I brought a geode as a birthday gift and so we started outside then in the Science room, using a chisel and hammer to crack open the geode. Sweet success-- it split perfectly to reveal beautiful white crystals inside. I asked if this mineral or any others could help his superheroes, but apparently they will not.
We had some time to draw together, I drew a frog and Kellan's homework is to add a superhero to the same page that can work with the frog for the good of all. He is better at drawing than me, but I must be good at painting because he did not believe that I painted the purple scarf I wore today.

We practiced some simple techniques for calming the mind and body, and then we learned the layers of the Earth using illustrations, short videos and diagrams.

Reading and drawing project. Using geology texts we discussed the Earth's crust, mantle and core, viewed illustrations, and then made our own. Kellan was very cooperative and he demonstrated that he understood the material. He is a very bright and creative boy. (Falcon Tuxedo might well be the best Superhero name I have ever heard!)

This morning we ventured away from our textbook to explore an interesting technology based on sharkskin. The short video highlights an important evolutionary adaptation found on sharks while introducing the concept of natural selection and others. Marcos practiced his note taking abilities and then completed a worksheet based on his notes. Homework is to complete question 10 on the worksheet and to research the concept Natural Selection.

This morning we examined what it means to be a compound, solution and mixture. We looked at different types of mixtures, homogenous and heterogeneous and how the nature of a substance can change when they are chemically bonded together versus simply physically mixed together. We reviewed the problems on page 117 before the end of class.

This morning we completed our review of the section on mixtures and compounds. We discussed the differences between these two combinations of elements and how to define each. We reviewed the homework from the previous class on page 112-117 which Marcos completed with little difficulty. We started on the chapter review on pages 122-123. We will complete #'s 1-19 on Monday during class.

This morning we reviewed our homework from page 104 before moving forward. We learned how man first developed an understanding that matter actually consisted of tiny particles called atoms and that each atom was made of smaller subatomic particles called neutrons, electrons and protons. We applied the law of conservation of mass to our understanding as to how the neutron was first discovered. We concluded class by discussing how matter is comprised of elements which are pure substances that cannot be broken down into other elements. We will review the composition and arrangement of the periodic table during our next class. Homework is to read pages 106-111 and complete problems 1-5.

This morning Marcos and I reviewed questions 1-21 on pages 92-93 in order to complete our exploration of physical and chemical change. We debated whether or not scrambled eggs constitute a physical versus a chemical change whereby we exchanged compelling arguments in support of both. We started the next chapter which focuses on the atom and essentially what makes matter. We had a brief discussion surrounding several early scientists comparing their ideas as to what matter was actually made of. Homework is to read pages 98-104.

This morning we focused our attention on the photochemical process known as photosynthesis. We introduced the idea of reactants, products, by products, compounds, molecules and the organelles of a plant cell where photosynthesis takes place. Homework: Review the terms at the end of this section and complete the review questions.

We introduced plants into our discussion of multicellular organisms. We are making comparisons between animal and plant cells and then exploring the evolutionary adaptations that plants have made to improve their chances of survival. Some of these adaptations included reproduction or pollination attractors, camouflage, defense and competition with other plants. Homework: none