Ocean Pollution and the plan for the next couple of days.

Today we read about causes and effects of Pollution. This included:

• the difference between point source pollution and non-point source pollution.
• Types of nonpoint-source pollution include oil and gasoline from cars, trucks, and watercraft, as well as the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.
• Types of point-source ocean pollution include trash dumping, sludge dumping, and oil spills.
• Efforts to save ocean resources include international treaties and volunteer cleanups. This includes the creation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Water Act, and the U.S Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.

The upcoming couple of days:
Thursday--Review of Chapter 3 (pages 32-43 in their Notebook) I will also be checking to see that students have processed information on pages 38 and 40 in their notebooks.
Friday--Glogsters must be completed so other students can review them and learn about other marine ecosystems.
Monday--Test over Chapter 3

Resources from the Ocean (p. 41 in notebook)

Today we did an activity to help students improve summarizing what they read. Students read two sections about resources we get from the ocean. For each section they read, discussed with people at their table, and agreed upon what should be in their summary. We then used the summaries as notes for the day.

Glogster project

Half of Thursday and all of Friday we were in the computer lab working on ecosystem glogsters. Each student was assigned either: estuary, polar ice, coral reef, Sargasso sea, mangrove swamp, or intertidal area.

Because this is the first time many students have used this medium, I kept the requirements simple and to a minimum. The minimum requirements for this assignment are as follows:

• a description of the ecosystem
• five facts about the ecosystem
• a list of examples of life--include animals from the 3 groups plankton, benthos, and nektos (as appropriate)
• one interactive element such as a videoclip, an audio clip, or a link to an outside website.

By completing the minimum requirements, a student will have produced an average "glog" worthy of a grade of "C". To receive an "A" or "B", a student must exceed these minimum requirements. This can easily be done by adding more detailed description of the ecosystem, additional facts, adding pictures of lifeforms in the ecosystem, and adding more interactive elements. Not all of these must be done to receive an A, but the final product must be thorough and "finished."

Although we had one and a half days, this may not have been enough time for students to complete the project. Additional time may be required at home. In addition, students may come in before school, after school, or at lunch to use the school's computer facilities.

These must be completed and posted by next Friday. If there are any problems that may prevent a student from completing this project, please let me know by sending an email or a note with your student.

The Ocean Floor

Today we used the text books to learn about the ocean floor. We discovered different landforms that were on the ocean floor, such as: continental shelf, continental slope, abyssal plain, seamounts, rift valleys, and mid-ocean ridges.

We also learned about how we know about the ocean floor, since it is so hard to get to. Sonar , which is an acronym standing for sound navigation and ranging, bounces sounds off the ocean floor, which are timed. How long it takes for the sound to return can be used to calculate how deep the ocean is. Also, satellites are used to determine ocean depths.

We also read about underwater vessels, such as Alvin, Deep Flight, and Jason II and Medea.

Densities of Different Liquids

Friday and today we did a lab that where students were trying to figure out why a poker chip would float on a container of salt water and sank in containers of rubbing alcohol and regular water. On Friday, the students measured quantities of several different liquids, weighed them, and calculated the density of each of the liquids. If they did their measurements properly, they should have found that the density of the rubbing alcohol was about .87g/mL, the water was 1 g/mL, and the salt water was 1.06 g/mL.

Today we made a graph showing the volumes of the liquid compared to the masses of the liquids, compared the density of the liquids, calculated the density of the poker chip, and compared the density of the poker chip to the density of the three liquids. Students now need to write their conclusions as to why the poker chip floats in the salt water, but not in the plain water or the rubbing alcohol.

Students should write their conclusions using the usual format.
They should: State their original hypothesis.
Tell if their hypothesis was correct or incorrect.
Use data to demonstrate why their hypothesis is correct or incorrect.
State how their thinking has changed.

We went over all the data and questions in class and students should have everything completed except their conclusions. We even discussed how their conclusions should include how the density of the poker chip is greater than the two liquids in which the poker chip sank, but density of the poker chip was lower than the density of the liquid in which it floated.

DUE DATE!!!: Reports will be turned in on Wednesday! I have already collected my 3rd period because they had 20 minutes in class to finish their conclusions.

The Earth's Oceans

I've changed up how I am doing the notebooks just a little as an experiment. For pages 32 and 33, instead of having the students write down a daily essential question on the left side, I gave the students a list of objectives which they attach to the left side (p. 32). It should be attached in a way that will allow it to be flipped up so they can still do a left side activity underneath it. Responses are then written on the right side (p. 33) as notes.

Topics we covered are: Divisions of Oceans, How the oceans were formed, properties of ocean water, the ocean and the water cycle, temperature zones in the ocean, effect of climate on salinity (one of the properties of water), how the ocean helps regulate the temperature of the earth.

HOMEWORK: I will be checking to see that students complete a left side activity on p. 32 in their notebooks. We discussed possible activities that could be done for the left side as a class: CD Cover/Label, timeline of movement of continents, mnemonic devices to remember relative sizes of the oceans.
I also introduced a new type of poem called a cinquain. A cinquain is a 5 line poem that has a particular number of syllables or words for each line. The most basic is 2,8,6,4,2. Here is an example I showed in class based on syllables:

Oceans (2)
Salinity changes often. (8)
Evaporation--Hot! (6)
Rivers add fresh (4)
Moving (2)

If you look up cinquain on wikipedia, it gives a large variety of types cinquains.

Oceans

This week we are beginning our study of Oceans. We started Monday by watching a section of Planet Earth on Ocean Deep. Tuesday, after handing back last chapter's tests, we started with a few basics about the 4 oceans and how the oceans were formed.

Students are permitted to do test corrections for this test, and I also passed out an up-to-date progress report.

Check this out!!!!

This week we will begin to study the ocean.

• How do we know what we know about the Ocean?
• How do scientists study the ocean and life in the ocean?