Welcome back from a beautiful long weekend! Although our weather has been mild, the rest of the country, and especially the midwest, has been stuck in a severe weather pattern - relentless tornadoes & heat waves (see image below to see video). It's a important reminder that whether we like it or not, these types of severe weather patterns will continue...and it begs the questions: Are humans to blame? Are we causing these extreme weather events? And if so, can we do anything to keep this severe weather from happening?
Our Socratic Seminar this week couldn't be coming at a better time. We'll be doing our final preparations on Tuesday keeping our central question in mind and the seminar will be held on Thursday down in the library so we can have a roundtable discussion (5th block will be held in the classroom). Make sure you are prepared to be part of the conversation and understand your ideas & statements very well before Thursday. Please make sure to ask Mr. Bowles any questions you have before the seminar. Stay curious and keep looking for answers! Throughout your investigation into the question "Are humans causing extreme weather?", you have gathered quality evidence based on your own interests. As you have seen though, there is a lot of conflicting evidence - meaning that some sources say humans are causing extreme weather, while others say we don't - and they are all very convincing. What we know for sure is that carbon dioxide levels are higher than ever in human history (see below) and most scientists believe that these levels are causing global warming. The two main ideas behind your research so far are...
1. Are humans causing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to rise? 2. Are rising carbon dioxide levels causing extreme weather events? This helps us simplify the evidence we need to look for in order to answer the main question, "Are humans causing extreme weather?". Because the DC trip is happening the later half of the week, over just the next two days we will discover pieces of evidence for question 1 that supports both sides of the debate. It is up to you though, to decide which evidence is most compelling. Are humans causing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere to rise or is it just Earth's natural process? Stay curious and keep looking for answers! We've got a jam packed week in science this week! Since Science MCAS is happening on Tuesday & Wednesday this week, there's a chance that you might not have science class again before the field trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Thursday. So, some time will be taken to give you a proper intro to this world-renowned research facility (check the video below) and remind you of some essentials to make sure you're prepared for the day. We'll also take some time on Monday and Tuesday to do some basic review on how to take the Science MCAS. This will help you to understand that doing well on the Science MCAS is more about looking at the information provided and using logic (or reasoning) to find the correct answer. This is not an MCAS that directly tests you on your knowledge. In fact, most of the information you need to find an answer is found right in the question. Instead, the test is more about using your science skills to make observations, carefully analyze data, and make conclusions based off of this information. These are all skills you've used many times throughout the year - meaning that you've already had a lot of practice. Now, you just need some practice answering MCAS-style questions to understand how they are asked. Remember to get a good night sleep - a full 8 hrs - and full breakfast before each MCAS this week. You will have the ability to think more deeply, be less distracted, and endure the length of the exam without tiring. Take it from a person who has taken too many exams over his whole school career (10 yrs of college after high school!) - you need to take care of yourself to be successful. Good luck, word hard, stay curious & keep looking for answers! |
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March 2020
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