Grade 8 Week 15: Oceans near the shore.

This week we begin the end of our Oceans unit.  We have looked at the systems and physics of the oceans.  Now we investigate the many, varied environments of the ocean.  We start near shore.

What are the characteristics of near shore environments?
What changes would animals living there need to deal with?
What adaptations do animals that live in a splash zone or intertidal zone have to survive there?

 

What different environments do you find as you go out on the continental shelf?
Describe those environments.

Contract Week 15 has you research how humans affect coastal waters, create a poster for our ocean environments wall, or design your own contract.

Challenge Projects

With deadlines just a few months away, I am again stumping for some participation in the EC Challenges.  Lets take a look at the two with the nearest deadlines.


We Can Change the World Challenge

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge middle school level encourages student teams, working with a teacher/mentor, to identify environmental issues of concern and create sustainable, reproducible improvements in their local communities.  Open to all middle school students in grades 6 -8 working in teams of two to four with a teacher/mentor.  The Challenge is open August 31, 2010 through March 15, 2011

Google Online Science Fair

Google is looking for the brightest, best young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today.   Check out the offical source for information on the science fair at the Google Science Fair Blogger.

Grade 7 Week 14: Digestive and Urinary Systems

So far in our unit on the Human Body we have examined the Skeletal, Muscular, and Respiratory systems.  this week we look at the Disgestive and Urinary systems and how they process materials taking in nutrients and getting rid of wastes.

What are the structures and functions of the Digestive system?
What are the structures and functions of the Urinary system?

Contract 14 has you looking at structure and function of the digestive and urinary systems or researching diseases of those systems.

Grade 8 Week 14: Waves and Tides

Last week we looked at the oceans features and currents.  Now we focus on other motions in the oceans.



What are waves?
How do they form?
What causes tides?
What is the difference between currents, waves, and tides?

Contract 14 gives you the choice to design your own contract to teach the class about waves or tides.

Grade 7 Week 13: The Respiratory System

This week we examine the respiratory system.

What are the functions of the respiratory system?
How do the structures of the respiratory system work together to perform these functions?

Science on Prezi

Contract 13 has you examine the respiratory system and it's diseases.

Grade 8 Week 13: Under the Sea.

After working on the Earth's waters in general, we now focus on the main point of this unit: the Ocean.

What features are found at the bottom of the ocean?
What affects the density of salt water?
What effects do different densities of water have on the ocean?


Contract 13 gives choices to diagram the oceans features, examine the effects of the ocean on weather and climate, or to focus on the El Niño
 event.

Grade 7 Week 12: Muscular System

A week ago, we began our Body Systems Unit.  We looked at how all the systems interact and then specifically the Skeletal system.  This week we get specific with the system that works closely with the skeletal system:  the Muscular System.

What are the functions of the muscular system?
What systems does the muscular system interact with to maintain homeostasis in the organism?

This week's Contract Week 12 has us look in depth at the funtion of the muscular system - when it's working correctly and when it is not.