For many of the readings in our Properties of Matter books, students are asked to complete C-notes. C-notes stands for Cornell Notes. (The originator of C-notes was a professor at Cornell University). C-notes are a process not a product. They are intended to deepen learning and understanding through repeated interaction with the subject matter. Teachers often provide the topic and the essential question for the notes which is written at the top of the paper. Students listen to a lecture, read an article, or watch a video and take some basic notes on the right hand side of the C-note paper. These notes should be written with bullet points with abbreviations and not in complete sentences. They should include the main ideas and vocabulary. Spaces should be left between main ideas, so that more notes can be added later. The next stage is to circle the key terms and vocabulary in the notes and either underline or highlight the main ideas. Students should review the notes and then develop questions that can be answered by the main ideas written in the notes. The questions are written on the left hand side of the paper. Usually I ask the students to wait until the next day in class to write the summary. For the summary students reflect on the essential question and write a topic sentence including ideas from the essential question. If the notes were taken effectively, the next few sentences of the summary can simply be answers to the questions on the left hand side. Now the notes are complete and can be used to study the content as students prepare for quizzes and tests. They can ask to be quizzed by a peer or adult or simply fold the paper and look at main ideas or questions to quiz themselves. If you’ve read closely, you notice that by the time they are done with the C-notes, students interact with their notes at least 4 times. It seems like an arduous process at first, but many students grow to realize that it is a really effective way to get information into their long term memory. The repeated exposure over time has been shown through memory research to increase learning. Here is a PDF of the C-note format. Here is a link to a C-note template so you can type C-notes on a computer or your iPad
We have been learning about Lab Safety in the Chemistry lab this week. Students are each making a poster representing one of the lab safety rules. Here is a fun video about lab safety that I shared with my classes.
This is what I refer to as my blog. I sometimes post photos, videos, directions to a project etc on this part of my website. I look forward to our year together. Here are a few photos of my trip to Europe this summer. The first one is of the crazy roads in Cornwall that were so narrow and had walls of rock and plants on both sides, next a beautiful rainbow over the north sea. The next one is a building in Paris with plans growing all over the walls, How cool is that? The last one is from my favorite day of the trip. A beautiful hike we took in the Swiss Alps! Soooo breathtaking.
Students in my 8th grade science classes are entering into the final week of building solar cars of their own design. All students are building a car to compete in the speed challenge which will determine which car is the fastest from each of my three class periods. The fastest car and group will be invited to attend the EWEB Annual Solar Car Challenge held at Cal Young Middle School this Saturday June 7th. Registration begins at 9:30m but I will be available in my classroom starting at 9:00 on Saturday for last minute adjustments. It will likely be a last minute decision as to who will attend. If your student’s car wins the class race and he/she is not able to attend, then other group members can race the car. Occassionally (due to busy Saturday schedules) we have students bring friends from other groups to help with the races. It is a double elimination race, with trials before and after lunch (lunch is provided). This is a wonderful culminating event for our physics unit and all students/family members are welcome to come watch. The actual races begin at 11:00 but the registration process takes quite a while and involves roll down tests, design evaluation and interviews.Email me at hohenemser@4j.lane.edu if you have any questions.
This week students will begin to design solar cars. The fastest car in each class will compete at the annual solar challenge held at Cal Young Middle School on Saturday June 7th from 9:30-1:30! Mark your calendars. Students will apply their knowledge of motion, speed, acceleration, and friction to design a model car that is powered entirely by the sun using a solar panel. To find out more about this event please visit the Solar Car Challenge website. This program is sponsored by EWEB.
Here is an intro video contributed by fellow teacher and Solar Challenge opponent Dustin Dawson
On Monday May 5th students will complete their review of 6th grade concepts with Ms MacWilliam and Mr Baker. The OAKs test covers concepts from all three years of middle school science content and skills. We have been reading from eBooks on the topics of motion, forces, Newtons laws, energy and waves. These books are available on Edmodo as well as on the assignment page of this website (SCIENCE). I gave two lectures on Energy and Waves and the electromagnetic spectrum this week and have attached the smart board pages here. You can access the links to the short videos on phases of matter and the electromagnetic spectrum. There is also an app on your iPads for learning about electric circuits. Check to out on Monday or Tuesday if you have time. I encourage students to look over Review Sheets from 6th and 7th grade, C-notes and products from the physics e_books and chapter summaries in the ebooks before Tuesday, so that all may meet the first time and not have to retake the test.
Students downloaded the Newton’s Laws eBook on Friday April 25th. Students will be able to work on reading it and creating a product for three days in class and at home. Many students will be able to take iPads home Tuesday night to finish any work on their product. The product for this eBook is a mind map or concept map. The students can choose between creating one on the iPad using the Inspiration App or creating it on legal sized paper using text as well as colored illustrations to show examples and definitions of each of Newton’s three Laws of Motion. The product is due on Wednesday April 30. Whichever mind-map is chosen, (on the iPads or on paper) it should include:
1. The three Laws written out with related vocabulary defined e.g: inertia, mass/weight, momentum
2. An explanation of each Law of motion in the student’s own words
3. Two examples for each Law taken from every day life, illustrated and labelled or described
Students downloaded the Forces eBook to their iPads on Wednesday April 16th and began work. The recommended* product for this eBook is to write C-notes for each section and within the C-notes be sure to answer the review questions at the end of the section. There will be a quiz on Friday April 25th on this eBook and you will have time on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to complete the book. Those of you who have the permission form signed should take your iPad home on Tuesday and Thursday to continue your work. If you are done early and ready for the quiz, please ask me to “send” you the next eBook on Newtons Laws of motion. The recommended* product for that book will be a hand drawn and written concept map, illustrating the three laws of motion. The quiz will cover chapters 1-5 and there will be extra credit questions from chapters 6-8. Here is a review sheet taken from the review questions in each section. The quiz will be based on these. Here is a word version of the review sheet that you can type into.
* You may choose any of the products listed in a previous blog, but for each book I will recommend one that I think will be the best.
