Natural Resources unit!

http://1.usa.gov/1hdKdpg

We are now full speed into our Natural Resources unit! We asked all the students to track their energy consumption over the break. In this unit we will be talking about the natural resources we use and how we can conserve them.

We talked about Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs or CFL's. They are more efficient than regular incandescent bulbs because they are made using different materials. These materials need proper care and disposal! More information can be found at http://www2.epa.gov/cfl

We also talked about taking care not to throw old medicine down the drain or in the garbage. You can check your local municipalities' websites for what your town does. The city of Naperville collects hazardous waste for DuPage County. Everything that they accept is listed on their site: http://bit.ly/1hdEakF

Here is a great site for general information on energy consumption and efficiency:
http://1.usa.gov/JSbh1u

Rock Museum Day!

We concluded our Rocks and Minerals unit with Museum Day! We invited the students to bring in their personal collections of rocks and minerals. It was great! We had a special guest in attendance! The  President of the West Suburban Lapidary Club! Ms. Karen Dave brought in some amazing specimens of her own to look at!

We touched a petrified dinosaur bone, petrified wood, a large piece of Tiger Eye, and a hunk of copper! 

Petrified dinosaur bone! See the marrow in the middle?

Ms. Dave was an amazing resource to have for our Museum Day! She was able to identify some of our unknown rocks and minerals!










We had so much fun looking at many different types of rocks and minerals. Thanks to everyone who participated and a big thanks to Ms. Karen Dave!

Rocks and minerals

Greetings!
When most of you think about rocks and minerals you might not consider your own backyard as a great place to start looking. But it is! Illinois has some fascinating rocks and minerals! We have some great minerals like mica, quartz and fluorite! Here is a list of the common ones found in this state.

Did you know that some minerals change color or even "glow" under ultraviolet light? This is due to specific "activators" within the makeup of the mineral. When the wavelengths strike the minerals, the light is then reflected back in a longer wavelength by excited electrons. Only about 15% of minerals have the ability to glow, or fluoresce. Here are some great pictures and more background on the way it works.

http://geology.com/articles/fluorescent-minerals/

Plate tectonics and Cartography

We will wrap up our plate tectonics and cartography unit next week. We learned about reading a map and a compass this week with a great scavenger hunt around Eldridge Park! 

We also discussed what "paces" are. Paces are a way to measure distance using parts of your body.

 A pace (or double-pace or passus) was a measure of distance used in Ancient Rome. It was nominally the measure of a full stride from the position of the heel when it is raised from the ground to the point the same heel is set down again at the end of the step. Thus, a distance can be "paced off" by counting each time the same heel touches ground, or, in other words, every other step. In Rome, this unit was standardized as two gradūs or five Roman feet (about 1.48 metres or 58.1 English inches). There were 1000 passus in one mille, and a mille was sometimes referred to as a mille passuum. (Wikipedia)

Measure your pace at home using a tape measure or ruler. Everyone's pace is different and may change over your lifetime!

A great online resource

There is a great, free educational resource called Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/  I would invite you all to explore the site and the many subjects of learning it offers. The mission behind this organization is incredibly inspiring, as well.

It is a wonderful learning tool that can aid any level of student in a variety of subjects.

Landform models!

The landform models are finished and they look great! We are so happy to see that many students went above and beyond the required number of landforms for their project. Here are a few pictures of some great projects. Pictures of each project can be found at facebook.com/EPDnature 

Next week we will be presenting our projects and getting ready to end landforms and move on to our next topic! 

Week 6 - Landforms project

We got a great start on our landform projects this week. We will continue working on them for the next class where we will begin painting and labeling our landforms.

We are happy to see alot of students going above and beyond the required number of landforms for their project! Great job!

As you move around in your daily lives, take some time to notice all the different landforms around you.  You may be surprised at how many you find.

Whats the difference between and river and a creek?? Whats the difference between and lake and a pond??  Can you figure it out??

Miss Beth and Mr. Dan