Ninth Grade Biology Notes....

These are the basics of what I did for biology with my older son, so far as I can recall. I recently recreated this for someone I talk to on the WTM boards.  The Hoagland book I used as my spine is evolution based. I also had my son reading a lot of Dawkins, because his works were heavily recommended in the chapter recs of that book. I would not do that again. I simply despise Dawkins. I'd use things like Francis Collins's Language of God, Michael Behe's Edge of Evolution, a graphic novel version of Darwin's Origin, etc. At the end, you'll see a link to a website (Quarks and Quirks) where another lady used this book for bio studies since me. She has some very good links that are still viable to use along with each chapter. A lot of the links that go along with the Hoagland book are broken now....  I am going to combine what I did with what she did for next time around!

It looks like I allotted about an hour for science reading/work each day.... I've listed the other resources we used, too, as we didn't use just this book for the year....

Week 1

Read Chapter 1 and prepare index cards of selected vocabulary - days 1 and 2 (Setting the Stage - cells)

Day 3 - finish index cards and begin work on chapter questions

Day 4 - complete questions

Day 5 - begin Ascent of Man


Weeks 2 and 3 - continue with Ascent of Man and write a position paper over it

(This was my auditory processing problem child who absorbed more reading on his own and writing about what he'd read, rather than discussing it orally. With my current student, who I'm beginning to suspect of dysgraphia, I'd do much more of this orally and might change up some of the books to things I know about now that are more interesting than those things suggested at the end of the Hoagland chapters. But for this first round I used their book suggestions.)

Week 4 - read through the web links for chapter one all week. I had access to these because I was previewing the book to possibly use for a co-op and the company had given me access, I think (it's been a while). I'm not sure if there are still links online that work for this book, or not.... A lot of these were interactive, too, and I believe there were some game type links, as well.... [Update: these links are available to all and are still online, but many of them are broken.]

And perhaps I should interject here that my son also had an hour long co-op class for 20 weeks during this year that covered biology. His fall semester teacher was a lady with a Masters in ecology who talked with the kids about various topics related to that subject and they did some papers for her, too, I think. In the spring, he had a college student who was a bio major who lectured from a more traditional textbook and they did some dissection work. He also got interested in biorhythms and did a science fair project related to Circadian rhythms that year. We obtained some free materials (CD's, etc.) from The Howard Hughes Institute that were used as research for this work. I also got a DNA model kit from Michael's (now there are genetics kits available....) and he did some animal and plant cell labeling; looked at prepared slides of cells using our microscope, etc.

Week 5 - Chapter 2, all week (Patterns: An Overview)

Week 6 - make index cards for selected vocab; days 2 and 3: work on questions; day 4: complete questions and begin looking over web links; day 5 continue with web links.

Week 7 - read from The Casebook of Forensic Detection - use caution with this book! Some things are going to be just too gruesome for a young teen....

Week 8 - read from The World Beneath our Feet - all week (end at invertebrates)

http://www.amazon.com/World-Beneath-.../dp/0195139909

Make and use a Berlese Funnel

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent591k/berlese.html

Look at samples of algae (pg. 45 in WBoF) - I think I got mine from Home Science Tools and still have them; they are still good

Look for fungi and lichens; take protozoa samples from lake and look at under our microscope

Week 9

Read Chapter 3 (Energy - Light to Life)

Day 3 - 5 work on index cards of selected vocabulary and review earlier cards with me (done periodically through the year)

Week 10

Days 1-2 answer chapter 3 questions

Days 3-5 look at web links for chapter 3

Week 11

Read A Brief History of the Mind: From Apes to Intellect and Beyond, William Calvin

Week 12

Complete book and discuss; review all vocab cards

Week 13

Read Chapter 4 (Information - The Storehouse of Know-How)

Day 4 - prepare index cards on selected vocab

Day 5 - answer chapter 4 questions

Weeks 14 and 15

Read The Selfish Gene and do position paper on it

(I'm sorry, but I detest Dawkins; I'd choose other things next time around, I think, or perhaps read excerpts and juxtapose with others....)

Week 16

Read through web links for chapter 4 all week.

Week 17

Read Chapter 5 (Machinery - Building Smart Parts)

Day 3 - prepare index cards on selected vocab

Day 4 - answer chapter 5 questions

Day 5 - look over web links for chapter 5

Weeks 18 and 19

I had him reading the introductory chapter of a college level Botany book during this week. If I had it to do again, I'd use Kym Wright's Botany Unit Study, which is really a stand-alone course and includes a ton of lab work....

Week 20
Complete looking over the rest of the web links related to chapter 5 and choose one on which to report.

Week 21

Read Chapter 6 (Feedback - Signaling, Sensing, Reacting)

Day 3 - complete index cards on select vocab

Day 4 - complete questions

Day 5 - read over web links.

Week 22

Read The Ages of Gaia (Or, now you could just watch Avatar, lol.... Actually, it might be a good idea to read the book and then watch the movie and discuss!)

Week 23

Complete the rest of the web links for chapter 6 and answer discussion questions. (I guess there were some at one of the links....)

Week 24

Select a topic and write a thorough report on it. Review vocab cards for the year for the rest of the week.

Week 25

Read Chapter 7 (Community)

Day 4 and 5 - prepare index cards on selected vocab

Week 26

Answer chapter 7 questions

Day 2 - complete questions and begin reading through web links

Day 3 - continue web links

Day 4 - read The Blind Watchmaker

Week 27

Continue The Blind Watchmaker all week (again, I'd chuck Dawkins and find someone more even-handed)


Week 28

Read Three Scientists and Their Gods


Week 29

Read Chapter 8 (Evolution)


Week 30

Prepare index cards for selected vocab - days 1 and 2

Day 3 - answer questions

Days 4 and 5 - look over web links


Week 31

Read from World Beneath our Feet - begin with invertebrates (end at vertebrates)

Make and use a Baermann Funnel

http://www.plantpath.iastate.edu/dep...tylka/node/108

Keep earthworms; snails; and woodlice (roly-polys)


Week 32

Read The Beak of the Finch


Week 33

Read [B]Chapter 21 [/B]"The Sciences: An Integrated Approach" (this is the book that goes along with the Joy of Science course from the Teaching Company) - chapter 21 covers cells

Day 4 - watch Joy of Science lecture and take notes

Day 5 - look over the suggested web links and try some of the investigations (these must be links in The Sciences book, I guess....)


Week 34

Read Chapter 22 The Sciences (Organic Molecules)

Day 3 - watch lecture and take notes

Day 4 - look at suggested web links

Day 5 - make index cards for chapters 21 and 22 of any vocab we don't already have in our set of cards


Week 35

Read Chapter 23 (Genetics)

Day 3 - watch video lecture and take notes

Day 4 - look over suggested web links

Day 5 - do number 5 investigation (I have no memory of these at this time, sorry!)


Week 36
Read Chapter 24 (Genetic Technology)

Day 3 - listen to video lecture and take notes

Day 4 - look over suggested web links

Day 5 - read Chapter 25 and watch video lecture (guess I was running out of time....) - chapter 25 is on Evolution

ALSO, this lady's blog has a terrific plan for using this same book and I really like her online info! A lot of the web links that came with the book are broken now, because the book is older, but this lady's links are still good:


http://quarksandquirks.wordpress.com...l/#comment-492

Regena

Physics Readings for Younger Students....

Following are some books that we used for physics study in fourth grade.  Some of these are simpler and can be read alone easily by even younger kids.  Some would be better as read alouds (such as the Asimov books, perhaps).


Year 4 Physics Books:

Astrophysics:

Stephen Hawking, Harry Henderson
Light, Gallimard Jeunesse, et al
Fires in the Sky: The Birth and Death of Stars, Roy Gallant

Biophysics:

Big Bang, Heather Comper, et al



Gravitation:

The Science Book of Gravity, Neil Ardley
Motion and Gravity, Jeanne Bendick
Gravity is a Mystery, Franklyn Branley
Which Way is Up?  Gail Haines

Force and Energy:

Energy and Forces, Neil Ardley
Making Things Move, Neil Ardley
Force and Machines, Terry Jennings
The Forces With You,  Tom Johnson
The Science of a Spring, John Stringer



Nuclear Energy:

How Did We Find Out About Nuclear Power?  Isaac Asimov
Inside the Atom, Isaac Asimov
Atomic Energy, Irving Adler
Quarks and Sparks: The Story of Nuclear Power, J.S. Kidd

Geophysics:

Earth: Origin and Evolution, Anna Alessandrello



Magnetism:

What Magnets Can Do, Allan Fowler
Electricity and Magnetism, Maria Gordon
Magnetism:  What it is and how Man has used it From Ancient Times to the Present, Raymond Holden
Magnets and Generators, Peter Lafferty



Quantum Theory: Relativity:

The Ideas of Einstein, David Fisher
Albert Einstein and Relativity, Steve Parker
Relativity: From Einstein to Black Holes, Gerald Tauber
It’s All Relative, Necia Aptel

Matter:

Solids and Liquids and Gases: From Super-conductors to the Ozone Layer, Melvin Berger
Atoms and Elements, David Bradley
What is the World Made Of?  All About Solids, Liquids and Gases, Kathleen Zoehfeld
Changing Things, Robin Kerrod



Motion:

Why Doesn’t the Earth Fall Up? And Other not Such Dumb Questions About Motion, Vicki Cobb

Acoustics: 

The Science Book of Sound, Neil Ardley
Sound Waves to Music, Neil Ardley
The Science of Music, Melvin Berger

Mechanics:

Push and Pull, Jack Challoner
Windmills, Bridges and Old Machines: Discovering our Industrial Past, David Weitzman
Ancient Machines: From Wedges to Waterwheels, Michael Woods
It Works Like This: A Collection of Machines From Nature and Science Magazine, Thomas Aylesworth, ed.

Heat:

Hot and Cold, Irving Adler
Heat and Drought, Lionel Bender

Light: 

The Science of a Light Bulb, Neville Evans
The Light Bulb, Joseph Wallace
The Story of Light, Irving Adler
Light and Sound, Jonathan Allday
Light and Color, L.W. Anderson
Light, Neil Ardley
Day Light, Night Light: Where Light Comes From, Franklyn Branley
Prisms and Lenses, Jerome Meyer
Rainbows and Lasers, Kathryn Whyman

Physical Science Topics for Eighth Grade

I'm working on my physical science course of study for next year.  My son and a friend of his are going to meet once a week to conduct experiments.  I've made up lab notebooks for them regarding the various topics, in addition to books and online reading. 

Resources for Physics

Bubbles:

Teacher Resource

Bubble-ology, LHS GEMS program (my copy says grades 5-9; some postings online show 5-8) – use for experiments

Library: 

Universal Foam, From Cappuccino to the Cosmos, Sidney Perkowitz – I LOVE this book!

Readers - Library:

The Ultimate Bubble Book, Soapy Science Fun, Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone

Soap Science, J. L. Bell

Tom Noddy’s Bubble Magic (good examples of squarish and other geometric bubbles)

Bubblemania!  Penny Raife Durant

Memory Work:

The formula for calculating the volume of a bubble dome is: v = 4/3 pi r^3 divided by 2

Surface Tension:  the cohesive quality of the surface of a liquid.  It is the property of liquids that
gives their surfaces a slightly elastic quality and enables them to form into separate drops.  It is caused by the interaction of molecules at or near the surface that tend to cohere and contract the surface into the smallest possible area.

Hygroscopic:  readily taking up and retaining moisture, such as the glycerin often used in bubble solutions to help create longer bubble life.

Bernoulli’s Principle:  as the speed of a moving fluid (liquid or gas) increases, the pressure within the
fluid decreases.  If there is greater pressure pushing up from below, this creates dynamic lift (as evidenced by the wings of planes, pectoral fins of some fish, etc.).

Interference of Light:  In physics, interference is the addition of two or more light waves that result in a new wave pattern.  Interference usually refers to the interaction of waves that are correlated or
coherent with each other, either because they come from the same source or because they have the same or nearly the same frequency. 

Simple Machines:

Teacher Resource

Carson Dellosa Pub. Simple Machines (graded 3-4, but it does what I want by way of lab pages to get students thinking about the simple machines that make up all complex machines.  We’ll be visiting a clock repair shop and our central library’s Focault pendulum clock at the end of this study.)  Using this book for experiments.  Also have two K’nex Simple Machine kits to use.

Need to order spring balances and pulleys from Home Science Tools….

Readers - Library:

Do it Yourself, Simple Machines, Forces in Action, Buffy Silverman

Sensational Science Projects with Simple Machines,  Robert Gardner – very good explanations!

Science Experiments with Simple Machines, Sally Nankivell-Aston and Dorothy Jackson

Castle under Siege! Simple Machines, Andrew Solway

Starting with Science, Simple Machines, Deborah Hodge

Design and Create, Simple Machines, Fran Whittle and Sarah Lawrence

The Best of Rube Goldberg, Compiled by Charles Keller

Also available:

Inclined Planes; Levers; Pulleys; Screws; Wedges; Wheels and Axles;  All by Anne Welsbacher

Books from Home - Simple Machines:

The Lever and the Pulley, Hal Hellman

The Simple Facts of Simple Machines, Elizabeth James and Carol Barkin

Simple Machines and How They Work, Elizabeth N. Sharp

Science is Exploring, Scott, Foresman (an old third grade science book): chapter 6: How do we Use Machines?

Memory Work:

Name the Six Types of Simple Machines:  Inclined plane; Wedge; Lever; Screw: Wheel and Axle; Pulley.

Name the Parts of a Lever:  Load (point where work gets done), Force, Fulcrum (pivot point).

Name One Example Each of a First-Class, Second-Class, and Third-Class Lever and tell where the fulcrum is in relation to the force and the load:

First:  the fulcrum, or axis, is placed between the force and the resistance, or load, as in a
seesaw, car jack, simple catapult, a crowbar, or a pair of scissors (two levers working together), the claw of a hammer.

Second: the load, or resistance, comes between the fulcrum and the force, as in a wheelbarrow, nutcracker, hand-held prying type of can opener, or completion of a whole body push-up.

Third:  the force comes between the load and the fulcrum, as in a pair of tongs, batting a ball,
or (generally) rowing a boat or shoveling; tweezers, fishing rod, door, broom, stapler, the head of a hammer, etc. 

Pulleys and Gears:  a pulley is a wheel and axle with a rope or chain attached; while a gear may look like just another wheel and axle, it is also a special type of lever and may have other levers attached to it, as well.

Complex Machine:  a machine made up of at least two simple machines, working together.

Gear Ratio:  the ratio of the speed of rotation of the powered gear of a gear train to that of the final
or driven gear.

How a Pendulum Works:  The time for one complete cycle, a left swing and a right swing, is called
the period.  A pendulum swings with a specific period which depends (mainly) on its length.
Teacher Resource for Gears - Home:

Science in a Nutshell: Gears at Work (use for experiments)

Library:

Inventions That Shaped the World: The Clock, Wil Mara

Turning Point Inventions: The Clock, Trent Duffy

Sea Clocks, The Story of Longitude, Louise Borden

It’s About Time! Science Projects: How Long Does it Take?  Robert Gardner (use experiments on
pendulums – pgs. 22-25; also talk about metronomes)

Teacher Resource for Energy and Motion - Home:

Science in a Nutshell:  Energy and Motion (use for experiments)

Prentice Hall Science Explorer:  Motion, Forces, and Energy

Print-outs on Newton’s Third Law

Books to read:

Experiment with Movement, Bryan Murphy

Library:

Start Science: Forces and Motion, Sally Hewitt (very simple but does talk about centrifugal force – this is an illusion and the movement is really due to inertia: 

http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-3/Centripetal-Force.html )

Science Answers: Forces and Motion, From Push to Shove, Christopher Cooper (looks more at elasticity, displacement, and pressure than other books)

Science Fact Files: Forces and Motion, Peter Lafferty (most complex and comprehensive of the three books)

Memory Work:

There are Five Basic, or Fundamental, Forces:  Gravity,
Electrical Force, Magnetic Force, Strong Nuclear Force, Weak Nuclear Force.  All other forces are variations of these.  Strong Nuclear Force holds atoms together; the Weak Force causes decay of some atoms.

Vectors:  a quantity that has both size and direction is called a vector.  Examples
of vector quantities: force, velocity, and acceleration.

Scalars:  a quantity that has only size is called a scalar.  Examples of scalar quantities:
mass, speed, time, energy, and density.

Newton’s First Law:  An object will remain at rest or continue to move at a constant speed in a constant direction unless it is acted upon by an outside force.  (An object at rest tends to remain at rest; an object in motion tends to remain in motion.)

Newton’s Second Law:  If force acts on an object, it will accelerate in the direction of that force. The greater the force, the greater the acceleration it produces.  The greater the mass of the object, the less the acceleration produced by the force.

Newton’s Third Law:  Forces act in pairs.  For every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.  When you push or pull an object, your force (called the action force) meets an equal and opposite force (called the reaction force) produced by the object.

Inertia:  The tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion, and of an object at rest to remain at rest.

Mass:  A measure of inertia, indicating the resistance of an object to a change in its motion, including a change in velocity.

Centrifugal Force:  A term describing the tendency of objects in uniform circular motion to move away from the center of the circular path.  Though the term "centrifugal force" is often used, it is inertia, rather than force, that causes the object to move outward.

Centripetal Force:  The force that causes an object in uniform circular motion to move toward the center of the circular path.  Gravity provides centripetal force to the earth, preventing objects from flying off into space.

Velocity:  speed in a certain direction. (Velocity = Distance divided by Time)

Acceleration:  the rate at which velocity changes with time.  (Decelerate)
(Acceleration = Velocity divided by Time)

Force:  a push or pull that starts, stops, or changes the motion of an object.
(Force = Mass x Acceleration – Measured in Newtons)

Gravity:  the force that draws any two bodies together.

Weight:  the force exerted on an object by gravity.

Work:  the amount of energy used when a force is used to move an object.  Measured in Joules.
(Work = Force x Distance)

I have pulled some online word problem worksheets covering velocity, acceleration, force, etc. and am looking for a workbook that would cover some of these types of problems (or may use problems from the Science Explorer book or others)….

Teacher Resource for Sound and Light Waves - Home:

Prentice Hall Science Explorer: Sound and Light (using experiments on sound from this and library books)

Prints-outs on Waves

Eyewitness Light

Shiny Science Book and Kit (Sterling Publishing) (using this for light related experiments)

Spectroscope with instructions (Home Science Tools)

Lens set with activity guide (Home Science Tools)

I can Do: Light and Color (kit with 10 experiments related to light)

Crystal Radio

Crystal Radio Kit

Library Books for Sound:

Exploring Sound, Ed Catherall (pgs. 12-31 and 42-43)

The Science of Sound, Steve Parker

Let’s Investigate Science: Light and Sound, Peter Lafferty (chapter 4)

Smart Science: Sound and Light, Robert Snedden (pgs. 5-15)

The Young Oxford Library of Science, Volume 6:  Light and Sound, Jonathan Allday
(pgs. 34 – 45)

Library Books for Light:

May use the Light portions of the above three books, or:

Science Projects: Light, Trevor Day

Experiments with Light and Mirrors, Robert Gardner

Experiment with Light, Bryan Murphy

Bouncing and Bending Light, Barbara Taylor

Exploring Light, Ed Catherall

Easy Genius Science Projects with Light, Robert Gardner

Science Answers: Light, from Sun to Bulbs, Christopher Cooper

The Way it Works: Light, Neil Ardley

Dazzling Science Projects with Light and Color, Robert Gardner

Science at Work: Light, Prisms, Rainbows, and Colors, Gina Hamilton

Memory Work:

Acoustics:  the study of sound and how it travels within a space.

Amplifier:  an electronic device that magnifies the strength of a signal, such as an electrical signal.

Amplitude:  the strength of a wave, or the distance from the top of a wave crest to the low
point (trough) of the wave.

Cochlea: a coiled tube in the inner ear where vibrations from sound waves are changed into
electrical impulses and sent to the brain, which interprets them as sound.

Decibel:  a unit used for measuring the loudness of sounds.  A soft whisper is close to 0
decibels and a jet taking off is about 120 decibels.

Doppler Effect:  the way the pitch or frequency of waves seems to change if the source of the waves is moving (sirens are louder coming toward you then after they’ve passed, etc.).

Frequency:  the number of times something is repeated in a set time (usually a second).  In radio
waves, the frequency of vibrations or peaks in the wave is measured in hertz (number of cycles per sound – usually 1).

Wavelength:  the distance between successive crests of a wave. 

Fundamental:  the simplest vibration or note that a musical instrument can produce.

Pitch:  the highness or loudness of a sound; depends upon the frequency:  the greater the
frequency, the higher the pitch.

Overtone: a note that has a frequency or pitch higher than the fundamental frequency.

Speed of Sound:  sound travels through the air at 1080 feet per second, or 330 meters per second (3280 ft. or 1000 km per hour).  Sound can travel through many materials.  The denser the material, the more quickly sound can travel through it.

Concave Lens – curved outward; thicker in the middle than at the edges.

Convex Lens – curved inward; thinner in the middle than at the edges.

Binocular Vision – ability to see depth and judge distance based on the images received by two
eyes.

Field of Vision – the space within which objects are visible without moving one’s head or eyes.

Transparent – allows light to pass through.

Translucent – some light may pass through, but the material is not transparent; tissue paper
is translucent.

Focus or Focal Point – the point at which light rays meet to form a sharp image after passing
through a lens or being reflected from a curved mirror.

Incandescent – an object that gives out light because it is very hot.  The filament of a light bulb is incandescent.

Speed of Light:  299,792,458 meters per second

Metre per second(approximately 186,282 miles per second).  That’s 700 million miles per hour! 

The speed of light has several properties which may seem counter-intuitive to us, but are true:

-Nothing travels faster than the speed of light.

-No matter how fast you are moving the speed of light seems to be the same speed as if you were not moving at all.

-As an object or person is accelerated toward the speed of light time slows down for it/him.

This last property leads to the "twins" effect: Twin brothers live on Earth. One brother takes a trip to a distant star traveling at a high percentage of the speed of light. When the twin returns he will be younger than his brother because for him time slowed down during the trip.

This effect, called "time dilation," helps explain why the speed of light is the same no matter how fast you are going. As a traveler accelerates time slows down for him. This, in turn, affects his measurements.

(This is part of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity….)

Online Reading for First Two Units of Physics Study

Read about Bubbles:

http://bubbleology.com/BubbleologyFrame.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/internet_resources.html

http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html

http://bubbles.org/

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/bubbles.htm

http://members.tripod.com/sharing_science/bubbles.html

http://www.lanl.gov/news/releases/archive/01-061.shtml

http://42explore.com/bubbl.htm

Simple Machines:

http://atlantis.coe.uh.edu/archive/science/science_lessons/scienceles1/finalhome.htm

http://www.mikids.com/Smachines.htm

Website to explore simple and then compound machines:

http://www.edheads.org/activities/simple-machines/index.htm

Archimedes’s Screw:

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Archimedes'_screw

http://www.cs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Screw/applications/Kinderdijk_screw_big.jpg

http://www.cs.drexel.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Screw/Applications.html

http://www.experiment-resources.com/archimedes-screw.html
(Watch the videos of how to make one.  I will try to get the materials so we can make one of these….)

Compound Machine (Rube Goldberg):

http://www.edheads.org/activities/odd_machine/

http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/LeversandPulleys/index.html

About Rube Goldberg:

http://www.rubegoldberg.com/

Read about / look at examples of Rube Goldberg Machines:

http://www.mousetrapcontraptions.com/cool-machines-3.html

http://www.jacobshwirtz.com/RubeGoldberg/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhhGeDBsGA0&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Easy steps for making a Rube Goldberg device:

http://www.ehow.com/how_6609630_make-easy-rube-goldberg.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Homemade-Rube-Goldberg-Machine

Resources for Magnets (and Electromagnets):

Prentice Hall Science Explorer:  Electricity and Magnetism – chapter on magnets only

Very First Magnet Kit and remnants of another, smaller Skitt Kit on Magnets

Usborne Science with Magnets kit

Books from Home:

Experiments with Magnets and Electricity, Margaret Whalley – portions on magnets

Library Books:

Hands on Science: Magnets to Generators, Margaret Fagan, Ed.

The Magnet Book, Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone

Exploring Magnets, Ed Catherall

Science Magic with Magnets, Chris Oxlade

Science Answers: Magnetism, from Pole to Pole, Christopher Cooper

Janice VanCleave’s Magnets

Magnet Science, Glen Vecchione

Science for Fun:  Playing with Magnets, Gary Gibson

A New True Book: Experiments with Magnets, Helen Challand

And pertinent portions of:

Smart Science: Electricity and Magnetism, Robert Snedden

Science Projects About Electricity and Magnets, Robert Gardner

Fun with Science: Electricity and Magnets, Terry Cash

Memory Work:

Lodestone – a natural magnet made of iron ore, called magnetite.

Keeper – a piece of iron placed across the poles of a permanent magnet when it is stored or not in use in order to keep the magnet’s energy from being lost.

Poles – the two regions at the ends of a magnet (north and south) where magnetic force is strongest.

Lines of Force – lines that show the magnetic effect around a magnet.

Induced magnetism – magnetism caused in magnetic materials, such as iron or steel, when a permanent magnet is brought very close.

Magnetic Field – the space around a magnet where the magnetic force is active.

Magnetic Material – any material that may be made into or attracted to a magnet.

Magnetize – to turn a magnetic material into a magnet.

Permanent Magnet – a magnet that keeps its magnetism unless it is dropped, knocked or gets too hot.

Electromagnet – a device that develops a magnetic field when an electric current is passed through it.

Solenoid – an electrical conductor consisting of coils through which an electric current is passed to produce a magnetic field.

Resources for studying Electricity:

Prentice Hall Science Explorer:  Electricity and Magnetism

McWizKid Static Electricity Experiment

Wild Goose Sparks and Zaps!  Totally Shocking Science

Science in a Nutshell:  Electrical Connections

MiniLabs: Tech Series:  Electric Motor (with Motorboat)

MiniLabs: Tech Series: Electric Bell

(these are both model building kits)

Scholastic Electronics Lab Workbench (another model building kit)

Books from Home:

World Book: Invisible Journeys:  Energy, Follow the Journey of Energy Transformation

Usborne Young Scientist: Electricity

Eyewitness:  Electricity

Library Books:

Smart Science: Electricity and Magnetism, Robert Snedden

Science Projects About Electricity and Magnets, Robert Gardner

Fun with Science: Electricity and Magnets, Terry Cash

Memory Work:

Alternating Current – a current that switches direction back and forth as it passes through a circuit.  (AC)

Alternator – a type of generator that produces alternating current.

Ampere – the amount of electric current flowing through a conductor.

Battery – a series of electric cells connected together.

Circuit – an arrangement of conducting wires and devices through which an electric current can flow.

Circuit Breaker – a safety device in a circuit that will cut the supply of electricity if it detects excess current.

Conductor – a material through which an electric current can easily pass.

Current – the flow of electrically charged particles through a circuit.

Direct Current – current that flows in one direction through a circuit.  (DC)

Electric Charge – the property of certain particles that causes them to exert a force on each other.  It can be either positive or negative.  Opposite charges attract and like charge repel.

Insulator – material which blocks the passage of electricity.

Integrated Circuit – a miniature electronic circuit produced on a single chip of a material such as silicon; also called a silicon chip.

Semiconductor – a material that has properties somewhere between those of a conductor and an insulator.

Static Electricity – the build-up of an electric charge on something.

Transistor – a device for controlling the flow of electrons through a circuit.

Volt/Voltage – a measure of the potential energy of an electric current; the push given to the electrons to make them flow.

Resources for Gravity and Flight Studies:

Science in a Nutshell:  Breaking Earth’s Hold

Science in a Nutshell:  Flight! Gliders to Jets

NASA posters and resource info. :  Celebrating a Century of Powered Flight

Rocket kit (refills and other kits at Hobby Lobby)

Flight Test Lab:  Helicoptors, Paul Beck – 4 different models, w/ handbook

4 different model planes to build

Gyroscopes, etc.

Books at Home:

How Things Work: Astonishing Aircraft, Linda Sonntag, Ed.

How Science Works: Discover the Science Behind Planes, Boats, Rockets, Cars, Trucks, Jim Pipe and Mark Jackson, Eds.

How Things Work:  Planes, Gliders, Helicopters and other Flying Machines, Terry Jennings

DK What’s Inside?  Planes, Hilary Hockman, Ed.

The Fantastic Cutaway Book of Flight, Jon Richards

DK The Visual Dictionary of Flight, Fiona Courtenay-Thompson, Ed.

The Usborne Young Scientist: Jets, Mark Hewish

Fighting Jets, Bryce Walker

The History of Rockets, Ron Miller

If time allows: 

Eyewitness:  Time and Space

Explore!  Magazine edition dedicated to rockets, fireworks, and other explosive devices and explorsions, entitled: Kaboom!

Underground, David Macaulay

How Things Work: Monster Machines, Linda Sonntag, Ed.

DK Eyewitness: Train

Dk The Visual Dictionary of Cars

How Things Work:  Boats, Ships, Submarines and other Floating Machines, Ian Graham

K’nex bridge building kit (others available at Hobby Lobby)

Flight Test Lab: Hovercrafts, Jean Hopping – 4 different models, w/ handbook

Robotics:

K’nex Robot World:  Command-a-Bot, Radio Control building set w/ 6 models

DK Robot Challenge Kit, David Eckold

Books at Home:

How Things Work: Groovy Gadgets, Linda Sonntag, Ed.

Science on the Edge:  Artificial Intelligence, Philip Margulies

Eyewitness: Future

Eyewitness:  Technology

Memory Work:

Airfoil – the shape a wing needs in order to be able to make air flowing over it create lift.

Booster – an additional rocket designed to propel a spacecraft farther on its journey.

Drag – the resistance of water or air to the movement of an object through it.

Supersonic – traveling faster than the speed of sound (about 660 mph at 36,000 feet).

Afterburning – a boosting system in which fuel is injected and ignited I the jet exhaust to give extra thrust.

Thrust – the amount of forward push an engine creates.

General Resources at Home:

CPO Physical Science (teacher, student, workbook)

Conceptual Physics w/ workbook

CPO Physics: A First Course (teacher’s book)

Hands on Science, Volume I: Thermodynamics, Weather, Aerodynamics, Astronomy, Elizabeth Brough

Visual Factfinder: Science and Technology

Science Projects About Physics in the Home, Robert Gardner

Reader’s Digest: How Science Works

Physics:  Why Matter Matters!  Dan Green

Professor Noggins Famous Inventions card game

I'm also using the Rader's Physics 4 Kids website throughout the year. 

Regena