Energy Source Project

Week of December 14, 2009

Monday - Begin your design of the Potato Catalase Lab - Factors which change reaction rates. Due Wednesday.
NOVA energy videos - the pros and cons of alternative energy
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/energy/program.html

Energy Sources Project -
This week we will begin a project in which we explore different sources of energy. Please use the sites below to get you started on the energy source your group has been assigned.
Presentations will be next week!
NEW!!!! - Please write a one-two page paper (at most 2 pages) summarizing the four main points of your energy source. Do not copy and paste from the internet. Use your own words!!!!
Your essay should be a brief summary of what you have learned. What do you think about using your energy source? Has your opinion changed now that you've learned more about this energy source?

• Be sure to answer the four questions at the bottom of the outline
• What is your opinion of your energy form? Has it changed now that you've learned more about your energy form?
• Do you think we should use your energy source here in Tioga County? Why or why not? Can we use your source by itself - or should we combine it with other energy sources?
• Your paper should be a summary of what you and your group have learned. 

Energy Sources Outline- please follow directions carefully. 
Use this organizer to organize your thoughts and collect data for your project
Click here to download another project outline.

Helpful sites:

Explore More: The Future of Energy 
At the bottom of these pages are additional resources - use them!! Cite each one please.
Follow the links to the right to find magazine articles and "search" for your energy source.

National Renewable Energy Lab
Sustainable Hawaii
Renovus is a local site which discusses wind, solar and hydroelectric
Energy Kids has some interesting statistics
US Department of Energy
The Energy Story
Energy - Future Challenges
Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy
Geothermal Power Plants
Nuclear Power Plants in America
FOSSIL FUELS - Natural Gas in Tioga County! This is a great focus for those of you researching fossil fuels. Natural Gas companies are buying land in our back yard. What are the pros and cons to natural gas extraction??
How to cite website sources
Author. "Title of Website. Title of webpage." Date you accessed/visited the site. The organization who published it. The URL or web address.

Recent Magazine or news Articles
Solar Power Plant in China
Wind Turbines do not Pose Health threat
Wind Farm in Michigan?
Advantages and disadvantages of wind energy
Solar Power from Orbit 2

Week of 12/7/09

Quiz make-up:if you are not happy with your quiz grade, please come to make up your quiz TUESDAY 12/8 after school. It should only take about 10 minutes so sports and concerts are no exception!
Monday 12/7: Periods 3-9 please make flash cards of the vocaulary words on your notes (Checmial Reactions). Flash cards may be made out of paper or index cards. Use Chapter 14 to help you!
Tuesday 12/8/09:  All classes, state test questions on chemical reactions. Happy snow day:)
Wenesday: SNOW DAY
Thursday: Please get your grade reports signed.
Friday 12/11/09: Finish Critical thinking landfill sheet. HONORS: Activation energy work sheet. Use your book as a reference!

NV Windmasters

Thanks to Jay , Zack , Moriah, Claire, Jimmy, and Hailey for getting together to brainstorm about entering the KidWind windmill competition. Moriah, the fabulous secretary, will be sending along minutes soon. Please do your research so when we get together next week we can make some progress.
Here is the site again:
http://www.kidwind.org/workshops_events/challenge.php
If you have any interesting  or useful links please post them!
Blade Structure - CB

Week of 11/30/09

Quiz on Friday covering atomic structure and chemical bonding.
This Week's Notes - Chemical Bonding.
WINDMILL KidWind interest meeting afterschool on THURSDAY 12/3/09. If you are interested but cannot attent please let me know!!
http://www.kidwind.org/workshops_events/challenge.php

HOMEWORK

Monday: Atoms family worksheet
Tuesday: (honors) Atomic Structure worksheet.
                  Periods 3-9:Lewis Structure Worksheet
Thursday: Ion worksheet 

Periodic table scavenger hunt

Congratulations to the Periodic Banana Bread Team for being super crazy creative and finding over eleven elements in their fabulous banana bread recipe. Of course, we all loved eating it too!

And, almost equally as impressive were our Pirates of the Periodic Table.

  

Good times in honors science.

Week of 11/23/09

Honors - Element Scavenger Hunt due 11/24/09: Please follow directions and be creative!!!!
Structure of Materials Worksheet Video:
What is Matter? video
What is a molecule? video
Hindenburg news reel - Think about the properties of Hydrogen

Bill Nye - Atoms - Watch the following videos and complete this worksheet.

Week of 11/16/09

Honors - Assigned on 11/16/09 - due on 11/24/09 Element scavenger hunt.
11/17/09 - Honors - Element Puns - Punniums:)
Everyone - Complete your periodic table coloring sheet (both sides).
Bring on Friday for the periodic quiz.
Element word search due Wednesday.
Bring Science Notebooks, binders and dividers to class on FRIDAY 11/20/09!!!


All classes
Periodic Table of Elements Games - study the elements
Matching
Free Rice - Chemical Symbols for a cause
Element Quiz game
FunBrain Periodic Table

Fantastic Opportunity - KidWind

Please check out this fantastic opportunity to compete in the KidWind wind turbine competition. If you are at all interested in the environment, alternative energy sources, engineering or carpentry - this is the project for you!! You'll be competing with local middle schools, so Newark Valley would have a GREAT chance in winning!!

Click on the link above to find out more!!

Week of 11/9/2009

Homework
Monday 11/9/09: Test corrections due Friday 11/13/09!! No late work accepted after this date. Marking period ends.
This is a great chemistry of matter review site:

http://www.chem4kids.com/

Lab and test make-up Thursday 11/12/09 after school.
Meet in computer lab on Thursday.
Elements:

Gigantic Eighth Grade Periodic Table Poster Project 

- Some useful sites.

How to read a periodic table

Interactive periodic table - learn more about your element

Great Interactive table with facts such as who discovered your elements, how they got their names, etc.

Yet another great interactive table - from Los Alamos

Cute interactive periodic table - Keith's Think Zone

Jefferson Lab interactive periodic table
Periodic table - where art and science combine!!

http://www.chemicalelements.com/

http://www.uky.edu/Projects/Chemcomics/index.html

Citation Machine - helps you format your citations

November 6-8: Extra Credit!!

We've been discussing physical and chemical changes, as well as mixtures and compounds. In our daily lives, we come across these changes several times per day. For every physical change, chemical change, compound or mixture you come across this weekend and post on our blog, you will get an extra point on your test (for a maximum of 5 points).


Just click on "comment" below and you should be able to post your ideas (in the drop down menu you can choose "Anonymous"). Your comment will not show immediately as it has to be approved by me. Be creative, respectful and INCLUDE YOUR NAME!

Happy hunting!!

Week of November 2. 2009

If you have missed a lab you need to make it up after school - Icy Water; CSI Chromatography; Iron and Sulfur Elements, Mixtures and Compunds.
Unit TEST on Friday 11/6/09 - Covering all topics including Scientific Method, scientific measurement, density, properties of matter and elements, compounds and mixtures. Use quizzes, notes and homework to help you refresh your memory!
Monday 11/2/09 - Finish the Iron and sulfur lab questions
Tuesday 11/3/09: Sci. Think Review Puzzle (what we started as bellwork)
Wednesday 11/4/09: Honors - What a State! Periods 3-9: Make a statement and crossword
Thursday 11/5/09: Complete Review Sheet and STUDY.
Video on Elements, mixtures and compounds

Week 8 Homework

Monday 10/26/09 - Study for Quiz tomorrow. Know your phases of matter, the phase changes, physical and chemical properties/changes. Periods 5 and 9 - complete the vocabulary worksheets.
Tuesday 10/27 - Complete "Elementary" worksheet
Wednesday 10/28 - Complete Elements Mixture and Compounds worksheet
Thursday10/29 - Complete Lab Questions
Friday 10/30/09 - Have a safe and happy Halloween. Get caught up on any owed work!

Columbus Contest Details

As promised - here's the link with all of the details regarding the contest we talked about in class today. Show them what Newark Valley has to offer!!
Christopher Columbus Awards

Week 7 Homework 10/19-10/23

Monday - Please complete the chemical reactions state test questions handout.
Wednesday - Please use your notes to complete the crossword puzzle
Friday - Finish the lab questions 1-5 and Graph. Remember - your graph needs a title, label the x (time) and y (temperature) axis. This is a LINE graph.
QUIZ next Tuesday on the properties of matter notes, vocab words and lab concepts.
Lab make-up day - WEDNESDAY after school.  You may make up the Gummy Bear lab, Marble density lab, Mystery Powder lab and the Watery Ice lab.

skate park

Nice video about Newark Valley's new skate park!

Nike 6.0 Banksgiving BMX Jam 2009 from Will Stroud on Vimeo.

LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft Observations of Centaur Impact

LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft Observations of Centaur Impact

Shared via AddThis

Week 6 Homework: October 13- October 16

Tuesday 10/13: Search for matter handout - you will need your book!!. Use chapter 2. This is directly from the book, so it is pretty straight forward:)
Quiz on Wednesday 10/14/09. Study density equation and concepts such as volume, mass, matter and weight.
Wednesday 10/14: no homework
Thursday 10/15: Period 1 - changes in matter.
Periods 3-9: density worksheet
Friday 10/16: Period 1 - physical vs. chemical. Periods 3-9 changes in matter

Congratulations Cardinals!

What a wonderful homecoming weekend! The eighth grade float was fantastic and so creative (the other classes did a great job too)!! Newark Valley's marching band was a hit and the football team had an exciting victory against Watkins Glenn:)

Hot air baloon & Beakman Explains Gas Density

Hot air balloon simulation

I find these people to be downright frightening - but I know many students dig it. The science is sound, so here it goes....

EXTRA CREDIT - Another Great They Might Be Giants Song

EXTRA CREDIT - Write a short paper (at least 4 paragraphs: Introduction, 2 body, 1 conclusion), advertisement pamphlet or song discussing the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars and how science and technology can be used to help us use fewer fossil fuels. You can use the internet and your textbook as references, but be sure you cite them (I can help you with that). No Wikipedia please.
Click here for Citation Help
Below on the right are great resources to science news articles.

The Gummy Bear Experiment, BrainPop Density Video & The LHC

Sacrificing Gummies in the name of science - What happens to the mass, volume and density of a gummy bear when you leave it in water overnight? Many of you hypothesized correctly!! The gummy bear absorbed water. It's volume (the space it takes up) increased, it's mass (the amount of matter) increased, and the density......DECREASED (for most of us anyway). Why? Because the gummy bear absorbed water - and water's density is less than the Gummy Bear's.

This is a great video to watch if you are having difficulty understanding and calculating density
Brain Pop Density
Also, check out the Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider

Quick Density Video

This is much like the bell work we had on the floating golf ball...

Homework Assignments for Week 4: 9/28-10/2

Quiz on Tuesday 9/29/09 - Study the scientific method and the metric system.
Make sure you use your textbook and ladders as a resource!
All classes: Monday -What is SI continued? Study for the quiz.
Tuesday period 1,3,4,5 Finish Gummi Bear Density Lab.
Wednesday: All periods - Density Worksheet. The last few questions are hard but try to think through them!!
Friday: Density worksheet

If you were absent this week, read Chapters 1&2 to help you catch up!
If you missed the quiz this week, you can make it up during any of your free periods before next Tuesday! Also before or after school or during your lunch.

http://www.theymightbegiants.com/
check it out!! They should be using the word "Hypothesis" instead of "Theory," but great job none the less!

The Paper Airplane Experiment

We finally finished our introduction to the scientific method with the paper airplane trials! It was a little chilly and windy, but we're used to that here in Newark Valley. Pictured here is fifth period testing the effect of mass, size, design or paper type on the flight distance of a paper airplane.

Homework Assignments for Week 3

Students received a printout of owed assignments. Most of you are doing great - keep up the good work!!
Period 1 Honors: Scientific Method Applied (Beriberi and Penicillin),  Metric conversions, notebooks due 9/24/09!
Period 7: The scientific method applied (remote control),  metric conversions, notebooks due Thursday 9/24/09!
Periods 3,4,5,9: The Simpsons Scientific Method, Metric Conversions, notebooks due 9/24/09

Homework Assignments for Week 2

Check to see if you are missing any of these - 
Period 1 Honors: Variables worksheet, Tired Teens Article, Sponge Bob I - the scientific method, Spongebob II - the Scientific Method
Periods 3,4,5,9: Variables worksheet, Tired Teens Article, Sponge Bob I - the scientific method, Spongebob II - the Scientific Method
Period 7:  Variables worksheet,  the plane truth,  The scientific method applied

Welcome to Eighth Grade Science!!

Welcome eighth grade scientists! Hopefully I'll have this site up and running to help you with all things science. Keep checking back for homework assignments, extra credit opportunities and helpful hints! I'm very excited to get experimenting!