Laguna's Lessons » Science

A Team Effort

claguna — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:06:53 +0000

The lab this week was a real team effort. Period 1 class introduced us to the “crime”, period 2 began making observations, and period 3 recorded a heating curve of the “mystery drink” that sent poor Cody (only acting) to the hospital! Today, period 1 identified the poison as Isopropyl Alcohol, period 2 used fractional distillation to isolate the compound, and period 4 put the rest of the pieces together by testing the density and flammability of the liquid. Everyone collaborated on the movie that documents our project. We had the help of directors, script writers, narrators, artists, technicians, computer helpers, and even the music specialist! Watch the movie here!

What science did we put to use for this project? Let’s hear what you learned…

Earth Day Assignment

claguna — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:04:33 +0000

I have an assignment for you to complete on your own. You can do this assignment from school computers or at home if you have a computer at home. It will take about 15 minutes to complete. Your task is to learn about a career in science called a Conservation Biologist. While you read you need to find the answers to some questions I have posted below and answer one by adding to the discussion on the wiki. Here is the link to the article! Click on the arrows to move through the website. And here are the questions…you should pick one or two that interest you and comment in detail on those. Post your answers on our wiki by clicking this link.

1. What did you find interesting or surprising about Eleanor’s education or her experiences with her education?

2. What types of responsibilities does Eleanor’s job involve?

3. What aspects of the job of Conservation Biologist would you find most appealing and why?

4. What challenges has Eleanor had to face in her work?

5. What do you hope to remember about Eleanor and her job after reading the article?

5th Annual Element Social

claguna — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:56:21 +0000

The Transition Metals were the biggest family at the social as you can see in this Family Photo!

What a great time! We mingled with the Metalloids and hobnobbed with the Noble Gases! We made compounds and crowned the King and Queen Element. Sometimes we learn best when we create something silly and fun. I hope all the students will remember how individual and unique each element is. I think it is amazing that all that variety stems from simply varying the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the atoms. Nice work on the poster projects and great participation! Everyone did a fantastic job!

Take Home Lab #1

claguna — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:15:07 +0000

Let’s try something new…a lab you do at home. This one doesn’t require you buy anything, just that you exercise your curiosity and inquiry skills.

Step 1: Read the lab found at this link.

Step 2: Make observations as you try the lab and list them in your lab notebook (write the date and use the lab notebook skills you have learned this year.)

Step 3: Ask your own question to further your understanding of what is happening in the experiment. Your question should be in the form: “How will changing the independent variable, _________________ ,affect the dependent variable, ______________?”

Step 4: Write your procedure and conduct the experiment. Be sure to record the data in a data table.

Step 5: Write a conclusion for the experiment. Follow all the guidelines for writing a lab report.

Due Date – Let’s make this lab due on Monday, March 16th. Tell us how it is going or share your research questions by commenting to this post. It would be great if you could take pictures of your experiment for your lab report. I’m looking forward to seeing what you learn!

I hope you’re happy…

claguna — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:36:42 +0000

The energy projects are in and wow…I have to say I’m impressed. Everyone thought my ban on all premade graphics was too extreme but Team 8 Blue came through with the most amazing homemade graphics I’ve ever seen! I hope you can visit our wiki and view some of these projects. Such a great assortment! Now…I hope you’re happy with how your project turned out. I am!

Going Beyond The Curriculum

claguna — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:29:23 +0000

This picure was intended to make the students laugh but the motto of our school in the background is an important reminder. How can we use what we learn at school to serve our community?

I attended a webinar today. The speaker encouraged the teachers in our group to take students beyond the curriculum. She said that we should help the students to apply what they are learning in a way that makes a difference in the real world. Wow. I’m not sure how to do that!

Right now we are studying alternative energy resources. How could we apply what we are learning and really make a difference? Let’s brainstorm some ideas…

Crafting Creative Presentations

claguna — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:25:48 +0000

View our Heat Technology Projects

The heat technology presentations were very impressive. While the students were given some choices, they designed projects that were original and innovative. Students made their own computer graphics or used their artistic skill to draw intricate diagrams. They made podcasts, movies, Power Points, and cartoons. We were able to share projects across the class periods and we were able to appreciate the unique differences between our projects.

What types of projects do you prefer making? What types of projects do you prefer watching? I would like us to try to make our projects more interactive. Any ideas how to make a project that the viewer interacts with? Share your ideas!

Heat Technology

claguna — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:18:38 +0000

I have been reading up on some of the common household appliances that make use of the heat technology we are reading in Chapter 10. Some are very challenging to explain but I think it is important to be able to apply the concepts we learn to actual real life experience.

Some interesting appliances are the toaster (how does it know when to pop the toast out?), the thermostat (why does the heater turn on and off throughout the day?), the refrigerator (will leaving the door open cool the room down?) and the coffee maker (my favorite!)

I thought it would be fun to research these together and then share what we learn using some kind of online tool. Our options are as follows. Share by making blog comments, add to a mind map on Thinkature, or create a new Pageflakes page. I can’t wait to work together on this. Check out the links and leave me a comment.

Podcasts

claguna — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:29:55 +0000

A student is making a podcast while her group performs a lab experiment.

Our podcasts are up an running! Here are some things I have learned. Windows media files need to be converted before they can be uploaded to the server but there are free online tools to solve that problem. Movies have to be small in order to upload them – which is good in a way since long movies can get boring.

I’m so proud of all the students who created movies, uploaded pictures, and made Power Point presentations for their online science fair projects! One student even made a Voice Thread! Cool! Look for these projects to be featured on our wiki in the near future! In the mean time, enjoy some of our podcasts from this year and last. http://podcast.qcsd.org/users/mrslaguna/

Evidence of Energy

claguna — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:28:04 +0000

Today students learned how to use some common science equipment to boil water and collect the steam. This process has a name called distillation. I never cease to be amazed at the way the temperature of the water stops at rising at precisely 100°C. We know that energy is still begin added to the water in the test tube, yet the temperature does not increase beyond the boiling point. Where does all that energy go? Let’s see if anyone remembers…

Can you explain where all the added energy goes once the water reaches the boiling point?