Mr. Mason's class

Bring your own device permission slip

2012-01-31T12:37:00.004-05:00

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

2012-01-30T15:13:00.004-05:00

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

2012-01-24T08:37:00.004-05:00

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

2012-01-18T09:48:00.005-05:00

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

2012-01-17T12:51:00.001-05:00

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

Pangaea and shifting continents

2012-01-09T09:27:00.006-05:00

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

2012-01-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

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

2011-12-19T11:00:00.005-05:00

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?

2011-12-15T07:28:00.007-05:00

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.

The Stars Challenge

2011-12-08T12:19:00.003-05:00

Winter 2012 Courses at Monmouth University

January 2012 – March 2012

Stars challenge is an enrichment program designed for students who excel in science and are looking for a rewarding challenge. More information can be found here.

Click here for a brochure on the Winter 2012 courses and here for a video that describes the program. These courses are taught at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

7^th and 8^th Grade: Explore, Imagine and Build by Mr. John Valente.

8^th Grades: Explore the Universe! by Mr. Marc Coe.

Key Dates

o December 22, 2011: Application deadline. Applications.

o December 30, 2011: Notification of acceptance by email.

o January 4, 2012: Tuition due.

o Week of January 9, 2012: Classes start.

Elf Day- December 1st

2011-11-15T10:16:00.004-05:00

Elf Day, the day where 8th graders dress up like elves and decorate the school for the holiday season is almost upon us! On December 1st come dressed in holiday or elven attire and during science or social studies we will prepare the school! More information can be found here.

Current Event Acids and Bases (Nov 9th-14th)

2011-11-09T08:14:00.003-05:00

Current Event in Chemistry sheet

For the current event, use the Google search engine on the right side of this page, it is designed just for science current events. Use any of the terms from our word wall to find a a current event:

Also from today's class:

Acid and Bases notes

Class activity, measuring acids and bases

Balancing Equation Gizmo (Nov 4-7)

2011-11-03T15:32:00.006-04:00

Today you will be using the "Gizmos" from www.explorelearning.com in order to balance equations.

Login to the Gizmo's here. Use the username and password that was given to your group in class. If you don't know your username and password, try one of these:

USERNAME: | PASSWORD

ThorneS169 | lake473

ThorneS891 | map387

ThorneS146 | cat155

The worksheet can be found here.

The notes for today can be found here.

Student Created Chemistry Book (Oct 31-Nov 3)

2011-10-28T15:27:00.004-04:00

The instruction sheets for both pages of the Student Created Chemistry Book project can be found here. You are only responsible for one page and one topic, but your group will be covering all of the information and creating an entire book.

Balancing Chemical Equations (10/27-10/28)

2011-10-26T16:49:00.005-04:00

I know Balancing Chemical Equations are tough, so here are some things to help you out.

Practice balancing equations

The notes from class on balancing equations

The sheet we completed in class

The homework sheet (with additional help!)

The song we listened to that explains how to balance an equation.

A video explanation of how to balance equations

A website explanation of how to balance equations

Homework for 10/25, 10/26

2011-10-24T16:15:00.001-04:00

Protons Neutrons and Electrons homework sheet

Electron Dot Diagram classwork

The notes to help you from today

Homework for 10/19, 10/24

2011-10-18T15:30:00.004-04:00

Read the article and complete the illustrations on the back.

Physical and Chemical Change Homework

Homework for Oct 14/17

2011-10-14T09:44:00.003-04:00

Finish your Google Presentations that we started in class.
Complete your element review sheet by viewing other student's work.

Period 1-2B- finish your Glogsters.

Tie Dye: Oct 20-21, Wear pink: Oct 27th

2011-10-13T10:29:00.006-04:00

All science classes will be tie-dying shirts pink on October 20th-21st.

Students will need a white tee-shirt before then. Even if they can’t bring in a white shirt, a light colored shirt will do. If it has a minor amount of writing or a small picture on it, it will be OK because we can turn the shirt inside out.

After we dye the shirts, they will go into bags. Students need to take the shirts home and lay them out to dry. After they are dry they have to go into the washer and dryer.

Students are encouraged to wear them the following Thursday.

On Thursday, October 27, 2011, students and staff will be wearing pink (or a color close to it).
We will be joining with Harmony Elementary School to “Turn Murphy Road Pink”. The day before, pink ribbons will line the street from Harmony to Thorne. During the day, the schools will go out to Murphy Road. Half of the road will be shut down by the police to insure the safety of students and staff. At a designated time, an air horn will go off to have a moment of silence to honor those who lost their battle with any cancer, to support those going through treatments now, to celebrate those who are survivors and to be there for those who have yet to be diagnosed.

the Periodic Presentations of the Elements

2011-10-10T14:44:00.024-04:00

Task: To create a Google presentation (an online version of PowerPoint) for an element found on the periodic table. The instruction sheet can be found here.
Websites:

Google Middletown use this site to login
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/index.html interactive Periodic Table
http://www.chemicool.com/ another periodic table with info
http://education.jlab.org/qa/discover_ele.html scientists who discovered elements
http://www.rsc.org/Chemsoc/VisualElements/pages/pertable_fla.htm real world uses

Directions:

Your Presentation should explain the following in a creative way:
· Your first name, last initial, and class period (no last names!)
· Element name
· Atomic number
· Atomic Symbol
· Chemical state at room temperature (solid, liquid, or gas)
· Who discovered it and when
· Characteristics (color, odor, etc.)
· Uses in the real world
· Interesting facts
· relevant songs, Youtube videos, and pictures

Grading:
Was your research valid and appropriate for 8th grade? 20 points
Is your Glogster visually appealing and professional? 10 points
Does your entire project display effort? 10 points
Was your class time used efficiently? 10 points
How to use google presentations:
Login to Google through the link on mrmason.info. Use the same username and password that you use to login to a school computer.
Select Docs.
Press Create. Select Presentation.
You can also add text, video, pictures, etc by using the menu at the top, just like Google docs.

How to share your work on MrMason.info
From Google Docs, Click “Share” in the upper right hand corner.
· Next to “Private - Only the people listed below can access” click “change”
· Select “Public on the Web” and press “save” or “done”
· Copy the “link to share”. You will need this later.
· From MrMason.info, Click "comments" below the assignment.
· In the big comment box, enter the link you copied before, your first name, and last initial.
Some people may have to press "Post Comment" two or three times before it to shows up on my blog. Double check to make sure it posts.

Meteors, Comets, Asteroids (10/10-10/11)

2011-10-10T09:55:00.004-04:00

Here are the notes on Meteors, Comets, Asteroids

Here is the homework current event article and questions.

Homework for October 7th

2011-10-07T14:22:00.003-04:00

A day students only:

Complete the planet jumping calculations and wolframalpha.com research you started in class. If you need extra copies:

Page 11. How high can you jump on other planets?

Page 12. WolframAlpha.com planet comparision research

B day and A day students: Open Note Quiz on Monday and Tuesday. The study guide can be found here

Open Note Quiz: Monday/Tuesday October 10th, 11th

2011-10-03T15:53:00.004-04:00

We will be having our second quiz on forces and motion on October 10th-11th. See me before the quiz if you need any information or would like some extra help. The study guide can be found here and is also available in my room.

Paper Airplane Links

2011-09-30T10:19:00.011-04:00

Think you can build the best paper airplane in the class? On Wednesday and Thursday (10/5 and 10/6) we're going to find out! Here are some websites and information to get you started.

Design Rules:
-Students use only regular 8-1/2" x 11" paper.
-No tape, clips, or stables can be used.-No cuts are allowed in the design of the airplane; paper must remain intact.
-You can practice your design at home, but your plane must be constructed in class.
If you come up with a cool design that doesn't meet the rules, you can still bring it in to show us, it just can't compete.

-Instructions for the basic paper airplane design can be found here. Can you make it better? http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/projects/flyer.html

-Many unique ideas, some of which can't be used for our competition can be found here.http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.php

-The world record holder for paper airplane flight (27.6 seconds) has some tips for you at http://www.paperplane.org/

-What makes a paper airplane fly? http://teacher.scholastic.com/paperairplane/airplane.htm

-The DC-3 of paper airplanes is considered by many to be the best design:

Physics Spaghetti Tower Planning

2011-09-22T15:13:00.006-04:00

On Monday and Tuesday (Sept 26, 27th) we will be building our towers. I will supply the materials however in order to participate, you must complete the research and planning. The articles and homework that were handed in class can be found here.

Vocational High School Information

2011-09-21T10:21:00.003-04:00

The website, http://www.mcvsd.org/infosessions/ includes important information and the dates on the information sessions for the career vocational high schools (MAST, Biotechnology High School, Academy of Allied Health & Science, Communications High School, and High Technology High School).

Parents must attend an info session to get application and can only apply to one school.

If you have any questions, please contact the guidance office for more information.

Back to School Night letter to parents

2011-09-20T14:51:00.003-04:00

For any parents who were unable to attend back to school night, here is a copy of the letter I handed out.

Forces and Motion Quiz 1

2011-09-13T09:19:00.003-04:00

We will be having an open note quiz on Friday, Sept. 16th ("A" day) and Monday, Sept. 19th ("B" day). The study guide can be found here.

If you would like to come in for extra help, see myself or Mrs. Mustachio before school, at lunchtime, or after school before the test not after.

Cool Physics Links

2011-09-10T13:02:00.008-04:00

-The Rube Goldberg machine built for the band OK Go
-An explanation and map of Ok Go's Rube Goldberg machine
-The Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote clips we watched in class
-The band, "They Might Be Giants" sings about Speed and Velocity.

-The car commercial Rube Goldberg machine
-The Physics of the Winter Olympics (video clips)

-The planet gravity simulator

--Instructions for the basic paper airplane design

-Many unique ideas for paper airplanes

-The world record holder for paper airplane flight (27.6 seconds)

-What makes a paper airplane fly?

Have you found any cool physics games or videos? Post them in the comment section below!
(No last names please, only first name, last initial and period number)

How did Kepler and Newton march to the beat of a different drummer?

2011-09-08T12:58:00.002-04:00

The Kepler and Newton biographies (Thursday and Friday's Homework) can be found here.

The instruction sheet for the assignment on Monday/Tuesday Sept 12-13 can be found here.

Paste your work into the comment section below.

Student Binder Table of Contents

2011-09-02T12:55:00.046-04:00

As of the end of the December, you may clean out your work and project section. Your notes section should remain intact.

Notes Section:

Page 1. Physics vocabulary terms (Acceleration, Force, etc.)
Page 2. Wile E. Coyote cliff physics
Page 3. Friction and Force notes
Page 4. Flight notes
Page 5. Mass and Gravity summary (basic concepts sheet)

Page 6. Meteor, Asteroid, Comet notes

Page 7 Periodic Table of Elements

Page 8 Physical and Chemical Changes
Page 9 Electrons and bonds notes
Page 10 Balancing equations

Page 11 Types of Chemical Reactions

Page 12 Acid and Bases notes

Page 13 Endothermic and Exothermic definitions

Page 14 Nuclear power notes

Page 15 Oyster Creek notes

--------------------------------

Page 16. Layers of the Earth

Page 17. Causes of tectonic plate motion

Page 18. Rock Layers

Page 19. Rock cycle

Page 20. Crayon Rock Cycle

Page 21. Weathering

Page 22. Student Presentations on Types of Weathering

Work Section:
Page 1. Pangaea and Plate Tectonics packet

Page 2. Book questions

Page 3. Ipad Geology

Project Section

Journey to the center of the Earth stories

Weathering Mini Lessons

Welcome to Mr. Mason's 8th grade Science Blog!

2009-08-24T14:19:00.003-04:00

This is the website I will be using to post information about what's going on in our class. While not every homework assignment will be posted here, it will include information about our projects, tests, and additional information.

For starters, check out the section on the right called Science Current Event Links. Use these links to help you find an article and complete our current events sheet.

Your presentation will be September 14th/15th. You are allowed the use of one note card and a visual aid.