Friday, February 29, 2008
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. The term vegetation does not, by itself, imply anything regarding species composition, life forms, structure, spatial extent or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader than the term flora which refers exclusively to species composition.
Perhaps the closest synonym is plant community, but vegetation can, and often does, refer to a wider range of spatial scales. Primeval redwood forests, coastal mangrove stands, sphagnum bogs, desert soil crusts, roadside weed patches, wheat fields, cultivated gardens and lawns; are all encompassed by the term vegetation.
http://www.brainpop.com/science/cellularlifeandgenetics/plantgrowth/
Describe what type of vegetation would exist in each of the five climate zones.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Climate
Climate and weather do not mean the same thing. Everyone knows about what weather. It's what is going on in the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Weather is measured in terms of wind speed, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, and precipitation. In most places, weather changes from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season. The word climate refers to the average pattern of weather in a region.
Climate is the average weather in a location over a long period of time. A place that doesn't get much rain over many years would have a dry climate. A place where it stays cold for most of the year would have a cold climate.
Weather is the day to day forecast and climate is the average over a long term. For example, Southern California has a warm dry climate even though it might rain today.
What is your ideal climate? What weather conditions could be present in that climate (for example, clouds, snow, high winds, etc)?
Where in the world does that climate exist?
http://www.brainpop.com/science/weather/climatetypes/
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Skittles Report - Analysis
Printing Requirements:
- Heading - top right hand corner
- Title
- Three Sub Titles - Hypothesis, Data, Analysis
- Table
- Graph/Chart
- No longer than two pages
- Email or USB Drive, Print, Hang Up!!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Skittles Report - Results
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Skittles Report - Scientific Method - Hypothesis
Lunar Eclipse
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Elections Update
John McCain won the Republican Primaries in Washington and Wisconsin. If you were Mike Huckabee's campaign manager what you would recommend he should do?
Delegate Count:
Democrats Total
2,025 Needed (Explainer)
1. | Obama | 1,319 |
2. | Clinton | 1,245 |
3. | Edwards | 26 (Out) |
Republicans Total
1,191 Needed (Explainer)
1. | McCain | 942 |
2. | Romney | 253 (Out) |
3. | Huckabee | 245 |
4. | Paul | 14 |
Weekend Round Up!!
What did you do this last weekend?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Presidents Day
Presidents Day (or Presidents' Day), is the common name for the federal holiday officially designated as Washington's Birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday of February.
In the late 1980s, with a push from advertisers the term Presidents Day began its public appearance. The theme has expanded the focus of the holiday to honor another President born in February, Abraham Lincoln, and often other Presidents of the United States.
Although Lincoln's birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday, approximately a dozen state governments have officially renamed their Washington's Birthday observances as "Presidents Day", "Washington and Lincoln Day", or other such designations.
It is also interesting to note that "Presidents Day" is not always an all-inclusive term. In Massachusetts, while the state officially celebrates "Washington's Birthday," state law also prescribes that the governor issue an annual Presidents Day proclamation honoring the presidents that have come from Massachusetts: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and John F. Kennedy. (Coolidge, the only one born outside of Massachusetts, spent his entire political career before the vice presidency there.)
Alabama uniquely observes the day as "Washington and Jefferson Day," even though Jefferson's birthday was in April.
In Connecticut, while Presidents Day is a federal holiday, Abraham Lincoln's birthday is still a state holiday, falling on February 12 regardless of the day of the week.
In Washington's home state of Virginia the holiday is legally known as "George Washington Day."
What president's do you think we should honor and why? What can you do this weekend to honor our presidents?Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine's Day
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-nineteenth century Valentine's Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
What nice things are you doing for your family today?
You can make a valentine for your family and I'll print it out for you!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Black History Month
Watch an overview of important people in black history. http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/
Pick a person to learn more about and post interesting facts and new things you learned about the person. (Many other people have contributed in a significant way to Black History but I can't list everyone.)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Election - Predicitons
This weekend several states had Democrat and Republican contests.
- Kansas Republican Caucuses - Huckabee
- Louisiana Primary - Obama & Huckabee
- Nebraska Democratic Caucuses - Obama
- Washington Caucuses - Obama & McCain
- Maine Democratic Caucuses - Obama
Delegate Count:
Democrats Total
2,025 Needed (Explainer)
1. | Clinton | 1,063 |
2. | Obama | 962 |
3. | Edwards | 26 (Out) |
Republicans Total
1,191 Needed (Explainer)
1. | McCain | 714 |
2. | Romney | 286 (Out) |
3. | Huckabee | 217 |
4. | Paul | 16 |
Who do you think will be the Republican and Democrat candidate? Who do you think will be the Vice Presidents for each party?
Super Tuesday - Reflections
- Were you surprised by the results?
- Did you match with a different candidate than you thought you would?
- Would you vote for the candidate that matched your ideas?
- What new things did you learn about the candidates?
- What results surprised you the most?
- What do you think will happen to the candidates?
- What issues are important to you?
- What issues are important to your family?
The last contest is Tuesday, June 3rd, a lot can happen in the next couple of months. Who do you think will be the final candidates for the Democrats and Republicans?
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Presidential Changes
There is a lot of talk about change. People think that change will happen if one person gets elected instead of another.
- What needs to change?
- How will the change happen?
- What will the new president do to create that change?
- What will the change look like (evidence of the change)?
- What will stop the change from happening?
- What topics are the most important to you?
- What topics are the most important to your family?
Be specific!! Don't talk about generalities. All comments should be at least 5 sentences.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday - Results
They are still counting the votes in Missouri to determine who won the democrat contest.
The democrat candidate needs to earn 2,025 delegates to win the nomination.
Clinton - 760
California
New York
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Arizona
Oklahoma
Tennessee
Arkansas
Obama - 693
Illinois
Idaho
Colorado
Minnesota
Connecticut
Utah
North Dakota
Kansas
Delaware
Missouri
Georgia
Alabama
The republican candidate needs to earn 1,195 delegates to win the nomination.
McCain - 615
California
New York
Illinois
Arizona
Connecticut
Delaware
Oklahoma
New Jersey
Missouri
Huckabee - 199
West Virginia
Alabama
Tennessee
Georgia
Arkansas
Romney - 281
Colorado
Utah
Minnesota
North Dakota
Montana
Massachusetts
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Super Tuesday - Presidential Primary
California is one of the states that participate in Super Tuesday and will hold the presidential primaries this Tuesday, February 5th.
If you were 18 years old, who would you vote for and why??
RepublicansRomney / McCain