Mr. Maddox

March 10, 2009 - Afternoon Update

Today in Earth Science, I let the students take tomorrow's test - just for practice - so they could see what they need to focus on tonight. The grades were amazing, so please study hard tonight so we can knock this thing out of the park tomorrow!

March 10, 2009

 

Today in Science:

Earth Scientists (Block 3) - We will be reviewing for tomorrow's test on the Solar System

Life Scientist (Block 3) - We will begin to learn about mollusks. Yum!!!

Block 1 - We will continue to work on our SMART Ideas presentations

Block 2 - We will carry out the experiments we started to design yesterday

Blocks 4 & 5 - See Mrs. Maltby's blog

February 27, 2009

Thought for the day:

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta

This week in Science:

Small Group Classes These kids are amazing, especially 6th graders. We are finishing up our hand molded, hand painted models of the Solar System - They are SO creative!!! 7th grade is well into invertebrates - could life be SWEETER?!

 

Co-Taught Classes - Finishing up Porifera and Cnidarians. Test on Monday. Rest well and study hard!

February 10, 2009

Today in Science:

Life Science - We are finishing up protists and fungi and getting ready for a test on Thursday.

Earth Science - well actually, we'er talking about the Solar System. Each student chose a planet to do a presentation on. Requirements sent home today. The young scientists are really excited about this, and appreciate your help!

 

February 3, 2009

Today in Science:

7th grade co-taught classes continued our discussion/examination of protists and fungi.

7th grade self-contained took a test on bacteria and viruses and began study of protists and fungi.

6th grade self-contained - some challenges today in completing Math UNRAVEL and finishing the weather chapter.

January 30, 2009

This week in Science...

Conferences went really well this week...thank you everyone.

Life Science finished up Bacteria and viruses today with a quizz; results to follow.

Earth Science tested on Weather - results were truly impressive!!

Have a great weekend!

January 15, 2009

Today in Science...

Life Science is wrapping up the chapter on Classification and Kingdoms of Living Things; Beginning chapter on Bacteria and Viruses. Senteo tests have gone well so far. Here's a link to a Dichotomous Key On-line Activity.

http://students.ed.qut.edu.au/n2364379/mdb377/DichotomousKey.html

If you are making up the Last project, this is for you.

Earth Science is finishing up the atmosphere. We made a review game with each student providing questions. We will do a quick review tomorrow and take a quick video quiz befor moving on to the weather.

January 9, 2008

Happy New Year and Welcome Back Students.

Sorry for the delay getting back to the old blog; the computer has not been my friend this week...was it something I said?

Anyway, it's working now, so here goes...

This week in Science:

Life Science Classes have been learning about the Levels of Classification and the use of dichotomous keys. Grades so far have varied, with some of the students doing amazingly well, especially with the complex nature of the subject matter.

Earh Science has been learning about the Earth's atmosphere and working on using the amazing technology resources we have in a productive manner. Results so far have been most impressive, so expect your sons and daughters to come home talking about the cool stuff we've been doing in the computer lab.

December 9, 2008

Blocks 1,2, 4 and 5

Computer based activities

1. Overview of activities

1. Biology in Motion Evolution Simulation
   1. What does mutation rate mean?
   2. What happens when you change the mutation rate?
   3. What is "selection strength"?
   4. What happens when you change the selection strength?
   5. What happens if you set the selection strength to zero?
2. An Orgin of the Species
   1. How do competition, food, predators and habitat drive the evolutionary process?
   2. Write a short explanation of how many different species of pollen peepres evolved?
3. Darwin's Diary
   1. Describe two major events that occured in Darwin's life.
4. Simulation Of genetic Drift
   1. What is genetic Drift?
   2. Why does genetic drift occur?
   3. What can unltimatly happen when two groups drift appart?
5. Hummingbird Species in the Transitional Zones (video) 
   1. How have these birds been pused down different evolutionary paths and created new species, even though the populations have not been isolated from each other geographically?
6. Go to Evolution in Action
   1. Play with the simulation
   2. How can random mutation bring about evolutionary?
7. Whale Evolution Video
   1. How did a large, big-brained mammal -- air-breathing, warm-blooded, giving birth to live young -- come to live entirely in water, when mammals evolved on land?
8. A Brief History of Life
   1. Sketch your own timeline as your explore the online version.  Include the types of organisms that lived in each time period?
9. Evolution Library Click on web acitivities
   1. Explore the topic of your choosing.  Describe the activity.  What concept was the activity trying to convey?  What did you learn?
10. Evolution Video Clips
    1. Watch two of the video previews on Darwin, Change, Extinction, Survivl, Sex, or Humans
    2. Write a brief description of what the video is about.
11. Geologic Time
    1. What are some of the major events that occured over the course of geologic time?
    2. What is meant by the tearm "deep time"?
12. Evolution of Camouflage & Evolution of the Eye
    1. How do both of these videos relate the idea of natural selection?
13. Is intelligent life inevitable?
    1. Does intelligence have to look human? Decide for yourself in this poll. Many imbeded videos.
14. A Mutation Story

    1. What role does the sickle cell gene play in natural selection?
15. Coral Reef Connections
    1.   Dive in and explore what makes this beautiful world so fragile. How has coevolution shaped the ecological relationships among reef creatures?

Block 3 - Review and Oceanography quiz

1. Overview of activities

1. Biology in Motion Evolution Simulation
   1. What does mutation rate mean?
   2. What happens when you change the mutation rate?
   3. What is "selection strength"?
   4. What happens when you change the selection strength?
   5. What happens if you set the selection strength to zero?
2. An Orgin of the Species
   1. How do competition, food, predators and habitat drive the evolutionary process?
   2. Write a short explanation of how many different species of pollen peepres evolved?
3. Darwin's Diary
   1. Describe two major events that occured in Darwin's life.
4. Simulation Of genetic Drift
   1. What is genetic Drift?
   2. Why does genetic drift occur?
   3. What can unltimatly happen when two groups drift appart?
5. Hummingbird Species in the Transitional Zones (video) 
   1. How have these birds been pused down different evolutionary paths and created new species, even though the populations have not been isolated from each other geographically?
6. Go to Evolution in Action
   1. Play with the simulation
   2. How can random mutation bring about evolutionary?
7. Whale Evolution Video
   1. How did a large, big-brained mammal -- air-breathing, warm-blooded, giving birth to live young -- come to live entirely in water, when mammals evolved on land?
8. A Brief History of Life
   1. Sketch your own timeline as your explore the online version.  Include the types of organisms that lived in each time period?
9. Evolution Library Click on web acitivities
   1. Explore the topic of your choosing.  Describe the activity.  What concept was the activity trying to convey?  What did you learn?
10. Evolution Video Clips
    1. Watch two of the video previews on Darwin, Change, Extinction, Survivl, Sex, or Humans
    2. Write a brief description of what the video is about.
11. Geologic Time
    1. What are some of the major events that occured over the course of geologic time?
    2. What is meant by the tearm "deep time"?
12. Evolution of Camouflage & Evolution of the Eye
    1. How do both of these videos relate the idea of natural selection?
13. Is intelligent life inevitable?
    1. Does intelligence have to look human? Decide for yourself in this poll. Many imbeded videos.
14. A Mutation Story

    1. What role does the sickle cell gene play in natural selection?
15. Coral Reef Connections
    1.   Dive in and explore what makes this beautiful world so fragile. How has coevolution shaped the ecological relationships among reef creatures?

December 8, 2008

Today in Science:

Blocks 1 and 2

1. Overview of activities

1. Biology in Motion Evolution Simulation
   1. What does mutation rate mean?
   2. What happens when you change the mutation rate?
   3. What is "selection strength"?
   4. What happens when you change the selection strength?
   5. What happens if you set the selection strength to zero?
2. An Orgin of the Species
   1. How do competition, food, predators and habitat drive the evolutionary process?
   2. Write a short explanation of how many different species of pollen peepres evolved?
3. Darwin's Diary
   1. Describe two major events that occured in Darwin's life.
4. Simulation Of genetic Drift
   1. What is genetic Drift?
   2. Why does genetic drift occur?
   3. What can unltimatly happen when two groups drift appart?
5. Hummingbird Species in the Transitional Zones (video)
   1. How have these birds been pused down different evolutionary paths and created new species, even though the populations have not been isolated from each other geographically?
6. Go to Evolution in Action
   1. Play with the simulation
   2. How can random mutation bring about evolutionary?
7. Whale Evolution Video
   1. How did a large, big-brained mammal -- air-breathing, warm-blooded, giving birth to live young -- come to live entirely in water, when mammals evolved on land?
8. A Brief History of Life
   1. Sketch your own timeline as your explore the online version.  Include the types of organisms that lived in each time period?
9. Evolution Library
   1. Explore the topic of your choosing.  Describe the activity.  What concept was the activity trying to convey?  What did you learn?

1. Go to Evolution in Action