Class Survey

Please take the 7th Grade Class Survey. 

Use this awesome site to learn more about science.

Unit 4 - Matter & Energy

Use these flash cards to study!

Test Friday, June 9: Matter and Energy

Review for the Test:

• Energy is made of different wavelengths.  Radio waves have the longest wavelength.  Gamma rays have the shortest.  Visible light has medium wavelength. 

• Atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. 
• Protons and neutrons make up the nucleus of the atom.
• The type of atom is determined by the number of protons in the nucleus.
• The Periodic Table organizes all of the types of atoms (elements) into periods and groups that share properties.
• Know where the Noble Gases are. Noble gases don't react with other elements.
• Know where the Halogens and Alkali Metals are. They are very reactive with other elements and combine easily to make compounds.
• Elements are substances that are made of only one type of atom. For example: all the types of atoms in the periodic table, like Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Oxygen, Gold, Silver
• Compounds are made of more than one atom.  For example: Water and hydrogen peroxide

Watch the videos below:
What are physical and chemical properties?

What are physical and chemical change?

Homework Links

Extra Credit for Quarter 4:

1. Read a New York Times Science article.  Write a 5-sentence summary.  Turn it in to the pink bin in class.  Deadline June 16.  Each article earns extra homework credit.

2. Learn the Periodic Table Song and sing it for the class.  Deadline: June 19.
3. Go to the NYU Science Festival on Sunday, June 4.

Here's the slower version.

Unit 3 - Helpful Links (Thank you, Soraya!)

Unit 3: Reproduction, Heredity & Evolution

Practice vocabulary here!
Mendel & Punnett Squares Practice Questions
Modern Genetics - Pedigree Chart - see your notebook
Change Over Time Practice Questions - Natural Selection & Evolution; Darwin


Major topics on the Exam:
Mendel and his pea plants
Punnett Squares
Pedigree charts
Natural Selection - survival of the fittest
Evolution - gradual change over time

Earth Day - April 22, 2017

Educate:

• A little history of Earth Day
• A little more history 

Appreciate:

• Beautiful Places
• More beautiful places

Activate:  Do something!

• We are going to plant the seedlings we germinated in class at the Hattie Carthan Garden across Lafayette St. on Friday, April 21. 
• Stop using disposable plastic
• Eat less meat
• Reduce your carbon footprint
• Plant a tree
• What else can we do?

Last Chance Science Projects

Choose a project.  Click on a link. Do the project.
Density Rainbow: How does the amount of sugar dissolved in water affect density? This is SO COOL.

Which shooter height makes the most accurate shot? (No link here: imagine flicking something with a spork on the edge of a table.  Turn that into a paper shooter with different height fulcrums.)

Which additive keeps flowers fresh longer?

Which bottle color makes the best soda-bottle biome?

Can rooftop gardens make a house cooler?  Make two shoebox houses; one with grass on top.

How does sunlight affect the temperature of a closed system?  (Global Warming)

How do different materials absorb oil?  Simulation of an oil spill and clean up.

Which biomass produces the most energy?

How many nickles/pennies does it take to produce the most electricity?

Science Fair

Click on this link for a list of projects that are great for 7th graders to do at home.

Remember!  You are doing a controlled experiment.  That means you must test the effect of changing a variable to see what happens.  You need to measure what happens to the dependent variable.

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Here are the steps you need to follow in order to complete a successful science fair project:

1. Submit your project idea to Ms. Moore.  You need to have verbal or emailed/texted confirmation that your topic is acceptable for our science fair.  The basic guidelines are that you must be conducting an experiment with one variable.  You may not conduct tests that harm vertebrate animals, including humans, or have the potential to be destructive in a way that your parents wouldn't approve.

2. Find a place to keep your written project information.  Before setting up your experiment you need to write down a few things:

• The question you are trying to answer.  Remember, if you already know the answer, choose a different topic.  Science is about finding out things we didn't know before and then trying to find an explanation.  Example: The question I'm trying to answer is "What is the effect of major brands of detergent on chocolate stains?"
• Your hypothesis.  What do you think will happen?  Example: If Tide is the strongest detergent, then there will be the least amount of chocolate stain remaining.
• A plan.  If you're using a plan from the internet, print it out or write down a set of procedures that you're going to follow.  If you make changes to the procedures as you work, revise your written plan.  More on the plan in the 'Set up your experiment' section below.
• A data table.  You are required to do an experiment that results in measuring something.  Before you test any factors you need to have a place where you will write down the measurements.  

3. Do some background research.  Search on Google and see what other people have done related to your experiment.  Other middle school science fair sites are good, and any link ending in .edu or .org will be fine.  Ignore Yahoo answers and rando blogs.  If you have questions, google them or text Ms. Moore at 410-703-6387 (bedtime is 11:00 for me, and you should be asleep by then as well).  Or just ask me at school.

4. Gather your materials.

5. Set up your experiment.

• You must conduct multiple trials.  Scientists who are paid to do science conduct thousands of trials!  Choose a number bigger than 3 that makes sense for your materials.  Make sure you know what your independent variable is...it's the ONE thing you'll change each time you do your experiment.  Example:  I put chocolate stains in 10 different places on a cotton T-shirt.  I wash that T-shirt in Tide detergent.  Then I put chocolate stains in 10 different places on another cotton T-shirt and wash that one in Wisk detergent.  I could use a third shirt with new stains an another brand of detergent.  Then I would have 10 trials for each detergent.   

• Constants are the factors that must stay the same.  Example: Every time I wash a new T-shirt with a different detergent, I need to make sure I'm using the same temperature water, the same brand of chocolate, same amount of chocolate, same amount of detergent, same length of washing.
•  MEASURE THE OUTCOME and write down the results in your data table.  If you don't measure what happened in your experiment, what's the point?  You need to have numbers to back up your conclusion.  Example: On a scale of 0-10 (0=no stain, 10=stain didn't change), the Tide removed the chocolate stains so they were all between 2 and 3, Wisk resulted in stains that were between 4 and 6, and the generic brand resulted in stains that were 7-8.

6. Analyze your data.  What did the numbers show?  Find the averages.  Create a graph.  Show your results in some way.  A data table is not a graph.

7. Write a conclusion.  More on this as we get closer to the fair.

Winter Break Homework

Follow these steps to complete the winter break homework:

Day 1: 30-40 minutes

1. Make sure you have your bubble answer sheet ready.  You can email Ms. Moore for a copy of your answer sheet.  (kmoore@cpcsschool.org)  If you lost your answer sheet and need a new one you will forfeit your homework pass.

2. Click on this link for the practice test.

3. Skim through the whole test.

4. Choose 10 questions you know the answers to right away.  Answer these questions on your bubble sheet and put a star by those 10 answers. 

Day 2: 30-40 minutes

Answer 20 more questions you know for sure.  Continue to draw a star next to any questions you are certain you know.  You can use the internet and other resources to help you answer questions.  If you look up an answer online be sure to write "I" next to the answer to show you got help on that question.

Day 3: 20-30 minutes

Answer 15 more questions.  Use the internet or a dictionary as a reference to help you with vocabulary that is challenging.  Take an educated guess about questions you don't know.

Day 4: 30-40 minutes

Complete the rest of the questions.  Enjoy the rest of your break!