QHST Montessori Earth Science

Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, wrote "The Lost World" in 1912. It was made into a silent film in 1925, with state of the art animations from special effects creator Willis O'Brien, who 8 years later would bring King Kong to life.

You can Read Arthur Conan Doyle's original The Lost World for free at Ye Olde Library. You can also watch the trailer for the 1925 silent version on youtube.

The first on film was Gertie the Dinosaur, in 1914

You can see a video montage of dinosaur movies on youTube, including the Valley of the Gwangi (Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs).

and rumor has it that there's another sequel being made in the Jurassic Park series.

The original "teaser" trailer for Jurassic park reveals how dinosaurs could (at least in Hollywood), be brought back to life.

Mary Schweitzer, a paleontologist at North Carolina State University, found that even after 68 million years, it is possible that blood and tissue of some dinosaurs had actually been preserved through time, something previously thought impossible...

Coprolite Rocks, Geological Time & Fossils

2011-02-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Some resources for your homework assignments and the upcoming Fossils/Geological history project:

Coprolites & what the minerals inside it mean

Oldest known rocks on Earth (NASA)

Guide to shark tooth identification

==> USGS Guide to Geologic Time

Geologic Time illustrated

Index Fossils

Fossil Identification from University of Kansas

Fossil Identification And Classification

Fossils: Windows to the Past

General Fossil information, lots of links to more info

Mid Term Exam is now posted on Teacherease

2011-01-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

If you didn't get your copy of the Earth Science Mid-Term exam, you can download a copy HERE. (Adobe Acrobat),

or send an e-mail to Mr. B to have a copy e-mailed back to you.

NOVA: Deadliest Earthquakes - Tuesday Jan 11, 8 p.m. on PBS

2011-01-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

This week on NOVA:

Deadliest Earthquakes

Airing Tuesday
January 11 at 8 pm on PBS
(Check local listings)

In 2010, several epic earthquakes delivered one of the worst annual death tolls ever recorded. The deadliest strike, in Haiti, killed more than 200,000 people and reduced homes, hospitals, schools, and the presidential palace to rubble. In exclusive coverage, a NOVA camera crew follows a team of U.S. geologists as they enter Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. The team hunts for crucial evidence that will help them determine exactly what happened deep underground and what the risks are of a new killer quake. Barely a month after the Haiti quake, Chile was struck by a quake 100 times more powerful, unleashing a tsunami that put the entire Pacific coast on high alert. In a coastal town devastated by the rushing wave, NOVA follows a team of geologists as they battle aftershocks to measure the displacement caused by the earthquake. Could their work, and the work of geologists at earthquake hot spots around the U.S., one day lead to a breakthrough in predicting quakes before they happen? NOVA investigates compelling new leads in this profound scientific conundrum.

Find the Tectonic Fault
In this seismic image, see if you can locate an unsettling new fault just discovered beneath the Mississippi River.

Earthquakes in the Midwest
Three massive earthquakes struck the American Midwest in 1811-12. Could it happen again?

Watch a Preview
Watch a preview of the program online now.

Remember, most NOVA programs stream on our website the day after our premiere, so if you missed any broadcast, you can catch it at:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/schedule.html

Tsunami!

2011-01-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

(Best Resource) Tsunami information from the Woods Hole Institute - Interactive presentation covering the science of tsunamis, preparedness, research, and historical tsunamis.
FEMA Information about Tsunamis - how to prepare, what to do
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) - Current and past Tsunami warnings
USGS Tsunami Resources/Links

Seasons Greetings (and Explanations)

2010-12-11T13:23:00.001-08:00

Click on the image to visit a helpful website explaining Earth's Tilt and the Seasons and more.

https://fretzreview.wikispaces.com/Seasons-Causes+Group+1

Astronomy Exam Videos

2010-11-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

The following YouTube videos should be helpful as you prepare for the 2nd Astronomy exam, scheduled for the week of Monday, December 13, 2010.

* NEW *

NASAKids: Time Zones
NASA Connect: Ancient Observations

Simple video: tilt of the Earth and Seasons.
Old Video explaining Latitude, Longitude and Time Zones
Helpful Sing-Along: "Longitude and Latitude are easy if..."
Why do we have Time Zones?

Latitude and Polaris, using a paper plate
The height (attitude) of the noon Sun, using a paper plate

How does Foucault's Pendulum show earth's rotation?

Earth's Rotation: Focault's Pendulum (Coreolis Effect) Explained and demonstrated
Focault's Pendulum at the South Pole
Why does the Earth Spin?
NOAA Video showing tilt of the Earth and Temperatures
Boring but helpful video about the tilt of the Earth, The length of the day Solstices, Equinoxes, the Topics of Capricorn and Cancer, the Arctic and Antarctic Circles and how this is all related to the Seasons
Amazingly slow but interesting story of longitude and logszzzzzzzZZZZZZZ...

* * How the Earth Formed==> Heat from the Core drives Plate Tectonics ==> Volcanoes * *

Origin of the Universe / The Big Bang

Formation of the Solar System (Neil deGrasse Tyson) (includes How Earth Got its Moon)
Size and Structure of the Solar System

Why does the Sun shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas)

Phases of the Moon, a kids funky version

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Moon Phases and Baseball
Phases of the Moon, from New to Full to New (No descriptions)

Eclipses

July 1969: Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Land on the Moon

To Infinity, and Beyond!

2010-11-04T11:39:00.000-07:00

Links for your Astronomy projects

Basic Info on the Planets, comets, asteroids, the sun, Pluto, Moons, Galaxies and more from NASA.gov

Happy B-Earthday!
This is the year of the Solar System, and this month we look at the Birth of Worlds

Individual Project Links: (More links coming)

NASA's Solar System Exploration site: Most projects can find everything here, including Jupiter's Moon Europa, Saturn's moon Titan,
Astronomy vs. Astrology:
- Basic Astrology, Constellations and The Plane of the Ecliptic
- PseudoScience
Asteroids and other things that might hit the Earth
- NASA's NEO (Near Earth Object) Program
- Apophis - Scary Video (Dark Side of the Moon - HD), with pop-up notes,
- Another Scary Video
- Comet Shoemaker-Levy
- Impact Craters - Chicxulub (Yucatan Peninsula) - NASA analysis
- Is this related to the Extinction of the Dinosaurs? - BBC Article - K-T Extinction
Black Holes
Polaris & How to Use It - Make a sextant! - Youtube: How to Find Polaris
Constellations
Kepler
Hubble
2012: NASA Q&A, Sky & Telescope,
- Neil deGrasse Tyson on 2012
- debunking Dec 21, 2012
NOVA: Pluto Files - Why Pluto isn't a Planet
NASA's Exoplanets site: 490 and counting
Project Mogul (July 7, 1947, Roswell, New Mexico)

Not so "Rare Earth" elements

2010-10-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Currently, there is great demand for certain minerals known as "Rare Earths". While the elements are not actually that rare, and most are actually metals, the majority of them that we use are currently mined in China.

Why are these important? without them, you would not have the current variety of mobile phones (including i-phones), flat-screen TV's and most of the electronic devices that we have come to rely on.

Similar to the Chocolate Chip Cookie Lab we worked on last week, the most efficient way of getting these minerals is through strip mining and dangerous factory work that leaves the soil, air and water polluted with acids, toxic metals and even radioactive waste (the radioactive element Thorium is often found with the iron ore that also holds the rare earth minerals.

According to a recent New York Times article, "The refineries and the iron ore processing mill pump their waste into an artificial lake here. The reservoir, four square miles and surrounded by an earthen embankment four stories high, holds a dark gray, slightly radioactive sludge laced with toxic chemical compounds.

The deadly lake is not far from the Yellow River watershed that supplies drinking water to much of northern China. The reservoir covers an area 100 times the size of the alumina factory waste pond that collapsed this month in Hungary, inundating villages there and killing at least nine people."

Minerals Study Guide Resources

2010-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

websites that can help you prepare your minerals exam study guide:

geology.com/minerals
regentsprep.org

Bonus

2010-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

Bonus: the first five students from each class to e-mail Mr. B with "coelophysis ate my homework" will receive a 5 point bonus on their 1st marking period grade.

This offer expires at 8pm EST on Tuesday, October 26.

The Mineral Detective

2010-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Your recent assignment asked that you research a mineral

This website helps you answer some basic questions:

- What are minerals?
- What are the physical characteristics of your assigned mineral?
- Where is your assigned mineral found as a natural resource?
- How is your assigned mineral used once it is mined from the earth?

Minerals in Afghanistan

2010-10-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

New York Times, June 13, 2010
WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.

The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe...

Bronx Zoo Erratics & Striations

2010-10-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

Giant boulders (remember that “boulder” is a size) can be found throughout the Bronx and New York City. These boulders are called erratics.

Erratics do not look like the rock that you’d find if you dug down into the ground (this kind of rock is called “bedrock”). Some erratic are so big that they cannot easily be moved, even with a truck. In the past, you either had to work around them, or blow them up if you wanted to build a road or houses.

ð What are these boulders? Where did they come from?

Another mystery is the presence of long scratch marks or “grooves” in sections where bedrock is exposed. These are called striations. Striations are cut into the solid rock in the same direction in many areas in the New York City area and can also be found hundreds of mile North. All of them are parallel (they line up in the same direction).

ð What are these strange grooves? Why do they all point in the same direction?

One place where you can find many such erratics and striations is the Bronx Zoo.

At the Zoo, a look at the grizzly bear area reveals a particularly large area of exposed rock with striations cut into the rock and many erratics as well.

Just outside of the now-closed World of Darkness exhibit building is a large erratic called the Rocking Stone. The Rocking Stone was once balanced so finely that the force of one or two men could make it wobble. It rocked, but it didnt move.Fearing that one day someone was going to rock the Rocking Stone a bit too far, Zoo officials shored up its base in 1959

This thing went to space

2010-10-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/10/homemade_spacecraft.html

Mineral Properties Quiz

2010-10-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

How well do you know your mineral properties?

Take this quiz to find out

HAPPY SPRING!

2010-09-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

The seasons officially change... we have equal hours of daylight and night as we see the arrival of the Equinox tonight.

TimeandDate.com has a helpful page about the equinox and why, at 11:09 p.m. in New York, we can accurately say that the first day of Summer in only three months away.

The 2010 Autumnal Equixo will also see a full moon.

Why Does the Autumnal Equinox Fall on Different Dates?

Tornadoes in NYC!

2010-09-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

Video from NY1

The Science Of A Tornado

NY1's meteorologist explains how tornadoes form and why they're so destructive.

Images from The New York Times - images from CNN

More Information about Tornados: The Tornado Project

YouTube: How a Tornado Forms

Why Tides?

2010-05-28T05:59:00.001-07:00

Earth's Oceans vs. Moon vs. Sun

The animation above shows the relationship between Earth's oceans and the gravitational effects of the Sun and the moon

Lab Help: Drawing an Ellipse

2010-05-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Orbits

YouTube:
Regents Earth Science Ellipse

Totally Elliptical lab similar to the one we did in class

Lesson Plan:
Draw an Elliptical Orbit

Lab Help: Moon Phase Links

2010-05-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

Helpful links for phases of the moon

Lunar phase calendar

Phases of the Moon Video on YouTube

The Moon and Tides explained

The Universe: The Phases of the Moon (shown in class)

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Moon Phases and Baseball

Where is the moon tonight with an animations of the Partial eclipse of the Moon that will occur on June 26, 2010 as well as a where you'll need to be to view the next Total Eclipse of the Sun visible in the United States on August 21, 2017

Clickable Lunar Map

Moon Mosaic

Lots more moon info

Minerals

2009-12-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

On-line Mineral Resources:

Earthquake resources

2009-11-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

Great new animations and video lesson on earthquake faulting.

How Do I Locate That Earthquake's Epicenter?

USGS Earthquake Preparedness Handbook

Homework: Index Fossils

2009-11-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

This assignment will help you become familiar with one of the 26 fossils listed on the bottom of the "centerfold" of the Regents reference tables.

(IMPORTANT: if you have misplaced your copy of the reference tables, you need to print out a new copy from the NY State Regents website)

Your Assignment: Choose one of the fossils from the bottom of pages 8-9 of the reference table booklet and provide it's history, when it lived and when it died.

Submit your answer on this blog as a comment to this post that includes your name and class (or no credit will be given) by clicking on the comment link below.

Directions - For the fossil you have chosen:

Describe the fossil - what is its complete genus and species and what does its name mean? (click on the link for definitions)
Where in the world has this fossil been found?
What kind of environment did it live in?
In which Geologic Period(s) did it live?
How many years ago did this fossil first appear?
How many years ago did this fossil disappear from the fossil record (go extinct)?

Take a peek at the website (blog) entry for Eurypterus remipes for an example of what your assignment should look like - the second paragraph contains all the information you would need to provide.

Your response MUST also include a link to the source of your information (wikipedia is not an acceptable source) if you found it on-line or the printed source (book, magazine,etc), cited in the format you learned in Mr. Brown's class.

This assignment is due by 9:00 am, Eastern Standard Time on Friday, November 13th.
You have more than a week to complete this assignment. No late posts will be accepted.

Eurypterus remipes

2009-11-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

Eurypterus remipes is the New York State Fossil

According to the New York State Library website, "Eurypterus Remipes, an extinct relative of the modern king crab and sea scorpion, was adopted as the State fossil in 1984. During the Silurian Period (over 400 million years ago), Eurypterus Remipes crawled along the bottom of the shallow, brackish sea that covered much of New York, extending from Buffalo to Schenectady and south to Poughkeepsie, roughly along the route of the New York Thruway."

Eurypterus (the name means "broad wings") fossils have been determined to have first appeared approximately 450 million years ago (the Late Ordovician period) and went extinct about 260 million years ago, just before the Permian extinction (in which 90% of life on Earth went extinct). Eurypterus remipes lived mostly in shallow water, and may have been on e of the first creatures to crawl up onto land. Eurypterus fossils have been found all over the world.

Prehistoric Pittsford (NY): How did Eurypterus get it's name?
Find more information at www.eurypterid.net

Orogeny - Aint no mountain high enough...

2009-11-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Several colleges offer excellent resources for understanding Plate Tecctonics, subduction and how mountains are formed (Orogeny):

An excellent page with descriptions of Orogeny and Plate tectonics can be found here
Here's a page with links to animations of the mountain-building processes
An Illustration of Tectonic Cycles and Mountain Building
A diagram showing the Alleghenian Orogeny

Continental Drift Lab - Wegener's Plate Tectonics

2009-10-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

If you need a fresh copy of the Wegener's Plate Tectonics lab (lab #4) you can find it here at Discovery Education

To finish the lab, you'll need a map of Antarctica that inlcudes all the fossil locations mentioned:

Prince Harald Coast
Oates Coast
Wilhelm II Coast (Kaiser Wilhelm Land)

Other maps that might be helpful can be found here, here and here.

Homework: Geocentric vs. Heliocentric

2009-10-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

Our view of the Solar System (and the universe) has changed over time.

This assignment will help you understand how identical observations can lead to different inferences.

Your assignment includes brief answers to each of the following:

What is the difference between the Geocentric and Heliocentric models of our solar system?
How were the observed orbits of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) explained in the Geocentric model?
How were the observed orbits of the planets explained in the Heliocentric model?
Explain one of the following terms and how it is related to this assignment:
Celestial Sphere, Elliptical orbit, parallax, Almagest, Aristotle's Ether, equant, epicycles, Occam's razor, superior planets, inferior planets, transit, clockwork universe, cosmology

You will submit your answer on this blog as a comment to this post that includes your name (or no credit will be given) by clicking on the comment link below.

Your response MUST also include a link to the source of your information (wikipedia is not an acceptable source) if you found it on-line or the printed source (book, magazine,etc), cited in the format you learned in Mr. Brown's class.

This assignment is due by 9:00 am, Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, November 4th.

Elementary, my dear Tierney

2009-10-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

New York Times blogger John Tierney put out a challenge last week: match a list of chemical element to the products in which they are found.

The Times will award a prize to the reader who correctly makes all the matches and provides the best short essay on the hobby of element-collecting (see the blog entry for an explanation):

The most misunderstood chemical element is . . . .
The coolest element to be stranded on a desert island with would be . . .

Take the quiz and send me an email with proof that you submitted it for a 20% bonus on your next quiz.

Latitude and Longitude Lookup Links

2009-10-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

You can look up any world city using an Atlas (the library has several) or even an almanac, but there are several sites that can help you quickly find the assigned latitude and longitude:

Google Earth is about the best tool yo ucan use, since it will display the place you are looking up as well as show you where it is on the Earth.
lat-long.com
WorldAtlas.com
Sat-Sig.net

HW: Tracking Earthquakes & Volcanoes

2009-10-08T17:57:00.001-07:00

Visit the USGS World Earthquake Map and enter data for any three earthquakes
Then visit the USGS Volcano activity page and enter data for any three recent volcanic events.

Loading...

Planets Project resources

2009-10-05T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some links you may find helpful for your project - great resources for information and images.
Remember that you are required to properly cite any information or images you use):

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL)'s Welcome to the Planets is one of the best source for images and information you can find

The Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum has a site for Exploring the Planets

Pluto is no longer a "planet", but it's not forgotten: The Planets and Dwarf Planets (from NASA)

Solar System Exploration: The Planets (from NASA)

Rochester for Kids, students resources: Astronomy for Kids

nineplanets.com and nineplanets for kids

World Book at NASA for Kids

Latitude & Longitude

2009-09-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a site that overexplains Latitude, Longitude & Coordinate Systems

How well do you klnw Latitude & longitude?
Take the Lat & Long quiz!

Visit the Maps & Globes Home for more

Our next project will be to demonstrate how well we know Latitude & Longitude by tracking hurricanes.

Layers of the Earth explained

2009-09-17T17:00:00.003-07:00

The Big Bang - Lets get this party started

2009-09-17T17:00:00.001-07:00

Scientists tell us that our Universe began with an event known as the Big Bang.

All About Science has an excellent webpage that does a great job of explaining the Big Bang Theory.

The Solar Nebula Hypothesis

2009-09-17T16:59:00.002-07:00

Here's a simple explanation of the formation of the solar system

Are you dense? Take a quiz and find out...

2009-09-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

Did you read the assigned pages explaining density?

You will have questions about density (definitions and problem-solving) on the next couple of quizzes

Take a density quiz - print out the page, write in your answers (don't foget to put your name on it) and bring it in and you will get 10% extra credit on one of the quizzes with density questions.

Class Supplies shopping list for 2009-2010 Earth Science

2009-09-08T06:59:00.001-07:00

2009-2010 Earth Science with Mr. Barkan

Supplies Needed every Day (Required):

3 "Quad-Ruled" or graph composition books - this will be your Earth Science journals & lab book.

Please leave the first three full pages blank.

Scientific or Graphing Calculator - bring the calculator you need for your math class.

Bring a sharpened Pencil, a working Pen and a highlighter every day.

Small Metric ruler (6", acrylic), and you can print an additional ruler from here

Earth Science Reference Table booklet (Mr. Barkan will provide this)

Supplies Needed at home for homework, lab reports and projects:

Double-sided tape for attaching handouts to science journal (stapling handouts into notebooks is not recommended)
Protractor, and you can print an additional protractor from here
Compass
A set of color pencils, pens or markers
Glue Sticks
Scissors

Additional Notes on Notebooks:

Loose-leaf, spiral bound or other notebooks are not acceptable.
Notebooks will be checked on a regular basis - keeping a current notebook in the required format is a percentage of their grade.
Students will have a place to store lab notebooks in the classrooom, and are required to have them in class every day.
All handouts should be attached into the notebooks via double-sided tape. Handouts should never be stapled into a notebook.

Fred

2009-09-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

The school year is about to begin and we have already had one hurricane and a handful of tropical storms pass by.

The latest is Tropical Storm (TS) Fred, somewhere out in the South Atlantic Ocean. Fred is expected to become a hurricane over the next few days but

Updates about Fred and any other storms in the Atlantic can be found at The National Hurricane Center.

We will use TS Fred and other storms past and present to help us understand latitude and longitude.

How can you find your latitude and longitude?