Year 7 and 8

1) quiz on variables and experiments

2) how big was the largest soap bubble ever blown?

3) there is a man in America who gets funding to study and perform shows about bubbles. Seriously. I bet you want that job.

____________________________________________________________Archived material_____________________________________________

Topic: Weather and Climate - Term 3 Creative Commons images from: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/weatherandclimatechange/resourcebank/images.asp

Week 4: upcoming test warning: Pretest for Weather Monday 11th, final test Thursday 14th August

Week 3:

(as promised) we investigate axial tilt and radiation with marshmallows and the Bunsen burners! Mrs Robinson will supply the marshmallows:)

We have a student presentation on New Zealand's volcanoes, plus acids and bases.

Then we'll memorise the layers of the atmosphere, learn to read weather maps and build our own rain gauges. If you have a small plastic bottle to use for your gauge, bring it to school Wednesday.

1) learn the names of the layers of the atmosphere

2) this clip takes you through the layers - if you can't cope with the talking raindrop, try the first five minutes of this lesson (optional/extension):). Then try this game about our atmosphere

3) how to read a weather map

4) here is a website where you can try to decide which type of cloud is in famous paintings. Check as many as you want. Does the person sitting next to you agree with your cloud diagnosis?

5) Spelling for Science word list this week:

evaporation dissolve freezing precipitation

cirrus cumulus stratus cumulonimbus

mountain ocean breeze anticyclone

Week 1 & 2:

Clouds, atmosphere layers, + the water cycle

1) check out the water cycle -

2) find out more detail about the water cycle. Excellence quiz here

3) find out the names for the 10 main types of cloud, then learn more about what each cloud type means for the weather

4) still not sure about clouds? Try this game.

Day, night and seasons

1) why do we have day and night? What causes seasons? Find out here.

2) view a real time map of where it is day and night right now.

3) a fuller explanation of why the Earth has seasons.

4) now do the quiz.

5) if you are hungry for more Science check out the new Junior Extension Page.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Assignment: A scientist and their element - due 24th July

Task: research and write up information about a scientist and an element he or she worked with/was involved with

You can choose one of the following, or make your own up (check it with Mrs Robinson though)

Questions to answer:

Record all websites or book titles/author for references you use. Hint - use the websites Mrs Robinson gave you above!

DO NOT spend more than 3 hours on this assignment. Everyone works at a

different pace, and Mrs Robinson is not trying to torture you. Just try 2

excellence questions after 2 hours, and have a parent or caregiver sign your

work to show you spent the right amount of time on it

_______________________________________________________________

Term 2

Week 9: Climate vs weather, and what's happening in our Oceans: this week we finish electricity and design a planet

Homework: You will have a short homework sheet + carry on with your "Scientist and their element" assignment

1) Climate is a long term thing. Our oceans play a major role in regulating the climate of our planet. Find New Zealand's average sea surface temperature here. Is it different to Australia's? What about Scotland's? What about Antarctica?

2) Watch this video from the NZ Science Hub to learn about measuring the salinity (saltiness) and temperature of our oceans.

3) A real NZ scientist talks about Argo and what its measurements are telling us about the ocean.

____________________________________________________________________________

Electricity - Term 2

Week 8: there is no IT lesson this week. Your test is on Thursday. The new topic is "Climate".

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 7: we build more complex circuits, learn about resistance, and test how good our knowledge of electricity is (two short tests:) Next week we start a new topic

1) build some circuits to check you know your components. This site also has cool experiments about wire thickness and length

2) now try some activities and quizzes

3) repair a spaceship in this circuit game

4) Electricity terms (words) game

5) learn about planning for our power needs

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WEEK 5 and 6: we build a town and light it. This week Mrs Robinson will brief you on the class project: we'll be building an entire model town out of cardboard and figuring out the best way to light it with only three 12V batteries. There's a detailed design brief, and each student will be allocated a building (or vehicle) to complete. Of course, while we make this town, we will learn more about circuits and their components:) We'll also be building our science thinking skills. Next week we get to the lemon batteries....

1) have a go at this rags to riches game about Science Fair.

2) Now play electric box. DO NOT play other games on the site the link takes you too - remember the rule is to only go to activities linked to directly from this site. Wait for a minute and the game will appear; don't create a game account

________________________________________________________________________________