Math and Science

Hey! Class FE7B has just finished off many units to end the holidays. Firstly, in math class, we have just finished our unit on geometry! I hope everybody studied for our test a couple of days ago! Also, we were all given two other assignments involving geometry-A tessellation and a floor plan of our "dream mansion". If you don't quite know what a tessellation is, I'll tell you. A tessellation is when you take a shape and apply transformations to it. The five transformations are rotation, reflection, translation, enlargement and combination.

Rotation: When you rotate a shape by a certain degree. In this case, The horizontal figure was rotated 90 degrees clockwise.

Reflection: When you reflect or "flip" a shaped off of a certain line. In this case, the figure to the left was reflected off of a vertical line.

Translation: When you move a shape without shifting or changing the way the shape is positioned. In this case, the rectangle on the left was moved down, then moved to the right.

Combination: When you combine multiple transformations to apply to a shape. In this case, the pink triangle was rotated 90 degrees clockwise, then translated to the right, then reflected off of a horizontal line.

For our "dream mansions" our class used many different shapes to make three floor plans for our dream mansion. We had to calculate the area of each room using our previous knowledge on shapes. For example: The formula of a Trapezoid: b1+ b2 x h divided by 2. The formula of a rectangle and parallelogram: b x h. The formula of a triangle: b x h divided by 2. Class FE7B had a great term in math!

As for science, class FE7B has just finished our science summative project by either building a bridge, tower crane, or trebuchet. Now, we are watching films on other structures such as an obelisk, Egyptian pyramid and the most fascinating Stone Henge. Nobody quite knows how stone henge was formed but there were many theories. For example: Many people believed that the workers on stone henge used pulley systems to place these large stones in the ground. Science is very exciting and let's see what we do next year!

Have a happy holiday!

My Last Post of 2008!

Last Science class in FE8B (Tuesday) we did an experiment. Everyone was split into groups of 2 and was given a piece of aluminum foil about 15cm x 15cm. Using the aluminum foil (and nothing else including tape or glue) we had to make a boat. We put these boats one at a time into a tank of water and tried to place in as many pennies as possible before it sank. The boat that held the most pennies won.
Most of the boats were along the same idea: they were shaped as bowls. You could make a fairly large bowl out of the aluminum foil, so the boat would have a large volume. Since density is mass divided by volume, the bigger the volume is the lower the average density would be. The lower the average density is, the more pennies the boat will hold.
Some other ideas in the class were to make a raft-like shape. The aluminum foil is just in a sheet, but the edges are rolled over to create air pockets. I heard in FE8A that one group did something along those lines with 2 or 3 air pockets in it, and their boat held significantly more pennies than all the others did. This would work the same way a cruise ship does, as the boat would have a large volume because of all the air it holds, but not a large mass seeing as air has an extremely small mass. This would result in a lower average density.

In Math, we have been constructing our dream mansions. We drew an orthographic drawing of our mansion, then Mr. Foster made them into a net using a computer program. Then he printed out the net and we had to use that to make our house. We also got to incorporate art into this project by colouring our house and gluing it to an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of paper and drawing what our whole dream lot would look like. This was a fun and interesting activity as we got to learn about geometric shapes in an exciting and different context.

That's all for now.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday, and I will talk to you again in the new year!
Until then,
-K

Science and Math in FE8A

Today in science we looked at average density. This is, in case you weren't paying attention, or didn't take notes, something which we are all guilty of one time or another (but don't do anymore), is simply all the masses and all the volumes divided by each other.
In this diagram it shows the experiment that we did in class which illustrates average density.
1 to start this experiment we mixed baking soda and vinegar which caused us to end out with a bubbly liquid.
2 After we got our bubbly liquid we placed corn kernels in to the beaker causing the bubbles to form on to the kernels making them float.(lowering the average density)
3 Then when the kernels came to the top of the beaker the bubbles released into the air causing the average density to rise and the kernel sinks to the bottom. Then the process repeats over and over until there is no gas left to release.

Now to math.
In math recently we have been looking at angle proofs. tonight we had many angles to solve using all the rules. We will be having our unit test on Monday.
See you tomorrow
Eric

Buoyancy in FE8B

Hello everybody,

In FE8B Science, we have been learning about buoyancy just like Eric said in FE8A. The definition of buoyancy is the ability of a fluid to support an object that is in or on it. Buoyant force is the opposite force to gravity, so if there is more buoyancy than gravity on an object in a fluid, it floats. The opposite happens if there is more gravity than buoyancy (it sinks).

But if this is true, than why do small rocks sink in water while large ships float? This is where average density comes in. Average density is the total mass divided by the total volume. A rock has a large mass, as there is a lot of matter in a rock, but not as big a volume as it is not very big. This results in a large density. A ship doesn't have a very large mass as it has a hollow hull, but it has a very large volume so the average density of a ship is fairly small. The density of a ship is much less than that of water, so it floats. The density of a rock is more than that of water, so it sinks.

Another cool thing with buoyancy is how objects of larger area on the water float easier compared to those with the same mass but less area on the water. For example, when you just stand straight in water without moving your hands, you will sink. However, if you lie on your back without moving your hands, you float. You still have the same mass and gravity pulling you down as when you were straight up and down, but this time you float. This is because there are more water particles supporting you when you take up a larger area. More particles under you means that there is more buoyant force pushing you up than the gravity pulling you down, so you float. When you are straight up and down there aren't as many water particles underneath you. This results in less buoyant force than gravity which makes you sink.

That's all for now.
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Another Day, Another Lesson

First I will start with science. Today in science we looked at buoyancy and page 134.
On page 134 it states how a solid pushes particles out of its way to get through. The reason the solid doesn't do this is because it is made of a lattice structure. Also it is held together with the force of attraction which is like a magnetic force. In order to break the magnetic force you have to add kinetic energy, heat, which will get the particles moving and break the lattice.

In this picture it shows a finger and a piece of cheese (our fluid)
When we push our finger in, the fluid under our finger will compact.

Now let's say that there are more particles in the cheese (red dots). If you push on the fluid now that it is denser your finger will bounce back which is Buoyancy.(buoyancy defined by black arrows)
Next time
-Eric

What's Happening in FE8A

Here we come winter.
Another new unit of math. In math we are doing angle proofs, which is made up of of intersecting line rules and parallel line rules. These rules can be used to figure out a whole group of angles when only given.
For intersecting lines the rules are:
complementary (two or more angles that add up to 90*)
supplementary(two or more angles that add up two 180*)
opposite (two angles that are on the other side of the line are equal)
For the parallel lines rules there are:
F-rule(two angles are equal because the angle on the inside of the arms of the F)
Z-rule( two angles are equal because they are on the inside of the Z)
C-rule(two angles equal 180* because they are located in the inside of the C)

exterior alternate(two angles are equal but only if they are on the out side of the parallel lines)
That concludes the math overview.

Now on to science, in science we have learned about density and how it can be calculated. To do so you will need to know 2 of the 3 properties of one sub stance: Mass, Volume, or Density. to find mass you can use a Triple Beam Balance. To find volume place object in to a container filled to the top with water and the water that spills out is the volume (Thanks to you Archimedes). To find density you use this triangle of usefulness:
The reason there is a X in between the D and the V is because you have to multiply Density by Volume to get Mass. Same thing for the 2 division signs under M because you have to divide Mass by Density or Volume to find Density or Volume.
That concludes my post for today.
See you soon
Eric

So in FE8B Math we have been continuing with our angle proofs unit. We have learned new rules for a set of parallel lines with a transversal line. A transversal line is a straight line that goes though both the parallel lines. There is the F-rule that states the the two angles on the inside of the F are equal. Here is a diagram:

The green lines are the F, and the two red angles are equal.

The next rule is the Z rule which states that the two angles in the Z are equal. These are called alternate angles.

The green lines are the Z and the two red angles are equal.

The third rule is the C rule which shows that the two angles in the C equal 180 degrees. These are called corresponding angles.

The green lines are the C, and the two red angles equal 180 degrees.

The final rule is the exterior alternate rule which means that the two angles on the outside opposite each other are equal.

In this diagram, the two red angles are equal.

In Science we are learning about fluids. We have been talking about density of fluids, viscosity of fluids, and the properties of the different states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).

We have also learned about how states of matter change from one to the other. The transitions are as follows:

When a solid is heated, it becomes a liquid. This is called melting. An example of this is when you eat ice cream in the summer and it melts in your cone when you don't eat it fast enough.

When a liquid is cooled, it becomes a solid. This is called freezing. An example of this is when you leave a water bottle in your car over a winter night and the next day it has become ice.

When a liquid is heated, it becomes a gas. This is called vaporization. An example of this is when you boil water and vapour comes of, as the water has become a gas.

When a gas is cooled, it becomes a liquid. This is called condensation. An example of this is if you put a lid on the boiling water, the vapour cools as it hits the cold metal and turns back into water again.

When a solid becomes a gas or a gas becomes a solid WITHOUT going through a liquid stage it is called sublimation. An example of this is "dry ice" (solid carbon dioxide) that is used for special effects in concerts, movies, etc.

Until Next Wednesday,

-K

FE8B

Hello everyone,

In FE8B we started a new Math unit on proofs for angle degrees. It was kind of confusing to understand all the rules for the angles and how to write out the proofs, but now we have gotten the hang of it. Some rules we have learned about angles are: all opposite angles are equal, two or more angles that split a straight line (180 degrees) are called supplimentary angles, two or more angles that split up a right angle (90 degrees) are called complimentary angles, and that all three angles in a triangle equal 180 degrees. This is a very interesting unit.

In Science we also started a new unit on fluids. We have looked through the terminology for our new unit. Some of the words seem kind of confusing, but I am excited to learn about all of them.

Today we did a science experiment about the flow rates of some liquids. We put molasses, corn syrup, water, and vegetable oil through 4 different funnels and timed how long it took between the first drop of the fluid falling through the funnel to the last drop. This was really cool to see. The water took under a second to go through, the oil took 11 seconds, the corn syrup took 25 minutes, and the molasses took over 31 minutes!! I learned a lot, and thought it was fascinating to see the experiment right in front of us too, not just reading about what would happen in a text book.

Until next Wednesday,

-K

Another Blog

Hi there! Wow! I can not believe that class Fe7B has done so much work already!! In science we have already been given our summative projects! We were given the choice of constructing a tower crane, trebuchet or bridge for our projects. Since we've learned so much already about forces, stresses and most importantly failure, our class is ready to build our structures! Here is an example of work from our previous oil derrick project that might help people understand more about structures and how they work.

•From the top view of this model structure, you can see that the platforms are all aligned causing any weight being exerted on the structure to be more balanced out making the structure more stable.

•From the top view of this model structure, you can see that the platforms are all aligned causing any weight being exerted on the structure to be more balanced out making the structure more stable.

•To add more stability to the structure, straws were wrapped around the three main pillars to keep them from buckling out when under compressive forces. There were “x’s” placed through the three main pillars to keep them from buckling inwards as well when also under compressive forces. These supports steadied the pillars and kept them from moving when under loads. When unable to move, the pillars can not create stress on the platforms leading to no shearing.

As for math, we have started a new unit on Geometry and Measurement. Our last lesson was on building 3D shapes from their nets. Here's an interesting fact. Did you know that there are 11 nets that can be used for a cube? Next week I will show all 11 nets. For now, try and figure out this problem!

I'll post sooner than later!

FE8B

Hello Everyone,

This blog post will have to be short, as it was my dad's birthday today and I had a basketball game so I only got the chance to write now.

Yesterday, we tested our Rube Goldberg machine for the last time. It worked pretty well, but we had to help it out towards the end of the machine. We also only got about half way across the classroom while our goal was the whole way, but that's OK. The compound pulley system my group and I made worked very well, so I was happy with that. Overall, I think the system should have been higher up so we had more speed, energy, and area to move downwards. The lever wasn't as strong as it could have been because the pulley only could drop about a foot onto the effort arm of the lever due to our lack of space. However, all in all the machine worked better than I had thought it would and I learned a lot from the experience.

In Math we started a new unit on drawing 3D cubes and buildings made of cubes on isometric dot paper. We have also been learning how to draw front, side, and top views of 3D shapes. I think that these skills will come in handy later in our lives, especially if we become an architect, interior designer, etc. I am looking forward to the rest of our unit!

Until next Wednesday,

-K

Life in FE8B

Hello all,

So, on Monday we used the clickers for a science test. It worked pretty well, although I personally got kind of distracted once and pressed the wrong button... I think that's the only bad thing about the clickers - once you enter your number you can't take it back. So I will be sure next time to triple-check that I pressed the correct button.
We are almost finished with our Rube Goldberg machine! All the groups have finished their parts, now we just have to put it all together and test it. I am very excited to see how it plays out! By the way, our compound pulley system wasn't working last week because the rope we used was too big for the edge of the disk, and would always fall off. Also, we weren't using an actual weight, just an empty container, on our bottom wheel so it was not supported and kept falling off. However, we have gotten it to work now so I am happy.
We had our Math unit test on circles today. I found it pretty simple. Once you understand the formulas for circumference and area you are pretty well set to go. But, I may be overestimating myself as I have no idea what I got. I will have to wait and see.
Another big thing today was that we had to hand in our Research Papers in Science. The paper was on our simple machine we are building for the Rube Goldberg (mine was pulley, obviously). We had to write the basics of our machine, explain about a company in Ontario that uses it every day in their work, and then write how the company would function without it. I did mine on PCL and how they use a compound pulley in their cranes and hoists to lift materials and people up the side of the building. It was interesting to look into how simple machines are used in real life. It was a fun project.
Well that's it for now.
Until next Wednesday,

-K

Clickers, Pizza, and Pulleys...

FE8B made school history this week! We used "clickers" for the SmartBoard for the very first time. The clickers are really cool! Basically, you sign in with your student number and it knows who you are. Then, there will be a question on the SmartBoard that is either true or false or multiple choice. On your clicker you have to choose the letter you want to answer and then press enter. Right after you press enter the clicker says whether you got the answer right, and then what your percent over the whole quiz is so far. Once everyone in the class has entered their answers, you can press a button "stop" on the SmartBoard and a pie chart pops up showing the percent of students who answered each choice on the question, so everyone in the class can see how the class in general did. Then, later the teacher can go back and see specifically who answered what, and mark you. We are having a science quiz about Simple Machines using these clickers on Monday, so I am very excited to see how this will work. I personally think it will be great because we can know our mark right away after each question, so Mr. Foster doesn't need to grade our work. I will tell you about it next week.
In Math we have started a new unit about circles. We have learned about radius, diameter, circumference, and how to find each for a circle. I was having one of my kind of random thoughts a while ago, and realized that when we order a pizza and say "I want a 10 inch pizza" we are stating the diameter of the pizza. Imagine if we stated the circumference of the pizza... "I would like a pizza that measures 31.4 inches around the outside." Haha... that sounds kind of weird.
In Science we have started constructing our Rube Goldberg machine. My group and I are incharge of making the pulley. We had a good start, but today when I was away during Science apparently our pulley didn't actually work... I wish I knew what was wrong so I could explain but I can't. I hope it works out in the end. I will update you.
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Fun times blogging

Well, this week has been very fun in class FE7B. Recently in math, we have opened a new unit on perimeter and area. Last math class we reviewed the perimeter of a parallelogram and today we reviewed the perimeter of a triangle. Since my camera (and pictures) are unavailable, I created a triangle and solved it's area by using the G-R-A-S-P method.

Givens

Required

Analysis

Substitution

Proof

Science in FE7B has been just as fun! We soon will test our "oil rigs" made for Fosterco oil company very soon and see how the rankings turn out. Since we just took notes on the different types of external and internal forces, I'm sure that our reports on our structures will turn out great! Be sure to use new vocabulary and your knowledge on structures!

Thanks for reading!!

Correspondents - Something has changed

Correspondents - please email me. A change had to be made to the way blogger was working. The password had to be changed. Email and I'll explain.

FE8B Rube Goldberg

As Eric said in his blog, in FE8B we are also making a Rube Goldberg machine. Today we came up with the main plan as a class and starting next Science class we will start constructing the machine. Our plan went something like this:
1. the ball is in a car (wheel and axle) that goes down an inclined plane
2. the car hits a wedge and stops, but the momentum flings the ball out
3. there is a pulley balancing with a cup at one end and a weight at the other and the ball lands in the cup, moving the cup downwards
4. the cup lands on a 1st class lever and tips over, rolling the ball into a cup on the other end of the lever
5. the cup goes back up the pulley as it is now lighter than the weight on the other end of the pulley
6. the weight comes down and hits the end of the lever to launch the ball
7. the ball lands in a funnel and goes around and around (like a screw) and then into a tube
8. the tube shoots the ball out to hit a 3rd class lever that spins around in a circle, hitting the handle on a driver gear on its way
9. the lever comes back and hits the ball onto the gear train that would be already moving
10. the ball would ride along the gear train that looks kind of like a bike chain and gears as there is a driver gear at one end and a slave gear at the other, connected by a chain
11. the ball will have moved accross the room and into the bucket!
I know it sounds confusing, but I think we can make it work. It seems like fun, if anything.
Until next Wednesday,
- K
P.S. I just wanted to put it out there that its not supposed to SNOW in OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!! I'm not ready for Winter yet!... :(

Da word in FE8A

Halloween video
Halloween is on Friday!! Plus the class auction is on Friday there will be many great prizes that can be bought. In class we have been designing the Rube Goldberg machine which must be finished by Nov. 12. Next each person will write a research paper on a company who uses their simple machine in their manufacturing process. The groups consist of lever, wedge, screw, pulley,and a wheel and axle. Today in class we all came up with ideas and put them all together and got 1 very big and good machine. Like the bike in the picture the are many simple machines like wheel and axle for both the gears and the wheel. Plus the pedals are levers. put it all together and this machine is much faster than walking resulting in a huge mechanical advantage.

Next time Eric :p

Sample vs. Census in the Election

In FE8B Math we have been doing Data Management. We have been learning about different kinds of graphs, how to infer things from a set of data, measures of Central Tendancy (mean, median, mode), if data is biased or reliable (which I talked about in my last blog), and data collected from a sample versus a census.
I was thinking about where you would see samples instead of a census in the real world and one obvious thing came to mind - polls that were predicting the Canadian Election and the actual results. On nodice.ca (http://www.nodice.ca/elections/canada/polls.php), the last poll posted before the actual results was a sample taken from a company called "Angus Reid Strategies". Compared to election results, they were pretty close. Here are what they said (ordered Bloc Quebecios, Conservative, Green Party, Liberal, NDP):
Agus Reid Strategies: 9%, 37%, 7%, 27%, 20%
Canada: 10%, 37.6%, 6.8%, 26.2%, 18.2%
As you can see, the results are very similar. However, if you look at a sample taken from three and a half weeks ago (Sept. 25th) from the same company, the results are very different. The Liberals and NDP are tied, and the Conservatives are much higher. Therefore, some of the samples are close, but some aren't, so you have to be careful as the sample could be almost exact, or way off.
One last thought: Even the election results aren't a census. Only 59% of Canadian citizens elidgable to vote did, so therefore the results are still only a sample. I wonder how the results would change if ALL Canadians 18+ voted...
Until Next Wednesday,
-K

Just another Blog

What an exciting week!!! Learning about structures and the conditions and terms to building structures is all so fun! Just recently we have done a reading and writing quiz/test on structures. Good thing class FE7B's love and passion for science made all the work easy to handle. Just today we had to make a structure that could withstand the weight of multiple textbooks. The team with the structure that could hold the most textbooks won! Our winners held seven textbooks but the all time record for this task was about 36 textbooks! This is an equivalent to 170 pounds! The record holding structure was shell structure made up of three cylinders that were spread apart and attached by tape. The tape would help so the cylinders would not shoot outwards when pressure was applied to it. Because the cylinders were spread out, the weight would also be spread out so the force would not be as strong on the structure. Congratulations to everybody who participated!







Math class in Fe7B is just as exciting! So far in data management, we have learned about paradox data and biased graphs. Most people do not realize that we see biased graphs every single day! Even when watching t.v you can see biased graphs that company's use for advertisement. Today I found a biased graph in The Globe And Mail and here are some pictures of it so all you readers can see them too.


The graph on the left is not biased but the graph on the right is. The newspaper wanted to emphasize how Apple's iPhone has been making many sales recently.







You can see that the reason for the problem is that the scale's intervals are very far apart.

Thank you for reading! Have a fun P.A day this Friday!

stuff happening in FE8A

KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN ! The census and sample unit test will be told soon in class this week so be
sure listen well for the date. On the topic of math we are into the new unit data-management, in this
unit we will cover ways to collect, organize, and graph data. Thursday in class each student conducted a survey on a topic of their choice then toke the data and organized it into a pie-graph. In science we have been learning about simple machines like pulleys, incline plane, screw, wedge, and wheel and axle. After
learning about these machines we will construct a Rube Goldberg machine to move a golf ball across the
class room.

Eric leis -C ya.

Hello there! Sorry for my post being late!! I think the thanksgiving turkey got to my head! So far in class FE7B math we have just started a new unit of data management! Recently we have been learning about stem and leaf plots and taking collected data and putting them into graphs, comparing different graphs and what data is suitable for what graphs etc. This new unit will help us students process different information and explore different types of graphs as well. Although, this new unit may be fun, it can also be challenging so do not forget about Mr.Foster's extra help days before and after school. You can even show up just to play some mind-challenging games.





Science in FE7B is becoming more interesting by the day!! After finishing up our safety unit, we are now entering a new unit of structures! Soon all our questions about structures will be answered. So, far we have learned about the three main types of structures. Solid, Frame, and shell.

Here is an example of a solid structure:

*A dam


Here is an example of a frame structure:

* A frame of a house

Here is an example of a shell structure:

*A hot air balloon

In FE8B Math we have been learning about different kinds of surveys like a census or a sample and how to tell if they are biased or reliable. I think it's interesting stuff to learn because you can use it in the future if, let's say, you were reading a survey that said 90% of Canadians' favourite sport is Beach Volleyball. But then, maybe it was only a sample taken from the people who went to Ashbridge's Bay, Toronto in a certain week. And maybe it was biased because the only people interviewed were those who were at the beach volleyball courts. So, therefore, you have to find out who was actually surveyed for the data before you take it extremely seriously. I'm not postive, but I'm pretty sure that not 90% Canadians think Beach Volleyball is their favourite sport, but it could easily be true about people playing Beach Volleyball at a beach.

In FE8B Science we are learning about simple machines and mechanical advantage. This knowledge will then be used in our making of the Rube Goldberg machines. It is cool to learn about the 6 simple machines (inclined plane, lever, wheel and axle, screw, wedge/gear, and pulleys) because you realize how much they are used in our lives. For example, in the summer I go to sailing camp and on a sailboat there are so many different pulleys. I never really realized it before, but there are aleast 7 pulleys on a sailboat that I can think of at the moment. Also on a sailboat are two 1st class levers: the centre board and the rudder. Here is a diagram of them all, the pulleys are green and the levers are red.



So that is what we have been learning in Math and Science and I personally am very excited for the Science unit especially as making the Rube Goldberg machine seems fun and interesting.
Until Next Wednesday,
-K

Riverdale Art Show 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls,





Please come make the last Riverdale Art Show a fantastic send-off to a great 20 year span of artists. Jenny Reid has run the show with her husband Neville Reid at St. Barnabas Church on the Danforth. The congregation has also supported this show for many years under the tutelage of Jenny and many church administrators including Debra Koscec, my mother-in-law (see below).





Glenview Teacher and amateur photographer, Dan Foster, will be on hand trading donations to the show for work he has produced over the few years he has been in Toronto. Please come support local painters and photographers like me on Friday October 17th (6:30 - 10:30pm) and Saturday October 18th (9:00 - 5pm). Donations are given to the church and the artists are given a chance to get their names out. Some really great work will be shown by artists who are not starving. May we help those who are though through this important work.





Rustic Barn, shown here, was a favourite last year. Let's hope we can sell it again. It is larger (11x17) than last years. 4 other new works (if they get printed, oh please, oh please, oh please)

Branksome Teacher, Samantha Koscec has also produced new work for this show and will be on hand to discuss the creative things she did with her work. Truly wonderful stuff but not for me to publish. An opening should have some surprises shouldn't it?

Thanks for reading.

Mr. F

PS: Maybe we see you @ St. Barnabas?

video
I hope everybody had a good thanksgiving.
For the next few weeks we will be making Rube Goldberg machines. A Rube Goldberg machines is a big machine made of smaller machines in order to complete a simple task like turning off an alarm clock. Rube machine video This is a video of a Japanese Rube machine that makes soup by pushing a toy car. I personally like these machines and the one we make in class will be very good. see ya in a week
Eric

Another Wednesday, Another Blog Post

In FE8B Science we have started to make our "Skills Levers". I'm not quite sure what they will end up doing, probably something to do with "skills", but I am sure they will be interesting and cool. To make the lever, each group had to measure out and cut (with Dustless Cutters) 8 pieces of wood and then glue them together in a certain layout. We also had to drill a few holes (using a Hand Drill) in order to push a skewer through and make the fulcrum for the lever to move on. I would try to explain what the lever looks like, but it's kind of difficult and I wouldn't want to confuse you. I would probably confuse myself, too... Anyways - making the lever was fun, even though using the tools sometimes was nerve-wracking because you don't want to mess up and ruin the project for your whole group. Everything turned out fine though. Well actually, now that I think back on it, there's kind of a funny story that happened:
To drill the holes, you have to make a dent in the wood where the drill bit will go in (called a pilot hole) first with and awl. An awl is a tool that has a sharp point used for making pilot holes. Anyways, a girl in my group was making a pilot hole, but Mr. F said she needed to push harder on the awl. Even after she started pushing harder, Mr. F was still not happy and decided to show her how to do it. Then, he basically smacked the awl REALLY hard and split our wood in half. (Everything was okay though after some Wood Glue). I'm sorry to be telling this story to everyone Mr. F, but that was pretty hilarious, I'm not going to lie. :)
Well that's all for now.
Until next Wednesday,
-K

The math and science update

Currently class FE7B has been working very hard in class. Firstly, with a new science project where we have to make a very nice poster using as many materials as possible to really send the message of safety and awareness when using tools. New ideas are sprouting everyday. With quizzes on tools this past week, now class FE7B can share their knowledge on safety with other classes around the school. Science is a very fascinating subject but in order to work with fascinating tools, you have to be prepared! You must learn to crawl before you walk.

Now math is a completely different story!!! We have been learning about problem solving and have just finished our last test in everything we've learned so far such as exponents, squares, decimals, place value etc. Now we have been given a sheet about these mysterious problems about "magic squares". We had to add and subtract the numbers given to us in a form of a sqaure have the same sum for every row, column, and diagonal. Who knows what this new unit will bring us!!

Is this fair?

I took this picture while I was out biking on Saturday morning (around 9:30am).

I was collecting images for a structures unit I am working on and happened to see this picture waiting to be taken.

The officer of the car was up the street writing tickets for illegally parked cars. I wonder if he actually read the sign post that he parked in front of or just assumed that because he was writing tickets for the same offense it would be fine (pun intended).

If you look carefully at the sign it says "No Parking 8am - 6pm, Monday to Saturday"

I think reading is one of those things you do to keep your brain engaged and toned like Math as K said.

FE8B - Science and Math

So, in FE8B Science we have been studying the hand tools we will use this year. We had tests that we have to get 100% on to pass, but only 2 people passed so we ended up writing our own questions to be on the test. We haven't gotten those tests back yet, but I think it was easier this time and more people will probably pass. We haven't been doing much else in Science.
In Math we have been doing many things including Prime Factorization, Exponents, Expanded Form Using Powers of Ten, Scientific Notation, Square Roots and Square Numbers, Factors and Multiples, and Order of Operations. I was thinking about when you will use these in real life situations, and I couldn't really come up with anything. We can use Exponents and Scientific Notation if there is a really big number we don't want to write all the digits of, but the rest I didn't know. So, I asked my older sister in grade 11 and my dad what they thought and they came up with a really good point: This just exercises our minds and makes them stronger. When we work hard at these equations, our brains get exercised and become more "in shape" each time. Then, other kinds of math we may encounter in the real world we be easier because we are "toned". Therefore, doing our homework - as boring or difficult as it may be - is worth it in the long run.
Until Next Wednesday,
-K

Safety in FE8A

Recently in science class we have been learning about safety. Through out the last 2 weeks we have
learned a lot a bout tool safety plus we are having tests about how to use tools properly. On the note of safety one morning I came in early and I did not have a helmet although I was riding a skateboard Mr. Foster told me this story of how he actual broke a helmet on a fall he had on his bike. If he didn't wear it could have turned out like this: Video1
That is why i do wear a helmet now.

Until next time
Eric

Yay Science!

In FE8B Science we have been studying hand tools that we are going to use in science this year. I feel it will be a really fun year because I love doing hands-on projects. Although, I have used hand tools before at my cottage making bird houses and I definitely prefer power tools! I used a screw-driver on my bird house and got so bored… I’m not a very patient person, so it will be interesting to see how this will work out…
We have also done some worksheets on WHMIS and HHPS symbols. If you don’t know what those are, check out http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/WHMIS/SymbolsAndLabels.asp?ReportID=24384 about WHMIS and http://www.perc.ca/waste-line/rrr/home/hazardous.html about HHPS. Anyways, we did a worksheet to find at least 3 products with HHPS symbols on them. I was very surprised at what I found! Febreze (yes, I mean the air-freshener) is explosive if it is heated, and in my cottage our bottle of Febreze was stored right beside the stove and across from the oven and microwave – NOT the smartest place to put something explosive! I can happily say I moved it to a safer place. Also, Lysol (a toilet bowl cleaner) is corrosive… I’m glad I don’t have to clean the toilets in my cottage! Finally, PAM (a cooking sheet spray) is explosive if it is heated, which at first I thought was hilariously stupid because you spray the PAM on a cooking sheet to go in the oven! But then I realized it was explosive because the PAM is compressed in the can and if the particles moved around any faster, like they would if they were heated, the can wouldn’t be able to contain them and then explode. So, therefore, PAM is safe to spray on a cooking sheet.
Finally, another worksheet we did was about a boy who got 4 fingers cut off and his forearm twisted around cleaning a meat mincing machine. That article definitely gave me a healthy fear for power tools – I would NOT want that to EVER happen to me!
Well, that’s it for now… Oh – by the way – what we are doing in Math is square roots, square numbers, and learning how to estimate the square root of a number that’s not a perfect square. We also started a unit about order of operations today.
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Math Whizzes

Recently class FE7B has been working on Decimals, Whole Numbers, and Exponents in math class. We have been learning new things everyday!! From place value, to powers of whole numbers. If anyone is confused at all with these exciting and challenging new units in math, here is a link to a math website. There are definitions of some math words that are difficult to comprehend. http://www.mathleague.com/help/decwholeexp/decwholeexp.htm#exponents This is a safe site that helps any young learner that is trying to grasp onto the wild roller coaster of mathematics. Have fun and enjoy the ride!

***REMEMBER: Do not forget about the test we are having on October 2nd. Study hard!!

New Bloggers Online

Great new things are about to happen to this blog. Three students are taking over the reins and will be posting once per week each. That means the blog will update three times per week. It will be exciting, new and best of all, student written.

I cannot believe its over...

Well, actually I can believe it is over. However the 'it' is actually several things. I'll explain. The first 'it' is trip week, which happened June 9th - 13th. Myself and two other teachers took a group of students from our school to Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve and had a fantastic time. If you get a chance to go I strongly encourage you to do so. We played around on the high-ropes course , the canopy tour and the rock wall all at around 90 feet above the forest floor. We also howled at wolves, saw a tonne of wildlife and got to know each other a lot better. I had a fantastic time and the students enjoyed themselves very much.

The second 'it' was school. After trip week was over school folded rather quickly. I am not disappointed however after last year, I felt a minor let down with school being over. My class last year was awesome and we had some great times. My class this year was good although as they are a year younger my relationship with them is a little different. The connection I made with my Sharkwater group makes me remember them very much and I hope I get a chance to do something like that again with my new class (the same one I had this year) next year. Anyway, must not dwell on the past but focus on the present. And the present is summer has started. Yeah summer.

The third 'it' just finished today. Well technically yesterday but as I am still up (due to time changes) I consider it today. We just came back from two glorious weeks away in British Columbia. We flew out on the first day of summer (June 27th) and spent 3 days in Vancouver with my uncle. Then we drove to Tofino for 5 days, taking a 3-day sea kayaking trip while out there. After Tofino we came back to Vancouver and stayed with my cousins near East Vancouver. I'll have to remember to post pictures soon but to say the least we had an awesome time. The weather was pretty good, high 20's during the day, low 10's at night, and the best parts, no skeeters and no humidity. We had two days of rain (both in Tofino) and the rest was sun. What a great time we had.

Now, on to summer. I'll post more as stuff happens. Take care.

How Much Sugar is in Sugar Cane

The following is a summary of the procedure that a student completed on her own. In her procedure she tried to make sugar from sugar cane. I talked about this experiment in an earlier blog (see below).

The Question
For my experiment I chose to find the amount of water and sugar in 40 grams of sugar cane.

What worked well in my Experiment
Before I could even start my experiment, I needed to find sugar cane. Looking for it in China Town was a good idea. Then when I got the cane, I needed to find a way to shred it (to increase the surface area so contained sugar would dissolve faster). To do this I chopped up the cane into bite sized pieces and then put it in a food processor. This worked great!

What didn’t work well in my Experiment
A couple things went wrong that affected my results. The first thing was the fact that a lot of water was retained in my residue when I filtered and the mass of the water was included in the weight of my residue which made it impossible to find the actual amount of water in 40 grams of sugar cane. The second thing that went wrong was I forgot to measure the beaker that held the pure sugar when it was empty. Since the masses of different beakers vary, when I weighed the beaker filled with sugar I had to subtract the average mass of a 400 ml beaker instead of the mass of the beaker I was using.
Another thing that didn’t go well was that I burnt my sugar due to evaporating my water at too high a temperature.

What I would change if I did this again

If I did my experiment again I would make sure I measured my residue when it was dry and again when it was wet. I would also make sure to remember which beaker weighed what and if I had measured them all while they were empty. The final thing I would change was the temperature at which I evaporated all my water. Instead of 100 °C, I would evaporate at 70 °C or 60°C.

Here is the new and improved procedure for determining the amount of sugar and water in sugar cane:

1. Safety goggles over eyes.
2. Collect all apparatus needed.
3. Measure 200 ml of water using a graduated cylinder
4. Weigh the empty 400 ml beaker
5. Put water in the 400 ml beaker and place on the hot plate. Turn setting to 100 ° C.
6. Weigh 40 grams of pre-shredded sugar cane using a triple-beam balance, a 400 ml beaker and the Dilyara Process.
7. Add the 40 grams of pre-shredded sugar cane to the 400 ml beaker of water. Weigh mixture.
8. Stir gently for 2-3 minutes with a glass rod.
9. Filter mixture using a retort stand, a retort ring, a funnel, filter paper and 400 ml catch beaker.
10. Weigh residue when it’s wet and then later when it’s dry. Subtract the two masses. (Use the Dilyara process when weighing)
11. Collect filtrate and put back on the hot plate. Turn setting to six. Leave it there until all water has evaporated and turn off the hot plate.
12. Collect remaining sugar.
13. Measure using a triple-beam balance and Dilyara process.
14. You now have the amount of sugar 40 grams of sugar cane contains. Take the weight of the mixture in step 6 and subtract the amount of original water, the difference between the dry and wet residue and the mass of the 400 ml beaker from this amount.
15. Then subtract the amount of sugar and the mass of the dry residue from this amount. Your answer is the amount of water in 40 grams of sugar cane.
15. Clean up and put away safety goggles.


Materials
-triple-beam balance
-safety goggles
-graduated cylinder
-400 ml beakers x 3
-hot plate
-40 grams pre-shredded sugar cane
-glass rod
-retort stand
-retort ring
-funnel
-filter paper

Conclusion
A 40 gram sample of sugar cane contains about 3 grams of sugar, about 1 gram of water and the rest is fibers.

Wolf Centre - Haliburton Forest

If you are coming on the Haliburton Trip I thought I should include a picture of one of the highlights we are going to see.

We will be staying at Haliburton Forest where the Wolf Centre is. This is a picture of two of the 8 wolves that live within the 55 acre enclosure. These wolves are not pets and are wild animals however they are used for research as part of the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre. The research is non-invasive and has much to do with understanding the dynamics of wolf behaviour.

I can hardly wait for the trip to take place. I want to show the students that I am taking there how wonderful the forest is and how much there is to learn from it. Only 3 weeks away now.

The Sweetest Thing

Today another student is trying to separate sugar from its natural form. A dedicated student worked tirelessly to shred sugar beets so that she could use them as the base for her experiment. She then boiled them in water on a hot plate for 10 minutes to get the sugar to go into solution in the water. After we (her and I) tried a variety of methods to filter the mixture of sugar beets and water/sugar solution. We settled on using coffee filters instead of regular filter paper as the regular filter paper kept getting clogged with shredded sugar beets. After filtering the mixture the sugar/water solution was put on a hot plate to boil. We decided a lower temperature was better than the higher as sugar tends to caramelize and become a sticky mess in the bottom of the beaker. As the solution boiled, the water evaporated and the room began to smell like cheap hot dogs.

Now, if you go back over the above paragraph, you will notice the absence of any mention of adding hot dogs, or hot dog extract to the mixture. It has got me completely baffled as to what that smell is. I like cheap hot dogs but is there sugar beets in cheap hot dogs or did we discover the smell that is made when you cook them comes from sugar beets?

Anyway, the procedure is not finished yet and so currently a lukewarm concentrated sugar solution sits in a beaker on my lab desk, patiently waiting for the science lab to open and for this student to come finish her work. This procedure is part of a series of independent experiments that my students have created as a summative project for their Pure Substances and Mixtures unit for Grade 7.

Since switching from cook-book type labs (recipes really) to self-directed student created labs I have noticed a difference in my students. They seem more connected to the science we are doing and that makes me happy. Maybe from this group I will encourage more into the research side of science. Only time will tell, and sadly, I will never know what happens to them. As they graduate from my school they also graduate out of my life. (Sniff, sniff)

Stock Car Challenges

Grade 8's to finish building stock car racers this week and start racing them next week. I was surfing looking for ideas and came across the F1 in Schools website. I wanted to make F1 race cars but the idea of using CO2 canisters on a straight track with a pointy end made me rethink the idea. I'd like to do it sometime but maybe with an older age group.

My students have been working to complete their designs of stock cars they are building from Basswood. We are doing this project as part of the Energy and Control unit of the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum. The topic for the curriculum is Optics but since that is being phased out this year and next I thought I should give my students their best chance at understanding grade 9 electricity unit, which is loosely related to Optics through energy. To start the project I gave them a battery, a light bulb and some wire and asked them to make the light light. I hoped they would have no problem figuring out how to make a circuit go but they did. Some had some incling, others no idea and still others just did not even try. These ones have just given up entirely and we are three weeks from the start of June. After that we have another three weeks. What is sad is that they prefer to spoil it for others and try to do as little work as possible. They just sit back and wait for the work to be done and then tell me how it was their idea etc. Do they think I am really that dumb?

Maybe I am ready for a break.

Solar Oven Challenge and Sugar-Making

Today we made the ovens. The kids were so in to the challenge and they took to it so well. To start they had to design and build their ovens out of recycled materials and insulate them against heat loss. They used black paper, old towels to attract the sun's energy to the ovens and then used recycled chip bags to reflect the sun's energy inside the oven. The top surface had to allow light inside so most used a clear plastic top that they taped to the box.

Inside our ovens we cooked chocolate chip cookies. What was fantastic was that the students measured the temperature inside the boxes and were blown away that they got up to 70 degrees celsius inside. It was also awesome to see that they were really into it and it wasn't just for the cookies. Well, okay, maybe it was.

Another awesome project happened after school. A student of mine is just wrapping her self-directed experiment. She may be posting her comment to the blog later but I will give you the highlights. She took sugar cane, boiled it to get a sugar water solution and then evaporated the water out to make brown sugar. We may have cooked it a little hot because it sort of burnt more than we were expecting but it was awesome. I'm so proud of the science that is going on in my classroom. These kids are really into it. I think I love my job again. (There were darker times before that made me question this so I am happy to say them times are over!)

Science is cool!

Here's to posting more regularly than last year!

Today in Science: Today in my science classes I did something I did not think I could do. I made ice cream without the use of a freezer. I mixed salt with ice cubes to lower the freezing point of ice and then used the liquid cream as a heat source to warm it up. What I mean is that I took the heat out of the cream and put it into the ice/salt mixture. In the process I made the liquid cream freeze into ice cream and hooked my students into heat transfer.

I also highlighted that we would be making a solar oven over the next few weeks and use it to cook food. I think I will make cookie dough while they build their ovens and then allow them to cook the dough and eat the results. In case you are not aware I am teaching grade 7's and we are in the heat and thermal energy unit. I like this unit. My goal for this year was to push critical thinking and problem solving skills. I think my students are doing a wonderful job with it.

For the Grade 8's today we looked at how to move energy from one place to another. We did this by using a battery (AA), two wires, a light bulb and three elastics to start. The challenge was to make the lightbulb light up. I gave very little instruction but circulated looking for the bulb to glow. Some got it right off the bat and some took a little longer. I had them draw a diagram of the circuit and then I added another level to it. I gave them a piece of cardstock, two brass fasteners and a paper clip and asked them to make a switch to turn the lightbulb on and off. The goal with these students is to get them to build a stock car out of pop-cans and power it with a motor. The motor will run off a battery and a switch will turn it on and off. It is part of the optics unit but really I am using it as a testing ground for the grade 8 program I will run next year. This year I had one major building project for the 8's and next year I want to run a few of them.

I do not want to give away too much and that is all that happened today in Science.