moodle site. Use your resources!

Sweet justice.

Static Electricity

2008-03-19T19:05:00.002-04:00

Well, we have been having fun in class lately learning about static electricity. I wish there was a way to show how great everyone's hair looks during my happy hair demonstration, but I will not put student pictures/videos on the internet. Still, I do have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to let you in on the fun. Here are two videos I did pull off using my Smartboard (which I love). Both show a simple principle of statics with a small amount of animation. I am really working toward being able to video myself in class more effectively and reliably. The webcam should work, but does not :(

Enjoy the two lessons on statics.

Sweet justice.

The O section Cheer

2008-03-10T11:19:00.002-04:00

Here is the O section on a Monday morning doing the third marking period cheer. Sweet justice!

My assessment for the unit on heat (it was three days long) was a video worksheet. It is a lot less stressful than a quiz or test, and allows me to move ahead to static and current electricity.

SJ.

Experimenting with Youtube

2008-03-09T08:52:00.002-04:00

In my quest to find out which types of technology are actually useful for teaching, I am posting class videos to Youtube. I will still link to them here.

Here is a video of the W section cheer, along with our class mascot Rilly

Here is my discussion of the drinking bird with the L section.

Thanks for stopping in!

Sweet justice.

Einstein's discoveries

2008-03-05T08:22:00.003-05:00

Here is a short clip showing our class discussion on Einstein's famous equation E = mc2.

If you have any ideas for other things I can share here, please let me know, either with a post or an email. Thanks for stopping by!

Kinetic and Potential Energy

2008-03-05T08:19:00.002-05:00

Here is a chance to experience first hand (or is it second hand?) my lesson on the pendulum, showing how the mechanical energy stays the same while the kinetic and potential energy (ME = PE + KE) vary.

Day 113 - 114

2008-02-28T15:04:00.002-05:00

Well, I am disappointed. Somehow I managed to delete a video file of me presenting the concept of kinetic and potential energy (and their relation to mechanical energy) to the S section. It was 13 minutes of amazing teaching, but now it is deleted and no longer exists. I can only guess that somehow I failed to save it, but I don't know.

We continue to study energy--today I talked about Einstein's theory of relativity with the O section. Here is a video clip on time dilation:

Here is a link to a fun interactive twin paradox activity. Very mind boggling, but proven true (mostly).

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/hotsciencetwin/

Day 112 - 113

2008-02-26T17:19:00.002-05:00

Well, now we start to learn about Energy. Our first lesson is all about potential and kinetic energy. I used a mousetrap today to help distinguish between the two. Potential energy is stored energy, ie when the moustrap is set, the energy is in the spring. Kinetic energy is moving energy. So, then the mousetrap is sprung, there is the moving mass or KE.

We also watched a short video on my childhood hero, Evil Knievel. Why he was my hero is a mystery to me--how can you be so reckless? But we looked at some of his jumps and saw that the had the most KE on the ramp before he left and the greatest GPE (gravitational potential energy) in the middle of his jump when he was the highest.

The L and O section had this lesson today, the S and W sections will have it tomorrow. They both just completed the step lab on power. Each student finds their weight in Newtons (not pounds), and uses that to see how much power they can generate. Right now Reed and Alyssa in the S section are leading. I got 163 watts today, which is ok. The faster you step the better (power is how fast the energy is delivered). I looked up trivia on Lance Armstrong--he average 223 watts in his last Tour de France win. Astounding. Ask your son or daughter to show you how we did the actual measurements and calculations--you could do this at home pretty easily. Power does not come cheap.

Sweet justice!

Day 110-111

2008-02-24T22:31:00.003-05:00

My mind is slipping as I get older . . . and I am forgetting to post right away when I get home. My bad.

The last two days, before our snow day on Friday, were spent getting ready for the simple machines/work test. The last day was a day of review--we ate apples, using a compound apple peeler/corer/slicer that Mrs. Nolan gave me last year. I let Scottie Pippen choose the students who got to eat the apples. The device has levers, screws, inclined planes, wedges, a wheel and axle, but no pulley. I guess you can't have them all!

Then we watched a fun video from Japan showcasing a complicated Rube Goldberg way to make ramen noodles. We enjoyed it very much in class--I hope you can enjoy it at home as well!

The test is Monday, and then on to energy! Sweet justice.

Day 108

2008-02-19T17:56:00.002-05:00

In my last post I spoke about my disappointment with homework. As a partial solution, I have changed my HW policy (at least for now). Now, students will receive 5 "free" points just for doing their homework (it has always been 10). The other five points will now come checking the answers for two questions that I consider relatively basic--pulling information from the reading that students at this level should be able to do. Each of those questions is worth 2.5 points. Any student who gets 10 points for their HW will also get part of the OWLSbuck pot for that day, which is now set at 20 OB. So, if only one student gets 10, she will get all 20 OB's.

My hope is that the level of motivation will rise. With Mrs. Nolan's help in class, we can check these problems relatively easily, students can know their HW score right away, and perhaps the level of concentration will increase. Honestly, I think some students just write whatever for these answers, knowing that credit is for completion only. So, the student who wrote "coconuts" for the total amount of power spent lifting a 10,000 N box 10 meters in 2 seconds got the same credit as the student who knew the answer was 50,000 watts.

Simple machines is almost done and then we are on to energy. The test is Friday--students should be studying now! The test is online and ready to go. Check it out.

Sweet justice.

Day 106

2008-02-14T20:44:00.002-05:00

Today was all about machines. In the O, L, and S sections we covered all of the ways that machines make work easier--changing the direction of force, changing the distance the force operates, and/or changing the magnitude of the force. We played the Scottie Pippen Homework Game, but for the O and L sections it is getting very old for me--so many of the students simply either do not do their homework, or they put little or no effort into getting the information from the book.

My goal with homework is to have students learn to access the information on their own, before we discuss the concepts in class. That is how it works. For some students, who take the homework seriously, their comprehension is strong. When they don't understand something, they are more attuned during class to make sure they learn that item. They can ask appropriate questions. Too often, though, students don't take ownership of the information. They give up before they try to really answer the questions. I wish I had an answer for how to motivate students more.

In the W section we completed the levers and work lab. In this lab a meter stick is used to balance weights, and the distances that they balance is compared. It turns out the the work for each side must be the same, so that the distance x the weight on side a equals the distance x the weight on side b. Amazing, I think, that it works out so well. These students did well at the lab and finished with time to spare.

Sweet justice.

Day 105

2008-02-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

Today was an early dismissal, PSSA 8th grade writing day, and for me, tour day at Three Mile Island. For me, it was a dream come true, a chance to see from the inside how a nuclear reactor works, and to see such a historic place like Three Mile Island was amazing. Mr. K-rebs, Mr. Neumann, and Mr. Neumann's student teacher got to tour both reactor 1, the reactor currently in operation, and reactor 2, where the accident from 1979 happened.

First, the people at TMI are awesome. Sarah Moody's mother is the human resources director and she hooked us up with this awesome tour. The security was the first thing I noticed, with guards carrying semi-automatic weapons, secure areas with razor wire and gun towers. Once inside, we got to see the turbine (pronounced turban) room, the generator, the steam pipes (which operate at 1000 psi), and most amazing of all, the control room. We actually got to go into the control room for a couple of minutes. This is an incredibly secure area--the concerns for terrorism are very high--and there is no way in except through the tour we got.

Perhaps most amazing of all was the tour we got of reactor 2. On March 28, 1979 at 4:00 am a faulty valve stuck open and through a series of events the reactor core was allowed to overheat. Though no one was hurt, the nuclear industry was changed forever. It was an event that shook the entire world, and from what our guides told us, shook the industry for the good. Now, so much training goes on that a similar incident is near to impossible. We stood in the control room where it all happened; I saw the valve itself. It was eerie, very unlike museums I have been in where I see something, where I feel very removed from it.

As we left, I felt so thankful that I got this great opportunity. The weather was getting bad so we left before we had a chance to eat lunch, but it did not diminish my feelings that this was the best field trip I have ever been on. My hope is to bring in a guest speaker from TMI who can share insights about the industry and perhaps encourage some of my students to consider a career in nuclear science. With concerns for global warming, this is an industry that is going to be very important to us to curb our reliance on fossil fuels.

We took a picture in the control room that I will post as soon as I get it.

Very very sweet justice.

The Bed of Nails

2008-02-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here is an in-class demonstration of how a bed of nails works. I hope you learn something!

The Doctor Visits the L section

2008-02-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

Here, finally, is the final footage of Doctor Monkeysare Awesome visiting the L section, his last stop on the Archimedes tour. It was a longer visit than the other sections got--I think he felt guilty they had to wait so long for his Awesomeness.

Here you go:

Day 102

2008-02-07T20:07:00.001-05:00

Testing today--the W, L, and O sections took their unit 7 test on Pressure. All that I know so far is that the average for the multiple choice was 16 out of 25--not stellar, but it could be worse. The L section had homework from the next unit on simple machines, 8-1a,b and 8-2a.

The S section did the buoyancy lab today--I was impressed with their ability to show that Archimede's principle is true. And they cleaned up their mess very well. Kudos to the kiddos.

Sweet justice.

Day 100 - 101

2008-02-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

I was out on Day 100 because my daughter Anna was sick. I came back in today and started off in the L section with a visit from Doctor Monkeysare Awesome. That video will be posted asap. I need an adapter cable so that I can do this from school, because by the time I get home my kids keep me too busy (I have four all 10 and under).

The L and O sections got ready for their test tomorrow on Pressure. I was impressed with the O section and their practice test taking with the clickers. We did a fun pressure activity using a large piece of plywood and several balloons. I think we got 5 people (about 500 pounds) to stand on about 15 balloons. Pretty amazing. I tried to pop a balloon while sitting on it and accomplished nothing.

The W section completed a buoyancy lab. Mr. K-rebs and I revamped it today and it is a winner, at least I think so. The students put marbles into sealed jars and using overflow cans measured how much mass the water that came out had. It should equal the weight of the can according to Archimedes principle. Usually, it does, as long as the students are careful when collecting the water.

The S section took their Unit 7 test. It will be a couple of days until these are graded. I am hopeful for great things.

Sweet justice!

Day 99

2008-02-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

Pressure is wrapping up. Today, with the W, O, and S sections we went over the last of the homework, took the last of the notes, and saw just a couple of good demonstrations. The best from today is the bed of nails, where I took my hand and pressed it as hard as I could onto a small bed of nails. I took a video of this during the S section which I will post soon. By the end my hand was bleeding, but not too bad.

The L section is a day behind. They still have not seen the special visitor for his special song. I got a bit annoyed with them today as they complained about taking notes in class. I give notes when I think it will help students concentrate better and learn the material better. We'll see soon, as the test is Wed for the S sections and Thur for everyone else.

Sweet justice!

Doctor Awesome Visits

2008-02-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

Here are the video files from Dr. Awesome's visit--each had its own flavor. Enjoy! Or at least, please tolerate.

The famous doctor visits the W section:

The infamous doctor visits the O section:

The fambulous doctor visits the S section:

Day 98

2008-02-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

What crazy weather. Where is the snow? We had a two-hour delay today, so I lost the L-2 section when 1st period was dropped. The L-1 section did their pendulum lab in 35 minutes. I was very impressed. The OWS sections all covered lesson 7-5 on pascal's principle, where a force on a fluid is spread throughout the entire fluid, allowing hydraulic devices to work. We took some notes, went over homework, and had a challenge to blow up a long yellow bag before I did. My record was 7 seconds, and the fastest in the classes took 28 seconds. The trick was to use Bernoulli's principle and create low pressure in front of the bag by blowing hard but standing back. Pretty neat trick.

Dr. Awesome's video is coming soon. I realized I had the wrong cable at school today. I will work on it later tonight. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Sweet justice.

Day 95 - 97

2008-01-31T19:51:00.000-05:00

I missed a couple of days of school. It was probably confusing to the students, because I was actually there but I didn't teach. Instead, I was getting trained to help administer the school's new website. I learned how the site software worked and now I can help update sites. You can check out the new OWLS team page there with a winking owl. See if you can get there on your own; it shouldn't be hard :)

Today three of the sections did the pendulum lab: the S, W, and O sections all did a great job figuring out which of three things could change the period (swing time) of a pendulum: weight, how far back you pull, or string length. I won't spoil the surprise for the L section tomorrow in case anyone stops by to read this.

For the L section, Dr. Awesome tried to stop by today but an intruder drill stopped him. Yuch. He'll have to stop by on Monday (tomorrow is lab day). He was just about to sing when the announcement came on. In the meantime, the students studied buoyancy and Archimedes' principle. We went over HW and took notes.

Sweet justice.

Day 94

2008-01-28T15:19:00.000-05:00

This was Archimedes' day. We had a guest visitor, Dr. Monkeysare Awesome, who shared his popular song, "Archimedes" about the famous mathematician who discovered that the weight of the fluid displaced by an object will equal its buoyant force. The good doctor did an excellent job of sharing his insights, and for the most part the students did a good job of not heckling. As soon as I can I will post video clips of his visit.

Sweet justice!

Day 93

2008-01-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

Well, this was a bad day, kind of like the song. I was sick all day and finally, on the way home, I had to pull over and take care of business. I caused some rubber-necking, I think. Hopefully, no accidents.

In class today we discussed pressure some more--this time fluid pressure. With fluids, the particles individual forces all add up, producing a force in all directions. So, with water for instance, if you are under the surface, you will feel pushed on every square inch of your skin. In the meantime, the inside of your body pushes back out, equalizing the pressure, balancing it out. We talked about inverse variance and direct proportions. Elevation and pressure vary inversely, while depth and pressure vary directly.

More fun on Monday when Dr. Awesome pays a visit. Hopefully, we can capture him on camera.

Day 92

2008-01-24T15:05:00.001-05:00

The first day of third marking period, the second half of the year. Overall, I think it was a good day. In the W, L, and O sections we had day 2 of pressure. We learned that pressure depends on force and area, specifically, force/area. The units for pressure are either psi or pascals. If area is held the same, pressure goes up as force goes up--this is a direct proportion. If force is held constant, pressure goes down as area increases--this varies inversely. I demonstrated a balloon in a bottle, showing how the balloon stays inflated if I close the hole in the bottle once the balloon is blown up. The air pressure cannot get back in. I assigned 7-2a and 7-2b for homework.

In the S section, we did the bouncy ball lab. They did an excellent job, though I'm not sure they enjoyed the lab questions on the worksheet. And I still have all four raquet balls I started with. Yee-hah!

I also introduced the new cheer today. Much more complicated than the last one, and a lot louder.

Sweet justice.

Day 91

2008-01-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

The last day of the marking period. Halfway. Whew!

I started pressure with the L and O sections today. It wasn't a terribly exciting class--a short video on why the Titanic sank, and then some time to work in class. It helped students get their HW out of the way.

In the W section we did the bouncy ball lab, a lab that explores the difference between how well different types of balls bounce. We used 8 different bouncy-type balls and recorded the height they bounce back up to after being dropped from 100 cm, 70 cm, and 40 cm. Then the students graphed their results and took the papers home to answer the questions on the back of the worksheet.

The S section did their second day on pressure, Unit 7. We went over HW, took notes, and worked on the next HW assignment. I showed a simple demo of a balloon in a bottle. There is a hole in the bottom and it makes for a magical thing, when the balloon stays inflated even though it is not tied off! Amazing to see.

Sweet justice.

Day 90

2008-01-18T14:41:00.000-05:00

This is the halfway mark for the year. Amazing. Today was a lot of online testing. The L, W, and S sections took their test in the library on the computers. It is a very cool way to do it--they can find out their scores immediately, as well as the ones that they got wrong. No waiting or worrying. It really is the way to go when I can pull it off.

The O section did the mirror star lab. Almost everyone got their graph printed without problem. A couple will have to come in next week.

I'm on my way to visit my family this weekend. A long drive to Indiana (600 miles).

Sweet justice.

Day 89

2008-01-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

This was a great day--Outsiders day, Greasers vs Soc's, the preps vs the hoods. When I get a couple of pics of the teachers I will post them. I wore my high school letter jacket that I got in 1985 and a wig that made me look both 10 years younger and like a fool.

In class today, the W and S sections started pressure. The new study guide is posted on moodle. I assigned HW 7-1a and 7-1b but gave time in class to finish. We watched a short video explaining why the Titanic sank, talking about the upward force of buoyancy and the pull of gravity becoming unbalanced.

In the O section we took the online big vocab test in the library computer lab. It was hard; only a couple of students got B's. You can start studying for the next test now--get out all of the words and start to learn them.

The L section took their Unit 6 test today. I have no scores to report, but the W section had a much higher average than the last test on unit 5. That makes me happy.

It is snowing today. Sweet justice.

Day 88

2008-01-16T20:56:00.000-05:00

Test day! The O, W, and S sections all took their test. I have graded the W section tests and the O section tests are almost done. So far, I have been happy with the scores. The average in the W section was a C+; it is hard to complain after my worry yesterday that the scores would be dismal. Now, on to pressure.

The L section has their test tomorrow after they did the mirror star lab today. They did well, did a good job with their graphs, and no one gave up, no matter how hard their first attempt was. Starting next week, we will be round-robining the groupings in lab, so that everyone gets to work with everyone else again. It will refresh things for us.

Sweet justice! Big vocab test tomorrow for the O's, Friday for everyone else.

Day 87

2008-01-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

The S section did a good job with the mirror star lab today--though only a few bested my record of 11 seconds and no errors, a few did, and everyone finished with time to graph. A couple tried the OWLS maze challenge, but no one won a Penny Hardaway folder.

The W, L, and O sections all reviewed. I must say it was a sobering day for me. I am almost always happy, and I held onto that reserve today, but it became clear very quickly that the OWL sections have a long way to go before tomorrow's test (Thursday for the L section). Yikes! We used the clicker system (a handheld response system) and students did, well, poorly. The average in the W and L sections was just at 60% correct for the 20 multiple choice questions we went over. The O section got just over 70%, but even that isn't so good. I will hope that everyone studies for the test. Please?

Sweet justice for those that do and don't study, I guess.

Day 86

2008-01-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

The S section ran into some technical difficulties today with the CPS computer response system. This system gives every student their own clicker and the chance to respond to questions that appear on the smartboard. In fact, it is a game for us, where the first person to respond gets a bonus of 5 points and every correct answer is 20 points. Sadly, my computer battery died with 10 minutes left in the class and we were not in my normal room so I didn't have my power supply with me :( They were good sports about it. I had set up this system for them: 80% correct (that means the total correct for every student for every question on average) and I would drop one essay from the 4 on the test; 90% and I would drop two; and 95% or more and I would drop three. When the computer died they had 96%! I stuck with my word and they can choose one of four.

The W section did the mirror star graph today. This lab has students look in a mirror while they try to follow through a star maze. Tough stuff, but everyone usually gets better over time. They graph their data at the end using a template they download from my moodle site.

The O and L sections today talked about momentum and got to see the great swinging pendulum balls demonstration. It is simply amazing to see the balls swing and knock out as many as are dropped. So, if I pull back one, one goes off the other side. Here is a video you can watch, actually using the same device I use in class. I do a lot more than this in class--I need a webcam so that I can record my demos! I'll keep working on that.

I hope the link works for you! I haven't had much luck lately with these.

No homework today for anyone, except to study study study for the tests coming up later this week.

Sweet justice.

Day 85

2008-01-12T16:48:00.000-05:00

Whoops! I meant to come straight home and post yesterday, but it was my son's 7th birthday and I forgot. So, let's see what I can remember . . .

I do remember that the O section completed the marble roll lab with flying colors. Groups in the O-1's that were not so stellar last week did admirably this week. We will have to go over it on Monday to make sure everyone understands the graph of velocity and the graph of acceleration.

The L section wrapped up lesson 6-6 discussing Newton's three laws. This lesson is discussed on Day 84. I did a good job with the candle in the bottle demo. Mrs. Nolan had to take over to make sure I didn't pick favorites for volunteers. I don't think I do, but everyone said I did. I should leave this up to Scottie every time (Scottie is my virtual seat picker friend, Scottie Pippen--you will have to ask your son or daughter if you don't understand this).

The W and S sections discussed momentum. We watched a short video, then went over HW using the new OWLSbuck/Scottie Pippen reward system. Then I got out the super ball swinger momentum display device. This allows me to show that momentum is conserved. I swing one ball in and one goes out. I swing two balls in and two come out. In a creative burst I tried marbles on a marble track from lab and discovered that the same thing happens with them. If they are in a row and I roll one in, one comes out. Two in, two out. Momentum is mass x velocity, so it has a direction. In a closed system, it is conserved--as long as no outside forces are allowed to interact.

Next up is a review day, followed by our test. Then, at the end of the week, we have our big vocabulary test. I hope that everyone is studying!

Sweet justice.

Day 84

2008-01-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

Whew! That was a busy day for me. I feel bad for accidentally breaking two penny stopper reagent bottles (they were empty), but of course it was all done for the sake of education.

The L section completed day 6-5 on friction forces. I introduced the new OWLSbucks homework reward system which uses the super Scottie Seat Picker to pick random students to answer questions. If they get the question right, they get an OWLSbuck. If they get it wrong, the next student gets two OWLSbucks. If they didn't do the HW, another OWLSbuck is added to the pot and the system rolls. Today, one student made almost 20 OB's answering tough questions. It keeps us focused, laughing, and in the end, better educated. Sweet victory!

The O, W, and S sections completed day 6-6 which covered Newton's three laws. Law 1: the law of inertia (a body in motion will stay in motion and a body at rest will stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force). Law 2: the mass of an object times its acceleration equals its force (in newtons or pounds). Law 3: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. I did a couple of demonstrations. In one in the S section, Seth jumped into Josh's lap while he sat in my nice, leather chair. The chair rolled back--Newton's third law. I pulled a piece of paper out from under a glass bottle, showing inertia in action (as well as static and sliding friction). It was dangerous because I lit a candle and put it on top. Well, it wasn't that dangerous, but it was more dangerous than anything that happened in math today.

Oh, that reminds me, Mr. Burcin almost caught me throwing a bouncy ball against Mrs. Middleton's door during fourth period. Almost is the operative term. I will have to use more stealth in the future.

Sweet justice.

Day 83

2008-01-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

These days seem to go so fast, at least for me. Today was a friction day in the O, W, and S sections. We went over HW, which covered the topics of friction, gravity, and free fall. There are four types of friction: static, rolling, fluid, and sliding friction, but all are basically the same: a measure of the force it takes to overcome the resistance to motion between two surfaces. This leads into a discussion of the universal law of gravitation, the idea that gravity exists between all objects at all times. This leads to free fall, which is confusing. Objects will fall at the same rate as long as resistive air forces do not hold them up. So a marble and a car will hit the ground at the same time dropped from the same height. In reality, it doesn't happen, because the car is not nearly affected by air the way a marble is.

We looked at a free fall laboratory on Explorelearning.com which was cool--you can drop different objects from a tower and see which hit first. Very cool. You can check out explorelearning at home using the links and directions to the right of this blog.

The L section did a great job with the marble lab. Their graphs look great, a telling sign that their data was collected well.

Sweet justice.

Day 82

2008-01-08T14:40:00.001-05:00

I laughed a lot today, which I think is usually a good thing. It was all for the sake of education, of course. The W, L and O sections learned about forces today, balanced and unbalanced. I assigned Part 3 for HW tonight if you are checking at home. We went over HW, answered the $ question: what is the difference between velocity and speed? (It is that velocity includes a direction), and watched the end of the roller coaster video. Because I love that video, I have included a small clip from it. Here is a scene near the end where two young boys eat food and drink orange juice while riding a roller coaster. I don't advise doing this at home, but I do advise watching the clip several times and laughing. The video did teach us a lot about g forces; it wasn't all laughing.

The S section completed their lab on the velocity and acceleration of marbles. They did an excellent job and I was proud of them. It is a tricky lab. You have to time in intervals of one foot, five times each, for 8 different intervals. This allows us to graph velocity versus time. What we need is a photogate. What we have are several little red hand timers. Considering our resource, the students did great work.

Sweet justice.

Day 81

2008-01-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

I just got done having a video phone call with Mr. Neumann. We used Skype and talked for about 30 minutes tonight. So cool; I love technology.

Speaking of tech, we had a pretty low tech lab today for the W section. I spent two hours revamping our marble lab with Mr. K-rebs help today and got it ready just in time for the W's. Here is what we did: we rolled marbles along a wooden track and timed them for one foot intervals over 8 feet. The first three feet was the downhill track, the last five feet was the trip along the floor. We used the floor tiles to measure the distance, and then students entered their data on the computers. I set up a graph ahead of time through Moodle that they could enter data into which then produced a distance vs time graph (slope = velocity) and velocity vs time graph (slope = acceleration). Tomorrow in class we will go over these, but my hope is that it helps students see the connection between math and science, and how a graph can help interpret data.

The L and O sections went over HW 6-3b, which included 5 standardized test questions. I let students know that they will be taking the PSSA Science test this year in 8th grade and will receive scores in the fall. It covers a lot more than our current curriculum in 8th grade, but I'm hopeful I can help them get ready before May. We also watched a roller coaster video today, which was awesome. A lot of discussion about G forces (both positive and negative) was generated. I assigned part 2 for HW, due tomorrow. This is on balanced and unbalanced forces.

The S section went over the Part 2 HW on balanced forces. Basically, forces are shown as arrows in force diagrams. Like velocity and acceleration, force has both direction and magnitude. The length of the arrow shows the strength and the direction of the arrow shows, well, direction. To determine a net force for two arrows pointing at each other, you must find their difference. Unbalanced forces cause objects to move. Balanced forces keep objects in place.

Sweet justice!

Day 80

2008-01-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this was day 80 already--only just over 100 to go! Not much time to learn all the science we need to learn. Mrs. Middleton was nicer to me today, but Mrs. Savoca wasn't. She left me in the LGI room to clean up after the Quiz Bowl (the boys won) all by myself. I'm sure she had something very important to do ;)

Today the O section finally did the titration lab. Most students did excellent. A couple of students didn't seem willing to pay attention at the level necessary. Not a warning really, but students who don't pay attention spend their lab time doing workbooks instead of doing hands-on labs.

The L section completed lesson 6-2 on velocity and acceleration. They impressed me with how well they picked up the concept of speed and direction, as well as the three things that result in acceleration (a change in velocity over time).

Speaking of a change in velocity over time, the S section got a great look at this with the roller coaster gizmo on explorelearning.com. It allows you to graph the velocity of a roller coaster car over time, showing that if there is a slope, there is acceleration. Pretty awesome. The S and W sections both completed lesson 6-3 this afternoon, studying roller coaster physics--g forces, acceleration, and why you need more than just speed to make a ride fun. We watched a great video from the discovery channel on roller coasters that focused especially on g forces. I even learned today about negative g forces. How can they be negative? Because a force, like velocity, has direction. This is our next concept in this unit--balanced and unbalanced forces.

Sweet justice.

Day 79

2008-01-03T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well, Mrs. Middleton has declared war on having fun in school. She stole all four of my rockets today, blamed it on students, and then prevented me from making sure that science was the most awesomest place in the world. I think she is just jealous of how much learning goes on in my classroom while we still have fun.

I found the rockets, with the help of my students in the W section. Thanks, guys.

I taught about acceleration today in the W, O, and S sections. My main goal: for students to understand that acceleration is what fun is all about, especially on thrill rides, or even in rides in the car. We started with a discussion about velocity and speed. Velocity is speed with direction. Acceleration, then, is just a change in velocity (either speed or direction). The best rides, in a roller coaster or in a car, have lots of speed and direction changes. Going fast is not as much fun as getting to that speed fast. That is what acceleration is all about. We did a little bat spin exercise, or at least I did and one volunteer. I also had a student match my movements in the room to show that motion is relative to your reference point. So, I may be moving compared to a monkey in my cabinet, but not to a student across the room who is moving the same as I am.

In the L section, we wrapped up our lab with a discussion of the titration we did yesterday. They were able to tell that the base was stronger than the acid by analyzing the graph. In general, it took 18 mL of base to neutralize 20 mL of acid. Then we talked about motion, played the hamster game, watched a short video, and calculated speed.

The S section learned about scalars and vectors. Speed is a scalar--no direction, while velocity is a vector--has direction. I introduced the concept of polar coordinates, but didn't go into much depth.

And in LGI I got challenged to a pushup match on knuckles. Somehow, I won. I distributed the force of my pushups across all my knuckles--some physics. I don't know if this helped, but a little science always helps.

Sweet justice.

Day 78

2008-01-02T15:24:00.001-05:00

As I started to write this entry earlier today, Mrs. Middleton stopped in to talk about "Hogan's Place" and how much she loves that show. So, I had to postpone my penmanship until now.

This is always a tough day, not just for students but for teachers. It is tough to come back after a break and get into studying and learning again. Of course, we are always learning, but sitting in a classroom is tough. So, to help things out today, as we started to talk about motion, we did a couple of fun activities in class in the O, W, and S sections. I pulled out my stomp rockets and we talked about motion, how an object will stay in the same type of motion (direction and speed) until a force changes it. This is the basic concept of inertia, and we talked about the rocket being stationary until a force was applied, and how it fell to the ground instead of staying on the same path because of gravity. The wall also stopped it when I shot it hard enough. At one point, the rocket curved through the doorway and struck Mrs. Middleton's door while she was teaching. Oops!

We also played a flash video game called "Flight of the Hamster". This allowed us to look at motion as well, talking about the forces that keep the hamster in flight. We also calculated the average speed of the hamster as it flew during different trials. In some classes I had enough time to have student challenges to find out how well the students understood motion as they got the hamster to fly as well.

I asked students how fast they had ever traveled in a car with an adult driving. You would be surprised to find that the average fastest speed was about 90 mph! Some had gone over 105, or so they claimed. It is tough to trust anecdotal data like this, isn't it?

I assigned HW 6-1a, 6-2a, and 6-3a for the evening, giving some time in class to work, but not much. All in all, an exciting day for the first day of school in 2008.

The L section did a great job with the acid/base titration lab. I figured out a couple changes to make on the worksheet that simplified the lab and helped them get through it much quicker. Tomorrow we will go over the lab and discuss the results. You can see an explanation of the lab in entries for day 76 and 77.

Sweet justice!

Day 77

2007-12-21T18:42:00.000-05:00

This day was short, as we were dismissed at 12:40. I held on to my pipe dream of still teaching science until 7th period today, right after lunch, with the O section. I tried to teach science, my intention being to show an old superman cartoon and have everyone comment on the parts that obviously defied scientific law (with OWLSbucks rewards), but because the DVD was fautly, I resorted to a game. We were close to playing heads up seven up, but I borrowed a game from Mr. Wieand called Worst Case Scenario, and we played for the last 15 minutes. In the game a scenario is read (a car is trying to ambush you, what do you do?) and three answers are given. Students who got the right answer got an OWLSbuck.

The S section did a complete lab--the acid and base titration lab I described in Day 76. They did great, mostly got the graph done, and did not hurt themselves. Reed Fry brought in a panasonic camera for me to use in class--thank you very much, Mr. and Mrs. Fry for sharing with the science department. As I mentioned before, my camera at school is starting to go. I have asked for a webcam, which will allow my blogs to be even that much better, but for now, this is great to have.

The W section graphed their results from yesterday and found out that the base was stronger than the acid, as it took on average 18 mL of base to neutralize 20 mL of acid. I was impressed with their effort. We spent the next few minutes building molecular models--I was proud that they worked so hard on the last day before the longest break of the year. They are a fun group to teach.

Well, I'll miss you all for the next two weeks. I hope you enjoy the holidays. See you next year!

Sweet justice.

Day 76

2007-12-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

I think this was the busiest day of the year for me. When I looked back on it, I realized I didn't even have time to check my email.

The reason was that I was preparing for the lab for this week, which is an acid/base titration. A titration is done to determine the relative strength of an acid or base. In our case, we slowly added NaOH to HCl and kept track of the pH through each 2 mL added. The W section did this today. The first halfgroup did well, but I tried explaining it all at once instead of doing it in steps. With the second group, and Mrs. Nolan's help, I succeeded in helping them get done early and done well. It is a great lab, but the setup is massive. I spent a total of three hours setting things up, and I still have to reset up the lab each time we do it--at least a 10 minute job itself. But for the students I teach at L-S, there is nothing I won't try to get my job done well.

The S, O, and L sections got to head back to the molecular model kits one last time, building some hydrocarbons this time, the hardest being C2H2. Many of them succeeded, and though it was noisy it was very productive. Students were helping each other, which always warms my heart. I handed out lots of OWLSbucks for students who were concentrating hard and getting the job done.

I also showed the students how liquid indicators worked for acids and bases, and physically showed them what neutralization is (mixing an acid with a base to reach a pH of 7). At the end I did a demo of elephant's toothpaste which involved a 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide, soap, and food coloring. Ask your son or daughter about it; I'm sure they will remember.

Here is a picture of the team teachers to brighten up your day, or sadden you, depending on your current state of mind.

Notice that we are spelling "OWLS" with our fingers.

Sweet justice.

Day 75

2007-12-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

The O section got to complete the pH lab, testing 20 different substances to see if they were acids and bases. They did a great job, finished in plenty of time, and had time to relax the last five minutes. Their favorite activity at that time was drawing on the smartboard, which I allow occasionally. The smartboard is a wonderful thing.

Speaking of the smartboard, here is a video clip from the W section, as we went over how neutralization happens when you mix an acid and a base.

The S and L sections also covered this today, but I didn't record the discussion. You can hear some of the students in the background if you listen carefully.

All of the sections spent 20 minutes today finishing "It's a Wonderful Life". We started the movie Monday in LGI, but ran out of time today (and any LGI's later this week), so I volunteered to not show my acid/base video today for the WLS sections and Mrs. K-ershner let the O section watch it in their half group today. This is a holiday tradition for the OWLS team. Since the start of the team 14 years ago, we have shown it every year. It almost brings a tear to my eye to think of all those students and those years we watched it together.

Sweet justice.

Day 74

2007-12-18T19:10:00.000-05:00

Today, the S section finally got their wish, and mine. I showed them the amazing hydrogen ballon demo, as well as the potassium dichromate demo, and now all is right with the world. When I show these, it isn't just a show; it is education at its best. I write the chemical formulas on the smartboard, show which type of reactions they are, comment on balancing the formulas, then I let it rip.

So the S section today also learned how to balance equations and to differentiate between the four different types of basic chemical reactions. I have a video of this to post, but left it at school. Tomorrow morning it will show up right here:

The W and L sections also learned about the types of reactions. They had time to take a quiz, which demonstrated they knew what they were doing, and that I was a good teacher. I had over 75% of them get a perfect, and offered those that scored low the chance to retake before I record scores. I also offered the chance to balance equations for extra credit. I gave them a sheet and offered 1 pt for each correctly balanced equation (balanced equations obey the law of conservation of mass). There are 15 equations, but some are very tricky. Encourage your son or daughter to take advantage of this opportunity.

The O section learned about acids and bases. We discussed the pH scale (0 - 6 = acid; 7 = neutral; 8 - 14 = base) and watched a short video with a pre-test and post-test. Tomorrow in class we will practice using our knowledge of pH testing. We learned that mixing an acid and a base gives you salt water. An acid provides an H+ ion, or more correctly, is a proton donor. A base is a proton acceptor. Many bases have an OH- ion in solution, which is what accepts the proton. Our hydrogen bark lab dealt with HCl, a strong acid, reacting with a metal (Ca and Mg) to produce H2 gas.

Three school days to the holiday break.

The best part about today was taking our donations over to the Clare House on Chestnut Street in downtown Lancaster. Kate Hurd organized this for us, coming up with the idea and accompanying us today along with her mother and young sister. The people at Clare House were very nice and appreciative. I estimated our contribution at over $500 worth of household supplies. Thanks to everyone for helping with this. I had sent a call out on Friday night through the automated calling system. It doubled our collections. Perhaps this will become an annual event for the OWLS team.

Sweet justice.

Day 73

2007-12-17T14:27:00.001-05:00

I was frustrated today in the S section. Just as we got to the end of the lesson, my camera failed to work and I ran out of time trying to fix it. Consequently, they did not get to see the potassium dichlorate decomposition reaction, nor the hydrogen and oxygen synthesis reaction with the balloon full of hydrogen. I was already working from behind with them because I lost one period with them last week. Oh well! We'll do it tomorrow. If you have an old video camera at home that you don't use anymore, but it still shows an image, and you'd be willing to donate it to the school, please let me know. I think this one is close to being done.

The S section made it through two lessons in one day, more or less. We took our counting atoms quiz first (they did awesome) and then watched the United Streaming video on chemical reactions with a worksheet quiz they filled out. After this, I planned on showing the demonstrations, but alas no time.

The W section went over the rest of the homework for Unit 5.2, which covered ways to speed up reactions (increase surface area, heat up the substance, and increase the concentration of any liquids) as well as what activation energy is (the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction). I showed them the two demos mentioned above that the S section did not see. The balloon exploding was awesome, as always.

The L section completed the pH lab. They tested 20 different substances to determine their pH and whether they were an acid or a base (or neutral). They did very well. There is an excellent tutorial in this on explorelearning.com (the link is to the right on this page). Go to your homepage there and click on pH analysis. It is self-explanatory.

The O section learned to tell the difference between three reaction types: synthesis (A + B --> AB), decomposition (AB --> A + B) and replacement (AB + C --> BC + A). We mastered it in class then took a quiz to make sure we had it. They did excellent. The couple of students who did not do as well will retake the quiz to make sure they understand. I will give them their better score. At the end of class I showed a short demonstration of a decomposition reaction with ammonium dichlorate. It looks like a small volcano. We talked about the various evidence to support the conclusion that this was a chemical change.

Sweet justice!

Day 72

2007-12-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

Now, this was an explosive day for two sections. The O and L sections met in the afternoon. First, we went over homework, talking about balancing equations, telling the difference between synthesis, decomposition, and replacement reactions. We also discussed activation energy and things that speed up and slow down a reaction. This was followed by a short video from unitedstreaming.com that covered all of unit 5.2. We filled out a 10 question quiz while watching the movie, then went over it. Following this, I showed two reactions. The first used potassium dichlorate which was heated in a test tube (a decomposition reaction), releasing oxygen gas. I then dropped a jolly rancher into it and flames shot out. The heat and presence of O2 gas made the reaction take off. This was all done in the fume hood, of course. For the finale, I filled a balloon with H2 gas and put it in the fume hood. Using a long meter stick, I lit the balloon with the window closed and wham! a huge (but safe) bang shook the entire fume hood. This is actually just H2 reacting with the O2 in the air (a synthesis reaction), but it was incredible to watch. I did not assign homework for these two sections, though we will have a quiz on reaction types (Monday for the O's and Tuesday for the L's).

The W and S sections both had a pH lab in the morning, testing 20 different substances with pH paper (1-14) and neutral litmus paper (turns red for acid, blue for base). They were short periods because of our late start, but we got the lab in fine. I did not assign homework from the lab.

Sweet justice.

Day 71

2007-12-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

Today, the O section finally got the big bang from creating water that the other sections got yesterday. I told them this was how to make water in the desert--you just need a tank of compressed Oxygen, compressed hydrogen, and some liquid soap solution. Oh, and a match. You don't get much water, but with the big explosion, who cares?

The O, W and L sections learned how to count atoms. Here is a video of my own explanation of how to do this. The sound quality is not very good--I will work on this. For now, though, let's call this an experiment in how it is done. I'll get better at it. Everyone took a quiz over it, and everyone got an A+. How can I be such a great teacher? The answer: I have Mrs. Nolan in my room. She is awesome and was able to troubleshoot areas of weakness for students as we went along. Check out the video if you don't have dialup. If you do, well, as SpongeBob would say, "Good luck with that."

Well, I've tried it myself, and it doesn't work at school. Maybe it will work for you (it does work for me at home, but the sound is awful). I'll keep working on the system. I'm all about customer service.

We got out early today, so the S section sadly missed the lesson for today :( We will make it up tomorrow, assuming we are here. As to getting out early, sweet justice.

Day 70

2007-12-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone that has posted recently or tried to post. If you are unable to get your post to work, you can always email me directly at jay_lance@L-Spioneers.org . Or you could send in a note with your son or daughter; I'm not picky.

Today was an unusual day with a concert in the morning (which was awesome). During LGI today I finished discussion of my bike trip across the U.S. 16 years ago. I showed slides and told about my adventures. I'm not sure how much of what I said was believed, but it was all true.

In the O section today, we finally made it through both half-groups with the hydrogen bark lab. It is an awesome experience for my students; they become real scientists. Kudos to Cody Wilson and Josh Moyer who prepared over 28 test tubes of hydrogen gas today in only 40 minutes. This was their second time through, and they definitely knew what they were doing.

In the W, L, & S sections today we took our combining atoms quiz, after a complete review. I am proud to say that the average score for the test (in all three sections combined) was 19.8/20! This is what I'm after, and shows that when students spend time studying (even if it is teacher directed studying in class), they can do great things. We used the not-so-smart boards, which helped me to pinpoint weaknesses before the quiz began.

I ended class with trying to blow my hand off, or so it appeared. I did a simple reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to make water, and it is awesome. I put the two gases into a soap solution and made bubbles. I took a handful of bubbles and held it up to a lit Bunsen burner, and then WHAM! they whole school shook. At least I think it did; I had headphones as earmuffs on at the time. My hand survives, I believe, because the process takes gases and turns them into a liquid with a much smaller volume. So the explosion is not heading out, but rapidly collapsing. So far, I've been right. Sweet justice. Oh, and I didn't assign any homework for today, but we are taking another quiz tomorrow on counting atoms. I look for another 100% day.

Day 69

2007-12-11T14:08:00.003-05:00

I also offered students the chance to earn some points back on their unit 5.1 quiz--7 points if they can convince a parent/guardian to log onto this site and make a post. My goal is two-fold: one, to let parents know that I am blogging about science class, and two, to reward students for making an extra effort (and to get them looking at the posts as well). I am hopeful that doing this will help parents keep up with our difficult material and help their son or daughter with this great but sometimes difficult subject. Science really is awesome and very important to understand in our rapidly changing world.

I wish that I could take a picture of my fume hood right now to confirm the mess that I made today and yesterday showing what happens when sodium (Na) is put into water (H2O). Sodium is an alkali metal and is very, very reactive, with only one valence electron. When placed in water, it has a greater attraction for oxygen (O) than hydrogen (H), so the water molecule splits and hydrogen gas (H2) is released. The formula for the reaction, which we learned about today in all sections, is Na + H2O --> Na2O + H2 (gas). The activation energy for this reaction is very low, so it doesn't take any additional energy to make it happen. In the L section, I destroyed a test tube for the best demo of the day. In the W section I accidentally set a paper towel on fire, and then a cloth towel (it got hit by sodium, which was wet and still hot--not a good smell). But it all happened in the fume hood, without which I couldn't show this demo at all.

For the WL & S sections today (lesson 5-6), we looked at three EQ's: 5-7: What would be convincing evidence that a chemical change had occurred? Several things, actually. A color change, a precipitate forming, an energy change (exothermic or endothermic), gas given off, and I also added seeing fire and/or smoke. This is not always conclusive proof. Conclusive proof is when a new substance is formed. For EQ 5-8: What is a chemical equation? we looked at the parts of an equation (the left is the reactant side--it reacts; the right is the product side--it is produced). The sodium equation above is a good example. Finally, we looked at how mass is conserved in a chemical reaction (EQ 5-9). Whatever goes in, must come out. We distinguished between an open system that is not contained, and a closed system that is. I showed the disgusting nasty experiments I have hanging on my fume hood--salami, a hot dog, jello, a tomato, and even a pancake. I took a bite out of a nasty rice krispie treat in each section (it was only 8 weeks old--no mold!) and savored the joys of teaching middle school, where nonsense like that still helps students pay attention. I assigned 5-10 and 5-11 for homework.

Here is a video from youtube showing a similar reaction. (This is what makes science fun to learn).

The O section moved on to lesson 5-7. We reviewed combining atoms using the not-so-smart boards (they are small dry erase boards), and then took a quiz on it. Almost everyone got a perfect on the quiz, which made me very happy :) I made sure that we understood it before the quiz, which was a good idea. Somehow this took the whole period, but considering the quiz scores, it was worth it.

And to that I say, sweet justice.

Day 68

2007-12-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

This was lab day for the L section. They did an excellent job in the hydrogen lab, first making hydrogen gas and then testing it by placing a lighted splint into a test tube filled with H2. They did an exceptional job cleaning up as well. This lab fell just ahead of our discussion of chemical reactions in class, but we will be discussing them soon. There were three in this lab: putting magnesium into hydrochloric acid, putting calcium into HCl, and finally, setting the H2 gas on fire.

The S and W sections took their quiz on unit 5.1 today (lesson 5-5). This was a difficult quiz on a difficult concept, but they did ok. Five students in the S section actually scored a perfect on the quiz. Way to go! We went over the test in class, as Mrs. Nolan was able to grade the tests for me quickly, record them, and then help me hand them back. Concepts covered on this quiz were covalent bonds, ionic bonds, and metallic bonds. How valence electrons are involved in all types of bonds was also big, as valence electrons (the outer shell electrons), have everything to do with chemical reactions. I also showed a couple of demonstrations--lighting a match (the friction with the box brings about the activation energy needed to light it) and putting magnesium in HCl and water, showing that both produce a chemical reaction. Homework 5-7, 8, 9 was assigned for the next full group.

The O section completed unit 5.6. We went over homework (5-7, 8,9) and I assigned 5-10, 11 for tomorrow. We looked at evidence for chemical changes, chemical equations (what is a reactant and product) and how is mass conserved in a reaction. We talked about open and closed systems and I got share some of the disgusting reactions that are going on in my room all the time (salami in a bag, jello in a bag, a rotten hot-dog in a bag) all of which are closed systems. For the finale today, we put sodium metal into water and watched it react. The second time it exploded and accidentally destroyed a beaker. Whoops!

I can tell that the students have holiday fever. It is tough to focus and study. My hope is that the unit is interesting enough to get them paying attention so that they learn these important concepts.

Sweet justice.

Day 67

2007-12-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

The W section wrapped up Unit 5.1 today and got ready for their test tomorrow. They seemed to pick up combining atoms pretty well, understanding why it is done (so that the oxidation numbers negate each other) as well as learning the simple criss-crossing of oxidation numbers.

The S section had a fantastic performance in the hydrogen bark lab. Things went very smoothly and safely, and I was proud to see the clean up especially at the end. Ask your son or daughter about this lab--I told them they were real scientists now, and they certainly looked and acted it.

The O and L sections did not perform well on their unit 5.1 test. The average in both classes was an F. I warned everyone at the beginning of the unit that it was a very hard test, and though a couple of people studied, for the most part no one did anything except come to class. That is simply not enough at this stage of the study of science. These concepts are so new and so different, they just don't fit into student's mindsets without a lot of work. I am most disappointed because the online test was taken by only a handful, and this test was very similar to the one we took in class. The only glimmer of sunshine here is that it was only a 25 point test, and our other grades will more than make up for a poor score here.

Next up for us is unit 5.2 on chemical reactions. I think this one is even harder than 5.1; I hope I can convince the students of that. Have a good weekend!

Sweet justice.

Day 66

2007-12-06T19:53:00.000-05:00

This was a short day, as we had a two hour delay before it all began. The O section began with my L lesson for yesterday, going over HW 5-6 (10 questions out of the book) concerning the three different bond types (ionic, covalent, and metallic), and then learning about how compounds form from two different elements. This involved a discussion of oxidation numbers, a number given as an exponent, that indicates whether an atom will lose or gain electrons in a chemical reaction. When atoms bond, the oxidation numbers must total zero. This is accomplished by changing the ratio of the atoms. So, for instance, if H (+1) bonds with O (-2), it will take two H atoms (2 x +1 = +2) to negate the O atoms -2. So we get the compound H2O. They worked on a worksheet with this for a while, and then we were sadly done.

The W section had the most fun today, making hydrogen gas as the O section had yesterday. They did a great job, especially with cleanup. I rewarded students who cleaned well with an OWLSbuck, and everyone got one. It is a pleasure to teach students who work so hard and have such respect for the school's property, and my sanity :)

The S section met at the end of the day for a 25 minute period (they are normally 45), and we raced through the HW questions and learned about oxidation numbers. They picked this up superfast, even though I did not have access to my smartboard, teaching on the 7th grade side of the building today. They did sing a nice spanish song to the theme of La Bamba at the beginning of the period. I suspect that it was a challenge of some sort. I noticed that the other teachers in the area closed their doors. This often happens when I teach. Is this a sign of something?

The quiz on Unit 5.1 (25 questions) is tomorrow for the L and O section and Monday for the S and W section. I hope they study!

Sweet justice.

Day 65

2007-12-05T22:48:00.001-05:00

This was not a good day for me--I made it through fifth period, and by the time lunch was over I was on my way home. Perhaps it was a chemical reaction gone bad, but I was out for the count. I showed a video on explosions to the classes I missed in the afternoon; I hope you learned a bit about chemical reactions in my absence.

I feel better now, later in the day. The best period of the day was the O1 section and the hydrogen bark lab. In this packed lab, the students used a chemical reaction between HCl and magnesium and calcium to produce hydrogen gas, which they stored in test tubes and then set on fire at the end. It had everything students want: fire, explosions, strong acid and bubbles (of H gas). We will be discussing the reactions in the following week, learning more about what happened as we learn to read chemical equations.

In the L section, I had a massive headache, but we did make progress, going over the review homework 5-6 and learning how about oxidation numbers and how to combine atoms to make compounds. By the end of the period, I think most students had a good understanding of how compounds arrive at the ratios they have. We will go over it again tomorrow and make sure, as well as take the Unit 5.1 quiz.

Sweet justice for ibuprofen.

Day 64

2007-12-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

This was egg day--a tradition on the team that stretches back all of 2 years now. Here is what we did: we divided the team up into 31 smaller teams of students, picked randomly, and gave them a challenge: create a structure out of supplies sold at our store that would allow an egg to fall from a height without breaking. We dropped twice--once in the morning, once in the afternoon. Our goal was multi fold: to let the students work in cooperative groups with people they were not necessarily friends with, to learn from mistakes, to think creatively, to manage money (they were given $200 egg-bucks to start the day), to use the process of scientific inquiry, and of course, to have fun. It was a break from our normal day to day routine, which everyone benefits from.

The first drop today was from 12 feet; nine groups survived. The second drop was from 30 feet; I don't have the data on how many survived, but I believe the number was higher. This is success, to me, that we learned from our mistakes, from the work of others, and made improvements. This is how the United States made it to the moon (to the stars)--with effort.

We took 385 pictures of the day, an amazing amount. This would have been over 10 rolls before the age of digital pictures. We showed a slide show during study hall at the end of the day, which was a great way to end. And to that I say: sweet justice.

Day 63

2007-12-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

Today the L section finally got to learn about radioactivity. It was a good lesson, and they progressed through it well and made important insights. One thing I want my students to know is that all elements can be radioactive if the ratio of the protons to neutrons is not close to one. Using an online tool, we figured that out together today.

In the OWS sections, we learned about covalent and metallic bonds, Essential Questions 5-4 and 5-5. We reinforced the concepts with the molecular model kits. The toughest element to create today was O2, a double bonded covalent molecular compound. Everyone eventually got it, and we drew the structural formula and the electron dot formula as well.

The quiz for this unit is soon. The L and S sections take it Thursday, and the O and W sections take it Friday. There is a practice quiz on Moodle right now. I don't know why more students don't take this--it uses questions I will use on the actual quiz and is fantastic practice to get ready for a tough quiz.

Tomorrow is eggsperiment day, a day when we split into teams of three and drop eggs from two different heights. I will report on it tomorrow.

Sweet justice!

Day 62

2007-11-30T15:20:00.000-05:00

The S section finally got to have their half group lesson on radioactivity today. This was the first day 2 I have been in school in a while, and they lost out last week when my back went out. Today, though, they learned what radioactivity is, what an alpha particle, beta particle, and gamma ray are, how it is detected (with a geiger tube and counter--at least that is one way), what causes radioactivity (a ratio of protons to neutrons that is not close to 1), and how to protect yourself from it (shielding, limiting exposure, or running away). They got the chance to see some radioactive rocks and saw a geiger tube and counter in action.

The W and O sections completed lesson 5-2 (see notes for Day 61) and did very well with the kits. The L section moved on and completed lesson 5-3, learning what covalent and metallic bonds are. A covalent bond is a sharing bond, where two atoms share their valence electron/s so that they both have a full shell of 8 (or two with hydrogen). This is different from an ionic bond--in an ionic bond, the electron is transferred, leaving each atom as an ion (a charged atom), and the charge draws them together. A metallic bond is different than both of these. For metals, the nuclei sit in a sea of electrons, which allows the metal to be very malleable, ductile, etc. without breaking like an ionic compound would.

The L's also got a chance to use the kits some more, finishing the first two pages, and making O2 among others. It is a great opportunity for seeing how the bonds create compounds, and why certain compounds exist while others don't.

Sweet justice.

Day 61

2007-11-29T22:20:00.000-05:00

This was a fun day for me. Well, all the days are fun, so this one wasn’t special that way, but I did enjoy it. The W section got to go through the half-life lab, with more success than the O section had yesterday. This was because we had technical support from Mr. Nettleton, who not only got all of the Macs running well, but helped me arrange to have several laptop computers so that everyone could have their own computer. With only a few problems, it worked. Students got to see the difference between random decay and theoretical decay, something I’ve never found a good way to show before now.

In full group today, the O section got lesson 5-1 that everyone else got yesterday. For comments on that lesson, please see Day 60. They did very well with it. I also handed their tests back. The high score for the whole test came from that group—Jeremy Jennings. He did not miss one question on the Unit 4 test. Way to go.

For lesson 5-2, the L and S sections went over the first three essential questions dealing with the importance of valence electrons, how electron dot diagrams work (the dots represent the valence shell electrons surrounding the symbol for the element), and finally, ionic bonds. An ion is a charged atom, one that has lost or gained electrons. Make sure you know how an atom becomes positive (loses electrons) or negative (gains electrons). An ionic bond is formed when a positive ion (usually a metal) attracts to a negative ion (usually a non-metal). These ionic compounds are usually crystals, brittle, hard, low melting points, and conduct electricity when put in water.

We also watched a short video, showing the periodic chart like a city, with the highest towers found in the alkali metals and halogens. Finally, at the end of the period, we got to use the molecular model kits. Each student gets their own kit to learn more about how bonds form. We built H₂ today, drew its structural diagram, and also its electron dot diagram.

In lesson 5-3 we will continue to use the kits, and also learn about two other bond types: covalent and metallic. Sweet justice.

Day 60

2007-11-28T19:24:00.000-05:00

Today, the O section learned about half-life, and the downsides of technology. First, they signed up for an account with www.explorelearning.com, which was pretty easy to do. Next we attempted to do an activity on half-life, which is a very good one actually, but many of them could not get the shockwave program to work. Half-life is the amount of time it takes for a radioactive element to decay to one-half of its original level. So, if it starts at 100 atoms and has 50 atoms left after 10 seconds, the half-life is 10 seconds.

In full group today, the W, L, and S section began the unit on atoms and bonding. I handed tests back from Unit 4. These were mostly disappointing for me, as too many students did not study at all on their own, relying only on what we did in class. I even posted a version of the test on my moodle site (https://moodle.l-spioneers.org/course/view.php?id=44) that had some of the same questions I asked on the test, but in most classes only one or two students took it. I will be posting the test for Unit 5 soon. Please encourage your son or daughter to take the test!

This is a hard unit. Today we talked about valence electrons (the outermost electrons around an atom with the most energy) and their role in chemical bonding. In fact, these valence electrons are THE reason why bonding happens. The atoms want to be stable, which means getting an outer shell (valence shell) of 8 electrons. They do this through borrowing or sharing electrons. The three types of bonds are ionic, covalent, and metallic. Parents, ask your child to look at their notes and go over them with them. It might help to review the book as well, making sure they understand the concepts.

We also watched a short video on gold, learning about its properties—conductivity, malleability, ductility, little reactivity, soft, dense, and easy to shape (malleable). I gave time in class to work on their homework, which was 5-1, 2, 3. It is due the next full group.

Sweet justice.

Day 59

2007-11-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

Today was an unusual day for science, as we spent the day in the library with Mrs. Eberly looking at careers. The students went to the web site www.bridges.com and took some quizzes to discover what their interests and learning styles were. This allowed them to identify some jobs that they would be interested in. This is the second of four sessions the students will be having--social studies, math, and language arts have the other three throughout the school year.

Tomorrow we start Unit 5 on bonding and atoms. This is one of my favorite units of the year, full of exciting demonstrations and surprises.

Day 58

2007-11-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

Day 58--Tuesday, November 23, 2007

Unfortunately, I was not in school today--I threw my back out over the weekend and spent the day crawling around on the floor. In school, the O, W, and S sections took their Unit 4 tests on elements and the periodic table. The test is a combination of multiple choice, true and false, short answer, and essay questions. The L section, who took their test yesterday, watched a video on explosions and fire, a topic which leads us into our next unit on chemical reactions and bonding.

This is also the day before Thanksgiving break. Sweet justice.