| 7UP Club Expands with Physics Champs | ||
| Check out the new inductees into our 7UP Club after the recent physics test. Oh the numbers are small but the talent is large! Congratulations to all of you who studied hard and mastered speed, acceleration, and momentum word problems! Click on the "7UP Club" link to the right of this window to view the article. |
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| Inclined Plane Lab Pictures Posted | ||
| Click on this INCLINED PLANE LAB picture link (or click on the picture above) to visit the photo gallery with 59 pictures from our recent physics lab. | ||
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| ALL Radio Drama Stories Posted | ||
| All of the radio drama mp3 files have been posted now to the 7th Grade Science Media Gallery. Once you click on a file, it has to LOAD THE ENTIRE FILE before it begins playing, so there will be a bit of wait time. Click on the picture above or click on this MEDIA GALLERY link to go to the podcasting page. |
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| "To Begin With" Stories Posted | ||
Seventeen stories have been selected to represent our first podcasting story-telling project. They are posted on the Hanes Sound Bytes web pages. Click on the Sound Bytes link or on the graphic above to visit our story gallery. You can listen to the winning stories listed in the mp3 audio jukebox. These are the stories that will be "pushed out" over iTunes this weekend. The title of the new iTunes podcasts will be "Radio Stories -- Parts One, Two, & Three. Pictures taken in class will accompany the story and separate the three podcasts into story "chapters." |
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| Podcasting Class Enrollment | ||
| Tuesday, January 16 is the first day of the new "Podcasting" elective class. Students will need to have a permission slip signed by a parent, giving you permission to attend the class. Please understand that regular elective classes continue and you will need to make up any assignments missed due to the Podcasting Class. The class willl meet in room 109 during 3rd and 4th periods every Tuesday. Yes, it will be a two hour class! Based on iTunes Scavenger Hunt pages submitted by students, here is the list of students currently enrolled in the Podcasting Class Tuesdays during 3rd and 4th periods: (*Need parent permission) 1. Rioghnach Robinson 2. Vipul Vachharajani * 3. Jason Guo 4. Andrew Stafford * 5. Anne O'Brien 6. Clay Wash 7. Noelle Wells 8. Tyler Canada * 9. Brandon Washington * 10. Gilberto Canales * |
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| Podcasting Class Begins Tuesday, Jan. 16th | ||
| I have received Scavenger Hunt submissions from Rioghnach, Vipul, Jason, Andrew, and Anne. Noelle has expressed interest, but no survey answers have been received. If other students are interested, you will need to let me know ASAP! The recorded monologue idea has been postponed for the time being. We'll work on diction, pronunciation, and using a good "speaking voice" once the class begins. Interest in the class will be based on verbal conversation received so far as well as the scavenger hunt answer sheet. The deadline for receiving the iTunes Scavenger Hunt is Thursday afternoon. Be thinking about what you would like to DO in the class. Mr. C. has lots of ideas, but you are free to make suggestions as well. |
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| Record This Speech! | ||
| Those interested in the podcasting class will need to record ONE of the four speeches listed below into a .wav or a .mp3 file and deliver it to MrC along with your aswers to the "Podcasting Scavenger Hunt." The questions for the scavenger hunt are located in the blog entry below this one. The first speech was given by Judy Garland as Dorothy when she returned to her home in the movie, "The Wizard of Oz." It's become quite famous and is referred to as the "No Place Like Home" speech. ("But it wasn't a dream. It was a place. And you and you and you...and you were there. But you couldn't have been could you? No, Aunt Em, this was a real truly live place and I remember some of it wasn't very nice, but most of it was beautiful -- but just the same all I kept saying to everybody was "I want to go home," and they sent me home! Doesn't anybody believe me? But anyway, Toto, we're home! Home. And this is my room, and you're all here and I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again. Because I love you all. And... Oh Auntie Em! There's no place like home!") If you don't like the "No Place Like Home" speech here is another one to try from the movie "Ants." Drone ant Z's (voice of Woody Allen) opening monologue in which he complains about his insignificant life during therapy to his psychologist (Paul Mazursky): ("...I think everything must go back to the fact that I had a very anxious childhood. You know, my - my mother never had time for me. You know, when you're - when you're the middle child in a family of five million, you don't get any attention. I mean how's it possible. And I've always had these abandonment issues, which plagued me. My father was basically a drone like I've said, you know the guy flew away when I was just a larva... and my job, don't get me started on, cause it really annoys me, I was not cut out to be a worker, I'll tell you right now, I feel physically inadequate, I, I, my whole life I've never, I've never been able to lift ten times my own body weight and when you get down to it, handling dirt is..... ewwww, you know is not my idea of a rewarding career...") Finally, here is a third one to try. This is from the Lord of the Rings and it's Gollum talking to himself. (This one is hard!) Smeagol (aka Gollum) originally a Hobbit, was a withered and piteous creature living in the caves beneath the Misty Mountains, who was driven mad and twisted by his loss of the One Ring decades ago - but now compelled to haunt Middle-earth, searching everywhere for the only thing in the world he ever cared for - his 'precious'; in a nighttime scene while Frodo (clutching the Ring) and Sam sleep, Gollum crouches nearby and talks to himself: Gollum: (with an evil expression) We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false! Smeagol: (sweetly) No! Not master. Gollum: Yes, precious. First they will cheat you, hurt you, LIE. Smeagol: Master's my friend! Gollum: You don't have any friends, nobody likes you! Smeagol: (covering his ears) I'm not listening, I'm not listening. Gollum: You're a liar and a thief. Smeagol: No! Gollum: Mur-der-er. Smeagol: Go away! Gollum: Go away? (Gollum laughs manically as Smeagol begins crying) Smeagol: I hate you, I hate you. Gollum: Where would you be without me? Gollum! Gollum! I saved us! It was me! We survived because of me! (Smeagol stops crying) Smeagol: (sitting up) Not anymore. Gollum: What did you say? Smeagol: Master looks after us now. We don't need you. Gollum: What? Smeagol: Leave now, and never come back! Gollum: No! Smeagol: LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK! (Gollum screams in frustration) Smeagol: LEAVE NOW AND NEVER COME BACK! (Silence) (Smeagol hesitates and looks around, then realizes that Gollum has left, and he begins to dance and jump around) We told him to go away... and away he goes, precious! Gone, gone, gone! Smeagol is free! Finally, for those of you who think the above three selections are too dramatic, here is a science article on Global Warming from Wikipedia: The largest contributing source of greenhouse gas is the burning of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases are gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. This effect was first described by Joseph Fourier in 1824. An increase in global temperatures is expected to cause other changes, such as a rising sea level due to thermal expansion of the ocean in addition to melting of land ice. Changes are also expected in the amount and pattern of precipitation. The total annual power of hurricanes has increased markedly since the mid-1970's because their average intensity and duration have increased (in addition, there has been a high correlation of hurricane power with tropical sea-surface temperature). Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns may also increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of other extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves, and tornadoes. Other consequences may include higher or lower agricultural yields, glacial retreat, reduced summer stream flows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors. Although warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events, it is difficult to connect specific events to global warming. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming (and sea level rise due to thermal expansion) is expected to continue past then, since CO2 has an estimated atmospheric lifetime of 50 to 200 years. |
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| Podcasting Class to Begin Tuesday, Jan. 16 | ||
| MrC has talked to most of the elective teachers at Hanes and the idea has received a green light so far. To be considered for the 6-8 DJ / Sound Engineer slots in the Podcasting Class you have to have the correct answers to these questions: [Note: Here is a LINK to the same questions in a printable Microsoft Word file.] Podcasting Scavenger Hunt 1. Open iTunes (available for free on a Mac or a PC) 2. Subscribe to the following free podcasts on your home computer and then download the free episodes listed in order to be able to answer the scavenger hunt questions. a. A School in the Coulee Podcast (In the segment titled “Learning in Motion – Walking the Line” what is chapter #4 about and who is the DJ? ) b. 60-Second Science (In 60-Second Science: December 14, 2006 name a “fast gas” and name a “slow gas.” ) c. HanesMS.org – Sound Bytes (In the segment titled “Are Students Over-Scheduled” who introduces the segment? and who is the second speaker and what do they do on Fridays? ) d. Radio WillowWeb (In Willowcast #21 – what are the three vocabulary words introduced in “Vocabulary Theater” and what is the name of the student who handled this segment? ) e. Podcast Central (In the segment called “Science Fair Winners” – chapter #5, what was the student’s name who described his battery voltage experiment and how many .jpg pictures are included in his podcast section? ) f. Science Friday – Making Science Radioactive (In the segment called “2006 Science Year in Review” what animal may go extinct due to Global Warming?) NOTE #1: Do NOT post answers on the blog comments and DO NOT SHARE ANSWERS WITH YOUR FRIENDS. The first class will involve another hands-on test of your understanding of iTunes and searching for, downloading, and researching sample podcasts... so, if you cheat on this it's going to become obvious that you are clueless when the classroom performance quiz is given. You can turn your answers in next week to MrC [must use Cornell notes style: question on the left & answer on the right format]. NOTE #2: If you want to be considered for the class you must also have a signed note from your parents giving you permission to attend the class. You must realize that you will miss 3rd and 4th period elective classes every Tuesday and will have to make up any assignments missed. The key to staying in the class is 1) good behavior and, 2) productivity. Our mission is to produce podcasts for our iTunes feed... not to spend two hours every Tuesday socializing. If it turns out that it's not working for you, MrC will ask that you STOP COMING to the class and return to your normal elective class schedule. A replacement will fill your spot from a waiting list. Good Luck! |
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| Cry Wolf Chronicals is Restored | ||
| As of 6:17 am Tuesday, January 2nd The Cry Wolf Chronicles has been restored and is ready for readers, admirers, reporters, and occasional visitors to return and enjoy the "News" as seen through the eyes of our professional 7th grade reporters. The Newspaper Club will ONLY meet on Wednesdays for the rest of the year. The Friday time slot will be for PODCASTING only. Yes, that's correct. The Friday meeting slot is being taken over by students who want to create or work on podcasting stories for our iTunes podcasting feed. We have the recording equipment -- iRiver mp3 recorders + several nice microphones -- all we need now are a select group of DJs who would like to see their podcasting projects go around the world by way of our iTunes feed. |
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| Podcasting Project to Continue.... | ||
| You'll be happy to learn that MrC has been able to find replacement iRiver mp3 recorders on eBay. The units have arrived and the week we return to class, after New Year's Day, we'll continue with the project. Students who recorded on the stolen units will need to record their stories once again on the new units. If your orginal recorder is still available and you have finished recording your story, you can move over to the computer, download your file, and begin the editing process. If you had one of these six recorders, you'll have to re-record your story: 7, 8, 9, 11, 1, 4. |
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| Ah... It's Winter Break! | ||
Have fun on your winter vacation. Sleep late. Watch lots of TV. Eat favorite foods and feast on holiday meals. Visit with family and relatives. Have fun with new toys. Be a kid. Remember that we will start on Balloon Poppers the first week in January and that you NEED A PARTNER! Take a box with you and go on a scavenger hunt around the house looking for toy set parts that you can use for your project. Set the box aside for later. You can always come back to it. If you get bored over the holiday -- take a look at the videos and picture galleries dealing with balloon poppers. Read the guidelines and learn how others have created new inventions and gizmos to make their balloon poppers work well. |
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| "Cry Wolf Chronicles" to go OFF-LINE over Winter Break |
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Newspaper Club will NOT meet this week. The newspaper and staff will take a much-needed Winter Holiday. The Newspaper will go OFF-LINE starting Wednesday, December 20th. This is to protect blog stories from offensive SPAM and remove the possibility that strangers will post unacceptable comments deep within the newspaper. We love our newspaper, but MrC cannot spend the entire winter vacation scanning articles to keep out SPAM comments. He needs a break too -- so, no newspaper after Wednesday. When you try to access the newspaper, all you will get is a splash screen instead -- no blog windows will be available. The software will be restored in January when we resume classes. We'll resume publication in January and the "Cry Wolf Chronicles" will be restored when classes resume. |
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| Slime Lab Pictures Posted | ||
| Slime lab pictures taken Dec. 12th and 13th during our cross polymer lab series have been posted on the internet. Let me know in the comments section below if there are name and/or spelling corrections. Click on the picture or click on this PHOTO GALLERY LINK to visit the Slime Lab photo gallery web page. |
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| Chemistry Test Next Week | ||
Within the next two weeks there will be a HUGE chemistry test covering everything we have been discussing in chemistry -- all of the ideas about valence electrons, electron shell configurations, periodic table families, types of chemical reactions, balancing chemical reactions, pH, acids & bases, and concepts & ideas taken from our latest lab series. It's a LOT. My suggestion is that you click on the graphic above or go to the STUDY GUIDES page to begin practicing with the six on-line quizzes. I have just updated the quizzes by adding a new "Chemistry Chapter 1" quiz with 82 questions. If you don't see it listed, "refresh" the web page. You are going to need to study for this scheduled Chemistry Test! |
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| Podcasting Project on Hold | ||
| The Podcasting project is, as you know, on hold due to the theft of 6 MP3 recorders. While some of the recorders may be recovered there is no way to tell at this point whether they will be in useable condition. MrC has placed an order to replace the missing recorders, which will be shipped and received (hopefully) within the next few weeks. The long-range goal is to resume the project with significantly increased security measures put into place. Students who recorded scripts on the missing recorders will need to re-record their scrips when the new recorders / players come in. |
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| This Week in Science -- Recording Podcasts | ||
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This week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) we will work on polishing up our "To Begin With..." scripts, record the script, and begin editing the sound files. If you have any sound effect files that you have collected from home and want to use in the project, now is the time to bring them to school. Remember that you need to include: 1) a Rhythmic sound, 2) a Pre-recorded voice, and 3) an Exclamation. And, the total time allowed is from 2:30 to 5:00 minutes. DIRECTIONS: CLICK ON THE "PLAY" BUTTON TO LISTEN. (Each Selection is 2:30 long.) Here is a hilarious example of the format by David Henderson called, "The Long Way Home." It's about Odysseus leaving messages on Penelope's answering machine & various excuses about why he can't come home to her. Here is another one that I liked: "They Didn't Get Along" by Michael Hearst and Rick Moody / USA. This one carries the 'didn't get along' theme all the way through the recording. Here is one by Jeanette Werkhoven / Holland -- a sort of narrative/eye-witness report called "The Levitating Stone". In a small village in India, a 90 kg stone levitates when the name of sufi saint Qamar Ali Dervish is chanted. |
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| New PHOTO Gallery With 26 Albums | ||
| Check out the NEW PHOTO galleries. There are 26 albums, including pictures of students in the class (like Mitch.... HA! I got him to smile!) Also, there are new albums in the MrC Adventures section (with MrC trips extending back to 1999). Click on an album to see the photos within. Click on an individual photo to get an enlarged view. To the left in the new photo gallery application, you can search for a particular student by name or, once you are inside a photo album, enable a slide show (full screen is cool!) of photos in that album. Click on this LINK to access the new PHOTO Galleries. |
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| Thanksgiving Vacation (11/22-24) | ||
| This week we have two days of school -- Monday and Tuesday. Remember that Poinsettia Orders are due Tuesday. If you wish to bring your order form and envelope in on Monday, that would be fine. Also, the final exam on Elements is Tuesday. |
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| 2nd Nine Weeks Begins | ||
| Well, I hope everyone has had a great Intersession Holiday with time to relax, sleep late, and catch up on music, hobbies, travel, TV, and computer games. Starting right away we'll launch into CHEMISTRY. First up is learning the names of 50 elements. The first two tests are this week (groan!) and the final exam is a week from Tuesday. Don't panic. This is actually fun! You'll learn a series of great memory techniques that will help you learn element symbols and names. The top score last year was well into the 200s! |
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| Mr. Clauset Gives Presentation at National Gifted Conference in Charlotte, NC | ||
| Mr. C. traveled to Charlotte this past weekend (Nov. 3-4-5) to give a presentation at the National Association for Gifted Children Conference. His session was titled, "An Inquiry Approach to Science Instruction for the Highly Gifted Middle School Student." With a cooler of dry ice that he had brought to the session, Mr. C. introduced workshop participants to a series of fun activities involving the mysterious properties of frozen carbon dioxide. Film canisters exploded, balloons inflated, candles were snuffed out, beakers erupted with fog, and mountains of bubbles cascaded out of containers. Key questions were: 1) Why is it happening? and 2) What does this tell us about carbon dioxide? Workshop participants thought the workshop was excellent and were curious as well about other great 7th grade HAG projects and labs including bottle rockets, balloon poppers, the Florida Keys trip, and end-of-the-year Multi-Media projects. |
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