Beyond Our Solar System Webquest

Today you will complete the Beyond Our Solar System Webquest on a sheet of notebook paper.  Some of you will complete the Cavaliers version, while others of you will have the option of completing either the Cavaliers or Broncos version.  You can earn up to 110% for the Cavaliers version.

• Cavaliers version
• Broncos version

Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, Earth (and all inhabitants)! Today your Earth Day project and annotated bibliography are due. Your presentation should be posted in blog (embedded), and your annotated bibliography should be printed off and dropped off in the appropriate tray. After you post (embed) your presentation, please indicate, in your blog, which slides you completed.

Earth Day 3-2-1
For your Earth Day! 3-2-1 blog post, you will choose someone else's presentation, and answer the 3-2-1 questions. Make sure you identify whose presentation you viewed. Please make sure that the presentation you choose for this assignment is of a different topic than your own.

3-2-1 Questions:
What are three things you learned?
What are two things you found interesting?
What is one question you still have?

Blogs Check #3

Our third quarter of the second semester ends this Wednesday. All blogs and class assignments are due no later than Wednesday. Please ensure that you have completed the following blog posts. As always, you will be graded based on completeness, correctness, and mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).

• Worst Weather Events (March 19)
• Earth Hour (March 26)
• Air Pressure (March 30)
• Air Pressure Maps (April 2)
• FIVE Astronomy Topics (April 7)
• Astronomy 2 Articles (April 10)
• 4 Essential Questions--See me if you need this blog post (April 16)

Chapter 22 Webquest

Today you will complete the Chapter 22 Webquest.  This time, however, there is a twist.  I have created two different versions of the same webquest.  Some of you will be required to complete the Pistons Version (with the possibility of earning extra credit), and some of you will have the option of choosing your webquest.

You will complete the webquest on a piece of notebook paper.  Please indicate your version on your paper.  Choose your version below:

• Pistons Version
• Celtics Version

Earth Day Collaborative Project

Today you will begin working on the Earth Day Collaborative Project.  Click here for the guidelines.

Astronomy Choice Project

Today you will begin the Astronomy Choice Project.  The project is due on Friday, May 1st.  While that date may seem far from now, it's only a couple weeks away.  This assignment will be done mostly out of class.  If accessing the Internet might be a problem, please see Mr. Dunn.  Do not procrastinate!! :)

Astronomy Choice Project Guidelines

This is an overview of the project.

Astronomy Choice Project Rubric

This is the rubric that I will use to grade your assignment.

Astronomy 2 Articles

Today you will read 2 Astronomy-related articles, and answer a few questions about both of them in your blog.

Here are the articles (pick any 2):

• Scientists Pinpoint the 'Edge of Space'
• Saturn's Moon Titan May Have Subsurface Ocean of Hydrocarbons
• Cool Stars Have Different Mix of Life-Forming Chemicals
• Finding Twin Earth is Harder Than Thought

Here are the questions (answer all of these for both articles):
1. Which article did you read?
2. When was it published?
3. What are 3 things you learned?
4. What are 2 things you found interesting?
5. What is 1 question you still have?

Solar System Webquest

Today you will complete the Solar System Webquest on a piece of notebook paper.  Click here to get started.

Astronomy Topics

Over the next couple of weeks, you will be working on a research assignment called the Astronomy Choice Project (ACP). Details for the assignment will be given during class on Thursday. For today's blog assignment, you will choose 5 topics that sound interesting, and write a paragraph for each. You are not committed to using any of today's choices for your research assignment. Here's the list of choices:

• Black holes
• Worm holes
• String Theory (check Powers of 10 link, then ask Mr. Dunn for help)
• Dark matter
• Dark energy
• Search for aliens (SETI)
• Mars
• The Moon
• Pluto
• Hubble Telescope
• Titan (one of Saturn's moons)
• Apollo missions
• Saturn's rings
• Big Bang Theory
• Telescopes
• Ultimate fate of the universe
• International Space Station
• Kuiper Belt
• Milky Way Galaxy
• Andromeda Galaxy
• Asteroid Belt
• Dwarf Planets
• Red Giants

NASA @ Home

Today you will complete the NASA @ Home assignment.  Click here to get started.  You will probably need to download Flash Player and allow the ActiveX Controls (since the school computers reset each time another student logs onto the computer).

When you are done, you will diagram the Solar System on the back of your NASA @ Home paper.  Make sure that you label the following parts.

• Asteroid Belt
• Earth
• Jupiter
• Kuiper Belt
• Mars
• Mercury
• Moon
• Neptune
• Oort Cloud (comets)
• Pluto
• Saturn
• Sun
• Uranus
• Venus

You will need a few Solar System diagrams online to complete your composite with all of the 14 required components (listed above).  Here are a couple maps that will get you started:

• Diagram of the Solar System
• National Geographic: Our Solar System

Air Pressure Maps

This week we learned about air pressure and wind speeds. Answer the following questions in your blog:

1. Which area of the country currently has the fastest wind speeds? (city, state) How fast is it?

2. Which area of the state currently has the fastest wind speeds? How fast is it?

3. Which area of the country currently has the highest air pressure? (city, state) How high is it?

4. Which area of the state currently has the highest air pressure? How high is it?

5. Why does lower pressure usually bring bad weather?