Ms. LaFontaine

August 10, 2009

I want to welcome all of my students to Hightower Trail Middle School.  I am so excited to begin this year!  We are going to have a great time learning Earth Science.  We have some really fun, hands on activities for you.  I hope you are ready to learn!  I am attaching the Syllabus for the year here in case you lose yours.  The supplies you need are:  Composition book (for vocab words), Science notebook or separate section in binder for science with the following dividers:  Warmups, Notes/classwork, Labs.  Also, colored pencils.  Occaissionally, I will ask for donations for certain labs we will be doing, but that is it for now!!  Looking forward to the year!!

I can't wait to start!

Homeowrk:  Bring in your composition book and signed papers!

SyllabusDownload syllabus07-08TT.doc

Thursday

Today we worked more on Continental Drift.  We will finish it up tomorrow.

HW:  Finish your continental drift homework sheet, BRING A MILKY WAY CANDY BAR BY MONDAY!

Wednesday

We had our quiz today and then we read ch. 7, section 2 and discussed at our tables.  Then, we pulled out the notes we thought were important.  We will have an open note quiz on these notes tomorrow to see how well you are taking notes. 

Homework:  Finish the notes and work on the Continental Drift sheet-that is due on Friday.

I have a lot of students who are borrowing paper.  Please get some paper if you are out!!!  When you come to class with no paper, you are coming unprepared!

Vocab words:  Crust, Mantle, Core, lithosphere, Continental drift, plate tectonics, Ring of Fire, Mid-Ocean Ridge, Pangaea, faults, convection current, seafloor spreading, volcano, subduction, convergent, divergent, transform, deep ocean trench.

Tuesday

Today we did a lab on convection/density and the mantle.  If you did not finish it, please do so for homework. 

STUDY FOR YOUR QUIZ! CONVECTION, LAYERS OF EARTH AND DENSITY.

Notes:  Download Chap4Sect2-convection revised Download Earths layers, ch. 7, sec 1

VOCAB TEST ON DEC 16.

Monday

Today we talked about Convection and how it affects the plates.  We took a few notes and watched a demonstration of this with cold blue water and hot red water.  If you did not finish your Blue/red drawing and explanation, that is homework. 

QUIZ ON WEDNESDAY:  STUDY DENSITY, THE LAYERS, AND CONVECTION.

VOCAB TEST IS DEC. 16.  WORDS TO THE LEFT.  KNOW THEM!!!

Wednesday

Today we made the "mantle" during a lab.  We learned that it can act like both a liquid and a solid. 

HW:  unfinished labs and 5 vocab flash cards for the vocab test.

Quiz over density, layers of earth and convection on Wednesday- Nov. 11.

VOCAB TEST IS DECEMBER 16!!!  LOOK TO THE RIGHT AND DOWNLOAD THE FLASHCARDS TO MAKE FOR A STUDY GUIDE!!! START STUDYING NOW!

Book Fair: 

It is next week, M - F, 8:30 - 5:00, in the 8th-grade commons. It will also be open for the Holiday Shoppe on Sat., 11/14, from 10:00 - 3:00.

Friday

Today we began a video on geology and plate tectonics.  Then we worked on some questions from yesterday's lesson.

No homework.  We have had several students out sick this week.  Here are the most important notes that we worked on:  Download Density notes Download Earths layers, ch. 7, sec 1

VOCAB TEST WILL BE DECEMBER 11.  HERE ARE SOME WORDS AND DEFINITIONS TO MAKE FLASHCARDS.

Download 0910VocabMitdtermList

Good luck to the football team in the playoffs this week!

Wednesday

Today we talked more about Density.  We made, or are in the middle of making, a density column to show the proportions of the layers of the earth.  We will finish this activity tomorrow.

No homework.

THE VOCAB TEST ON YOUR WORDS FOR THE YEAR SO FAR WILL BE AROUND DEC. 11.  I WOULD BEGIN TO STUDY NOW.

Monday

Today we went over the test .  The class averages were pretty good.   We also began our unit on Plate Tectonics.  We began with Density.  Please finish your lab writeups for homework if you did not do so in class.

Wednesday

STUDY FOR YOUR TEST!!!  STUDY SESSION THURSDAY AT 8:15 AM.

Here are  some of the papers we have worked on.

Download Chap10Sect1

Download ErosionDepositionChart with answers

Download Scavenger Hunt through ch10, sec1 answers

VOCAB DUE FRIDAY

Thursday

Today we did a Jigsaw activity with the agents of erosion and deposition. We will finish this tomorrow.

TEST NEXT THURSDAY!!!  HERE IS STUDY GUIDE!! Download Weathering and erosion Study Guide

VOCAB DUE NEXT FRIDAY!