DNews Monday and "Quest" (Not a quiz, but not quite a test!) study materials!

Good Morning, Seventh Graders! This week we continue our work with the microscope and will be diving into our books as well. By the end of the week, you should have read the first section of chapter two! I also encourage you to review the parts of the microscope on pages 828 and 829.

Below you will find the DNews for this week and some extra study materials for Friday's "quest."

Mrs. Loehe

Scientific Method: Useful Resources

Your textbook not doing the trick? Still not getting this Scientific Method stuff? Well, try checking out some of the links below!

The Scientific Method With Tim and Moby of Brain Pop

Bozeman Science Explains...



However, I am sure a lot of you may have noticed the Scientific Method is a bit, well, flawed. Sci Show shares a little bit on this for your edification!

I don't know where I'm a gonna go...

...WHEN THE VOLCANO BLOWS!

Want to learn more about how lava flows down soft and hot? Well, below are some very helpful and fun links to explore in order to complete your Volcano worksheet for Tuesday, May 19th. You may also use Google to help you on your learning endeavors!

Mrs. Loehe

Volcano Explorer

Volcanic Eruptions

VOLCANOES

Why was Earth crying over the theory of continental drift?

Because it meant all of her plates were broken!

Now that you've sufficiently groaned over my joke -which I am very proud of, by the way- take a look at some introductory notes on plate boundaries!

Mrs. Loehe

Recycling Water and Air in Space

Here is a PDF activity from the NASA.gov website that takes you through air and water recycling in space. Some of your Option Twos might find this useful...

Recycling Water and Air in Space

What is it like to work in space?

And more importantly what happens if you get stuck working out there? Find out from former astronaut Dave Wolf.

The SPEED of LIGHT (with Peeps)

Have you ever noticed that when you microwave something, some parts are really cold still while others are piping hot (Hate that!)? Well the distance between those hot and cold spots can help lead you to find -with a little easy math- the SPEED of LIGHT!

Yes, you read that correctly, the speed of light can be found anytime you heat up that Kid's Cuisine (Does anyone eat those anymore? Probably not, I am sure they are not even remotely natural, organic, or gluten free.) The wavelengths of the actual microwaves in a microwave go the speed of light, so if you gather a ruler, a casserole dish of food, and scrap paper or calculator, you too, can find the speed of light, using a microwave, with a little help from the video below!

Mrs. Loehe

EVERYONE ♥ NEIL deGRASSE TYSON!

I know I do...

Watch DEATH BY A BLACK HOLE by clicking here.

DNews for Monday and More on the STARS of Our Week

Happy Monday, Sixth Grade Scientists! This week, we delve deeper into the stars and the galaxies they make up. We will focus on the parts of a star (See the diagram of the Sun below.), star classification, constellations, and types of galaxies.

If you are interested in exploring what lies above our heads here in Wisconsin and elsewhere, I recommend you download the program Stellarium. It offers great, real time views of constellations and planets visible in the sky, from anywhere in the world, along with constellation lore from a variety of cultures. The best part of it all, is that it is free and available for a variety of OS platforms.

Below you will also find our DNews for Monday (It's a little old, but it answers a great question: Why is space black?) and, once again, that stellar diagram. ;)

Mrs. Loehe

The Sun...That Silly Star

Ah, the Sun. Provider for life and energy, giant ball of hydrogen and helium, and apparently the overlord of weather in our area of space...

Option Three NASA Asteroid Initiative Information

Many of you Option Three students have run into some road blocks with creating your projects. As I have still not heard back from my NASA contacts in regards to your e-mails, here are some PDFs that outline the NASA Asteroid Capture Initiative. If you would like help deconstructing what you are reading, please come and see during work time!

Mrs. Loehe

Complete Mission Overview

Asteroid Redirect Mission Reference Concept

Space Project Option Two Water Variable Concerns

This is mission control to Option Two students, come in Option Two...

Many of you who are working on designing  your sustainable space colony are wondering what you can do about water in space, particularly if where you plan on settling doesn't have liquid water easily available. Well, the one this you could do, is recycle water, in all its forms, similar to what we do here on Earth and what astronauts do on the International Space Station. 

Below I have included some links to help further redirect you, and once again, I urge you to look into the links on the right-hand side of the blog!

Mrs. Loehe

• Recycle dirty water using the Forward Osmosis Bag!
• Closing the Loop: Recycling Water in Space
• Singapore's Toilet to Tap Program
• Chris Hadfield on ISS Water Recycling

Remember where the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud are...

Bill Nye the Science Guy: The Moon

Solar System Review for the Quiz

Hello 6th Graders,

I originally had a Google Hangout video made to help you prepare for this quiz, but, unfortunately, the audio didn't really workout. (NOOOOOOOO!) :\ So, what I recommend you do is read the Background Information page in your scale model, NEO packet, and watch the video below!

Happy Studying,
Mrs. Loehe

Google Hangout Review Video & Science News

Here is the review session from Sunday night (Please excuse the production value! It was my first time hosting.). Remember, the test has been been moved to Thursday, due to my absence.



AND HERE IS SCIENCE NEWS FOR THE WEEK! I chose this video due to this week's Science Fair, and WOW, these teenagers had some amazing Science Fair experiments.

Nikola Tesla's Mad Electricity

Nikola Tesla's Mad Electricity by Wardenclyffe_Tower

In your notes, create a KWL chart about Nikola Tesla. Fill out the chart and be ready to discuss Tesla's life tomorrow!

Mrs. Loehe

Electromagnetism!

It's ELECTRIC (and magnetic)!




Click below to play with Faraday's Electromagnetic virtual lab:

Click to Run

I'm baaaaaack!

Hello, Sixth Grade Scientists!

I am back, and we will start our Mondays with Science News again. Here is today's. Now that I am back, remember to check the blog regularly for resources, news, and project information!

Mrs. Loehe

More on Rosetta...

Here are some more videos on the Rosetta mission. Remember, Philae is set to land next month!

Mrs. Loehe