Friday, November 19, 2010

What a difference a few days of practice makes!  On Wednesday and Thursday, students struggled to complete five chemical equations each day.  Today, most students completed all EIGHT problems on worksheet 3-10 well before the period ended.  That led me to allow them to begin worksheet 3-11 & 3-12, which is a review activity called a cross-a-clue.  They are going to have to do it on Monday anyway, so some people just got a head start.

News article #11 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test is on Thursday, December 9th.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Students continued practicing the skill of balancing chemical equations.  After showing them the practice link on the moodle website, they're goal was to complete the remaining five problems from worksheet 3-9.  I would say after today, about 3/4th's of all students had a good understanding of how to balance equations.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 3 test is Thursday, December 9th.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Today in science class, students are learning how to balance equations.  We began by deciphering which side of an equation has the reactants and which side contains the products.  Since students have practice counting atoms in a chemical formula for the past two days, the main difficulty will be balancing the two sides of atoms.  Working out of page 3-9, we did problems # 4, 8 & 1 together on the board.  These problems served as confidence boosters, as they increased in level of difficulty each time.  Students were then asked to complete only two more problems before the end of the period, which is about all they had time for. 


No homework was assigned, and the chapter 3 test is still scheduled for Thursday, December 9^th

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

We began today's class by reviewing yesterday's class in the form of worksheet 3-5.  Students took about 5 minutes to complete that page before we reviewed the answers together.  We then did worksheet 3-6 all together, which reviewed last week's topics, including mixture vs compound and heterogeneous vs homogeneous.  I introduced students to a coefficient (from section 3-3 notes), and I showed three different examples on the board of how coefficients change the atom count in a formula.  Students then used this concept to complete worksheet 3-8 before we reviewed the answers.  There was just enough time left at the end of the period to watch a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on Chemical Equations, which is what the past two days are leading up to tomorrow.

No homework was assigned, and the test is scheduled for Thursday, December 9th.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Today was a typical Monday, as we began each class with oral summaries of science news articles.  We discussed a portion of Section 3-3 notes on how chemical symbols and subscripts are used to create a chemical formula to represent a compound.  Students learned that some elements get their chemical symbols from their Latin name.  I demonstrated how to count the number of atoms in a chemical formula, including those with parentheses.  Students then were assigned problems 1-10 on worksheet 3-7.  We reviewed the answers using the student responders together.  Students were then assigned the remaining 10 problems (#11-20) to work on for the remainder of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 3 test will be on Thursday, December 9th.

Friday, November 12, 2010

All of my classes are in the same part of Chapter 3 now.  We began class by discussing Section 3-2 notes on elements and compounds.  I introduced the periodic table and described how everything in the universe can eventually be broken down into elements on this table.  I showed a Brainpop.com video on Compounds and Mixtures, followed by the 10-question quiz.  Students then worked in their groups to complete worksheets 3-3 and 3-4 before we reviewed the answers together.

News article # 10 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 3 test is on Thursday, December 9th.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

My period 2 class took a Youth Tobacco Survey today during science class.  After everyone was done, we went to the library with the remaining 15 minutes.  No homework was assigned.

Periods 3, 5, 6 & 7 worked in groups to complete worksheet 3-2 on separating mixtures based on physical and chemical properties.  We went over the ideas once everyone was done.  We ended class by finishing section 3-1 notes on solutions, alloys, colloids and suspensions.  No homework was assigned.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Period 2 students worked on worksheet 3-2 in their groups today, which tasks them with describing how to separate different mixtures based on their different physical and chemical properties.  We then finished discussing the bottom of section 3-1 notes on specialty mixtures and solutions.  No homework was assigned.

Periods 3-7 did what period 2 did yesterday.  They each received their new packet for Chapter 3.  We discussed the top of section 3-1 notes which differentiates between homogeneous and heterogeneous matter.  Students then worked in their groups to complete worksheet 3-1 before we reviewed it together.  Any remaining time was used to watch a small sample of the students recently-completed VoiceThreads.  No homework was assigned.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

My period 2 class began by handing in their Chapter 2 notebooks before getting their new packet for Chapter 3.  We discussed the difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous in reference to section 3-1 notes.  Students then worked in their groups to complete worksheet 3-1 before we went over it together.  No homework was assigned.

Periods 3, 5, 6 & 7 got to watch the rest of yesterday's Mythbuster's episode while I checked their Chapter 2 notebooks.  No homework was assigned.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Great to be back in the classroom! 

We began today with our first news article summary of the second quarter, but our 9th overall.  To earn extra credit, students needed to give their normal oral summary while standing at their desk as opposed to sitting.  After listening to all volunteered summaries, students were called to my desk one at a time to have their online lab packet checked.

The chapter 2 packet is due tomorrow for 60 points.

Friday, November 5, 2010

My last day out.  Students had until the end of the period today to complete their VoiceThread project and hand in their rubric to Mr. Girardi.  On Monday, I'll be back on Monday and we'll go through news articles, I'll go over the Chapter 2 test and I'll collect the packets for the online lab.

News article #9 and the online lab are due on Monday.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I would estimate that about half of all students have now completed their VoiceThread project with one day to go.  Students must have their project completed and their rubric handed in to Mr. Girardi before they leave science class tomorrow.

No homework is due tomorrow, but News Article #9 is due on Monday.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Students took the Chapter 2 test using Moodle today.  Following the test, students used the remaining time to work on and possibly complete their VoiceThread project.

No homework was assigned, but their VoiceThread is due by the end of class on Friday.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Students continued to progress through their VoiceThread project.  Their primary focus tonight, however, should be to study and prepare for tomorrow's Chapter 2 test.

The only homework is to study for tomorrow's test.

Monday, November 1, 2010

News articles were not due today.  Students continued to work on their VoiceThread projects.

No homework was assigned, but students should continue to study for Wednesday's Chapter 2 test.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Students began their second day of the voicethread project.  Some students who may have been absent one or more days over the past two weeks may still not have started their VoiceThread, but hopefully by Monday they will be all up to speed.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

While some students were still finishing the end of their online lab, the majority of students began the creation of their VoiceThread project by uploading the pictures of their three graphs.

No homework was assigned, but this project is due on Friday, November 5th.  The Chapter 2 test is on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Most students should have spent today finishing the final pages of the online lab that explored the relationship between the volume, temperature and pressure of a gas.  If students have fallen behind due to an absence from school or due to working at a slower pace, they may either get caught up at home or use more class time to complete this assignment.  They need to have the online lab completed before they can begin the VoiceThread project that starts tomorrow.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is one week from today.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Mr. Girardi was in for me today and will remain in my room through November 5th, as I had surgery to have my thyroid removed this morning.  Students begain lesson # 3 of the online lab today.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Monday, October 25, 2010

We began today by listening to the 8th edition of science news article summaries.  I then explained to students about their upcoming VoiceThread project, which is due on Friday, November 5th.  I described in great detail to them how they are to take the three graphs from their online lab and upload them into their project.  They each have in their possession the rubric by which they will be evaluated on this project.  The rest of the time in class was used to complete lesson # 2 of the online lab.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Today was Day 3 of our 6-day exploration of the pressure, volume and temperature of a gas.  Students continued to use the online lab link in Moodle to explore the relationships between those three properties of gases.  We began lesson #2 today, and I told students that they should be done with lesson 2 (and therefore, worksheet "I" also) by the end of class on Monday.

News article #8 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 2 test will be on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Today was Day 2 of the online gas lab, relating the pressure, volume and temperature of a gas.  By the end of class today, students should have been done up to and including page E.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 2 test will be on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

I was out sick today.  However, in my absence, Mr. Rosamilia led student through the beginning of a 6-day online lab that explores the relationship between the volume, pressure and temperature of gasses.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is exactly two weeks from today, on November 3rd.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

We began class by looking at the moodle main page.  I discussed the due dates of some upcoming events, and the different links that are available to help them prepare for the upcoming Chapter 2 test.  We then moved to today's lab, which was comparing the temperature and pressure of a gas.  Students used the lab sheets from pages 2-8 & 2-9 to finish this assignment.  Towards the end of class, we watched a brief 15-minute video on matter and energy.  Students completed worksheet 2-11, which coincided with the video.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test will be Wednesday, November 3rd.

Monday, October 18, 2010

We began today by listening to our 7th week of science news article summaries.  We then finished the notes in Chapter 2 by going over section 2-3 notes on chemical properties and changes.  I compared them to physical properties and changes.  I used sodium+chlorine as an example of chemical change.  BrainPop.com had a great video on physical vs chemical properties that we watched after discussing the notes.  Students logged into the students responders for the first time and took a 10-question quiz worth 20 points.  When students were done with the quiz, they worked on pages 2-3 & 2-4 with a partner or in their groups.  We reviewed these pages at the end of the period.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is on Wednesday, November 3rd.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Today in class we discussed section 2-2 notes on phase changes in matter.  Students used a phase change diagram that was in their packet to follow along with the powerpoint presentation.  We watched a BrainPop.com movie on the same topic, "Changing States of Matter", and took the quiz that followed.  Students then worked in their groups to complete and review worksheet 2-2 by the end of the period.  Period 3 also had time to work on worksheet 2-12, but did not complete it.

News article # 7 is due on Monday.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The main focus of today's class was to differentiate between a direct vs inverse relationship.  For about 10 minutes we brainstormed different examples of variable pairs with direct and inverse relationships.  I did this to introduce Boyle's Law and Charles' Law, which both describe the behavior of a gas.  We then watched a BrainPop.com video on States of Matter.  The remaining class time was used to complete a Gas Laws Lab on worksheet 2-10. (don't forget to increase the volume set in steps 2 & 4)

No homework was assigned.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Mrs. Jones and I worked as a parallel teaching team today.  We split the class in half and we each taught the same lesson to our half.  The lesson was taking the data from yesterday's lab (worksheet 2-6 & 2-7) and creating a graph online.  Students saved that graph to their "Science 8" folder in "My Documents".  Students were the shown how to place that graph onto their science wiki page.  In the later classes, students also attempted to create a new Glog specifically for their science wiki page that contained their new graph.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 2 test is scheduled for November 4th.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

It's all around us and we need it to survive. What is it? Air! Air really seems to be weightless...or is it? That's what we had to find out. In today's lab, students investigated how much, if anything, air weighed. They performed the lab from pages 2-6 and 2-7 and discovered that air does, in fact have mass, albeit VERY VERY little. They discovered this by forcing (pumping) small amounts of air into a sealed 2-liter bottle and measuring the change in mass from the empty bottle.


No homework was assigned.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Students handed in their scoring rubric for their wiki frontpage assignment.  We then listened to oral summaries for the Week #6 news articles.  Students were given their new Chapter 2 packets and we discussed section 2-1 notes within.  A powerpoint for those notes, as well as the notes themselves, can be found on the Moodle site.  Finally, students worked in their groups to complete worksheet 2-1 before the period ended.

No homework was assigned

Friday, October 8, 2010

For our fifth and final day of Tech Week, students were given their own VoiceThread account.  From the computer lab, I demonstrated to students how to access VoiceThread, how to upload and/or find pictures, how to comment on their pictures, and finally, how to share and post online.  Students were also encouraged to leave commnets on each other's finished products.

News article #6 is due Monday, along with the wiki/glog assignment.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Today was Day 4 of Tech Week.  We had shortened classes due to a clubs schedule and an afternoon assembly to watch "The Outsiders".  Since classes were only 27-20 minutes long, students were allowed to use this time to put the finishing touches on their glog/wiki assignment.  Today was the last class time that will be used for this assignment.  Tomorrow, the last day of Tech Week, will be used for introducing VoiceThreads.

Glogs/Wiki assignment is due on Monday.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Back in the computer lab for Day 3 of Tech Week.  So Friday they learned about Glogs, and yesterday they got their own wiki page.  Today was the day that they combined the two of them together by embedding their glog into their wiki.  It sounds more complicated that it really was, and students did an outstanding job with it.  I also handed out the rubric for how they will be graded on this web assignment.

The wiki frontpage is due by the beginning of class on Monday.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

We were back in the computer lab today to begin Day 2 of Tech Week.  After hearing some out-loud summaries from out 5th week of news articles, students opened up their glog and my wiki page.  Students were instructed on how to login and create pages in their wikis.  I then demonstrated how to embed their glog into their wikis, along with how to link to different pages in their wiki.  We will be working more with this in future days.

No homework was assigned.

Monday, October 4, 2010

I was out today, and Mr. Girardi was in for me again.  He collected news article #5 from students.  He then showed an ABC News Primetime special called, "Caught Cheating".  This video dealt with teenage issues such as plagiarism, copying homework and even illegally downloading digital music.  Students had to write their opinions/views on each topic as the video progressed.

No homework was assigned.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Today began "Tech Week".  Students will be learning three different web 2.0 technologies over the next five days.  Today's topic was creating a Glog.  Students were directed to a link on my Moodle site that will lead them to Glogster, a website that allows students to create a poster on their wiki (which they will create on Tuesday).

News article # 5 is due on Monday (Mr. Girardi will be in for me).

Thursday, September 30, 2010

We reviewed the Chapter 1 test today so students understood why each questions was right or wrong.  I encouraged them to take my advice next time on how to properly prepare for the test.  Whereas most students only studied the night before or the day of the test, I recommended to them last week that they should study 15 minutes every night starting with a week before the test.
The students then watched Mythbusters while I called them to my desk one at a time to have their notebooks graded for 100 points.

No homework was assigned.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Students took their Chapter 1 test using Moodle today, which means they took it completely online.  They learned of their score as soon as they were done, so don't be afraid to ask them :-).  Afterwards, they were given time to print out the graphs that they created last Friday and Monday.  These will be part of tomorrow's notebook check, which is also worth 100 points.  Students are responsible for all of the worksheets (except pages 7, 14, 15 & celcius conversion) for tomorrow's check.

No homework is assigned other than to have the notebook complete.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Since I was not here yesterday, I gave back to students their news articles that Mr. Girardi had collected.  Each student was afforded the opportunity to summarize their article out loud for extra credit.  I then check their homework, which was worksheet 1-19 for 15 points.  We went page-by-page through the Chapter 1 packet so that they knew EXACTLY what for what they are responsible come Thursday's notebook check.  Students had the rest of the period to complete pages 17 & 18 on graphing, and we reviewed those pages at the end of the period.

The only homework is to study for tomorrow's Chapter 1 test.  Notebook check will be on Thursday.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Mr. Girardi was in for me today, as I was attending an inservice training down at the Rommelt building.  After collecting our 4th news article summary, students worked with their partner to complete pages 16-18 on creating and interpreting graphs.  Both of the graphs on page 16 were done online and saved to their documents folder.


Students were assigned page 19, a study guide, for homework, due tomorrow.

The chapter one test will be on Wednesday.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Our final topic of this chapter is about graphing. We discussed section 1-6 notes which included the use of pie, bar and line graphs. After viewing examples online, students went to a website that allowed them to create a graph online. We used this website to create a pie graph using the data on worksheet 16. Each student was able to save their pie graph to a new "Science-8" folder in "My Documents" in their school account.  They will complete the other two graphs from worksheet 1-16 on Monday, also online.  It is NOT homework.


News article summary # 4 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 test is on Wednesday.

Thursday, 9/23/10

Students came into science class today to find a can of pepsi and a can of diet pepsi swimming in an otherwise empty fish tank. We discussed and demonstrated why the pepsi sank to the bottom, while the diet pepsi floated to the surface. It all has to do with their relative densities. Since water has a density of 1 g/mL, any object with a density greater than 1 g/mL will sink in water. All objects with a density less than 1 g/mL will sink in water. Since both cans have the same volume (take up the same amount of space), the difference must be in their masses. It turns out that pepsi has a mass that is 17 grams more than that of the diet pepsi. That makes the pepsi more dense than the diet pepsi, and more dense than the water, causing it to sink.


We then used the student responders to take an online practice quiz on density mass and volume.  Tomorrow we will cover graphing, our last topic of this chapter

There is no assigned homework, and the test is on Wednesday, September 29th.

Wednesday, 9/22/10

Today we began class by watching a movie from BrainPop.com on Mass, Volume & Density.  Students used their hand-held responders to answer the quiz questions.  We continued the density lab from yesterday, as students were given three solid cubes of unknown metals of which they had to determine the mass, volume and density.  They then compared their calculated densities to a reference chart of know densities to determine their identities.

No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 1 test is one week from today.  Students can go to my Moodle site to begin preparing for the test.

Tuesday, 9/21/10

We began class by reviewing the conclusion questions from the lab over the past two days.  We then introduced the term "DENSITY" and referred to section 1-3 notes.  I handed out a 4-page lab on finding density of unknown substances which then started.  They had about the remaining 20 minutes of class to work through finding the mass, volume and densities of three unknown liquids.  We will work on the unknown solids tomorrow.

No homework was assigned, and the chapter 1 test will be one week from tomorrow (Sept 29th).

Monday, 9/20/10

We began class by listening to volunteer summaries for our third week of science news articles.  Once the news articles were collected, students had an additional 20 minutes to complete the metric measurement lab on page 1-13 that we began on Friday.  We went over the results of the lab at the end of class, but we did not have time to go over the conclusion questions.  We'll do that tomorrow.

The only homework students have is to make sure that they have the conclusion questions completed from page 1-12.  The Chapter 1 test will be on Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 12

I checked students homework from last night (pages 8, 9, 10 & 11), worth 5 points each.  We reviewed the answers for each measurement on all pages using a magnified projection on the board.  We began the measurement lab from page 12 & 13.  Students worked alone or with a partner to take seven measurements from each of four stations:  Temperature, Mass, Length and Volume.  This is a 2-day lab, so I stressed to students to take their time and focus on accuracy.

News article #3 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 test is on Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 11

Today in class we introduced the tools that we will be using in the science lab this year. They include the metric ruler to measure length, the triple-beam balance to measure mass, thermometer to measure temperature in Celcius degrees, the graduated cylinder to measure temperature, and the graduated cylinder to measure volume. Students got to practice using each of these tools at their tables. We then used websites from the Moodle to practice reading the triple beam balances and graduated cylinders.


For homework, students were assigned worksheets 1-8, 1-9, 1-10 & 1-11. Each page is worth 5 points and the assignment is due tomorrow (Friday).

News article #3 is due on Monday.

Day 10

Today students completed the bottom of activity 1-6.  To accomplish this, we used an online dimensional analysis calculator through a moodle link.  We went over the answers at the end of class.  I  think now that after three days of hard work, most students have a great understanding of how to convert back and forth between metric and English units.


There was no homework assigned and the chapter 1 test will be Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 9

Today in class we practiced converting from English units to metric units.  To this end, students used the reference chart on worksheet 1-2 to complete the first 10 problems on worksheet 1-6.  We also watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on metric vs customary units. 

There was no homework, and the chapter  1 test date is Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 8

Students had the opportunity to summarize their news articles out loud for extra credit, as they will every week. After collecting the news articles, students got back their quizzes that they took last Friday. 
The topic of today's discussion was giving meaning to all those metric terms we learned last week. It's fine and dandy to say that 1000 grams equals one kilogram, but what does a kilogram feel like in your hand compared to a gram? What is it close to in our English units? A pound? An ounce? A ton? This is what we are going to discover.We ended class by completing most of worksheet 1-5, which gave some meaning to metric units and appreviations.

There is no homework, and the Chapter 1 test is on Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 7

Students took their quiz on Metric Conversion.  An example problem would be 45 kilograms equals how many grams?  There were 15 problems, each one worth two points for a total of 30 points.  Once everyone finished, I passed back the science news article summaries that they had handed in earlier in the week.  Each one was graded, and the most common mistakes were discussed out loud so that those mistakes were not repeated.  We ended class be completing Activity 1-3 together in their groups.

News article #2 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 test is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th.

Day 6

Today was a simple day.  We began class by watching a Brainpop.com video on the scientific method.  Just like yesterday, we took the 10-question quiz right after the video using the student responders.  Since our quiz on metric conversion is tomorrow, students got a sneak preview by way of a practice test.  After completing the 15-problem practice assessment, we reviewed the answers together in class.  I referred students to several sites on moodle that will be helpful to their quiz preparation tonight.

No homework was assigned, although news article #2 is due on Monday.  The metric quiz will be tomorrow.

Day 5

We began class by checking last night's homework, which was worksheet 1-4 (that's chapter 1, worksheet #4) for 10 points.  We reviewed the answers by using student responders so that everyone could give their answer without fear of failure.  We then watched a movie on metric units using a web service I subscribe to called BrainPop.  Following the video, students answers a 10-question quiz, again using the student responders. 

Finally, we reviewd the scientific method and vocabulary by working in groups to complete worksheet 1-1 in their packets.

No homework was assigned, and their metric conversion quiz is still scheduled for this Friday.

Day 4

Students turned in the first science news articles and summaries today.  They will get feedback from this assignment before the end of the week.  Chapter 1 packets were handed out today and students were asked to 3-hole punch them and place them into their 3-ring binders, a requirement for my class.  We discussed Section 1-2 notes on metric units.  We discussed the base units for measuring mass, length and volume (gram, meter and liter, respectively) and how to convert from one size unit to another, such as a kilometer to a centimeter.  Students were given some examples to work on during class before the homework was assigned.

Homework was worksheet #4 from the packet.  All 10 problems need to be completed.  The quiz on metric conversion is still scheduled for this Friday, September 10th.

Day 3

Today in class we discussed the three types of variables in an experiment:  control, independent and dependent.  I gave a few examples of each type of variable within different make-believe experiments.  Students looked at an online diagram of the scientific method.  Students then worked at their own pace to complete an online tutorial on using the scientific method.

News article #1 is due on Tuesday, and the metric conversion quiz is on Friday, September 10th.

Day 2

Two down, only 177 more to go.  Today in class we reviewed yesterday's news article so that everyone had a better understanding of the "why" and "vocab" sections.  Our topic today was "Theory vs Law".  We started with a online simulation that tested students' observation skills using a "Spot the Difference".  I then asked students to go to http://www.dictionary.com/ and define the terms "theory" and "law".  Working with their partner, students then had to identify the difference between a theory and a law and post that difference in the discussion forum.  All of this was done within the friendly confines of Moodle.

No homework was assigned.

Day 1

Today was the first day of 8th grade for the Class of 2015.  We began class with the alphabetical seating chart, followed by students filling out their book cards and agendas.
The focus of today's lesson was on the proper way to summarize their weekly science news articles.  Using the Moodle site, students were lead through a tutorial on the correct site for retrieving articles, the requirements for the summary, a link to the template, and a sample news article on sugary soft drinks.  The bell rang before we completely summarized the article, but students got a pretty good idea of what is required.  Plus, they also got to experiment with a cool new web 2.0 tool called "Wall Wisher". 

Their first news article is due on Tuesday, September 7th, and their first quiz will be Friday, September 10th.

Final Exams- Day 2

Today students took their final exam in English.  They were SUPPOSED to take their science final too, but technical difficulties prevented it from happening.  Since every chapter test this year was paperless on Moodle, it only made sense that the final exam would be, as well.  Unfortunately, the Moodle server was unable to accommodate all 93 students working online at the same time, and the system crashed.  With this unexpected incident, the science final was cancelled and the regular year end average was used for a final exam score.
No homework was assigned.

Final Exams- Day 1

Students took their final exams in math and social studies today.  Tomorrow's finals will be English and science.

Last Full Day

Today we met with each class for about 18 minutes in the morning.  I discussed with them how the final exam is weighted into their final overall grade and gave to them the current overall grade going into their final.  After lunch, students met in the gymnasium for an afternoon of academic and athletic competition.
The science final exam will be on Thursday.

Chapter 9 Notebook Check

Today we reviewed the chapter 9 test.  Then, while watching Mythbusters "No Pain, No Gain", students had their chapter 9 notebooks checked for their final fourth quarter grade.
No homework is assigned.

Final Exam preview #3

My wife came down with the flu last night, so I took the day off to take care of things at home.  Miss Shadle was my substitute and she instructed students to grab a laptop computer and take the final exam practice test. 
We will due our chapter 9 notebook check tomorrow.

Chapter 9 Test

Today in class, students took the Chapter 9 test on Moodle.
The notebook check is tomorrow.

Finish Chapter 9

Today in class students closed the door on their year of science news articles.  We listened to the oral summaries for the 34th and final time.  Students then worked with their partners to complete worksheet 9-10 and 9-11, which we then went over before the end of class.
The chapter 9 test is tomorrow and the notebook check will be on Thursday.

Final Exam preview #2

Well, you know what they say about "best laid plans"- basically the same thing as Murphy's Law.  So today I had a doctor's appointment at Geisinger so I planned on having the students use the laptops.  That part was no problem.  However, their objective was to take the final exam practice test on Moodle.  Unbeknownst to me, Moodle needed "emergency maintainence" from 9am to 1pm (thanks for the advanced notice...NOT).  Thankfully, Mrs. Wonderlich, a veteran teacher, was my substitute teacher for the day, and she was able to roll with the punches until the Moodle was fully operational.  WHEW!!!
The last news article of the year is due tomorrow, and the final chapter test on Waves will be on Wednesday.

Wave Interactions

Today was our last discussion of chapter notes for the year.  We discussed the interactions of waves from section 9-3 notes, including reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference.  Students then watched their last http://www.brainpop.com/ video on Waves, followed by the interactive quiz.  Finally, students were assigned worksheet 9-9 to complete with their partner.
News articles are due on Tuesday.

Slinky Lab

We began class today by reviewing worksheets 9-4 & 9-5 which were done in class yesterday.  Students then worked in groups of three or four to complete the slinky lab from pages 9-7 & 9-8.  We discussed the answers to the conclusion questions once everyone was done with the lab.
No homework was assigned.

Speed, Frequency and Wavelength of waves

Today in class, we discussed section 9-2 notes, which described the amplitude, wavelength and frequency of a wave.  Students were assigned pages 9-2, 9-3, 9-4 & 9-5 to work on in class with their partner.
No homework was assigned.

Intro to Waves

After listening to summaries from our 33rd week of science news articles, we began Chapter 9 on Waves.  We discussed section one notes, which differentiates between transverse and longitudinal waves.  I provided a demonstration of each using a giant slinky coil.  Students were then assigned page 9-1 to do with their partner, and we reviewed the answers before class ended.
No homework was assigned.

Final Exam preview #1

Mr. Sampson was my substitute teacher today.  He instructed the students to log into Moodle and take the fianl exam practice test, a set of 100 randomly chosen questions from previous chapter exams.
News articles are due tomorrow.

Lewis & Clark Webquest- Final Day

Today students completed their group wiki comparing the Lewis and Clark expedition to a future mission to explore Mars.  Mr. Girardi was in for me today as I was helping the Junior class decorate for Saturday night's prom.
News articles are due on Tuesday.

Lewis & Clark Webquest- Day 5

As the title suggests, today was the fifth day of our Lewis & Clark webquest, and the second day for student to work in their group to create their wiki.  All students are well aware that the wikis must be completed by the end of Friday's class.  I will not be in school tomorrow, as I will be helping to decorate for the prom.
No homework was assigned.

Lewis and Clark Webquest- Day 4

Today students began step 3 of their Lewis and Clark webquest.  They have until the end of class on Friday to complete step 3, which is creating a wiki on their group's topic.
No homework was assigned.

Lewis & Clark Webquest- Day 3

Students worked on Step 2 of their webquest within their topic group today.  In tomorrow's class, each group will begin creating their wiki based on their group's topic.  This project will take three more class days.
No homework was assigned.

Lewis & Clark Webquest- Day 2

After listening to oral summaries of our 32nd week of news articles, students we given the task of researching their webquest topic from the Lewis & Clark perspective.  They were to take notes and copy any relevant graphics and links that pertain to their group's topic.  This information will be used again starting this Wednesday when each group begins creating their wiki for their particular topic.
No homework was assigned.

Lewis & Clark Webquest- Day 1

Today began our 6-day webquest for our Lewis & Clark thematic unit.  Our objective was to compare the trials and tribulations of Lewis and Clark's journey to our present day quest to explore the planet, Mars.  Students today worked on the introduction and task, and after news articles on Monday will be Step 1.
News articles are due on Monday.

Finish Electric Safety posters

Today students finished their electric safety posters in class.  Each group was given a safety rule and asked to illustrate it on an 11" x 17" piece of copy paper.  Posters will be judged Monday by the 8th grade team.
No homework was assigned.

Electric Safety Posters- Day 1

Today students began creating posters for the PP&L Electric Safety contest.  Students were put into six different groups and asked to illustrate the basic safety rule that their group was given.
No homework was assigned, and the posters will be due at the end of tomorrow's class.

Chapter 8 Notebook Check

Today we went over the Chapter 8 test in class.  We then watched a Mythbusters episode on electricity myths while students had their notebooks checked.
No homework was assigned.

Chapter 8 Test

After listening to some oral summaries of our 31st week of science news articles, students took the chapter 8 test online using Moodle.
The notebook check is tomorrow.

Completing Chapter 8 on Electricity

Today in class, students worked with their partner or small groups to complete their Chapter 8 packet.  We went over the remaining pages in class.
News article # 31 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 8 test will be that same day.  Notebook check will be on Tuesday.

Electric Circuits, Day 2

Today we completed Chapter 8 notes on electric safety, including fuses and circuit breakers.  Students then completed our circuits lab on pages 8-21 & 8-22, which integrated Ohm's Law into their experiment.  We concluded class by completing activity 8-14 in groups.
No homework was assigned, and the chapter 8 test is on Monday.

Electric Circuits Lab

Today students worked in small groups in exploring the difference between series and parallel circuits.  This was from the lab on pages 8-19 and 8-20.  Students then stayed in their small groups to complete worksheets 8-12 and 8-13.
No homework was assigned, and the Chapter 8 test will be on Monday.

PSSA Science Exam

Students took the PSSA Science exams today, the final installment of this year's PSSA exams.  Because the tests were broken down into a morning and afternoon session, class time greatly reduced.  In that time, we watched two segments of mythbusters on the legitimacy of a giant lego ball and whether or not "double-dipping" a chip actually is as disgusting as putting your mouth in the dip.
No homework was assigned.

Electric Circuits

After reveiwing the summaries of our 30th week of news articles.  Only four more to go.  In class we watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video to introduce our lesson on electric circuits.  After discussing section 8-6 notes, students were given graphing paper to create schematic drawings of circuit configurations.

No homework was assigned, and PSSA science exams are tomorrow. 

The chapter 8 test will be on Monday, May 3rd.

Wet Cells & Dry Cells

We began class today by reviewing the problems from page 8-11, which were done in class yesterday.  We then discussed section 8-5 notes on electrochemical cells (commonly called batteries).  We watched a http://www.brainpop.com/ video on the same topic.  We ended class by completing problem #6 on page 8-2 and problem #6 on page 8-4.
News article #30 is due on Monday, and the Chapter 8 test will on Monday, May 3rd.

Energy = power x time

Students got back their quiz on Ohm's Law and we reviewed the answers.  We finished section 8-4 notes on calculating electrical energy (E=P t), and students worked with their partner on worksheet 8-11.
No homework was assigned.

PSSA Writing and Dental Hygiene

In the morning, students took their second day of PSSA Writing assessments, this one being an open ended response to a writing prompt.  After lunch in science class, students were engaged in a presentation on oral piercings and hygiene from Mrs. Carol Kirol, the school district's dental hygienist.
No homework is assigned.

PSSA Writing & Ohm's Law Quiz

Students today had their first taste of the PSSA Writing exam.  They needed to answer 20 multiple-choice questions in the morning session and respond to one writing prompt in the lone afternoon session.  During science class, students took the quiz on Ohm's Law (I = V/R).
No homework was assigned.  Tomorrow's class will bring a guest speaker, school dental hygienist Carol Kirol, to discuss her annual dental topics.

Ohm's Law quiz prep

Back to regular school days again!  After four consecutive half days filled with PSSA exams, today brought us back some sense of normalcy, however short-lived. We began class by listening to some oral summaries of our 29th week of news articles.  Students then worked with their partners to complete pages 8-9 & 8-10, which served to reviewed the formulas and variables associated with Ohm's Law and power.  After putting the solutions to these problems on the board, we ended class by watching a Bill Nye video on Static Electricity.
The quiz on Ohm's Law is tomorrow.

PSSA & Lightning Video- Day 5

Today was the 5th and final day of our PSSA Math & Reading week. Students were given their third reading assessment in the morning. We only met with our period 2 class today, but during that time we listened to the oral summaries of our 28th week of science news articles. Students then watched a National Geographic video on the dangers and myths of lightning.

News articles are due on Monday, April 19th.

PSSA and Lightning Video, Day 4

Today was Day 4 of our PSSA Math & Reading week. Students were given their second reading assessment in the morning. We only got to meet with our period 3 class today, but during that time we listened to the oral summaries of our 28th week of science news articles. Students then watched a National Geographic video on the dangers and myths of lightning.


Students in period 2 have a news article due tomorrow, and all students will have a news article due on Monday, April 19th.

PSSA & Lightning Video

Today was Day 3 of our PSSA Math & Reading week. Students were given their second reading assessment in the morning. We only got to meet with our period 5 class today, but during that time we listened to the oral summaries of our 28th week of science news articles. Students then watched a National Geographic video on the dangers and myths of lightning.
Students have a news article due this week on whatever day they have their science class.

PSSA & Lightning Video

Today was Day 2 of our PSSA Math & Reading week. Students were given their second math assessment in the morning. We only got to meet with our period 6 class today, but during that time we listened to the oral summaries of our 28th week of science news articles. Students then watched a National Geographic video on the dangers and myths of lightning.

Students have a news article due this week on whatever day they have their science class.

PSSA & Lightning Video

Today began our PSSA Math & Reading week.  Students were given their first math assessment in the morning and then their first reading assessment in the afternoon.  We only got to meet with our period 7 class today, but during that time we listened to the oral summaries of our 28th week of science news articles.  Students then watched a National Geographic video on the dangers and myths of lightning.  We ended the day with an assembly in the auxiliary gym to draw gold medals for prizes.
Students have a news article due this week on whatever day they have their science class.

Practicing Ohm's Law

Students were given 10 more problems to practice Ohm's Law- five problems solved for resistance, while the other five solved for voltage.  Students volunteered to write the solutions to those problems on the board for extra credit.  We then ended class with a 20-minute clip from Mythbusters that explored the validity of Ben Franklin's famous key-on-a-kite experiment.
News article #28 is due next week.
PSSA reading and math exams are all next week.
Next Tuesday through Friday are Act 80 half-days.

Electric Power

We discussed how to calculate electric power, given current and voltage (Section 8-4 notes).  Students completed page 8-2 (# 1-5 only) and 8-3 with their partners and we reviewed the solutions on the board.  We ended class with a Mythbusters clip that explored the dangers or talking on the phone or showering during a lightning storm.
No homework was assigned.

Ohm's Law

Today we began class by reviewing one of yesterday's topics, subatomic particles, on worksheet 8-1.  We then discussed the formation of lightning and the design and purpose of lightning rods before beginning our analysis of Ohm's Law.  Ohm's law relates current, voltage and resistance, and students learned how to calculate each one of those three when given the other two.  Students completed pages 8-5 & 8-6 with their partner, and the solutions to those problems were placed on the board.
No homework was assigned.

Static Electricity

Today we began our short post-Easter-break week by reviewing our 27th week of news articles.  Students then received their chapter 8 packets on electricity.  We reviewed section 8-1 and 8-2 notes on subatomic particles and static electricity.  I demonstrated the conductivity of different materials using a Van de Graff generator, a machine that produces a constant static electric charge.  In periods 2 & 3, we had enough time to watch the http://www.brainpop.com/ video on static electricity, but we ran out of time in periods 5, 6 & 7.
No homework was assigned.

Review PSSA Science exam

Today in class I collected the lab reports for the online energy lab.  Students had one week to complete the report.  Students were then given their graded PSSA practice exams for the purpose of reviewing the testing format and content.
News article #27 is due on Tuesday, April 6th.