Winter Olympics III

Today marked the third consecutive year that South Williamsport Jr/Sr High School has held the Winter Olympics.  After drawing some gold medals for prizes and watching Dr. Seuss' "Grinch" movie, students in grades 7-12 gather in the gymnasium to compete against one another in friendly games and activities.
No homework is assigned over break.

Holiday Pictionary

Students got back their news articles and speed quizzes back today.  With the remaining time in class, we played Holiday Song Pictionary.
No homework was assigned and news articles will not be due when we return from break.

Speed Quiz

After reviewing today's 15th news article, students took the speed quiz, which they did really well on. 
There is no homework due tomorrow.

Speed Quiz Practice

Students did problems 1-4 on worksheet 5-3 today before checking their answers on the board.  Students then took the practice quiz on page 5-16 to guage their readiness for Monday's real quiz.
News article #15 is due on Monday, and the speed quiz will be on Monday, as well.

Speed, distance and time

Today in class we reviewed worksheet 5-2 in class.  Students had the opportunity to show their work on the board for extra credit.  Students then worked with their partner to complete worksheet 5-5, which we also reviewed on the board.
Students should continue to bring a calculator to class for the remainder of the year.  No other homework was assigned.

Speed vs Velocity

Students distinguished between speed and velocity.  Speed is how fast an object is moving, while velocity is the speed in a given direction.  We completed worksheet 5-1 and students began and finished most of worksheet 5-2.
No homework was assigned.  A quiz on calculating speed will be on Monday.

Frame of Reference

Today marked our 14th summary of news articles.  Students continued their success at the periodic table quiz following the news article summaries.  We discussed section 5-1 notes on Frame of Reference and calculating speed.  We watched the http://www.brainpop.com/ video on speed, distance and time before doing the top half of worksheet 5-1.

No homework was assigned.

Good oral hygiene

That was the message today as Carol Kirol, the school's dental hygienist, came in to speak to each of the five classes.  Students learned about the dangers of smokeless tobacco use and how it is just as careless as smoking.
Homework is news article # 14, due tomorrow.

Chapter 3 Notebook Check

Today in class, students had their Chapter 3 notebooks checked for 100 points.  During this time, we watched a holiday-themed episode of Mythbusters.
The school's dental hygienist will be a guest speaker in this room on Monday, and news article #14 is due on Tuesday.

Chapter 3 Test

Students took the Chapter 3 test today online using the my Moodle site.  There were 28 questions worth a total of 118 points. 
The notebook check will be tomorrow and worth 100 points.  News articles are due on Tuesday.

1st Snow Day

Students and teachers got to enjoy a mid-week break today due to the weather.  The Chapter 3 test will still be tomorrow.

Atomic Forces

Today students had another opportunity to take the periodic table quiz.  Students volunteered to draw their atoms on the board from the pages we did in class yesterday (3-19 & 3-20).  We finally completed section 3-4 notes in discussing the forces within an atom.  We ended class by watching a video that reviewed this chapter's main topics.
Students are encouraged to study for the Chapter 3 test which is Thursday, December 10th.  No other homework was assigned.

Drawing Atoms

After reviewing the summaries of our 13th news article day, we discussed the part of section 3-4 notes pertaining to energy levels and electron clouds.  I showed students how to draw the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom.  Students watched the http://www.brainpop.com/ video on the Periodic Table.  After taking the quiz following the video, students worked with their partner to complete activity 3-19 and 3-20.
Students should begin studying for Thursday's Chapter 3 Test.  No other homework was assigned.

Molecular Mass calculations

Today in class we went over worksheet 3-16 from yesterday.  I introduced the concept of molecular mass and used worksheet 3-18 as a demonstration.  Students worked with their partners to complete pages 3-17 and 3-18.
Homework is news article #13 for Monday.  The chapter 3 test will be on Thursday, December 10th.

ions and isotopes

Not as many students opted to take the periodic table quiz today.  Those that did all earned over a 100%, though.  We continued our topic of atomic structure today by introducing ions, or charged atoms that have either gained or lost one or more electrons.  We watched a third straight http://www.brainpop.com/ video today, this time on ions.  We ended the period by completing worksheet 3-16, which we will check at the beginning of tomorrow's class.
No homework was assigned.  Test on Thursday, December 10th.

Atomic Structure 2

Today in class students got their first crack at taking the periodic table quiz.  Everyone of the 12 students that attempted the quiz earned over a 100% (with the extra credit elements).  What a great start!!!
After the quiz we discussed what information could be determined by looking at an element on the periodic table.  By the end of the period, students had to know the atomic number, atomic mass and the number of protons, neutrons and electrons for any element on the periodic table.  Students practiced this on page 3-14.  We then discussed the existance of isotopes and watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on the topic.  We ended the class by completing worksheet 3-15.
No homework was assigned. 
Remember that the test is a week from tomorrow, on Thursday, December 10th.

Atomic Structure

After listening to the summaries of the 12th news article week, I returned the rubrics for the VoiceThread assignment back to students.  We then began a discussion of section 3-4 notes of subatomic particles.  I described how the atom is so unbelievably tiny, yet contains even smaller particles within (protons, neutrons and electrons).  We watched a Tim & Moby video on atoms before practicing the periodic table quiz.
The test date was announced as Thursday, December 10th.
No homework was assigned.