Weight vs Mass

Today we concluded chapter 6 notes by discussing section 6-5, the difference between mass and weight.  Students figured out their mass in kilograms, and they used that mass to calculate their weight on Earth, moon, Mars and Jupiter (page 6-5).  We also reviewed the problems from worksheet 6-8 from yesterday on the board.  We ended class by completing the vocab review page on 6-11.
News article # 19 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 6 test is on Tuesday.

Gravity & Projectiles

We began our review of section 6-4 notes by discussing Sir Isaac Newton and his contribution to the study of gravity.  We described how gravity effects the motion of a projectile, like a football or soccer ball that is kicked into the air.  We watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on Gravity and took the interactive quiz that followed.  Students worked with their partner to complete pages 6-7 & 6-8.
No homework was assigned and the test is on Tuesday, February 2nd.

Newton's Laws of Motion

Today students got back their Force Quizzes, and the average score was a 97%.  How awesome is that???  After we reviewed the quiz problems on the board, we discussed section 6-3 notes on Newton's 3 Laws of Motion.  I played a http://www.brainpop.com/ movie on Newton's Laws of Motion, followed by the 10-question quiz.  We reinforced the lesson by completing activity 6-10 and finishing the bottom of page 6-6, which we started on Monday.
There was no homework assigned and the Chapter 6 Test is on Tuesday, February 2nd.

Force Quiz

Students did very well on today's quiz, which related force, mass and accleration (Newton's 2nd Law of Motion).  Following the quiz, students spent the remainder of class time completing the worksheets that concluded our online speed & gravity lab.
No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 6 test is next Tuesday, February 2nd.

Force Quiz Prep

After reviewing the summaries from our 18th week of news articles, students went to the board to display their answers from page 6-3 & 6-4.  Students were then assigned activity 6-6 in class, and we had enough time to put the answers to the first five problems from that page on the board.
The Force Quiz is tomorrow, and I also asked students to bring with them the lab sheets from the online lab we did last week so that they can complete the conclusion questions.

Force, mass and acceleration

Today was Beatles Friday.  After reviewing the problems on the board from yesterday's class, I played some classic Beatles tunes while students worked with their partner to complete pages 6-3 & 6-4.  Just about every student got all the work done, and a good time was had by all.
News article #18 is due on Monday, and the quiz will be on Tuesday.

F=ma

Today we introduced the concept of friction and described the three differing types: sliding, rolling and fluid.  I demonstrated to the kids in the hallway using a hovercraft how a small pocket of air acts as a lubricant and changed the sliding friction into fluid friction.  I also introduced Newton's 2nd Law of Motion, F=ma.  This is the foundation for next week's quiz.  We watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on force, and students used the student responders to answer the ensuing quiz.  I ended class by assigning worksheet 6-2, and most students completed that assignment while working with a partner.
No homework was assigned, and the Force Quiz will be next Tuesday, January 26th.  News articles are due on Monday.

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces

Today we began Chapter 6 on Forces.  Section 6-1 notes were on the diffence between balanced and unbalanced forces.  We completed worksheet 6-1 together before watching our first Bill Nye the Science Guy video on Balanced Forces.
No homework was assigned.

Prepare to Luge

Today was the second day of our online lab relating speed, distance and time.  We started by reviewing the answers from yesterday's lab on pages 2 and 3.  I demonstrated and described the correct way to collect and record the sets of data for this new lab assignment whose theme was Olympic luging.  Students sought the difference in speed if the luge was run on different planets due to differing gravitaional forces.
Any work that was not completed in class will be done on the students' own time.
No homework was assigned.

Snowmobile Race

After reviewing our 17th week of news articles, students began an online lab that involved students predicting the results of a snowmobile race based on the distance and time traveled in exhibition runs.  Students compared their predictions then to actual results.
No homework was assigned.

Chapter 5 Notebook Check

Today in class students had their notebooks checked for 75 points.  During this time we watched Mythbusters "See-Saw" episode.  We also reviewed the test.
News articles are due on Monday, and that is the last grade of the 2nd marking period.

Chapter 5 Test

Students took the Chapter 5 test today on the Moodle site using the laptops.  Most students did very well on it.
The notebook check is tomorrow, and news articles are due Monday.  Monday's news article will be the last grade of the marking period.

Final Review for Chapter 5

Today in class students completed pages 5-13, 14 and 15, which included two graphs.  We put the solutions to these problems on the board to verify results.  Students were also given a vocabulary crossword puzzle to be used as a study guide.
The only assigned homework is to study for tomorrow's chapter 5 test.

Graphing to the extreme

Today in class students worked together to complete page 5-8.  I then previewed the test with students by giving them a couple of sample graphs that will assist them in studying for Thursday's test.  Finally, students worked with their partners to begin pages 5-13, 14 & 15.
No homework was assigned other than to study for Thursday's test.

Momentum

After reviewing our 16th edition of news article summaries, we discussed section 5-4 notes on Momentum.  Students got to demonstrate how momentum worked when I had two students riding on rollered platforms collide in the hallway.  Students calculated momentum on page 5-12.
No homework was assigned, and the test is still on Thursday, January 14th.

Acceleration Graph

Today in class, students completed the acceleration lab that involved timing a marble rolling down a ramp.  Students created the graph on page 5-11 based on yesterday's data and created an online graph, as well.  That graph was then uploaded into the students' science wiki page.
News article #16 is due on Monday.  The chapter 5 test will be on Thursday, January 14th.

Marble Ramp Lab

Today in class students worked in groups of 3 or 4 to do the lab on page 5-9, 10 & 11.  The lab instructed students to roll a steel marble down a ramp made of meter sticks taped together.  They had to record the time it took the marble to roll down set distances in order to calculate the speed.  The final part of the lab is to construct a line graph of the collected data.
No homework was assigned, and the test is Thursday, January 14th.

Comparing Accelerations

Today in class we completed worksheet 5-6 together, and then students worked in pairs to complete page 5-7.  We put all 10 problems from that page on the board for extra credit.
No homework was assigned, and the test is on Thursday, January 14th.

Accleration & Graphs

Today I discussed in detail how to interpret the slope of a graph when comparing distance vs time, and speed vs time.  Students had about 10 minutes to complete worksheet 5-3 before we reviewed the problems on the board.  Finally, students had the remainder of class to complete the last three problems (# 5-7) on page 5-2.  We also put those problems on the board.
No homework was assigned.  The Chapter 5 test will be on Thursday, January 14th.

Acceleration

Welcome back, students.  Today in class we discussed the slope of a graph and how it helps to identify the relative speed of an object (section 5-2 notes).  We then discussed what acceleration is and how it is calculated (section 5-3 notes).  Brainpop.com helped students to better understand the concept of acceleration before they were off on their own to work on page 5-4.
No homework was assigned.