SCIENCE ROCKS!

Hello everyone,

Over the last two weeks, with a snow day, a 2-hour delay, and days off, we have still accomplished a lot! We finished up focusing on topics to support where we are now (heat transfer, states of matter, phase changes, and the water cycle).

WHERE WE ARE:

We are currently studying different types of rocks. We are not focused on identification but on the formation of the three types of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic) and the processes involved in creating them. We have done some hands-on activities related to the formation of sedimentary rocks and the process of weathering and erosion. Rocks are honestly so cool and one of my favorite topics!

BELOW: Some images from those activities described above.

WHERE WE ARE GOING:

We are going deeper into igneous and metamorphic rocks in the next few days. Do a fun activity at the start of next week related to rocks, and then we will have a quiz on rocks next Wednesday (2/7). After that, we will look at the Geologic Time Scale and put our knowledge of rocks to the test. We'll look at the relative and absolute dating of rocks and how scientists use rocks to understand Earth's History.

After we finish with the Geologic Time Scale, we'll explore how the Earth is structured, including continental drift, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other mass movements. That will wrap up our Earth Materials & Systems unit! Then we'll be on our way to our Weather & Climate unit!

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to me (curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org) and follow Science With Silverwood on Instagram (@sciencewithsilverwood).

Thank you,

Mr. Silverwood

NEW YEAR, NEW UNIT!

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a great winter break and enjoyed the holidays with friends and family. When we returned from break, we eased into things and watched the film A Million Miles Away on Amazon Prime, which is the real-life story of a Mexican American astronaut who achieved his lifelong dream of going to space. We reflected on our goals and dreams for the long term and for the year. Last week, we started our Earth Materials & Systems Unit.

WHERE WE ARE:

We spent last week learning about Conduction, Convection, and Radiation (the three types of heat transfer). Students will need to know these concepts as we explore Plate Tectonics and Weather & Climate later this year. We also reviewed states of matter and phase changes. This included some dancing (moving like matter) and a lab.

Below: Photo of some students using their Digital Notebooks while doing rotations and looking at and answering questions on different demonstrations related to Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

WHERE WE ARE GOING:

This week, although very short, we had a quiz on the topics from last week and will start a refresher on the water cycle. We'll talk about the role of water on Earth, and all of this will tie into Weathering and Erosion as we start talking about Geology topics in this unit. Those topics include the Structure of the Earth, Rock Types/Rock Cycle, Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and the Geologic Time Scale.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to me (curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org) and follow Science With Silverwood on Instagram (@sciencewithsilverwood).

Thank you,

Mr. Silverwood

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Hello everyone,

I hope you all are doing well! Students are very excited, it seems, for the Winter Break, and it'll be a well-deserved break from all their hard work!

WHERE WE ARE:

Since returning from Thanksgiving Break, we have worked through our Astronomy - Part 2 unit. Students have learned about Space Exploration (How we observe the Universe, Galaxies, etc.), The Sun (in more detail), Celestial Bodies (Planets, Dwarf Planets, Types of Moons, Asteroids, Comets, Meteoroids/Meteors/Meteorites), and the Life of a Star (including how to read an H-R Diagram).

Below: Posterboards from our Origins of the Earth project.

Students have a quiz tomorrow on the content that we have covered. It is 30 points (1 ordering question, 10 multiple choice questions, 6 true/false questions, and 3 short answer questions). The quiz is not open note, but we have spent the last two days reviewing in class with a review packet and a Blooket.

Below: Cover art for poems/parody songs from students for our Parody/Poem projects.

WHERE WE ARE GOING:

After we return from Winter Break, students will be starting a new unit. The Earth Materials & Systems unit will focus on geology content. Includes content related to the Geologic Timescale, Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, etc. Geology and Meteorology are two of my absolute favorite topics to teach, and those are coming up down the pipeline.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please enjoy the winter break!

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to me (curtis_silverwood@conestogavalley.org) and follow Science With Silverwood on Instagram (@sciencewithsilverwood).

Thank you, Mr. Silverwood