This week, we will be starting our Survivor Science unit that will conclude the school year! Do not anticipate much homework over these last few weeks.
Monday: Begin "Survivor Science" unit - bonus points activities, choose groups, and create totem poles. No HW.
Tuesday: Movie field trip for students with 120+ stamps. In class: continue working on bonus point activities for Survivor Science. No HW.
Wednesday: Immunity Challenge: Metric Mania! No HW.
Thursday: Tribal council for Wednesday's Immunity Challenge. Reward Challenge: Teacher Trivia! No HW.
Friday: Believer's Day field trip to the Rec for students with 80+ stamps. No Survivor Science today. No HW.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ May 6, 2008 3:16:26 PM EDT ( ) |
Monday: Begin ABC science book (in-class project). No HW.
Tuesday:Continue working on ABC science book. No HW.
Wednesday: Continue working on ABC science book. No HW.
Thursday: Field trip to Georgia Renaissance Festival. Be sure to bring an extra drink for the day as well as money if you plan to buy souvenirs, food, or go on rides.
Friday: Complete ABC science book. No HW.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 30, 2008 8:03:49 AM EDT ( ) |
Students are to write a 5-paragraph essay on the story of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. It can be on any aspect of the story, but must follow 5-paragraph format as shown below.
Introductory Paragraph: Introduce the topic and make a thesis statement that includes 3 distinct parts. NOTE: It is color coded to show how the thesis statement relates to the other parts of the essay. Example:
The Lorax is a story by Dr. Seuss about a creature who defends his habitat from the Once-ler's business. The Once-ler is a man who created Thneeds from Truffula trees. Even though the Lorax spoke for the trees and other creatures in the forest, the Once-ler's actions were justified because he produced an important product, he brought jobs to the area, and he helped boost the local economy.
Supporting Paragraph 1: This paragraph should elaborate on the first idea presented in the thesis statement from the opening paragraph. Example:
One way the Once-ler's actions were reasonable is that he produced an important product. This product was the Thneed, an item that because it could turn into anything someone needs at the time. The Thneeds sold very well, and the demand for them quickly became very high because it was such a useful product.
Supporting Paragraph 2: This paragraph should elaborate on the second idea presented in the thesis statement from the opening paragraph. Example:
Another reason the Once-ler's actions were justified is because he brought jobs to the community. Initially, the Once-ler worked alone to create the Thneeds. Then, so many Thneeds were selling that the Once-ler had to ask his family to help make the Thneeds. Later, the demand got so high for Thneeds that the Once-ler built a large factory and hired many employees to work there. This brought a great many jobs to the forest where there were previously no employment opportunities.
Supporting Paragraph 3: This paragraph should elaborate on the third idea presented in the thesis statement from the opening paragraph. Example:
Lastly, the Once-ler's actions helped the local economy. Before the Once-ler moved to the area and created many jobs at his Thneed factory, it was just a forest with no established economical system. After the Thneed factory was built, and the Once-ler hired many employees, the area turned into a full city. This included housing, roads, and businesses such as restaurants and car dealerships. The Once-ler's Thneed factory ultimately caused a booming economy in a place that had been a simple forest.
Conclusion Paragraph: This paragraph should restate the thesis sentence with slightly more detail. It should be similar to the first paragraph. Example:
In conclusion, the Once-ler's actions, though maybe questionable to some, were justified and even helpful for many reasons. He produced a useful product, the Thneed, with could change into any item needed by the consumer at the moment. The Once-ler's factory created a multitude of jobs in an area previously uninhabited by anything or anyone besides forest animals. This high demand for Thneeds and the increase in population from jobs also helped boost the local economy by creating an entire city. While the Once-ler changed the environment drastically, his reasons for doing so were justified by the outcome of the Thneed production.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 23, 2008 1:48:35 PM EDT ( ) |
This week, we celebrate Earth Day on April 22!
Monday: Complete vocabulary flipbook for words in Ch. 20 in class. No homework.
Tuesday: Listen to passage about Earth Day and answer questions. Watch The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Assignment: Write a 5-paragraph essay about some aspect of the story of the Lorax. HW: Rough draft of essay due Wednesday.
Wednesday: Proofread essay drafts and make corrections. Watch The Magic School Bus in the Rainforest. Take notes and summarize. HW: Final draft of essay due handwritten in black ink or typed (12-pt. font ONLY) due Friday.
*Parents: please do not write or type this essay for your child. I expect them to type it themselves if they choose to do so. It will have to be rewritten if this happens.*
Thursday: Recycling - BrainPop, reduce/reuse/recycle handout, and activity HW: Final draft of essay due tomorrow.
Friday: Essays to be completed and turned in. Finish recycle acrostic. Begin Recycling poster project. No homework over the weekend.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 23, 2008 9:51:25 AM EDT ( ) |
CRCT Week!!!
Monday: Reading
Tuesday: English/Language Arts
Wednesday: Math
Thursday: SCIENCE
Friday: Social Studies
Homework: None this week. Please make sure to get a good night's sleep and eat breakfast daily.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 16, 2008 1:23:30 PM EDT ( ) |
Monday: Complete soil notes/human activity handout using CRCT Coach book. Draw, color, and label a picture of the soil profile. HW: Finish drawing of soil profile.
Tuesday: Grade soil notes/human activity handout. Watch BrainPop on soil & take quiz for a grade.
Wednesday: Notes handout on conserving natural resources and renewable/nonrenewable resources. No HW.
Thursday: Grade handout. Watch BrainPop on natural resources, conservation, fossil fuels, and pollution.
Friday: CRCT post-test. No homework...get ready for CRCT on Monday! Get to school on time!
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 7, 2008 12:28:38 PM EDT ( ) |
NOTES: Soil
Soil is made up of rock and decayed plants and animals.
-It provides nutrients for plants to grow.
How soil is formed:
-Mechanical weathering breaks down rocks into small pieces.
-Chemical weathering further breaks down the rock when tiny organisms (bacteria & fungi) produce acids.
-The rock breaks down into minerals needed by organisms.
-Small plants begin to take hold of the new soil. They grow and eventually die.
-Bacteria and fungi decay the dead plants.
-The decayed plant material is now organic material (humus) that becomes part of the soil.
Soil Profile
-The 3 layers, or horizons, of soil make up the soil profile.
-Mature soil develops over thousands of years.
A Horizon – TOPSOIL – nutrient-rich, dark soil where roots of plants grow and worms and insects live.
B Horizon – SUBSOIL – mostly clay and minerals, some very deep plant roots, and some nutrients carried by water from the topsoil.
C Horizon – mostly weathered rock, very little nutrient carried from the subsoil by water.
BEDROCK – solid, un-weathered rock below the C Horizon of the soil profile.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 4, 2008 1:12:37 PM EST ( ) |
Monday: Complete handout on lithospheric plates notes in class using CRCT Coach book. This will be graded in class Tuesday. No homework!
Tuesday: Grade lithospheric plates notes handout. Watch video clip on continental drift and plate tectonics. Watch BrainPop on mountains. No homework!
Wednesday: Complete handout on weathering and erosion notes using CRCT Coach book. This will be graded in class Thursday. When finished, students will begin vocabulary for weathering, erosion, and soil. (This will be a work in progress and due at a later date.)
Homework: Ask an adult or older sibling the following questions and record their answers for a class discussion on Thursday. (Note: the answers should come from memory, not be looked up in a book or online.)
1. What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
2. Give an example of something (a place or thing) that has been weathered.
3. Give an example of something (a place or thing) that has been eroded.
Thursday: Go over last night's homework. Grade weathering and erosion notes handout. Watch 2 BrainPop videos on weathering and erosion. Take quizzes with each BrainPop for a grade. Continue working on vocabulary if time permits. Homework: Write down 5 study tips for the CRCT.
Friday: Go over last night's homework. Take CRCT review test (approx. 30 questions) and review in class. No homework over the weekend!
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 2, 2008 7:54:12 AM EST ( ) |
NOTES: Processes of Change
Two main processes that change the Earth’s surface: weathering & erosion
Weathering: slow wearing-away or breaking down of objects exposed to Earth’s atmosphere & water
-Mechanical weathering: objects are broken into small pieces but the chemical composition of the object does not change.
-example: the sphinx
-changes in temperature cause objects to expand/contract, causing cracks
-Chemical weathering: when an objects chemical makeup changes due to chemicals in the atmosphere
-example: metal rusts when left outside because water and causes an oxidization reaction
-chemicals released into the atmosphere condense into clouds and fall back to Earth as acid rain, which causes metal to change color and rock to be destroyed.
Example: The Statue of Liberty is copper but has turned green from the acid rain reacting with the copper
Erosion: moving of materials from one place to another by nature
-example: Grand Canyon (where river used to flow is now a canyon b/c the rushing water carried pieces of rock away)
-landslide: mud, rock, or dirt is pulled down a hill by gravity
-Deposition: the building up of land by erosion
-example: sand dunes are built up when wind carries the sand to a new location
-Erosion can occur by rain, wind, gravity, glaciers, waves, water, hurricanes, etc.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 2, 2008 7:46:04 AM EST ( ) |
NOTES: Lithospheric Plates
-The lithosphere is the solid outer layer of Earth.
-It includes the crust and the top part of the mantle
-Moving chunks of the lithosphere are called lithospheric plates
-In 1912, a scientist named Wegener noticed that the continents were shaped like puzzle pieces that could fit together.
-Wegener propsed the idea of continental drift, which means the continents were once connected and have since broken apart and drifted to their current locations.
-Not many people believed in Wegener’s hypothesis until evidence was found to support it.
-Some things that supported continental drift:
-Fossils: remains or signs left behing by a once-living thing
-Mesosaurus: freshwater reptile that lived 250 million years ago, found in both South America and Africa.
-Same mountains and rocks on the east cost of S. America and the west coast of Africa
-Movement of continents is about 2 cm per year
-Continental plates are less dense than oceanic plates
-When continental and oceanic plates collide, the oceanic plate subducts underneath the continental plate.
-Where they collide, magma can rise and cause volcanoes to erupt (ex.: Mt. St. Helens)
-When 2 oceanic plates collide, one slides under the other. This can form deep trenches or islands (ex.: Aleutian Islands)
-When 2 continental plates collide, they both buckle upward. This forms mountains.
-Sometimes continental plates that are stuck against each other become unstuck, causing an earthquake.
-The Ring of Fire is the line of plate boundaries in the Pacific Ocean made up of a belt where volcanoes and earthquakes are really common.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ April 2, 2008 7:45:33 AM EST ( ) |
Monday: Work on Fossil Pre-Test during class. No homework.
Tuesday: Finish and grade fossil pre-test. Begin fossil notes and vocabulary.
Wednesday: Finish fossil notes using BrainPop. Take BrainPop quiz on fossils. Classwork: work on fossil vocabulary and plate tectonics map. Homework: Finish plate tectonics map if not already handed in.
Thursday: Review fossils and plate tectonics. No homework!
Friday: No school! Good Friday holiday. Have a great Spring Break!
Spring Break is March 24-28! Return to school on Monday, March 31!
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ March 19, 2008 11:16:00 AM EST ( ) |
fossil - remnant of an organism
Types of fossils:
body fossil- part of the organism that has been preserved
-very rare
-occurs in extreme conditions like desert, tar pits, or snow
trace fossils- impression left behind by an organism, such as animal tracks, nests, bit marks, or animal poop
-most common type of fossil
mold fossil - hollow print left behind when animal/plant is buried quickly and then decays
cast fossil - occurs when minerals fill a mold fossil and then harden to become rock
-the fossil looks identical to the original organism
Other information
fossil fuel - oil, gas, and coal formed from the remains of living organisms
fossil record - the sum total of everything known about fossils
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ March 19, 2008 11:12:06 AM EST ( ) |
Monday: Finish rock cycle study guide and grade. Take rocks post-test for a grade. No homework.
Tuesday: Begin plate tectonics - read pgs. 276-279, complete section 1 assessment #1-5. Work on breakup of Pangaea flipbook. No HW.
Wednesday: Benchmark testing for science. Finish Pangaea flipbook for HW if not completed in class.
Thursday: Make-up day/review. This is the last day to turn in work for the 3rd nine weeks! Remember, if the makeup essay was not completed to replace NHIs that occurred through Jan. 28, those assignments can no longer be made up. No HW over the long weekend.
Friday: No school for students/in-service for teachers.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ March 12, 2008 9:02:47 AM EST ( ) |
Monday: Read CRCT lesson 17 and watch BrainPop on the rock cycle. BrainPop quiz for a grade. Work on concept map of the rock cycle in groups. No HW.
Tuesday: Rock cycle dice activity. HW: Finish comic strip using info obtained in activity - must be colored and neat!
Wednesday: "Rock Talk" activity and discussion. Work on chapter review in class only. No HW.
Thursday: Grade "Rock Talk." Cookie/rock lab activity. Complete chart for lab - it should have a name and picture of each cookie type and a paragraph justifying why that cookie was chosen to match each rock type. This is HW if not finished in class.
Friday: Review rocks & rock cycle (study guide), take rock post-test for a grade. No HW.
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ March 3, 2008 3:03:13 PM EST ( ) |
Monday: Finish making 20-question test on Earth's layers (CRCT Lesson 16). Students earning 100+ stamps were on the Renaissance field trip to the Winner's Circle in Fort Oglethorpe. Homework: Get a good night's sleep, wear comfortable clothes and shoes for our field trip tomorrow!
Tuesday: FIELD TRIP to the Fernbank Museum in Atlanta! Parents: be sure you are at school no later than 6pm to pick up your child upon our return.
Wednesday: Trade 20-question tests with a partner, complete, and grade. Draw, label, and color a diagram of the Earth's layers, including 5 additional facts. No HW.
Thursday: Rocks pre-test. Take notes on rock types and watch Brainpop. HW: Interview one person older than you about the types of rocks. Must have 5 questions, including any 3 of these: 1. How are sedimentary rocks made? 2. Name one igneous rock, or tell how igneous rocks form. 3. What is a metamorphic rock? 4. Name one sedimentary rock. 5. How long does it take for a rock to form?
Friday: Vocabulary assignment for rock unit. No HW.
Vocabulary to know:
basaltic
cementation
compaction
extrusive
foliated
granitic
igneous rock
intrusive
lava
metamorphic rock
nonfoliated
rock
rock cycle
sediment
sedimentary rock
Posted by: Lindsay Hook
| @ February 25, 2008 12:58:59 PM EST ( ) |
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