Students,
Today we talked about Globalization! This is the gradual shift of the world towards a global economy and community.
So take a minute and think about the way you live, the food you eat, the music you listen too, and even the clothes you are wearing. Realize that you are not the only one doing those things, they are influenced by people who you may never meet. to an extent the choices you make to fit in or in some cases not fit in are governed by a society and companies that are essentially telling you what to think. This is the pessimistic way of looking at things or one of the Cons rather. however it is strangely accurate.
The benefits of globalization are great though, we can communicate with people around the globe with the click of a button or order that out of stock item from your favorite store with the click of a button. The amount of time it takes to communicate any form of information has been cut down to seconds down from months or years in some cases.
Pretty neat huh?
Reminders: Unit 3 test on Wednesday!!!!
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/zs6Rw
Video Link: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bhutan/
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
September 27th, 2013
Students,
Today we talked about Culture, and the three ways we can divide aspects of culture into regions.
Formal Regions: are regions based on facts, they can be proven with data. Political boundaries, climate regions, and to some extent culture can be mapped by formal regions.
Functional: These regions have a use. They are linked or connected in someway. We looked at several examples of functional maps including; street maps, water pipeline diagrams, and even power grid maps.
Perceptual: This is a region that is based on ideas and feelings. This was the region with a huge grey area where it was very easy to cross into the offensive and politically incorrect territory. So be hyper-aware when we discuss these types of regions and be mindful that you do not offend anyone near by. These regions thrive on stereotypes remember our example of Pauly D from Jersey Shore.
There will be no documents uploaded tonight, as all relevant information from the Power Point can be found above.
Announcements: Six weeks grades are final today. Test on Wednesday.
Looking Forward: We will be discussing globalization and in particular how it can affect culture.
Today we talked about Culture, and the three ways we can divide aspects of culture into regions.
Formal Regions: are regions based on facts, they can be proven with data. Political boundaries, climate regions, and to some extent culture can be mapped by formal regions.
Functional: These regions have a use. They are linked or connected in someway. We looked at several examples of functional maps including; street maps, water pipeline diagrams, and even power grid maps.
Perceptual: This is a region that is based on ideas and feelings. This was the region with a huge grey area where it was very easy to cross into the offensive and politically incorrect territory. So be hyper-aware when we discuss these types of regions and be mindful that you do not offend anyone near by. These regions thrive on stereotypes remember our example of Pauly D from Jersey Shore.
There will be no documents uploaded tonight, as all relevant information from the Power Point can be found above.
Announcements: Six weeks grades are final today. Test on Wednesday.
Looking Forward: We will be discussing globalization and in particular how it can affect culture.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
September 26th, 2013
Students,
Today we introduced several different types of governments in a whirlwind group notes activity. I understand that you may not have gotten as much information on;
Monarchy
Totalitarian
Democratic
Republic
Theocracy
Dictatorship
As you would have liked but rest assured that the point of today was simply to get your feet wet when it comes to governments. We will be talking more in depth about all of these systems of government when they come up organically throughout the year.
Announcements: Quiz tomorrow, Test on Wednesday October 2nd.
Looking Forward: Tomorrow we will be firstly taking a quiz, and then we will be discussing different types of Regions (formal, Functional, and perceptual)
Today we introduced several different types of governments in a whirlwind group notes activity. I understand that you may not have gotten as much information on;
Monarchy
Totalitarian
Democratic
Republic
Theocracy
Dictatorship
As you would have liked but rest assured that the point of today was simply to get your feet wet when it comes to governments. We will be talking more in depth about all of these systems of government when they come up organically throughout the year.
Announcements: Quiz tomorrow, Test on Wednesday October 2nd.
Looking Forward: Tomorrow we will be firstly taking a quiz, and then we will be discussing different types of Regions (formal, Functional, and perceptual)
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
September 24th, 2013
Students,
Not a a huge update for the blog today. We started our Economic Brochure 'in class' project. We will be continuing this tomorrow. We are organizing all of the information you've been given since Friday into neat and tidy brochures describing the uniqueness of three economic system (Traditional, Command, and Free Enterprise)
Documents: Rubric coming soon.
Announcements: 1st six weeks grades are due Friday the 27th.
We will be having our Unit 3 test on Wednesday October 2nd.
Not a a huge update for the blog today. We started our Economic Brochure 'in class' project. We will be continuing this tomorrow. We are organizing all of the information you've been given since Friday into neat and tidy brochures describing the uniqueness of three economic system (Traditional, Command, and Free Enterprise)
Documents: Rubric coming soon.
Announcements: 1st six weeks grades are due Friday the 27th.
We will be having our Unit 3 test on Wednesday October 2nd.
Monday, September 23, 2013
September 23rd, 2013
Students,
Today we furthered our education on economies by exploring more in depth what it means to be a developing economy and what it means to be a developed economy.
If you were not here this week I will post a link to the power point from Friday. the slide concerning developing and developed economies is whittled down to the basics and should give you an idea about what we talked about in class. Today was nothing new! just a reinforcing Fridays information.
AP STUDENTS: It is official your World Map Posters are officially "late" as of this post. I sent some home to fix errors that would have counted off more than the daily 10 point deduction for being late. There is a massive pile of these posters so please be patient with me as I grade them this week.
Looking Forward: We will be creating a brochure for three economic systems; communism, traditional, and capitalism.
Today we furthered our education on economies by exploring more in depth what it means to be a developing economy and what it means to be a developed economy.
If you were not here this week I will post a link to the power point from Friday. the slide concerning developing and developed economies is whittled down to the basics and should give you an idea about what we talked about in class. Today was nothing new! just a reinforcing Fridays information.
AP STUDENTS: It is official your World Map Posters are officially "late" as of this post. I sent some home to fix errors that would have counted off more than the daily 10 point deduction for being late. There is a massive pile of these posters so please be patient with me as I grade them this week.
Looking Forward: We will be creating a brochure for three economic systems; communism, traditional, and capitalism.
Friday, September 20, 2013
September 20th, 2013
Students,
Today we had our introduction into Economics!
This is portion of Unit 3 is very dense in vocabulary so I am going to dedicate part of this post to defining some important terms that you will see on tests. Lets start with types of economy;
Socialist economy- In a socialist economy the public shares ownership in businesses. everyone is looking out for everyone. Some examples include; Norway, Sweden, and France.
Communist Economy- also known as a Command economy in this system the government maintains sole ownership of industry, and dictates jobs, prices, and pay. Ex, N. Korea.
Capitalist Economy- Also known as free enterprise is a system where ownership of industry is privatized and competition is supposed to keep the market in check. Ex. United States of America
Traditional Economy- This is a barter system economy. people often trade goods for other goods with no established currency. they also practice subsistence agriculture which is farming enough goods for yourself and your family but not producing any crops to sell.
Next lets move on to Economic activities;
Primary - Direct use of natural resources. i.e. drilling for oil, growing wheat, mining coal.
Secondary- Creating something with those natural resources i.e. turning oil into gas, or wheat into flour.
Tertiary- Selling goods i.e. selling gas at a gas station, or selling bread at a Bakery
Quaternary - This is research and development, or building a better mouse trap as some say.
Finally all of these terms can be assigned to two different types of countries...
Developing - this is a country who is struggling to emerge onto the global stage. they are generally stuck with low incomes, high mortality rates, and use traditional economies. These can be found in South America and the congo in Africa as well as some other areas around the world.
Developed - Like America, Japan, or European countries, are countries with high levels of success. Booming economies, good health care making for longer lives, and generally function on one of the other economies (communist, socialist, or capitalist)
Today was essentially an introduction of this vocabulary...
Looking Forward- we will be filling out and further refining our ideas of developing Vs. developed countries. so if you would like to plan ahead for Monday do some research into what it means to belong to each of these categories.
AP STUDENTS: World map poster projects are due on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/NWby3
Today we had our introduction into Economics!
This is portion of Unit 3 is very dense in vocabulary so I am going to dedicate part of this post to defining some important terms that you will see on tests. Lets start with types of economy;
Socialist economy- In a socialist economy the public shares ownership in businesses. everyone is looking out for everyone. Some examples include; Norway, Sweden, and France.
Communist Economy- also known as a Command economy in this system the government maintains sole ownership of industry, and dictates jobs, prices, and pay. Ex, N. Korea.
Capitalist Economy- Also known as free enterprise is a system where ownership of industry is privatized and competition is supposed to keep the market in check. Ex. United States of America
Traditional Economy- This is a barter system economy. people often trade goods for other goods with no established currency. they also practice subsistence agriculture which is farming enough goods for yourself and your family but not producing any crops to sell.
Next lets move on to Economic activities;
Primary - Direct use of natural resources. i.e. drilling for oil, growing wheat, mining coal.
Secondary- Creating something with those natural resources i.e. turning oil into gas, or wheat into flour.
Tertiary- Selling goods i.e. selling gas at a gas station, or selling bread at a Bakery
Quaternary - This is research and development, or building a better mouse trap as some say.
Finally all of these terms can be assigned to two different types of countries...
Developing - this is a country who is struggling to emerge onto the global stage. they are generally stuck with low incomes, high mortality rates, and use traditional economies. These can be found in South America and the congo in Africa as well as some other areas around the world.
Developed - Like America, Japan, or European countries, are countries with high levels of success. Booming economies, good health care making for longer lives, and generally function on one of the other economies (communist, socialist, or capitalist)
Today was essentially an introduction of this vocabulary...
Looking Forward- we will be filling out and further refining our ideas of developing Vs. developed countries. so if you would like to plan ahead for Monday do some research into what it means to belong to each of these categories.
AP STUDENTS: World map poster projects are due on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/NWby3
Thursday, September 19, 2013
September 19th, 2013
Students,
Today we finished up our population pyramids of Seguin. We took our knowledge of age / gender demographics and applied them to the physical world. For example one of the portions of Seguin had a high influx of residents between the ages of 15-24. This age group is usually found to be continuing there education. So we were able to conclude that this section of Seguin's population lives next to TLU in South West Seguin.
This exercise taught us that population and population pyramids in particular are great tools for finding out more information about an area. Subtle traits can reveal secrets that may not be too obvious to an "on the ground" observer.
In the majority of my classes we were able to work on Test Corrections for the Unit 1 test. This was a stressful process and most of you rose to the challenge. I broke down the class time so that you would have 20 - 25 minutes to redeem yourselves and your grades. This means that after we as a department figure out everything on our end your test grades should be solidified by the beginning of the week.
Thank you all for your cooperation this afternoon, you all did very well getting the task at hand finished I am proud of you.
AP STUDENTS: your world map poster project is due on Monday September 23rd.
Documents: No relevant documents
Looking forward: Tomorrow we break the surface of world economies. If you would like to prepare, take a look at different economic systems (socialism, communism, free enterprise, and traditional)
Today we finished up our population pyramids of Seguin. We took our knowledge of age / gender demographics and applied them to the physical world. For example one of the portions of Seguin had a high influx of residents between the ages of 15-24. This age group is usually found to be continuing there education. So we were able to conclude that this section of Seguin's population lives next to TLU in South West Seguin.
This exercise taught us that population and population pyramids in particular are great tools for finding out more information about an area. Subtle traits can reveal secrets that may not be too obvious to an "on the ground" observer.
In the majority of my classes we were able to work on Test Corrections for the Unit 1 test. This was a stressful process and most of you rose to the challenge. I broke down the class time so that you would have 20 - 25 minutes to redeem yourselves and your grades. This means that after we as a department figure out everything on our end your test grades should be solidified by the beginning of the week.
Thank you all for your cooperation this afternoon, you all did very well getting the task at hand finished I am proud of you.
AP STUDENTS: your world map poster project is due on Monday September 23rd.
Documents: No relevant documents
Looking forward: Tomorrow we break the surface of world economies. If you would like to prepare, take a look at different economic systems (socialism, communism, free enterprise, and traditional)
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
September 18th, 2013
Students,
Today we dove right back in to population pyramids. We began analyzing population from different portions of Seguin in an attempt to use population to tell us which portion of Seguin we were looking at. Phew, that seems complicated. Well to an extent it really is that bad...
We know from monday that population pyramids show us three pieces of information; population, gender, and age group. When completed a population can form a pretty complete picture on the demographic (age / gender anyway) make up of a region which we can use to deduce location.
I will give more detailed information on population pyramids and show you how we can do this more explicitly tomorrow as we complete this project.
Homework: finish what you can of the population pyramids. If you don't know the answer to the question on the back DO NOT try and answer, they will be addressed tomorrow.
AP Students: World map poster projects are due on Monday the 23rd. I will try to have extra poster board on Friday. This project counts as two test grades...make sure you get these done.
Looking forward: we will be finishing up the population pyramids, and doing test corrections tomorrow.
Documents: no digital copies, see me for replacements.
Today we dove right back in to population pyramids. We began analyzing population from different portions of Seguin in an attempt to use population to tell us which portion of Seguin we were looking at. Phew, that seems complicated. Well to an extent it really is that bad...
We know from monday that population pyramids show us three pieces of information; population, gender, and age group. When completed a population can form a pretty complete picture on the demographic (age / gender anyway) make up of a region which we can use to deduce location.
I will give more detailed information on population pyramids and show you how we can do this more explicitly tomorrow as we complete this project.
Homework: finish what you can of the population pyramids. If you don't know the answer to the question on the back DO NOT try and answer, they will be addressed tomorrow.
AP Students: World map poster projects are due on Monday the 23rd. I will try to have extra poster board on Friday. This project counts as two test grades...make sure you get these done.
Looking forward: we will be finishing up the population pyramids, and doing test corrections tomorrow.
Documents: no digital copies, see me for replacements.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
September 17th, 2013
Students,
Today was constitution day! We examined the preamble of the constitution and discussed the ideas that our founding fathers laid down in its text. Mostly this revolved around the six functions of government.
1. Establish Justice
2. Provide for the common defense
3. Ensure domestic tranquility
4. Promote the general welfare
5. Secure the blessing of liberty
6. Form a more perfect union.
In the attached power point there are examples of each and every one of these six functions. In class we created a document that had each of these six functions that you were asked to define in your own terms. We then began working on a "cube" where each side would represent one function of government with a picture that you have drawn to represent them.
Homework: finish your cubes / self definitions
AP students: Your world map poster projects are due on Monday the 23rd
Looking forward: We will be creating population pyramids of Seguin, TX. review what these geography tools are and how they are used to study populations.
Document Links: http://imgur.com/a/QwjCa
Today was constitution day! We examined the preamble of the constitution and discussed the ideas that our founding fathers laid down in its text. Mostly this revolved around the six functions of government.
1. Establish Justice
2. Provide for the common defense
3. Ensure domestic tranquility
4. Promote the general welfare
5. Secure the blessing of liberty
6. Form a more perfect union.
In the attached power point there are examples of each and every one of these six functions. In class we created a document that had each of these six functions that you were asked to define in your own terms. We then began working on a "cube" where each side would represent one function of government with a picture that you have drawn to represent them.
Homework: finish your cubes / self definitions
AP students: Your world map poster projects are due on Monday the 23rd
Looking forward: We will be creating population pyramids of Seguin, TX. review what these geography tools are and how they are used to study populations.
Document Links: http://imgur.com/a/QwjCa
Monday, September 16, 2013
September 16th, 2013
Students,
Today we talked about population. Particularly we discussed why we live where we live, and what it is called when those numbers shift. We talked about ESPN factors for population distribution;
E- Economic Resources (you want to live somewhere that you can provide basic needs for your family)
S- Social (people & their culture)
P- Political (trying to get away from or into new Governments)
N- and finally Nature (natural resources, water, climate, fertile soil)
We discussed Urban (city life) and rural (outside the cities, farms) life and why we have them and what each lifestyle entails. More specifically we talked about Urbanization which is simply people moving out of rural communities into larger cities.
We also talked about the geographic tools we use to study population
Population Density - How many people per square mile are present in a country
Population Change - Birth rate (births per 1000 members of a population per year) Vs. Death rate (deaths per 1000 members of a population per year) and how the two interact to create a change in population.
Migration- This is, put simply, the movement of people from one location to another, due to two factors. Push Factors reasons for leaving a place (no job, bad culture, etc.) and Pull factors reasons for going to a place (job opportunities, affordable housing, etc.). And finally we discussed....
Population Pyramids - This is a tool that geographers use to break down a population by age and gender, allowing us to draw conclusions based on that information. For example in the power point there is a slide with a population pyramid from Hungary in 1960. There is a huge drop off in a portion of the population age bracket of 40-44 year olds. As historians and geographers we can deduce that this was caused by World War II.
Concerns: Your tests were bad, and you should feel bad. I will have grades in the system soon.
Pre-AP: your world map poster projects are due september 23rd
Head start: look at the United States constitution, and think about how it affects your day to day life.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/F6jxo
Today we talked about population. Particularly we discussed why we live where we live, and what it is called when those numbers shift. We talked about ESPN factors for population distribution;
E- Economic Resources (you want to live somewhere that you can provide basic needs for your family)
S- Social (people & their culture)
P- Political (trying to get away from or into new Governments)
N- and finally Nature (natural resources, water, climate, fertile soil)
We discussed Urban (city life) and rural (outside the cities, farms) life and why we have them and what each lifestyle entails. More specifically we talked about Urbanization which is simply people moving out of rural communities into larger cities.
We also talked about the geographic tools we use to study population
Population Density - How many people per square mile are present in a country
Population Change - Birth rate (births per 1000 members of a population per year) Vs. Death rate (deaths per 1000 members of a population per year) and how the two interact to create a change in population.
Migration- This is, put simply, the movement of people from one location to another, due to two factors. Push Factors reasons for leaving a place (no job, bad culture, etc.) and Pull factors reasons for going to a place (job opportunities, affordable housing, etc.). And finally we discussed....
Population Pyramids - This is a tool that geographers use to break down a population by age and gender, allowing us to draw conclusions based on that information. For example in the power point there is a slide with a population pyramid from Hungary in 1960. There is a huge drop off in a portion of the population age bracket of 40-44 year olds. As historians and geographers we can deduce that this was caused by World War II.
Concerns: Your tests were bad, and you should feel bad. I will have grades in the system soon.
Pre-AP: your world map poster projects are due september 23rd
Head start: look at the United States constitution, and think about how it affects your day to day life.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/F6jxo
Thursday, September 12, 2013
September 12th, 2013
STUDY FOR YOUR TEST!!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, this first unit has really flown by us! Today we reviewed for our test tomorrow Friday the 13th (no one here is superstitious right?)
I would strongly encourage you all to review my earlier posts for power points, my blog version of lessons, and as a last resort to get in touch with me prior to tomorrow.
REMINDERS: TEST TOMORROW!!!!!
Homework: AP Students, your world map poster projects are due September 23rd
Documents: http://twomack.imgur.com/
Oh my goodness, this first unit has really flown by us! Today we reviewed for our test tomorrow Friday the 13th (no one here is superstitious right?)
I would strongly encourage you all to review my earlier posts for power points, my blog version of lessons, and as a last resort to get in touch with me prior to tomorrow.
REMINDERS: TEST TOMORROW!!!!!
Homework: AP Students, your world map poster projects are due September 23rd
Documents: http://twomack.imgur.com/
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
September 11th, 2013
Students,
Today we remembered 9/11 and we watched This video. We reflected on why we remember 9/11 and how it affected our cultural geography (how we live our lives)
We also took on the role of location analysts for my alternative energy company. Students were asked to combine all of the knowledge they've accrued over the past two weeks, and apply it to a real world problem. Students were asked to use maps, knowledge of climate, principles of the Earth Sun relationship, and sheer wit, to find the optimal place for my company to construct a Corn farm (to produce ethanol), a Wind Farm (to harvest wind energy), and a solar panel array (to produce energy).
You would / will then create a proposal to tell me why exactly I should invest my money into the location that you have selected. This acts as quite an effective review for the test, so while / if you work on this at home try to realize the tools that you are using could show up on your test!
Homework: Work on location analyst worksheet.
AP STUDENTS: World Map Posters, will be due September 23rd.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/WiTDN
Today we remembered 9/11 and we watched This video. We reflected on why we remember 9/11 and how it affected our cultural geography (how we live our lives)
We also took on the role of location analysts for my alternative energy company. Students were asked to combine all of the knowledge they've accrued over the past two weeks, and apply it to a real world problem. Students were asked to use maps, knowledge of climate, principles of the Earth Sun relationship, and sheer wit, to find the optimal place for my company to construct a Corn farm (to produce ethanol), a Wind Farm (to harvest wind energy), and a solar panel array (to produce energy).
You would / will then create a proposal to tell me why exactly I should invest my money into the location that you have selected. This acts as quite an effective review for the test, so while / if you work on this at home try to realize the tools that you are using could show up on your test!
Homework: Work on location analyst worksheet.
AP STUDENTS: World Map Posters, will be due September 23rd.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/WiTDN
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
September 10th, 2013
Students,
Today the culmination of all of your work on the natural disaster posters came together! We divided the class into 7 groups and did what I like to call the gallery walk. You moved with your peers from group to group examining your classmates work and teaching yourselves about the natural hazards that fill our world.
You also took your first quiz! At first glance I believe everyone did well, with a few hiccups that we will need to iron out over the next couple of days. All in all it was a fantastic Tuesday at Seguin H.S. and I hope you all enjoy the rain, and what remains of your evening!
AP students: World Map posters are due September 23rd
Documents: None
Reminders: Test on Friday!!!!!!
Today the culmination of all of your work on the natural disaster posters came together! We divided the class into 7 groups and did what I like to call the gallery walk. You moved with your peers from group to group examining your classmates work and teaching yourselves about the natural hazards that fill our world.
You also took your first quiz! At first glance I believe everyone did well, with a few hiccups that we will need to iron out over the next couple of days. All in all it was a fantastic Tuesday at Seguin H.S. and I hope you all enjoy the rain, and what remains of your evening!
AP students: World Map posters are due September 23rd
Documents: None
Reminders: Test on Friday!!!!!!
Monday, September 9, 2013
September 9th, 2013
Today we finished our natural disasters poster project! This was a lot of fun, and I truly enjoyed seeing how most of you worked in groups. The work you all produced was phenomenal and I can't wait to see the information you'll learn from each other on Tuesday. For a little bit of detail across the board, we discussed several types of natural disaster building from our plate tectonics lesson Thursday, they include;
Hurricanes
Flooding
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Wildfires
Volcanoes
Landslides
But I won't spoil all the answers until we do our gallery walk Tuesday!
Documents: no relevant documents, feel free to google these disasters to learn more at home.
Reminders: Our Unit 1 test is Friday, use this blog and its resources to prepare!
AP Students: Today you were assigned your world map poster poster project. This will be due September 23rd! several of you left the assignment in my room, drop by to pick up a new copy.
Hurricanes
Flooding
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Wildfires
Volcanoes
Landslides
But I won't spoil all the answers until we do our gallery walk Tuesday!
Documents: no relevant documents, feel free to google these disasters to learn more at home.
Reminders: Our Unit 1 test is Friday, use this blog and its resources to prepare!
AP Students: Today you were assigned your world map poster poster project. This will be due September 23rd! several of you left the assignment in my room, drop by to pick up a new copy.
Friday, September 6, 2013
September 6th, 2013
Students,
Today we began our natural disasters poster project! This was a lot of fun, and I truly enjoyed seeing how must of you worked in groups. The work you all produced was phenomenal and I can't wait to see what your finished products will look like on Monday. For a little bit of detail across the board, we discussed several types of natural disaster building from our plate tectonics lesson yesterday, they include;
Hurricanes
Flooding
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Wildfires
Volcanoes
Landslides
But I won't spoil all the answers until we finish the posters and do our gallery walk Tuesday!
Documents: no relevant documents, feel free to google these disasters to learn more at home.
Reminders: Our Unit 1 test is next Friday, use this blog and its resources to prepare!
Today we began our natural disasters poster project! This was a lot of fun, and I truly enjoyed seeing how must of you worked in groups. The work you all produced was phenomenal and I can't wait to see what your finished products will look like on Monday. For a little bit of detail across the board, we discussed several types of natural disaster building from our plate tectonics lesson yesterday, they include;
Hurricanes
Flooding
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Wildfires
Volcanoes
Landslides
But I won't spoil all the answers until we finish the posters and do our gallery walk Tuesday!
Documents: no relevant documents, feel free to google these disasters to learn more at home.
Reminders: Our Unit 1 test is next Friday, use this blog and its resources to prepare!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
September 5th, 2013
Students,
While I may have gotten off to a slow start today you guys rocked it! Today, we talked about forces of change, both external and internal.
Internal forces revolve around Plate Tectonics, the idea behind which is that the crust of the earth is made up of 11 different pieces that float on top of the molten layer of the earth called the Mantle. These pieces move and shift constantly colliding with each other, these collisions are the forces that we talked about.
Subduction (convergent) - This is where two plates collide and the heavier plate gets swallowed up by the lighter plate and returns to the mantle. This recycles the crust (breaking the rock back down into magma) and has the potential to create mountains and volcanoes
Spreading (divergent) - This is where two tectonic plates move apart from each other. This type of movement occurs on the ocean floor. When the tectonic plates move apart magma rushes up and creates underground mountain ranges, or ridges.
Transformation - this is where two plates grind against each other. One of the primary examples of this type of movement is found in California along the San Andreas fault line. These two plates grind against each other creating several Earth Quakes that are experienced by the people of California, the quakes however have become a part of life with daily routines not being interrupted by minor quakes.
We also discussed External Forces that shape the earth.
Erosion - this is the wearing away and movement of sediments. This is cause by glaciers, wind, and water. The primary example that we talked about was the Colorado river grinding out the Grand Canyon over thousands of years.
Weathering - in the same line of Erosion we talked about weathering. The major differences between the two is the transportation aspect. In Weathering the object that is being changed doesn't really move, so large boulders with holes through them are prime examples of weathering.
Deposition- lastly we talked about deposition, this is where Rivers carrying sediments that they accumulate over their length, get deposited somewhere. One of the major places would be river deltas (where a river spreads thin when it reaches the ocean) The sediment creates a new land mass, that has very rich soil that is great for cultivation, which is why mankind has often flourished along rivers and river deltas.
Finally we talked about the "four-spheres" of the earth, Lithosphere (all land), Atmosphere (the air), the hydrosphere (the water), and the biosphere (all life). We drew pictures and wrote descriptions for each of these spheres and what they include.
Reminders: Unit 1 Test September 13th
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/zj1RT
While I may have gotten off to a slow start today you guys rocked it! Today, we talked about forces of change, both external and internal.
Internal forces revolve around Plate Tectonics, the idea behind which is that the crust of the earth is made up of 11 different pieces that float on top of the molten layer of the earth called the Mantle. These pieces move and shift constantly colliding with each other, these collisions are the forces that we talked about.
Subduction (convergent) - This is where two plates collide and the heavier plate gets swallowed up by the lighter plate and returns to the mantle. This recycles the crust (breaking the rock back down into magma) and has the potential to create mountains and volcanoes
Spreading (divergent) - This is where two tectonic plates move apart from each other. This type of movement occurs on the ocean floor. When the tectonic plates move apart magma rushes up and creates underground mountain ranges, or ridges.
Transformation - this is where two plates grind against each other. One of the primary examples of this type of movement is found in California along the San Andreas fault line. These two plates grind against each other creating several Earth Quakes that are experienced by the people of California, the quakes however have become a part of life with daily routines not being interrupted by minor quakes.
We also discussed External Forces that shape the earth.
Erosion - this is the wearing away and movement of sediments. This is cause by glaciers, wind, and water. The primary example that we talked about was the Colorado river grinding out the Grand Canyon over thousands of years.
Weathering - in the same line of Erosion we talked about weathering. The major differences between the two is the transportation aspect. In Weathering the object that is being changed doesn't really move, so large boulders with holes through them are prime examples of weathering.
Deposition- lastly we talked about deposition, this is where Rivers carrying sediments that they accumulate over their length, get deposited somewhere. One of the major places would be river deltas (where a river spreads thin when it reaches the ocean) The sediment creates a new land mass, that has very rich soil that is great for cultivation, which is why mankind has often flourished along rivers and river deltas.
Finally we talked about the "four-spheres" of the earth, Lithosphere (all land), Atmosphere (the air), the hydrosphere (the water), and the biosphere (all life). We drew pictures and wrote descriptions for each of these spheres and what they include.
Reminders: Unit 1 Test September 13th
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/zj1RT
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
September 4th, 2013
Students,
Today we talked about factors that affect climate. We built off of yesterdays lesson of latitude zones (High / Mid / low) and added in other physical features that can affect climate.
To recap:
Latitude zones - or where a location is on earths latitude lines (the flat lines that run E and W but measure up and down) impacts primarily a locations temperature. With higher latitudes being cooler as they are farther from the suns rays, and lower latitudes being warmer as they are closer to the suns rays. Remember we only have seasons because the earth spins on an axis (a slight angle) which is why latitude zones even exist.
We also discussed Orographic Rainfall which is what happens when wet rainy air hits a mountain and just stops, dropping all of its contents on the "windward" side of the mountain, while the "leeward" side remains dry with very little moisture.
Thirdly, we discussed air currents. The fact that hot air (low pressure systems) rise up, and cool air (high pressure systems) flow into the vacant space, creating wind. In most of my classes I was able to discuss Haboobs a weather phenomenon caused by a combination of high wind and lots of dirt. They are primarily located in desert regions in South West Asia, but showed up at my Alma Mater (Texas Tech) in 2011.
Link to the lubbock haboob: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSBbxdQalOk
Link to wikipedia haboob article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haboob
To wrap up our day, we discussed ocean currents, and how they move in circular patterns. While they may be deep, they primarily move horizontally not vertically. Warm ocean currents are usually associated with more rainfall and warmer climates, while Cool ocean currents are generally associated with dry and cool climates.
Power point: http://imgur.com/a/j16BD
Today we talked about factors that affect climate. We built off of yesterdays lesson of latitude zones (High / Mid / low) and added in other physical features that can affect climate.
To recap:
Latitude zones - or where a location is on earths latitude lines (the flat lines that run E and W but measure up and down) impacts primarily a locations temperature. With higher latitudes being cooler as they are farther from the suns rays, and lower latitudes being warmer as they are closer to the suns rays. Remember we only have seasons because the earth spins on an axis (a slight angle) which is why latitude zones even exist.
We also discussed Orographic Rainfall which is what happens when wet rainy air hits a mountain and just stops, dropping all of its contents on the "windward" side of the mountain, while the "leeward" side remains dry with very little moisture.
Thirdly, we discussed air currents. The fact that hot air (low pressure systems) rise up, and cool air (high pressure systems) flow into the vacant space, creating wind. In most of my classes I was able to discuss Haboobs a weather phenomenon caused by a combination of high wind and lots of dirt. They are primarily located in desert regions in South West Asia, but showed up at my Alma Mater (Texas Tech) in 2011.
Link to the lubbock haboob: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSBbxdQalOk
Link to wikipedia haboob article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haboob
To wrap up our day, we discussed ocean currents, and how they move in circular patterns. While they may be deep, they primarily move horizontally not vertically. Warm ocean currents are usually associated with more rainfall and warmer climates, while Cool ocean currents are generally associated with dry and cool climates.
Power point: http://imgur.com/a/j16BD
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
September 3rd, 2013
Students,
Transitioning from latitude and longitude lines, today we talked about latitude zones! There are 3 latitude zones
High - from 60 degrees latitude to 90 degrees latitude. this is our polar latitude zone, and includes notable places like antarctica. As would imagine it is cold this far north (or south) and is full of ice.
Middle - This is from 23.5 degrees latitude up to 60 degrees latitude. This latitude zone is a temperate zone which means it has both hot and cold weather. (We are in a middle latitude zone in Seguin)
Low - This latitude zone starts at the equator ( 0 degrees latitude) and goes all the way up (and down) to 23.5 degrees latitude. This is the hottest and wettest latitude zone and contains the worlds rain forests which are in Africa, South America, and Indonesia.
We also talked about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. We discussed why the Earth spinning on an axis (23.5 degree tilt) creates the seasons and what the location between the Earth and the Sun are through out the year. If you are having any problems remembering this, just think of the Axis of the earth as an arrow. For us in the Northern Hemisphere when the arrow is point towards the sun it is summer, when it is pointing away from the sun it is Winter. If the axis / arrow is running parellel with the sun it would be spring or fall.
Don't forget if you have any questions please post a comment below.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/dDGwo
Transitioning from latitude and longitude lines, today we talked about latitude zones! There are 3 latitude zones
High - from 60 degrees latitude to 90 degrees latitude. this is our polar latitude zone, and includes notable places like antarctica. As would imagine it is cold this far north (or south) and is full of ice.
Middle - This is from 23.5 degrees latitude up to 60 degrees latitude. This latitude zone is a temperate zone which means it has both hot and cold weather. (We are in a middle latitude zone in Seguin)
Low - This latitude zone starts at the equator ( 0 degrees latitude) and goes all the way up (and down) to 23.5 degrees latitude. This is the hottest and wettest latitude zone and contains the worlds rain forests which are in Africa, South America, and Indonesia.
We also talked about the relationship between the Earth and the Sun. We discussed why the Earth spinning on an axis (23.5 degree tilt) creates the seasons and what the location between the Earth and the Sun are through out the year. If you are having any problems remembering this, just think of the Axis of the earth as an arrow. For us in the Northern Hemisphere when the arrow is point towards the sun it is summer, when it is pointing away from the sun it is Winter. If the axis / arrow is running parellel with the sun it would be spring or fall.
Don't forget if you have any questions please post a comment below.
Documents: http://imgur.com/a/dDGwo
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