Students will be given the following prompt:  If you were an energy burst from the sun, explain your path as you travelled from the sun to being used to boil water on the stove. What I am looking for:  A minimum of 6 energy conversions taking place to make this happen.  Terms like thermal energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, convection, conduction, and radiation should be used.

Students should bring a 2 liter soda of their choice and I will supply the Mentos.  Students are challenged to create a lid that will either increase the pressure and height of the soda fountain or cause a special effect, such as mist.  Hint:  Generic sodas do not have a very dramatic or high fountain but they do tend to exhibit pretty colors (for example:  grape soda is very pretty).  The students can also work together as a class to create our own "event" like the Epybirds have done on You Tube.  I will bring a video camera to record their class event.

Students will receive two prompts to answer for this weeks quiz:  1.)  Describe the forces and motion you experience as you take a ride on a bike trail, using no less than 3 force terms and 2 motion terms; 2.)  You have been chosen to be beamed to a planet twice the mass of Earth. You need to bring at least one additional set of clothes with you.  What size clothes should you bring and why?

Students will not be given the prompt in class to prepare for the quiz in advance due to the majority of students not taking advantage of the opportunity.  Students should already know this material in any case and should be studying all along using their CEOCE Review Study Guide to prepare for their comprehensive final exam (CEOCE).

Students will receive two prompts on Monday, May 6:  1.)  If you were a water molecule and could travel anywhere in the world, describe your journey as you change into each of the states of matter; 2.)  Describe the roll of density in one of the following spheres:  Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere.  Students have the week to think about their responses for Friday's quiz.

Students are to explain how the development of atomic theory compares with the development of modern day cell phones.  Students will be given this prompt on Monday, April 29 so they can plan their response for the quiz.  Students should look at "Welcome to the Particle Zoo" on page 318 in their textbook/workbook for ideas on how to answer this prompt.  It has information about the parts of atoms.  What I am looking for:  an answer that demonstrates an understanding of how ideas and theories change and modify over time as new information and new technology is found or discovered.

Words for this worksheet (given out 5/2/13) are:  nuclear energy, gravitational, kinetic, renewable, nonrenewable, friction, energy efficiency, mechanical, energy, photosynthesis, conversion, fossil fuels, potential, closed system, law of conservation of energy, and energy resource.  This worksheet is due Friday, 5/3/13.

The words for this assignment are:  gravity, projectile motion, centripetal, opposite, equal, motion, weightless, terminal velocity, free fall, air resistance, inertia, and momentum.

Students are to design an experiment to test the cleaning ability of different brands of toothpaste.  They will not actually be conducting the experiment.  This is just to assess whether students can plan an experiment from the start through the procedure (step by step instructions for doing the experiment).  What I am looking for:  A hypothesis in “If…then” format, a list of materials, all three types of variables (independent, dependent, and control variables), a control group, and a step by step list of how they would do the experiment. It should also include repetition of the experiment (a minimum of three times it usually the best). 

Students were given this prompt for class periods 1, 3, and 5 on Monday 4/22/13; for class periods 2, 4, and 6 the prompt was given on 4/24/13 so they could be thinking about how they would plan the experiment.

FCAT Science will be given on this date.  Concepts from Earth, Space, Life, and Physical Science will be assessed along with the Nature of Science and Scientific Method.

Students should have been collecting their daily bell work in the form of a "Science Journal" that they keep with them daily.  I will grade their daily "Journal Entries" on this day during their test on Waves.  Journal Entries should have titles, dates, and be organized in order and neatly placed in either a folder, binder, composition book, or spiral notebook.

Students will be tested on Chapter 14-Waves (Electromagnetic and Mechanical) pages 541-578.  Students will be asked to identify and explain parts of waves, types of waves, and behavior of mechanical waves (sound) and electromagnetic waves, in particular the visible spectrum (light and color).

Students are to complete these pages as homework to prepare them for their test on 3/21/13.  The pages for chapter 14 are 541-578.

This FCA will test understanding of:  light and sound waves, reflection, refraction, absorption, the Sun's radiation,  wave speed affected by different media, wave length, wave frequency, compare frequency and the use of the electromagnetic spectrum, and types of waves.  This FCA will be given the week of March 18, 2013.

Students have had time during class to complete these pages.  Students who did not complete these pages in class should complete them as homework.  Chapter 18 Section 1 pages are 707-719.

Students will be quizzed on vocabulary associated with our unit on waves.  These 20 words are take from Chapter 14, pages 541-578.

Students should have worked on these pages and completed them during class time.  Students who did not finish them during class time will need to complete them as homework.  Section 1 of Chapter 4 was due 2/26/13.  Sections 2 & 3 are due 3/1/13.

This FCA will test understanding of:  the Law of Conservation of Energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, energy transformations, heat and temperature (heat flow, specific heat, energy and phase changes).  This FCA will be given the week of February 18, 2013.

Students should complete Chapter 2 Section 4 pgs 75-91 as homework.

Students should complete pages 67-74 in chapter 2 as homework.

This FCA will test understanding of:  net force, inertia, speed, Mass vs. Weight, The Law of Gravity, contact and non-contact forces, the effect of unbalanced forces, and distance versus time graphs.  This FCA will be given the week of January 28, 2013.

Students spent four days in class working on sections 1 & 2 of Chapter 2.  Students should complete these pages as homework if they have not already turned them in.

This exam is comprehensive for the semester.  Students should study all concepts learned in both the first and second quarters.  Students should study all quizzes and tests as well as chapter reviews for the following chapters:  NOS, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.  Students were given a study guide in class on 1/4/2013.

Due January 4, 2013:  Experiments should be complete
                                           Data should organized into charts and/or graphs, included on your display (and in your written report if you do the extra credit)
                                           Abstract should be neatly written and both placed on your display and turned in to the teacher (Required)
                                           Extra Credit:  Research should be included in a written report with rewritten background research and Bibliography in MLA format
                                           Display board should be complete (see link below for requirements)
                                           http://www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=329      
                                           Presentation to class should be no more than three minutes

Please Note:  This is a tentative date since the dates for the school and local science fair have not been set yet.                                          

Students were given a day in the computer lab to choose a project from the http://sciencebuddies.org web site or to develop their own idea on 8/23/2012.  Students should have projects chosen by 9/14/2012, since that is the date we will start conducting research for their projects.  Students are also welcome to create their own project as long as they are testing/changing a variable.  Projects building a model, a kit, or cooking from a recipe without changing one ingredient are not acceptable.  Students will be conducting their experiments at home and have been urged to receive parent approval for the project they have chosen, especially in regards to the purchase of materials and safety issues that may arise.  Students are required to write a paper, at least four pages long (not including their graphs, charts, tables, photographs, or their Bibliograpy), typed or written neatly, double spaced, and including the following details listed below:

An abstract is required:  The abstract should be no more than 2 paragraphs. 
It should include:
-Hypothesis and purpose of experiment (independent, dependent, and control variables)
-A brief statement of what you did (your experiment)
-And a brief conclusion

Extra Credit:  The body of their paper needs to include: 
-Information about your hypothesis, experiment, and research.
-Re-state your hypothesis like it was in your abstract (include variables)
-Explain your experiment in detail and include information gathered in research
-Explain what your results told you
-Include your charts and graphs as references

Required:  Their Conclusion (for both the display and Extra Credit Research Paper) should include (required):
-Explain whether your hypothesis was supported or not (was it correct or incorrect)
-Explain what you could do to make the experiment better or more accurate
-Describe what you learned from the experiment

*Students wishing to compete for the County Science Fair will need to visit http://sciserv.org/isef/about/rules_regulations.asp for the rules and regulations governing projects.  Some project involving animals, humans, and culturing molds and bacteria have strict requirements that must be met for inclusion in the County Science Fair.

The abstract is basically a summary of the whole project. It needs to be no more than 250 words and include the following: Purpose of the experiment, procedures used (in paragraph form this time, not step-by-step), data, and conclusions.  Students received a copy of the specifications for the abstract on 11/16/12 and should use it to guide their writing of the abstract.  For information about Science Fair Regional Rules and Requirements, please go to:  http://sciserv.org/isef/about/rules_regulations.asp

The abstract will count as a 50 point quiz grade, the Display will count as a 25 point test grade.

This paper is a collection of your background research and the information and data you gathered from your experiment put together, including a bibliography on a separate page.  Papers should be 3-5 pages, not including the Bibliography.  For information about Science Fair Regional Rules and Requirements, please go to:  http://sciserv.org/isef/about/rules_regulations.asp

Single spacing using 12 point font.   Left justified at the top of the paper type:

                Title of your project

                Your name

                Howard Middle School, Ocala, Florida 

This FCA will test understanding of: Density, physical properties, physical changes, chemical properties, chemical changes, temperature influences on chemical changes, and the Law of Conservation of Mass.  This FCA will be given the week of December 10, 2012.

Students are to complete all questions, "Active Reading," and blanks (excluding "Lab" questions) on pages 377-387 in the textbook (Chapter 10, section 1).  Students started this assignment in class on 11/26/12, had additional time in class on 11/29/12, and are to finish this assignment as homework, due 12/3/12.

Students will need to be able to differentiate between a physical and a chemical change.  There will be several questions asking students to tell which kind of change it is.  We did a lab with purple cabbage juice  that demonstrated several instances of chemical changes.  Physical changes don't change what the substance is made of, chemical changes mean a new substance is made (unexpected color change, unexpected change in temperature, unexpected gas bubbles forming, a solid forming, and an unexpected change in odor all indicate chemical changes.  Any time a substance burns you get a chemical change as well).  Examples:  Physical changes are like cutting up wood into smaller pieces--it is still wood.  A chemical change would be if you burn the wood and it becomes ash.

Students are to keep a log of what they ate for their Thanksgiving Day meal (Turkey, Ham, whatever, and try to keep an approximate idea of how much they ate.  No measurements are necessary, just a ballpark idea.  Example:  "So full I could pop."), and record how long after their meal that they began to feel sleepy and for how long they felt sleepy (or in some cases...how long they "napped.").  Students should record any relevant observations they make about their experience.  The focus of this investigation is to see if the Tryptophan in turkey meat really makes a difference for feeling sleepy, or is it just having a full stomach that does the trick.