We began class with a brief review of key vocabulary and concepts introduced in Lesson 3 (matter and energy) and then moved on to the Lesson 4 PowerPoint.  Students reviewed the concepts of mass and volume and then received the Lesson 4 worksheet and a reminder that tonight’s homework includes reading Lesson 4 and answering questions 1-11 on page 16 of the textbook.  Students were then provided with the remainder of the class period to complete the lab outlined in the Lesson 4 worksheet.  Unfortunately, the class period concluded abruptly with our first practice fire drill of the school year.  We will complete the lab at the beginning of class tomorrow.  Thanks again for doing such a fantastic job evacuating the building for the fire drill and for behaving appropriately while waiting for the all-clear.  I continue to be extraordinarily impressed with the level of maturity and leadership my chemistry students exhibit on a daily basis.

For today’s lesson, students learned how to classify items as matter or not-matter given the following definition of matter as anything that has mass and volume.  We reviewed the Lesson 3 PowerPoint and worked through question 1 of the Lesson 3 worksheet as a class.  Students then had time to finish the worksheet and answer questions 1-6 from page 12 of the textbook.  We concluded with students reading an article titled “What is Chemistry?” and answering the following writing prompt: If you had to pick a career right now, what would you choose?  How is chemistry part of that career?

In Biology class, students took their first Friday quiz of the school year today.  The quiz included 10 questions covering systems and networks, as well as the Pirate Way values and a quick check-in on how the year is going so far in class.  Students were also reminded to check Illuminate to ensure they had received credit for turning in their signed Safety Contract and Student Questionnaire.  With schedule changes winding down, we will kick it into high gear next week with our study of cells.  Have a great weekend!

For our entry task today, students were tasked with constructing a network diagram of the schools they have attended, finishing with Highline High School.  The activity served as a team-building exercise (we created a big class network diagram) and helped review key vocabulary introduced yesterday (system, network, node, and edge).  Students then used their network diagrams from yesterday’s meet-and-greet activity to create a class social network using a ball of purple and gold “Pirate” yarn.  Each student served as a node, and they had to say the name of the student they were tossing the yarn to along with what they shared in common.  By the end of the activity, the students were criss-crossed in yarn, practiced each other’s names, used data collected yesterday, and had a clear visual understanding of a network.  We wrapped up by watching (or finisihing) Aaron Kobelin’s TED Talk posted yesterday.  Students learned that science is a highly collaborative venture, with scientists often working on part of a larger puzzle without actually knowing what the larger puzzle looks like.

We will have a quiz tomorrow – study up!

We started class with a YouTube clip of Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Delaney releasing energy in candy, making elephant toothpaste, and using smoke to visual air bursts coming from an air cannon:

Next, students completed a questionnaire to better introduce themselves and to provide me with data for the WABS Teacher Externship program I am participating in this year.  Students turned in the completed questionnaire, along with the signed syllabus.  They also received a folder, wrote their name on it, and placed it in the file cabinet.  The folder will help students stay organized throughout the school year and provides students with ready-made organizational strategy for keeping track of classwork.  We finished the day with a “popcorn-style” class reading, where each student read a paragraph of an article and then got to pick the next reader.  We read an article about lab-grown clothing, where scientist Suzanne Lee is using bacteria to create fabric.

Find out more by watching Suzanne Lee’s TED Talk: