for Friday, September 14, 2012 (Pillbugs or Sound Waves) fi1

Dear Class and Parents,

It was a pleasure to start our year together on Friday, August 31 and begin new relationships while continuing old ones.  I look forward to learning and growing together throughout this academic year. Remember that our co-op will not meet on Friday, September 7.

Your homework is due on Friday, September 14. It includes 4 assignments that need to be submitted:

1)  KEY WORD OUTLINE  (KWO)

Your key word outline should be handwritten on a lined piece of notebook paper. It must be properly headed with your name and due date on the upper right lines. Remember, only 3 words per sentence. Numbers and symbols are free. They do not count as part of the 3 word limit per sentence.

2) ESSAY

 Your one-paragraph essay is also due.  Essays must be typed.  This week's essay must include a "who/which" clause (as discussed and practiced in class). Be sure to underline the appropriate "who" or "which." 

All ESSAY FORMAT REQUIREMENTS may be found on the side bar of our class IEW Notebook website.

Essays should essentially re-tell either "Pillbugs and Sowbugs " (younger students) or "Sound Waves and Infrasound" (high school or younger students who want a challenge). The original source paragraphs are included at the bottom. Your essay may have a different number of sentences (than the source paragraphs) but the content should reflect the source paragraph.  

Using ONLY your key word outline, re-tell the paragraph in your own words.  You will be surprised how differently each student will word this information.  Be prepared to read your paragraph.  Remember, if you don't read the next time we meet, you will read the following time!

REMEMBER TO INCLUDE: one "who/which" clause in your paragraph. The word "who" or "which" MUST be underlined. You may include appropriate vocabulary words for extra credit (see #4).

3) FIX-IT

Another aspect of the homework is the Fix-It.  The sentences that need to be "fixed" are below.  Parents, you may want to print out the "incorrect fix-it" for convenience sake.  Students should hand write the corrected sentences on lined paper. Remember to include proper heading - name and due date on the upper two lines of the paper on the right side.

4) VOCABULARY

The students will also need to define the bolded words from the weekly Fix It assignment (on a separate sheet with proper heading) and bring that to class.  We will discuss them in class. The students will also be tested intermittently throughout the year on these words.  If the student uses the vocabulary words in his essay correctly and indicates it with a blue highlight, he will receive one extra point per word on his score. In order to receive extra credit, vocabulary words must be used correctly and highlighted with light blue in the essay.  You will find this extremely helpful!  Not only will it help your grade, but you will learn/use/increase your vocabulary tremendously!

Please be aware that we will sometimes practice timed writing in class with writing prompts for SAT and H.S. application preparation. It is very important for the students to be accustomed to writing a lengthy essay in a timed setting even if these tests are not in your student's immediate future.

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to call me on my cell, text or email me. Texting is usually the fastest way to contact me. 832 766 2172

Fix-It  #1  due September 14, 2012

Far out in the ocean where the water is as blue as the most stunning cornflower and as clear as crystal it is very deep—so deep indeed that no cable could fathom it.

Many, church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath too the surface of the water above, in that place, dwells the Sea King, and his aquatic subjects.

 

We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare, yellow sand no indeed the most remarkable plants grow their. The leaves and stems of which are so pliant that the most slight agitation of the water causes them to stir like they had life

 

Fish both large and small glide between the branches as birds fly between the trees here upon land. In the most deepest spot of all stands the castle of the sea king, and it’s walls are built of coral and the long gothic windows are of the clearest amber.

ESSAY SOURCE PARAGRAPH CHOICES:

Pillbugs and Sowbugs  (recommended for Younger Students - 7 sentences to outline)         
        Pillbugs are common backyard inhabitants around the world. They are called pillbugs because when they are disturbed they can roll into a ball like an old-fashioned pill. The sowbug is a close relative. It looks similar but is a little flatter and can't roll itself up. Pillbugs are actually crustaceans, like crabs or lobsters. Just like these underwater crustaceans, they breathe through gills instead of lungs. The gills, located on the underside of the pillbug, must be kept slightly moist—that's why you usually find these animals in damp places.

Sound Waves and Infrasound (recommended for Older Students - 13 sentences to outline)
        Sound, as vertebrates hear it, consists of waves of relatively high and low air pressure.  When these waves reach the eardrum, they push it in and pull it out. This sets in motion a vibration transmitted through the middle ear bones. The sound waves travel to the cochlea, where specialized cells produce nerve impulses. Our brains interpret these impulses as sound. The waves we hear best range from about a yard, peak to peak, down to tiny fractions of an inch.  Sound waves that are  bigger can only be felt by humans. At a close range, they vibrate a human being's chest. These larger sound waves are called infrasound. These waves range from tens of yards to miles in length. Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, the okapi and rhinoceroses, on the other hand, appear to hear and produce sounds well below our range. And it’s not just the large animals that hear infrasound. Pigeons, guinea fowl, cod, cuttlefish, octopus, squid and the capercaille, a Eurasian grouse, all hear infrasound.




Information for Mrs. Cortez 
Correlation to 2011-2012 Lesson Plan: Music's Effects on Plants

Correlation to 2012-2013 Lesson Plan: Infrasound