All about sleep

It's summer, and what is summer better for, than sleep? ;)

• Do you think you get all the sleep you need every night? How do you feel the day after you have not slept enough or not slept well?
• How much sleep per day is necessary for good health?
• What would happen to us if we were not allowed or able to sleep at all for a long period of time?

You have been keeping a sleep diary, please enter that information here (the class code is blue8996)

Activity 2: Houston We Have a Problem

Activity 3: Do You Have A Rhythm?

• Michel Siffre Story
• The Rhythms of Sleep
• Sleepiness Scale Graph
• Sleepiness Scale Example

Activity 4: Evaluating Sleep Disorders

• Snoring: Believe it or not
• Snoring Survey
• Case History #1
• Case History #2
• Case History #3
• Case History #4
• Case History #5
• Sleep Specialist Evaluation Form
• Sleep Disorders Reference Manual

The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology

What does the Brain do?

• Color, label and write the function of each portion of the brain 

What is a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and how does it show us brain function?

• click here for the activity

Who Was Phineas Gage? 

How do Neurons Communicate?

• Anatomy of a Neuron
• Neurons interact with other neurons
• Steps of neuron interaction
• Reading to go with steps
• Neurotransmitter actions
• Neurons in series

Drugs change the way neurons communicate

• cocaine alters neurotransmission
• Methamphetamine and Nicotine disrupt neurotransmission
• How does alcohol affect neurotransmission
• How do drugs get into your brain?
• what should the doctor do?

Last Week!! What do you hear?

From How Your Brain Understands What Your Ear Hears

How did you learn language?

What were your first words? Why do you think that children have similar first words?

Birds
Click here and listen to a variety of bird calls -- how do you think they learn them?

Loudness and Pitch activity
Click here

A black box activity
click here

Ice Cream Lab analysis

Click here for the conclusion of our exciting ice cream lab :)

Survey for Summer School

Instructions for Students

Dear Student: We are doing a survey of high school students to learn what you think about summer school. This survey is voluntary and you may skip any items that you do not wish to answer, but please answer as many items as possible. The survey is not a test and does not affect grades. This is an anonymous survey. This means you will not be identified in any reports that may come from this survey. Thank you for helping in this study.

This is important:  Please don’t minimize the screen because this could end the session without saving or submitting the work you have already done on the survey.

Thanks for participating in the 2015 Summer School Student Survey!

Survey Link

http://puhsd.intranet.puhsd.loc/studentsummersurvey.cfm

Natural Disasters

Read "Covered in Dust" & "The Great Flood"
How would you react to these natural disasters?

You are going to pick with your partner (or our one group of three) a natural disaster to research. There are some links below, but you can also go and find your own research.  
Your job is to create a "preparedness presentation" for your natural disaster.  Basically, what do people do if they encounter your natural disaster? (you can pick another natural disaster not listed here, if you like)
Click here for more information about the focus of your presentation.

General information on all natural disasters from National Geographic

Hurricanes Articles:

• “The Power of Hurricanes” 
• “Swallowed By The Sea” 
• “Hurricane Flight”

Volcanoes Articles: 

• Into the Volcano 
• Volcanoes Rock the World 
• The Ring of Fire

Tornadoes Articles: 

• Monster Tornado
• Terrible Twister
• Storm Chaser

Tsunamis Articles: 

• Ahead of the Wave
• Tsunami: Killer Waves (this is a National Geographic site, you may have to register, it's free)
• Planet Seed Tsunami

Continue Ice Cream Research

Continue working on your ice cream project.  Remember, your goal is to have a presentation about the "best" way to make ice cream. How would you define best?

The vocabulary project also needs to be completed, as well as the graph & conclusion questions for the ice/salt lab.

Ice Cream Project

Ice Cream Project!! 
You work for an old fashioned ice cream factory.  The new supervisor for your team has decided that since ice cream does not stay frozen at 0^o C, ice is useless in ice cream making and he plans to cancel the purchase order for ice.  How will you convince him he should reconsider as your company only makes ice cream the old fashioned way with crank freezers?  Or, should your factory reconsider its method of making ice cream?  Perhaps there is a more efficient method.  Your team will present to the Board of Directors of your company your approach to ice cream making.

We have already done some work with water and ice. Click here to ensure that you have all the data needed to discuss how salt affects ice. 

Now you need some vocabulary.  You have a few options, but I want you to make some sort of visual.  If you would like to do this electronically, on PowerPoint for example, that is fine.  Or you can make a flip book or foldable for the vocabulary terms.  
Click here for the information

Monday, Monday

Here is the agenda for today.

1. Research how to make crystals, remember we have: Borax, Salt or Sugar to make crystals.  How might we make a perfect one?
2. Test our bridges.  We left them over the weekend, the marshmallows are now hard. . . is that going to make them stronger?
3. To begin the research for our project this week . . What happens when you mix ice and salt??? (and does it matter what type of salt you use?)

Day 5 -- Goldilocks and Spectrographs

Today we are going through a simulation "Goldilocks and the Three Planets"
Click here for the student pages (you have a copy to put into your notebook)

Then we are going to build a spectrograph.  Click here for directions (again you have a copy)
And we might even get to use them!  Click here for directions

Day 4 -- Patterns and Fingerprints & Graphing the Rainbow!

Today we are going to begin a project to give us the background knowledge to be able to build a spectrograph.

Spectrographs are used both in ground-based telescopes and in space to help astronomers answer questions about what makes up atmospheres of planets and stars. Mechanical and electrical engineers build these spectrographs to help advance our knowledge of astronomy. Simple spectrographs, like the one you will build today, are similar to the first spectrographs astronomers used in the past. 

Our activities for today are

• Observing Patterns and Fingerprints
• Graphing a Rainbow

Once that is complete, we are going to use spectral data to explore Saturn and Titan.  Click here for the link to the simulation.  Click here for the information to write in your notebook.

Day 3

Don't Forget to fill out the survey in the previous post! :)

Today, we are going to continue working on the pendulum lab. Please click here for additional information.

Create a google doc for your lab report, you may work in pairs. We will go through how to share it with your partner and me.

Once that is complete, we will watch "October Sky"

Information please

See the form below, and fill out the info there.
Thanks! :)

Day 2

Welcome back for Day 2! :)
Today we are going to make sure that the computers work and you can log-in.  This is the site you should check for info!
Also, we are going to attempt to grow some crystals using

• Salt
• sugar 
• Borax
• Pipe cleaners

What do you need to know in order to accomplish this task?

The last activity of the day will be to build pendulums. Here is the question  we are trying to answer

• What affects the rate of a pendulum swing?

Welcome!

Welcome to Science Seminar for the Summer 2015!
We are going to have a great time!
This class will be focused on projects and fun in science :)