Science Newsletter
Honors Science 8
~ November 17, 2017 ~
Good afternoon parents, guardians, and students and welcome our 10th science newsletter of the 2017-2018 school year. This week we wrapped up our study of plate tectonics and started learning about one of the devastating effects of plate movements – Earthquakes!
THE RECAP: Where have we been?
As a quick recap of the past week, we started off Monday by having students sign up for the movie review project and by discussing the key ideas from sections 6.3 and 6.4. In our discussion, students learned about the different types of plate boundaries (convergent, divergent, and transform) and the surface features (mid-ocean ridges, deep-ocean trenches, island arcs and coastal mountains) that result from each type of boundary. On Tuesday, we recapped the key ideas from our study of plate tectonics by playing science jeopardy. In our second episode of science jeopardy, students answered a variety of questions about Earth’s structure, continental drift, and plate boundaries. In all five sections of honors science, the games were close and the students really enjoyed competing against one another. Remember students: phrase your answers in the form of a question! On Wednesday, we wrapped up our study of plate tectonics by watching Bill Nye’s episode on the Earth’s outermost layer, the crust, and by taking a short quiz on chapter 6. On Thursday, we discussed the first two sections of chapter 7. In our discussion, students learned about the different types of faults (normal, reverse, and strike-slip), seismic waves (primary, secondary, and surface), and how scientists study and locate the epicenter of an earthquake using seismographs. On Friday, we discussed the key ideas from section 7.3. In our discussion, students learned about the moment magnitude and Richter scales, seismic gaps, and how buildings can be made to withstand most earthquakes through the use of structural features such as cross-braces, shear walls, and base isolators. Part of Friday’s class was also spent completing the locating an epicenter activity. In this activity, students had to do some number crunching based on data from 5 seismograph stations and then had to draw different sized circles (based on distance) on a map in order to find the location of the earthquake’s epicenter. Please ask your student to share with you the process that they had to go through in order to find the epicenter of the earthquake in the activity.
THE FUTURE: Where are we going?
· Monday 11/20: Chapter 7 Lab – Earthquake-Safe Structures
· Tuesday 11/21: Chapter 7 Lab – Earthquake-Safe Structures
· Wednesday 11/22: Finish Lab *11:45 Early Release*
· Thursday 11/23: No School – Happy Thanksgiving!
· Friday 11/24: No School
EXTRA INFORMATION:
I am enclosing copies of the following documents:
· November 17th Science Newsletter WORD Document
· Week of November 13th Early Work Power Point Presentation
· Chapter 6 Power Point Presentation
· Plate Tectonics Science Jeopardy Power Point Presentation
· Chapter 7 Power Point Presentation
LAST MINUTE REMINDERS:
· Arena conferencing is Tuesday [11/21] from 4-7pm in the gym.
· No school on 11/23 and Friday 11/24 – Thanksgiving Break.
· Chapter 6/7 test is scheduled for Friday, December 1st.
· The movie review project is due on January 2nd.
· Study tables are after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for extra help or just a quiet place to complete homework.
· The 8th grade Earth Science curriculum has an awesome website (www.classzone.com) to help students learn – please check it out!
· Feel free to contact me via email or phone if you have any questions about your student’s progress so far – hopefully by working together, we can keep our students on track and primed for success!
Thank you for your continued support. Have a wonderful weekend and please ask your student to share with you the factors that determine the strength of an earthquake.
Sincerely,
Mike Harris