Seriously.... the year's over already?

Tomorrow is the last day of school. For you Crazy 8s out there, this is your second-to-last day at Memorial. Has it sunk in yet? Are you excited? Worried? Happy? Sad?

Hopefully you're looking forward, at least in some degree, to the summer break. It will bring a new routine, and will be followed by another transition (high school). You will face many challenges, but that is a great thing. It gives you a chance to rise to the occasion, solve problems, and learn how much you're capable of achieving. I am looking forward to seeing what all of you do in the future because you all have many talents that are worth sharing (whether that's in the classroom, field, stage, court, concert hall, or all of those places). I will be your fan.

Feel free to visit the old alma mater. Feel free to leave comments/memories on our blog -- it should be here to stay. Good luck!

End-of-the-Year Essay

Choose one activity from this year and identify the steps of the scientific method that were included in the activity. Be sure to include an activity that involved all of the steps.
I'm also including a form for you to fill out if you have the time.

GPS Contest

That was pretty fun wasn't it? I enjoyed watching each team in action on Thursday. Hopefully the cold, rainy weather wasn't too tough to overcome -- it didn't seem to be. You all did very well, and every one of the film canisters was found...... eventually. Here are the results from the 2010 GPS Contest -- 2010 GPS Standings
Congratulations go to the winners of each class!
Period 3: Fighting Squirrels (32 points) -- Bailee H., Carter R., and Kendra S.
Period 4: Penguins (29 points) -- Cierra S., Kalynn S., Sarah Q., and Spencer P.
Period 6: TOT (35 points) -- Noah W., Brittani M., Cole H., and Hunter D.
Period 8: Echo (29 points) -- Mason S., Kyle S., and Michael L.

Feel free to leave comments that you have about the GPS contest. How was your experience? Were there any waypoints that you just couldn't seem to find? What was the best strategy? If you had to do the contest again, what would you change?

Severe Weather Project and Looking Ahead

Please fill out this form. It would make your teacher happy and proud.

Podcast with Per

Severe Weather Research

Severe weather can be fascinating. But what causes severe weather? What makes it so fascinating? What can people do to protect themselves? It will be your job to figure out the answers to these questions, and then present on this in the form of a VoiceThread. Today, with your group, you will be researching your specific type of severe weather. By the end of tomorrow (Thursday) you will have prepared a PowerPoint that is ready to be uploaded into Mr. Hoegh's VoiceThread account. You will record the VoiceThread in class on Friday. Here is a list of websites where you might possibly find information on severe weather. I'm sure you could find others as well.

Atmospheric Science Resources

Ask the Experts

NOAA home

How Stuff Works

Airplanes and Weather Websites: USA Today: Airplanes and Weather What Causes Turbulence? Hurricane Pilots Planes and Ice Aviation Weather