Eighth Grade Science
Monthly
Extra Credit links
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September
New
evidence that air pollution has masked the full impact of global warming
suggests the world may soon face a heightened crisis. Visit the PBS/NOVA
Dimming the Sun. Read
the Inquiry & Article, and examine the Time Line & Slideshow. Write
a 500 word summary of what you've learned. Include at least one outside
reference.
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October
Saved
by the Sun....Look over this fascinating and timely information, pick
one of the four subcategories (This solar house is cool), and write a 500
wd. summary. Include an additional outside reference.
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| November The launch of Sputnik came as a shock
to Americans long accustomed to being number one. Review the website,
Sputnik
Declassified. Write a 500 word summary describing the Cold War politics
and science surrounding this momentous Soviet accomplishment.
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| December Mass graves
and forensic evidence reveal a complex truth about how the Inca Empire
fell. I visited many historical Inca locations throughout Peru and became
fascinated with "all-things-Incan". I found this website interesting and
provocative; I hope you will also. Peruse The Great Incan Rebellion
then write a 500 word summary. Include an outside reference to receive full
credit.
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| January The
Quiet Zone ....... This month's extra credit is different from past
month's opportunities. For January extra credit you'll visit Wired Science,
one category in the wide-ranging family of PBS programs and websites. The
Quiet Zone streaming video runs about 10-12 minutes and is packed with information
about a very unusual place in our country. You may start and stop the program
with a button below the screen. I suggest you take notes as you view the
video, then write a summary of the program. This summary should be between
250-300 words. The second part of the extra credit is to pick one of your
own video episodes from this site - there are dozens- and write a 150-200
word summary. Be sure to include the title, date, and episode number of
your choice.... I think this should be fun!
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| February Forgotten
Genius... Against all odds, African-American chemist Percy Julian
became one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century. This website is
filled with all sorts of interesting information; check-out the slideshow,
video chapters, and interactive link. As before, scan and study this website
and write a summary of no less than 500 words.
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| March Ebola virus outbreak reported
in the Congo, read the
article.
Read these three articles and write a summary (+500 wds.) that addresses
(1.) Basic information about virus particles, (2.) The Ebola virus, and
(3.) Avian flu virus. Feel free to include diagrams, maps, and jpegs. in
your summary reportVirus background information at about.com:biology Avian influenza virus A information |
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April
This month's extra credit opportunity is a radically different task. I
hope you'll find it rewarding and worthwhile. Your challenge is to pick
one of these three wonderful poems, commit it to memory, and deliver it (recite
it) in class at a time of your convenience. I dearly love these poems, each
for different reasons. Go on & give it a go!Jabberwocky,
by Lewis Carroll
Song of Wondering Aengus, by William Butler Yeats Wild Geese, by Mary Oliver |
| May Okay, back by popular demand,
we're revisiting the PBS Wired Science episodes. Go to the Wired Science website
and scroll through the wide variety of videolog presentations. Pick two
that are interesting to you, watch them closely, take notes, and write a
catchy summary (250-300 wds) for each.
JuneIf your Science Writing
Notebook is well organized and contains all the writing assignments,
including any monthly extra credit summaries and your two final exams, you'll
be given June's 15 extra credit points. Check with me for a complete listing
of written assignments.
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