4.7

5/10

1. What are some signs that a chemical reaction has occurred?
2. Describe a precipitate.
3. What happens during a chemical reaction to the bonds, before and after the reaction?

4.6

5/3

1. Explain the difference between a covalent and an ionic bond in terms of what happens to the electrons.
2. Explain the difference between a covalent compound and an ionic compound in terms of particles.
3. How do ions form?
4. What is a metallic bond? How does this differ from ionic and covalent bonds?

4.5

4/26

1. How would you use the valence electrons to predict whether an element will bond?
2. How can an atom with 5 valence electrons achieve a full set of valence electrons?
3. Identify the number of valence electrons in a Barium atom.
4. Draw an atomic model for Fluorine. How many valence electrons does it have? Will it form bonds- how?

4.4

April 19

1. Suppose a new element is added directly under Francium, Fr, in the periodic table. Describe the characteristics that you would expect this new element to have?

2. Your classmate offers to give you a piece of sodium he found while hiking. What should be your response? Explain.

3. Draw atomic models for : Argon and Chromium

3.9

March 15

1. Make a chart that compares and contrasts the properties and characteristics of metals, nonmetals and matalloids.
2. Draw an atomic model for:
3. Oxygen and Calcium (dont't forget the energy levels for electrons!)

3.7

Feb 28

1. 1) What is the difference between a period and a group on the periodic table?
2. 2) Describe how Mendeleev worked on and organized the Periodic Table. How did Moseley change the arrangement?
3. What causes the properties of elements in a group to be similar?

3.6

Feb 22

1. Explain how to seperate a mixture with pebbles, ground black pepper and salt as an example. How would you find the mass of each substance?
2. Explain how the words concentrated and diluted are used to describe concentration in a solution.
3. Explain how a colloid looks and how it is formed.

3.5

4/15

1. What is the purpose of separating a mixture by distillation?
2. How are metalloid different from metals?
3. How can you determine whether a mixture is a solution , suspension or a colloid?
4. How can boiling water, melting point and density of substances be helpful in planning a method of seperation a mixture?

3.4

4/1

2.) Explain the difference between a mixture and a compound.

3.) Explain the difference between a concentrated solution and a dilute solution.

4.) Imagine that you have a job where you have a lot of material that you must dissolve in water. You have way more than a ton of this stuff. Now also you have 3 friends that are waiting for you to finish this job and are whining about how much time you are taking.

Now you have to do a good job and dissolve all this stuff. Explain in complete sentences 3 ways that you can speed up the dissolving process.

3.3

1/25/08

Why is it possible for liquids to flow?

You are given an unknown substance and have to prove if it is a solid, liquid or gas. How would you go about doing this?

Compare and contrast Charle's Law and Boyle's Law. Be complete and use examples as need.

3.2

1/18/07

1. Describe the chemical and physical changes that happen when a birthday candle it lit on a cake.
2. List 3 clues that a chemical change had taken place.
3. List 3 physical properties of water.
4. Describe the difference between physical and chemical changes in terms of their reversibility of the changes.

1. What challenges might a country experience today if it decided to adopt it's own un ique system of measurement?
2. Describe an advantage of the metric system when converting from smaller to larger units.
3. Explain which is more relevant and useful in everyday experience, precision or accuracy.
4. Post Mills company produces breakfast ceral. Alex has been working in the packing department, and he has always been very proud of his record for accuracy. Every week he makes 4000 packages of Post Toasties cereal and he uses exactly 1000 kg of cereal to m ake these packages. the packages are all perfectly sealed and look very good. However his managesr has been testing the boxes of cereal Alex is packing and though she aagrees he is making the right nu mber of packages, she is concerned that there will be a great many customer complaints. Explain why Alex might actually be doing a poor job packaging the Post Toasties.

Aug 27-31

and Sept 3-7

1. What are 2 different ways to measure the volume of an object?
2. What is the difference between a guess and a hypothesis?
3. 3. What are dependent and independent variables?
4. 4. Students are raising money by doing a walkathon. Each student gathers sponsors for the walkathon. Some pledge $10 no matter how far the students walk. Some pledge $3 donation plus .45 per km. Some pledge $3 a km.
5. The students can walk as many km as they want. What are the dependent and independent variables?

1. Explain using examples why precision and accuracy are important.
2. Describe 2 different types of the measurement tools we use in science, explain for what they are used .
3. Try to explain why so many paperclips fit into the cup of water in the class demonstration.
4. Why is accurate data important when making scientific observations?

1. Explain what is density? How do you measure it?
2. Why do different types of sodas float while others sink?
3. Some 8th grade students were told to walk at their regular speed for 90 seconds to see how far they traveled. This is the data they collected:

Student #1 Distance 45m Time 90s

Student #2 Distance 65m Time90s

Student #3 Distance 90m Time 90s

Student #4 Distance 110m Time 90s

• a) What type of evidence is this?
• b) What was the average distance walked?
• c) What is the independent variable? The dependent variable?
• d) Is this a reliable test? Why or why not? Explain your answer thinking about other variables that might be involved

1. What are the four characteristics of a mineral?
2. 2. What is the difference between a silicate and nonsilicate mineral?
3. 3.) **How does cooling rate affect the size of crystal formation?
4. **Why do some rocks have large crystals?

Oct 1-11

1.8

1. Coal is an important fuel resource in many places of the world. Explain all the reasons why coal is not considered a mineral.
2. Describe how a scientist might use density to identify a type of mineral.
3. Explain how the term inorganic can be used to describe minerals.
4. Explain the difference between quartz and granite.

Determine if the following statements are true or false. If they are false, rewrite the statement so that it is true.

1. Sedimentary rock can be formed from chnages in igneous rock, but igneous rock cannot be made from changes in sedimentary rock.

2. Metamorphic rocks can be formed from other metamorphic rocks.

3. All igneous rocks are formed in the same way.

Oct 14-19

2.1

1. What is the difference between weathering and erosion?
2. What are some problems/issues facing countries with erosion today?
3. Describe how an organic sedimentary rock can form.

Nov 6-9

2.2

1. What is the difference between the black desert and the white desert?
2. Explain how solid rock can be shaped into a mushroom form.
3. You are going to spend a year in the Western desert. Choose five items you would take with you and explain your choices.

Nov 12-16

2.3

1. Explain how index fossils are used to date rock layers.

2. Explain the law of superposition.

3. Explain the difference between relative and absolute dating.

Nov 26-30

2.5

1. Describe three ways fossils can form.

2. What future event might mark the end of the cenozoic era?

3. How did the "digging into the past" project help you understand how paleontologists date rock layers?