Week Two

Eighth Grade - A1.3-4: Where Plates Meet.

This week we continue talking about plate tectonics, focusing on the boundaries where different plates meet.

Answer this: What are the different types of boundaries? What happens at each of these boundaries?

Contract 2 to be presented on Friday.


Seventh Grade - C1.3-4: Protista.

This week we examine more complex single-celled organisms.

Answer this: Where can protists be found? How are they more complex than bacteria?

Contract 2 to be presented on Friday.

Week One

Eighth Grade - A1.1-2: The Earth Moves Under Our Feet.

This week we began talking about plate tectonics, from the first ideas of continental drift to the current theory of tectonics.

Answer this: What does tectonics mean? What evidence is there for the idea of continental drift or the theory of plate tectonics?

Contract 1 to be presented on Friday.


Seventh Grade - C1.1-2: The Smallest Living Things.

This week we take a look at the smallest life on earth: Bacteria.

Answer this: What is the difference between a bacteria and a virus?

Contract 1 to be presented on Friday.

Summer Science

This summer students chose to study the inside of the earth and volcanoes, aeronautics, and habitats and adaptations. Click the following pictures to see the whole album.

The first week we set up vivariums. They are like aquariums, but sealed off with nothing going in or out for the five weeks.

Science 1 Vivarium

Science 2 Vivarium

Frogger

Science One discovered their own dinosaur and recreated it's ancient habitat. Science Two described a future animal species and the habitat it will be found in.

ES1 Habitat

ES2 Habitat

3.1 & 3.2: Cell Division

This week we look at the Cell Cycle.

Explain the cell cycle and the phases of cell division.

Also, on Thursday, we have the PlastiVan coming to school to put on demonstrations for the eighth grade. Post your comments on that as well.

Due Friday: Contract 28

1.1 & 1.2: "Living Things Needs Needs"

This week we are looking at the characteristics and needs of all living things. What are the characteristics? What do living things need?

This week will will be setting up our class terrarium/aquariums to learn the needs of living things.

We will also be collecting some water samples to make wet-mount slides to view living cells.

All of this and Contrat 27.

4.3 & 4.4: Acids, Bases, and Alloys

Our final chapter of the chemistry looks first at acids and bases.

How are they related?
What makes a solution an acid? What makes a base?

And then we focus on alloys.

Why are we talking about metals during a solutions chapter?
How did the copper penny turn "silver"? "gold"?

All of this culminates on firday with presentations for Contract 26.

4.1 & 4.2: Solutions

This week we begin the final chemistry section: Solutions. Solutions are a special type of mixture where two parts are combined to make a new product with its own unique properties.

How and why do the properties of the solution differ from those of the solvent and solute?
How can we change the solubility of the solute in the solvent?

Those are a few questions we ask in Contract 25.