Community Issue

We have been learning about the three kinds of environmental issues in Science class: population, resource use, and pollution. What is an issue that people in your community care about? Be Specific. Ask someone in your family or a neighbor. What is a possible solution to the problem? Post your answer this week!

Resource Use Around the World

We have learned that different countries around the world use different resources in different ways. What country did you make predictions about? What resource do they use the most? Think back to what you learned about the country to hypothesize why they use that resource the most.
In your answer be sure to name the country, name the resource they use the most (not your prediction), and hypothesize why they use that resource the most.

Owl Pellet Dissection

We just finished dissecting an owl pellet in Science today. The last part of the dissection involved reporting the contents of your pellet to a website which collects all of the data. After analyzing all of the data, answer the following questions as a group.
1.) What type of animal do owls prey on the most?
2.) How could it be helpful to collect this data from schools across the country?

Guess the Legos

We are estimating populations in Science class. One good test is to see if you can guess how many objects are in a container. In my classroom there are Legos in a 1,000 mL. How many do you think are in the jar? Post your answer and you may be the lucky kid that wins the prize - getting to sit in Mr. Honer's desk chair for a class period!

Ecology Questions

You have learned about the factors that can cause a population of organisms to go up and down. You have also learned about the complex relationships that exists between organisms in their environments. Answer the following questions about ecology.
1.) What is the difference between a food web and a food chain?
2.) In the Food Web game you learned about a producer organism called kelp. What might happen to the rest of the food web if a disease suddenly killed most of the kelp?

Krusty Krabs Breath Mints

Read about the following experiment and answer the three questions at the end.

Mr. Krabs created a secret ingredient for a breath mint that he thinks will “cure” the bad breath people get from eating Krabby Patties at the Krusty Krab. He asked 100 customers with a history of bad breath to try his new breath mint. He had fifty customers (Group A) eat a breath mint after they finished eating a Krabby Patty.
The other fifty (Group B) also received a breath mint after they finished the sandwich, however, it was just a regular breath mint and did not have the secret ingredient. Both groups were told that they were getting the breath mint that would cure their bad breath. Two hours after eating the Krabby Patties, thirty customers in Group A and ten customers in Group B reported having better breath than they normally had after eating crabby patties.

1. What is the independent variable?
2. What is the dependent variable?
3. What were some of the control variables?

New Year

Greetings New 6th Graders!
Welcome to your first week at Colonel Richardson Middle School! I know that coming to a new school can be really exciting and even a little frightening! Don't worry. If you just look around, you will see a whole bunch of kids that are in it with you. You don't know it yet but a lot of those new faces will become old friends before you know it!
This year in science we will be learning about Geology, Physics, The Environment, and Ecology. We will be doing experiments in the lab and investigating lots of different science concepts. I can't wait to start!
My question for you is "What are you most excited about for the coming year?" Please respond to this post during this first week.

What did you do?

Ok, what happened to the summer? I can't believe how quickly time went by!
Even though it seemed short, I had a lot of fun and did a lot of stuff. This summer I had a dream come true when I got to go with my family on a trip to Italy, Croatia, and Greece. We had a great time, especially when I got to climb to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. While there I got to see the Parthenon along with many of the world's greatest, ancient treasures. I will remember it forever.

Did you go on a special trip this summer? Tell us about it!

Summer Break

Wow! The year seemed to go by so fast. It seems like we just got back from NorthBay and here we are on Summer Vacation already. I'm glad that we all got the chance to know each other during the year. I see so much potential in this group of students and I can't wait to see what you guys do in the future!
I am taking a few week-long classes and my family is going on a cruise of the Greek Isles. We're really excited about this because we have been planning it for a long time.
So, what do you have planned for the summer? Post your comments when you get the chance and don't forget to tell your friends to log on as well.
Have a Great Summer!

Chemistry and Rocks

We recently went from studying geology (rocks) to the study of chemistry (the states of matter.) The states of matter that we learned about are solids, liquids, and gasses. How do you think the two topics are related to each other? Post your response as a group and don't forget to use examples from our experiments and simulations.

Weathering Experiments

You just completed an experiment about weathering. Which experiment did you complete (describe it) and what was your conclusion?

Hoodoos Article

* Respond to this post only after you have read the Hoodoos Articles! Look for links on the Materials and Processes website *

What forces are at work to create hoodoos? Use examples from both of the articles.

Energy Debate

Electricity is such a huge part of daily life in most of America. We use it in almost every part of our day; from the moment we wake up to an electric alarm clock and turn on the lights, right through the day as we use our mp3 players and other appliances, to the moment we turn those lights out again. In fact, you are using electricity right now to read this (unless you printed it out - in which case the printer used electricity!) Do you know where the electricity that we use every day comes from?
In 6th grade science we are now in the process of researching the various way that electricity is produced in our country; fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) solar, hydroelectric, wind, and nuclear. Our goal is to learn about them so we can make an informed decision about which one is the best for the earth.
What do you think?
For more information, go to the Electricity and Magnetism page of my website and scroll down to the resources section of the energy debate.
Post your opinion!

Can you say snow?

Well, here it is, the biggest storm I've seen in a long time. Right now we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 24" of the white stuff. I'm glad that I am settled in with my family, a few good books, and a bunch of good movies to watch. I've been outside a few times to clear snow and check things out but most of my time has been spent just looking out the window. I'll start the real shoveling tomorrow, after it stops snowing!
Let me know how you are doing with the snow. I look forward to seeing how everybody is doing!

Waves Choice Work

Well, we are finally done the Waves Choice Work Project. It was great to see so many students working really hard and even giving themselves homework! You will be receiving your grade on the project soon.
The question this week is; What did you like and/or dislike about the waves project? If you could, what would you change about the project?
I look forward to reading your responses.

Waves In Your Life

The more you study waves the more you come to realize that they seem to be everywhere around us. From the moment you wake up in the morning to the time you put your head down to sleep, there are waves in your life. What are some ways waves are in your own life? Describe at least two. I look forward to reading your posts!