Mr. Damon's quatrième classes

The assignments will be listed in reverse chronological order so that the most recent work will be on top of the list. 

Revision for the Test  On Tuesday 2 June 2009:

updated 24 May 2009

• Module 3: 
  • Electricity - static electricity, parallel / series circuits, amps / volts
  • Penguins - heat loss, ways of regulating body temperature
  • Reproduction - anatomy, puberty, hormones, menstrual cycle, fertilization, sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, contraception
• You need to know all of the experiments we did since the last exam.  You should be able to name and draw the apparatus (equipment) used, the aim of each experiement and what we learned.  You are not expected to remember the specific numbers from the results.  However, you would be expected to remember what we learned (the conclusion) from each experiment. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

Revision for the Compositions Groupées in March  2009:

updated 17 Feb 2009

• Module 1, the end of Phase 2:  Soil (Meudon Forest) & Energy
  • decomposers and decomposition - how his soil made?
  • how nutrients are recycled - the carbon cycle
  • how energy is not recycled, rather flows through an ecosystem - this includes photosynthesis (making chemical energy from light) and repiration (releasing chemical energy from food)
  • food chains & food webs - trophic levels
  • energy from plant materials (burning peanut) or from fossil fuels
  • how to read and interpret a graph or make your own graph
• Module 2:
  • solubility & miscibility
  • factors influencing how soluble a substance is
  • mixtures, foams, colloids, emulsions, etc.
  • distillation - how to separate subsances based on their boiling point
  • materials - what things are made of and the properties of those materials
  • the strength of bridge-making materials - the cement beam experiment
  • elasticity - testing the strength of a cable
• You need to know all of the experiments we did since the last exam.  You should be able to name and draw the apparatus (equipment) used, the aim of each experiement and what we learned.  You are not expected to remember the specific results (such as which solute was soluble in which solvent).  However, you would be expected to remember how to decide if something is soluble or immiscible, for example. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

Latest assignments:

Posted 7 January 2009:

Bring your lab coats on Thursday the 8th and Friday the 9th.  Some students have been forgetting their science notebooks.  Don't! 

Posted 14 December 2008:

  Students should email their presentation to me.  Presentations will be given in class on Monday and on Thursday.  Be sure that the format is .ppt and not .pptx in order to be sure that it will be visible on the school's computers. 

Posted 27 November 2008:

  For Monday 1 December, you need to bring in research that you have done about the materials we studied in class on Tuesday.  Find about a half a page of text and at least one image for each material you have been assigned.  Be sure to answer questions like "Where does this material come from?", "What is it made of?", "What properties does this material have which make it well adapted for the object it is used in?"  Be sure to give examples of the objects the materials were found in.  Also, be sure to cite your sources for both the images or the text.  Bring in the work on USB key.  If you want to print it out, too, you may.

Posted 28 October 2008:

• During the Toussaint vacation, be sure to take some time to study for your exam which will be during the Compo week (November 17 to 21). 

Revision for the Compositions Groupées in November 2008:

• Module 1 Phase 1: The Spheres
  • biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and their interations
  • names of layers of the atmosphere and of Earth's interior (but not all the numbers concerning the distances or thicknesses). 
  • pressure - what it is, how it works, examples in air and water
• Module 1 Phase 2:  Soil (Meudon Forest)
  • What is soil?
  • Particle sizes, porosity and permeability, pH of soil
  • names of layers
  • organisms found in the soil (soil animals) - you do not need to memorize all their names but you should know the main examples we found and how we separated them from the soil
  • decomposers and decomposition - how his soil made?
  • how water moves inside a plant - capillarity, cohesion, adhesion, stomata pores on the leaf
  • what seeds need to germinate
  • how to read and interpret a graph or make a graph
• You need to know all of the experiments we did.  You should be able to name and draw the apparatus (equipment) used, the aim of each experiement and what we learned.  You are not expected to remember the specific results (such as what % of the soil had particles bigger than 2mm).  However, you would be expected to remember that when the pH indicator solution turns green, it's neutral and when it turns yellow or red, it's acidic. 

Have a look at my compositions groupées revision guide.  It contains suggestions for successful revision and test-taking skills. 
 

• The week of October 20th to the 24th is Week B - you need your lab coats. 
• The week of October 13th to the 17th is Week A - you will not need your lab coats

Posted 5 October 2008:

• The week of October 6th to the 10th is Week B - you need your lab coats. 
• Be sure to have your carnet with you this week - it is also carnet-signing week.
• Each student needs to bring his/her own science folder with the notes we have been taking concerning the experiments we have done. 
• added on 8 october:  please print this out and bring it to class on Thursday:
  • Particle Sizes in Soil (Word document)

Posted 1 October 2008, corrected 5 Oct:

• This week is Week A - you do not need your lab coats. 
• To do for Thursday 2 October:  finish the diagram we started in class of a scale drawing.  Then make a nice copy on a separate piece of paper which you will hand in.  Be sure to include the following:
  • a title you have invented
  • the scale you used
  • the names of Earth's layers and of the atmospheric layers
  • the depths / heights / thicknesses of each layer
  • make it informative and make it look nice with illustrations
• To make the drawing as accurate as possible, do not hesitate to do a little research on these layers.  Use the sites in the green box above to help you. 
• Next week (the week of October 6th, you will need your lab coat)

Posted 21 September 2008:

• The week of September 22nd is Week B - bring your lab coats on Thursday and Friday for lab investigations.  On Monday and Tuesday we will finish discussing the last experiments and introduce the next ones.
• Don't forget, we have a Field Trip on Wednesday the 24th. 
  • If you have not done so, bring your authorization and money Monday or Tuesday.
  • On Wednesday, wear good walking shoes - we will be in sand and dirt (and maybe a bit of mud if it rains).  Bring something to write with and something waterproof if the weather gets wet.
  • Students may bring entertainment (music, games) for the bus but these will be left in the coach while we are in the forest.
• Remember to always bring your science notebook to class as well as a folder for keeping papers.

Posted 14 September 2008:

• Since the week of September 15th is Week A, you do not need to bring your lab coats.
• Continue to bring your Science folders with the photocopies I gave you.  Also, bring your USB keys - some students have not shown me theirs yet.

Posted 9 September 2008:

• Bring your  lab coats to class on Friday 12 September.  Students without a lab coat will not be able to do the investigations.
• Research to do: 
  • Start with the question you asked in class about the Atmosphere or Ocean video and find one page of information answering the question.  If your question has a short answer, do research around the topic or start looking for answers to your other questions. 
  • It is suggested that you use the web sites in the green box above. 
  • Copy / paste the information (and images) onto a Word document (.doc)
  • Be sure to cite your sources correctly (see Citation Machine)
  • Put your Word document on your USB key to bring to class on Thursday
  • Note:  if you are using Word 2007 (.docx at the end), you must save your document as a .doc document (Fichier > enregistrer sous...)
  • If you have a question or a problem, email me.  If you don't have a USB key yet, email the document to me on Wednesday evening. 
• Have your parents sign the permission slip for the field trip to the Meudon forest.  Put the signed paper in an envelope with 10 euros and put your name on the outside of the envelope. 
• Still haven't sent me an email?  See instructions below.

Posted 2 September 2008:

• Bring your  lab coats to class. 
• Send me an email with your name, class and science group so that I can gather everyone's address.  You can find my email address and further instructions on my How to Contact Mr. Damon page.  Note that the address a little different from what I wrote on the board.
• Bring a USB thumb drive to class.  Be sure your name is on the outside somewhere.  If ever I collect them, I need to know whose is whose!  Also, if you lose it, we know who to return it to.  If you are buying a new one, I do not recommend the U3 Smart drives in class.  For the moment, they are not compatible with Mac or Vista.  Also, 2 or 4 Gb is enough - do not spend more than 25€ for this.

   

   

© A.W. Damon 2010