8th+Grade+Accelerated+Science

This page contains information about important things, such as notes, spreadsheet examples, web guides, and some general notes about class that I share. These entries will help students and parents follow what's happening in Physical Science so they can discuss assignments with students and ask them about their progress on particular projects and so on. If you have questions or concerns, you can e-mail me at kramerd@arcadia.k12.wi.us.


 * 9-3 Tue**

Welcome back to school! In the first few days of class, we will be covering needed materials and classroom expectations. First of all, items that will be needed for class are:
 * Pens and pencils
 * Loose-leaf paper (or notebook)
 * A ruler, preferably with metric measurements included.
 * A small pack (6-8) colored pencils or markers.
 * __Scientific__ calculator. This does NOT need to be a graphing calculator, but it needs to have exponent functions on it.
 * **Sturdy** pocket folder to house your lab papers, handouts and so on.
 * USB (Flash/Jump/Thumb/etc.) drive - 2 GB minimum

Classroom Expectations Word version [|Mr. Kramer Class Expectations] Google version

I will elaborate on classroom expectations in class as well.

Lab Safety Word version

Lab Safety

Here is today's assignment to get you started on background on the life is. You will write a 1 page essay that answers the questions posed below and summarizes the key ideas related to the information presented in the links provided. Do not merely answer the questions! You will continue this tomorrow. [] [] []
 * 9-5 Thu**

1. Describe some important people and/or events that helped launch the early study of cells and the further development of cell theory. (Include a time reference with your answers) 2. Describe the purpose and procedure of Louis Pasteur’s classic experiment. 3. What is abiogenesis and why was it a controversy? 4. What was the Miller-Urey experiment about and what is its significance in the studying life?

Complete the assignment from Thursday and hand in the essay assignment
 * 9-6 Fri**

Go over the atom diagram ( Fe, Se +4 , Br -1 ) problems from Mon on the board and discuss Hand out nuclear chemistry packet Discuss alpha, beta and gamma decay Discuss balancing nuclear equations Assignment: Work on nuclear equations worksheet for Wed
 * 9-10 Tue**

__ Accel 8 __ 1) Pop quiz on periodic trends 2) Review isotopes and the isotopes worksheet from last year 3) Go over balancing nuclear equations worksheet assignment 4) Further discuss radioactive decay and transmutation 5) Discuss half-life and carbon-14 dating 6) Assign half-life worksheet
 * 9-11 Wed **

Finish going over chem review Hand out and assign balancing and writing formulas worksheet. Go to Quia and take the survey titled "Is This Thing Alive?"
 * 9-19 Thu **

1) Go over the chem review sheet on writing formulas 2) Get the survey (listed above) done for Monday if you did not do so yet.
 * 9-20 Fri**

1) Pop quiz on cell theory history 2) Wrap up chem review 2) Hand back and discuss keys points related to the Cell Theory Essays
 * 9-23 Mon**
 * Acids, bases and pH
 * Collision theory
 * Exothermic v. endothermic reactions
 * Activation energy

1) Go over the pop quiz from Monday 2) View and discuss the responses from the survey "Is This Thing Alive?" 3) Go to the following sites and generate a basic list in your notes of the __ main __ characteristics of living things. What makes something "living"? [|Characteristics of Living Things] [|More Characteristics of Living Things] [|Still More on Characteristics of Living Things] [|The Last Link on Characteristics of Living Things]
 * 9-24 Tue**

1) Compile and discuss the characteristics of living things that were presented on the websites listed above. Scrutinize, consolidate and decide, as a class, on what the final list of characteristics is 2) Go outside and start collecting specimens to study in class
 * 9-25 Wed**

1) Go outside and continue collecting specimens 2) Explain how to press green leaves and get all green leaves presses before the end of class
 * 9-26 Thu**

1) Review what it means to "observe" in scientific terms and the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations 2) Study the specimens brought in from outside
 * 9-27 Fri**
 * Number the specimen
 * Draw the specimen
 * Make and record qualitative and quantitative observations about the specimens

Continue cataloging specimens from last week. This should be finished up in class tomorrow. For those who will not be here on Tuesday, check this wiki for any posted material
 * 9-30 Mon**

Review the following sites as a primer on how dichotomous keys work [|Dichotomous Keys - Basic Description] [|Dichotomous Key Flow Chart]
 * 10-1 Tue**

Start giving some serious thought to how you might develop a dichotomous key for the specimens we collected from outside. How would you split them, and split them again, and so on, to lead someone to any one item you choose from the group of specimens.

Discuss "Pamishan creatures" activity. Scientists have discovered some new creatures and the student is given the task of classifying them and identifying them by using a dichotomous key. Task for today: Use the given key to identify all 20 creatures.
 * 10-2 Wed**

1) Hand in any Pamishan creatures activities that were not completed in class yesterday 2) Review how a dichotomous key is constructed 3) Explain the lab equipment keying activity and decide, as a class, what the items are made of 4) Construct a dichotomous key for classifying the lab equipment
 * 10-3 Thu**

1) Complete the lab equipment key assignment 2) Have groups exchange keys with 2 other groups and have them use the key and evaluate its accuracy. 3) Report your findings to the teacher 4) Continue planning on developing a dichotomous key for the items that were gathered from outside.
 * 10-4 Fri**


 * 10-7 Mon**

Read about taxonomy on the following links. [|Taxonomy] [|More on taxonomy] Go to Quia and do the Classifying survey I have set up for you. As a class, we will need to decide on a name and a number to assign each item that was collected and record them.

Collect new field specimens from outside to classify later
 * 10-8 Tue**

Your job today is to use the Internet to try and identify the items we gathered yesterday. Bookmark any sites that you might want to return to and use again. Take detailed notes on any structural characteristics or terminology that you feel will be helpful to you in identifying your specimens. [|Intro to "bugs"] [|Intro to leaves] [|Jolene's great plant site!] [|Bradyn's "bug finder"]
 * 10-9 Wed**
 * Here are some other very helpful sites for processing your collections.**

Draw each item and list any parts or characteristics that were used to identify the specimen. Try and record all levels of taxonomy possible as you identify each item, especially the genus species name.

Continued identifying field specimens
 * 10-10 Thu**

Briefly discuss the additional specimens brought in from the farm - caution with removing them from the tub and handle them gently so cones, seeds, leaves, etc are not stripped off. Her is a very nice site that will help with the tree ID. [|Simple to use tree ID guide]
 * 10-11 Fri**

We spent last week cataloging and identifying field specimens. Students illustrated the specimens, noted important features used to identify them and recorded the levels of taxonomic classification, from kingdom to species, for each. This will be wrapped up and handed in today.
 * 10-21 Mon**

Go to the following site and compile a list of basic cell terms and their functions in your notes. Include a drawing with each term. [|Cell Terminology]
 * 10-22 Tue**

Continue and complete yesterday's activity
 * 10-23 Wed**

Using the the list of cell structures that you already have as a guide, view the following site, [|Cell Tutorial], and read about prokaryotes v. eukaryotes and list the main characteristics of each. Then look at plant v. animal cells. Draw a diagram of a plant cell and an animal cell and label the position, structure and function of each structure in each cell. You can omit the extra structures that are not on your main structure list that you already have. Try constructing a cell at the end of the activity. Keep your cell notes and diagrams for review and discussion.
 * 10-24 Thu**

1) Finish the activity from yesterday 2) Take the **//__Cell Quiz 1__//** on Quia. You have two attempts. You cannot use your notes when taking the quiz, BUT you can use a sheet of scratch paper to note the ones you missed. You can then go back to your notes to look up anything you want and take the quiz one more time. 3) Do the **//__Cell Theory and Taxonomy Survey__//** on Quia without any notes. The items you will describe or explain with significant detail are listed below and you may want to do a thorough review before taking the survey: 4) Hand in your cell terminology and cell diagrams 5) If you have time left over, you can work on other homework or Sporcle
 * 10-25 Fri**
 * Name all the people we discussed in class who contributed to the development of cell theory and what their roles were.
 * What is abiogenesis?
 * Thoroughly describe Pasteur's broth experiment and state what the point of it was.
 * Explain what the Miller-Urey experiment was and what it set out to demonstrate
 * List the major taxonomic levels from most general to most specific
 * List the levels of organization from cell to organism
 * List the main characteristics of living things that we decided on as a class

Finish up anything left to do from Friday
 * 10-28 Mon**

Today, you will work on how one cell becomes another. This should be a bit of a review from 6th grade science and Human Growth and Development. Read the short descriptions, view the illustrations and ultimately draw the progression of cell division for mitosis and meiosis. [|Cell Divsion] [|Mitosis and Meiosis]
 * 10-29 Tue**

Complete the cell division assignment from yesterday. Keep your notes for some lab work tomorrow. For today, you will review vectors and how they work. You will also add vectors to determine the resultant vector. Go to Vector Simulation Intro and add the vectors given to you by the teacher.
 * 10-30 Wed**


 * 11-6 Wed**

Here is a nice animation of mitosis in which the viewer can control to speed of the sequence.

[|Mitosis Animation]

Try these cell games to see how well you do.

[|Animal Cell Game] [|Plant Cell Game] [|Bacteria]


 * 11-7 Thu**

DNA to protein.

media type="youtube" key="41_Ne5mS2ls" height="315" width="420"

media type="custom" key="24379882"

Here is another link that has a lot of supplemental information on it. Supplemental Information on DNA to Protein

View the presentations linked above and answer the related questions below.


 * 1) What are the two types of RNA mentioned in these presentations and what is the role of each?
 * 2) What is transcription?
 * 3) What is translation?
 * 4) What are the four letters that are represented in the strands of DNA and RNA, and what do those letters represent?
 * 5) What is a codon?
 * 6) What is an anti-codon?
 * 7) What is an amino acid?
 * 8) What make up the “sides of the ladder” in the DNA and RNA structures respectively?
 * 9) What make up the “steps of the ladder” in the DNA and RNA structures respectively?
 * 10) What does it mean to say the DNA and RNA strands are complimentary?
 * 11) What is the role of the ribosomes?

No class - Quarter reward
 * Fri 11-8**

Continue with last week's assignment, learning how DNA eventually determines the proteins that make up our bodies.
 * Mon 11-11**

View the following items and note the different levels of organization that make up living things. This information will be incorporated into your poster. Levels of organization in living things
 * 11-21 Thu**



Here is Google version of the ppt. Levels of Organization 2

Levels of Organization Animation

Work through the links on this document. Take any notes you need to and do the practice problems in your notebook. Google version: Punnett Square Overview-Google
 * 11-25 Mon**

Students will create a poster that will show and explain the evolution of human knowledge and understanding of what life is, what it takes to consider something living and how living things are organized.from atoms to organisms. Elements that must be addressed in the poster are:
 * "__Life?__" Posters**
 * Cell theory (including major contributors to it)
 * Abiogenesis
 * Characteristics of living things
 * Plant cells v. animal cells (including organelles)
 * Levels of taxonomy
 * Cell division
 * DNA to protein

View this Heredity Overview Power Point and answer the questions that were handed out in class.
 * 12-3 Tue**

Here is the link to the spreadsheet you need to fill out for the mini-engineering project. (The link has been removed)
 * 1-10-14 Fri**

Here is the restored link. [|Motion Project Spreadsheet]
 * 1-13-14 Mon**

In preparation for the final on Wed, please review the following notes on Aristotle, Ptolemy, etc. to refresh your sense of how humans' perceptions of celestial motion has evolved throughout history. [|Man's Views of the Universe]

Here is a link to the preview for your [|Final] You only have 15 minutes to preview it. Don't forget to include the motion stuff in your review plans. I may post a link to help you review the motion stuff later today. Here is the link for the motion part of the final. [|Motion Part of Final]
 * 1-14-14 Tue**

Here is the. Use the power point as an overview of work, power and simple machines. View it and answer the corresponding questions handed out in class.
 * 1-20-14 Mon**

[|Work, Power and Simple Machines power point] Google version.

Here is a copy of the [|Separation Lab Report Notes]. After the first four parts of your report, include a last portion titled "Properties" and list any properties or property terms that applied to any part of your process. You do not have to list any property multiple times, just once where it may have been used and how you employed them.
 * 2-21-14 Fri**

Today we begin our discussion of ways in which we use mineral resources. You will need to visit the Earth Science sections of the Kid Zone to find the answers to **the questions on** the "Mineral Mania" worksheet. Click here: **[|Rocks and Minerals]** Work from this Rocks and Mineral Uses Google doc. Here is a new [|Fireworks] link.
 * __3-31-14 Mon__**

(For later)
 * You can give this activity a try: [|Rocks and Soils] Keep track of your results on a table in your notes. **


 * You will make your own Mineral Hardness scale based on the results of your hardness tests performed here: [|Hardness Testing Lab]. Follow the directions given by me as well as what's on your handout [[file:Moh's Virtual Hardness Lab.PDF]] to put 10 unknown minerals in the proper order of hardness, from softest to hardest.**

Here are some Mineral Basics.
 * 4-8-14 Tue**
 * Make sure you know the 5 basic characteristics of minerals.
 * List and describe the properties that are used to identify minerals.


 * __4-10-14 Thu-Fri__**
 * Click here for the link that will take you to today's lab: Virtual Mineral Identification Lab**
 * This is the accompanying lab sheet:**



Get started on rock studies by using the link to the online textbook and take notes on the items listed under "Notes" below. Rock Basics (If it asks you to log in, use the login info given in class. Choose the sixth book from the top and go to the chapter titled "Rocks". Then start with "Classifying Rocks") __.Notes__
 * 4-22-14 Tue**
 * Do Sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.5 of the "Rocks" chapter. List and describe/answer the "Key Concepts" and "Key Terms" for each section.

Follow this link for some **[|Rock Identification]** practice. Use the Rock Identification Table table handed out in class.
 * 4-24-14 Thu**

For later: Another virtual lab will help you begin to recognize the different types of rocks. After this we will study the three types of rock more in depth.. **[|Virtual Rock Identification]**

You will start a web quest that will provide you with information that builds on what you discovered after completing your Geologic Time Scale. Click here**:[|"Geologic Time"].** Here is a Eons and Eras chart that will help with Question #12 of the web quest.
 * 5-7-14 Thu**

Here is a color (and better) version of the image page we used to discuss isostasy. Isostasy
 * 5-16-14 Fri**

We will be having a test on Monday on the geologic time and rock cycle stuff. You will need to demonstrate know:
 * Rock Cycle - types of rock and how they form
 * Plate Tectonics
 * Types of rock found in different locations/conditions - relating rock cycle to a cross section of earth's crust
 * Law of Superposition -
 * Absolute versus relative dating
 * Isostasy

Please do the following survey. I would appreciate some honest and fair feedback. Thank you. Student Survey
 * 5-20-14 Tue**

I have opened the review items on Quia!!!!
 * 5-26-14**

After the final, you are required to complete the following Quia survey below. What Now?
 * 5-28-14 Wed**