Learning Objectives for the week

• The surface of the Earth moves around through Plate Tectonics. 
• This has been happening for billions of years and the Earth’s surface has drastically reshaped itself continously. 

Clark was out on the First day of the semester: Students received back all of their submitted work from the previous semester including their Fall semester Final Exams. On this first day, students were instructed to watch the YouTube video: Orogeny of North America, which is a time lapse of continental drifting through the ages and to respond to the associated worksheet (see link at left). When Clark returned to the classroom, we discussed New’s Years resolutions, to become better students. Along with this discussion was the activity (at left) having students reflect on the Review guide Clark passed out prior to the test and the actual test itself. This highlighted both the fact that the test came directly from the Review Guide as well as the fact that ‘cramming’ for the test by using ChatGTP to ‘look up’ all of the answers on the review guide is no substitute for engaging with the class activities and discussions along the way. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• Rock Cycle (overview)
• Earth’s internal heat as the primary source for plate tectonics
• Layers of the Earth and how they work to distribute heat from the interior to the exterior. 
• Igneous Rocks as a ‘starting place’ to the Rock Cycle. The slower the cooling (the deeper the magma) the larger the crystals. 

This week began with a .ppt lecture on the structure of the Earth highlighting how Earth’s inner heat drives plate tectonics which in turn drives mountain building. From there we continued into looking at ‘piles of rocks’ which were platters of rocks placed in front of each group of students. Each platter had rocks with something in common. The students were asked to first draw the rocks (using colored pencils) attempting to capture interesting features as well as conjecture what the rocks might have in common. (we will rotate the platters of rocks around the room in future classes). Additionally, Clark placed in front of each students, solutions of Calcium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate. The students then poured one into the other and saw how Calcium Carbonate precipitated out of solution (which introduced a family of Sedimentary rocks called precipitates). We then attempted to filter out this CaCO2 for future analysis.

Learning Objectives for the week

• How Sedimentary rocks form
• The formation of the Grand Canyon. 

Monday was a holiday: (Martin Luther King Day).

On Tuesday, in preparation for an activity in which students study the geologic formations found in the Grand Canyon, we watched a video: Formation of the Grand Canyon. (students were required to take notes).

Rock cycle (Simple)    Rock Cycle (advanced)

When the Atlantic Ocean ripped apart a super continent. The MidAtlantic Ridge system

Video/discussion: Iceland Volcanoes

Geologic Time Scale

Learning Objectives for the week

• Zircons revisited. How these crystals contain radioactive isotopes and help us understand when certain igneous rocks formed. 
• Plate tectonics. This topic was the focus of the video Earth, the Inside Story. (available on Amazon Prime Video) 

On Monday, students worked on this worksheet: zircon coloring activity. 

On Tuesday, we did a chemistry lab which introduces students to oxidation and reduction reactions in chemistry. In this lab, we first made a solution of Copper Sulfate and then immersed sheets of aluminum foil which rapidly dissolved releasing huge amounts of heat. Along the way, the blue color of the copper solution turned clear as the copper precipitated out of solution.

On Thursday, we examined the filtrate containing various oxides of copper and then watched this short video:: Earth, the Inside Story. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• Continuation with chemistry of minerals
• Learning symbols of elements
• Poly atomic ions including Carbonates, phosphates and sulfates
• Percent Mass calculations. 

On Monday, we discussed percent mass. On Tuesday and Thursday, we worked on the Percent Mass assignment considering various materials in front of us (bone, crystals, shells, etc.) and determined what the percent mass (and therefor the mass of). of Oxygen in each item. Along the way, we considered various elements, polyatomic ions and different minerals that living creatures have incorporated into their body matrix. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• The Stratigraphic Record and Geologic Time

We began on Monday by simply finishing up the documentary from two weeks ago *The Birth of the Atmosphere” picking up where we left off, with the appearance of Oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Clark emphasized that prior to this event (The Great Oxidation Event). all of Earth’s Oxygen was tied up in either rocks (Silicate minerals) or water.. once it was released however, it began to react with nearly everything.. the highlight of the film was the reaction with all of the dissolved metals in the oceans and the new appearance of acids such as carbonic Acids which began to accelerate weathering of the continents.

• Tuesday we returned to the concept of Geologic Time and the Stratigraphic Record. 
• Relative Dating of rock Layers
• Trilobites

Learning Objectives for the week

Learning Objectives for the week

• What is the meaning of the Ice Ages? What are ‘interglacial periods’ and glacial periods.
• When did our current, inter-glacial period start? How long was the last Glacial Period?
• How are CO2 and Earth’s temperature related? 
• If we hadn’t put so much CO2 into the atmosphere in the last 200 years what ‘should’ Earth’s current temperature trajectory be? 

This week Clark began by discussing Earth’s climate and highlighting how CO2 in the atmosphere is directly associated with Earth’s temperature. The record of Earth’s “hottest year on record’ was discussed as well as the ocean chemistry which allows the Earth’s ocean’s to absorb the atmospheric CO2 and from it, create Limestone. This in fact, is how Earth cools down after massive injections of CO2 due to Volcanic Events. From this point, we then watched Chasing Ice to reflect on Earth’s shrinking glaciers as well as the Ice-Core data and what it reveals about Earth’s historical temperature and CO2 levels. 

Learning Objectives for the week

Learning Objectives for the week

• Laws of Thermodynamics.
• Thermal Equilibrium
• Specific Heat Capacity and how it differs from one substance to another.
• The specific heat equation and how to use it.

On Monday and Tuesday, Clark discussed how different materials absorb and carry heat. The flow of Heat from the interior of the planet is due to Convection of molten mantel material towards the surface. The Rules of Thermodynamics were introduced in that a) all substances want to be at the same temperature (and heat transfer will take place until they are) and b) that different materials respond to heat in different ways. The concept of Specific Heat Capacity was introduced as we engaged in a lab in which students took hot balls of metal (lead) and immersed them into cups of cold water. Based on the system reaching Thermal Equalibrium, we calculated how much energy per gram was required to cool the metal. 

Video: Ancient Earth. This video explores how dramatically Earth’s climate has changed. The story begins with cave paintings which date back ~ 40,000 years and considers that at the time, the Earth was still deep into the last glacial period. The film then considers the meteor impact which wiped out the dinosaurs and how the material thrown up into the air upon impact led to global cooling for years. Students took notes for extra credit.

Learning Objectives for the week

• Polar Vortex
• Using estimation to measure Meters
• Creating a position vs time graph
• Measuring Slope of the position graph to determine velocity

On Monday, Mr. Clark introduced the concept of the Big Step as a way to measure off distances in Meters. This is a much more convenient way to measure large distances then carrying around Meter Sticks. On Tuesday, we went outside as a class and divided up into groups to engage in a friendly three-legged race. (details to come). Along the way, ‘markers’ dropped off tennis balls indicating where the group was every three seconds. From this data, we created charts showing the absolute position of each group as a function of time. From here, we used Google Sheets to graph the data. 

Learning Objectives for the week

• Formation of stars from the Big Bang to our modern Sun. (discussion centered on the video: Nova, Universe Revealed).

Learning Objectives for the week

Learning Objectives for the week

Learning Objectives for the week

• The physics of reentry from space

Learning Objectives for the week

• How is charge measured? what is a Coulomb?
• What is Ohms Law and how do we use it in calculations of electric current?
• What is an Electric field? How is it measured?

Notes from lecture/discussion

• notes_04.28.26_ohms law

Learning Objectives for the week

Notes from lecture/discussion

Learning Objectives for the week

• Wave speed formula
• Reflection and intereference
• Resonance. 

Notes from lecture/discussion