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.

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

Rain Shadow

The picture above is a satellite view of the Tibetan plateau, found north of the Himalayas. The green land to the south of the Himalayan mountains is India, which receives enough precipitation to support a tropical rainforest. North of the mountain range you can see a great plains region and the Gobi Desert; areas that receive very little rainfall. How can we account for such a change in the amount of precipitation each place receives? The short answer is "rain shadow", and it happens in the United States as well. It is largely the reason that Western South Dakota receives approximately 5 less inches of rain per year than we do here in Sioux Falls.
In this blog response, explain what happens to the air mass that initially forms over the Indian Ocean as it travels north. Why does this process leave so much precipitation on the south (windward) side of the Himalayas, and hardly any to the north of them?

Fronts and Air Masses VoiceThread

Question: Is this VoiceThread made by Crazy 8s going to blow your mind?
Answer: Yes. But not literally.

The World Celebrates a Birthday

Some people may think that the title of this post refers to "Earth Day". On the contrary, it alludes to something far more important..... something more grand..... something that means far more to the average person: Our blog is now one year old. Seems like yesterday that the blog was born, and now it is a juggernaut of scientific knowledge and literary prowess. I could almost shed a tear thinking of the memories that "The World" has brought our 8th grade science class.

Humidity Questions (and the best song ever)

1. Suppose it is summer (YES!!) and you plan to have a glass of iced lemonade outside. You notice that water drops begin form on outside of the glass. Why does this happen? Where does this water come from? (2 points)
2. A person's body tends to sweat more on a humid day than it does on a dry one, even if the outdoor temperature is exactly the same. Why does it happen this way? (Hint: Your answer should include how evaporation changes the temperature of the air.) How does this relate to how we measure relative humidity? (Hint #2: Would a large difference between dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures signify dry weather or humid weather?) (4 points)

Random Questions for Crazy 8s

Please fill out this form after completing:

1. The Relative Humidity Gizmo
2. "Humidity" Flash Cards on Ediscio
3. Taking a gander at (and quite possibly answering) the humidity essay questions in the post above

How do you crush your cans?

This is what I do.

Here's the procedure:

• Place 8-10 ml of water in an empty pop can.
• Place the pop can onto the heat source and wait for the water to boil. After you see steam escape, continue to boil for one minute.
• Use the tongs to remove the can from the heat. Quickly turn it upside-down and place it into a saucer with water (which was close-by).

As Mr. Hoegh goes through this lab demonstration, please answer the following questions in a blog comment.

1. When heating, what kind of air pressure was inside the pop can -- high or low? Explain why you believe this to be true.
2. Once the heated can was placed into the water, what kind of air pressure was on the outside of the can -- high or low?
3. What caused the can to be crushed? Why did we need the water seal?

Pressure Questions

Here is a classy song about air pressure. I'll also include the essay questions that we will have on our Pressure Standard Check.

Feel free to answer these questions on the blog. If you'd rather wait until tomorrow (Thursday) during class, you may do that as well.

1. It is late summer and you play a game of basketball at the park. After the game, you store the ball in the garage where it stays until a cold day in February. On this day, you attempt to bounce the ball only to discover that it "thuds" instead. The ball is flat. What happened? Explain why the ball does not bounce in terms of pressure.
2. Every breath you take is a miraculous exercise in pressure. Your diaphragm muscle contracts and pushes downward, allowing room for your rib cage and lungs to expand. The expansion allows air (containing oxygen) to rush into your lungs. What happens to the pressure inside your lungs when they expand? Why does this cause air to move there? When your diaphragm and intercostal muscles relax, the space in your chest cavity decreases. What happens to the air pressure in your lungs (compared to the air outside) when they shrink in size? Why would this cause air to leave?
   

Anything else to say?

Is there anything you wanted to say on Friday, but for some reason did not get the chance? Well, here's your chance. What research leads you to believe that Climate Change is caused naturally, or by humans? Has anyone (peers, parents, teachers) influenced your decision? Answer these or any other questions about climate change in your response to this post.

SSOCC (Socratic Seminar on Climate Change)

Is "global warming" actually happening? If so, are humans causing it? Or, is climate change occuring because of natural fluctuations in the system? We will be discussing these questions and more in our Socratic Seminar on Climate Change, which will occur during class this Friday. Today, you will be preparing yourself to contribute (intelligently!) to that discussion. I will give you a list of questions that will be addressed, and you may use the links provided to research the issue of climate change. Remember to have an open mind, so that your arguments will be well-informed.

Here is the list of questions that may be discussed. Feel free to write notes on it as you research. You may use these notes during the discussion on Friday.

Here is the list of links:

EPA for Kids (click on the "Climate Change -- what it is" and "Can we change the climate?")

Icecap Facts and Myths

American Policy Roundtable

Global Warming: Natural or Manmade?

Global Warming 101 (Roy Spencer)

Environmental Protection Agency

Dear, Atmosphere

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we owe a lot to our atmosphere. It protects us from harm, and provides us with what we need to live. I would like you to write to the atmosphere detailing how it is able to accomplish these things for us. This is your topic, but you may choose your "role", "audience", and "format". For ideas and instructions, click here:

Atmosphere RAFT Instructions

After reading the directions, simply open up a blank Word document and begin to write your letter, advice column, series of text messages, journal entry, or whatever it is you choose to write. Once you have made the necessary revisions and corrections, copy and paste your creation and send it to me through ediscio-mail. (I'd like to give you feedback through ediscio, and possibly ask for permission to post it on our blog.)

Good luck to all of you. Let the creative juices flow.

Review for Standard Check on Friday