Bringing space agricultural techniques to earth

This article is pretty interesting, since it talks about space techniques for growing crops and how they could benefit Earth.

http://www.nasa.gov/missions/science/f_fertilizer.html

Minerals in Antarctica

This article discusses minerals found in Antarctica. It has been protected under treaties for non-mining through the year 2041. Do you think anyone should ever be allowed to drill or mine in Antarctica seeing what humans have done to wildlife landscape in the past? What are your thoughts?

http://news.yahoo.com/antarctica-may-type-ice-diamonds-170354556--finance.html

Convection box lab

Class,

We did the convection box lab in class today; wasn't that a cool lab. I really enjoyed showing you all how convection works and being able to show you a concrete example of convection that you could observe first-hand. Let's see how the whole cycle looks when we get to class tomorrow. I cannot wait to do the conduction lab tomorrow with the chocolate chips.

I also liked showing all of you the prehistoric sea creature fossils I found up in New Braunfels over the weekend. It is just proof that there was a shallow ocean here in the heart of Southwest Texas. I will be going up to the site where I found these over the holidays, and I would like to collect enough to give each one of you a fossil.

Just 1 1/2 more days of school everyone! Yipee!!

Math Games

Here are some games that are fun and they will help sharpen your skills in these areas. Play these games over the holidays, this will be some of your homework for the break. Gee!! When has a teacher ever told you to play games for homework on a computer of all places.

Motor bike race (proportions)
http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/dirt-bike-proportions/dirt-bike-proportions.html

Otter Race (Exponents)
http://www.mathgametime.com/games/otter-rush-exponents-game

The rest of the week at a glance (December 18-20)

Class,

Tomorrow is the Final Exam for math. It will cover all that we have done since the beginning of the year (Units 1 - 6). We will also be reviewing for the English/Reading exam that will be given on Thursday.

I will give you guys a Fun Grid to do tomorrow after the test, and we will be doing the Chocolate chip Lab.

Friday will be a half day and we will wind down for the vacation. Class well let out at 12:15 pm.

Ratio Space Ship game

Play this ratio space sip game, it is fun, and it will help you sharpen your skills with identifying ratios that have not been reduced.

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/ratio-blaster/ratio-blaster.html

Multiplication Expression games

This is a game where you solve the expression to help the otter win the swimming race.

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/swimming-otters/swimming-otters.html

Math Baseball Game

Play this fraction baseball game. Every time you hit a homerun, it gives you a fraction to reduce to lowest terms.

http://www.math-play.com/baseball-math-simplifying-fractions/simplifying-fractions-game.html

Adding and subtracting game

Play this pirate game.

http://www.math-play.com/integers-game.html

Fractions Jeopardy game

Play this Fractions Jeopardy game and brush up on your fractions.


http://www.math-play.com/Fractions-Jeopardy/fractions-jeopardy.html

Algebraic Expression Millionaire game

If you are still having difficulty putting together Algebraic Expressions, try this game.

http://www.math-play.com/Algebraic-Expressions-Millionaire/algebraic-expressions-millionaire.html

Multiples and Factors Jeopardy game

Here is another Jeopardy game involving factors and multiples.


http://www.math-play.com/Factors-and-Multiples-Jeopardy/Factors-and-Multiples-Jeopardy.html

Exponent Jeopardy

Class,

You all have to try this Jeopardy game.

http://www.math-play.com/Exponents-Jeopardy/Exponents-Jeopardy.html

Who wants to be a decimal millionaire game

Class,

How many of you want to be a decimal millionaire.  This is a cool little game that helps you practice place value.

http://www.math-play.com/Place-Value-Millionaire/place-value-millionaire.html

Math Basketball Games

Here is a site where you can shoot hoops and practice a little math. Try it out class and have fun!!!

http://www.math-play.com/one-digit-addition-game.html

Freedom/Equality Shortwrite

Nelson Mandela recently passed away this last week. He was the President of South Africa and a crusader for freedom and anti-racial sentiment. He was imprisoned for his beliefs that Blacks and Whites should be equal in the eyes of the law and served a 27 year sentence in prison for, basically, treason. What can we do in our own lives to make our world a better place to live in racially and ethnically?

Types of triangles

This is a cute song about the three types of triangles. We will be viewing this video.

Proportions with Mr.Ellison

We will be looking at proportions a little more, and I will be giving you all a semester exam next week that covers proportions. I will take a few problems from each unit we have covered and put them on the semester final. I can hear you guys groaning already.

Multiplying Decimals with Mr. Ellison

For those of you that are still having trouble with multiplying decimals, this is a step-by-step video on how to solve a decimal multiplication problem.

Labeling angles

This is a great video that shows you how to label the vertex and sides of an angle. We will watch this video on Thursday.

How to measure angles with a protractor

Class,
I would like all of you to view this khanacademy video. It will be really helpful when measuring angles come Thursday.

Radiation, Conduction, Convection Hip Hop Song

This is a snappy little youtube over the three types of heat energy transfer.

Convection

This is a neat little 3-D simulation of convection in the earth's mantle. This is a great way to see and understand convection. Be prepared to write a shortwrite over this video in class.

Tomorrow at a glance (December 11, 2013)

Class,

Tomorrow, we will be taking the Unit 5 Exam over Algebraic Representation. We have been on this unit now for about two weeks, and we are ready to be tested. Get a good nights rest, study your review, look over your notes if you have them, and be ready to go first thing in the morning. I will be printing out a clean STAAR chart for all of you, so I want to see you use it! All of you are going to do great on the exam, I just know it; you all have been doing so well on the practice assignments and quizzes. After the test, we are going to wind down and play Coordinate Siege or that other game we all know so well. Mr. Tirado's class may be coming to play with us.

We will be reading The Snake and the Chick out of the Measure Up book tomorrow also and going over the analogies. I also want to look over the Last ELA Exam we took and make corrections for a few points back. The class average on that test was about a 60%, and I know that we can do better.

Please keep in mind my little proposition to you all if all of you pass the Unit 5 Exam. It is a class effort, so let's do it!!

Convection Currents

This is a good example of a convection current. This is a type of heat transfer, which we will be talking about in class this week.

Probabilities

This video has some advanced material on probability, but we are going to view it anyway on Tuesday and do some probability practice problems. We will also do some of Thursday and Friday of this week as well.

Area of a circle

Finding area of composite figures

We saw this video today in class. View it some more, and we are going to discuss and perhaps watch it one more time tomorrow.

Heat Energy

This is a good little video over heat energy with our favorite science guy.

Input/Output Tables

This is a great input and output table video that we will be watching tomorrow in class.

Forms of Energy Cartoon

This is a cute little Wylie Coyote and Roadrunner cartoon that shows the different forms of energy transformation that take place in the cartoon.

Potential and Kinetic Energy

Class,
     View this video and be prepared to to discuss tomorrow in class. I will be giving you guys a short write opportunity to see what you remember about our discussion of energy.

Angle Alien Game YOU GOTTA PLAY IT!

Guys,

If you have not already, you have got to go to my blog posts for March of 2013 and look for Angle measurement post. Click on it and go to the link that is in there. The Angle Alien game shows up right away. It is sort of goofy, but it is a really fun and effective game and helps you to be able to approximate angle measurements. For those of you in my class, view and play this game as often as occasion permits, we will be starting that unit next Wednesday, December 11th (Unit 6).

Tomorrow at a glance (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)

Class,

     Tomorrow, we will be quite busy again in math, as we will be delving into an introduction of Unit 7 and measuring area, perimeter, and Circumference. We will also be doing some practice on the above mentioned concepts. We will also be looking at Algebraic Expression table and writing algebraic expressions for ratios that are not proportional but have a pattern. Like I told you all, I have moved Unit 5 Exam to nest Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the outcome of the next few days' problem practice. We will be loaded with math the rest of this week, all next week, and Monday -Thursday of the following week.
       We will also be reading Chapter 11 out of 39 Clues and having not only a Chapter 11 Sketch but a short-write of the chapter as well.  We will also be discussing Russian Government and Looking at Transformation of Energy. We will also be having a social studies short-write.