Rory and I were to continue our study of the novel.

Wednesday, March 04, 2020
09:00 -11:00, 120 min. -
Environmental Science:
One Strange Rock: Shield. -
Rory and I watched the end of the of ‘One Strange Rock’ episode two: Shield. This program describes the many ways the Earth shields life from the harmful effects of the sun (the protective ozone layer, the magnetic field deflecting the solar wind, the warming effect of greenhouse gases). With stunning imagery the magnetic shield is shown, from space, by the aurora borealis (northern lights). The effects of heat and light unfiltered by the ozone layer are demonstrated and the effects of carbon dioxide on Venus and Mars are warning signs for our own future.

Monday, March 02, 2020
09:00 -11:00, 120 min. -
Environmental Science:
One Strange Rock: Storm. -
Rory and I watched the end of the of ‘One Strange Rock’ episode two: Storm. This episode starts with the ferocious early days of our solar system, and the onslaught of meteor showers that helped mold this planet. It illustrates how, some four billion years ago, the Earth had a twin - which traveled in the same orbit around the sun. Eventually the two planets collided and the result was the Earth and moon. The moon controls the tides, which, in turn influences the climate. The collision knocked the Earth off its axis, so that our planet is not facing the sun straight on, like many other planets. This tilt is responsible for our seasons, and the seasons, along with the tides, keep water flowing. It was the water storm, the planetary collision, and the perfect distance from the sun, which makes Earth the living planet.

In this activity, Rory continued working on quadratic linear systems and the method used to solve these systems in substitution.

Rory and I borrowed the audio book on line from the Palm Beach County Library. We began listening where we had left off in the book. The audio book is the author reading his own work. It is very good, and Rory said that he really likes it. It helps him to follow the text by listening to it.

In this activity, Rory again solved quadratic linear systems using the method of substitution.

In this activity, we solved quadratic linear systems using the method of substitution. Graphing the system was very difficult for Rory, so we just focused on the substitution method.

Rory and I are preparing to read the novel. We researched reviews on the book. We listened to the author being interviewed and talking about his work. We also listened to the author read a little bit of the novel.

Rory and I watched different videos of the author being interviewed about this book. I presented a brief introduction to the text. We discussed it being written in verse but still telling a story. We then listened to the first few pages being read by the author.

Today we watched the 5th episode of 'One Strange Rock - Survival,' an American television documentary series which showed, cinematically, the story of how life on Earth has evolved, how it becomes lethal for life to thrive, and how death actually drives the evolution of life. Rory was intrigued with the information and photography that conveyed the interconnected story of life and survival on Earth. It was told from the unique, perspectives of astronauts and other scientists and revealed insights into the science of astronomy, anthropology, biology, physics, chemistry, and sociology. Rory marveled at some of the life cycles depicted and the customs around the world. We discussed how it depicted life as a circle - not a straight line, or linearly, and how even from destruction, life springs eternal. It was a fascinating episode and was interspersed with actual stories and perspectives about real people having real conversations in real locations and with actual footage. Rory was able to reiterate the message that was conveyed. The documentary clearly captured and sustained his interest, and additionally served to pique his curiosity.