Class of 2012 T-Shirts

The class of 2012 T-shirt order forms can be found here.  Shirts are 16 dollars and the forms are due April 20th.  Thanks to Sadie for the great design!

Blog Extra Credit

Although we aren't ready to clone people just yet, the issue raises a lot of ethical questions. Write a blog post that explains:

1. What cloning is. Include a link to a good source that explains cloning.
2. Explain, in detail, why cloning is or isn't a good thing.
3. Choose one of the following prompts and try to work your response into your blog post:

• If you were having a baby and you could alter its DNA so that it didn't have a genetic disease, would you? Would you alter it so it has blonde hair instead of brown? So that it's smarter? When is it okay to alter a babies' DNA and when is it wrong?
• Tiger Wood's father started him on golf before he was in school. Is it okay to clone a baby that has the traits of a good golfer and do the same thing?
• Scientists have figured out a way to clone Albert Einstein. He will be born a baby but will grow up with the potential to be just as smart as the original. How will the new Einstein be different than the original? Should scientists do this?

Finally, pictures, videos, or extra features always make for a better looking post.

Blogger Challenge 3: Science Current Events

1.) Create a new post about a science current event. Use my "current event search engine" on the right hand side of this page.  Your current event can be about any of our recent topics in science, or anything that is coming up soon. Here are some suggestions to research:

• Fossils
• Geology
• Erosion
• Genetics
• Genes
• Heredity
• Mutations

Your post should include the following information:

1. Name of the article
2. Link to the article
3. Author  (If it has one, otherwise skip it.)
4. A summary of the article in your own words
5. How this information applies to our class or something new that you learned from it
6. Why you found that article interesting.
7. What questions would you ask the author of the article, or what questions do you have for your own blog readers?

An interesting blog post doesn't just write down the answers in a list format, it includes the seven points listed above in paragraph form.

See if you can get other people to leave quality comments on your post.


Optional: Now that you know how to create a blog and make your posts, if you would like to create your own blog for these assignments, you may break away from your group blogs. Copy and paste any of your old posts into your new blog.  In my comment section, add the name of your new blog (names should be science related) and the address for it so I can add it to my list of links.

Blogger Challenge 2: Biomes and Food Webs

Write a blog post that.....

1.) Introduces your biome- what is it like? where is it located? What lives there?
2.) In your classes food web, how does energy transfer from the lower levels (Sun, Grass) to the upper levels?   Try to uses as many of the following words as possible in your response and bold the words.

3.) Add a relevant picture or youtube video to your post.


Your graphic organizers can be found here:
1-2A
Period 4-6A
Period 10-11A
Period 1-2B
Period 4-6B
Period 10-11B

8th grade graduation gown measurements

Students will be measured for their graduation gowns during Science and Social studies classes on  March 21. If any student will not be either attending graduation or does not need a gown, please contact Mrs. Knouse and let her know as soon as possible.

8th grade activities and end of year information

The end of year 8th grade information sheet that was handed out can be found here. This information includes the class of 2012 t-shirt, graduation gowns, the Franklin Institutite trip, the graduation party, and the 8th grade luau.

Students received a permission slip for graduation gowns in homeroom on March 1st. The slip has a misprint, listing the gown as both $16 and $17. The actual cost is $16.

Blog Challenge 1 (Part 2) editing

Why do people read certain blogs when they can get their information from anywhere else on the internet? Because good bloggers are unique, they do something in their posts that makes them stand out. What can you do to your post to make it memorable?

In the comment section, I posted some of your work that I thought was really good. What made these posts stand out?

1.) Go back to your own post on beach erosion. First re-read it to make sure that it's proofread and that it makes sense. What could you do to make it better?

2) Choose two of the following suggestions:

• Add a relevant picture, video, or wordle to make your blog noticeable.
• Everyone summarized the same two articles. Are there other articles out there that you could find that would make your argument better? Find one and discuss it in your post!
• Add some emotion to your writing, should the residents of Port Monmouth feel scared that our beaches may disappear if we don't act soon? Should they be mad that our beaches were allowed to get this small before government finally stepped in? Should we be thanking Congressman Pallone? Tell the reader how to feel (without saying "the reader should feel.....)
• Share a personal story (without revealing your name or giving away who you are) about times you went to the beach. This could show why you care about the issue.
• Many posts had one or two sentences for their opinion on what should be done with the million dollars. This was the part of your writing that should have been the most unique. You could talk about why your idea is the best. You could discuss why other ideas are the worst. You could talk about some really different ideas too that weren't mentioned in the article but are still based in science. For example, check out: Bill Gates’ idea for fighting hurricanes- how could this relate to beach erosion?

Erosion quiz: 2/29-3/1

We will be having our Erosion open note quiz on 2/29-3/1. The study guide can be found here.

If you are missing any notes, see Ms. Mustachio, myself, or print out what you need from here.

Blogger Challenge 1: BEACH EROSION

Our Congressman, Frank Pallone, recently announced that Port Monmouth will be receiving millions of dollars in order to prevent beach erosion in the future.  Write a blog post (log in to blogger.com) that lets your readers know....

1. A brief summary of Congressman Pallone’s announcement in your own words
2. How beach erosion occurs
3. Your ideas for how the money should be spent.

COMMENTS:
4-5).After you make your post write at least two comments on two different blog posts.

•      You can comment about how you agree or respectfully disagree (and why) with them.
•      You can ask the poster a relevant question about their post.
•      You can answer a question that another poster asked.

     
6.) Publish your post.  Re-read it and make sure:

• It looks the way you wanted it to.
• Everything is spelled correctly.
• You said everything you wanted to say.

If you need to change it, press edit and fix it. If you’re not sure, ask another blogger to read it over for you and help you out.   

OPTIONAL/ADVANCED:
7. Make your blog post stand out! Add a relevant picture, video, or wordle to make your blog noticeable.
8. Did anyone comment on your post? Good bloggers respond in the comment section by answering questions or continuing the conversation in a meaningful manner. It’s your blog, you should have the last word!
9. If someone else on your blog has posted and they clearly need some help with proofreading, offer to help them out. You can edit their posts, but make sure you have their permission.
10. Eventually, we will be having a competition between the classes for the coolest blogs.  You are allowed to add additional features to your blog (the way that mrmason.info has information and pictures on the side of the page). Get a head start by jazzing up your own blog! Make sure your group is okay with the changes you make though.

Grading:

• Did you summarize Congressman Pallone’s announcement in your own words?(5pts)
• Does your blog post explain how erosion occurs, citing the article from class?(5pts)
• Do you provide a rational way for the money to be spent that is based on science? (5pts)
• Did you leave at least two other quality comments on two other blogs? (5pts)
• Does your blog display 8th grade effort and proofreading? (5pts)
• Did you do any of the optional/advanced criteria? (extra credit awarded)

Important Links:
Congressman Pallone’s announcment

Article from class about what causes beach erosion?

Bill Gates’ idea for fighting hurricanes- how could this relate to beach erosion?

Class blogs

The instructions and safety sheet can be found here.

A list of our student blogs can be found below.

Todaysmeet.com is recommended if you need to chat with your group members to discuss blog design (or open a google doc).

Period 1-2A

http://masonscience101.blogspot.com/
http://elitesciencegiantsfans46.blogspot.com/

Period 4-6A
http://sciencelions.blogspot.com/
http://5guysinscience.blogspot.com/
http://1sciencenerds1.blogspot.com/
http://newtonballs.blogspot.com/

Period 10-11A
http://science101thornemiddle.blogspot.com/
http://thornebigbangblog.blogspot.com/
http://sciencecorn.blogspot.com/
http://fruitloops4science.blogspot.com/

Period 1-2B

http://sciencewithjbiebz.blogspot.com/

http://theaplusteam.blogspot.com/

Period 4-6B
http://prestigescience.blogspot.com/
http://thornesciencedaily.blogspot.com/
http://dailydoseofvitaminscience.blogspot.com/
http://sciencewiththegang.blogspot.com/

Period 10-11B

FOR TEACHERS: Blogger in-service training

I- Beginners: What's a blog?

This is a blog. A blog is a regularly updated website where the newest information gets posted to the top. You are not contractually obligated to create a website or blog. With that said, I have found that it has become my most valuable teaching tool.

My students are trained that when we use computers, the assignment always starts out on my blog/website, www.mrmason.info. From there, they access whatever information (links, documents, instructions, etc) they need for the lesson.

Everything I do is available on my website.  I never make extra copies for students, it's up to them to print what they need if they lost a document. This is not as time consuming as it sounds- I upload my files to google docs (most of them are on there already) and then paste the link to my blog.

If you have no interest in setting up a blog of your own, you can check out some of the following blogs and websites.

• Middletown web challenge Middletown teachers promoting their best tech ideas.
• Web challenge post on blogger
• A Principal's Reflection--NJ High School principal's blog about tech in schools
• http://speirs.org/ A blog about technology in the classroom
• http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/bsdbsd/ A collection of online resources

II- Intermediates: How do I set up a blog?

• I recommend www.blogger.comwww.blogger.com. You can register for free or use your school account.
• Once you have signed in, press "New Blog".
• Your title is whatever you want to call your blog, but your address must be unique. Select your template for what you want your blog to look like and press, "Create Blog!".
• Press the big orange button to begin posting content. Write whatever you want here and when you finish, press the orange "publish" button.
• The button is your settings. From here you can change how your blog looks, you can edit old posts, or view comments.
• Consider who your audience really is. For better or worse, my blog is accessible to everybody because it's just as much for the parents as it is for the students. Other teachers (some even at Thorne) have closed blogs that only registered members (their students) can read and post to. To limit access to your blog, under "settings", select "basic". Under "blog readers" select "only these readers" and enter their e-mail addresses.

• When you finish, E-mail Mrs. Knouse with the address of your blog (www._____.blogspot.com) when you’re all set up and she will put up a link on Thorne’s website for you so students and parents can easily find your website.

III- Advanced: I already know about Blogging, show me something new.

www.twitter.com

• For an explanation of how twitter works, check out: http://www.momthisishowtwitterworks.com/
• Many of the district's tech savy members are gathering on Twitter under the hashtag #mtwnchat. This is where I go when I need tech help. Sign up or log in and send an intro message saying who you are/where you teach with the hashtag #mtwnchat attached and someone will add you to the district Twitter user list.
• I personally can be found at @masonmi. I only use Twitter for education, science, and technology news and to keep in touch with other Middletown teachers, so if you're looking for some people to follow check out  who I'm following.

www.godaddy.com

• If you have a blog or website with a difficult to remember name, buying a domain name makes it easier to remember. “.com” names cost $13 a year. I pay .89 cents for “.info”. There are cheaper sites out there than Go Daddy, but they're the biggest domain name provider and one of the easiest to use.

Using Google Docs with Blogger

• Most of the documents I create were originally done in Microsoft Word. The easiest way to get them to appear on my blog is to upload them to GoogleDocs. Unfortunately, if the document has pictures, different sized margins, or specifically designed spaces/blank lines like on a worksheet, the conversion never comes out looking right. I use www.cutepdf.com (free download) to convert the files from Word to .pdf. A .pdf can't be edited anymore, but the document comes out looking better than Word-to-Google converted files.
• For files I didn't create myself, (since I don't own a scanner) I use the iPhone app "TurboScan" which takes a picture of the document, determines the edges of the paper, and then e-mails the file (.pdf) to my e-mail address. I upload this to GoogleDocs and link it to my blog.

http://statcounter.com/

• Need to know who's viewing your blog? Set up a free account on stat counter and it will give you a few lines of HTML to discreetly insert. Stat counter will count page views, report search engine results, and provide data on the IP addresses that frequent your page (I have a strong following in the U.K and Spain for some reason).

http://www.google.com/cse/ Google Custom Search Engine

• My students periodically do searches for science current events. I got tired of getting handed articles from Wikipedia, so in five minutes I was able to use Google Custom Search Engine to develop a search tool that only searches the sites I wanted my students to go to for their current events. Google then provides you with the HTML code you can insert into your blog so students can use it in lieu of going to google.com.

Adding Blog Authors

• For the very bold, you can get your students blogging. I just started this myself with my classes, with about 5-6 kids sharing a blog. We haven't even made our first academic posts yet, we just reviewed the rules we will be following as bloggers and created our blogs (instructions for students can be found here). Another teacher at Thorne has been using a much easier to manage system, her blog is private so only her students can read and comment on it. She poses a question in her posts, her students comment their responses. What makes her system really work well is that she keeps the comments moderated which means that if she posts a question on Monday in class, the students must all post their response for homework that night, but without the ability to see what everyone else has written. This prevents students from copying the comments of the first few posters. (To turn on comment moderation go to: "Settings", "Posts and Comments", under "Who can Comment" select "Registered Users")

Thanks for sitting through my Blogger in-service training everybody! If you found something cool or you just want to say hi, leave me a comment right under this post!

Bring your own device permission slip

Many students have asked me for a copy of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) permission slip that is available from the main office. It can be found here.

If they have parental permission, students may bring in laptops/tablets/internet accessible devices. Once the permission slip is signed, our school's technology specialist will set up the device so that it can access Thorne's wireless network. It is each teacher's own discretion as to when a device can and cannot be used.

iPad geology

IPAD Guidelines

Each student in the class will receive a number from 1-30. You are responsible for that numbered ipad.

• Absolutely no food or drink should be around/near IPADS

• All IPADS should remain stationary. They don’t move around the room, you do. When getting your ipad and returning it, two hands on it at all times.

• If there is an issue with an IPAD, tell me immediately

• At the end of the class period, the teacher plugs them in and place them back into appropriate numbered slot. You will be called up one at a time.

• If by any chance at the end of class there is an IPAD missing contact Administration immediately and DO NOT LET THAT CLASS LEAVE. At this point we may also ask for your “sign out log” (whatever way you keep track of students leaving your room during the class period.

The Assignment sheet can be found here.

1. Click the encyclopedia Britannia app. Type in geology and select one of the many different kinds of geology. In your own words, define one of them.

2. Launch app “science 360” from the Science folder. Double tap the screen and select tags. From the list select geology. Watch the video.

What is a core sample? What information can scientists get from a sample?

3. Click on Safari (the internet browser) and go to http://geology.com/usgs/geothermal-heat-pumps/
what is geothermal energy? What are some of the pros and cons of geothermal?

4. Click on Safari (the internet browser) and go to Khan Academy. What causes earthquakes in areas that aren't on a fault line?

5. Launch YouTube app or go to youtube.com and find the video, “Geologic journey largest tear”
What caused the largest rift in Africa?

6. Launch the brainpop ap (found in the "brain teasers" folder). Search for the video on "Mars".
Why is Mars red?

7. Why might a geologist study mars?

8. What do you like or not like about using the iPads?

9. Would you rather use a computer to research or the iPads?

10. Do you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPad touch? What science apps have you used that you could recommend?

High School North Course Selection

The required subjects for 9th grade at High School North are: Math, Science, Social Studies, PE/Health, and English.

You will have a seven period day, so students choose two electives, either a world language, a fine/visual/performing art, or career education/life skill course.

For students who are considering college, three years of a foreign language are recommended, but this requirement does not need to begin in 9th grade. All students are required to complete one year of a foreign language.

The yellow course selection is due January 27th and the white parental consent form is due to Mrs. McQuillan by February 3rd.

Jeopardy Templates

Some students have asked if they can turn their jeopardy games into online versions. Google Doc templates can be found here. or here

A version that does not require powerpoint or google docs can be found here. Email it to me when you finish.

Geology Test

There will be a test on the geology unit on January 25th-26th. The study guide can be found here.

Pangaea and shifting continents

1.) (completed together)The plate tectonic review website is here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/

2.) The gizmo can be completed at www.explorelearning.com. Use the password provided in class.

3.) Using my current event search bar on the right hand side of this page, type in either "plate tectonics" or "Pangaea". On the back of your packet (or another sheet of paper), answer the following questions:

• Author's name, Article Title, Website name.
• In paragraph one, summarize the article in your own words.
• In paragraph two, why is this article important/interesting/relate to what we are studying?

When you finish....

check out Brain pop's video on plate tectonics:

http://www.brainpop.com/science/earthsystem/platetectonics/

or the earthquake maker:

http://tlc.discovery.com/convergence/quakes/interactives/makeaquake.html

or the volcano maker:

http://www.channelone.com/news/specials/disaster/swf_volcano/

Journey to the Center of the Earth stories

The notes from class can be found here.

Your assignment instructions can be found here.

Remember, your story can get very creative but it must include the definitions or descriptions of the five layers. You are graded primarily on the accuracy of the information.

Additional information from Exelon

Oyster Creek's Site Communicator, Suzanne D'Ambrosio heard we were writing research papers about Oyster Creek and she has answered some of your most asked questions!

What are Exelon’s plans for the future of Oyster Creek?

Exelon announced at the end of 2010 that it would be retiring Oyster Creek in 2019. Until that time, the plant will continue to operate safely and reliably, generating enough electricity to power 600,000 residences.

How is Exelon involved with local environmental efforts?

Exelon is very much involved with community environmental efforts. I’ve attached a fact sheet about Oyster Creek and the environment, but here’s just some of what we’ve done to partner with the community on environmental efforts…

• Each year we sponsor “Coast Day NJ”, held by the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium.

• This summer, as we have done for a number of years, our employees volunteered their time and talents to support a fishing seminar for underprivileged kids, sponsored by the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education.

• Donated $10,000 to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center that’s goal is to rehabilitate stranded

whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles for release back to the environment.

• Donated $1,000 to ReClam the Bay, an organization dedicated to providing education and

awareness about the environmental benefit of shellfish filtering, feeding and cleaning our estuary.

• Donated $80,000 to the “Sport Fish Fund,” a not-for-profit organization that administers the

reef-building fund. The donation was used to construct a 46-acre patch reef within the Barnegat

Light Reef, located 3.5 nautical miles offshore of Barnegat Lighthouse. The NJ Department of

Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife oversees the Artificial Reef Program.

• Purchased a boat for the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service Clam Restoration Project. The

project team is working to re-establish clam beds in the Barnegat Bay. The project team will use

this boat to more effectively implement this and other important bay environmental projects

into the future.

• Donated a research boat to the Ocean County Vocational Technical School Marine Academy of

Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) and financial support of the MATES terrapin

research programs and curriculum development.

How much money does the plant make per day? Great question! Tough for me to even answer. But, I’ve attached an overall Oyster Creek fact sheet. It doesn’t talk about daily profit, but it does have a few money statistics that may help a bit.

If you are using these facts in your paper, on the works cited page set it up like this:

D'Ambrosio, Suzanne. "Oyster creek Project" Post to www.mrmason.info. 19 Dec. 2011

How do we do the right thing with the oyster creek nuclear power plant?

Your papers are due before we leave for Winter Break. December 16th and 19th are the last days we have in class to work on them. When you think you have finished, review the steps and fill out your checklist, and then hand it in.

When you finish, you can either edit someone else's paper (have them share it with you) or go to my science links page and go through those pages or earn some extra credit by posting your own.

An explanation of the research paper can be found here.

A copy of your background information notes on Oyster Creek is here.

Exelon's Website

The current event articles from class

The Article, Quake Leaves Destruction, Fear

Some of the articles on what nuclear power is can be found at
http://tiki.oneworld.net/energy/energy7.html
or http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

The current event article on the Japanese Nuclear Power disaster is here.

How hot the bay is and how much the cooling towers cost

A sample works cited page is here.