Physical (Earth) Science
Course Description
Physical (Earth) Science
Instructor: Mr. Fujiyama Room: P-6 Periods: 2 and 3
Contact: [email protected] (Type your name and period in the subject line.)
Text: Earth Science
Course Objectives:
The primary objective of this course is to provide the student with a better understanding of our natural environment. We'll study:
o the structure and composition of the earth’s surface, subsurface, and deep interior;
o processes (both gradual and catastrophic) that alter the observed structure of the earth;
o rock transformation, mountain building, plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanism;
o the structure, composition and processes of the atmosphere;
o the elements of weather and climate;
o the earth’s relationship to the sun, moon, and other bodies of the solar system;
o and the earth’s place in the cosmos.
Course Outline:
| 1st Semester | 2nd Semester |
|
Unit 1 – General Foundations in Earth Science Chapter 1-2 Intro to Earth Science Chapter 3 Models of the Earth
Unit 2 – Composition of the Earth Chapter 4 Earth Chemistry Chapter 5 Minerals of Earths Crust Chapter 6 Rocks
Unit 3 – The Dynamic Earth Chapter 10 Plate Tectonics Chapter 11 Deformation of the Crust Chapter 12 Earthquakes Chapter 13 Volcanoes
Unit 4 - Oceans Chapter 20 Ocean Water Chapter 21 Movements of the Ocean
Unit 5 – Energy and Atmosphere Chapter 2 Earth as a System Chapter 22 The Atmosphere Chapter 27 Planets of the Solar System |
Unit 6 – Heating of Earths Surface and Atmosphere Chapter 22 The Atmosphere Chapter 25 Climate
Unit 7 – Climate Chapter 23 Water in the Atmosphere Chapter 22 The Atmosphere Chapter 25 Climate
Unit 8 – Biogeochemical Cycles Chapter 2 Earth as a System
Unit 9 – Astronomy Chapter 26 Studying Space Chapter 27 Planets of the Solar System Chapter 8 The Rock Record Chapter 30 Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe Chapter 28 Minor Bodies of the Solar System Chapter 29 The Sun
Unit 10 – The Universe Chapter 30 Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe.
Unit 11 – Geology Chapter 16 through 21 Chapters 22 through 25 Chapters 4 through 7 |
Required materials:
1. BGHS planner (AKA Agenda)
2. "Spiral" Notebook (one NEW spiral notebook with at least 180 sheets; size 11” x 8.5”)
3. textbook
4. pen, pencil
I request that you also have:
5. "Spiral" Notebook (one NEW spiral notebook with at least 180 sheets; size 11” x 8.5”--the Mead 5-Star works well.)
Grading Scale:
| 100% - 93% | A | A | Advanced | You demonstrate in-depth understanding of the standards. You can broadly apply the knowledge and skills of the standards across a variety of contexts. |
| 92% - 90% | A- | |||
| 89% - 87% | B | B+ | Proficient | You demonstrate a complete understanding of the standards. You have some ability to apply the knowledge and skills of the standards. |
| 86% - 83% | B | |||
| 82% - 80% | B- | |||
| 79% - 77% | C | C+ | Basic | You demonstrate a functional understanding of the knowledge and skills of the standards. |
| 76% - 73% | C | |||
| 72% - 70% | C- | |||
| 69% - 67% | D | D+ | Below Basic | You demonstrate a limited understanding of the knowledge and skills of the standards. |
| 66% - 63% | D | |||
| 62% - 60% | D- | |||
| 59% - 0% | F | F | Far Below Basic | You demonstrate a lack of understanding of the knowledge and skills of the standards. |
How your grades will be calculated:
| 10% | practice | This category includes homework. | |
| 30% | formative assessment | This means the quality of participation, classwork, note-taking and your spiral notebook, drafts of lab reports, independent work, group work, presentations, and quizzes. | |
| 60% | summative assessment | This includes chapter and unit exams, final exams, presentations, final lab reports, and projects. | |
Hands-On Activities:
We’ll be engaged in a lot of hands-on learning activities, including:
· Creating 3-D models in the yard to practice how to accurately interpret topographic maps;
· Using mashed potatoes and other construction materials to represent how “hot spot” volcanic island chains are formed, like Hawaii;
· Making a compass out of simple everyday materials to better understand earth’s magnetism, and how we have used earth’s magnetism in turn to better understand how the ocean floor is responsible for “recycling” old crust and turning it back into new crust. Our earth is simply a huge recycling center, and we’ll take a look at examples of this!
Class Expectations:
1. Safety is my #1 job…so it's yours, too!
2. Be here, be on time. Second tardy = 15 minute detention after school; third tardy = 30 minutes after school.
3. Late work means you don’t have an assignment completed, and you don’t have a written note from your parent to me explaining that this was beyond your control. I don’t accept late work without a parent note.
4. Work is not late there is a situation out of your control (family illness, etc), AND you bring a written note from your parent. Fair enough?
5. If you need to make up a Quiz or Test, the makeup might be oral rather than written.
6. If you’ve been absent, and your absence is excusable, you have as many days (including weekend days) as you were absent to complete missing work. It’s your responsibility to find out what you missed, so make sure you network with classmates to keep up.
Laboratory Safety Guidelines and General Safety Guidelines
1. Always be safety-conscious. Move about the laboratory in a safe manner.
2. Report all accidents. No accident is too small to report.
3. Know the locations of safety equipment in the laboratory; use only in emergencies.
4. Plan ahead. Become familiar with all of the health and safety hazards of equipment and chemicals.
5. Safety glasses must be worn while working with any chemical that could be harmful to the eyes.
6. Use hot plates only at the direction of the teacher. Never leave hot plates unattended.
7. Confine long hair while working in the laboratory; watch for flames and machinery.
8. Always wash your hands thoroughly at the end of the laboratory period. When handling chemicals, keep your hands away from your face, eyes, and body, until they have been washed.
9. If a chemical is splashed or spilled on your skin, flush it away with plenty of water.
10. If you should get chemicals into your eyes, go directly to the eyewash fountain and gently flush with water. Report this immediately to your teacher.
11. Do not consume food or drink beverages while in the laboratory; never taste chemicals.
12. Keep desk tops clear of all books, clothing, and other personal property except necessary lab directions and notebooks; keep fume hoods clear and clean.
13. Report any damage of equipment to the instructor.
14. Keep sinks clean and free of glassware.
15. Handle only materials that you are assigned to work with.
16. Use acids and bases with caution. Wipe up spilled material at the direction of the teacher. Watch out for eyes, skin, and clothing.
17. Do not use unlabelled chemicals. Check label twice to be sure that you have the right bottle. Refer unlabelled containers to your teacher.
18. Follow all instructions, both written and verbal. If you think some changes in procedure are necessary or desirable, check with your teacher.
Broken Glassware
1. Broken glass – Tell me first; then clean up immediately with brush and pan
2. Before inserting (or removing) glass tubing or thermometers into corks or stoppers, check with your teacher for proper procedure.
Avoiding Burns
1. Keep a lighted burner away from clothing, books, or other combustibles. Lean away from top of Bunsen burner while it is being lit. When heating test tubes, point them away from people.
2. Hot glass looks just like cold glass. Use care when touching glass objects that have been heated.
3. To heat easily evaporated (volatile) flammable liquids, use a water bath, inside a fume hood if possible.
4. Do not heat anything inside a closed container (like a tighly capped jar).
Handling Chemicals
1. To smell the contents of a container, use a "wafting" action of the hand.
2. Use care to avoid splattering of solutions when heating to dryness.
3. Never use mouth for pipetting up poisons, corrosive liquids, organic solvents, live cultures, or contaminated materials. Use automatic pipettors at the direction of your teacher.
4. Always add acids to water slowly, carefully, and with a gentle stirring action (solid glass rod only).
Electrical Precautions
1. Before connecting equipment to a power source, examine all wiring for electrical defects.
2. Make sure that all equipment is properly grounded.
3. Make sure that your hands are dry; that the work area is dry.
4. Be certain that the proper voltage is available.
GOOD LISTENING IN CLASS
It is important for you to be a good listener in class. Much of what
you will have to learn will be presented verbally by your teachers.
Just hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to
what they say. Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay
attention and think about and mentally process what you hear
Here are some things you should do to be a good listener in class.
Be Academically Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Make
sure you complete all assigned work and readings. Review your notes
from previous class sessions. Think about what you know about the topic
that will be covered in class that day.
Be Emotionally Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Your attitude is important. Make a conscious choice to find the topic useful and interesting. Be committed to learning all that you can.
Listen with a Purpose. Identify what you expect and hope to learn from the class session. Listen for these things as your teacher talks.
 |
Listen with an Open Mind. Be receptive to what your teacher says.
It is good to question what is said as long as you remain open to points
of view other than your own.
Be Attentive. Focus on what your teacher is saying. Try not to daydream
and let your mind wander to other things. It helps to sit in the front and
center of the class, and to maintain eye contact with your teacher.
Be an Active Listener. You can think faster than your teacher can speak. Use this to your advantage by evaluating what is being said and trying to anticipate what will be said next. Take good written notes about what your teacher says. While you can think faster than your teacher can speak, you cannot write faster than your teacher can speak. Taking notes requires you to make decisions about what to write, and you have to be an active listener to do this.
Meet the Challenge. Don't give up and stop listening when you find the information being presented difficult to understand. Listen even more carefully at these times and work hard to understand what is being said. Don't be reluctant to ask questions.
Triumph Over the Environment. The classroom may too noisy, too hot, too cold, too bright, or too dark. Don't give in to these inconveniences. Stay focused on the big picture - LEARNING.
See other study skills resources at www.how-to-study.com
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