Monday, August 30, 2021

Week #3 - Our first on-line quiz has been posted.

 Hi Scientists;

Here's the link for our first quiz. https://www.classroomclipboard.com/854670/Test/F781EAD9-9859-4ED9-BEDC-9E1F7FD0028F

Here's the code to enter to take the quiz. GF9GK

'hope you had a nice weekend. We had our twelve Key Terms today (12) and some notes along with a lab. The notes will be posted this evening. Remember to check www.pacificascience.org and your Google Classroom to get any notes you may have missed. If you can't take the teat on-line, ask for a paper copy tomorrow. It's due THURSDAY, September 2nd.

Happy Week #3 ... Scott Forbes

Sunday, August 29, 2021

08.27.2021 notes - Friday - Week #2 -

 


08.27.2021 - Friday - 


  1. Volume … Our first FORMULA this year in science. (A great math tie-in too!)
    1. Density = Mass / Volume. 
    2. Volume is how much space matter takes up. 
    3. Example and ENVIRONMENT tie in - We used a block of styrofoam (polystyrene) to show something with low mass. Styrofoam floats and is terrible for our oceans as birds and sea life mistake it for food. As polystyrene never decays, it is persistent in our oceans. (When I was about eight years old my brother and I accidentally broke a “bean bag” chair full of styrofoam in our backyard in Millbrae, CA. Despite our attempts to clean it all, a decade later we could still - occasionally - find styrofoam in our garden!) 

II.  Formula triangle:  D = Density. M = Mass. V = Volume.


III.  Tides:  High (in Pacifica) 2;22 am and 2:41 pm / Low 8:21 am and 9:20 pm

The Moon is a waning gibbous - 75 % - The moonrise was 10:45 pm and the moon set at 11:44 am.


VI.  Golf Ball Bound LAB revisited: Today, we bounced the golf ball from 120 cm.  Can we use our DATA from yesterday to PREDICT how high it will bounce before we bounce it? 

A.   


VII. Disney - “Imagineering”. We wrapped up the day (After the lab) watching a few minutes from a Disney video where they discussed the science of thrill rides. Disney calls their engineers, “Imagineers.” Five facts from the video … Answers may vary … Here are three of mine …

A.  Keep a notebook handy at all times. You never know when inspiration might hit.

B.  All objects fall at the same rate when air resistance is not a factor.

C.  MASS and WEIGHT are not the same thing. For example, you would have different weights on different planets in our Solar System.


08.26.2021 Notes / Lab

 


08.25.2021 Notes - Wednesday - Week #2

 



08.24.2021 - Notes - Week #2 - Tuesday

 



Monday 08.23.2021notes

 



Monday, August 23, 2021

YouTube recap ... 08.23.2021

 


Recap up through Week #2, Day #4

Week #2 – Day 4 – Recap – 

B1 – Grade Seven – Forbes – 


 Current Events: Our class usually begins with a current events connection or science video clip. So far, we’ve asked for the following:

A hurricane on the eastern seaboard: It’s unusual for hurricanes to reach land so far north.

ISS:  The International Space Station may soon be the venue for a Hollywood movie.

Robotics:  As engineering is among the new science standards, we saw a bit of the new Boston Dynamics robots.

Fires:  Because of extended drought there are fires in California, Oregon, Brazil, and even Siberia. These fires are an indication of climate change and are releasing more Carbon into our ATMOSPHERE.

The Metric System:  Based on the number ten the Metric System is much more straight forward than the Imperial System, which is used in the US. 

The units we use in science.

Meter. (One meter is 100 centimeters. 1000 meters is a Kilometer.)

Liter: Used for volume.  (1000 mL = one Liter)

Time: (Seconds.)

Mass: Kilograms. One kilogram = 1000 grams.

Science as a process.  While our books may contain many facts, we’re in science class to learn to evaluate theories and make good decisions based upon the Scientific Method.

Aristotle:  (384 – 322 BC): Many “pre-scientific” ideas were based upon Aristotle’s writings. While he started us down the path towards modern science, many of his ideas lacked evidence.

Galileo:  (1564 – 1642): Credited with TESTING hypothesis. For example, where Aristotle claimed that heavier objects fall faster than lighter object, Galileo used EXPERIMENT to prove that object of different MASS fall at the same rate when air resistance is not a factor.

Richard Feynman:  (1918-1988) A personal favorite; Feynman said … “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is. It doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it does not agree with experiment, you’re wrong.”

Key Terms: Each Week we have ten (10) Key Terms to define in our notes. The ten for this week are:

Meter

Centimeter

Kilometer

Experiment

Control Variable

Independent Variable

Atmosphere

Theory

Volume

Cartesian Coordinate System

Example: As an example of testing a theory we used a clip from “Mythbusters – Helium Football.” – The team was testing to see if a standard football, filled with Helium instead of air (atmosphere), travels further when kicked (or thrown.) It’s an excellent example of CONTROL VARIABLES (Usually, simply called, “Controls.”) Some of the Controls from their experiment were:

Weather. (They brought their experiment indoors.)

Removing a human punter. (They used a machine to launch the footballs)

PSI – Each ball was filled to the regulation 13 PSI (Don’t tell Tom Brady.)

Launch Angle: Each ball was launched at a consistent angle.

Etc…(Try and think of one more Control Variable.)

LAB: We conducted our own lab. A data-gathering lab where we want to compare a person’s height (in centimeters) with their “wingspan;” (The distance covered by their outstretched arms.)

The Goal:  Introduce students to graphing results and see if we can predict one value given another. In science, the ability to PREDICT is one of the most important aspect in developing a theory.


Monday, August 16, 2021

WEEK 1 - Welcome Back!

 ROOM B1 - SCIENCE - FORBES


     Welcome back to IBL! As we prepare for in-person learning and the 21/22 school year there are a few things we can have ready-to-go so we can hit the ground running and prepare for the rigors of middle and high school science.

I.  The class rules in B1 will look familiar and are consistent with the other classes at IBL.  Prompt, polite, prepared, and positive.  We’ll be getting to know our classmates and curriculum as we explore science through labs, notes, and experiments. The most important tools we can bring to class, along with an open mind, are …

A.  A notebook. Spiral bound or a binder. If you choose a spiral-bound notebook please have a glue stick available for the handouts we’ll occasionally be asked to place in our books. This tool is listed first because it is, by far, the most important. While we use the texts and have various presentations and labs, our notebooks are our science record of learning and exploration. Each day expect to fill two pages … one on the left side (notes) and one on the right side (labs, homework, activities, diagrams, etc.)

B.  Weekly assessments:  The tests are on-line and - as we are allowed to use our science notebooks - tests are cumulative. This means that material from any previous week might show up on a quiz or test, which is why it’s important to keep a good notebook.

C.  Colored pencils are required for the notebook. Often diagrams, like molecule models, require different colors to help students grasp the concepts. At least four other colors will help with organizing notes.

         II.  While the materials list is not extensive, I would like to point out the important requirements in this science class.

A.  All notes from class will be posted in your Google Classroom and at my website (www.pacificascience.org) Also, I will post videos via YouTube for review and clarifications. Here is the ONE thing that all students must do … WRITE your notes! While the notes are posted in case of an absence or if a point was missed during class, the physical act of WRITING your notes is essential. It helps students both review the material and remember the concepts. Multiple studies confirm that writing (not typing or simply printing out the teacher’s notes) helps solidify the information in our mind. The writing volume is not great, but the payoff is tremendous.

B.  There will be spot checks on the notebooks throughout the year, usually in the form of asking for a picture or scan from a specific date. The notes are organized by the week number and date and all notes are posted within a day or two of class.


     III.  As we move forward into 2021-22 school year it has never been more important to understand science concepts. From climate change to Covid-19, we are in a world where understanding science is critical to our future and I am excited to help guide the students through the curriculum and prepare the students for high school and beyond!


Scott Forbes