Post a question that will help others review for the science test to this blog (Ms. Douglas’ blog). In your post be sure to include your blog web address, so that your classmates can check the answer on your blog.
Monday, June 7, 2010
7th Grade Science Solar System Test Review Guide
Post a comment to this blog with a question that will help others review for the science test.
In your post be sure to include your blog web address, so that your classmates can check the answer on your blog.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
games we play...
"Fasion Designer" on "CandyStand"
"Mighty Girl" on the website www.funbrain.com
cafe world on facebook
flying expirment. It was on www.wanderville.ca/v1/activites/falcon/falcon.htm
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
8th grade blog answers
Week 1:
1.Describe the difference between physical and chemical changes in terms of what happens to matter involved in each kind of change. Use examples to help with your explanation.
First of all, when physical change occurs in a substance, you will not be able to create a new substance. The substance will remain in its original state. In contrast, when chemical change occurs in the substance, you will be able to produce a different kind of substance. This means you will lose the original substance and a new one will form.
Based on this premise, any physical change that occurs in matter or substance is completely reversible. But when a chemical change happens, you will not be able to reverse or undo the transformation. For example, water can freeze so liquid can turn to solid but the substance is still water. You can unfreeze ice to revert to the liquid state of water. But if you burn paper, you will get a new substance called ash. You cannot ‘un-burn’ ash to transform it back to paper.
Another big difference between physical and chemical change is the speed of transformation. Physical change occurs faster and sometimes instantaneously. Most chemical changes, on the other hand, take longer time to become discernible. You can crumple a tin can and you will immediately see physical changes. But corrosion of tin can occurs very slowly; it will take a long time before you see the appearance of rust on the can.
There is a wide difference between physical and chemical changes. With physical change, you are not transforming the original molecular composition of the substance. But with chemical change, the molecular structure is being transformed thus you will get a new substance.
Resource: http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-physical-and-chemical-change/
2. The Statue of Liberty was originally a copper color. After being exposed to air, she turned a greenish color. What kind of change happened?
The Statue of Liberty is made of copper and you may have seen bluish or greenish tints to your pennies that have been left out to oxidize. Oxidation occurs as a chemical process happens that allows oxygen to slowly deteriorate metals and various other materials. Copper oxide is the product that actually is green when you see green copper pennies and subsequently the Statue of Liberty in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near New York. The Statue of Liberty is naturally green because of this chemical process and as such needs to be maintained regularly to ensure that it does not erode over time.
Copper is amazing in the fact that it usually will not erode so much when oxidized. The oxidation on the outside actually protects the copper inside by stopping further erosion. The original reason why the Statue of Liberty turned green is because of the heavy saline waters that actually accelerate the oxidation process on metals. The many misty sprays of the ocean caused the copper to turn green from exposure and many people see the green statue as beautiful anyways.
Resource:http://www.whyisthestatueoflibertygreen.com/why-is-the-statue-of-liberty-green.html
3. Keisha fills a balloon with helium while inside a heated building. She then takes the balloon outside on a cold winter day. The air pressure is the same inside and outside. Predict what will happen to the balloon, and explain your answer.
If the pressure on a gas is increased, the volume of a gas decreases. Also, the volume of the gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature. If you heat the gas, it expands; if you cool it, its volume decreases.
Heating the balloon makes the helium atoms move faster. The force of their collisions with the wall of the balloon increases. The increased force is an increase in pressure which, in turn, stretches the rubber and makes the balloon expand. Cooling does the opposite. When the balloon cools, the pressure inside drops, then the elasticity of the rubber shrinks the internal volume, and the overall volume of the balloon gets smaller. As a result, it displaces less air and therefore loses some of its lifting capacity.
Resource: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy00/phy00642.htm
Week 2:
1. The volume of a substance in a gaseous state is 1,000 times the volume in a liquid state. How much space would 18mL of water take up if it evaporated?
The volume of a substance in a gaseous state is 1,000 times the volume of the same substance in a liquid state. Therefore, to find the volume of a gas you would multiply 18ml X 1000. The answer is 18000mL of 18 Liters. The liquid molecules up take up less space because the molecules are closer together and moving slowly compared to a gas whose particles move more freely.
2. Describe how the physical properties of solids, liquids and gases affect how each state of matter behaves when placed into a new container.
The primary physical characteristics of the various states of matter are the volume and shape of the material. They are what really define the state. Other characteristics—such as color—may be different in the various states of matter, but they do not define the state as do volume and shape. Gravity has an effect on the shape of liquids and gases.
The solid state of matter is when the material has a definite volume or size and distinct shape at a given temperature. At room temperature, a piece of iron at has a shape and size that does not change. Ice is another solid, but its temperature must be below 0o C (32o F). Most solid materials expand with increasing temperatures, but they retain their shape. A liquid has a definite volume, but it takes the shape of its container with the help of gravity. For example, if you pour water into a cup or container, it will take the shape of that container. If you put water in a balloon, the water will take the shape of the balloon, no matter how you change the shape of the balloon. On the other hand, in outer space, where there is no gravity such as in the Space Shuttle, water might float out of its container. Its shape will vary, but its volume will remain constant if the air pressure and temperature are constant.
Most liquids expand with an increase of temperature and constant air pressure.
The volume of a quantity of gas is dependent on its temperature and the surrounding pressure. If affected by gravity, it will take the shape of its container, but much of it will also spread out into the surrounding area.
Assuming little or no convection or circulation, a heavier gas will settle to the bottom. For example, carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is heavier than air.
The primary physical characteristics of the various states of matter are the volume and shape of the material, which influences the how each state of matter, behaves in a new container.
Resources: http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/matter_states.htm
3. Write a procedure for separating a mixture of ice, iron filings, and sawdust.
In this lab you will use several separation techniques to separate the components of a homogeneous mixture of solids. A magnet will be used to remove iron. Since the iron is the only metal, the magnet will attract only the iron and it will leave the sawdust and ice. Then hot water will be used to melt the ice (or you can just heat the mixture to melt the ice) and separate it from the sawdust since ice will melt in water but sawdust will not. Finally, the sawdust can be filtered out so that the remaining water is left. Using a magnet, heat and a filter is one way that this mixture can be separated.
Resource:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090929074619AAMVEN8Week
3:Why don't the noble gases in Group 18 on the periodic table form chemical bonds?
The noble gases are located in Group VIII of the periodic table. Helium and neon are examples of noble gases. These elements are used to make lighted signs, refrigerants, and lasers. The noble gases are not reactive. This is because they have little tendency to gain or lose electrons since their valence shell is filled.
http://chemistry.about.com/library/blperiodictable.htm
Week 5:
1.Jennifer placed 1.0 g of salt into one beaker, 1.0 g of soil into a second beaker, and 1.0 g of sugar into a third beaker. She then added 200mL of water to each beaker and stirred the contents for 3 minutes. Explain what Jennifer created and why.
1.Describe the difference between physical and chemical changes in terms of what happens to matter involved in each kind of change. Use examples to help with your explanation.
First of all, when physical change occurs in a substance, you will not be able to create a new substance. The substance will remain in its original state. In contrast, when chemical change occurs in the substance, you will be able to produce a different kind of substance. This means you will lose the original substance and a new one will form.
Based on this premise, any physical change that occurs in matter or substance is completely reversible. But when a chemical change happens, you will not be able to reverse or undo the transformation. For example, water can freeze so liquid can turn to solid but the substance is still water. You can unfreeze ice to revert to the liquid state of water. But if you burn paper, you will get a new substance called ash. You cannot ‘un-burn’ ash to transform it back to paper.
Another big difference between physical and chemical change is the speed of transformation. Physical change occurs faster and sometimes instantaneously. Most chemical changes, on the other hand, take longer time to become discernible. You can crumple a tin can and you will immediately see physical changes. But corrosion of tin can occurs very slowly; it will take a long time before you see the appearance of rust on the can.
There is a wide difference between physical and chemical changes. With physical change, you are not transforming the original molecular composition of the substance. But with chemical change, the molecular structure is being transformed thus you will get a new substance.
Resource: http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-physical-and-chemical-change/
2. The Statue of Liberty was originally a copper color. After being exposed to air, she turned a greenish color. What kind of change happened?
The Statue of Liberty is made of copper and you may have seen bluish or greenish tints to your pennies that have been left out to oxidize. Oxidation occurs as a chemical process happens that allows oxygen to slowly deteriorate metals and various other materials. Copper oxide is the product that actually is green when you see green copper pennies and subsequently the Statue of Liberty in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean near New York. The Statue of Liberty is naturally green because of this chemical process and as such needs to be maintained regularly to ensure that it does not erode over time.
Copper is amazing in the fact that it usually will not erode so much when oxidized. The oxidation on the outside actually protects the copper inside by stopping further erosion. The original reason why the Statue of Liberty turned green is because of the heavy saline waters that actually accelerate the oxidation process on metals. The many misty sprays of the ocean caused the copper to turn green from exposure and many people see the green statue as beautiful anyways.
Resource:http://www.whyisthestatueoflibertygreen.com/why-is-the-statue-of-liberty-green.html
3. Keisha fills a balloon with helium while inside a heated building. She then takes the balloon outside on a cold winter day. The air pressure is the same inside and outside. Predict what will happen to the balloon, and explain your answer.
If the pressure on a gas is increased, the volume of a gas decreases. Also, the volume of the gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature. If you heat the gas, it expands; if you cool it, its volume decreases.
Heating the balloon makes the helium atoms move faster. The force of their collisions with the wall of the balloon increases. The increased force is an increase in pressure which, in turn, stretches the rubber and makes the balloon expand. Cooling does the opposite. When the balloon cools, the pressure inside drops, then the elasticity of the rubber shrinks the internal volume, and the overall volume of the balloon gets smaller. As a result, it displaces less air and therefore loses some of its lifting capacity.
Resource: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy00/phy00642.htm
Week 2:
1. The volume of a substance in a gaseous state is 1,000 times the volume in a liquid state. How much space would 18mL of water take up if it evaporated?
The volume of a substance in a gaseous state is 1,000 times the volume of the same substance in a liquid state. Therefore, to find the volume of a gas you would multiply 18ml X 1000. The answer is 18000mL of 18 Liters. The liquid molecules up take up less space because the molecules are closer together and moving slowly compared to a gas whose particles move more freely.
2. Describe how the physical properties of solids, liquids and gases affect how each state of matter behaves when placed into a new container.
The primary physical characteristics of the various states of matter are the volume and shape of the material. They are what really define the state. Other characteristics—such as color—may be different in the various states of matter, but they do not define the state as do volume and shape. Gravity has an effect on the shape of liquids and gases.
The solid state of matter is when the material has a definite volume or size and distinct shape at a given temperature. At room temperature, a piece of iron at has a shape and size that does not change. Ice is another solid, but its temperature must be below 0o C (32o F). Most solid materials expand with increasing temperatures, but they retain their shape. A liquid has a definite volume, but it takes the shape of its container with the help of gravity. For example, if you pour water into a cup or container, it will take the shape of that container. If you put water in a balloon, the water will take the shape of the balloon, no matter how you change the shape of the balloon. On the other hand, in outer space, where there is no gravity such as in the Space Shuttle, water might float out of its container. Its shape will vary, but its volume will remain constant if the air pressure and temperature are constant.
Most liquids expand with an increase of temperature and constant air pressure.
The volume of a quantity of gas is dependent on its temperature and the surrounding pressure. If affected by gravity, it will take the shape of its container, but much of it will also spread out into the surrounding area.
Assuming little or no convection or circulation, a heavier gas will settle to the bottom. For example, carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is heavier than air.
The primary physical characteristics of the various states of matter are the volume and shape of the material, which influences the how each state of matter, behaves in a new container.
Resources: http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/matter_states.htm
3. Write a procedure for separating a mixture of ice, iron filings, and sawdust.
In this lab you will use several separation techniques to separate the components of a homogeneous mixture of solids. A magnet will be used to remove iron. Since the iron is the only metal, the magnet will attract only the iron and it will leave the sawdust and ice. Then hot water will be used to melt the ice (or you can just heat the mixture to melt the ice) and separate it from the sawdust since ice will melt in water but sawdust will not. Finally, the sawdust can be filtered out so that the remaining water is left. Using a magnet, heat and a filter is one way that this mixture can be separated.
Resource:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090929074619AAMVEN8Week
3:Why don't the noble gases in Group 18 on the periodic table form chemical bonds?
The noble gases are located in Group VIII of the periodic table. Helium and neon are examples of noble gases. These elements are used to make lighted signs, refrigerants, and lasers. The noble gases are not reactive. This is because they have little tendency to gain or lose electrons since their valence shell is filled.
http://chemistry.about.com/library/blperiodictable.htm
Week 5:
1.Jennifer placed 1.0 g of salt into one beaker, 1.0 g of soil into a second beaker, and 1.0 g of sugar into a third beaker. She then added 200mL of water to each beaker and stirred the contents for 3 minutes. Explain what Jennifer created and why.
When two substances are combined in such a way that they do not react chemically, then this combination is called a mixture. There are two types of mixtures that are homogeneous and heterogeneous mixture. If the two substances cannot separate in a mixture, then the mixture is called homogeneous mixture. On the other hand, in a heterogeneous mixture one substance is suspended in the other substance. Two components of a heterogeneous mixture can be separated by applying some methods. Jennifer's combination of the soil and the water is a heterogeneous mixture because soil is not blended completely with water. Jennifer's mixture of salt and water is a homogeneous mixture (solution) because both the salt and the water retain their individual properties and the solution can be separated out. Jennfier's mixutre of sugar dissolves and is spread throughout the water. The sugar-water would be considered a homogeneous solution.
http://www.blurtit.com/q681870.html
http://www.blurtit.com/q681870.html
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_solution.html
2. The atomic mass of an element and the mass number of an atom of that element often have similar values. However, atomic mass and mass number are not the same. Explain the difference.
Atomic mass is the average of the masses of the existing isotopes in an element, but the mass number is the sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The mass number should not be confused with the relative atomic mass (also called atomic weight) of an element, which is the average atomic mass number of the different isotopes of that element, weighted by abundance.[5] For instance, there are two main isotopes of chlorine: chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. In any given sample of chlorine that has not been subject to mass separation there will be roughly 75% of chlorine atoms which are chlorine-35 and only 25% of chlorine atoms which are chlorine-37. This gives chlorine a relative atomic mass of 35.5 (actually 35.4527 g/mol).
Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_number
3. The elements in the periodic table can be classified into metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Describe the properties of these classes, and explain where the elements that fall into these classes can be found on the periodic table.
The elements in the periodic table can be classified into three groups based on their physical properties; metals, nonmetals and metalloids.
The metals are the largest group of elements. They are; all solids (except mercury); have a lustrous (shiny) appearance; are malleable and ductile; are good conductors of heat and electricity.
The next largest group is the nonmetals. The nonmetals; are found in gas, liquid or solid state; lack the remaining properties of the metals, i.e. are not malleable or ductile and are generally poor conductors (graphite is a very good electrical conductor).
The metalloids are a small collection of elements that lie between the metals and the nonmetals in the periodic table and share some of the properties of metals and nonmetals.
Resource: http://intro.chem.okstate.edu/1314F00/Lecture/Chapter2/Lec83000.html
2. The atomic mass of an element and the mass number of an atom of that element often have similar values. However, atomic mass and mass number are not the same. Explain the difference.
Atomic mass is the average of the masses of the existing isotopes in an element, but the mass number is the sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The mass number should not be confused with the relative atomic mass (also called atomic weight) of an element, which is the average atomic mass number of the different isotopes of that element, weighted by abundance.[5] For instance, there are two main isotopes of chlorine: chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. In any given sample of chlorine that has not been subject to mass separation there will be roughly 75% of chlorine atoms which are chlorine-35 and only 25% of chlorine atoms which are chlorine-37. This gives chlorine a relative atomic mass of 35.5 (actually 35.4527 g/mol).
Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_number
3. The elements in the periodic table can be classified into metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Describe the properties of these classes, and explain where the elements that fall into these classes can be found on the periodic table.
The elements in the periodic table can be classified into three groups based on their physical properties; metals, nonmetals and metalloids.
The metals are the largest group of elements. They are; all solids (except mercury); have a lustrous (shiny) appearance; are malleable and ductile; are good conductors of heat and electricity.
The next largest group is the nonmetals. The nonmetals; are found in gas, liquid or solid state; lack the remaining properties of the metals, i.e. are not malleable or ductile and are generally poor conductors (graphite is a very good electrical conductor).
The metalloids are a small collection of elements that lie between the metals and the nonmetals in the periodic table and share some of the properties of metals and nonmetals.
Resource: http://intro.chem.okstate.edu/1314F00/Lecture/Chapter2/Lec83000.html
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
7th Grade Blog Answers (Weeks 1-5)
1. When you hit a nail into a board using a hammer, the head of the nail gets warm, in terms of kinetic energy and thermal energy, describe why you think the nail head gets warm. Provide an additional example to help you.
The molecules vibrate rapidly when hammered making it hot.
Or you could say that friction causes nail become hot.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_the_head_of_a_nail_get_warm_when_you_hammer_it
Some of the kinetic energy of the arm’s motion is transferred to thermal energy. The rest of the energy goes into sound, the motion of the nail pushing into wood, and the heat of the nail and the wood.
http://www.need.org/Science of Energy.pdf
2. Describe the kinetic-potential energy conversions that occur when a basketball bounces.
Sample1:
When you bounce a basketball, before you let go of the ball as long as it is in your hands the ball has potential energy. Once you throw it down, or let it fall by itself, it has kinetic energy! The moment it hits the ground potential energy becomes zero and the ball bounces. When your hands stop it the kinetic energy becomes zero and potential energy becomes maximum the cycle goes on!
Sample 2: When the basketball is in your hand, before it is dropped, it has full potential energy. Once that basketball is released from your hands, the potential energy is going to convert to kinetic energy (energy conversions). Right before the ball hits the ground, it has 100% kinetic energy, but the second the ball hits the ground it has 100% potential energy because it has no motion for the little time it is on the ground. When the basketball is bounced back up, the kinetic energy decreases while the potential energy increases. Then the ball reaches your hand and all of the energy is back to potential. This cycle continues. Do not forget that some of the energy when you bounce the basketball is transferred into sound energy (when the ball hits the ground it creates sound).
Sample 3: It doesn't take much effort to lift a ball off the ground. However, work is being done to the ball as it is being lifted, giving it energy. We call this energy potential energy. When the ball is dropped, the ball begins to move. The potential energy begins to be converted into kinetic energy - the energy of motion. There is obviously a very close association between work and energy. Energy is defined as the ability to do work and both work and energy are measured in Joules. To help understand this concept, scientists have classified energy into two types or states. Potential energy is the energy acquired as work is being done to an object and kinetic energy is the energy released by the object as it is doing work. The amount of work put into an object, its potential energy, must always be equal to the amount of work the object can do, its kinetic energy. For example; the higher the ball is lifted off the ground, the higher it will bounce after hitting the ground. Experience tells us that the ball can never bounce back to its original height. The falling ball looses some of its energy to air friction, to internal forces within the ball, and to friction between the ball and the ground on impact. After impact, the ball and the spot directly under the ball are slightly warmer, as some of the energy is lost as heat.
http://Galileo.phys.Virginia.EDU/education/outreach/8thgradesol/EnergyBall.htm
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2010
Week1_Prompt#2
Energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed into other forms. Potential energy is the measure of an objects position. Kinetic energy is the measure of an objects movement. When kinetic and potential energy combine they create mechanical energy. There can be energy conversions in a basketball. When a basketball is still it is at its potential energy. The basketball's position is being measured. When a basketball is moving it is at its kinetic energy. The basketball's movement is being measured. This is the energy conversion between potential and kinetic energy.
Citations:
Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. (2008). Integrated Science. Austin, TX: Harcourt Education Company.
Posted by csasalaam
at 6:05 PM
3. A car that brakes suddenly comes to a screeching halt. Is the sound energy produced in this conversion a useful form of energy? Explain your answer.
The sound of a car’s brakes screeching to a halt does produce useful energy. The sound of the brakes screeching tells other drivers that the car is coming and that the car is stopping suddenly. This could be a signal to the other drivers to get out of the way in order to avoid an accident. Although the brakes of a car screeching may seem like an unnecessary sound, the sound produced by the brakes can be productive.
(Ms. Douglas)
4. Imagine that you drop a ball. It bounces a few times and then it stops. Your friend says that the energy that the ball had is gone. Where did it go? Evaluate your friend's statement on energy conservation.
The kinetic energy of the ball is converted into elastic energy through deformation (I assume we are not talking about steel balls). The elastic energy is then released, pushing the ball back up. Some energy is lost in the ball where it will cause heating, and some is probably lost to the floor, depending how elastic the floor is, so the rebound bounce won't reach the same height as the initial height, but total energy must be conserved.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_happens_to_the_energy_of_a_ball_when_it_is_dropped_to_the_floor
5. Trace electrical energy back to the sun.
6. Why do you think heating a full pot of soup on the stove could cause the soup to overflow? When heating a pit on the stove energy is being transferred. The energy from the stove is conducting to the pot and then to the soup. As the soup heats up its particles absorb energy, expand and move around more. Since the pot is full, the movement and the expansion of the particles, or atoms, of the soup cause the soup to go over the top of the pot, since the pot does not expand.
7. During thermal expansion, what happens to the density of a substance?
In general density can be changed by changing either the pressure or the temperature. Increasing the pressure will always increase the density of a material. Increasing the temperature generally decreases the density, but there are notable exceptions to this generalization. For example, the density of water increases between its melting point at 0 °C and 4 °C and similar behavior is observed in silicon at low temperatures.
http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Density
8. A glass of cold water whose particles had a low average kinetic energy was placed on a table. The average kinetic energy in the cold water increased, while the average kinetic energy of the part of the table under the glass decreased. What do you think happened?
There was an energy conversion between the cold water in the glass and the table. The temperature of the water caused the glass to have a low kinetic energy. The energy/heat from the table transferred to the glass.
9. Many cold packs used for sports injuries are activated by bending the package, causing the substance inside to chemically react. How is heat involved in this process?
Cold Packs
Speaking of refrigeration and coldness, have you ever used one of those "instant cold packs" that looks like a plastic bag filled with liquid. You hit it, shake it up and it gets extremely cold. What's going on here?
The liquid inside the cold pack is water. In the water is another plastic bag or tube containing ammonium-nitrate fertilizer. When you hit the cold pack, it breaks the tube so that the water mixes with the fertilizer. This mixture creates an endothermic reaction -- it absorbs heat. The temperature of the solution falls to about 35 F for 10 to 15 minutes.
http://home.howstuffworks.com/refrigerator7.htm
Instant hot and cold packs are used by athletes to quickly and conveniently treat an injury. They last for about 20 minutes. The packs take advantage of chemicals that either absorb a lot of heat or release a lot of heat when dissolved in water. When a chemical process absorbs a lot of heat it is called endothermic. When heat is released, it is called exothermic.
In cold packs, ammonium nitrate is used because it absorbs a lot of heat when it dissolves in water. The water and ammonium nitrate are in separate compartments in the pack. When the cold pack is needed, the chambers are broken and the ammonium nitrate dissolves in the water, absorbing heat and making the pack as cold as 0C.
In hot packs, calcium chloride or magnesium sulphate are used, along with the water. They release heat when the chambers are broken and the chemical dissolves in the water. A hot pack can reach a temperature of 90C.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_cold_packs_work
10. When water evaporates (changes from a liquid to a gas), the air near the water's surface becomes cooler. Why?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Week 4 Blog prompts
READ AND FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS TO ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST GRADE POSSIBLE!!!
Premiering on PBS in October 2009, the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series DESIGN SQUAD returns for its third season with a fresh cast of high-school aged contestants eager to take on design challenges that task their creative reserves! DESIGN SQUAD is high-energy, high-drama reality TV that lets kids show off their smarts as they design and build working solutions for real-world clients—people who are hungry for clever ideas from a new generation of innovators. From creating remote-controlled flying football targets for Hasbro to dry land dog sleds for the Jamaica Dog Sled Team, the action culminates in the final episode when the top two scorers battle for the Grand Prize: a $10,000 college scholarship from the Intel Foundation.
Before you watch DESIGN SQUAD:
Introduce yourself with design process.
The Design Process
When engineers set out to solve a problem,
their first solution is rarely their best. Instead, they tinker,
try different ideas, fail, learn from mistakes, and try again.
The series of steps engineers use to arrive at a
solution is called the design process.
You can approach almost any problem
using the steps of the design process—
it's a great way to come up with lots of ideas, improve a design,
and learn from mistakes. In fact, the design process is
something people use every day—planning an outing,
writing a letter, making breakfast, or doing any task
where they create something that did not exist before.
Part 1: Watch one of the episodes below, then answer a-e in a blog post. If you do not see the links below, check your gmail. I sent the links last night!
Episode:Need for speed: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/season1/index.html?pid=7L41Dj2xWGb_v64qbmo_zGO2B5L2Unk_
Episode: Rock on – sound: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/season1/index.html?pid=WIx5iZxOB_ZJPjQK9ri0Dpxwcpy_ANtM
Episode: Bodies electric:: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/season1/index.html?pid=_L6W0dM_SupsTnORaApAN_Jcx5lB4Tnl
Episode:Winner Takes All: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/season1/index.html?pid=Kdjz28GyDxs3EDghkFhjcAO51gUcxl7b
Part 2: Blog about a-e below.
Paragraph 1:
- What problems do they solve? (summary of challenge)
- What strategies do they use?
- Discuss how the DESIGN SQUAD contestants work together, learn from one another, and support each other during a challenge.
Paragraph 2
- How would you approach the problem?
- What did you learn from watching this episode?
Title/Label your post like this:
Week4-(whichever episode you chose above)
For example: Week4-Rock on-sound
Part 3: Read and comment on your teammates.
Use the scoring rubric below to score each response. Make educated and professional comments to your teammates explaining the score you chose. You must make productive comments on at least 3 teammates. “I agree with you” is not productive. You can cross teams, but crossing grade levels will not count towards your 3.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Great work...
Great work to everyone who has set up and completed their first blog post. I am really enjoying all of your comments about science and technology. I will be emailing everyone tomorrow with the new activities for this week. Stay tuned...
Ms. D.
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