Welcome Parents

Parents: I'd like to welcome you all to Open House night at T.O.R. I'll be going over what is expected of our students in 8th Grade Science. If you ever need to reach me for any reason, please e-mail the address at the top of this page. 

• Shameless plug for the Titan Challenge October 13th

• New NGSS Science Standards 

• Syllabus & Online Textbook

• Grade-book - PowerSchool is LIVE - Email me if you need access

• Questions from parents

Students: I will be out of school tomorrow 9/29 and Monday 10/2.

While I am gone I want everyone to make an awesome comic strip for me. Here are the rules:

I want the comic to be an original story that would explain some science to a 2nd or 3rd grader. Topics You can include are:

• Shadows
• Timezones
• Sundials
• Sun rise & Sunset
• Day / Night Cycle
• Seasons & why we have them
• indirect and direct sunlight
• Why daylight length changes
• The tile of Earth's axis
• Rotation = one day
• Revolution = one year

Here's a document that can help you plan out and draw your comic strip. EFFORT is the biggest part of your grade on this one. 

Fun Earth & Space Comic Strip!

I will be out of school tomorrow 9/29 and Monday 10/2.

While I am gone I want everyone to make an awesome comic strip for me. Here are the rules:

I want the comic to be an original story that would explain some science to a 2nd or 3rd grader. Topics You can include are:

• Shadows
• Timezones
• Sundials
• Sun rise & Sunset
• Day / Night Cycle
• Seasons & why we have them
• indirect and direct sunlight
• Why daylight length changes
• The tile of Earth's axis
• Rotation = one day
• Revolution = one year

Here's a document that can help you plan out and draw your comic strip. EFFORT is the biggest part of your grade on this one. 

Last Activity about Earth & Sun System before we move on to the Moon

 * * * A T T E N T I O N * * * 

Quiz Thursday. 

Our last wrap-up reading was today. At this point you should definitely be able to explain the reasons for Day and Night as well as why we have seasons here on Earth! 

Here are the links to the work from today: 

Textbook Reading

Student Worksheet

Season Simulator

Click here for the Season Simulator

You'll get a worksheet to go with this simulator in class. Make sure to pay attention to the way Earth is tilted toward or away from the sun. Make sure you know this vocab too: 

• Rotation - Earth spinning on it's axis (24 hours)

• Revolution - Earth moving on it's path all the way around the sun 

• Orbit - The path Earth takes around the Sun

• Year - One complete revolution (trip) around the sun. This takes 365.25 days. 

Activity 74 - As Earth Rotates

Hey everyone.

If you missed my class today or needed a catch-up. Here is the reading we did on the day & night cycle of Earth. Read it again if you want to be real cool!

First Unit of the Year - Earth & Space

We are off and running!

**Quick reminder we will have a notebook check tomorrow. All you need is to make sure you have all the things I have given you and completed all the work!**

Yesterday all the students were given a phenomenon (something in the real word which we want to explain). They were introduced to a group chat conversation between 3 'students'. One of the students lived in Stamford, CT. The second lives in Beijing, China. The third in Perth, Australia. The conversation is available here.  

My students were asked to read through this and start thinking about what is happening with the Earth, Sun & moon to create the changes our fictional chat group experience. We then created an initial model for the students to explain it all. 

Over the next few weeks, we will be learning more and more about the Earth, Sun & moon and we will figure out exactly what is happening with this chat. 

Check this site often. I'll put up videos, links, homework and more. Sometimes I will even put extra credit. For example --> write your name on a post-it note and leave it on my desk by tomorrow and you'll get extra credit on tomorrow's notebook check!

Not all posts will be this long so don't worry!

Let's go!

-Mr. Lennon