Hey everybody! Hope you guys enjoyed your long vacation, rested well, and are enthusiastic and energetic to get back to school.
ACADEMY EARTH SCIENCE:
Try to imagine the heat and light that would be produced by 300,000 candles. Then think of 300,000 candles squeezed into a single square inch of space. That is the amount of heat and light given off by every square inch of the sun’s surface – a surface that is almost 12,000 times as great as that of the earth. Energy from the sun makes life on the earth possible. This week we will learn about the structure of the sun and how it produces such huge amounts of energy.
Firstly, we will discuss the sun’s core, the process of nuclear fusion, the conversion of mass into energy through Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity E = mc². Then we will move on to the inner zones of the sun the radiative zone, and the convective zone, followed by the sun’s atmosphere in which we will learn about the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona. Later we will discuss the solar activity, sunspots, prominences, solar flares, the magnetic storms, the magnetosphere, and the auroras. Finally, we will discuss the formation of the solar system starting with the formation of the sun, solar nebula, planets, planetesimals, protoplanets, moons, formation of the earth, the solid earth, the atmosphere, and the oceans.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Do the worksheet along with the section reviews for ch-28.1 to 28.3.
Do the chapter review that includes the worksheet, key terms, review, critical thinking, and the application for ch-28.
EXTENSION:
Write a story describing an imaginary trip to the center of the sun. Describe each layer and zone through which you would pass.
The earth’s atmosphere had very little oxygen before photosynthetic organisms existed. Do research to find out how important green plants, particularly in the rain forests, are for the earth’s oxygen supply today.
All the assignments should be submitted by Friday January 11th, after which the assignments will not be accepted. Each assignment is worth 100 points.
JA 7 A GENERAL SCIENCE:
This week we will study about the populations of organisms in an ecosystem. We will analyze the relationships among various organisms and their environment, compare food chains in a specified ecosystem and their corresponding food web, how organisms obtain and use resources to develop and thrive in niches, predator/prey relationships, analyze the interactions of living organisms with limiting factors, carrying capacity, problems associated with population growth like overgrazing, forest management, invasion of non-native species and the possible solutions. We will predict how environmental factors like floods, droughts, and temperature changes affect survival rates in living organisms. Finally, we will focus on the environmental benefits of the human interactions with biological and geological systems through reforestation, habitat restoration, and construction of dams.
ASSIGNMENT:
Do the section review questions after each topic.
Do the study guide that includes key terms, review, writing in science, thinking critically, and applying skills.
Work sheet on reforestation.
GROUP ACTIVITIES (IN CLASS):
We will do few groups activities during class that will be graded. Some of the activities that we will be doing are: What’s in the scene, with or without salt, what’s the population of beans in a jar, Elbowroom, and weaving a food web.
EXTENSION (AT HOME ACTIVITIES):
Community changes: Interview a family member or neighbor who has lived in your neighborhood for a long time. Ask the person to describe how the neighborhood has changed over time. Have areas that were formerly grassy been paved or developed? Have any farms, parks, or lots returned to a wild state? Write a summary of your interview. Can you classify any of the changes as examples of succession?
Energy-role walk: Take a short walk outdoors with a family member to look for producers, consumers, and decomposers. Create a list of the organisms and their energy roles. For each consumer, try to classify it further according to what it eats and its level. Then explain to your family member how energy flows in ecosystems.
EXTRA CREDIT:
Feeding Frenzy: You and your family can observe interactions among organisms at a bird feeder. Fill a clean, dry, 2-liter bottle with birdseed. With paper clips, attach a plastic plate to the neck of the bottle. Then hang your feeder outside where you can see it easily. Observe the feeder at different times of the day. Keep a log of all the organisms you see near it and how they interact.
ACADEMY BIOLOGY CLASS:
This week we are going to discuss about the BIOMES a major part of the ecosystems. Firstly, we will learn about Land Biomes. Under this we will cover the tundra biome, the forest biome, the grassland biome, and the desert biome. Then we will move on to the Water Biomes, in which we will discuss about the Marine Biomes, and the fresh water biomes. Under the marine biomes we will discuss the Littoral zone, the sublittoral zone, and the pelagic zone. Lastly, we will focus on the Natural Cycles in an ecosystem i.e. the water cycle, the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle, and the nitrogen cycle.
ASSIGNMENT:
Do the lesson reviews for ch-24.1 to 24.3.
Do the chapter review that includes vocabulary, concept mapping, review, interpret and apply, writing in science, and critical thinking for ch-24.
Complete the worksheet for ch-24.
All three assignments should be turned in to me by Friday January 11th, after which the assignments will not be accepted. Each assignment is worth 100 points.
GROUP ACTIVITY:
You guys will be divided into three groups and each group will be working on a different project related to this chapter. You will get some time to work on these projects during the class. After the project is done the group should present it to the class. The project and the presentation together are worth 200 points. The areas that will be graded on the project/presentation are quality, creativity, organization, planning, teamwork, meeting the deadline, time for presentation, vocabulary, posture, and vocal.
