Tests & quizzes

I have recently passed back a few grades to students so look for them or ask your child how they did. I am still surprised how many students do not take advantage of the privilege of writing out a page of notes to use during the quiz/test. My thought would be that if a teacher offers such an opportunity, a student should take advantage of it. Besides, isn't writing notes a form of active studying to help reinforce what they should already know? Please have a productive discussion with your child about how they study for all classes. In general, I receive very few questions from students and only about 10% consistently take advantage of my after-school help.

As always, each paper I hand back to a student has their current average at the bottom right so that there are never any surprises.

Forces Quiz

As mentioned Monday, there will be a quiz tomorrow on Forces. Below is a short study guide and my notes that you copied and we discussed in class.

Study guide

• Know and understand the 4 forces that we discussed and be able to identify them in an example (we did 10 of these examples in class this week, check your notes)
• Understand the 4 different types of Friction
• Look at the bar graph you made on Google Docs that had the sliding friction of all the 5 different surfaces. Remember that most students thought the coarse sandpaper would have the most friction, but it was the fine sandpaper that had the most; why? (hint: it has to do with the amount of block surface area contacting the surface)
• Look at the bar graph you made regarding the data for Static vs. Sliding friciton. Why are the static friction values greater?

I would not recommend printing these only because they will use a lot of black ink.


To Print:
(1) Click on the "open in a new window buton" which looks like a square.
(2) Click "actions" menu at the bottom.
(3) Click "print slides"
(4) For "Layout" choose "4 slides" (choose 2 if the print is too small)
(5) Print.

Friction Song

Get your vocals warmed up and enjoy...

Friction song

Cool science

Now here is a good example of the potential, chemical energy that occurs between two objects.

mentos & diet coke

Study guide - Potential & Kinetic energy and forms of energy

Here are my notes and a study guide for Tuesday's Test. As always these are resources that will help, but it is up to you to search answers to your questions and confusions. You can look at my notes or yours, search the internet, contact a friend, ask me a question in class, or email me (last minute emails may not be answered in a timely manner so plan ahead).

Click here for study guide

To Print:
(1) Click on the "open in a new window buton" which looks like a square.
(2) Click "actions" menu at the bottom.
(3) Click "print slides"
(4) For "Layout" choose "4 slides" (choose 2 if the print is too small)
(5) Print.

Test date changed

The test scheduled for tomorrow, Friday will be postponed to next Tuesday (11/17). As always, there will be notes and a study guide forthcoming perhaps as early as this evening.

Cool stuff going on in science class

I wanted to let people know the cool things we have been doing by integrating technology with curriculum; this is a credit to Tyngsborough and the other teachers I work with who have helped make this trend possible.

Last week we did a potential energy/kinetic energy lab where students used counterweights on a lever to launch a ping pong ball and golf ball. Students recorded distances the balls traveled and were able to get their laptop computers and put their data into a google docs spreadsheet that I shared through their accounts (all students are adding to the same spreadsheet at different computers; cool!). I was then able to take all my classes' data, calculate the average and graph the results. A sheet was then created a sheet with a graph and questions which was shared back to each student's account. While each student has a laptop in front of them, they create a copy of the teacher sheet and answer the questions (link below)

Great job by all my students! Welcome to the dawn of 21st century education!

Check out student data and questions

Now here is a physics project!

Just because...

We've been talking a lot about potential energy and kinetic energy. Watch the following video while trying to wrap your brain around all the energy transformations (potential to kinetic) that are occurring. Enjoy.

http://www.safeshare.tv/v/vrCb_fNmSTA

TEST

There will be a test next Friday (11/13) on:

• Potential Energy
• Kinetic Energy
• Friction (to be discussed next week)

As always:

• Extra help after school until 3pm next Thursday (11/12)
• I will post notes next week
• Students should be looking through their notes and studying for 15 minutes every night.
  

Physics simulations

These are some really cool simulations to a lot of different science concepts.

http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php

Study guide - electricity & circuits quiz

Below is a link to the study guide that students received in class today. Most answers can be found in my notes (see previous post) or in student notes.

Click here for study guide.

Electricity & Circuits notes

Here are notes that you can use to study with.


To Print:
(1) Click on the "open in a new window buton" which looks like a square.
(2) Click "actions" menu at the bottom.
(3) Click "print slides"
(4) For "Layout" choose "4 slides" (choose 2 if the print is too small)
(5) Print.

Electricity and Circuits Quiz

The quiz I announced earlier in the week will be on Friday. The topics will included everything we have been covering in class for electricity and circuits. I will try to post my notes and a study guide on this blog by later this evening; I will discuss the study guide with students tomorrow and it will be their responsibility to print them out (as always I can supply a copy of each if there is a computer and/or printer problem just let me know). As always, students may use their OWN 1 page of notes (see previous post regarding the purpose of doing this.

I will be after school tomorrow for extra help if needed. Please plan on a pickup between 2:30 and 2:45.

Tests and Quizzes

I have made this very clear in class to all my students, however, I want parents to be aware. Starting on the last quiz we had and from now on, student have been given the opportunity to write or type a full page of notes. The notes can be only 1 side of an 8.5x11 sheet of paper (standard paper).

Why do I allow this? I will share a short story with you. I struggled with calculus-based physics in college so I talked to my professor to get advice. Our discussion revealed that I was reading notes and books more than I was writing when I studied. My professor said to me "If someone cut off my arms, I could not learn." Needless to say, I started doing a lot more writing as I studied and it worked.

The bottom line: There is a magical connection between the physical process of writing, or typing, that reinforces concepts and gives us an enhanced ability to remember and ultimately learn.

So why do I allow student-created notes? Because I care and want my students to succeed.

Please ask your child if he/she is taking advantage of this priviledge.

Extra help for test

I needed to make a correction, the extra help on Monday is only until 2:30 pm. Sorry for the mistake.

Notes: Elements, Atoms, Molecules

Printing these notes
(1) Click on the "open in a new window buton" which looks like a square.
(2) Click "actions" menu at the bottom.
(3) Click "print slides"
(4) For "Layout" choose "4 slides" (choose 2 if the print is too small)
(5) Print.

TEST DATE CHANGED

Next week's school activities (Early release day, magazine drive, and Red October events) have forced me to change the date of next week's "elements, atoms, and molecules" test.

The TEST will now be next Tuesday (October 6th) and extra help will be next Monday (October 5th) until about 3:30.

How much empty space is in an atom?

I have asked students to contemplate the following statement: Atoms are made of mostly empty space, therefore, everything in our lives including our bodies are mostly made of empty space.

This is a website that is really fun because it gives you an idea of how much empty space is within an atom. The blue atom is one proton and if you scroll a distance of eleven miles (literally) to the right you will see how big an electron is on this scale (remember this is only the radius of an atom). You must have a scroll bar at the bottom of your web browser for the full effect.

Atoms are mostly empty space

If you aren't flabbergasted yet, check out this video

Periodic Table quiz

For tomorrow's periodic table quiz, make sure you know the how to:
(1) Identify the name and symbol of a given element,
(2) Be able to find the atomic number and know what it means,
(3) Be able to find the atomic mass and know what that means.

For those that don't have a copy of the periodic table, click the link below and print out a copy. You can even try adjusting your print settings to enlarge it a little and don't forget to print it as "landscape."

click here to view the Periodic Table

Grades

As you may already know, progress reports are going home this Friday (10/2).  Tomorrow, students will be getting back their big density quizzes.  As always, their current average in science is written on the bottom right-hand side so that there are no surprises.  Students received their metric quizzes back a while ago and I have offered extra help after school and retakes.  This Tuesday (9/29), after school, is the last chance to take advantage of that retake.  Parents, please check up on your child's grades.