Lesson 1 - Monday, Dec 8
Housekeeping: At the start of the lesson, students were asked to created a second data table in their science notebooks so that they have a place to record data when repeating last week’s INV#5 – Greenhouse gases investigation (but this time with two new ‘suns,’ i.e., light bulbs!). We will run the second trial of INV#5 in Lesson 2.
After creating their new data table, both B & H period students were asked to create a new model of the troposphere. In this new model, we will add our previous work (e.g., 1) the percentage of gases in the atmosphere, 2) the greenhouse effect, and 3) the combustion reaction–both complete and incomplete) PLUS new knowledge about two so-called “cycles”–the carbon cycle and the water cycle.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 2 - Tue, Dec 9 (B) & Wed, Dec 10 (H)
Housekeeping: We repeated last week’s INV#5 – Greenhouse gases investigation and added the ‘Trial 2’ data to our science notebooks. During the data collection, we also continued adding elements to our troposphere model such as complete combustion, incomplete combustion, animal respiration (exhalation), animal flatulence, bacterial flatulence (decomposition), fossil fuel creation (also decomposition), and photosynthesis. These are some of the key elements of the Carbon cycle and we will add additional elements to our model in the next lesson.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 3 - Wed, Dec 10 (B) & Thu, Dec 11 (H)
Housekeeping: During today’s lesson, we finished adding elements to our troposphere model and renamed it our “Carbon Cycle & Greenhouse Gas” model. The elements we added today included 1) a photoplankton-based food chain in the ocean, 2) a lithification event on the ocean floor, 3) a gas exchange event in the lake, and 4) a representation of UV light hitting the hitting the Earth’s surface and transforming into infrared light (and then getting absorbed by some CO2, CH4, and water vapor in the atmosphere.
Homework: There is no science homework tonight.
Lesson 4 - Thu, Dec 11 (B) & Fri, Dec 12 (H)
Homework: As per the TASIS MS school homework policy, there is no weekend science homework (due on Monday).
Housekeeping: In our final act of creating a detailed troposphere model, students received a ‘blank’ model and were asked to show something called the “Water Cycle.” Rather than Dr. M presenting the water cycle, students were asked to use a classroom resource (a science reference text) to map a version of the water cycle onto their blank model. In their model, students were asked to represent, both in WORDS and in DRAWINGS, the following key concepts/processes…
- Condensation
- Evaporation
- Precipitation
- Transpiration
- Surface runoff
- Subsurface (or Groundwater) flow*
- Percolation (or Infiltration)*
*Students were allowed to use the Internet to map this key concept/process.
With any time remaining, students were asked to add an important final element to their water cycle model: acid rain. This concept requires students to add yet additional elements to their model such as a (human) factory, a gas-powered car, an eroding building, a dead tree, and an altered lake.
Announcements...
The DRIVING QUESTION of our current unit is: How do chemical substances move through Earth's atmosphere, water, and land to change the planet we live on?
B period homework collection days: Tuesday & Thursday.
H period homework collection days: Wednesday & Friday.
Including this week, there are 4 weeks of school to complete before the end of the Fall Semester.