How does a candle provide fuel for combustion?

Wow! There has been an amazing flurry of activity on the inquiry projects. Thanks and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Today, you will get the last assessment returned and plot your current level of understanding. What do you need to do to learn content?

In general, everyone seems to have a solid understanding of the structure of an atom and how the protons, neutrons and electrons help make this structure. Today, we will begin with experimentation to think about how compounds can react together.

Content Objectives:

1. Design systems to determine the fuel of a candle.

Language Objectives

1. Explain the process of experimentation.

November Process Words

• Adapt (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Verify (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Establish (7, 8th grade)
• Relate (7, 8th grade)
• Assess (8th grade)
• Clarify (8th grade)

Upcoming Schedule:

• Wednesday, 11/28 - Intro / begin experimenting
• Friday, 11/30 - Experiment
• Tuesday, 12/4 - Finish up all experimentation & poster. Submit poster (1 / group)

Hand-out

What are safety concerns of this experiment?

Finishing Assessments, Reflecting and Inquiry

Welcome back to AST! I hope that everyone had a restful break as we head into the last month of this semester. Last Tuesday, you started an assessment in class. This assessment was collected and you were told that it would be returned today. What have you done in the last (almost) week to prepare?

Today, we will finish the assessment. After completing the assessment, please come to the four tables at the front of the class. You should bring only your paper. Please mark your assessment. This will give you immediate feedback. Once you are finished using the highlighters to mark your assessment, turn it in and pick-up the reflection paper.

When finished, take time to reflect on your inquiry project based upon the criteria and your current progress level. Friday, December 14 is the next field day.

Inquiry Day!

Progress Reports were sent out today. Please look these over during the weekend. 

On Tuesday, your element project is due. There will also be an assessment regarding elements.

Today is an inquiry field day! The weather is beautiful so please enjoy your time outside as you collect data. Several groups have a need to conference with me so I will make myself available while groups are collecting data.

The personal due date of each person in this class for resubmission of Inquiry Project materials has passed. However, I have not received many updated projects. Where is yours?

Continued focus on group work: How does your group function?

• Does each group member have a job at all times?
• Are tasks divided up?
• Does your group have a priority list? Think of the tasks and make sure that there is a plan to get these tasks completed.

This month's ESLR is to be an Effective Communicator. How can you best communicate in your group? How are you communicated about your project to the AST community?

Due today!

• Collect data according to your procedure.
• Bulletin Board - What data have you collected for your question?
• By the end of class today, please make sure that your space on the bulletin board has been updated with a graph(s) that show your data. (What type of graph has your group chosen to use? Is it appropriate?)

Due date: Tuesday, November 13

• Reporting of Data Collected:
• Web Page: 
• Upload the data collected today to your web page.
• Write up of the data collection experience. 

Are you taking photographs as you work? These will be helpful at the end of your project!

Groups:

	Dr. Leaf
	Dust How does the quality of air change through out the year?
	JArs of light science
	Soiltologists
	The Owl Observers How Does The Water In The Pond Changes Throughout The Year
	The Pond
	The Raindrops How does the PH in rainwater change through out the year?

Atomic Concept Mapping

Friday is an Inquiry Field Day! Please be ready to collect data.

Today, our goal is to summarize concepts about the atom and its relationship with its particles, elements and matter.

Content Objectives:

1. Review parts and relationships of the atom.

Language Objectives

1. Create links between key vocabulary terms.

November Process Words

• Adapt (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Verify (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Establish (7, 8th grade)
• Relate (7, 8th grade)
• Assess (8th grade)
• Clarify (8th grade)

Upcoming Schedule:

• Friday (11/16) Inquiry Field Day
• Tuesday (11/20) Projects (model + sign) due / Assessment regarding atomic structure

Task: Create a concept map that shows your understanding of the parts of an atom and and the relationship between elements. What are parts of the map?

• The key questions below are answered
• The vocabulary terms below are included and explained
• Diagrams are used to improve explanations.
• Connections between as many ideas as possible are created.

Groupings: Your partner in this exercise will be the person whose element has the same number of valence electrons as your element. (One group will get halved and one will end up being a 3-person group instead of pairs.)

Key questions to have answered in your concept map:

1. How are matter and atoms related?
2. What is the relationship between atoms and elements?
3. What is the structure of the atom?
4. What are differences from one atom to the next?
5. What is the relationship between atomic number and the number of protons.
6. What is the relationship between electrons and ions?
1. How do you make positive/negative ions?
2. What is a “neutral” atom?
7. What is the relationship between neutrons and isotopes?
8. Atomic Masses: How can the masses of protons, neutrons and electrons be compared?
9. How are models used to help us understand atomic structure? What are limitations of these models? (***Last question***)

Vocabulary

• New Vocabulary Word - Valence Electrons: these are the electrons that are located in the outermost energy shell of an atom
• Proton
• Neutron
• Nucleus
• Electron
• Electron Cloud
• Electron Orbit Level
• Atomic Number
• Atomic Mass Number
• Isotope
• Ion (positive / negative)
• Element
• Symbol
• Molecule

Atomic Structure: Elements

I hope you had a good weekend! Can you believe this is the last full week before Thanksgiving? Last class, everyone did a great job working through the simulation and I appreciate the feedback and questions. I hope that today will answer some of those questions.

Content Objectives:

1. Identify the different parts of an atom.
2. Determine the atomic number, atomic mass, and the number of protons, neutrons and electrons for each atom.
3. Realize that electrons are not static, but always moving.
4. Know the relationship between the number of electrons to the type of atom.
5. Differentiate between ions and isotopes.

Language Objectives

1. Communicate with each other in English to describe atoms and relationships between protons, neutrons and electrons.
2. Analyze a reading that contains key concepts and vocabulary for this unit.

November Process Words

• Adapt (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Verify (6, 7, 8th grade)
• Establish (7, 8th grade)
• Relate (7, 8th grade)
• Assess (8th grade)
• Clarify (8th grade)

Upcoming Schedule:

• Wednesday (11/14) Concept mapping of key vocabulary terms
• Friday (11/16) Inquiry Field Day
• Tuesday (11/20) Projects (model + sign) due / Assessment regarding atomic structure

Today's Activities

1. The room is set-up quite differently today. Take a moment to sketch the arrangement of desks and chairs. What patterns can you identify?

2. How can the setup of the room be used to model an atom?
3. 2. Getting to know your element.

4. Build Atoms - what patterns do you notice as we move from element to element?

For next class:
Please complete the reading and writing.

Atomic Structure & Elements

Today's Learning Objectives:

1. Draw models that show atoms or ions.
2. Use information about the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons to

1. Identify an element and its position on the periodic table
2. Draw models of atoms
3. Determine if the model is for an atom or an ion.

3. Predict how changing the number protons, neutrons, or electrons will change the element, the charge, and the mass of an atom or ion.

Upcoming Schedule:

• Today (11/8) Build atoms, research element and begin project
• Monday (11/12) Continue discussing atomic structure
• Bring in completed research page
• Wednesday (11/14) Concept mapping of key vocabulary terms
• Friday (11/16) Inquiry Field Day
• Tuesday (11/20) Projects (model + sign) due / Assessment regarding atomic structure

Today's Activities
In the Satellite Lab, you will begin by completing a simulation. The directions are listed below the simulation. After completing the simulation, please see me for the next step. You are in charge of bring an element into this classroom. You will bring in both a sign to help create our mini-periodic table and a model to show the structure of an atom.

Click to Run

Activity Directions


Periodic Table Resources
Several locations that have interactive periodic tables.

• Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Web Elements
• Chemical Digital Library

Want to see which elements pop up in comic books? Comic Book Periodic Table
Short videos on the elements Periodic Table of Videos

Building an Atomic Model

• Stuck on how to get started building a model of your atom? Check out this page.

Student-initiated Assessment Sign-Up

Please complete this form to schedule an assessment. As you go through the form, it is important to read the "help text" below each question. The "help text" shows up in grey and provides more information about the question.

If you have any suggestions on how to improve the form, please let me know. Thanks!

Student-initiated Assessment Sign-Up

States of Matter + Veritasium

Demo: What happens if a water balloon is placed on an Erlenmeyer flask with boiling water?

• Prediction
• Observation
• Explanation

Moving to the elements:

Elements organized

What do we already know about atoms and elements?

What do we want to learn about atoms and elements?

For next class, please read in the Chemical Interactions book pages 9-13.

Watch a Water Droplet Bounce

Reposted from OpenCulture.com

Which wise sage said “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t slow down and look around, you might miss it”? I can’t quite recall. It doesn’t matter. But the Phantom v7.3 Digital High Speed Camera suggests that there’s something to that adage. The camera shoots up to 6688 frames-per-second, and lets you look at everyday phenomena in an entirely different way. We’ve shown you pretty cool footage of what a vibrating cymbal looks like while captured in super slow mo. Now we give you a glimpse of something you don’t see very often — water bouncing.

via @Wired

Inquiry Day!

Progress Reports were sent out today. Please look these over during the weekend. On Tuesday, we will discuss the last assessment.

Today is an inquiry field day! The weather is beautiful so please enjoy your time outside as you collect data. Several groups have a need to conference with me so I will make myself available while groups are collecting data.

***Each student in the class set personal due dates to update sections of your background report, variables, hypothesis, etc. Where are you in this process?

Key question for today: How does your group function?

• Does each group member have a job at all times?
• Are tasks divided up?
• Does your group have a priority list? Think of the tasks and make sure that there is a plan to get these tasks completed.

Due today!

• Collect data according to your procedure.
• Bulletin Board - What data have you collected for your question?
• By the end of class today, please make sure that your space on the bulletin board has been updated with a graph(s) that show your data. (What type of graph has your group chosen to use? Is it appropriate?)

Due date: Tuesday, November 6

• Reporting of Data Collected:
• Web Page: 
• Upload the data collected today to your web page.
• Write up of the data collection experience. 

Are you taking photographs as you work? These will be helpful at the end of your project!