Online Ecology Review: Interrelationships

Do you know your decomposers? Play the game and find out.

Play the food chain game!

Carnivore - Herbivore - Omnivore

Welcome 2010-2011 Class!

August 12, 2010

Sixth Grade Science

Welcome to Mr. Swafford’s classroom! I enjoy telling stories and trying engaging activities as we do meaningful schoolwork.

I have two goals for this year. One is to have fun while learning together. The second is harder to measure but no less important: I want each student in my class to feel liked and needed while he/she does his/her very best work.

Here are seven tips that will make your school year great.

1. Have fun!

2. Be a friend. Yes, a teacher can be your friend too, even the hard ones.

3. Have respect!

4. Work for yourself.

5. Always ask questions, especially when you are not sure.

6. Join a club, sport, or an activity.

7. Try your hardest, even when things are not going in your favor.

I trust these tips will help you as you start this school year. Yet if you find you need help, ask one of your teachers; they are here for you! My classroom will be open most lunches. Come into the room if you need a quiet place to study or if you need help with an assignment.

Starting the year off, we will be studying Ecology as our main unit of study. See the reverse side of this letter for a tentative yearlong outline. Teaching will follow the State of Tennessee Science Standards as directed by HCDE policies.

Classroom Expectation

Students are expected to use their agendamates to record homework and as a backup www.smmhs.com. Each student should turn in tasks the day they are due to receive full credit and late work should be placed in the “IN” tray located in the classroom. Science lab journals will be used to record notes, vocabulary, and handouts for review and testing purposes. Benefiting students Holt online offers students the science text, study aids, practice test, short videos and more online. Please login and checkout the wealth of information (passwords given out with the textbook).

Grading: 93-100 = A 10% Homework

85-92 = B 30% Classwork (quizzes, task, labs, projects, journal)

75-84 = C 40% Tests (test, quizzes, performance task, labs)

70-74 = D 20% Exam

0-69 = F

Journals are expected for each student. Notes and vocabulary are kept in the journal for review and testing purposes. Keep journals neat, up-to-date, and present in classes.

Mr. Chris Swafford

swafford_Christopher(at).hcde.org

UTC Science Methods: July 12 & 16

Welcome to class.

Chris Swafford

swafford_christopher(at)hcde(dot)org

Links:

Layer curriculum by Dr. Kathie Nunley: http://www.help4teachers.com/

The Story of Stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Catfish: http://www.vimeo.com/11817894

Medical Visualization: http://www.visualiseringscenter.se/1/1.0.1.0/230/2/

TED: http://www.ted.com/

Solar Cookers: http://www.solarcookers.org/

Largest Solar Cooking System: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRGAfw4AMag&feature=related

Water cycle songs: http://smmhs.blogspot.com/2008/12/water-cycle-song-ii.html

Elliptical Orbit: http://smmhs.blogspot.com/2008/11/inertia-gravity-cause-elliptical-orbits.html

Chattanooga Regional Science Fair: http://www.chattanoogasciencefair.org/

Science Fair Project Ideas: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

Swafford's Paper Outline: http://homepage.mac.com/crswaff/Sites/Science2008_2009/Science Fair Paper Outline 2009-2010.doc

Wild Edibles Resources (download 23.9MB): http://homepage.mac.com/crswaff/Sites/Masters/WildEdiblePlants.zip

Solar Cookers

Can you design and build a hot solar cooker? Our plan is to build a cooker, test it making s'mores, and enjoy learning!

Build Day

What is a solar cooker?

1. Explain that stuff

2. How stuff works

3. Solar Cooker International

Solar Cooker are used around the world to help individuals cook their meals. For more information and pictures about cooking projects see Solar Cooker Review.

Watch the video link to see the basics of how a cooker works, why cooker are important, and how government officials are being encouraged to support their use. ASAP Video: Importance of Solar Cookers

Excellent solar example pictures:Link

How are solar cookers helping poor women in Chad? Video

Data II

Your Data!

Causes of Wind!

1. What causes wind?

2. Basic Wind Info

3. Basic But Good: Weather Wiz Kids

Weather Facts:

WORLD RECORD WIND SPEED The highest wind speed ever recorded on the surface of the Earth was 231 mph on April 12 1934, atop Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. This high-elevation weather station experienced the winds of an extremely strong jet stream that had descended unusually low in the atmosphere.

THE WIND AFFECTS THE EARTH'S ROTATION During the northern hemisphere winter, the stronger westerly winds that build up in the Northern Hemisphere, combined with frictional drag at the Earth's surface, actually produce a very small, but measurable, increase in the speed of rotation of the Earth. From: Weatherquestions.com

Density Driven Currents

Lab two Currents