Sunday, May 13, 2012

Rock the Minerals!

MINERAL PROPERTIES:
We learned about different properties of different minerals. The properties of minerals are luster, hardness, cleavage, streak, characteristics and use.
Luster: If a mineral is metallic or nonmetallic.
Hardness: If a mineral is hard or soft and how hard it is.
Cleavage: If the mineral is even or uneven (fracture).
Streak: The color of the mineral. If it is colorless or it has color.
Characteristics: It can be details about a mineral like color, density and how it feels.
Use: How this mineral can be used.





REFLECTION:
1. What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
I enjoyed learning about different minerals and using the "Properties of common Minerals Chart" was interesting  that how you can find the name of a mineral by following some procedures.
2. What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
The most challenging part was to find the name of the minerals because there are so many minerals which are similar and their color, shape and hardness is very similar.
3. What new skills did you learn from doing this project?
I learned how to write an A+ lab about minerals. I also learned to finish my work on time and use my time carefully.
4. Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work? Explain.
Yes, I think it could be more better if we had another procedure to follow which is more accurate, to find the name of each mineral. That way we had known what is the exact name of each mineral.  

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Shaking Our World


EARTH’S INTERIOR:
There are three main part of the earth. Lithosphere is the land where we live. Hydrosphere is water and atmosphere is the air. Earth is made up of four main layers. The layer on top called crust, it is made up of two plates called oceanic plate and continental plate. We live on continental plate. Then comes mantle, which is made up of melted rock. After mantle comes outer core which is also solid. Then comes inner core, which is liquid.

FAULTS:
There are three kinds of faults. Normal fault is when one rock moves down. Reverse/ Thrust fault is when one rock moves upward. Strike- Slip fault is when two rocks slide. Faults can cause earthquakes.

VOLCANOES:
Volcanoes are caused by subduction zone. Magma is the melted rock inside the volcano and lava is the melted rock outside the volcano. There are three types of volcanoes. Shield volcano is a gentle volcano formed by eruptions of lava. It mostly forms under ocean. Cinder cone is the simplest volcano it forms when ashes and cinders are blown out. Composite volcano is the most dangerous one. When the pressure gets strong enough it cause an explosive eruption. Hot spot is the REALLY hot place where a volcano happens. It is the still active volcano.

EARTHQUAKES:
The shaking of the earth called earthquake. Earthquakes are caused by faults. Focus is the location where first motion of earthquake happens. Epicenter is a point directly up the focus. Seismograph is an instrument that measures the details of an earthquake. Magnitude is a number that tells the size of an earthquake. There are three kinds of seismic waves. P-waves move back and forth. S-waves move up and down, L-waves moves back and forth and up and down. If Earthquakes happens under ocean, it can cause tsunami, which is a huge wave.

CONTINENTAL DRIFT:
Alfred Wegener thought of the theory of plate tectonics, he claimed that 300 million years ago it was a super-continent called Pangaea but later it started to breakup. The evidence to prove this theory is the shape of continents, fossils, rock records and mountain ranges. These evidences help us to solve the puzzle of the shape of continents.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

Do you agree with the theory of plate tectonics? Why or why not?
I agree with the theory of plate tectonics. We have so many evidences to prove that our earth’s plates are moving which are also causing natural disasters. Scientists have been using these evidences since so many years. The evidences that we could use to prove that earth’s plates are moving are convection currents, continental drift and plate boundaries.
Convection currents plays an important role in the movement of the earth's plates. It causes the plate to move slowly each year. Earth's plates move 3 inches every year. Continental drift is also an evidence, it is a hypothesis that claims that 300 million years ago all the continents were in shape of Pangaea which broke up 250 million years ago. The evidences are rock record, mountain ranges, fossil and puzzle. Plate boundaries are also one of the evidence to prove that earth's plates are moving. Divergent, Convergent and transform boundary cause earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunami, mid-ocean ridges, trenches,  rift valleys, mid-ocean ridges and mountains. This show us that earth's plates are moving slowly each year.

REFELECTION:

1.   What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
I enjoyed learning about different layers of earth and how different boundaries can cause natural disasters. Now whenever I hear about volcano and Himalayan Mountains and Hawaii, different boundaries comes to my mind and I start thinking which boundary had caused this.

2.   What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
The most challenging part was to memorize all the vocabulary words and the definition. But the “do now” really helped me to keep everything in my mind that I learned in the beginning of the project. The mantle layer was the most difficult layer and I had to finish two activities.

3.   What new skills did you learn from doing this project?
I learned about time management that how can I use my time carefully.  I also learned that I am fast in finishing my work because some students had only one activity in some layers and I had two or three activates to finish. We had the same time to finish our activities.

4.   Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work? Explain.
Yes! I think it would be much better if I had write three drafts of essay on theory of plate tectonics in mantle layer. That way I could improve my essay and use academic language as well. 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Seasons

VOCABULARY WORDS:

Seasons-موسم 
The four seasons of the Earth


Tiltٹلٹ 
Earth’s axis is tilted over about 23.5 degree which means its not straight.

Axis-محور 
An imaginary vertical line in the center of the Earth.
Revolutionانقلاب 
Earth’s movement around the Sun.

Equatorخط استوا
A horizontal line in the center of the Earth that divides Earth into North hemisphere and South hemisphere

Orbitمدار
An object’s movement around another object in space

Ellipseبیضوی
Oval shape

Polarisستارہ
A bright star located in North
       

Direct sunlightبراہ راست سورج کی روشنی
When the Sunlight hits the Earth straightly.

Indirect sunlightبالواسطہ سورج کی روشنی
When the sunlight hits the Earth in an angle.

SUMMARY:

There are four seasons of the Earth known as winter, spring, summer and autumn. The Earth seasons are caused by Earth's axis which is tilted over about 23.5 degree. During the Earth's revolution the seasons occur. Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse shape. Earth's axis is always pointing toward Polaris. Earth is divided by an imaginary line called equator. Winter occurs when there is indirect sunlight. Summer occurs when there is direct sunlight hitting the Earth. When there is spring in North hemisphere, autumn is in South hemisphere.

VIDEO:


CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION:

Question: How is Earth affected by movement (revolution)?

Earth is affected by its movement. Earth’s movement around the Sun causes four seasons known as winter, spring, summer and fall. It takes 365 days for Earth to complete its revolution around the Sun once. When the Earth rotates on its axis it causes day and night. The neap tide and spring tide are also caused by movement. Earth gets indirect and direct sunlight that’s how it gets different seasons.


REFLECTION:

1.     What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
I most enjoyed when I was drawing pictures and also I enjoyed when we were practicing of moving pictures and vocabulary words.

2.     What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
The most challenging part for me was when one of my group member was absent the whole week and we had to finish his work and our own work on time.

3.     What new skills did you learn from doing this project?
I learned that how the seasons occurs and that Earth’s movement affects a lot. I also learned many new vocabulary words.

4.     Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work? Explain.
      I think it would be a lot better if I had more group members.  Also I think I had to use more creativity.






Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Geologic Time - Paleogene period



Summary:

Paleogene period bagan 65 million years ago and lasted 24 million years ago. The Paleogene period is break down in three epochs: Paleocene epoch, Eocene epoch and Oligocene epoch. Each epoch has characterisitcs for climate, geography, plants and animals. The Himalayan mountains formed during the Paleogene period. This period is known as mammals period because mammals were dominant during this period.

Video:


Reflection:

What did you enjoy most about this project?
I enjoyed learning about the Paleogene period and that how the Himalayan mountains formed. The most intereting information was that the birds were larger than horses in size.

What was most challenging about this project? Why?
The most challenging part was to learn about the three epochs and their characteristics.

What you would change about this project and why?
I would change this project by learning about each era not just learning about one period.

What are 3 things that you learned from this project?
I learned about
  • Himalayan mountains formation
  • weather changing from hot to cold
  • birds were larger than the horses in size

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Planet Profile

PLANET:                                       


                                NEPTUNE


Diagram:
 
Planet Order: 8 from the Sun

Distance from the Sun: 4,498.3 million km

Mass: 17,151 kg                                           Diameter: 49,528 km

Rotation: 16 hours                         Revolution: 164.8 years

# of Moons: 13

Jovian

Planet Description:
         Uranus is Neptune's twin.Neptune was the first planet found.Discovered on September 23, 1846.Neptune was observed by Johann Galle. Its made out of gas. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft. 

Interesting Facts:
  • Farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System.
  • Named for the Roman god of the sea.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Planet Profile

PLANET:                                                  MERCURY

Diagram:


Planet Order: 1 from the Sun

Distance From the Sun: 57.9 million km.

Mass:  3.30 x 1023 kg                     Diameter: 4.879 km

Rotation: 59 days             Revolution: 88 days

# of Moons: 0

Mercury is a terrestrial planet.

Planet Description:
          
         Mercury is a dry, rocky planet. Its had no atmosphere. The temperatures range is 430 degrees Celsius to170 degrees Celsius. The surface of Mercury is covered with craters. Half of Mercury had never been seen. Ancient peoples have known about Mercury for thousands of years.

Interesting Facts:

1. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
2. Mercury travels fastest around the Sun.