Welcome to Mrs. Stock's and Mrs. Hines's class!

Monday you will erupt your volcano.  While you are waiting for it to erupt, you will watch video clips of different volcanoes erupting.  After your volcano erupts, you will need to answer the questions on LN p. 12.   You can watch the videos here:  Mt. St. Helens Eruption, Lava on Land and in Water, Types of Volcanoes, "Sleepless in Seattle" and Mt. Rainier

Tuesday you will read p. 150-153 about the types of rocks formed from the cooled lava or magma from a volcano:  igneous rocks.  After reading you will add notes to your Rock Web on LN p. 7 then work on vocab terms (igneous rock, volcano, magma, lava, vent). 

Wednesday you will finish your vocab terms then start Activity 6:  Rock Cycle.  If you have any modeling clay to donate to class, please bring it in by Wednesday!  You will create a model of a metamorphic rock then answer the questions on LN p. 13. 

Thursday you will read p. 162-164 about metamorphic rocks then define the vocab terms metamorphic rock, crystal, and rock cycle.  You will also add notes to your Rock Web on LN p. 7.  The class will have a discussion about the rock cycle and you will fill in the diagram on LN p. 14. 

Friday you will read p. 166-168 about the rock cycle.  Mrs. Stock and Mrs. Hines will explain the next academic assignment to the class.  It will focus on the three types of rocks and the rock cycle. 

Monday you will begin learning about the different types of rocks.  You will follow a recipe on LN p. 9 to create a rock with your lab group plus you will do a short experiment to find out about how different sized pieces of sediment get deposited at different speeds.   Homework due by Friday:  Watch the two video clips (sedimentary rock and igneous rock) and write down one fact you learned from each video. 

Tuesday you will read from the orange book (p. 154-155, 156 {clastic, shale, sandstone}, 158 {uses}) about the real way the rock you created is usually formed.  You will add some notes to the Rock Web on LN p. 7.  You will also complete the second part of the experiment about sediment size and deposition speed.  Homework due by Friday:  Watch the two video clips (sedimentary rock and igneous rock) and write down one fact you learned from each video. 

Wednesday you will look at the rock you created earlier in the week.  You will compare it to real rocks and answer the questions on LN p. 10.  You will finish the notes on the Rock Web (LN p. 7) then define the vocab terms soil, sediment, and erosion.  Homework due by Friday:  Watch the two video clips (sedimentary rock and igneous rock) and write down one fact you learned from each video. 

Thursday you will look at samples of a different type of rock then make a volcano following the directions on LN p. 11-12.  With the time left in class you will read about volcanoes on p. 93-95, 97-98 and define the words related to volcanoes.  Homework due by Friday:  Watch the two video clips (sedimentary rock and igneous rock) and write down one fact you learned from each video. 

Friday you will erupt your volcanoes.  While you are waiting for them to erupt, you will watch video clips of other volcanoes erupting and compare the different types of eruptions--not all are explosive! 

Monday you will finish the third experiment for Activity 3:  Earth's Weathered Crust.  You will have time to update your vocab and copy down some notes.  After that you will learn about the "quiz" that covers the first four items in your lab notebook (p. 1-6).  Homework for Monday:  Activity 1-4 "Quiz" due Wednesday.

Tuesday you will have time in class to work on your selected "quiz" items.  Homework for Tuesday:  Activity 1-4 "Quiz" due Wednesday. 

Wednesday you will begin the next section of your lab notebook talking about different types of rocks.  You will do the activity "Sediments Become Rocks" to make your own rock with your group. 

Thursday will be a short class period because you are getting out early for conferences.  The time in class will be spent reading about the type of rock you made in class on Wednesday. 

Monday you will finish reading p. 28-32 in the textbook.  This will reinforce what you learned about continental drift in Activity 1 of your lab notebook.  After reading, you will start working on Activity 2 "The Structure of the Earth."  If there is time at the end of the period, you will read p. 20-21 in the textbook that explains more about the layers of the Earth.  Homework for Monday:  Bring in an empty, clear 20 oz bottle for class on Wednesday. 

Tueday you will finish reading about the layers of the Earth.  You will use the rest of the time to fill in vocab and notes in your lab notebook or on your paper model of the Earth.  Homework for Tuesday:  Bring in an empty, clear 20 oz bottle for class on Wednesday. 

Wendesday you will do the first half of Activity 3 "Earth's Weathered Crust" (LN p. 5).  While part of your lab is going on, you will use the down time to read about mechanical and chemical weathering on p. 40-44. 

Thursday you will do the second half of Activity 3 "Earth's Weathered Crust" (LN p. 6).  You will then fill in your vocab and any notes about weathering.  With the time remaining in class, Mrs. Hines and Mrs. Stock will introduce the "quiz"/academic assignment about the activities we have done so far.  Homework for Thursday:  Work on your selected "quiz" items.  These are due Tuesday, October 20.  Thursday you worked on some paperwork for conferences then updated vocab terms (Pangaea, continental drift, crust, mantle, outer core, inner core).  After the vocab was updated you completed the activities about chemical and mechanical weathering. 

Friday you will do the second half of Activity 3 "Earth's Weathered Crust" (LN p. 6).  You will then read p. 40-44 in the purple books.  Next, you will fill in your vocab and any notes about weathering.  With the time remaining in class, Mrs. Hines and Mrs. Stock will introduce the "quiz"/academic assignment about the activities we have done so far. 

• Monday you will run your product experiments so be sure you bring in your materials!!  **There may be a short vocab quiz on Tuesday so it would be wise to review your vocab terms just in case.**
• Tuesday you will get some time to work on your conclusion.  You will also tell the rest of the class the Problem, Procedure, and results from your experiment.  Homework for Tuesday:  Lab report due Friday! 
• Wednesday will the first day of your next unit:  Earth Processes.  You will flip through the textbook to complete a scavenger hunt.  You will also take a pre-test and check it to see which areas will need more of your focus during the unit.  Don't worry, this will NOT be an academic score.  You will get productivity points for completing it and they will not be based on how many you get correct.  Homework for Wednesday:  Lab report due Friday!
• Thursday you will get new seats for class so you can start working with a new group for our new unit.  You will also get the lab notebook for the unit.  Your lab notebook needs to come to class EVERY day!!!  You will do the first activity in the lab notebook with the time remaining in class.  Homework for Thursday:  Lab report due Friday!
• Friday you will finish the first activity in your lab notebook.  Once that is done you will get the first vocab term(s) then use the textbook to reinforce what you learned in the activity. 

• Monday you will take a little time to write a thank you note to Tammy and Officer Walthall for visiting our class.  You will also define 4 vocab terms (hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, constant) then begin writing the lab report for your next paper towel experiment.  You need to work on filling in Problem through Procedure plus set up a Data Table and a place for a Graph. 
• Tuesday you will finish filling out those portions of your lab report.  Once you get your lab report approved (teacher initials), you can start running your second paper towel experiment. 
• Wednesday will be the day for you to finish running your second paper towel experiment and your day to work on writing the conclusion.  With time that is left in class you will share your procedure and results with the rest of the class to add to the data on the whiteboard at the front of the room.  Homework for Wednesday:  Paper Towel Lab #2 due by Friday.  All parts--Problem down to Application--need to be complete before turning it in. 
• Thursday the class will brainstorm products you could test for our final product testing experiment.  You and your group will have to select one product to test, then begin filling out the top part of your lab report:  Problem through Procedure plus a Data Table and a place for a Graph.  Homework for Thursday:  Paper Towel Lab #2 due by Friday.  All parts--Problem down to Application--need to be complete before turning it in. 
• Friday you will have time to finish the top part of your Product Testing lab report, but you will not run your test until Monday.  Homework for Friday:  Purchase the products you need for your experiment on Monday. 

Monday you will continue working on the first part of the paper towel product testing.  You will fill in the problem, hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, and constant.  You will also add those words to your vocab sheet.  Homework for Monday:  Write three questions for the guest speakers that will be here Friday:  crime scene technician for MCPD Tammy Orr and school resource officer Ed Walthall.  Questions are due Wednesday and can be submitted on paper or by posting on the discussion board for your class period.  Tuesday you will work on writing your procedure for testing the paper towels and then create the data table and graph you will fill in as you run your test.  If you get your procedure approved by Mrs. Stock or Mrs. Hines, you may begin testing the paper towels.  Homework for Tuesday:  Write three questions for the guest speakers that will be here Friday:  crime scene technician for MCPD Tammy Orr and school resource officer Ed Walthall.  Questions are due Wednesday and can be submitted on paper or by posting on the discussion board for your class period.  Wednesday you will finish what you started on Tuesday and complete running your first paper towel test.  If there is time left at the end of the class period you will work on writing your conclusion.  Thursday you will finsh your conclusion and then share your results with the class.  You will begin filling in the top part of the lab report for your next paper towel product test (problem, hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, constant, procedure, data table).  Once you have that filled in and approved you may begin your next tests.  Friday you will get to visit with two guest speakers:  crime scene technician for MCPD Tammy Orr and school resource officer Ed Walthall.  The two speakers will talk about their roles in investigating crimes then they will lead you through several activities that simulate what they do on their jobs. 

Monday you will have time to work on your final project for the Mystery Festival.  Homework for Monday:  Vocabulary quiz Tuesday!!  (observation, qualitative observation, quantitative observation, evidence, inference, conclusion)  Discussion Board post due by 11:59 PM on Tuesday.  Final project for the Mystery Festival due Friday.  Tuesday you will take the vocabulary quiz then have the rest of the class period to work on  your final project for the Mystery Festival.  Depending on how far most students are at the end of class Tuesday, you may have more work time on Wednesday.  Homework for Wednesday:  Write 3 questions for our guest speaker on Friday--Tammy, a crime lab technician for the Mason City Police Department.  Thursday you will begin talking about the next part of the science process unit.  Friday will be our guest speaker, Tammy, a crime lab technician for the Mason City Police Department.  Tammy will talk to you about what she does as well as give you the opportunity to do some of the things she does for work.  Our school resource officers (Officer Walthall and Officer Schraeder) will join Tammy for some of the classes.   Due to job duties, Tammy will not speak to the classes until Friday, September 25.  This Friday you will begin the product testing unit that focuses on experimental design:  problem question, hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, constant, procedure, data, and conclusion. 

The following comes from the September 2008 edition of the newsletter "Connecting with Families and Educators" sent out by AEA 267, the local area education agency near the Mason City airport.

1. HomeworkSpot.com has material for elementary, middle, and high school students.  It provides a list of homework links that have been reviewed and endorsed by students, parents, teachers, librarians, and journalists.  It provides resources for English, math, science, history, art, music, technology, foreign language, college prep, health, life skills, and even extracurricular activities.  It also provides links to may of the world's best libaraires, museums, and current event sources.
2. HippoCampus.org is a project of the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) and its goal is to provide high-quality multimedia content on general education subjects to high school and college students FREE of charge.  It is easy to understand and navigate.
3. B.J. Pinchbeck's Homework Helper (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/bjscience.html) is a directory of over 600 homework help sites lsted by subject.
4. Homework Center (www.multcolib.org/homework/) has links to librarian-reviewed sites on K-12 homework topics.  Some are FREE while others involve a fee.  

While I am providing these sites as a resource, I still want you to realize that I want to work with your student to help answer his or her questions.  The best times to meet with me are before school (7:30-ish to 8:00), during study hall, or after school (3:30-4:00).

Monday you will spend more time talking about the rock cycle and you will read p. 166-168.  Once you are done with that, you will get the directions for the next assessment project.  Homework for Monday:  Activities 5-8 Quiz due Thursday. 

Tuesday will be a work day for you.  The time should be spent working on your quiz.  Homework for Tuesday:  Activities 5-8 Quiz due Thursday.

Wednesday may be another work day, depending on how far you get Tuesday.  If it is not a work day, youwill be in the computer lab using an interactive website about rocks and the rock cycle.  Homework for Wednesday:  Activities 5-8 Quiz due Thursday.

Thursday you will for sure be in the computer lab using the interactive website.  Before going to the computer lab, however, you will need to turn in your Activities 5-8 Quiz. 

Friday is the school-wide PBS celebration so you will not meet with your classes.  Friday is also the last day of the trimester so it will be a half-day of school; you get to leave at 12:35.