Week of 11/28

This week, we introduce nuclear power and review all nonrenewable energy resources.

Review questions follow.

Chapter 17 Study Guide/Review Sheet

Write an original sentence with each of these key terms.

1. fossil fuels
2. electric generator
3. oil reserves
4. nuclear energy
5. nuclear fission
6. nuclear fusion

Read the following prompts and write an appropriate response.

Section 1

1. How do you use each of the three fossil fuels every day?
1. Coal
2. Oil
3. Natural gas
2. Why are “byproducts of use” considered when determining a fuel’s suitability?
3. Why is coal a bad choice for airline fuel?
4. Why is a computer run on electricity instead of a gasoline engine?
5. Explain how an electric generator produces electric energy.
6. Japan and Switzerland use less energy per person than the USA or Canada. Why do you think this is?
7. What was the key difference between coal formation and oil & natural gas for formation?
8. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel. What are two other advantages of coal?
9. What are two environmental impacts of coal mining?
10. What are two environmental impacts of burning high-sulfur coal?
11. Tell the story of oil exploration from discovery to refining.
12. What are three environmental impacts of burning oil?
13. What are the advantages of natural gas (methane) over other fossil fuels?
14. Read about the future of fossil fuels. Predict the future of fossil fuel usage. Address cost, availability, and alternative fuels.

Section 2

15. Describe the energy in the nucleus of an atom.
16. What is fission, and what happens if a fission reaction is uncontrolled?
17. What is the purpose of the pressure vessel in a nuclear power plant?
18. What are the similarities between nuclear power plants and coal burning power plants? (477 & 468)
19. Compare energy production and air pollution in France and the USA.
20. What are the 3 major downsides of nuclear power?
21. Why is Yucca Mountain important to nuclear power?
22. Do you expect more disasters like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island? Why?
23. Why is fusion so difficult to achieve on earth?
24. What is the difference between fusion and fission?
25. Which do you think is more environmentally friendly, nuclear power or fossil fuels? Explain your answer.

Week of 11/14

I apologize for the lack of updates. Here are some points to catch you up.

• Recovery Packet scores have been entered.
• Trash projects were due last Friday (11/11/11). We are accepting late projects at the cost of 10 points per day after the due date.
• Progress reports were distributed last Friday as well. Counting this week, we have 5 weeks remaining before the end of the semester. Be sure your student is attending recovery sessions to bring their grade up to passing before December 7.

Recovery Schedule:

• Afternoons
• Monday 3:30 - 4:15
• Tuesday 3:30 - 4:15
• Morning
• Wednesday 8:00 - 8:30

Current Work: We are now studying nonrenewable energy resources. This will include:

• Notes on fossil fuels and nuclear energy
• Viewing an award winning documentary, Gasland, about controversial methods of natural gas drilling
• Deciding upon and defending a stance on nuclear energy after reading about past and current events

I hope everyone has a restful and happy Thanksgiving break next week.

Week of 10/31

This week, we begin our look at waste (chapter 19 in the book).

In addition to our traditional work, students are tasked with turning trash into something positive. I am not asking anyone to dig through trash or work with dangerous materials. However, consider an item's value before throwing it away. If it could be used in this project, clean it out and set it aside for use. (You might even get your kid to sort through the garage or a closet that you've been dreading cleaning.)

Here are some examples from artists:
40 Works of Art Made from Trash
7 Innovative Artists who Create Art from Trash

I look forward to seeing rough draft versions of students' trash creations on Friday.

The rules are as follows:
1. Must be small enough to bring to school
2. Must be safe (no sharp edges or rotting material)
3. Must have a clear purpose
4. Must be different than its original purpose

Week of 10/24

This week, we are concluding our study of the earth's climate and the effect humans have on it. This information is covered in chapter 13 of the book. A review slideshow can be found by clicking here.

We will test on Friday. We spent yesterday reviewing guided reading questions in class. Students received a study guide today, and we will spend Thursday reviewing.

Week of 10/17

This week, we are studying climate and climate change. We will discuss global warming and conduct a student-designed lab to model the effect of greenhouse gases. On that note, WE NEED YOU to send your students in with empty milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. CLEAR is best, but we can work with green or white too.

We will also discuss el nino and la nina. We will compare these events to normal climatic patterns.

IMPORTANT ALERT!
On Monday 10/17, we passed out a recovery packet which will serve to recover low test grades (Chapters 15, 14, and 11) and replace low or missing classwork grades from the same chapters. The recovery packet can also be viewed on google docs by following the link above or clicking here. The recovery packet is due Wednesday 10/26

Conference Week + Weekly Post

Week of 10/3

I apologize for the delay in my update.

This week, we are studying air pollution. Students will complete a guided reading assignment, a spider map, and set up a lab to determine what living pollutants are in the air around us.

CONFERENCE WEEK

Next week (10/10 - 10/14) is conference week.

Please check your student's grade on parent portal. (https://campus.paulding.k12.ga.us/campus/portal/paulding.jsp?status=portalLogoff&lang=en)

Then read the following information.

Recovery:

Attempted summative grades may be recovered during tutoring (below) within 1week of getting a grade for that assignment.

Recovery may include test corrections, study guides, and/or tutoring and a 2^nd assessment.

An average of the 1^st and 2^nd grades will be the new grade for the assignment.

Tutoring/Recovery Schedule:
Monday  3:30 - 4:15
Tuesday 3:30 - 4:15
Wednesday 8:00 - 8:30

If you have any further questions, please contact me via e-mail at smurray@paulding.k12.ga.us

Thank you.

Week of 9/26

This week, we will continue our unit on water (chapter 11 in the book). This will include some fil-in-the-blank notes as well as worksheets and a study guide. We still need water from a pond or creek near you so we can analyze the water quality next week.

This week also sees the end of our seed growth lab. Students set up experiments to measure which factors affect the germination and growth of radish seeds. On Friday they will take the last measurements. Next week, they will write a lab report using the steps of the scientific method.