Mr. Bent’s Edublog Page

Here is a link and a picture about some of the stuff that we’ve been talking about in class:  evidence collected after Wegener’s death to help prove the theory of Continental Drift and later, Plate Tectonics.

Pillow Lava Quicktime Video Link:  http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/04fire/background/volcanism/media/pillow_lava_video.html

Source:  http://www.waterencyclopedia.com

Today we learned about many of the strange geologic features on the ocean floor.  We focused on pillow lava and hydrothermal vents, and discussed how the discovery of these features proved that the ocean floor is volcanically active.

Please click here to see a great site about Hydrothermal Vents:

http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/vents/index.html

Today I was very proud of all of you, as you did a great job on the Type 1 and 2 papers that were given.  I haven’t finished reading/grading all of the letters, but most of you wrote terrific letters and I have enjoyed them so far!

I introduced the submarine vessel ALVIN today in class.  Please go to the following link to find out a bit about this incredible piece of science equipment:

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=8422

This link (also found on the same page as the above link), features an interactive tour of ALVIN (requires a flash player plug-in):

http://www.whoi.edu/home/interactive/alvin/

If and when you comment on this stuff, please include whether or not you would venture into the bottom of the sea in this vessel.  I think that I would, but I’m not quite sure……

Take a look at this article and some of the pictures.

The story is found at boston.com here:  http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/red_river_flooding.html

This picture is from the same article.

Here is the Pangaea animation that I went to in class today.  It is a flash animation, and ironically, it is spelled Pangea.  Hmmmm…………

http://emvc.geol.ucsb.edu/animations/flash/pangea.swf

Here is a link to a Yahoo news article about the most recent eruption of Mt. Redoubt in Alaska:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090323/ap_on_re_us/alaska_volcano

Photograph by J. Warren, Redoubt Volcano, AK, April 21, 1990

Today we learned a little about a key contributor to the geological sciences: Alfred Wegener.  Students read an article and/or watched a brief video clip that gave them a small idea about Wegener’s career.  After this, we discussed why it might have been easier to retain information from a reading selection vs. a video.

Here is a link to the Wegener article (This is a PDF Document).  We only covered page 1 of this article:

wegener-article1

This is a link to the video.  It might work, although I’m not sure if you have to be a member of teacher’s domain to view it.  The video is a quicktime file:  http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.wegener1/

To do some extra credit work, read pages 2 and 3 of the article provided above.  Follow the directions on the assignment when completing your writing.  Print out the instruction sheet and hand it in with the writing piece by Friday, April 3rd.

Mr. B

Well, we’ve finally made it to Spring!  That doesn’t mean that our snowfall  will necessarily end.

Click on the link below for more details about Equinoxes.  This site includes a Spanish version if anyone is interested.

Happy Spring!

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/equinox.html

Today in class we discussed some of the key vocabulary that we will be using in the first part of the new unit.  We will begin this unit by reviewing the Earth’s interior.  Much of this material was covered in 5th grade.  Here is a picture of the Inner Earth if you need reminding:

Here is the vocabulary list from today’s class:  ie-cd-and-pt-ttk-without-vocab

We also discussed our “Class Log” today.  Here is a copy of the class log paperwork just in case you need to print one from home:  class-log-worksheet1

Podcasts will return soon!

Mr. B

Today Barry Burbank came to AMS!  He gave a great presentation to the 6th graders, and discussed things from tornadoes, to hurricanes, to forecasting, etc.  The students asked great questions, and we took a picture with Mr. Burbank in the freezing cold outside of the school.  I’ll post a link to the picture tomorrow.

The other guests of class today were Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.  We read a brief article about them, answered some follow-up questions, and then some students got an “up-close” view of these amazing creatures.  Read the article here

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/madagascar-hissing-cockroach.html

All in all, a fun and interesting day!

A couple more things:

1.  The “advanced” assignment is due tomorrow, Friday the 13th.

2.  We begin a new unit tomorrow: Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics.

3.  There’s a new link to animal cams at the San Diego Zoo and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, both in California.

Mr. Bent

Today we went into the portable planetarium from the Museum of Science: Starlab.  We basically crawled inside and got to see what the night sky looks like at different times during the year.  We talked about the moon, moon phases, the Earth’s rotation, stars, constellations, etc.  Everyone did a great job answering questions (especially Autumn), and we had a great time.

Here is a picture of what Starlab looks like.  The picture is not from our school.  It is just a generic picture with unknown people in it.

Today in class we discussed the global warming controversy.  We examined two different viewpoints (believers, and skeptics), and students were asked to think about how they felt about this issue.  When this was done, students went around the room, asking others what their beliefs were.  They ended up forming 3 groups (believers, skeptics, and not sure).  We had a short discussion on this matter, and class ended.

Over the next couple of days students will be writing a Type 3 paper that focuses on their position about global warming, glacial melting, sea level rise, etc.  We will also finish up our unit this week.

To see the article that we read in class today, click here:global-warming-arguments

My favorite Type 1 response today, by an anonymous source with the initials X.B. was “If it’s going to happen, let it happen soon. I’m freezing my butt off.”

Mr. B

Unless there is another major storm (and perhaps even if there is one), we will be having a Science Test next Tuesday, March 10th.  This test will cover all information found in your Unit 3 Packet: Changes to the Earth’s Surface, and any important information that we reviewed during class.  The test will not cover the Forensic Geology Lab that we completed in class.

Please make sure that you understand the key terms that were presented at the beginning of the unit, and familiarize yourself with other words that are found within the packet (like till, sand dune, moraine, oxbow lake, etc.). This test will feature 25 multiple choice questions.

We will be completing the unit early this week, and I will try to tie in all of the information that we’ve discussed (weathering, erosion, and deposition) with the rock cycle.  If you would like to brush up on the rock cycle to get a head start, check out this link:

http://www.phschool.com/atschool/phsciexp/active_art/rock_cycle/index.html

This is an interactive site that I just discovered.  You might need to have the appropriate flash player installed (free) to use it.  If you look at it, and check out the connections between each rock cycle phase, you will be WELL ahead of everyone and class.  Most importantly, you will impress me and I will be sure to praise your amazing intellect in class!

Good luck, and start studying NOW!

Mr. B