Jan. 2, 2013
Happy New Year to students, parents, and my Blog's Followers! 

Homework for tonight.
6th grade: write 5 Star Note Questions in your science notebooks. To get credit, questions must

• be numbered;
• be written in the skinny column next to your notes from today; 
• must start with a "W" word (Who, What, When , Where, Why or How), and
• must end with a question mark (?).

Third period students must also finish their data table from today's activity.
8th Grade: write 5 Star Note Questions in your science notebooks. To get credit, questions must

• be numbered;
• be written in the skinny column next to your notes from today;
• must start with a "W" word (Who, What, When , Where, Why or How), and
• must end with a question mark (?).

By the way, if you want to get an automatic notice when my blog has been updated, you could also become one of my Blog Followers.  Get Extra credit points on your next homework if you sign up as a follower of my blog. 
Enriching science stories in the news (if you're interested, do a summary of one in your science notebook but be sure to give the DATS ( Date, Author, Title, Source) so I know what it is.

1. Many of the world's species of frogs and other amphibians are in severe danger of dying out, so they will no longer exist alive: Scientists Try To Save Frogs From Extinction, found at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/scientists-try-to-save-frogs-from-extinction-8433866.html
 Why should we care?  Here's one reason:

2. Frogs Could Provide Big Leap in Antibiotics,  http://www.voanews.com/content/frogs-could-provide-big-leap-in-antibiotics/1576446.html.

More closely related to our current 6th Grade unit:
3. Science Story of the Year: Confirmation of the Higgs Boson.  Higgs Boson Named Top Science Find of 2012  http://www.voanews.com/content/higgs-boson-named-top-science-find-of-2012/1573789.html.   How is this related?  Matter is defined as anything that takes up space and has mass.  Why is mass one of the properties of matter. In other words, what gives mass to matter?  We're learning in class that all matter is made up of atoms, and atoms have three types of subatomic particles: Protons, Electrons, and Neutrons (P.E.N.).  But, what are the subatomic particles made of?  Quarks and Bosons.  Scientists believe that mass is caused by the Higgs Boson, and now they've found evidence to confirm the theory that those particles exist.

Note to parents: We on the School Governance Council are trying to get parents involved in using the Engrade system. Say hello using Engrade and Identify yourself as a parent, just so I know how many parents are checking. There will be a free training session downtown on January 17 from 7-8 and 8-9; check the flyer in your student's progress reports. As a parent, what could we do to get you to log in on Engrade under your own account, not your student's account?