Warm-up: 

If you put a "cartesian diver" in a sealed plastic bottle of water, and you squeeze the bottle, the diver dives.  When you stop squeezing, the diver rises back to the top.  When you squeeze, what happens to the diver's...

1.  Mass    2.  Volume    3. Density    4.  Weight

Today:

• Density quiz
• Test review
• Vacuum pump and air pressure challenge?

Homework: 

Study for test on Friday over: 

• Test review
•  Air pressure notes  Video from class. 
• pressure questions.  Video of pressure question discussion
• notes: density and hot air balloons  Video of class  Old density videos:  1 2 3
• pressure quiz and calculating the density of a box.  Video: Discussion of quiz and low density box instructions

Absent Students: 

1. Complete Warm-up.  Study for the test.

Warm-up: 

Suppose you started expanding without gaining mass.  How big would you have to get in order to begin floating?

Use the table on the right to estimate your mass in kilograms.  We know that air has a density of about 1.2kg/m³, so that's what your density would need to be in order to float.   use your mass to figure out your volume in m³ -- assuming that your density is 1.2kg/m³.

If you were that big, and you were a cube, what would be the length of each of your edges?

Today:

• Jupiter Grade Reports
• Field trip forms tomorrow
• Finish and fly hot air balloons.  Determine the amount of mass lifted by your balloon.

Homework: 

1.  Density quiz next class.  Study notes: density and hot air balloons  Video of class  Old density videos:  1 2 3

2.  Study for test on Friday over: 

•  Air pressure notes  Video from class. 
• pressure questions.  Video of pressure question discussion
• notes: density and hot air balloons  Video of class  Old density videos:  1 2 3
• pressure quiz and calculating the density of a box.  Video: Discussion of quiz and low density box instructions

Absent Students: 

1. Complete Warm-up.  Study for upcoming quiz and test.

Warm-up: 

If you make a big box out of paper and you make a small box out of the same kind of paper, why will the bigger box be less dense?

Today:

• Wrap up low-density box activity
• Work on Hot Air Balloons

Homework: 

Study for quiz over density -- class after next

Absent Students: 

1. Complete Warm-up

Warm-up: 

The hot air balloon on the right is heating up.  If the pilot continues to heat up the balloon, what will happen to the balloon's...

1.  Mass?

2.  Volume?

3.  Density?

4.  Weight?

Today:

• Pressure Quiz
• Make a low density box (page 2 of this handout).  Video: Discussion of quiz and low density box instructions
• Hot air balloons

Homework: 

Absent Students: 

1. Complete Warm-up
2. Make a low density box (page 2 of this handout).  Video: Discussion of quiz and low density box instructions

Warm-up: 

1.  What is density?

2.  This is the formula for density.  Explain.

Today:

• Check and discuss homework (pressure questions).  Video of pressure question discussion
• Notes: density and hot air balloons  Video of class  Old density videos:  1 2 3
• Make a low density box.

Homework:  Quiz next class over pressure questions

Absent Students: 

1. Complete Warm-up
2. Complete density notes, above. 

Warm-up:  The "giant freshwater clam," below, is blowing bubbles.  The bubbles near the surface are bigger than the bubbles near the clam.  Why?

Today:

• Return tests.  What to do if you wanted to retake a quiz. Turn tests back in.
• Continue air pressure notes and demos.  Video from class
• How hovercrafts work.
• Work on pressure questions.

Homework:  Pressure questions due next class.

Absent Students:  Complete warm-up and pressure questions.  Watch this video Video from class.  Use these notes

Warm-up: 

Why do your ears hurt when you swim to the bottom of a pool and when you take off in an airplane?

Today:

• Test
• Astronomy wrap up:  Discuss the many missing pieces that we have left out of this unit (Big Bang, Stellar Evolution, Black Holes..."
• Air and Air Pressure notes

Homework:  None

Absent Students:  Complete warm-up Schedule a time to take test

Warm-up: 

1. Do we ever see the other side of the moon?
2. Does the moon rotate?  Does it revolve?  How long does it take the moon to do these things?
3. What item would you have to hold at arm's length to perfectly cover up the moon?

Today:

1. Return Quizzes and other stuff.
2. Solar System Review  Part I of Video of answers to solar system review   Part II of Video of answers to solar system review

Homework:

• Solar system test next class.  Questions will be similar to those on today's review.

Absent Students:  Complete warm-up and review.  See above

Warm-up: 

The sun rose this morning at about 6:40AM.  The sun will set this afternoon at about 5:30PM. 

1.  How many hours of daylight will we experience today?

2.  Tomorrow, will we have more or fewer hours of daylight?

3.  Why are the hours of daylight changing?

Today:

1. Block 1: finish moon phase stuff
2. Quiz over moon phases.  Moon phase video
3. Seasons.  Seasons notes video.

Homework:

• Don't lose your notes!

Warm-up: 

The Mauritanian flag shows a crescent moon and a star.  How many scientific problems can you find with this image?

Today:

1. Appoint new out box people.
2. Day and Night Quiz.  Video of us going over the quiz.
3. Moon phases  Video of moon phases with tennis ball
4. Begin seasons?

Homework:

• Study for Moon Phase quiz next class

Warm-up:  The picture below is a "long exposure" photograph.

1. What are the lines in the sky?
2. Why are they semicircles?
3. How long did it take for the camera to capture this photograph?
4. Why didn't the photographer wait for full circles?
5. What is the name of the object represented by the smallest semicircle?
6. How can you tell that this picture was taken in the Northern hemisphere?
7. Was this picture taken at the equator, at the North Pole, or in between?
8. Which way did the stars "move" through the sky? CW or CCW?
9. What is the red line?

Today:

1. Block 3 quiz
2. All blocks: review why the Earth spins.  Coriolis Effect Foucault Pendulum  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMxLVDuf4VY
3. "System of the Earth and Moon" notes p. 1-4.

Homework:

• Study for quiz next class over #2-3, above.

Warm-up:

Today:

1. What did you think of the field trip? pendulum, nail bed, rotation, light
2. Solar system formation quiz.  Video of us going over the quiz.
3. Coriolis Effect and Planetary Orbits

Warm-up:

What keeps a planet in orbit?  Why doesn't it get pulled into the sun?  Why doesn't it fly away from the sun?

Orbit Applet

Today:

1. TURN IN FIELD TRIP FORMS! 
2. Finish formation of solar system cartoon.
3. Study for quiz next class, over Solar system formation.

Absent students:

• Print out this pdf of the solar system formation notes, and study for to take a quiz over the notes sheet.  Watch videos of class:  part I, part II
• Complete warm-up

Warm-up:

2.  What does E = mc² mean?

Today:

1. TURN IN FIELD TRIP FORMS!  If you do not go, you will get a zero for the day!
2. In the classroom: Finish #9-13 on solar system formation.
3. In the library: Reflective writing.  Write about one or more of the prompts below.  Type in Open Office.  Save your writing with your name in the file name.  Turn it in to Mr. Stapleton's drop folder on the M drive.  Your writing will be graded on your quality of thought, spelling/grammar, clarity, and length (minimum 250 words).
4. In the library or at home: Find at least one interesting fact about the Solar System or a part of the solar system.  Write at least one question that you have about the solar system.

1.     Was the catapult project a good project?  Was this a valuable use of your school time?  Explain.

2.     Suppose you are asked to give advice to a student who wants to win a catapult contest.  What suggestions should you give the student?  What warnings should you give that student?

3.     Reflect on your level of success in designing, building and testing your catapult.  Was your catapult a success?  How do you define success?  What did you do that made your catapult successful – or not successful?

Absent students: Complete warm-up

Warm-up:

Sometimes you can "see your breath."  Why can't you see your breath right now.  I can do something that will make my breath visible.  How do you think I will do it?

Today:

• Does anyone have any clues regarding the missing balance?
• Catapult awards.
• Turn-in reflection questions.
• Finish reflection question -- do #6.
• Formation of the solar system.

Absent Students:

Watch these videos  part 1  part 2 and complete the first part of this solar system formation sheet.

Homework:  

Warm-up:

The picture on the right shows a Roman Ballista.  Your catapults are powered by rubber bands.  What powered the ballista?

Today:

• Turn in field trip forms.
• Shooting contest

Shooting Contest:  

1. Individual shooting.  4 shots to determine grade.
2. Timed egg-breaking.
3. Begin reflection.

Homework:   Answer 1-5 of the questions below

Catapult Project Reflection Questions

1.     What makes a good catapult? 

2.  If you were to complete this project again, what would you do differently?

This project presented a problem: create the most accurate and precise catapult possible. 

3.  Think back about your problem solving process.  What have you learned about problem solving? 

4.  The next time you are asked to solve a problem like this one (or like building a rocket, building a car…) what will you do differently?

5.  During this project, you were supposed to make improvements to your launcher.  Were you able to improve your launcher?  If you were able to improve your launcher, what changes caused the improvement?

6.  Look at the three best performing catapults.  Explain what you think made them perform well.

Absent Students:

• Complete the warm-up.
• Answer questions 1-5, above.
• If no one in your group competed in the launcher contest, stay after school (room E205, Stapleton) on Wednesday to do launcher testing.

Warm-up:

• Next class, you will have to shoot at four different targets.  The targets will be anywhere from 1/2 meter from your launcher to 4 meters from your launcher. 
• You will be told the distance to each target, and you will will get one shot at each target. 
• In order to earn an "A," your average miss distance must be 20cm or less.

Explain what you should do, today, to practice for this contest.

Today:

• Watch contest Video from two years ago -- projectile launchers.
• Hand out field trip forms to anyone who didn't get one.  This includes everyone in 4th block.  DO YOU WANT HOT BAG LUNCH, COLD BAG LUNCH, OR NO LUNCH?
• Complete your calibration graph.  In order to receive credit for the graph, you must print it out and have it with you during the competition on Monday.
• Practice!  Fine tune your sight and calibration graph.  Can you use your sight and calibration graph to shoot targets at 50cm, 100cm, 150cm, 200cm, 250cm, 300cm, 350cm, and 400cm -- on the first try????  Try each distance.  If your graph isn't right, fix it! 

Upcoming Stuff:

• Projectile contest on Monday.
• You will have about 10 minutes on Monday to check your launcher and to make sure that your calibration graph is still correct.  Sometimes launchers change over the weekend.  You may need to

Homework:   The following must be turned in by Monday...

• 3 precision and accuracy analyses (or 2, if you scored 5/10 or better on the preliminary testing)
• 1 calibration graph -- have it with you during the contest.

Absent Students:

• Complete the warm-up.
• Make sure that the homework, above, is completed.

Warm-up:

This is called a "floating arm trebuchet."  Can you guess how it works? Link to "Moustache Revolution" floating arm trebuchet video.

Today:

• Return quizzes.
• Pizza for Marcel and Matt.
• This video shows what you must complete by Monday.
• Preliminary catapult competition -- one minute to shoot 10 shots at a 2.5m distant target.
• Finish three launcher analyses.  Staple them together and turn them in.
• By the end of next class, create launcher calibration graph.  Practice target shooting.

Upcoming Stuff:

• Projectile contest on Monday.
• Next class. Practice target shooting using your calibration graph.

Absent Students:

• Watch this video showing what you need to complete by Monday.

Warm-up:

When you are testing your launcher's accuracy and precision, why should you NOT make adjustments if your shots are not hitting near the target?

Today:

• Discuss Course Recommendations?
• Quiz
• Make improvements to your launcher.  Re-test accuracy and precision and make a new graph.  Print the graph.  On the back write down the changes you made to your launcher since your previous accuracy and precision test.

Absent Students:

Nothing

Warm-up:

What can you do to make sure that you pull your launcher back to the same point every time?

Today:

• Return midterms -- and collect again.
• Science Course Recommendations
• Practice analyzing precision and accuracy.  Here's the worksheet.  Here's the video of me explaining this in third block.
• Improve your launcher

Homework:  

• Study for quiz next class.  Questions will be like the precision and accuracy practice sheet, above.

Absent Students:

• Complete warm-up.
• Complete precision and accuracy analysis practice. Watch the video above.  Then complete the worksheet.