Ali Craig science methods

10/23/23 Is it a rock? Today we learned about rocks and tectonic plates while simultaneously exploring different types of teaching and assessing. We discussed the difference between formative assessments and summative assessments, and how we can use these to learn how to teach our students. After discussing assessments we began creating a rock cycle with starbursts. To do this we mixed broken-up starburst pieces to make sedimentary rocks, we melted starbursts on foil to create igneous rocks, and we slightly melted our sedimentary rock and changed its pressure to create metamorphic rocks. igenous ^  ^ sedimentary  ^ metamorphic  metamorphic > In Thursday's lecture: We discussed how rocks are naturally made, not man-made. Then we looked at a lot of plate tectonics and hot spots. We learned about how Hawaii had moved over time because of plate tectonic motions,  so now only the largest island is on top of the hot spot and is an active volcano. We also discussed how a...

Week 9 We focused on a geological timeline during lab this week. First, we individually guessed when we thought the moon formed, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and when humans, animals, and plants were first on Earth. We then investigated just how old our galaxy and our Earth is. Then we used an Earthviewer simulation to answer the question of the geological timeline we then further explored when these events took place and broke up into groups to find out what really happened during their billion years. We created a timeline of the earth moon and life. (Geological timeline)  This is what happened during ours: 2.4 bil years ago oxygen on earth 2.2 bil years ago snow covering earth 3.4 bil years ago first evidence of life on earth

9/18/23 Big Question:  How do we design a  Why does a swing slow down and stop? To continue our investigation on swings we paired up and each got a different length string and created a class graph from our results. This was a great visual that really solidified our understanding of pendulums, and how the length of the string is the determining factor of the speed of the pendulum. We also continued our investigation on energy in motion. To see what happened to the energy in the pendulums, we used a simulation to factor in potential, kinetic energy, and air resistance. We also got the chance to design a playground surface using an experiment with an egg. Our basis was to create a surface soft enough for an egg to not crack after being dropped. We were given the option between four different materials to mix and make a landing for the gg. My partner and I chose a combination of sand and hay. We put the sand on the bottom and hay on top, and we were able to successfully drop it a...

 9/25/23 My understandings about: How the phases of the moon occur?    Before:  Phases of the moon occur from different light being reflected off the moon/shading the moon. It depends on where we are in relation to the sun's orbit, I think.     After: The sunlight reflected off the moon is what we see on Earth. The moon has 29/30 day cycle and is "pulled" with the Sun, so the light slightly changes each day.  What causes the seasons?     Before: This also happens because of where we are in relation to the sun, which is why for example the U.S. has opposing seasons to Australia. The Northern Hemisphere is closer to the sun June-August, whereas that is when the Southern Hemisphere is obviously the furthest away.     After: Where the Earth's axis is turned in it's orbit is what determines the seasons. What causes a lunar eclipse?     Before: This is due to where the moon is in relation to the sun.       Af...