Could our heat shield design protect something important against the friction of re-entry? To find out, we torched them. Unit test tomorrow!!!
Today we looked at some of the difficulties of manned missions, including the return trip to earth. We started building our own heat shields that will be tested with intense heat!
In an attempt to avoid using the word "test", we gave our contraptions a final chance to prove themselves by going from one end of the room and back. We also learned the difference between REFRACTING and REFLECTING telescopes.
Today we made some designs and then started construction. Some students were ready to start trying out their designs on the fishing lines.
Our history of attempts to launch things into space had a very rough start. We reviewed the beginnings of the space race and watched some short clips of failed rocket launches.
Today we fired our probes at Mr. Kart in the hopes of getting a better look at what was on top.
Often we send probes into space because they are cheaper and easier to send than manned missions. Today we made our own probes.
Today we went to the library and registered for next year's classes.
We prepared study guides for our Tuesday constellation tests today. We also confirmed our understanding of circumpolar constellations, practiced writing down constellations visible during each season, and explored the concept of constellations only visible from the Northern Hemisphere.
We learned about our Zodiac signs and practiced more constellations. http://www.miniwebtool.com/what-is-my-zodiac-sign/
Today we looked at some seasonal star charts to determine when certain constellations are visible. We then practiced our constellations using several games.
We finished our Big Dippers with straws and took a practice quiz on the constellations.
We made a straw version of the Big Dipper to show that stars are not planar but are in 3 dimensional space. This means that when you look at a constellation from the side or from a different viewpoint it will look very different.
We finished our constellations foldable today. Students chose 7 constellations to add to their foldables. We also finished creating our own constellations with stories.
Today we did several more star constellations on our foldables, including Orion, Cassiopeia, Scorpius, and Cygnus. We also started our own constellation by connecting dots and writing a story about the new constellation.
Students began a foldable in class today using information about the constellations of Ursa Major and Orion.
We made star finders today that will be used to help find constellations in the night sky.
As an intro to the unit, we watched The Universe episode of Constellations and answered questions about the constellations.
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Mr. Frenzel
Daily activity summaries are found here, with the newest ones at the top and the oldest postings at the bottom of the page Archives
September 2017
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