Sunday, February 28, 2016

When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb.



March "comes in like a lion, out like a lamb," or so the saying goes.  It's a charming little cliché that originated in the 17th century, but is it a predictable forecasting guide?  
Well. . . no. . .
I must say, though a little sheepishly, that this is no more than another piece of endearing weather lore.  There is no evidence that indicates stormy weather at the start of March is a harbinger of pleasant weather at its end. 

Let's call it what it is. . .

March is a transition time between winter and spring. It'll be...

A little snowy, a little rainy,
A little windy, a little muddy--
A little raw, a little dreary
Back roads a little rutty.

A little blustery, a little drizzly,
A little dark, a little cruddy, 
A little turbulent and changing 
March weather's a little nutty





. . .I got sick last week.  Man, who'd 'a thought I'd be at a loss for words?? I've  finally returned but my voice hasn't, so please "bear" with me till I get my groove back.

ASSIGNMENTS FOR 
THE WEEK OF 
FEBRUARY 29--MARCH 4
SCIENCE



 CATCHING UP FROM LAST WEEK

LET'S  TALK CONSERVATION!  While I was gone, did you look over the 50 ways to conserve water (found HERE)  (Even more water conservation tips can be found HERE.) Did you choose one & create an eye-catching poster or bumper sticker that included WHAT you can do to concerve water and HOW you can do it?

I was particularly intrigued by #46, which stated that 28 billion gallons of water are used to produced all the unwanted paper in junk mail.  I deplore junk mail. This provided a website for anyone interested in taking their name off direct-marketing lists: dmachoice.org   It's worth checking out!   


The Story of Bottled Water was released in 2010 on World Water Day. "It tells the story of manufactured demand—how to get Americans to buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when it already flows virtually free from the tap.  . . .the film explores the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces." Finally, it poses a compelling question. . .


Discuss "The Story of Bottled Water" from last Friday and share any interesting findings from Thursday.

Tuesday:  Draw the water cycle. Label each vocabulary word, and learn its meaning. (Enormously huge hint: This will be on the BHT.) Color would be lovely.


A Review of the Water Cycle:

Wednesday:  Let's create a representation of how much water there is on earth in the activity "All the Water on Earth." and engage in a little interesting discussion.
Thursday:  We'll watch and discuss "Earth: The Biography - Oceans," & complete associated activities (Can be found HERE). You ought to watch this; it's pretty amazing!

Friday:  Water Unit Review  -- Look over information from previous weeks' blogs.  Review Vocabulary, water cycle (HERE'S  a little toe-tapping review) -- Another Interactive Water Cycle can be found HERE), -- Conservation, Oceans, and Bottled Water   Check your Drive for your very own personal study sheet.  Woo-hoo!                                        


Take THIS interactive quiz on the Water Cycle!  Great test prep--you'll see some of this information again on your BHT!

Here's 8 minutes of engaging vocabulary review in a great video format:


     

NASA/THE WATER CYCLE:  "Water is the fundamental ingredient for life on Earth. Looking at our Earth from space, with its vast and deep ocean, it appears as though there is an abundance of water for our use. However, only a small portion of Earth's water is accessible for our needs. How much fresh water exists and where it is stored affects us all."



Take this Interactive Question & Answer Game *- A flash animated game that gives the Answer.  You have to choose the correct Question from three possible answers. The game lets  you know instantly if you have the right answer. Play the game as often as you'd like to improve your score. When you're done, click on "print" to save to Google Drive and send it to me.


Want to learn more?  Check out these 6  Drinking Water Bloopers. Write each of them in a sentence
(or two) explaining why each one is a blooper -- as part of your test grade. Can you think of any more?



INTERESTING, INTERESTING, INTERESTING. . .
Water Facts of Life - Amazing facts about water.    
Water Trivia Facts - Fun water facts continue - how long can you live without water.
Want to be puzzled? Click HERE!





SOCIAL STUDIES

Farewell, Gift of the Nile
Pyramids, mummies, tombs, and kings
Thousands of years ago, these things
Were part of life in an area
Upon the sands of Africa.
On the banks of the Nile a valley lay
Narrow, fertile - it gave way
To one of the earliest civilizations in history
"Kemet," Egypt, it came to be
The innundation every spring
Brought nutrient-rich black silt for planting 
Most people lived on the river's shore
In simple mud huts and nothing more
They served their Pharaoh--god and king--
Their link to the afterlife. Everything.
So they cared to preserve his body, you see;
In elaborate tombs they'd rest his mummy
An expensive and time-consuming process it was
To dehydrate and wrap in 20 layers of gauze 
As long as the body existed, thought they
The pharaoh would live and their service repay 
Far less is known of the common man
Who buried their dead in the desert sand
Except for the artistry, craftsmanship
They left behind on this narrow strip
Through hieroglyphs carved into stone
Their ancient story became known
A glorious look into the past
At a civilization unsurpassed
Land of the Nile, it's time to go--
We'll take a test on what we know
And share our newfound expertise
Before we enter Ancient Greece 
xoxo,
Mrs. M. 


Tuesday:  Wrapping up (Ha! another pun!)
Wednesday:  BHT

OK, OK. . . We'll watch one final video--of an actual mummification! Ewww!




ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME:
COMPARISONS & CONTRIBUTIONS

Thursday:  3-Part Assignment: Ancient Greece: Geographic Setting (4 constructed responses); "Where in Ancient Greece?" map activity; label & color a map  Due Friday.

Friday:  Correct work from yesterday, then. . .

JUST FOR FUN!
HORRIBLE HISTORIES--GROOVY GREEKS





LANGUAGE 
ARTS

HEY: HERE's another great search engine for students.  Check it out!
Monday:  Sacred Writing Time for "Leap Day" -- On the next "Leap Day," what will you remember about today?
Tuesday: Finalize Research Reports and submit.
Wednesday:  Poetry (tba)
Thursday: "Foul Shot," by Edwin Hoey --what a great poem to explore, especially during basketball season!  We are going to read, analyze, write about and replicate this poem in the next few days (particular attention to alliteration and action verbs).
Friday:"




                                  Poetry notes from julieha














MATH
Monday:  Unit 6 Test
Tuesday:  Unit 6 Test, cont. & Corrections
Wednesday: Hmm. . .Time to Reflect and Retest
Thursday: Correct tests, then on to a preview of Unit 7 & Show What You Know
Friday:  7.1  Exponents. Share & Show, pgs. 357-358.  Practice & Homework, pgs. 359-360.

Essential question:  How do you write and find the value of expressions involving exponents?





      Resources
Introduction to Exponents
(aka Indices)








Complete Unit 7
Test on Friday





Time is running out. . .
The Marking Period ends 
on March 9.
Everything done?
Dear Class, 
It's three o'clock already; the bus will soon be here
You must write down assignments and organize your gear
Get out your homework folder; it's orange and hard to miss--
Your work that's "almost finished" is what you put in this.
Before you leave, just ask yourself, "Do I have the stuff I need?
Do I know what I'm supposed to do? Do I have a book to read?"
Make everything you work on the best you've ever done
And when your homework's finished, go out and have some fun!
Just a word of caution as you zip up your backpack
Don't forget to do it, and for Pete's sake, bring it back!
Love,
Your devoted teacher






Sunday, February 21, 2016

"Create experiences that leave you in awe, for these will be the highlights of your life." - Ryan Blair


A photo posted by @desert_daisy07 on Feb 19, 2016 at 11:07pm PST
It only occurs for about ten days in February. The angle of the setting sun sets Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park ablaze with reds and oranges creating the illusion of a firefall -- or perhaps a lava flow -- cascading down El Capitan's rock face. Locals say that this is the first time in four years that the conditions have been optimal to capture this jaw-dropping albeit elusive phenomenon.   

 (Photo submitted to KGO-TV by @jeffreyplui/Instagram) Feb, 2016
Want to see for yourself?  You'd better hurry up!  The last day to view this incandescent wonder in 2016 is Monday, February 22.


There are so many beautiful and awe-inspiring things in life that we'll probably never have the time and/or the opportunity to experience them all. After I learned about the spectacular display at Horsetail Fall, I began looking for others, and, well, there went my day. Here are just a few (out of the gazillions I looked at) that relate to what we've been studying:



Supercell.  Strong storm cell with the tendency to spin, creating the potential to become a tornado.    
              

Snow donut. This phenomenon needs perfect weather conditions to form. Blowing snow catches onto more snow and begins to roll down a hill, creating a donut shape.
Lenticular clouds.  Lens-shaped or multi-layered, these clouds form at high altitudes,





These are a favorite of UFO aficionados and are often the explanation for people's UFO sightings.
Sun Dogs. Light refraction creates these massive halos around the sun--characterized by a bright spot on either side of the sun.


Skypunch clouds. A rare cloud phenomenon --a circular or elliptical hole that forms in cirrocumulus and altocumulus clouds.


Kelvin-Helmholtz. Wave-shaped clouds that form when two streams of air flow alongside one another at different speeds causing turbulence that results in these strange cloud formations.


Mammatus (or mammatocumulus) clouds.  These are pouch-like cloud structures that hang from the base of clouds and are a rare example of clouds in sinking air. They look ominus, but they’re perfectly harmless.



Morning Glory Wave Clouds. One of the world’s rarest meteorological phenomenon, these clouds stretch from horizon to horizon and are the result of “a shockwave in the atmosphere of  immense proportion.” 
Want to know more? Go HERE.

Waterspouts.  Not a major threat to anyone unless, of course, you’re out on the water.Then it’s another story!  Waterspouts can achieve speeds of nearly 190 mph. 

Could waterspouts be the reason why ships go down in the Bermuda Triangle?



ANYHOO. . .

PLEASE tell me this wasn't you over vacation. . .


Did you. . .
Get any unfinished work done?

                                                                                                                                                     Think about Ancient Egypt and all the wonderful ways you're going to knock your final presentations out of the park this week?                                

Maybe do a little writing?              




Read a good book or two?










Do something a bit wild and crazy?

Have FUN?
Gotta say, vacations can be exhausting!


I've missed you!



ASSIGNMENTS FOR
THE WEEK OF 
FEBRUARY 22-26


A lot of this will look familiar--we didn't get as much done last week as we'd planned. Blame it on "week-before-vacation" inertia. Hopefully, we're all cold/flu free and rested. 
Let's "reboot" that mindset!

THINK:
Is this you?



HELP IS ON THE WAY!


EVERYONE IS NOW REQUIRED TO FILL OUT AN ASSIGNMENT SHEET. 
TELL YOUR PARENTS TO PLEASE LOOK FOR IT. 
This paper and the blog are their connections to what you're doing each day.  It should be located in your orange homework folder, and you should show it to them regularly. (If you need to create a new one at home because you forgot it, that's called "natural consequence." Click HERE.) 
It needs to be signed and returned each Monday along with any work that was not completed from the previous week. 




SCIENCE


Tuesday:  Correct THE WATER CYCLE CYBER HUNT, 
PART 1,   PART 2,   PART 3  
CORRECTION: THIS WILL BE GRADED ON WEDNESDAY. GET IT DONE!


Did you turn in the following definitions on lined paper
atmosphere, condensation, evaporation, evapotranspiration, infiltration, oceans, precipitation, run-off, sublimation, 
sun
GOOD!


Wednesday Tuesday
and Thursday:

"A drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold to a thirsty man."




THE HIDDEN WATER WE USE: 
AN INVESTIGATION

How much water does your family use each day? Click on THIS link to get an eye-opening rough idea! Record your data on Part 1 of your Investigation.



WHAT IS YOUR WATER FOOTPRINT?
     
Your goal will be to get a more accurate idea of how much water you use on a daily basis.  Check out THIS site and answer the questions in Part 2 of your Investigation.
    
 Ready for a real shocker?? Want to know how much water is embedded in our daily lives? Look HERE, then answer the questions in Part 3 of your Investigation.


ASSIGNMENT:

LET'S  TALK CONSERVATION!

You can find 50 ways to conserve water HERE.  Even more water conservation tips can be found HERE.  Choose one and create an eye-catching poster or bumper sticker that includes:
*  WHAT you can do
*  HOW you can do it
*  ILLUSTRATE--big and  bold! 


Friday:  LET'S TALK ABOUT IT!  Share and discuss what you learned about the Hidden Water We Use as well as your mini-posters showing one of the ways we can conserve water.  Hope they're bold and colorful! Hole 'em up & show 'em off!  Turn in your investigation and poster. If you're not done--it's due no later than Monday!

For today:  "The Story of Bottled Water." Before you begin, answer the 5 questions on the front of the packet. Then watch the video and be ready to discuss what you learned. Complete the packet and turn in. Be thoughtful and answer each question carefully and completely.  Use complete sentences!


Social Studies


And now, straight from the sands 
of the great Sahara, 
give it up for our. . .



The Kings of Ancient Egypt

Expect our enthusiastic support!
Woo-hoo! 



The Most Mysterious Mummy in the World
Unknown Man "E"







LANGUAGE ARTS


     

Turning a PowerPoint
 into a Research Paper

Seem backward to you?  Here's what you accomplished with your PowerPoint:

  • You created an organizational tool--your graphic organizer.
  • You broke your project down into workable parts and focused on one thing at a time.
  • You used multiple sources and documented them as you went along. 
  • You increased understanding by including appropriate visuals
  • You learned to research--to look for more--to challenge sources and analyze discrepancies.
  • You created a visually appealing product as a result of all your hard work.
You deserve a pat on the back!

Now you'll learn the structure of a traditional research paper--and all the "legwork" is already done!


We'll finish up this week.



Continuing Chapter 6: Units of Measure


Monday: 6.3 Convert Units of Weight and Mass.  Share & Show, pgs. 329-330. Practice and Homework, pgs. 331-332.
Essential Question: How can you use ratio reasoning to convert from one unit of weight or mass to another?

Tuesday:  Mid-Chapter Checkpoint.  Complete & Correct, pgs. 333-334

Wednesday:  Transform Units. Share & Show, pgs. 337-338.  Practice & Homework, pgs. 339-340.
Essential Question: How can you transform units to solve problems?

Thursday:  Problem Solving -- Distance, Rate, & Time Formulas.  Share & Show, pgs. 343-344.  Practice & Homework, pgs. 345-346.
Essential Question:  How can you use the strategy use a formula to solve problems involving distance, rate, and time?

Friday:  Chapter 6 Review Test.

RESOURCES


An Easy Way to Convert Metric Measurements


Distance, Rate & Time



AND NOW, BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND 
CONVERSIONS MADE EASY


THE MASS VS WEIGHT SONG 





READING
Book Project due on Monday, February 29.  
Be sure you've finished your book! You'll have this time to read, read, read, read, read. . . ahhh. . .

Friday:  click on THIS link to download the template you need to complete your book report.  

(Hey guys, some people need to finish January's book project! Get to it!)

Complete Week 7
Test Friday



Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything

Cloud information from HERE and HERE   Skypunch clouds  Garfield & remote gif    Garfield writing gif   Garfield with books gif   Garfield in the water gif   Garfield wild and crazy gif   Garfield smiling   heart border   it's all good gif   minions clapping gif  feature presentation gif   Egyptian animated scene   Egypt divider    fish jumping gif    dripping water gif   pharaoh gif PHD comic strip  King Henry gif metric conversion chart   pat on the back   fancy legwork   
I can do it    spelling   books border  red hearts border   black scroll divider   pencil border   blue divider    drum roll    procrastinator   https://media.giphy.com/media/12IK01JJiBXtvi/giphy.gif water bottle gif  https://hanmer4.wikispaces.com/file/view/Mathematics.gif/156390889/Mathematics.gifMathematics