Hello!

As announced in class today - our Geosphere research project should be completed and turned by Friday, December 21, 2007. This is our last class meeting before the holiday break!

We will have ample computer lab time next week and the following week. If you stay on task with your paper you should have little difficulty finishing up and submitting your work for this deadline.

As always, you are welcome to work on this outside of computer lab time. You can email your file out to yourself or I can make it available here on the server if need be, just let me know. Thanks!

-pdc

Hello!

We are all very busy creating outlines for the various sections of Chapter 3 in preparation for upcoming tests:

• Period 5 - Thursday, Nov. 29th
• Period 7 - Friday, Nov. 30th
• Period 4 - Monday, Dec. 3rd

Included in this posting are links for sample outlines that I have created. You can download these and use some of the information in your own efforts to create your outlines.

• Chapter 3 Section 1 - The Geosphere
• Chapter 3 Section 2 - The Atmosphere
• Chapter 3 Section 3 - The Hydrosphere and Biosphere
  

Just click on any of the above sections and you will download a Word document for these outlines. I hope this proves helpful to you as you prepare for the upcoming test.

-pdc

Hello!

We all have so much to be thankful for. Enjoy the next few days off from school and work and take the time to give thanks and enjoy each other’s company.

Rest up as we have much to do upon our return …

Wishing you all the best of this holiday season.

-pdc

1st Quarter Report Cards will be issued on Thursday of this week and Parent’s Night will be held on Thursday, November 15, 2007 from 6-8pm.

I am looking forward to meeting with as many parents as possible but am also aware of the time limitations that we face. Two hours is not a lot of time to deal with the many people and issues that may arise. To facilitate a better conservation I would ask that you login to the Gradekeeper level of our site with your child’s UserID/Password and print out a copy of the 1st quarter assignments/grades to bring along with you to our meeting. This should keep our conversations on track and hopefully cut down on the time we need to meet.

In years past there has traditionally been a line of parents waiting to see me. Because of this fact I do request to limit our time together from 8-10 minutes. If you have further concerns perhaps we can continue our dialog via email or you can set up an additional time to meet so we can continue our discussions.

Thank you for your understanding. I am looking forward to meeting with as many of you as possible next Thursday evening.

-pdc

Hello!

I have placed a PDF file (a 77 page booklet) from the United States Geologic Survey which outlines the current information about Plate Tectonics and how it has contributed to past processes and present events on our planet. You can obtain this booklet by clicking on the “Dynamic Earth” graphic in this posting!

Below is an excerpt from the Preface of this resource.

“In the early 1960s, the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics started a revolution in the earth sciences. Since then, scientists have verified and refined this theory, and now have a much better understanding of how our planet has been shaped by plate-tectonic processes. We now know that, directly or indirectly, plate tectonics influences nearly all geologic processes, past and present. Indeed, the notion that the entire Earth’s surface is continually shifting has profoundly changed the way we view our world.”

Hello!

Matthew in Period 4 came across a site that has a wealth of information that could be helpful in giving you direction and information for your project.

The site has hundreds of links for each of the categories listed below. Just click on any of the titles and you will have access to all the information.

Questions about Lava
Questions about Volcanologists or Volcanology
Questions about Studying Volcanoes
Questions about the effects of volcanoes?
Questions on Hawaii
Questions on Mt. St. Helens

Enjoy!

Hello!
All students have begun a Geosphere Research project involving the effect of volcanic erruptions on the environment.

The announcement for this project can be accessed by clicking on this link.

-pdc

Hello!

We have been working on our Chapter 2 assessment. All groups have now completed their tests and I am presently working on those for corrected results.

The test covered the following concepts:

• Scientific Methods
• Correlation Methods
• Scientific Habits of Mind
• Statistics and Models
• Probability
• Decision-Making Models

I hope to have all results of these tests by Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week.

-pdc

Fall foliage here in New England is a long awaited event that unfortunately lasts only a week or two. Millions of tourists flock to this region of the country to see the beautiful colors that signify the changing of the seasons.

As mentioned in class, there are many factors that lead to this changing of color in the leaves. Among these are time, temperature, rainfall, location and certainly the age and species of particular trees.

If you would like to submit a paper for “extra credit” this quarter, fall foliage will be the subject. In your paper you should address the environmental science features that contribute to this process. You should mention the temporary shutting down of the growth process along with the arresting of photosynthesis.

As we all know, some of the predominate colors that we see during this season are red, yellow, and orange. Perhaps you could do some research as to what chemicals found in various leaves are responsible for the display of certain colors?

Your paper should source any reference materials that you use in your research of this topic and certainly reflect your opinion of the topic once you have have stated all of the scientific rationale for this annual event.

When your paper is finished you can submit a printed version to me in class or you can transfer your file electronically by clicking on the Icon of the paper below!

Click on the icon to submit your file.

Please Note: All papers must be submitted no later than Monday, October 22, 2007.

If you have any questions about this assignment, please see me during class time - thanks!

-pdc

We have been working with the data collected from our recent field study adjacent to the High School. (see satellite photo above).

Each team of students are responsible for a site map of their specific area, a photo download of their site area, and an analysis/conclusion based on the protocol for the lab activity (see page 27 of our textbook).

All work (except field data which should be in the Science Binder) will be kept in the classroom portfolio.

We are hopeful to get the last group (Period 7) outdoors tomorrow so that all students will have had an opportunity to complete the field study component of this lesson. The last group is scheduled for Block 7 tomorrow, weather permitting.

Several students from Periods 4 and 5 that missed their field study last week will be joining us if their schedules can be re-arranged. If not, we will schedule some time (very soon) after school to do this investigation.

-pdc