TAKS REVIEW GAMES 2011

Hello Students!

I am so excited to see how you all show off your skills!! I know you can do it!  Click on some of the games below to relax your mind a little more.

http://www.secretsatsea.org/story/3a.html

http://www.engagingscience.org/games/onlinegames/games.html

http://classroom.jc-schools.net/basic/science.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/forcesandmotion.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/energy.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/matter.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/electricity.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/space.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/plants.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/change.html

http://www.gamequarium.com/animals.html

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/games_activities/index.cfm

http://sciencereviewgames.com/srg/subjects/games.php?id=46  (Science games with sports)

http://sciencereviewgames.com/srg/subjects/games.php?id=72 (Science games with sports)








GOOD LUCK!
Mrs. D. Davis

Food Chain Game

Hello Students,

Check this Food Chain game out!  Take notes....

http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/frogs/chain_reaction/index.cfm

Missing Assignments

Due to miscommunication about missing assignments or late work:
Please be advised that students missing assignments will be allowed two days to turn in assignments with a 10 point deduction for each day. After two days, a grade of zero will be recorded in the grade book. Grades of zero can only be made up during ancillary or academic detention with 70% being the highest possible earned score.

Academic detention will be held Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 (Depending on teacher’s schedule). Students must make up missing assignments during ancillary or after school or receive a grade of zero for the assignments. Parents will be given at least 24 hour notice of academic detention as transportation will not be provided for students serving detention.


There must be a signed copy (from parent) attached to late assignments for credit.

FYI -
• A classroom teacher shall be required to assign a grade that reflects the
student’s relative mastery of an assignment;

• A classroom teacher shall not be required to assign a minimum grade for an
assignment without regard to the student’s quality of work; and

• A student shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to make up or redo a class
assignment or examination for which the student received a failing grade.

Student grades will be determined by teacher evaluation of growth attained during the significant learning activities conducted by the teacher in a given reporting period. The teacher will take into consideration all available data in judging a student's achievement in relation to the grade or course-level objectives. The following indicators may be used (as appropriate) to verify that the student has mastered the required objectives in a subject area:

• Standardized test performance,

• Notebooks and other class work

• Projects,

• Performances,

• Observations,

• Teacher-made tests, and

• Term papers.

Students are graded as follows:



• 70-79 is awarded if the student shows evidence of demonstrating knowledge and skills.

80-100 is awarded if the student shows evidence of exceeding expectations toward demonstrating knowledge and skills.

Create a Terrarium or Aquarium (Real) for extra credit.

Create a Terrarium or Aquarium (Real) for extra credit.

Worth 100 points

Be sure to tell/explain all of the details (food, animals, plants etc.)

Background:

The terrarium and aquarium are microcosms of the natural world, recreated in clear glass or plastic.

Both terrariums and aquariums typically have a rectangular shape, but they can be virtually any shape.

The basic difference between a terrarium and aquarium is water. An aquarium is filled with water and contains fish and other aquatic life. A terrarium, on the other hand, may contain some water, but it is generally not filled with water. Terrariums typically have soil, rocks, and plants and are built for terrestrial life like snakes, lizards, and frogs.

You have to research and really make it a learning experience for everyone! You will have to teach the class?
You do NOT have to go buy anything.  Be creative, get some snails, ants, plants, ladybugs etc.

Due February 9, 2011.

Extra Credit January 2011 - Moon Phases

Hello students!

Here is an opportunity to get extra credit for Science! (Worth 100 points)

Your job is to get/draw a picture of the (8) moon phases for January 2011.  You must include the date, time you noticed the moon, and draw a picture.  Keep a log/journal of what you see!

You have to begin the search as of January 6th, 2011.  Get at least 28-31 days of information.
To be creative, tell me what you predict the moon to look like for the next day and let me know if you were correct.  You will be penalized for misspelled words and your log/journal not being neat. 

The Water Cycle

The Water Cycle - Vocabulary

evaporation -When a liquid changes into a vapor or gas.
condensation - The process of a gas turning into a liquid.
precipitation - The falling of water from the sky in the form of rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
transpiration  - The process by which plants give off moisture into the atmosphere.
vapor - A gas formed from something that is usually a liquid or solid at normal temperatures. Clouds are made of condensed vapor.

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Click on the link below to check out information needed for the test on the Water Cycle. 

**Send me a comment, to let me know you are viewing.......Mrs. D.

The Water Cycle (Hydrocycle)


Check out this site below:  (Game and video)
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/water_cycle/

Weather Maps

Science Review - Weather, Climate, Natural Resources, Alternative Resources

Information from the Powerpoint in Class:

Weather

generally refers to day-to-day temperature, precipitation activity, etc.

Weather includes sunshine, rain, cloud cover, winds, hail, snow, sleet, freezing rain, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, thunderstorms, steady rains from a cold front or warm front, excessive heat, heat waves and more.

Climate

the description of the long-term average pattern of weather in a particular area.

Some scientists define climate as the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken over 30-years.

Earth’s Materials

Smaller rocks particles come from the breakage and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks.

Weathered rock, and plant and animal remains form soil.

Natural Resources

materials that are found in nature such as fossil fuels, rocks, soil, water, and gases of the atmosphere as well as living organisms such as plants and animals.

We can classify natural resources as renewable or nonrenewable resources.

Renewable Resources - take a short time to be replaced.

Plants, Animals, Fresh water - (Also known as Inexhaustible Resource),
Air (Also known as Inexhaustible Resource)

Non-Renewable Resource -take millions of years to be replaced.

Examples: fossil fuels, minerals

Fossil Fuels - take a long time to form.

a natural resource that has formed in the earth from the remains of plants or animals that lived as long as 400 million years ago.

Coal is an example of a fossil fuel; Coal is formed from a combination of plant material, heat, pressure, and time. The process of coal formation takes millions of years to complete and is still taking place today.

Alternative Energy -energy derived from sources that do not use up natural resources or harm the environment.
Examples: Solar energy; Wind energy; Hydroelectric energy (energy of moving water);

Geothermal heat energy (“geo” means Earth) (“thermal” means Heat)
Biofuels (energy derived from animal and plant material)

Read online more information about Renewable Resources

http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=renewable_home-basics

Texas Natural Resources Project - Due November 30, 2010

Natural Resources – Project

Hello Parents/Guardians,

This week we beginning our Earth Science Objectives and we are beginning with Natural Resources. I am asking that each student create a 3-D poster (or any medium you decide that would be best) of Natural Resources found in Texas. They will need to really research and be creative. This assignment will be due November 30, 2010. The rubric will be on the back of this sheet. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know as soon as possible.

Please make sure the students work hard and create something presentable. This will be a major Science grade that will count twice for each student.

I am asking that the projects be completed and turned in by November 30, 2010.

Please sign below acknowledging that you are aware of your child’s assignment. Please see me as soon as you can in order to answer any questions you may have. My conference period is Mon-Thursday 8:30 am – 9:15 am.


THINGS TO FOCUS ON FOR THE PROJECT:

Inexhaustible Resources
Renewable Resources
Non-Renewable Resources
I want your child to be creative.  Include the areas where the resources are found.  For instance there's oil in Texas, where could the oil be found?  How could you represent oil (in 3D) on your poster?  What type of resource is Oil? (Explain) What else do you know about oil?

I don't want it to be time consuming or difficult for my students.  I want them to research and have fun with there learning.  This will be a great way for the students to learn more about Texas and our Natural Resources. 


The Rubric: (Click on picture to blow up rubric) Your goal is to have all 4's.  This will give you 100 points.

Weather and Climate Info.

Weather vs. Climate

Weather is the current atmospheric conditions, including temperature, rainfall, wind, and humidity at any given place. If you stand outside, you can tell how hot it is by taking a temperature reading or feel if it is raining or windy, sunny or cloudy. All of these factors make up what we think of as weather. Weather is what is happening right now or likely to happen tomorrow or in the very near future.

Climate, on the other hand, is the general weather conditions. For example, in the winter, we expect it to often be rainy in Portland, Oregon, sunny and mild in Phoenix, Arizona, and very cold and snowy in Buffalo, New York. But it would not be particularly startling to hear of an occasional January day with mild temperatures in Buffalo, rain in Phoenix, or snow in Portland. Meteorologists often point out that "climate is what you expect and weather is what you get." Or, as one middle school student put it, "Climate helps you decide what clothes to buy, weather helps you decide what clothes to wear."

Climate is the overall weather patterns over time in certain regions.

Weather usually refers to the situation at one given time. Climates are different in different locations.

Climate is determined by analyzing yearly charts of surface weather patterns, upper wind patterns, high and low temperatures, and precipitation. There are many areas where topography or the relief of the surrounding area influences what is called "microclimate."

For instance being close to a mountain can make the climate more windy, than a community that lives away from the mountain. Distinguish for students that seasons are caused by the angle of the Sun’s ray caused by the Earth’s tilted axis. The season’s influence the general climate, but mountains, land, and vegetation also exert an influence.