HOME LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE EARTH SPACE SCIENCE HONORS CLASS
This page accumulates all the Home Learning Assignments given since the beginning of the school year. Students are supposed to take notes of the Home Learning Assignments in class. If the student was absent, then he/she should call over the phone any of the 5 classmates contacts established at the beginning of the school year.
In order to properly identify, evaluate, and grade each piece of work you turn in, always remember to include the corresponding title, label, and due date of the Home Learning Assignments exactly as you find them in this page. This will help you to easily identify the respective grades online.
REVIEW FOR THE FINAL EXAM
DUE DATE: 05/26/11
Research and make a table
listing all the possible safety precautions and measures to take in prevention
of a radiation emergency and when it actually occurs. Visit the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention of the USA (www.cdc.gov)
website, the Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov),
and the U.S. Energy Department (www.energy.gov).
DUE DATE: 05/18/11
Finish and bring
the essay that you started in class.
Prompt
for the 5-paragraph (minimum) Essay on "One Child per Couple" Law:
Imagine
that the United States of America becomes overpopulated and, as a government
measure to stop and reverse the problem, decides to implant the Law of
“only one child per couple” exactly as China has done it in the
past and is doing it now.
Think
about all the arguments that you have against the place in practice of this
law. Think about all the arguments you may have in support of this law.
Now,
write to persuade the governors from implanting that law or to encourage people
to support the law.
DUE DATE: 05/16/11
Finish the
CAUSES-EFFECTS-SOLUTIONS Table that you started in class on the topic of
Overpopulation. Prepare to debate on the topic of Overpopulation and Family
Planning.
DUE DATE: 05/12/11
Make a survey among family
members, friends, and neighbors. Ask them 3 questions:
1) What do you think are the
causes for famine in this world? (Please, provide you answer specifying the
order of importance)
2) What do you think are the
consequences of famine in the world? (in order of importance)
3) What do you think are the
solutions to the problem of famine in the world?
Study the answers, make an
analysis, and summarize the results of the survey. Specify the results in
percentage. For example: 65% of the population interviewed thought that the
main cause for famine is lack of money, 25% thought that it is due to political
problems like dictatorial, totalitarian, and abusive governments, 8% thought it
is due to natural disasters, and 2 % thought that it is due to lack of water.
Try to explain why the people interviewed answered that way and what it means.
For example: “the crowd showed ignorance about the main cause for famine
worldwide, in fact, the main cause is …… and nobody directly
appointed that cause”
DUE DATE: 05/06/11
Bring all the Key Terms
Definitions of the entire Chapter 30
DUE DATE: 05/02/11
Bring the Research Project
Paper on the International Space Station (ISS) and the Computer file with the
Power Point Presentation on the ISS (in a travel Drive, or DVD, or CD). The
guidelines are in this website under PROJECTS (http://teachers.dadeschools.net/spagani/ProjectsHonEarthSp.htm).
DUE DATE: 04/26/11
Bring the Key Terms Definitions
of the entire Chapter 27
DUE DATE: 04/15/11
Bring the definitions to the
following terms:
albedo, apogee, barycenter, craters, eclipse, lunar eclipse, mare, moon,
neap tide, penumbra, perigee, phases, regolith, ridges, rilles,
satellite, solar eclipse, spring tide, tidal current, tidal oscillation, tidal
range, tide, umbra, waning, waxing.
DUE DATE: 04/11/11
Bring a Research Paper on all
the effects of the Moon on the Earth (physical, biological, etc.)
DUE DATE: 04/07/11
Bring the definitions to the
following terms:
1. auroras,
2. chromosphere,
3. convection zone,
4. corona,
5. geomagnetic storms,
6. granulation,
7. nuclear fission,
8. nuclear fusion,
9. photosphere,
10.
prominence,
11.
radiative zone,
12.
solar flare,
13.
solar wind,
14.
spectrum,
15.
spectrograph,
16.
sunspots
DUE DATE: 04/05/11
Bring the
answers to the Chapter 27 Section 2 Review (1-9) Questions
DUE DATE: 03/31/11
Bring the
definitions of each one of the following terms:
1.
Big
Bang Theory
2.
Cosmic
Background Radiation
3.
Cosmology
4.
Dark
Energy
5.
Dark
Matter
6.
Nebular
Hypothesis
7.
Planetesimals
8.
Protoplanets
9.
Red
Shift
10.
Solar
Nebula
11.
Solar
System
DUE DATE: 03/25/11
Bring a
Research Paper about the contribution of scientist Stephen Hawking to Modern
Astronomy
DUE DATE: 03/23/11
Do the
Gizmos on Orbital Motion - Kepler’s Laws at www.explorelearning.com
DUE DATE: 3/10/11
According to
the theory of evolution, hominids were our closest ancestors. What about before
them? Do some research through phylogenetic trees to
find out which specie(s) were our ancestors during the Paleozoic Era. Describe them.
DUE DATE: 3/09/11
Bring an
opinion paper. You will express your own point of view about the geological and
biological evolution theories. What sounds logical/possible/credible and what
sounds illogical/impossible/incredible to you? Why? Do not forget to list all
the arguments that you have to sustain your position.
DUE DATE: 03/07/11
Bring all
the Key Terms Definitions from the entire Chapter 9
DUE DATE: 03/02/11
Research and
bring scientific arguments against the geological evolution of the Earth and
the biological evolution of organisms
DUE DATE: 2/28/11
Answer all
the questions of the Chapter 8 Section 1 Review
DUE DATE: 2/24/11
Do the
Gizmos on Half Life
DUE DATE: 2/22/11
Prepare a brochure
with all the tips that you would give to home buyers in Florida to avoid being
the victim of one of the peculiar geologic features in this State.
DUE DATE: 2/16/11
Answer the
FCAT Pre questions in pages 204-205
DUE DATE: 2/14/11
Bring the
Answers to the Understanding Main Ideas (9-17) and the FCAT Prep (1-9)
questions of Chapter 11.
DUE DATE: 2/10/11
Answer the
Gizmos available online on Topography Maps Building and Topography Maps Reading
DUE DATE: 2/08/11
Bring a
Research Paper on the Characteristics of the San Andreas Fault in California
DUE DATE: 2/04/11
Bring the
Vocabulary definitions for the entire chapter 14
DUE DATE: 2/02/11
Research
Paper on the Erosion of the Miami Beach Shoreline
DUE DATE: 1/31/11
Bring the
Answers to the Chapter 14 Section Reviews 14.1 & 14.2
DUE DATE: 1/27/11
Do the Map
skills activity of the Maps in Action Section of chapter 13 (Page 338) on The
Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Chain. Visit the NOAA website and use data from
there, in case you may need to support your work with additional data (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/volcano.shtml)
DUE DATE: 1/20/11
Three
different assignments:
1)
Section
assessments 12.1 & 12.2
2)
All
the interactive online activity on Earthquakes at this website:
http://www.sciencecourseware.org/eec/Earthquake/
3)
Gizmos
available on Earthquakes
DUE DATE 01/18/11:
Answer the
Chapter 10 FCAT Prep Questions.
DUE DATE: 01/12/11
Answer the
Gizmos available online on Rock Cycle and Rock Classification.
DUE DATE: 01/05/11
Define
the following terms:
1.
Asthenosphere
2.
Continental
Crust
3.
Core
4.
Crust
5.
Inner
Core
6.
Lithosphere
7.
Magnetic
Field
8.
Mantle
9.
Mesosphere
10.
Mohorovicic discontinuity
11.
Moho
12.
Oceanic
crust
13.
Outer
Core
14.
Plasticity
15.
Seismic
Waves
DUE DATES: 12/14/10 & 12/16/10
Review and practice for the Midterm Exams. Use:
1) The list of chapters sent to you by e-mail and disregard the chapters not covered in class yet.
2) The practice questions posted for you. The link was
sent to you through the school webmail.
3) Prepare yourself with all kinds of arguments in favor
and against the theory of global warming as the result of human activity. Also
be well versed on the natural causes for global warming.
DUE DATE: 12/10/10
Bring the Key Terms Definitions of the entire Chapter 19
Review and Practice for the Midterm Exams
DUE DATE: 12/08/10
Solve the Gizmos on Ocean Mapping
DUE DATE: 12/06/10
Bring the Key Terms definitions of the entire Chapter 20
DUE DATE: 12/02/10
In preparation for the Chapter on Oceans, bring a
research paper on the two scientific theories explaining the origin of the
oceans.
DUE DATE: 11/18/10
Bring a Research Paper on environmentally friendly
alternative energy resources. Introduce the topic and center the paper on the
particular energy resource assigned to you in class. You may visit your grades
online and under the “assignment” called Project Topic you will
find the number corresponding to only one type of energy in the list provided
below. Among the information that you are going to provide about that type of
energy try to include: a) History of that type of energy, b) Devices used to
obtain, process, and deliver that type of energy, c) Usage or applications of
that type of energy, d) percentage of the total energy consumed in the USA
coming from that type of energy, e) Cost and effectiveness, f) your opinion,
and g) bibliography.
Prepare for presenting to the class the results of your
research. Be ready to answers questions related to the type of energy assigned
to you. A Power Point Presentation would be a plus to support your
presentation. Bring the file for it in an USB drive. Please, do not write
paragraphs on the slides, just outlined short text in big fonts. Center the Power
Point Presentation on pictures, graphs, tables with
data, diagrams, and all sorts of visual and graphic stuff that will support
your presentation.
TOPICS FOR THE ENERGY RESOURCES PROJECT/PRESENTATION
1.
Solar energy
2.
Hydroelectric energy
3.
Geothermal energy
4.
Wind energy
5.
Nuclear energy
6.
Biogas as fuels
7.
Ethanol & Methanol as fuels
DUE DATE: 11/16/10
Bring a research paper on the arguments against the
Theory of Global Warming which sustains that we, human beings, are causing the
increase in temperature of our atmosphere with our emissions of gases like CO2
DUE DATE: 11/09/10
Do a research paper on El Nino and La Nina. Make sure that you include
information on what they are, what causes them, where do they usually happen,
what are their consequences, what do we do to diminish their impact. Try to
include maps showing their proportions, locations, and progress.
DUE DATE: 11/05/10
Complete the Tracking the Hurricane map with the tools given in class and
also sent by e-mail.
DUE DATE: 10/28/10
Bring the answers to the questions of the Section Review
24.4
Complete the National Weather Forecast Narrative for
10/26/10 or 10/27/10 based on the Graphical Forecasts, National Maps, and
Warnings and Forecasts, at the Weather National Service (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/). Make sure that
you specify Temperature, Chances of Precipitation, Amount of Precipitation,
Percentage of Sky Coverage, Winds Speed and Direction, and other important
weather phenomena like snow, storms, etc. You may be called to the front of the
class and have to present your work as if you were the weather person at the
Weather Channel.
DUE DATE: 10/26/10
Gizmos on Relative Humidity and Hurricane
Motion.
DUE DATE: 10/22/10
Bring the answers to the questions of the Chapter 24
Sections 1 and 2 Reviews.
DUE DATE: 10/20/10
Bring the Key Terms definitions of the entire Chapter 24.
Bring the full Lab report on Relative Humidity at School.
Period 2 - Results
for Relative Humidity Lab
|
Temperature
Outside |
Temperature
Hallway |
Temperature
Classroom |
|||
Group |
Dry
B (oC) |
Wet
B (oC) |
Dry
B (oC) |
Wet
B (oC) |
Dry
B (oC) |
Wet
B (oC) |
1 |
31 |
27 |
24 |
20 |
25 |
22 |
2 |
32 |
28 |
23 |
18 |
24 |
20 |
3 |
29 |
27 |
27 |
17 |
23 |
19 |
4 |
31 |
22 |
22 |
20 |
23 |
20 |
5 |
27 |
25 |
23 |
18 |
27 |
25 |
6 |
30 |
29 |
22 |
19 |
24 |
20 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Average |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Relative
Humidity |
|
|
|
DUE DATE: 10/18/10
Bring the answers to the Chapter 23 Review Understanding
Key Concepts Section and the Critical Thinking Questions 25, 27, 28, and 29.
DUE DATE: 10/14/10
Bring a Lab Report on the Lab Activity
performed in class. One Lab Report for the whole group. Make sure that all your
names are on the report. Include the following sections:
·
Title
·
Objective
·
Hypothesis
·
Materials and
Procedures (just write as stated by Mr. Pagani in class)
·
Results including
table(s) with the results and the corresponding graph(s)
·
Analysis of the
results. This the longest and most important section of the Lab report.
·
Conclusion
No background
information or bibliography needed
Take advantage of
the guidelines posted in the Lab Report Format of Mr. Pagani’s
website (http://teachers.dadeschools.net/spagani/Labreport.htm)
DUE DATE: 10/08/10
1. Read the Connection to Chemistry “States of
Matter” on page 89 and make a full written interpretation of what happens
in every step of the graph and why.
2. Do Answer the questions of the Section
Assessment of Chapter 22 Section 1
3. Do the Vocabulary Definitions of the entire Chapter
22
Bring them as three separate assignments
DUE DATE: 10/06/10
Do a research paper on Petroleum Possibly Not Coming
from Fossils. Alexander Goncharov and his colleagues
from the Carnegie Institute sustain that theory. Include the following
information: 1) who are the people that came out with this theory, 2) Where did
they do those studies, 3) what are their evidences and their arguments to
sustain that theory, 4) If it is true, what consequences will that have for us?
5) What is your opinion? 6) Bibliography used.
DUE DATE: 10/04/10
Do some research and bring an essay explaining why fossil fuels cannot be easily replaced.
DUE DATE: 9/30/10
Summit the answers to the two Gizmos activities on
pH available for you at www.explorelearning.com
BE AWARE THAT YOUR CHILD RECEIVED THE INTERIM PROGRESS
REPORT LAST WEEK (09/24/10). PARENTS, YOU SHOULD CHECK IT, SIGN IT, AND SEND IT
BACK TO THE TEACHER THAT GAVE IT TO YOUR CHILD.
On
09/27/10 and 09/28/10 your child received a Notice of Unsatisfactory Progress
if the average grade of your child is currently lower than a C. Please, ask
your child for it, read it, sign it, and send it back to Mr. Pagani. Thanks a
lot.
Here is the link to the Alien Periodic Table: AlienPeriodicTable.pdf
DUE DATE: 9/24/10
Bring the answers to the Section Reviews 4.1 and 4.2
DUE DATE: 9/22/10
Bring the answers to the Using Key Terms,
Understanding Key Concepts, and Math Skills of chapter 4.
DUE DATE: 9/20/10
Read and review Chapter 4
DUE DATE: 9/16/10
Bring a mini-research paper on THE LARGE HADRON
COLLIDER (LHC) which started on 09/10/08 in the Swiss border with France. This
paper should have a minimum of 2 pages long (single spaced), font size 12,
margins (top, bottom, left, right) not bigger than 1 inch). The pictures,
diagrams, graphs, tables, do not count as part of the 2 pages of text, but you
are encouraged to include them. Make sure that those are properly labeled and
cited in the text. This paper should answer the following questions:
1) What is the LHC?,
2) What happens inside it in matter of nuclear physics?
3) What is the purpose of this project?
4) What was the purpose of their first experiment that
started on 09/10/08?
5) What were they exactly doing in that first
experiment?
6) How many countries are participating?
7) How many scientists? From where?
8) How much did this project cost?
9) What is CERN?
10)
What is anti-matter?
11)
What is a black hole?
12)
What do anti-matter and black holes
have to do with this project?
13)
What does the Big Bang theory have to do
with this project?
14)
What does the World Wide Web (internet
communications) have to do with this project?
15)
Complete the paper by stating what do
you think is going to be discovered in this project and why.
16)
Literature Cited following official
APA style citation rules (http://www.citationmachine.net/ and use
the APA Style). If you use any search engine like Google and look for
“citation rules” or “citation styles” you will get plenty
of websites with the information you need. Here is another one: http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citapa.htm
DUE DATE: 09/14/10
1) Go to Gizmos
and click on “enroll in a class”. Enter the class code given to you
in class. Follow instructions to finish your enrollment. Use your full name to
register (no nicknames, no screen names). Get into your class and launch the
Gizmos available, one at a time. Practice, study, and analyze well what is
going on. Then:
·
Submit the answers to the Gizmo on Density
·
Submit the answers to the Gizmo on Triple
Beam Balance
2) Bring a Lab Report on the Lab Activity performed in
class. Include the following sections:
·
Title
·
Objective
·
Hypothesis
·
Materials and
Procedures (just write as stated by Mr. Pagani in class)
·
Results including a
table with the results and a graph
·
Analysis of the
results
·
Conclusion
No background
information or bibliography needed
DUE DATE: 09/07/10
Bring the following conversions showing all
the steps possible to get the resulting units:
1)
Convert 2 Hm into
cm
2)
Convert 38,000 mm into Km
3)
Convert 26 Dg into dg
4)
Convert 367,900 g into Dg
5)
Convert 97,246 Hl into Kl
6)
Convert 478 cl into
Dl
7)
Convert 4 m2 into cm2
8)
Convert 12 dm2 into Km2
9)
Convert 25 Dm3 into mm3
10)
Convert 1,000 m3 into Hm3
11)
Convert 2,000,877 mm3 into Dl
12)
Convert 44 Dl into Dm3
DUE ON
09/02/10
Complete the
Scientific Report. Make sure that you include in it:
1)
Results
including Table (completed) and Graph with labels according to the Lab report
Format in my webpage.
2)
Analysis
following the Lab report Format in my webpage. (http://teachers.dadeschools.net/spagani/Labreport.htm)
on
3)
Conclusion
following the Lab report Format in my webpage
4)
Bibliography
following APA Style of Citation
Vm |
25 ml Grad. Cyl. |
50 ml Grad. Cyl. |
100 ml Grad. Cyl. |
250 ml Grad. Cyl. |
1000 ml Grad. Cyl. |
|
Time (s) |
Time (s) |
Time (s) |
Time (s) |
Time (s) |
Trial 1 |
3 |
7 |
15 |
29 |
116 |
Trial 2 |
4 |
6 |
13 |
29 |
117 |
Trial 3 |
3 |
8 |
13 |
29 |
119 |
Trial 4 |
3 |
7 |
15 |
29 |
119 |
Trial 5 |
7 |
7 |
22 |
29 |
120 |
Trial 6 |
3 |
6 |
21 |
30 |
120 |
Average Time (s) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vx (ml) |
8 |
13 |
21 |
40 |
213 |
Vcandle (ml) |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Volume of Air Available (ml) (Vm+Vx-Vcandle) |
|
|
|
|
|
DUE ON
08/31/10 (period 2)
Bring a Lab Report following the Lab Report Format suggested in
this website (http://teachers.dadeschools.net/spagani/Labreport.htm)
on the Combustion Time vs. amount of Air available that we worked on in class.
Include:
Title
Objective
Background Knowledge on Combustion and Air Composition
Hypothesis
Materials
Procedure (including all the tips and calculation to minimize
errors)
DUE ON
08/27/10
Bring a 3 paragraph essay. Each paragraph should be answering the
following questions:
1)
Which of the Earth/Space Science related fields do you prefer?
2)
Which will be the particular types of studies that you will make,
the investigations that you will conduct, and the skills that you will develop
that will attract you the most? And why?
3)
What is it that you would like to accomplish, discover, or
meliorate in this world/universe being an expert in that field? Which particular
contribution to the scientific world and the world in general would you like to
make in order to be recognized worldwide?
DUE ON
08/25/10
Bring the Student-Parent-Teacher Contract signed for one
"A".
Bring the Safety Lab Contract signed to gain permission to
participate in Labs
Bring all other forms completed if you could not fill them in when
you were in class: Personal Information form and College Planning Profile
form
ALWAYS CLICK ON
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS SECTION