Day 104

We learned about levers today.  Using the IWB, I differentiated among the three classes of levers.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Levers and took the quiz.  Students were given a minute to complete worksheet 15-12 before we went over it.  We then proceeded to do the top of worksheet 15-15 together before I gave them 4 minutes to complete the bottom part.  After having students up to the board to give the answers to that bottom part, we completed worksheet 15-16 together before the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz will be on Monday, February 24th.

Day 103

After listening to the 21st week of science news articles, students worked within their groups to complete the lab on pages 15-13 & 15-14.  The lab is about the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane.  We went over the lab in the last 8 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 7 vocab quiz will be on Monday, February 24th.

Day 102

We had 25-30 minute classes today to accommodate our "42" assembly at the end of the day.  During class, we reviewed worksheet 15-6, discussed how inclined planes make work easier, and watched a www.brainpop.com movie on Inclined Planes and took the quiz afterward.  In the remaining 10 minutes of class, we completed problem #5 on page 15-9, and worked about halfway through problem #6.

News article #21 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 7 vocab quiz will be on Monday, February 24th.

Day 101

We had no school yesterday due to snow.  Today, students were given back their Work & Power quizzes and I went over the answers on the board.  We also went over worksheet 15-5 from Monday's class.  We then discussed section 7-3 & 7-4 notes on mechanical advantage and efficiency.  We completed the first problem (all four parts) on page 15-8 together.  In the last 10 minutes of class, students worked in their groups to complete the four problems on worksheet 15-6.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz will be on Monday, February 24th.

Day 100

Students took the Work & Power quiz in class today.  Once everyone was done, we moved to the computer lab so that students could complete a district-mandated survey on technology use in the district.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 7 vocab quiz will be in mid-February.

Day 99

After listening to the week #20 science news articles, we went over the answers to worksheet 15-3, which students completed last Friday.  Students were assigned worksheets 15-4 & 15-5 in class, and we had enough time to go over the answers to worksheet 15-4 in the last 10 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Work & Power quiz will be tomorrow.

Day 98

Students exercised today, as we completed the Stairway Lab on worksheet 15-7.  Following the lab, students were assigned worksheet 15-3 for the remaining 15 minutes in class.  We did not have time to go over it.

News article #20 is due on Monday, and the Work & Power Quiz will be on Tuesday.

Day 97

We discussed section 7-2 notes on Power today.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Power and took the quiz shortly thereafter.  Students were assigned worksheet 15-2 within their groups, and we went over the solutions in the last 5 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Work & Power quiz will be on Tuesday, February 4th.

Day 96

Students were given their new packets for Chapter 7.  We discussed section 7-1 notes on physical work, and watched a www.brainpop.com video on work and took the quiz afterwards.  Students were given 10 minutes to complete the six problems on worksheet 15-1, and volunteers put the solutions on the board at the end of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Work & Power quiz will be on Tuesday, February 4th.

Day 95

Today we watched Mythbusters about dropping a penny from the Empire State Building and skydiving myths.  During that time, students had their chapter 6 notebooks checked for 65 points.

No homework was assigned, and the Work & Power Quiz will be on Tuesday, February 4th.

Day 94

After collecting the 19th week of science news articles, students took the Chapter 6 test on Moodle in the computer lab.

The notebook check is tomorrow, and the Work & Power Quiz will be on Tuesday, February 4th.

Day 93

Today we played Jeopardy to review for Monday's Chapter 6 test.

News article #19 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 6 test will also be on Monday.  The notebook check will be on Tuesday.

Day 92

We reviewed the final three problems from worksheet 6-9 from yesterday (problems 6, 7 & 8).  We watched a brief 90-second clip of Felix Baumgartner's famous space dive from last year and calculated how fast he was falling before deploying his parachute.  I assigned worksheets 6-11, 12 & 13, which were review pages.  We went over the answers in the final 10 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 91

We discussed section 6-4 notes on gravity as it relates to projectiles and free-falling objects.  We completed worksheet 6-7 and 6-10 together as a class.  I used a flipchart "peepshow" to review Newton's four laws.  We ended class on worksheet 6-9.  We did the first five problems together, and I assigned #'s 6, 7 & 8 to be completed in the last five minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 90

Today is the 90th day and therefore the last day of the first half of the year.  We reviewed worksheet 6-8 from yesterday.  Students were given a 4-square assignment.  They were split up into four groups and assigned one of Newton's four laws and asked to define it, explain it to a kindergartener, apply it to real life and illustrate it.  After 15 minutes of work time in their group, each group had a minute to present it.  We ended class with a www.brainpop.com video on Newton's Laws of Motion and quiz.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 89

Today's news article #18 was the last grade of the 2nd quarter.  We discussed section 6-5 notes on gravity, and students calculated how much they weighed on other planets by completing worksheet 6-5 together.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Gravity, followed by the quiz.  We ended class by working on page 6-8 before the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 88

Mr. Girardi was in for me today as I attended a family funeral.  Mr. Girardi was to hand back the graded Force quizzes from yesterday and go over the solutions.  He went over section 6-3 notes on Newton's 3 Laws of Motion.  He assigned worksheet 6-6 to be completed in class.  After going over the answers, any time that was left over was filled with the Bill Nye video, "Balance".

News article #18 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 87

Students took the Force Quiz today, which was eight problems that revolved around Newton's 2nd Law of Motion, F=ma.  After the quiz, they completed worksheet 6-4 from yesterday, and then we went over the answers.  For the last five minutes of class, we finished the Mythbusters episode from Monday.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test will be on Monday, January 27th.

Day 86

We discussed section 6-2 notes on the three types of friction.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Force and took the quiz afterward.  We reviewed the answers from worksheet 6-3 together, and students were assigned #6-8 on worksheet 6-4 for the remainder of the period.

Day 85

Students were given their new Chapter 6 packet today.  We discussed section 6-1 notes on balanced forces before we completed worksheet 6-1 together.  We then skipped to section 6-3 notes on F=ma, and students were given 10 minutes to complete worksheet 6-2 within their groups.  After we went over their answers, students worked on the first four problems on page 6-3 before the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday.

Day 84

As always on the first day of the week, students were given the opportunity to summarize their articles out loud for extra credit.  Afterwards, students had their online lab packets checked for 35 points while we watched Mythbusters.

No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday.

Day 83

Students had all of today's class to complete the online lab, which ended on page 5-24. 

The online lab and news article #17 are due on Monday, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday, January 16th.

Day 82

Students continued their online Force & Motion Lab today.  We reviewed the three questions on worksheet 5-20.  I demonstrated to students how to collect and record the data for Activity 2 that began on worksheet 5-22.  Most students were somewhere in the middle of page 5-23 by the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday, January 16th.

Day 81

We had a 2-hour delay today, so in the 31 minute classes, we began our online Force & Motion lab using the link through Moodle.  Most students got to page 20 by the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday, January 16th.

Day 80

After listening to the 16th week of science news articles, students had their Chapter 5 notebooks checked while we watched Mythbusters. 

No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be on Thursday, January 16th.

Day 79

We had a 2-hour delay schedule today, but students still had a half hour to take the Chapter 5 test on Moodle, which was more than enough time for them.

News article #16 and the notebook check will be on Monday, and the Force Quiz will be Wednesday, January 15th.

Day 78

We played Jeopardy today to prepare for tomorrow's Chapter 5 test.  The last 5-10 minutes was used to work on completing the packet.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test is tomorrow.

Day 77

Today was an Act-80 day, so students were dismissed at noon.  We watched "A Christmas Carol" from 10:30 - noon, which meant our core classes were only 15 minutes long.  We used that time in science class to watch a www.brainpop.com video on Winter Holidays.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 76

We had shortened periods today due to the afternoon winter olympics.  During that time, we discussed section 5-4 notes on Momentum.  I took the students out into the hallway and used push carts to demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Momentum.  Once back in the classroom, students completed worksheet 5-12 before we went over the answers.  Students spent the remainder of the period working on the crossword review on page 5-17.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 75

Students completed worksheet 5-7 in 20 minutes today, and we went over each of the nine problems.  We then completed worksheet 5-8 together.  Finally, students completed problems #11-16 on page 5-14, including the two graphs on page 5-15.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 74

After a 2-hour delay, students completed their Marble Lab by calculating the speed and graphing speed vs time on pages 5-10 and 5-11.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 73

After we collected the week #15 science, students worked in their group to complete the "Marble Acceleration Lab" from worksheets 5-9 & 5-10.  They needed to have all of the timings and calculations done by tomorrow's class in order to make the graph.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 5th.

Day 72

We discussed section 5-2 notes on graphing motion, and I told students that 11 of the 25 test questions will be on interpreting speed and acceleration graphs.  Students completed worksheet 5-4 within their groups and we discussed the answers together.  Finally, students were assigned worksheet 5-6 in the last 10 minutes of class and we went over the answers before the bell rang.

News article #15 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 71

We discussed section 5-3 notes in class today on Acceleration.  Students worked in their groups to complete worksheet 5-3, and we reviewed every answer before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 70

Students took a break from science today and instead took a state-issued youth survey that was collected at the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 69

Students were given a double-sided handout today that was the foundation of our lab.  Students worked with their partners in the hallway by the guidance office.  They timed each other on how long it took them to hop, walk, speed walk and walk backwards a distance of 5 & 10 meters.  Once we collected all the data, students returned to the classroom to determine their speeds for each exercise.  We also used the backside of the lab to extrapolate some answers based on their calculated speeds.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 68

Students handed in their Week #14 news articles.  I handed back their speed quizzes and we went over the answers.  We also went over the answers to problems 7-10 on page 5-13 & 5-14.  Since we had a shortened schedule due to a 2-hour delay, we watched holiday Mythbusters with the last 5-10 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 67

Students took the Speed Quiz today.  Any time that remained after they were finished was used to watch holiday myths from Mythbusters.

News article #14 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 5 test will be on Friday, January 3rd.

Day 66

Students took a practice quiz today on calculating speed.  The quiz was located on page 5-16 in their packets.  Once they were finished, they were to begin pages 13 & 14, problems 1-10.  We went over the practice quiz and the first six problems from page 13 before then end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Speed Quiz will be tomorrow.

Day 65

After listening to the 13th week of science news articles,  I explained problem # 9 & 10 on page 5-2.  Students then were given 6 minutes to complete those two problems before I revealed the solutions.  Students were then assigned page 5-5, which was a graphing page to find average speed.  After 12 minutes, we went over the answers. 

No homework was assigned, and the Speed Quiz will be this Friday.

Day 64

With today's Act 80 schedule, students only met with their first period class.  Once they returned from that, everyone was bussed to the Digiplex movie theater for a private screening of "Catching Fire", from the Hunger Games Trilogy.

News article #13 is due on Wednesday, December 4th, and the Speed Quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 63

Students watched the Hunger Games in the auditorium today with the shortened schedule.

No homework was assigned, and the Speed Quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 62

We completed worksheet 5-1 in class and had students plot the points for the graph on the board.  Students then completed worksheet 5-2 and we went over the answers on the board before the end of the period (except for #9 & 10).

News article #13 is due on December 4th, and the Speed Quiz will be on Friday, December 6^th

Day 61

Students were given their new packets for Chapter 5.  We discussed section 5-1 notes on speed vs velocity.  We watched a brief clip on YouTube to learn about Frame of References.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Distance, Rate and Time and took the quiz that went with it.  Finally, we did the top half of worksheet 5-1 together before the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Speed Quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 60

Ms. Thomke was in for me today.  Students took a PSSA practice exam using bubble sheets and handed it in at the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Speed Quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 59

We watched Mythbusters Zombie special today while students had their Chapter 3 notebooks checked for 100 points.

The next news article is due on Wednesday, December 4th, and the next quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 58

We had class in the computer lab today so that students could take the Chapter 3 test using Moodle.  First, though, we listened to oral summaries of the week #12 science news articles.

The notebook check is tomorrow, and their next quiz will be on Friday, December 6th.

Day 57

Today was the final day to take the periodic table quiz.  Students were then given their graded Farcebook rubrics to see their scores.  I collected them back so that parents could see them during upcoming conference time.  Finallly, we played Jeopardy to review for Monday's chapter 3 test.

News article #12 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test will also be on Monday.

Day 56

Students had today and then tomorrow yet to take the periodic table quiz.  We discussed section 3-6 notes on electron arrangements.  Students were assigned worksheets 3-19 & 3-20.  We went over both pages before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be November 18th

Day 55

Students were given the chance to take the periodic table quiz today.  We also discussed Ions and Isotopes and watched www.brainpop.com movies on both topics, though we only took the quiz on Ions.  After each movie, we completed a worksheet on the respective topic (Ions was worksheet 3-15, Isotopes was worksheet 3-16).  We reviewed both pages before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test was on Monday, November 18th.

Day 54

Students had the opportunity to take the periodic table quiz today.  We discussed section 3-5 notes on atomic number and atomic mass of an atom.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Atoms and took the quiz afterwards.  Finally, students worked on worksheet 3-14 in their groups before we reviewed the answers together.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 3 test will be on Monday.

Day 53

I collected the week #11 science news articles today, and then students had another chance to take the periodic table quiz (they have until this Friday, 11/15, to take it).  We discussed section 3-4 notes on the evolution of the atomic theory, including protons, neutrons and electrons.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Atomic Model and took the quiz afterwards.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be next Monday, November 18th.

Day 52

Carol Kirol, the district's dental hygenist, was in today as a guest speaker in my classes. 

News article #11 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 51

Students had the opportunity to take the periodic table quiz again today.  We reviewed the solutions to the eight problems on worksheet 3-10 from yesterday.  Students were then assigned pages 3-11, 12 and 13 to be completed in class within their groups.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 50

Students had the chance to take the periodic table quiz again today.  We then reviewed problems #5, 6, 7 & 9 from worksheet 3-9 from the last two days.  Students were finally assigned worksheet 3-10 to work on until the end of class.  They were told that problem #4 was already solved, so that left them with seven problems.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 49

Students had another opportunity to take the periodic table quiz at the beginning of class.  We then watched a www.brainpop.com video on Chemical Equations and took the quiz using the student responders.  Students were then assigned the remaining problems on worksheet 3-9 (#2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 9).  We did #2 together and reviewed #3 before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 Test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 48

After listening to the week #10 news article summaries, students had their first opportunity to take the elements quiz.  Eventually, I demonstrated the process involved in balancing chemical equations or "Stoichiometry".  After several sample problems on the IWB, students solved problems #8, 4 and 1, in that order on a separate sheet of notebook paper.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 47

We had 28-minute classes today because we watched "Freak, The Mighty" in the auditorium in the afternoon.  During our time in class, we discussed subscripts and coefficients (from section 3-3 notes) and completed worksheets 3-7 and 3-8.

News article #10 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 46

Students were given a copy of the periodic table of elements today, and I explained to them the requirements for the elements quiz.  We discussed the top half of section 3-3 notes on chemical symbols today.  Students worked in their groups to complete worksheets 3-5 & 3-6.  We went over the answers in the last 10 minutes.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 45

We discussed section 3-2 notes today on the differences between elements, compounds and mixtures.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Compounds & Mixtures, followed by the quiz.  Students were then assigned worksheet 3-4 to be completed in 4 minutes within their groups and we went over those answers immediately.  Finally, we all completed worksheet 3-3 together within the last 8 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 44

Today students worked in their groups to complete worksheet 3-2, which was about separating mixtures based on their unique physical and chemical properties.  We discussed different possible solutions in the last 15 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 43

Students handed in their FarceBook posters at the beginning of class.  Students then had the opportunity to give oral summaries for their last news article (#9) of the first marking period.  They were given their packets for Chapter 3, and we discussed section 3-1 notes on Homogeneous vs Heterogeneous matter.  Students worked with their partners to complete worksheet 3-1, and we discussed the answers before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on November 18th.

Day 42

Today was the last day that students had class time to work on their Farcebook project.  Students worked the entire period to complete the posters, and if they were done by the end of class, they earned five points extra credit for early submission.  Otherwise, they are due at the beginning of Monday's class for regular credit.

News article #9 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Monday, November 18th.

Day 41

Students continued to work on their Farcebook project for the 4th day.  As a reminder, they can still turn in the poster by the end of tomorrow's class for 5 points extra credit.  Students could take their posters home today to work on them.

The posters are due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test is Monday, November 18th.

Day 40

Students continued for the third straight day to work on their FarceBook poster.  Some students were even ready to start composing on the poster today.  They were reminded that they should write only in black or blue ink.

The poster is due on Monday, October 28th, and the Chapter 3 test is on Monday, November 18th.

Day 39

Students used the laptops today to research their given scientist for the Farcebook project. 

The posters are due on Monday, October 28th, but they can earn 5 points extra credit by turning them in by the end of Friday's class.  The next test won't be until Friday, November 15th.

Day 38

Immediately at the beginning of class, I collected the online gases lab from last week.  We then listened to oral summaries of the week #8 science news articles.  For the remainder of class, students worked on their Farcebook Project, in which they were given a famous scientist of the past and asked to create a "Facebook-like" profile page for them. 

The Farcebook poster is due on Monday, October 28th, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Friday, November 15th.

Day 37

Students had their Chapter 2 notebook checked today for 60 points.  During that time, we watched a Mythbusters episode on baseball myths.

The online lab and 8th news article are due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test will be on November 15th.

Day 36

Students took their Chapter 2 test today using Moodle.  With the remaining time in class, they had the opportunity to get a news article for next week or work on their online lab.

The notebook check is tomorrow, the online lab is due on Monday, and the next test is somewhere around November 15th.

Day 35

We watched a video called, "Understanding Matter", which coincided with Worksheet 2-11.  The remaining time was used to play Jeopardy to review for tomorrow's test.

The notebook check will be this Friday, the online lab is due on Monday, October 21st, and the Chapter 2 test is tomorrow.

Day 34

Since students had off yesterday for Columbus Day, their week #7 news articles were due today.  After students had the opportunity to summarize those articles out loud for extra credit, they got on the laptops and continued to progress through the online gas lab.  Most students completed the lab by the end of the period.

The online lab is due on Monday, October 21st, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 33

We had an altered schedule today to accommodate the showing of "The Outsiders" in the afternoon.  During science class, students began Activity3 of the online lab (which started on page H).  Although some students were able to completely finish the lab today, most students were able to complete up through page "I" before the end of the period.

News article #7 is due on Tuesday, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 32

We continued to work on the online gas lab (accessible through Moodle).  Most students started Activity 2 today on the lab and were through to the bottom of page G by the end of the period.

News article #7 is due on Tuesday, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 31

We started class with a review of Chapter 2 by playing a Reveal Game using the IWB.  After covering all topics, students continued to work on completing Activity 1 from the online lab.  By the end of the period, the goal was for students to be completely done with page D.  If not, they should use their own time to meet that goal before the beginning of tomorrow's class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test will be one week from today, October 17.

Day 30

After we completed worksheet 2-5 together, we began our online exploration of the pressure, volume and temperature of a gas. Click HERE to go to the online lab. Students were also given a packet that coincides with the lab. I also demonstrated to students how to use the discussion board to post their questions online if they are having difficulty with any part of the lab. Most students got to the middle of the fourth page (page D) before the end of the period, which involved creating a line graph.


No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th

Day 29

Students had the opportunity to present their week #6 science news articles for extra credit today.  We reviewed worksheet 2-4, which was completed on Friday.  Students then worked with their partners to complete the lab on pages 2-8 & 2-9, relating the pressure and temperature of a gas.  We discussed the outcomes of that lab before the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 28

We began the class by going over worksheet 2-12 from yesterday's class.  We continued reviewing phase changes in matter from by completing and reviewing Worksheet 2-2.  We discussed Section 2-3 notes on Physical vs Chemical changes using a flipchart lesson.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Property Changes and took the ensuing quiz using the student responders.  We ended class by completing worksheets 2-3 & 2-4 within their groups.  We had enough time to go over page 2-3, but we'll have to save 2-4 for Tuesday.

News article #6 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 26

We began class by reviewing yesterday's volume, pressure and temperature lab from page 2-10.  We discussed section 2-2 notes on phase changes in matter, and students used the double-sided diagram to take notes during that time.  We watched a www.brainpop.com video on Matter Changing States and took the quiz afterward.  We ended class with students completing worksheet 2-12 together in their groups.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 Test will be on Thursday, October 17th, 2013.

Day 25

We reviewed yesterday's lab on the Mass of Air.  We went over the remainder of section 2-1 notes on ideal gas laws, and I emphasized the ideas of inverse vs direct relationships.  Students then worked with their partner to complete the lab on page 2-10, which examined the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature of a gas.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 24

Students were given their Chapter 2 packets today, and we used the top of worksheet 2-1 to review the states of matter topic from yesterday.  Students then worked in their group to complete the lab on page 2-6 & 2-7, where the were tasked with finding the mass of air.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 23

I collected the week #5 science news articles after allowing students the opportunity to summarize out loud for extra credit.  We began Chapter 2 today, but since the copier was broken, only period 2 got the new packets.  Everyone was given a copy of a double-sided cartoon about the states of matter.  We used the front side to introduce the topic, and the backside was used for the students to take notes on solids, liquids and gases.  We ended class by watching a www.brainpop.com video on States of Matter, and students took the quiz using the student responders.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 18th.

Day 22

Since the band went to the Bloomsburg Fair yesterday, most of those students made up the Chapter 1 test today.  While in class, we watched a Mythbusters episode on scientific method, in which they discovered why diet coke and mentos lead to a cola fountain.  During that time, I called students over one at a time to grade their Chapter 1 notebooks.

News article #5 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Thursday, October 17th.

Day 21

Students reported directly to the computer lab today.  They took the Chapter 1 test on Moodle.  Any time that remained after the test was used to either get a news article for next week, work on their History project or complete their Chapter 1 notebook.

The notebook check will be tomorrow, and the Chapter 2 test will be October 17th.

Day 20

Today in class we started by checking and reviewing the homework (worksheet 1-19).  We then watched a www.brainpop.com video on Graphs and students did EXTREMELY well on the ensuing quiz.  We ended class by playing Jeopardy to review for tomorrow's test.

No homework was assigned and the Chapter 1 test is tomorrow.

Day 19

Students needed to login to moodle for today's assignemnt. In order to complete worksheet 1-16, students used the "Create-a-Graph" link at the bottom of my Moodle page. They had to create a pie graph for number 1, a bar graph for number 2, and a line graph for number 3.

Page 1-19 was assigned for homework, worth 15 points, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 18

After listening to and eventually collecting the week #4 science news articles, we reviewed the two density labs from last week. We then went over section 1-6 notes on graphing and completed worksheets 1-17 & 1-18 together before the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 17

Since we've spent the past two days exploring the density of solids, today students did a lab on page 1-14 that tasked them with finding the density of an unknown liquid through seven trials. Once they completed that lab, they were asked to complete worksheet 1-15 on graphing density. We went over the lab and worksheet 1-15 before the bell rang.

News article #4 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 16

We began class by watching a www.brainpop.com video on Measuring Matter, which explored the relationship between mass, volume and density. After taking the quiz, students had the remainder of the period to complete the Density of Solids lab from yesterday.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 15

Students were asked to bring a calculator to today's class. They were given a lab paper to discover the densities of different massed solid cubes. We did this for the entire period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 14

We reviewed the results of the metrics lab from the past two days. I used close-up pictures of the triple-beam balances and graduated cylinder to help students better read the results. I then physically read the thermometers and meter sticks and gave my opinioned results. After reviewing the lab, I handed out a 2-sided supplement that helped to introduce the topic of DENSITY. One side was a cartoon, while the other was a collection of 12 practice problems finding either mass, volume or density. After discussing what density was, students used calculators to complete the practice problems, and we went over the answers in the last 5 minutes of class.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 13

As always, we began class by listening to oral summaries for our week #3 news articles. After collecting them, students had the remainder of the period to complete the Measuring with Metrics lab that we started last Friday on pages 1-11 & 1-12.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 12

I began class by checking students' homework, which was pages 1-7 through 1-10, and then we went over the answers together. We then progressed to worksheets 1-11 & 1-12, which was our lab for the next two days. Students either worked alone or with a partner to go work through 28 different items of which they needed to measure either the mass, volume, temperature or length. I told them they would not and SHOULD NOT be done with the lab today, and that they would have more time on Monday to complete this project.

News article #3 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 11

Today in class we went over section 1-4 notes and I demonstrated, while students practiced, the use, care and reading of the four metric lab tools we will be using in class this year- the ruler, triple beam balance, graduated cylinder and thermometer. I used some links available on Moodle to help with the readings of the triple beam balance and graduated cylinders.

Students were assigned worksheets 1-7, 1-8, 1-9 and 1-10 for homework. They had the last 10 minutes of class to work on it, so many of them already completed the assignment. The Chapter 1 test is on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 10

We began class by watching a www.brainpop.com video on Metric vs Customary units. Students took the quiz using the handheld responders and we reviewed the answers afterwards. We went over the answers to the 10 problems students did yesterday on worksheet 1-6, and they were assigned the bottom 10 problems on that page for the remainder of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 9

I returned the Metric Conversion quiz to the students and we went over the solution to each problem. We went over section 1-5 notes on dimensional analysis, and used the conversion factors on worksheet 1-2 to complete the top half of worksheet 1-6. We will complete the bottom half of the page tomorrow.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 8

Students handed in their Week #2 science news articles, and several from each class volunteered to summarize their's out loud for extra credit. After news articles, students took the 15-problem Metric Conversion quiz. With the remaining 15 minutes of class, we analyzed three different experiments on paper to decide what was wrong with them and how to perform the correctly.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test will be on Thursday, September 26th.

Day 7

Students took the Metric Conversion practice quiz to start the class. We went over all the answers and they were allowed to keep it as a review tool. I handed back the Week #1 news articles from Tuesday and I discussed in detail the different types of mistakes that lead to a reduction in points for the assignment. Finally, in the last 15 minutes of class, we watched a www.brainpop.com video on Metric Units and used the student responders to take the ensuing quiz.

News article #2 is due on Monday, and the Metric Conversion quiz will also be on Monday.

Day 6

We began class by completing four word problems relating to metric conversions, giving the answers using the student responders. They were assigned worksheet 1-3 within their group to be completed in 8 minutes. We went over the answers together. We then completed all of worksheet 1-5 together.

No homework was assigned, and the Metric Conversion quiz will be Monday, September 9th.

Day 5

Today was picture day, so during 2nd period, students were in and out of my room. Students completed worksheet 1-4, which was assigned yesterday at the end of class. We reviewed those answers by using the student responders so that their answers, whether right or wrong, could remain anonymous. We then did some practice conversions of metric units to review.

No homework was assigned, and the Metric Conversion quiz will be on Monday, September 9th.

Day 4

We began class today with our first week of science news articles. Students also had the opportunity to summarize their article out loud for extra credit. After I collected the homework, we reviewed our objectives from the past two days by completing worksheet 1-1. Students worked with a partner to put the steps of the scientific method in the correct order, and then they had to match the vocab term to the proper definition. After that I introduced them to the metric system (Section 1-2 notes), the standard system of measurement used exclusively throughout the world, except for our United States of America. I demonstrated the procedure for converting from one metric prefix to another, like changing kilometers into centimeters. All it takes is moving the decimal to the left or right a certain number of places. With whatever time was left in class, students worked on page 1-4 (chapter 1, page 4) until the bell rang.

No homework was assigned, and the Metric Conversion quiz will be on Monday, September 9th.