Monday, 12/27 Patriots WON!!

I hope all of you are having a restful and wonderful vacation (unless you're the one who has to SHOVEL!) :)

Have a safe and great new year! See you on the 3rd!

Sunday, 12/19

We are working on Chapter 4. Each class has come up with their definition of life. We will be learning the difference between quantitative and qualitative observation in preparation for our observation.

After we complete the activities, we will be going outside to look at possible sites for our Long-Term Observations. Yes, we will be doing our observations, snow or no snow, so on observation days, students will need to bring clothes appropriate for outside work. Students will then choose their observation sites and will write a proposal to be signed by student, parent/s guardian/s and me.

At the end of our observation (probably lasting over 6 weeks) we will construct a "field guide" of life around Brunswick Junior High School.

Nothing needs to be done right now, but this is a note about what is to come!

Have a wonderful and safe vacation!

Monday, 12/6

I was out sick, but students had today to work on their projects due on Wednesday. I still am really sick, so will not be in tomorrow. My plan is to be there on Wednesday for the Ultimate Carbon Road Trip presentations!

Thursday, December 2

We have presented our Forces in an Atom projects and are now working on our "Ultimate Carbon Roadtrip" (their "test") Students had part of the period yesterday, all of the period today, as well as tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday. If I feel that they are not using their time wisely, I will make Tuesday the presentation deadline.

Sunday, November 21

Students in Astrobiology FINALLY got to go hunting for micrometeorites! We found some awesome ones, too! We are working toward the challenge for Chapter 3...Carbon Roadtrip (how carbon travels through space and to Earth. We've also been doing a little chemistry as well.

Monday, 11/15

Today, we finished our Location, Location, Location projects and we were going to hunt for micrometeorites, but didn't have the magnets. We will be collecting them tomorrow and will, hopefully catch some photos and be able to classify them with the proscope.

In period 2, we were able to construct some models of atoms of 6 elements.

Sunday, 11/7 (Patriots lose to Browns) ;(

This week, Location, Location, Location presentations are due. Period 1 is due Tuesday and Period 2 presentations are due Monday.

Monday, 11/1

Today, we worked on our "Location, Location, Location" projects, due for presentation on Monday, 11/7. They will have time Wednesday and Thursday during class to work.

Sunday, 10/31 BOO!!!

The High and Low mass star presentations were amazing! Students will have time Monday and Wednesday to work on their "Location, Location, Location" projects which will be due on Thursday. I will be out on Friday and students will be viewing a video, but the presentations will resume on Monday, 11/8.

Tuesday, 10/26

Today, we explored our Winogradsky Columns for the first time. We discovered that several of the columns had broken into definite layers in which we found life!

Sunday, 10/24

The High-mass and Low-mass star presentations are due tomorrow and we're looking forward to them! After finishing this project and the last 2 activities, we will be working on the "Location, Location, Location" projects.

We then will be working on Chapter 2 and it is during this chapter that we will be collecting micrometeorites! We will also have a world renowned astrobiologist, Dr. Lynn Rothschild, talking to students in period 1.

We will also be looking for signs of life in our Winogradsky Columns! Stay tuned as I hope to place some of the pictures on the blog!

Wednesday, 10/20 DID YOU SEE JUPITER???? WOW!

Yesterday, we classified stars by brightness (# of suns) and by temperature (in Kelvins) looking for the types of stars that might have planets where life might have evolved. We even plotted Gilese 581 which is a red dwarf star.

Students will now be working in teams of 2-3 presenting skits, animations, comic books, movies or keynotes about high- and low-mass stars. These are due on Monday, 10/25 and are to be placed in their Astrobiology journal.

Monday, 10/18

Today I will only see period 2 and we will look at the Aliens of the Deep video. This video is EXCELLENT and documents one of the possible roles of an Astrobiologist. Tomorrow or Wednesday, we will be classifying stars by temperature and light given off.

Sunday, 10/17 during the Pats game! THEY WON!!!!!

We'll be working with stars and will classify them according to their heat and light looking to see which are more conducive to live. Remember, we're working toward our "Location, Location, Location" project.

Wednesday, 10/13 13 miners rescued so far!

Today, we didn't meet, due to the NECAPS! Next week, we will be looking at our Winogradsky Columns to see if we have life! Remember who your Proscope person was. Be careful not to jostle it as it will disturb any layers that have been setting up.

Have members of group write down any observations (layers, living organisms, etc). Do this in your group's Winogradsky Column section. For the Proscope people, you can export your photos and movies into your section. I've put one in each group's section from last year so you can see what the movies look like! I'll TRY to put it into the blog, too. I tried, but couldn't do it! Does anyone know how?

Monday, October 12

Today, we began the NECAPS so we didn't meet for Astro. When we do, we will be doing an activity on stars from Chapter 2!

Sunday, 10/11 (Ms Bowen's birthday!) :) (and Juliet's!)

Tomorrow we begin the FABULOUS NECAPS!! All students need to bring a personal reading book to read in case they finish early. Testing will continue for Tuesday-Friday and then finish up on Monday.

Wednesday, 10/6

Presently, students are building a model of the solar system (and beyond!) outside. Teams have chosen not only the planets, but Alpha Centauri, Proxima Centauri, Ceres, Pluto and Quoaor, and even the newly discovered exoplanet Gilese 581g! They are calculating the distance and diameter of their object with our sun at 4 cm. They will be writing this in their NoteShare.

Wednesday, 9/29

Today, we bookmarked the Astrobiology textbook website that has lots of related websites, some of which we'll be using with each chapter. Go to www.its-about-time.com and click on "curicula" then on Astrobiology (under high school courses!), then on "Chapter Support." Bookmark that page.

Today, we played Bingo and Pictionary about the planets, moons and other Astrobiology related bodies as an introduction to Chapter 2. We will be doing the other activities for this chapter in the upcoming week and will then be doing a project called "Location, Location, Location!"

The tabloids were awesome! They are now located on your child's laptop on NoteShare, so check them out!

Tuesday, 9/28

Today in class we read the beginning of Chapter 2 and discussed the Challenge - "Location, Location, Location."

Students are working on the Challenge for Chapter 1 right now (their Position Paper) using points on p 30 (Taking a Stand) They have to choose 2 of the statements and write a paper (using the constructed response format) stating their position. This would be a constructed response for two of the statements.

This position paper needs to be in their noteshare journal by Friday, October 2.

Sunday, 9/26

Friday, we applied the Drake Equation (click on Frank Drake to the right!) to try to estimate how many planets and moons might hold life. Monday, we will be debating some important points at the end of chapter 1 so that we can "take a stand" for the challenge!

YEAAAAA, PATS!! :)

Wednesday, 9/22

Yesterday, I collected the Time Capsules and they are now safely stored at my house until June! Students have set up their Winogradsky Columns in the back of the classroom. They are working on research teams and will study their columns for the entire year.

Today, students are finishing up their pseudoscience articles today and will present them tomorrow. Our last activities will be using the Drake Equation to estimate how many planets and moons might harbor life. Student will then debate in class some fundamental questions and will choose 2 topics (in the textbook) to write about.

I'm looking forward to meeting you at open house tomorrow!

Friday, 9/17

Monday is MUD DAY! Come prepared for your Winogradsky Column construction! I have some spoons, a couple of bowls, measuring spoons, etc, but other items are gratefully accepted. Wear something you can get dirty. I have some gloves, but if anyone has extras, I would love to have some, too!

I will bring some hardboiled egg yolks and I will round up some chalk for the calcium. Some students have asked about bringing in extra ingredients (charcoal briquette, sawdust, etc.) You'll have to send those items.

These columns will be studied throughout the school year. We've got some really creative and funny "pseudoscience" articles on the laptops. These will be presented on Thursday of next week! For more ideas for the column, go to http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/special_collections/winogradsky.html for some additional ideas!

Don't forget your time capsules! They are due Tuesday, 9/21!

Enjoy your weekend!

Wednesday, 9/15/10

Today was a short day, so we finished up our journaling of the pairs of photos (of Earth and other worlds - Mars and Europa) and why they are similar. Tomorrow, students will be working with pseudoscience and how to look at articles to determine whether it is a legitimate article or pseudoscience. Students will then do an astrobiology "tabloid story" using pages (one of the programs on their laptops) These will be presented in class. They will have the period Friday to work on their tabloid article and/or to plan for their Winogradsky Column construction on Monday. Students have determined who will be doing what on Monday.

I will bring in some eggs and we can grind up some chalk for the calcium. There are many websites that have ideas for construction of the columns. I have already had a couple of students ask if they can add other items to their columns. They can check with me about this.

The time capsules are due on Tuesday, 9/21. I will not be calling for any other components. We will assemble them together on Tuesday. Remember, this will count as a project.

Monday, 9/13

Today, we watched a podcast of an astrobiologist constructing a Winogradsky Column. We are constructing their columns a week from today, Monday, 9/20. The Winogradsky Column is a "microbial mat" that they will study throughout the year. I will put the link to the right of this posting. Just click on the Winogradsky Column photo!

They have broken themselves into "research groups" and will work with the column for the entire school year with this group (this is only for the column!) Each group chose who would collect the mud and water, whether they would use a 1-Liter bottle or a 2-Liter bottle, who would do the Latitude and Longitude of where they collected their sample, whether the sample would be from a tidal area or pond/river area, who would be the "researcher" and collector of data, using the Proscope (a kind of "scope on a rope" that they use on the CSI shows, etc.

We also tried to open our Noteshare so that they could begin to write there. Hopefully, they will be able to show parents and guardians their journal soon. It didn't work period 1, but did period 2. Ahhhhh, technology! :)

Sunday, 9/12 (during the Pats game!)

Parents & Guardians, This week students began to think about just what Astrobiology IS and began to think about just what "life" is. They deciphered a "message from outer space." The message was really part of the Aricebo Message sent out in 1974. Students will need to get into "research groups" and will set up their Winogradsky Columns. Please start collecting 2-liter bottles and look for areas to collect mud and water. We will be building our columns next week.

I have set up a Noteshare file for each student. Ask your student to show you his/her folder! This is where they will do all journaling and where they will drop their projects for the year.

I'm looking forward to my third year teaching Astrobiology and I have 2 great classes this year!

Tuesday, 9/7

Today in Astrobiology we discussed and debated the 3 "initial questions" assigned last week. Each class came up with a tentative list of what constitutes life.

In Period 1, the characteristics were: locomotion, has cells, needs water, consume something to get energy, respiration, produces waste, and grows.

In Period 2, characteristics were: either predator or pray, has "natural instincts," has cells with a nucleus, "everything is life," adapts/evolves/grows/dies, eliminates waste, reproduces, has DNA, uses energy, and interracts with the environment.

Tuesday, 9/7

Today in Astrobiology we discussed and debated the 3 "initial questions" assigned last week. Each class came up with a tentative list of what constitutes life.

In Period 1, the characteristics were: locomotion, has cells, needs water, consume something to get energy, respiration, produces waste, and grows.

In Period 2, characteristics were: either predator or pray, has "natural instincts," has cells with a nucleus, "everything is life," adapts/evolves/grows/dies, eliminates waste, reproduces, has DNA, uses energy, and interracts with the environment.

Thursday, 9/2

Today, I gave students a LOT of ideas for their time capsules. They are to complete the 10 requirements and then can add things on their own. As I told all students today, this time capsule is for THEM in the future. I hope they enjoy it as much as my past students have! The time capsule is due on Tuesday, September 21. They will get it back the last full day of school in June, 2011.

Wednesday, 9/1/10

Today, we talked about our Time Capsule project (the first grade of the new school year). The time capsules are due on Tuesday, September 21st. They won't be buried, but will reside at my house until the last full day in June.

I think WE are extremophiles at this point with the temperature in Brunswick Junior High School! WHEW!

Welcome to Ms. Bowen's 2010-11 Astrobiology Class!

Hi, Parents and Students and welcome to the wonderful and AMAZING world of Astrobiology!

This is the 3rd year of the Astrobiology Pilot. All students will be sharing a class set of textbooks, but will be doing additional reading listed on the blog. Please get into the habit of checking out the astro-blog on a daily basis! I will try to keep this blog up with what's going on in class and the day/week assignments.

Students will be keeping a journal for the year. They will use Noteshare (on their laptops) for the journal. Their prompts will be on the board (and in this blog)

Grades will be accessible online for parents and students. This is something new this year. I will also post grades every week.

Just a couple of notes on grades:

If a student is absent, late with an assignment, etc, there will be an "empty spot" in their grades. The program will see the blank spot as a 0% and will average this 0 into your son/daughter's grade making it lower.

This grade will remain this way until the following Monday. This will be a reminder to both student and parent that the assignment needs to be made up ASAP!