Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. It is time to consider the way we think and question. We will begin thinking in a rational/logical/scientific way. I want you to question everything, look for patterns and expect proof. I will be sending texts (LoganAlerts) to all students/teachers/parents who give me their cell phone # and carrier name. Please e-mail or see me if you want a LoganAlert! I will be introducing you to the Self-Study method of reading and a few rules for success. The Chapter 1 Self-Study will be due Tuesday, 9/7/2010. We will be measuring length, mass, and volume. We will then calculate density using numbers in scientific notation and reporting the solution in correct significant figures. We will also be organizing data into tables and graphs. After reviewing the skills of a scientist, the scientific method, the metric system and variables, we will put it all together in the Pendulum Project. This 5 day lab activity will be due Monday, 9/27/2010. The Chapter 1 Test will be Tuesday, 9/28/2010.

No physics unit would be complete without investigating the mathematics of work. We will calculate and see the relationship among work, power, Kinetic energy and potential energy. We will be calculating work and power using math skills and proof problems. Work is measured in Joules and power is measured in Watts, which can be converted into HorsePower. We will relate the power needed to get up stairs to how much energy (food calories) is in what we eat/drink. Remember: the material you put into your body serves as fuel and building materials to make you, biologically, who you are. How many times do you need to go up the stairs to burn off that Thanksgiving meal? Not only is stored chemical potential energy important to us, the energy of motion (kinetic) and the energy of position (gravitational potential) must be considered as we investigate mechanical energy. The Bouncing Ball Lab will allow you to see the relationship among the types of energy. The Work, Power and Energy Test will be December 8, 2010.

Matter is all the stuff around us that has mass an occupies space. Everything else is Energy. Matter is composed of moving 'little lumps' called molecules, which are made of atoms. A substance that is made of only one kind of atom is an element. There are 117 known elements. The Kinetic Theory assumes that way the molecules in a substance move determines the phase of the matter.  Solids, liquids and gases are the three states of matter.  Pure substances are made of only one kind of material and have definite properties. Mixtures refer to combinations of two or more substances in which each substance retains its own properties. Heterogenous mixtures are not the same throughout. Homogenous mixtures are uniform throughout. Homogenous mixtures are also called solutions, however, the most common type of solution is described by a solid (the solute) dissolved in a liquid (the solvent). Physical properties can be observed or measured without changing the composition of matter. (appearance, texture, color, odor, melting/boiling point, density)   All changes of state (solid to liquid to gas) are physical changes. Chemical properties describe the way a substance may change or "react" to form other substances. Chemical changes, also known as chemical reactions, are when a substance is transformed into a chemically different substance.

Chemistry is the study of matter and how it changes. All notes, powerpoints and study guides for this unit are posted in the notes/reviews section. We start with an introduction to the atom and atomic theory. Once we can find the number of particles in an atom and draw the atom's diagram, we will look at how elements are arranged on the Periodic Table of Elements, including a periodic table test. Using the locations and groups of elements on the table, predicting how elements combine to form compounds becomes possible. We will balance chemical equations and investigate the types of chemical reations. We will review mixtures and solutions and add acids and bases to the mix. The May I Cut In? lab will investigate a single displacement, exothermic reaction and acids/bases. The 4th of July lab will give practice balancing equations and demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Mass. Practice notes/reviews often for success!

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Over the next Month, we will be studying Geology. The first few weeks we will be identifying minerals by using an arsenal of observations/tests. Before the Mineral Lab we will do the Specific Gravity Lab. Students will then begin testing and identifying 30 rock-forming minerals. The Mineral Lab will be due 2/11/11. Reread chapter 4 (pages 53-57) EVERY DAY! Practice the Mineral Notes, and put in lots of time practicing the minerals in your kit. Check out The Mineral Project Website. It has a mineral search, mineral identification notes, and a large database of minerals. Check out Minerals for more information. The mineral practical test will be 2/14/11. The Chapter 4 written test will be 2/15/11.

Now that we have the knowledge and the skills to identify minerals, it is time to move on to rocks. We will be performing an Igneous, a Sedimentary and a Metamorphic rock investigation. Be sure to read chapter 5 and restate/answer the chapter 5 topics 1-23. Spend some time checking out my Rock Review Trackstar. The Rock Practical Test will be Tuesday, March 8, 2011 and the Chapter 5 Written Test will be Wednesday, March 9, 2011. Practice the Introduction to Rocks, Igneous Rocks, Sedimentary Rocks, and Metamorphic Rocks notes. Your success in this rock section is directly proportional to the time you spend reading and practicing the labs.

The Plate Tectonic Test will be 5/6/2011. The Plate Tectonic Test will be a five page essay test. Each of the five essays will have topics, notes, links and a lab to help you get the information organized into a good story (the one page essay). Please get to work on the five plate tectonic essays ASAP. I will grade each, as you finish, so you will be able to rewrite them until they are a perfect 20 out of 20. You will have a few weeks to get the essays done. On the day of the essay test, bring all five graded essays to class. I will choose one and you will choose one to write from memory. The other three will be handed in. You are guaranteed at least a 60% if you bring all five with a 20 out of 20 to class.

With the study of Minerals and Rocks behind us, it is time to continue our geology tour into plate tectonics. We will be covering readings from Chapter 5 topic #4, Chapter 13 topics #1-15, Chapter 14 topics #1-6, Chapter 15 topics #1-4. All topic questions listed will be collected. Please visit the website: Plate Tectonics In A Nutshell to see the big picture. Alfred Wegner's bold continental drift theory got the ball rolling. As evidence mounted, plate tectonics unified much of geology into one simple concept. Different plate boundaries driven by convection currents have and are shaping our Earth's surface. Geologists use earthquake waves, landforms, changes in magnetic polarity and volcanic rock information to piece the puzzle together. Use labs, readings and notes to learn the story.

It is time for a trip through geologic history. For the next few weeks we will be learning the story of the history of the Earth, its major geologic events and how it has changed over the last 4.5 billion years. We will be using Chapters 32, 33 and 34 in the Earth book. All topics will be read, restated and answered and collected. This section will culminate with each student making a geologic timeline to get a better understanding the events that have changed Earth and influenced life through its evolution. Check out the Geologic Timeline Show. There will be a test over all three chapters.

We will finish the 2010-11 school year with a two week astronomy unit. We will be studying the properties of light, taking a photon walk and using spectral fingerprints to identify elements in stars. We will then learn the life cycle of stars, investigate our Sun's properties, check the space weather, monitor the Northern Lights and put planets into a scaled model around our Sun. The readings include (Chapter 20: #8, #13-#16), (Chapter 21: #3, #6-#18), (Chapter 22: #5), (Chapter 26: #6). All topic questions from the listed reading sections will be collected and graded. The Astronomy Test will be Friday, May 20, 2011. We will end the year with a beautiful story that will leave you with a vision of the big picture.