Happy Holidays!

Hi All,

As we wrap up 2010, we are in the midst of a number of projects and studies:
Students just took their Ecology and Living Systems quizzes on Thursday.
Lawrence Hall of Science visited to interview most of the students as part of our ongoing survey work with them on Wednesday.
We had a successful field trip to Sibley Volcanic Preserve on Monday.

As we head into the new year, we will be continuing our geology work, ecology and experimentation through the garden, and will get to the explorations of density that I had to reorder in the year due to some other scheduling needs.

NO HOMEWORK OVER THE WINTER BREAK!

I hope everyone has a very happy holiday season!

Sibley Wrap

Hi All,

Great trip to the volcano yesterday! Please reflect on our cold and foggy, but instructive, trip in the five ways:

1. What are three (3) things that your learned about geology yesterday?

2. What are two (2) questions that you have about Sibley or local geology from the trip yesterday?

3. What is one way that you were a productive field team member?

4. What is one way that you could have improved your contributions to the field team?

5. What is one thing that could have improved the trip?

GEOLOGY FIELD DAY!

Hi All,

Today is the day that we go to Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. We will discover lots of amazing evidence of past eruptive processes, and see all of the three main types of rocks in the area of exploration.

Remember, that beyond today's field trip, we have our quiz on ECOLOGY AND LIVING SYSTEMS this Thursday! I have embedded the text from the review sheet below.


Ecology and Living Systems Quiz

This is the review sheet for the upcoming quiz on Thursday, December 16, 2010. Please be able to express your understanding of how the various terms and concepts contribute to the food web and/or composting systems.

Define “ecology”

Food webs
Sun
Producers
Consumers
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Decomposers
Energy flow

Composting
Decomposers (workers):
Fungi
Bacteria
Insects
Worms

Managing the pile for the decomposers:
Chop materials to increase surface area
Mix browns and greens
Maintain moisture as damp as a wrung out sponge
Maintain airflow

Benefits of compost:
Adds to fertility in the soil
Grows healthy plants
Can be used as a mulch to save water
Reduces the amount being sent to the landfill
Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides
Reduces trash hauling bills

Geology!

Hi All,

As we get into the full holiday swing, I hope everyone is doing well. In science, we have been busy exploring various systems. From the ecology and integrated parts of the compost pile to exploring our ecological footprints, students are working to understand causality and make many connections.

Today, we began our geologic studies. We generated 3 thoughts or ideas about the subject, 2 questions, and one simile about geology. We will bridge these beginning ideas with those at the end of the unit to help gauge how much knowledge and understanding has been developed. This thinking routine, known as "3-2-1 Bridge," is very useful to help frame important ideas about geology.

Near the end of class, students viewed a video on rocks and minerals, helping to set the stage for tomorrow's field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science.

We are all excited for the trip to learn about faults and earthquakes.