Thermal Energy Experiment

In this project each student will design and carry out her or his own experiment with following goal in mind:

Plan an investigation to learn about the relationships between energy moving from one place to another, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in average kinetic energy of the particles. Average kinetic energy should be measured by temperature in Celsius. (NGSS MS-PS3-4)

Project guides and resources (all shared on Classroom for students):

Lab Report Template
Lab Report Example - Mixing Colors Experiment
Experiment Assessment Rubric - Five Areas of Feedback Graded on a 1-7 Scale (Marked in Veracross)

SIMULATION: Sold, Liquid, Gas

Click to Run

After clicking above, you may need to Open your Mac's "Security & Privacy" settings and "Open anyway." (See screenshots below)  You also might need to download Java.

Unit 3: Messin' More With Matter - Physical Changes

Unit Information:
Unit 3 Goals & Resources
Unit 3 Vocabulary Help (Quizlet Set)

Shape shifting into multiple forms, growing in size in the cold, dissolving many things on the planet just by touching it, and defying the pull of gravity.

It has been the source of transportation for centuries, and wars have started over it; yet, you can find it in your house and it even makes up most of you.

The substance is known by some as H₂O, but most people just call it---water.

Water is pretty amazing stuff!  Did you know it's one of the only substances that is less dense in its solid state than it is in its liquid state?   This video explains this in depth:

Our next unit is about the changes that happen to matter when thermal energy is added or taken away.  Often we will use water as an example because it is the only substance on Earth that naturally occurs in a solid, liquid, and gas state.

Who would have thought that something so ordinary was so unique!?!

Unit 2: What's the Matter?

Unit Information:
Unit 2 Goals & Resources
Unit 2 Vocabulary Help

Why is it so important to understand the very, very small things in our world?

In the book Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History the author explains how Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor, was not able to move his army any further against the Russian army because of something very small---a button.  As the story goes: Napoleon's army had coats with buttons made from a metal called tin.  One of the properties of tin is that it breaks down when it becomes cold.

Napoleon and his Grande Armée, Retreating from Moscow

The author explains that during the cold Russian winter, the buttons on the French soldier's coats broke, opening them up to the cold.  Besides causing sickness, fighting without buttons might be difficult.

Tin button

We do know for sure that during the winter of 1812 the French Grande Army lost thousands of men and were forced to retreat.  From this point, France was never able to realize its vision of ruling over a huge empire and Russia would continue to remain free of foreign rule.
In this example of Napoleon's Army we can see that the understanding the properties of something as simple as the atoms in tin can make a huge difference in history.

Chemistry is the study of chemical elements (like tin, gold, helium, uranium, oxygen, etc.) and compounds (like water, sugar, carbon dioxide) and how matter like this changes.

One of the goals of this unit is to explore what matter is.  You will be given a chance in this unit to understand how our world works by analyzing the very small.

If the answers to many problems in our world are found in the very small, who knows where research and understanding atoms and molecules could eventually lead us?

Unit 1: Science is...

Unit Information
Unit 1 Goals and Resources [what is this?]
Unit 1 Vocabulary [what is this?]

Neil deGrasse Tyson, a famous astrophysicist, says we have been scientists since birth; and that science is in our DNA. But WHAT EXACTLY does it mean to be a scientist? What's more, WHAT IS SCIENCE? We will explore these two main ideas in this short introductory unit to Science 6 at AISB!

Powerful Ways to Hook Your Audience

Check out Ms. Birzu's ideas for powerful ways to hook your audience. Consider using one in your presentation.

Role-Play

Perform a short skit.

Ask a few rhetorical questions

"How do you explain that this school pays a lot of money on energy bills? Have you ever thought of how much  energy is wasted in schools all over the world every year? Given how fast we run out of non-renewable resources, don’t we all deserve to save money instead of paying too much on electricity?”

Start with shocking data/statistics

“50.2% percentage of energy is wasted by the US economy every year”

Use the word “imagine”

“Please close your eyes and imagine you are walking the hallways. You are noticing empty classrooms. You’re also noticing lights that are turned on. Lots of lights. Imagine you could get involved. Now open your eyes. What about switching from using light bulbs to sensors?

Arouse curiosity

“I need to make a confession. My parents often do something at home that they are not proud of, something that in many ways I wish I will never do as an adult, but I feel I have to reveal that with you here. Several times every day, my parents leave the lights on in rooms where they don’t stay for long periods of time. And, yes, I’ve noticed teachers do the same in our school.”

Take the audience through a "what if" scenario.

“What if at the end of the month you will have more money left in your school account after paying the electricity bill? What if you could actually use that money to invest in teaching materials or...books for the library instead?”

Tell a story

“Linda is a 10-year old girl living in a poor village in Colombia. She lives with her parents and her 7 elder brothers. Linda tries hard to do her school work at home. However, it is not easy for her to work on it when parents decide to turn off the lights in the house to save energy. They can’t afford to pay the monthly bills. They use energy for 2 hours only. Two hours a day. Two hours every day. …….”

Presenting Data in Your Presentation

We've learned this year that adding data in the form of a chart can make a big impact on your audience.  To make that impact even stronger consider the way you describe a chart.

Our language expert, Ms. Birzu, has some great tips to help you explain data in your presentation.

Explaining a bar graph/chart/pie chart

INTRODUCTION:

This …(pie chart/bar graph etc.).... indicates/shows ….(how much/how long/how often/how many etc -use words from the chart titles)... .

FINDINGS:

You can see that …( ex: a larger proportion of teachers leave lights on../lights are on in 6th grades classrooms most of the time/most 6th graders recycle bins for plastic and paper/most hand towels are EQUALLY used to dry hands and other purposes etc .etc.).....

In contrast, ….( (here you COMPARE  the small percentages; ex: a small number of teachers turn lights off.../ less lights are turned off, which is a percentage of only 20.8%).. , whereas …(here you talk about the smallest number/percentage; ex: only 17% represent …).

However, …(here you talk about contrasting numbers/percentages)...

CONCLUSION:

As you can see, …(say a conclusion about what the survey/bar graph shows).

Overall, we can see that….(conclude by saying the purpose of your project; ex:  our school can save a lot of money if we instal sensors, etc.).

HELPFUL WORDS for describing graphs

• UP – Verbs rise, increase, grow, go up, improve, jump, surge, shoot up , soar, rocket
• UP – Nouns a rise, an increase, growth, an upward/rising/increasing trend, an improvement, a jump, a surge
• DOWN – Verbs fall, decrease, drop, decline, go down, slump, plummet
• DOWN – Nouns a fall, a decrease, a decline, a downward/falling/decreasing trend, a slump
• NO CHANGE – Verbs remain stable/constant, stay at the same level, stabilize
• FREQUENT CHANGE – Verb fluctuate
• FREQUENT CHANGE – Noun – fluctuation
• AT THE TOP – Verbs reach a peak, peak., reach its/their highest point
• AT THE BOTTOM – Verbs reach/hit a low (point), hit/reach its/their lowest point

TO SHOW CHANGE

Adjectives:

• dramatic, considerable, sharp, significant, moderate, slight, sudden, rapid, steady, gradual, slow

Adverbs:

• dramatically, considerably, sharply, significantly, moderately, slightly, suddenly, rapidly, steadily, gradually, slowly

Prepositions:

• a rise from HUF 725 to HUF 1100
• to increase by 2.1 %
• an increase of 2.1 % energy saving

Presentations: 3 Ways to Add Impact

Steve Jobs transformed the world of computing and mobile communications.  It is clear that Mr. Jobs had the ability to make a true impact on his audience.  Watch any Apple unveiling event, and you can see the art of presentation at its best.

Image: Cult of Mac

When giving a presentation you want to impact your audience with the most important information.  You worked hard to find this information.  Your goal is to get your audience to clearly understand and maybe even take action on some you are presenting.

But how can we add the more impact to our presentations?

There are many ways.  Here are 3 ideas that can transform a presentation into something that could have a lasting impact:

1. The Way You Look Impacts Your Audience: YOU are the most important feature of your presentation, not your slides.  What you wear should match the style of your presentation.  Keep a good energy with your audience and positive body language throughout the presentation.  Think of a Steve Jobs Apple presentation.  If you know and believe in your main idea, show it in how you present yourself in front of your audience.  



Image: humberlife.com

2. Images Carry More Impact Than Text:  Less is more. Visuals make it almost 7 times more likely that someone will remember your presentation.  Also, research shows people can't read your slides and listen closely at the same time.  Think of the main idea you are trying to present and allow your images, graphs or words on the screen to support this. 

   

   Image: PowToon

3. Stories Make Impact: Focus on the story you want to tell.  Find a clear beginning, middle, and end that builds to a conclusion.  Thinking of your presentation as a story is not only a great way to stay organized, but a great way to engage your audience.    

   

   Image: Wienot Films

PROJECT DETAILS: Sparking Change at AISB

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.

-Ferdinand Foch

A spark has great potential to make a change.  Your challenge in our last project of the year is to spark a change at our school...with an idea.  

This year we explored matter and energy in various ways.  In this project you are challenged identify and help to solve a problem by considering how our school uses energy.

The driving question for this project is:

How might we change actions, systems, or objects

in our school to reduce the amount of energy

that we consume in one year?

You will create a proposal of an idea related to this question that will be presented to a principal, school business director, school director, or school board member at our school.  Your finished project must include, but is not limited to:

1. A conceptual model of idea - This could be in the form of physical models, labeled diagrams or detailed drawings.
2. A written proposal to give to your audience on the day of the project.  Using your best persuasive writing and mathematical problem solving skills the group must complete a written proposal that:
   

   1. outlines the need for the solution
   2. explains the solution (should include models)
   3. outlines the costs and benefits of the solution showing essential mathematical models that prove the validity of your idea
3. Well-planned and rehearsed presentation 5-7 minutes in length that includes all group members in some way.

Groups Doc

Unit 7: Sparking Change at AISB

Unit Goals & Resources
Vocabulary

Pale Blue Dot.  It's a picture of your home.

Can you see your home in the photo below?
[Click forward arrow at the bottom for some help]

If the Voyager I Space probe was on Snapchat, it's the pic it would have sent you some years back.  Voyager I, NASA's camera mounted hunk of metal hurling through space took the photo just before exiting our solar system.  The photo was taken from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) from Earth.  Karl Sagan, a famous astronomer and author asked NASA to control the space probe to turn around and take the photo before leaving our system.  Hear his famous reflection of the picture in this video.

From all the billions of kilometers away we see our "Spacecraft Earth," the tiny planet with a built-in life support system that you were born into and that your children will more than likely call home.

In one way or another, the life support system on Spacecraft Earth provides the air you breathe, the food you eat, the water you drink.  It sustains temperatures and pressures that your body can handle.

Yet, each day we use the atmosphere as a landfill for our waste.  Factories, transportation, deforestation as well as our personal need to consume resources, all of these things are a danger to the life support system on planet Earth.

Scientists have been collecting data that shows a change in our planet's temperature, weather patterns,  and sea level.

In this next unit we will look at this data and ask the questions:

• How is the Earth's climate changing?
• How can we as global citizens limit our impact on the Earth to ensure the best home for future generations?

The main work of this unit will be designing our very own solutions that could lead to improving our school's impact on our home, our life-supporting spaceship---the Pale Blue Dot.

Special thanks to Mr. Farren for the links to Pale Blue Dot and Blue Man Group and also for the idea of "Spaceship Earth."

Newton's Law Project

Your task:

Work by yourself or with a partner to design an experiment to explore Newton’s 1st or 2nd Law.  You must identify independent and dependent variables and controls, what tools are needed to do the gathering, how measurements will be recorded, and how many data are needed to support a your hypothesis.  At the end of your experiment you must analyze your data, and reflect on your procedure and results.  

How you will demonstrate your learning:

• Each partner will be interviewed separately about the design of the experiment.
• Display data table and/or graph as well as photos and/or video on class slideshow to share experiment with classmates.
• Each person will submit a Conclusion & Reflection Form.

Grading Information and Full Rubric Here

Earth Science Project

Students are exploring a variety of topics dealing with Earth Science.  They will ask questions related to their topic, create a thesis statement, research from a variety of sources, and create models of their learning.

Students will present their work to their classmates to share their learning.

Project resources:

Shared Glossary & Vocabulary Practice

Project Organizer 

Project Rubric

Clash of Clans: Battle Through Geologic Time

In order to learn about Earth science topics and have a little fun, we will compete against each other in a game called:

How to Play:

Work together with your clan to learn each of the unit learning goals.  Show what you know on a short quiz.  Quizzes are ungraded assessments of your understanding of the the main concepts of the unit.

Clans & Score Sheet

The winning clan will get a prize and be featured in a picture that will be posted for all in the MS to see.

Unit 4: Rocks, don't take them for granite - Geologic Time

Unit 4 Goals & Resources
Unit 4 Vocabulary (Student Created Glossary of Terms)


Have humans permanently changed the planet?

This question has started a debate of *when* in time we are living---meaning, where on the geologic time scale do we find ourselves right now?

The Basic Geologic Time Scale Based on Rock Layers

If you have not heard about this mother of all timelines, the geologic time scale is divided into units based on events which took place in Earth's 4.6 billion-year-old history.  Boundaries in the timeline are decided by major changes in rock layers.

Many people agree that we are currently in the Holocene Epoch, in the Quaternary Period, in the Cenozoic Era in the Phanerozoic Eon.  The Holocene Epoch began right at the end of the last ice age over 11,000 years ago.  It was during this time we can see major changes in rock data. 

However, according to some scientists at the International Union of Geological Sciences we have now left the Holocene epoch and now are in a NEW epoch called the Anthropocene.  Anthropo meaning "man" and cene meaning "new."

Scientists say that humans have made such an impact on our planet that we can see it in the soil.  For example, if we look at rock layers worldwide, we would find a change in the radioactivity in the soil in 1964.  It was during this time when nuclear weapons were being tested.  Some scientists use this and many other indicators as evidence that we have permanently changed the planet in such a way that we have brought about a new epoch.

In this upcoming unit we will be looking at rocks for evidence to the past.  We will be asking questions like how does the Earth change over time and how can rock types and rock layers be clues to the past?  We will look at landforms and study how erosion and plate boundaries have changed our earth over time.  

Hopefully by the end of this unit, we will gain a better understanding of not just where we are in the universe, but WHEN we are in time.

Read more about the Anothropocene on Science News for Students

Pumping Up Your Science Language Usage

Just as a bodybuilder has a plan to pump up his or her body that takes extra time and effort, you can develop your language to communicate more effectively in writing. Use the last part of your lab report to consider how you are using language based on your English Language level.

In the following three sections below you can find some language goals that Ms. Birzu helped to develop for our Lab Report project. Find your EAL Level. If you are a native English speaker then your level is "Advanced." Consider how you are using language to communicate your thoughts on your findings.

Language Target 1:

We can describe the changes in particle motion, temperature or state of a substance orally or in writing using topic-related science vocabulary to teach others how thermal energy affects the speed of particles in a substance

Describe the changes in particle motion, temperature or state of a substance
Beginner (Levels 1-2)	Intermediate (Levels 3-4)	Advanced (Levels 5-6/Native)
The particles move fast in hot water. They move slowly in cool water. particles, substance, thermal energy, move, how much water/heat, temperature, warm, cold, experiment, cup, water	In the water with the highest temperature, the particles move faster, but in water with less thermal energy, they move more slowly. remove, add, substance, matter, temperature, did this experiment, evaporates, liquid	When a substance is heated, the motion of the particles increases as the particles become more energetic. If it is cooled, the motion of the particles decreases as they lose energy. increase, decrease, motion, amount of heat, affect, conducted this experiment, beaker, evaporates

Language Target 2:

We can compare and contrast the changes in substances when thermal energy is added or removed in writing using comparative and superlative adjectives, commonly used verbs, linking words/phrases, and topic-specific vocabulary to look for patterns in the data.

Compare and Contrast the changes in substances when thermal energy is added or removed
Beginner (Levels 1-2)	Intermediate (Levels 3-4)	Advanced (Levels 5-6/Native)
The particles in the hot water moved faster than the particles in the coldest water because they ….... faster than, hotter, the coldest	One similarity/difference between the speed of particles in the hottest water and the speed of particles in the warmest water was .... A difference/similarity between the mixing speeds of particles in the warmest water and the coldest water was…. but, different from, however, in contrast, compared to, whereas, similarly, for example	The speed of particles in the hottest water and the speed of particles in the cold water were similar/different  because ...... Whereas the speed of particles in the hottest water increased , the speed of particles in the coldest water decreased. differs from, alternatively, in contrast, whereas, on the one hand/on the other hand, for instance

Language Target 3: 

We can analyze the effects of adding or removing thermal energy in writing using cause and effect sentences in order to teach others about the impact of thermal energy on substances.

Analyze the effects using cause and effect sentences
Beginner (Levels 1-2)	Intermediate (Levels 3-4)	Advanced (Levels 5-6/Native)
…., so….. . The cause was…... and the effect was…. Because…….,..... The color in the cup (beaker) with the hot water mixed fast because the particles move faster in hot water than in cold water. because (of), so	That was a result of…. Because of.., .. . Therefore,... Finally,... When I put the colored dye in the beaker of hot water, the colored dye mixed/spread faster than in the beaker of cold water. That was a result of adding heat energy. because (the...), so, thus, as a result,	The.....had a significant influence on… ____ was a result of…... The change resulted in… When I added the food coloring in beaker of hot water, it was obvious that adding thermal energy had a significant influence on the speed at which particles moved in that substance. The food coloring mixed/spread throughout the water faster than in the beaker of cold water. Also, the molecules were a little farther apart in hot water. since, as a result of, for the purpose of, due to, as a consequence, therefore, in that case, accordingly,