The Week of February 1st

Dear past self, I would like to tell you all about the characteristics of the moon. This will really help you understand more about astronomy. First there are many lunar surfaces, but I am going to focus on three. The first one is the crater. A crater is simply a hole, varying in lengths and depths, in the moon. It is created as a result of an asteroid/meteor impact. Also, another lunar surface is the ray. A ray is ejections, spray, and debris jetisoned away from a crater. Finally, I'd like to explain rilles to you. Rilles are folds on the surface created from collapsed underground lava flows. You should know these concepts. It will help you.

Experiment- A good experiment is to drop a marble into a pie tin of flower. It simulates an astroid hitting the moon, because the moon is very dusty and powdery. After you drop the marble you can observe the depth of the crater and the length of the rays.

The Week of January 18(absent)

This week we learned about the different types of tides and continued our work on seasons. We concluded that there are seasons because the earth has a constant tilt and when the sunlight is more focused on part of the earth it will be hotter.There are neap tides, high tides, low tides, and spring tides. Also I learned that a solstice is when the earth's tilt is away or towards the sun. An equinox is when the earth's tilt is right in the middle.

We learned this using many simulations. One of them was a virtual orbital situation. We also used the simulation to write a lab that concluded our knowlege in the subject. We also were verbally taught by Mr. Finley.

These ideas are important to know because later in the marking period we will be having a test. Also astronomy is good to know in every day life. Such as going to the beach or planning an event. These ideas are actually more important than you think.

The Week of January 11

This week we continued our study of astronomy. We learned about how the force of the earth on the moon affects the oceans tides and how there are spring tides ,high tides, and low tides. We focused on why there are seasons, thoughout the week. There are seasons because the earth has a constant tilit so at certain times the sunlight can be more focused or not. We also had a biology placement test.

We learned these science ideas in many different ways. We used another simulation that showed us the seasons. We also used the smartboard and a machine that detects how focused light is. We tested this machine with a flashlight pointed at different angles and lengths from it. This helped us understand why it is hotter when the sun is farther away from the earth. These ways helped me greatly.

These science ideas are important because last week we learned about the moon and the sun and now we are furthering our learning towards how they make seasons. This will continuely help us keep learning until we know alot about the subject. Without these science ideas we wouldnt be able to keep learning this subject so we wouldnt get far at all. In conclusion we learned many science ideas this week.

The Week of January 4th

This week we started working on astronomy. This is the study of the moon and stars. We also learned the difference between Revolution and Rotation. Revolution is when something travels around a fixed point. Roation is when something travels on a fixed point. We learned about the moon phases such as the new moon, waning gibbous and crescent, full moon, and waxing gibbous and crescent. We also learned how the force of the earth on the moon affects the tides.

We learned these ideas in many ways. One way was through Mr. Finley teaching us all of these ideas. We also learned through a helpful moon simulation lab on the computer. It had many different parts to it that really helped me understand it. The final way we learned this was through a pneumonic phrase about the many moon phases.

These science ideas are important to us because we will have to understand these ideas to do well on tests in the future. Also this specific subject could allow us to look at the moon the night before you go to the beach and be able to know how high the tides will be. Science ideas such as these always can help people in the future.

The Week of December 14

This week we did alot of reviewing for the upcoming test, but we also learned some new science ideas. We learned about friction and air resistance and how it affects scientific learning. We continued on our force diagrams and made more number sentences. We also learned about Newton's third law and to draw a force diagram for it you need two seperate ones to show each vantage points. These new science ideas will help me on the test.


I learned these ideas by taking notes and doing homework. I also completed a 5 page extra credit study guide that helped me. Not to mention that i completed many review questions for the test. We also had many examples and demonstrations. This week we even wrote a small story about friction to help our knowledge. Without these ways I wouldn't fully understand the science ideas.



These ideas are important because they will help me on the test. Also it will prepare me for more scientific things in the future. It also helped me furthermore my knowledge on the the last and the present unit that we are enduring. These science ideas are important because it will help me in the future, not just the present.

The Week of December 7

This week we learned many more science ideas. We learned more things about force diagrams. We now don't just put vertical arrows we put horizontal arrows to show if the object is moving or being pushed. For this you have to make two number sentences representing both displays of motion. The most important thing we learned this week is that delta v arrows are always in the same direction as the unbalanced force. Of course one is on a force diagram and one is on a motion diagram. This was a breakthrough which helped us understand most of the work to follow it.

This week we learned information in many different ways. Like always we took notes and followed examples and experiment. But, this week we learned information in many more different ways. My favorite way was in the form of a debate. Our class chose sides on a science idea and we argued our idea until one side figured out they were wrong by our information and examples. I found this a fun way to learn.

These science ideas are important to know, because when we have tests or quizzes this following week we will need to know this or we wont get a good grade. Also later in the year, when we go on to different subjects we might have to go back to this to furthermore our learning in that specific subject. These are two good reason why this is important.

The Week of November 30th

After our science test this week, we learned many key ideas about motion. We learned why motion moves and how to draw a force diagram. We also learned that gravity is not an object and to express it we should use the word earth. So when you put a book on the table, the book pushes down and the table pushes up at the same force making the book rest on the table. If there was more negative force the book would fall down, and if there was more postive force the book would go up. We also learned how to write equations for these objects. For my previous example it would be 5n +-5n=0n, making the position equal. Of course n stands for newtons. I also had to guess the amount of newtons.

We learned this by many ways. We were taught vocally, by Mr. Segen and we wrote down good notes. Although this was key in my increase in knowledge, the most important way we learned this was through models and diagrams. We used bowling balls, small weights, and even ourselves to model motion for our learning. One day we even got to push a car, so we could represent the motion of how the car was moving in mid-push and after we stopped. This was how we learned the science ideas.


This is important to know because although we already learned alot about motion, but to fully understand motion and to become a scientist you always must keep researching further, because there is always something to learn in the world of science. Also if we learn about different science ideas and there is a problem or situation that need what we already learned we can process it easier using the fundamentals of motion. These are really important reasons why we should know this