Welcome Back!!!

We are half way through the school year, can you believe it??? We are now beginning a new unit on Earth's interior layers. The key concepts for this unit are: Earth's layers are ordered according to their density, how particles are sorted by size AND density and basics of plate tectonics.

Students will be required to do an Earth model project at home worth 50 test points (students will bring home a rubric), bring in a "dirt bottle" to show layering (instructions follow) and a tennis ball for an activity.

Due dates for these things:
1/11 Dirt Bottle
1/14 Tennis Ball
1/18 Earth Model due
1/19 Earth Test

Class Schedule (please note that topics are subject to change)
1/3 No School
1/4 Begin Earth's interior- Red book read pages 96-102; Earth's layers notes, begin DR if time
1/5 finish notes and DR; Inside the Restless earth, work on DR
1/6 Restless Crust pg 104-107, Plate Tectonics, DR
1/7 BN Earth's Crust; Begin class activity for Earth's interior.

1/10 Finish Class Activity; Forces that Shape the Earth ***** Dirt Bottle Due tomorrow
1/11 Dirt bottle due; Sort it Out notes; Prep Earth's Density Lab
1/12 Earth's Density Lab; **** Tennis balls due Friday!!!
1/13 Theory of Plate Tectonics pg 108-111; DR; begin tennis ball activity
1/14 Finish tennis balls; There is no place like Earth

1/17 No school!!!
1/18 Earth model due; review for test
1/19 Earth Test
1/20-21 Reteach/ Enrich
Students who do not pass the cells test will be relearning the information and retaking the test on 1/20 & 1/21. Those who pass the first time will get to do some fun science enrichment stuff to celebrate their achievement on those two days!!!

Instructions for dirt bottle: get a empty drink bottle (water bottle or soda bottle) with a screw-on lid. Fill approximately 1/2 the way full with dirt and small rocks. The bigger the variation, the better this activity works. Fill approximately 3/4 full of water and tightly screw cap on. Bring to class to observe what happens.