Chapter 3 test slated for Tuesday

The chapter test for freshwater entails fill-in the blanks or short-answers. I need to get away from multiple-choice.

Goin' to Lewisburg
tomorrow for OM training. Although I am excited about participating in OM, I do not relish spending a Saturday playing student.

Hmmm. What Could Be The Reason
why a couple of 8th grade boys chose to stop and visit with the beautiful Mrs. Rogers, our 7th grade science teacher, after school, rather than me? If you know me, you would understand. LOL.

The sun is shining and the weekend promises to be fantastic. Have a great weekend, folks.

Integrating Math and Science

Sort 'a. Today, we described the words solvent and solution in terms of water. It's when I wrote Solvent, on the whiteboard, that they understood the math phrase, to take apart a math problem. And, when I wrote, Solution, that they understood in science it is to mix substances together to make a new substance, or, to mix numbers together to find the solution to the math problem. Am I amazing, or what?

Have you been keeping up with edline.net?

Have a great night, folks.

I'm attracted to magnets

LOL. Today, we started the study of polarity, using water molecules. Aside from an illustration of a molecule that looked more like the Disney logo, I used a set of floating magnets to illustrate how like charges repel and opposites attract.

We also discussed the definitions of solvent and solution, with a make-believe glass of milk and cocoa powder. Then, we talked about hardwater and softwater. I challenged my cherubs to wash their paws before lunch to determine if our water is soft or hard -- I GOT NO RESPONSES!!??!!!

My first period class asked some really neat questions. First, does hard and softwater freeze at the same rate? I don't know. We placed 50-mL each of hard and soft water into my freezer at 8:50 a.m. - at 11:05 a.m. both specimens were frozen. Okay, the next question was, do they thaw at the same rate? How about evaporation? WOW!!! Great questions. I'm going to Walmart, now, to buy this group a treat for tomorrow.

Have a great night, folks.

Mrs. BB would be so proud of me!

I came in, this morning, and started the most colorful design of an aquifer. Ya, I drew, freehand, the zones of aeration and saturation. I identified permeable and impermeable materials. I explained how the water table is similar to surface runoff and flows downhill. My design even showed an artesian well, and how all water eventually makes it to the ocean. It was a most dramatic lesson, as I quizzed each class to recite the actions of an aquifer. It must have worked. I gave a quiz, afterward, and most of the sixth graders scored a 100%.

Grades are entered. Look on edline.net to see how your kiddo, did.

What did all this have to do with Mrs. BB? She's an art teacher, and whenever she subs for me, I come back to find the most fascinating artwork of the lesson she taught.

MUSEUM NIGHT AT SCHICK!!!
I had the honor of attending Tuesday night's show at the elementary school. Folks, I was literally bedazzled by a first-grader that explained to me, about blood.

Another munchkin that explained the differences between organic and man-made dyes. Or, everything, and then some, you wanted to know about the pyramids of Egypt.

There was even one cherub that did a presentation on the stock market -- I fully understand P/E ratio, now.

I am jealous of Austin, who showed up with what he called, a plasma ball (Van de Graff generator), and he got it at a yard sale for $1! His presentation was on cathode-ray tube - (your television picture tube).

Wanna know more about diamonds, how to battle the affects of aging skin? How about tea at the Governor's mansion at Williamsburg, Va.?

If it wasn't for the fact I had to get down on one knee to look these children in the eyes, I would have sworn they were college-educated adults.

All this was organized by our own, Mrs. Walls. What a fantastic lady! To be able to inspire children to succeed in such a manner-and at such an early age. TERRIFIC!!!

Have a great night, folks.

Well, well

We discussed wells, today. Ya know, the underground puddles o' water that we pump out for drinking, cooking, bathing, flushing potties. Sure, we discovered the zone of saturated is the layer of rock and soil soaked with water and held in place by an impermeable layer of small "pored" soil and rock. When that zone can hold not more water, the extra floats on top and forms a water table. Above that is permeable rock, or the zone of aeration.

Then we got into artesian wells -- ya know, springs. Wells forced to the surface by water pressure. The water that bubbles up from the ground.

Finally, we talked about carbonic acid and caverns. Seems like this lesson gets harder and harder to teach in the prescribed time period. Could it be I talk too much? Naw.

Five question multiple-choice test, tomorrow. I gave out a study guide.

Have a great night, folks.

Ew. Da Blog

I'm back. We are knee deep in the hydrology unit, starting freshwater under the earth, tomorrow.

Steelers won!!!

Have a Terrible Towel night, folks.