Sauer's science class   updated 09/01/10 10:03:16 AM

  

Official US Time  

 

Things to Know

 

Are you reviewing nightly?  Five to seven minutes of nightly repetition is the key to success!

 

Upcoming Due Dates

Test on the concepts in labs 1 - 7 will be on October 20 as well as content from our Sports Materials activities.

Concepts Experienced

 

 Now that the due date has passed, at the end of labs 5 - 7 (which were assigned for homework on 10/15 for students who were behind), I have posted the answers .  Please be sure to CHECK YOUR OWN WORK even if you didn't get a grade for the lab!    Lab 5  -  Lab 6  -  Lab 7  (Note:  I will drop the lowest lab grade.)

 

Need some practice problems?

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Force & Fan Cart - due NLT 5 PM on 10/28 (assigned 10/20)

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Due dates for sports ball research will vary.  Dates have been assigned and presentations will begin on October 12 and be finished on October 29.  Be certain you are prepared on your assigned day!  Remember, if you have an electronic presentation, it must be in BOX the night before you are to present or no later than 4:30 AM on the morning of your presentation due date.  All presentation grades will be recorded in 2nd quarter.

 

 

Class Work

Homework
10/21 - EARLY DISMISSAL.  Meet in computer lab 113 for benchmark test. 10/21 - Review all content.  Work on research project.  Don't forget Force and Fan Cart!
10/20 -  Meet in computer lab 113 for test. 10/20 - Review all content.  Work on research project.  Complete Force and Fan Cart if you did not finish in class.  It is due NLT 5 PM next Wednesday.
10/19 - Presentations.  Final grading day for 1-7.  Review concepts from labs 1-7 for test.  10/19 - None, unless you owe me a presentation.
10/16 - NO SCHOOL.  :0) 10/16 - STUDY.  Work on research project.
10/15 - Presentations; Individual work to complete labs 1-7. 10/15 - STUDY.  Work on research project.  Catch up if you are behind in your labs.  (See the Things to Know section.)
10/14 - PSAT in AM.  Presentations in PM classes. 10/14 - STUDY.  Work on research project.
10/13 - Goal: Completion of labs 1-7 10/13 - STUDY.  Work on research project.
10/12 - Goal: lab 6; First presentation of history of sports ball 10/12 - STUDY.  Work on research project.
10/9 - Independent lab work (goal: completion of labs 4 & 5 ); small group work with areas of weakness on inquiry test 10/9 - Nightly review and work on research project.
10/8 - Independent lab work (goal: completion of lab 3 ); small group work with areas of weakness on inquiry test 10/8 - Nightly review and work on research project.
10/7 - Turn in your test analysis; Independent lab work (goal: completion of labs 1 & 2 ); presentation due dates given 10/7 - Nightly review and work on research project.
10/6 - Assign research project; lab format guidelines; return inquiry test results  (Guidelines - Sample Notebook Entry) 10/6 - Review content from Sports Materials labs.  Carefully go over the guidelines for the upcoming labs.  Expect a quiz on the guidelines.  Analyze your test; be prepared to tell me your weaknesses tomorrow.
10/5 - Intro to Newton 10/5 - Nightly review as expected.
10/2 - 8GAC elections; turn in homework; completion/discussion of rebound and COR activity or engineering/construction methods of common objects (whichever your class didn't do yesterday). 10/2 - Review content for this unit.
10/1 - Completion/discussion of rebound and COR activity or engineering/construction secrets of common objects. 10/1 - 
  1. Review all notes from both labs nightly.  
  2. On loose-leaf, list your top three choices of sports ball you'd like to research and a brief explanation of why you are interested in each.  
9/30 - (Class is meeting in the upstairs hallway.)  Determine the COR of several sports materials.  Compare to predictions made.  (Instructions) 9/30 - Read over the questions at the end of activity 2 on page 11.  Print out your own copy of the data table from your group to put in your notebook!  (You uploaded it to your class Box.  If you cannot print, copy the data table into your notebook.)
9/29 - Completion of yesterday's activity; Discussion of COR - What is it?  How is it calculated? 9/29 -  Open and look over the Excel spreadsheet to familiarize yourself with it for Wednesday’s class.  
9/28 - Exploring design materials in sports 9/28 - Review the data collected in today’s activity.  Look back over the two questions from the beginning of the activity.  How did your answer(s) change?
9/25 - Go over trends from yesterday's presentations, distribute grades to groups who didn't get rubric back yesterday, unit pre-assessment, thank-you note to one or more of our guest "senators" 9/25 - None.  Have a great weekend!
9/24 - Mystery in Alaska presentations 9/24 - None.
9/23 -  Group work on M.i.A.     

REMEMBER - all electronic media must be uploaded to the class Box by 5 AM tomorrow.

 9/23 - Be prepared to present to "Senate committee" tomorrow.
9/22 - AM:  Explore Testing      PM:  Group work on M.i.A. 9/22 - Be prepared to present to a "Senate committee" on Thursday.
9/21 - Group work on M.i.A.  PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE RUBRIC!  Do not get lost in the creative or visual aspect and ignore the components that are being graded!   There are no points for "pretty"! 9/21 - M.i.A. presentation practice and work as assigned by your group.  

IMPORTANT:  If your group has decided to do anything involving the use of my laptop during your presentation (PowerPoint, SmartNotebook, Word, etc.), remember to save your product in Office 2003 format AND upload the final product to the Box for your class.  All presentations must be in your class Box by 5 AM on the date of your presentation so that I may download each of them BEFORE the start of school.

9/18 - Meet in lab 113.  Test & M.i.A. group work (if time). 9/18 - M.i.A. work will continue on Monday.  Come prepared with whatever research/materials/etc. your group has decided you will need to move forward.  You will have class time on Monday and Tuesday** for preparation.  Presentation of your solution will be on Wednesday.  [**Due to Explore testing, morning classes will not have time to plan together on Tuesday.  We will use part of Wednesday for your final preparation instead.]
9/17 - Mystery in Alaska grouping; formulate plan for an experimental solution 9/17 - Study.  Test is tomorrow on all process skills and inquiry content since 8/18.
9/16 - Half-day (consider bringing a snack or bag lunch to eat):  Meet in computer lab 104 for test practice. 9/16 - Study.  Look over your Mystery in Alaska notes.  Tomorrow you will be part of a research team trying to decide what to do about this issue.
9/15 - Solving a real-world problem using the scientific method - What is happening in Alaska to the stellar sea lion population? 9/15 - Study for test!
9/14 - Science MAP.  Meet in 104. 9/14 - Study for Wednesday's test.  Continue with Mystery in Alaska (pick up where you left off Friday in class - use link from 9/11).  If you want more information, visit the PBS website that supports the documentary.  Clips are provided as well.
9/11 - (Meet in lab 113)  Turn in Metric Scavenger Hunt.  Begin Mystery in Alaska. 9/11 - Study for Wednesday's test!  
9/10 - Group problem solving.   9/10 - Review nightly.  Test upcoming.  Work on MSH and IA; both column two activities and the MSH are due by Friday, 9/11.
9/8 & 9 - Metric Scavenger Hunt and/or Individualization Activities (use the time in the way that is BEST for YOU) 9/8 & 9 - Review nightly.  Test upcoming.  Work on MSH and I.A.  Column one activities are due by 9/9/09.
9/4 - Complete Metric Olympics; Begin MSH (project) 9/4 - Review nightly, but have a WONDERFUL, safe, three-day weekend.
9/3 - Turn in lab report, individualization, density - Click here for today's agenda. 9/3 - Continue NIGHTLY review.
9/2 - (Picture day) Meet in lab 104 (next to Nurse's office) - Click here for today's agenda. 9/2 - Review notes.  Plan to turn in lab report on Thursday.
9/1 - Metric Olympics 9/1 - Review notes!  Work on lab report.
8/31 - Metric notes including density; set up for Metric Olympics 8/31 - Review notes!  Work on lab report.
8/28 - Writing a lab report (due 9/2) 8/28 - Monday is the last day to turn in papers (hard copy & electronic) before consequences are applied.  Your lab report will be collected on Wednesday.
8/27 - Quiz on content we've learned so far; measurement pre-test, metric intro 8/27 - Review nightly.  Some of you clearly are not doing that!
8/26 - Variables; measurement  (If you were absent, please come back prepared! 8/26 - Bring a data table (on loose-leaf paper) detailing five household items and the metric quantity of each (as printed on the container).  You must have at least one each of mass, volume, and length.  Convert all five to any other unit within the same metric base.  
8/25 - Variables 8/25 - Quiz on content we've covered so far will be coming later this week.
8/24 - Observation, Inference, Prediction 8/24 - Bring 4 examples of O.I.P.**; Review all notes; complete any signed papers you have not handled  

** Students who answered questions 4 - 7 correctly on the pretest are not required to do the OIP homework.  If you missed even one of those questions, you DO have to do the homework.
8/21 - lab report evaluation; notes; pre-test scores 8/21 - 
  • See # 2 and # 3 on August 18.
  • Review notes that we've taken so far for 5 - 7 minutes per night.  There will be a graded assessment sometime next week.
  • FIRST PERIOD ONLY - Remember to get the notes from today!

 

8/20 - Scientific method and process skills pretest; return evaluation of group problem-solving activity; components of a lab report; student evaluation of selected lab reports & justification of evaluation 8/20 - See # 2 and # 3 on August 18.  Also, review notes that we've taken so far.  Remember I want 5 - 7 minutes per night of your time for review of notebook content.
8/19 - Notebook procedure and personalization. 8/19 - See # 2 and # 3 below.
8/18 - Collect signed team discipline letter; review DD2 lab safety requirements; class policies; group problem-solving 8/18 - 

1)  Composition book due tomorrow.  Please bring pictures or symbols that represent you that you can adhere to the composition book.

2)  Go over the class policies and get your parents to "electronically sign".  You will need the secret word given to you in class in order to complete this.  (NOTE:  Due by 8/31!)  

3)  The contract signature page for the District Science Safety contract is due by 8/31.09. (page one)  (The safety rules are available when you read the class policies.)
8/17 - Class introduction 8/17 - 

1)  Bring your composition book by Wednesday as well as any items you'd like to put on the front of your notebook that express who you are.   

2)  Our team discipline letter needs to be signed and returned to me ASAP.

 

Links of Interest

 

Variables practice - Variables will never go away!

Check out this World Clock.  It is interesting to see how each variable may affect another.

Follow this link to learn a bit more about the Nobel prize and play some games that explain the concepts and work of past winners.