Unit 3 is titled Weather & Climate. To begin the journey into Earth, we have to travel through the Atmosphere. Earth's Atmosphere has 4 layers: Thermosphere, Mesosphere, Stratosphere, and Troposphere. Part of this standard is comparing and contrasting each layer. It is also important to understand air pressure, and the ozone layer.
Earth's atmospheric layers Troposphere The troposphere is the lowest layer of our atmosphere. Starting at ground level, it extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above sea level. We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere. Stratosphere The next layer up is called the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the higher you go! That trend of rising temperatures with altitude means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence and updrafts of the troposphere beneath. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Mesosphere Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe; air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level, and continues dropping as you go higher. Thermosphere The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. However, the air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to us! In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the thermosphere! Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground. Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher. The aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the thermosphere. Air Pressure Colder air has higher air pressure and will move into areas of lower air pressure which also produces wind. Around the Earth, there are several major atmospheric “bands” where high or low pressure predominates with a general pattern of high pressure air movement to lower pressure areas. The greater the difference in air pressure between any two places at the same altitude, the stronger the wind will be. The boundaries where these high and low pressure areas meet are called fronts, and these fronts are usually very active in producing precipitation. Weather forecasters track the movement of high and low pressure areas, because they affect the patterns of other weather variables such as temperature, cloudiness, and wind. Science Fair Timeline November 6-17 – Complete Experiment at home – record all results November 18 or 19 – Bring results to math class for data graphing November 20-22 Write Final Lab Report/ Draw Conclusions in ELA class November 15-29 – Put together Display board over Thanksgiving Break December 5 or 6 – Science Fair Due Students will bring posters and logbooks to school Posters and Logbooks will be displayed in a designated classroom inside the building Students do not have a to have a formal presentation Two Grades for the Science Fair:
Mrs. Sprinkle’s Example Question to Investigate: Does adding salt to water make it boil faster? Hypothesis: If I add salt to a pot of water, then it will boil faster than the pot of water with no salt. Background Research: I found two websites that explained the melting and boiling points for salt, the history of salt, and the characteristics of salt. This information was written in my logbook. Experimental Set-up: Materials: 1-Oven 2- 5 Quart Pots 4- ½ cups of salt 1-measuring cup 32-cups of water, 4 cups per pot per trail 1-spoon 1-stopwatch Procedures:
Trial 1- Pot A: 5:30 minutes Pot B: 5:02 minutes Trial 2- Pot A: 5:24 minutes Pot B: 5:00 minutes Trail 3- Pot A: 5:23 minutes Pot B: 5:03 minutes Trial 4- Pot A: 5:31 minutes Pot B: 5:03 minutes Results: Compiled in Math class on Nov. 18 or 19 This week we will begin unit 2, the relationships between the Earth, Moon, and Sun. We will focus this week on Moon Phases and why we see different shades of the moon. Students will get to experience a simulation of the moon phases. Science Fair Hypothesis' are due this week. Hypothesis Statements for Science Fair -Write a possible solution for the problem based on what you have read. -Make sure this possible solution is a complete sentence and testable. -Ways to write the hypothesis:
Astronomy is quickly coming to an end. Study guide - We will receive a study guide on Wednesday (1st and 2nd) and Thursday (3rd, 4th 5th). The study guide will be turned in on testing day. Review - We will review for the test Monday (1st period), Tuesday (2nd - 4th periods), and Wednesday for 5th period. Test - We will test Wednesday (1st - 2nd period) and Thursday (3rd - 5th periods). Please use the link below to practice on a Quizziz.....please use your name. Study and research what you are unsure of... joinmyquiz.com and enter this code 532719 We spent a class period this week putting together the first few pages of our Science Fair logbooks. Each student now has a question and some students have chosen to work with a partner from their science class. The next step for students is to begin research on their topic. They need to gather enough information to formulate a hypothesis, an educated guess of what they think the results of their experiment will be. At the end of their experiment, they might learn that their hypothesis was wrong, and that is okay. I have included below numerous Science Fair resources.
Everyone should have receive the guidelines for our planet project yesterday/today. You will get two classes periods to work on the project; make sure you bring all materials needed such as 4x6 index cards, coloring materials, and/or pictures you may use. PLEASE read the instructions for the project; and I have also uploaded the planet project guidelines/rubric below. The project will be due Friday for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd period and Monday for 4th and 5th period. Also, I have posted the website for the planets as an additional resource. All the information you need should be on your planets graphic organizer that we completed in class.
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/overview/
IMPORTANT THINGS COMING UP:
1. Science fair is coming! The entire 6th grade is requiring a science fair project. Students will be receiving support in all content classes as well as some connections. Please be on the look out for a letter and timeline coming home with your student. They will need a COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK the week after Fall Break AND A TRI-FOLD BOARD (in December). This week we began discovering the differences between all 8 planets. Once we are done gathering information, students will create planet trading cards. This is a really fun project that requires a good deal of critical thinking. Students will need at least 10 - 4x6 index cards. If you have extras you could donate, I would greatly appreciate it. Week of September 9-13
Students this week will finish studying gravity and inertia before beginning planets. We will have a gravity lab and an inertia lab. Students will get to experience and test the gravitational pull on 4 different weighted items as they fall to the earth and use a marble and a cup to witness inertia and record what they see. Stayed tuned for the announcement of our first unit test! We will conclude our learning about the evidence behind the Big Bang Theory at the beginning of this week before transitioning into how the interaction of gravity and inertia governs the motion of objects in the solar system.
We will take notes before completing discovery labs on inertia and then gravity. Here is a great introduction about the interaction between gravity and inertia This week in class we are focusing on the Big Bang Theory and understanding the gigantic dynamics of the Milky Way galaxy and the greater Universe.
Students are rotating through 4 stations to gather knowledge. Here is a great article and videos to help learn about our Milky Way - www.universetoday.com/65601/where-is-earth-in-the-milky-way/ This week in class we will be practicing writing as scientists; using C-E-R(claim, evidence, reasoning). We will learn about density; using our classroom demonstration "Sink or Float" using various fruits. Below, I have included the happenings of this week.
*Monday- Sink or Float demonstration- C-E-R *Tuesday- Sink or Float demonstration-C-E-R *Wednesday- Continuing our writing practice of C-E-R *Thursday- Heliocentric and Geocentric Clay Models & CER Summative Writing *Friday- Heliocentric and Geocentric Clay Models & CER Summative Writing I am excited to meet you even though we have not been formally introduced. I hope you will be able to attend Meet and Greet. Parking is limited, therefore, we are asking you to attend based on your last name.
6th Grade By Last Name A-L 2:00-3:00 PM M-Z 3:00-4:00 PM I know you are excited to get all your supplies, so I am attaching a link for recommended supplies. Please note... we have had a few teaching positions change this summer. These teachers may be requesting slightly different material. All specific materials will be listed at Meet and Greet. |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from fabian.kron