Homework for the Week of Nov. 27th

1) Read “What is Matter?”

2) Complete HW#11: What’s it matter?

Due date:

Block I: Wednesday

Block II: Friday

Block III: Thursday

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3) Read “Describing Matter”

4) Complete: HW#12: My! What malleable matter!

Due date

Block I: next Monday, Dec. 4

Block II: next Tuesday, Dec. 5

Block III: next Monday, Dec. 4

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I will be returning the Electricity and Magnetism unit tests this week. I guess it was a doozy! Each student got 3% added to their score. If students scored lower than 70% must correct their answers on a separate piece of paper. The corrected answers must be turned in along with their test by next Monday (Block I or III) or Tuesday (Block II).

Extreme Thanksgiving Wear

Happy thanksgiving, everyone!

Remember how I told you all that Safety goggles were the new Fall fashion accessory.  Just check out these Onion goggles!  Betcha didn’t know that your science teacher could also be your fashion consultant!

Baraka–a blessing, breath or essence of life

This week we saw “Baraka” a film which depicts images from 24 countries. There is no plot, contains no actors and has no script. It shows images of different cultures, religious rituals, jobs, and ways of being.

In the class work, I asked you to comment about the film:

• Your impressions of the film: amazing, interesting, powerful, unique,sad, awakening, sad, beautiful, spiritual, informative, emotional, boring at first, strange, colorful, surprising, religious, hard to interpret, mystical, confusing, impressive, inspiring, weird, haunting, creepy, colorful, moving, obscure

• Memorable images
  • Monkey in the hot springs
  • The big waterfall
  • The wall of apartments in Kowloon, Hong Kong
  • People in Calcutta digging through the dump for food
  • Time-lapse images of clouds
  • Oil burning fields in Kuwait
  • Snow-covered mountains
  • Chanting ritual in Indonesia
  • Ayers rock
  • Baby chicks and egg sequence
  • Rice fields
  • The ’silent scream”-Butoh actor
  • Women putting keyboards together
  • Homeless kids on the street
  • Tattooed Japanese man coming out of the bath
  • Cigarette making factory
  • People in their houses in Rio de Janeiro
  • Buddhist monk walking in the crowds in Tokyo

• If somebody asked you what Baraka was about, what would you say?
  • “It was about nature, civilization, and almost anything else you can imagine.”
  • “I would say that it is a film about the places, people, and religions of the world.”
  • “I would say that it is showing you beauty and devastation.”
  • “I would say that it’s a beautiful movie that tells a lot about itself with images and no words.”
  • “I would say that it is about the world.”
  • “I would say that it is a complex array of sounds and images that can be beautiful and scary/disturbing at times.”
  • “Baraka is a brilliant film that can show different sides of peoples’ lives, cultures, and religions. Baraka also shows many parts of the world whethere deserted or occupied. It uses images to speak as words.

If you want to find out more about the scenes in Baraka, check out these websites:

www.spiritofbaraka.com

Wikipedia: Baraka 

A solid or a liquid?

In the next unit, we will be studying states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases.

In this video, they filled a tub with cornstarch and water. Watch and see what they can do with it!

Homework for the Week of Nov. 13

Study for your test!!

There will be a study session on Monday at lunch if you have any more questions.

On the day of the test, you need to bring your study guide and your journal.

Test dates:

Block I: Wednesday, Nov. 15

Block II: Friday, Nov. 17

Block III: Thursday, Nov. 16

World’s Fisheries In Trouble

Last week in Science magazine, researchers released a report on the impact of biodiversity loss to the world’s fisheries. The loss of biodiversity comes from human impact such as pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction.  In their report, they predict that the world’s fisheries may collapse by 2048.  However, it is not too late to change this pattern!  Dr. Boris Worm says that by reducing the number of unwanted fish caught in nets set for other species would help as well as  marine reserves.  He said, as would ”doing away with horrendous overfishing where everyone agrees it’s a bad thing; or if we banned destructive fishing in the most sensitive habitats.”

There are also ways that you, a consumer can help.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium publishes the Seafood Watch guide which gives consumers information about the seafood they buy and whether the fishing practices are sustainable.  Check is out at www.seafoodwatch.org.

Here’s the link to an article about the report. 

Homework for the Week of Nov. 6

1)  Organize your binder.  Make sure you have all the readings.

2)  Complete the study guide.  Don’t worry if you can’t answer all the questions.  It is designed to make you look up and review the concepts.

Due Date:

Block I: Wednesday

Block II: Friday

Block III: Thursday

*We will correct the study guides in class later in the week.

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Here are some links that can help you review some of the topics for the test.

• NASA Sci Files 
• Factmonster: Magnetism
• Factmonster: Electricity
• Electricity and magnetism Interactive (You need shockwave for this.)

It’s test time!

Electricity and Magnetism test dates

Block I: Wednesday, Nov. 15

Block II: Friday, Nov. 17

Block III: Thursday, Nov. 18

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Study guides will be given out on Monday and Tuesday. Remember that these are just guides! Don’t memorize them and expect to do well on the test. You need to fully understand the concepts because the questions will not the same as those on the study guide. To download: Electricity and Magnetism study guide

We will go over the correct answers to the study guide in class. I will not post answers to the study guide. This prevents major copying of the answers which really isn’t the point. If you are absent in class, I will show you a copy of the answers so that you can correct your work before the weekend.

If any 7th and 8th graders have studying tips for 6th graders, please feel free to post them in the comments.

Bats…more than a flying rodent

Here is a link to a video about bats. Dr. Nancy B. Simmons who is a bat specialist talks about the evolution of bats, some of their adaptations, and why they are often misunderstood. In some cultures, bats are seen as evil blood-sucking creatures. Although she does talk about vampire bats, most bats do not suck blood. Many bats, like the leaf-nosed bat in the picture, eat a variety of insects(usually making up 70% of their diet), nectar, and fruit. Also, in the Chinese culture, bats are symbols of longevity and happiness.

Enjoy!