Newsdesk

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Students in all my Earth Science classes will be using this website frequently throughout the year to further add to our scientific and technological knowledge base! The website will also serve to be an excellent resource for students who were absent from class or whose homework didn't make it into the planner that day. Science Whiz can also facilitate parental involvement...parents who are interested in seeing what students are up to in science class will be able to view an updated weekly agenda, a quick window to the topics being covered and activities taking place in our classroom that week. I will keep up to date messages including reminders for upcoming assessments, projects/anchor assignments and school news!======

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By using Wikispaces to run our class website, students are able to post, and make changes to any of the website pages. This feature of wiki's is of great use when collaborating on group projects, as everyone will be able to post, and edit materials,as well as, leave comments on our site.======

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First day of school for all students! I look forward to an exciting year filled with lots of learning and laughs! Don't forget to check the Agenda and Homework link to see what we did in class and what the homework assignment is.======

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The Explorer's club is going on a white water rafting field trip from September 30-October 2 [Friday afternoon-Sunday evening]. If you are interested in joining, please attend the meeting on TUESDAY IN ROOM 231 MR. DANEAU'S CLASSROOM for more information/paperwork! ======

**9/21/11**
We are off to a great start to the year! We are just about done with the metric system and students will be taking a quiz to complete the unit at the end of this week!

**10/30/11** As we complete our Scientific Method unit, we begin Chemistry! We will be covering atoms, electron configuration drawings, and acids/bases. Whirlybird labs will be returned at the end of this week!

**12/1/11** Students have started working with different types of maps...specifically topographic maps! We have seen topographic maps of Rhode Island and even Wickford. There will be a quiz next week (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday) depending on which day the student has class on latitude/longitude, time Zones, and types of maps.

**12/8/11** Just as a reminder that students are always able to make up tests if they receive below a 70 on them. I have also started to offer the offer this same opportunity to quizzes as well.Students should make an appointment with me to stay after on a Tuesday or Thursday in the ARC in the media center.

**12/19/11** Students were assigned a Pet Rock Project which will be due at the end of this week. This project is worth a quiz grade and their newly adopted pets should be found independently by each student (no museum rocks, Geodes,landscaping rocks, etc...). Students will also be working on a Rock Out product this week either independently or in pairs. Thye have the option of creating a children's book, poem, rap/song,newspaper, real estate brochure, anything they can imagine so long as it contains plenty of factual information regarding rocks/minerals and the rock cycle. This Rock Out product will also be worth a quiz grade.

**1/3/12** Welcome back! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and break. We are beginning plate tectonics and with this comes the start of the Semester 1 Anchor assignment. Students have received the rubric as well as a plate boundary of their choice. We will be working in the computer lab for 2 class periods to complete research as well as work on the PowerPoint. The due dates are 1/17 & 1/18 and can be submitted electronically or via a hard copy. As the end of Semester 1/Quarter 2 nears, I have been reminding students to consistently check Aspen for any low quiz/tests that they have not made up yet as well as missing assignments. Midterm exams are also approaching (week of 1/23); I will be reviewing with students how to //slowly but productively// prepare for these exams.

**1/12/12** Day 2 students should complete the entire Pangaea packet. Page 1: Page 2: Page 3:
 * Answer page 1 AFTER reading the last page (Wegener, continental drift). No need to answer in complete sentences.
 * Skip #1-7 where it tells you to cut out the map etc.
 * Begin answering the questions at the bottom of the page under 'Present Day Map' using the map images I provided.
 * Answer the questions for '250 Million Years Ago Map' using those same images of the maps and Pangaea.


 * DUE= TUESDAY 1/17/12 **

Quarter 3 is well on its way! Students began a unit on Volcanic Activity and Viscosity last week. We completed the Viscosity lab and have began to analyze data on past volcanic eruptions and tephra/pyroclastic material. Students have also been introduced to speed, acceleration, and velocity.
 * 2/9/12 **

**3/27/12** As Quarter 3 begins to come to a close, our Astronomy unit has just begun! We started with a discussion on the Big Bang and nebular theories and worked our way through galaxies. Students completed a Big Bang/Nebular theory comic strip to illustrate each of the theories. Now we are coming a bit closer to home and working with our Solar System! Students constructed scale models of the solar system using string and beads as the distances are astronomical! Next week, we will begin our Planet for Sale research project where students will work in pairs and sell their chosen planet to the class as if it were a piece of real estate. **__As always, I am after Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday's for extra help and re-takes.__**

Time is flying this year as we have just entered May! We just wrapped up our Solar System unit and will enter the final stages of our Astronomy unit with the Sun, Earth, and Moon chapter and Stars chapter. The students were assigned their second semester anchor assignment on physics and earth science. I have uploaded the rubrics for the assignment below. The students will have 3 class periods to work on researching and putting together their PowerPoints in preparation for the due date (Day 1=5/29, Day 2= 5/30). They will be required to present them to the class for a seperate quiz grade. I will be after school to help with the project, presentation, and citations. The students have picked their topics and should begin to work right now! If working in a pair, they are required to keep a work log of the work they complete outside of school and will be signing it stating that they believe they each completed equal amounts of work.
 * 5/2/12 **

As we wrap up this academic year, students have completed their semester 2 anchor assignments and presentations. We are currently continuing onward with Stars and working on a Star stations lab which encompasses all the content in the chapter through various stations (note-taking guide, video clips, drawings, spectral lab analysis, etc.). Exams are quickly approaching and students have received the exam schedule as well as a study guide for the final exam. As always, I am available after school but only tomorrow (Thursday) as late buses will stop this week. I do still have the study tips and tricks on this page under 'Support and Organization' which is always helpful during this stressful time of year! Good luck!
 * 6/6/2012 **