Updated Aug 31 2005
Exam Week is Jan 23 to 27

Pick your topic: Physics     Ecology     Weather

Week One Sept 6 to 9

• Introduction to course material, expectations, assessment and evaluation techniques
• Review of grade nine
• Review assignments
• Use of the Internet, of course you wouldn't be looking at this if you were not on.
• Introduction to nomencalture: writing and naming formula. This topic is initially covered on the board, so make sure you take good notes.
• How to recognize when a chemical reaction occurs. Examples done in class, over several days.
• Experimental write up of gas identification activity plus four other interesting reactions. See note. Just a "do" lab but behavior to be observed and assessed. (Inquiry)
• Introduction to health and safety, WHMIS. MSDS project assigned. (Making Connections)
  To obtain this assignment Click Here
• Atomic theory, Rutherford-Bohr diagrams, introduced ions and matter in general

Week Two Sept 12 to 16

• Several experiments to show how to recognize chemical reactions: magnesium + oxygen, calcium + hydrochloric acid, potassium + water, & glucose and sucrose in Benedict's solution.
• test of Wednesday
• Naming Binary Compounds,
• Cations & Anions
• Criss-cross method
• Oxyacid radicals
• prefix method for nonmetal compounds (molecular compounds).
• reading assignment on Organic and synthetic molecules and compounds
• work sheets nomenclature Sept 14. Please note: Answers to the three pages are on the Internet.
• Summative test next week on nomenclature

Week Three Sept 19 to 23

• Molecular compounds; prefix method
• Naming acids and bases
• Review on "Naming Compounds"
• Nomenclature test2 (at least 2) on Wednesday?
• Introduction to chemical reactions: A series of experiments: Please note that not all these experiments may be done or have been done; check your class notes.
  1. copper (II) sulfate + barium nitrate
  2. zinc + sulfur
  3. potassium permanganate solution added to cyclohexane and cyclohexene
  4. zinc and hydrochloric acid and the testing of the gas produced
  5. potassium + iodine heated in a test tube
  6. burning magnesium
  7. copper metal and silver nitrate solution
  8. sodium bicarbonate + hydrochloric acid (quantitative)(6.4 in text book)
  9. zinc + hydrochloric acid (quantitative)
  10. heating potassium chlorate (quantitative)
• Introduction to chemical reactions: the terms
  Duplo modeling to show reaction sequencing, word equations to describe the reaction and the concept of mass balance in a chemical reaction
  word equations to skeletal equations
• Lab to show Law of Conservation of Mass; Investigation 6.2, page 220 or some version thereof.
• Converting word equations to equations with formula, the skeletal equation
• Balancing the skeletal equation
• Week ends with a test on balancing and your reading assignment
  Continued look at the four types of reactions Page 233 to page 247
• Types of chemical reactions.

Week Four Sept 26 to 30

• Experiments to show, demonstrate the different type of reactions
  Five different labs done.
  For each of the following you must be able to write
  1. the word equation
  2. the skeleton equation
  3. and finally the balanced chemical equation
• test on balancing, reaction recognition and complete the reaction
• Experiments to investigate reaction types:
  1. Hydrolysis of water or
     aggitation of nitrogen triiodide or
     heating of copper (II) sulfate pentahydrate with a water test
     to show decomposition.
  2. Complete and incomplete combustion of methane gas and alcohol.
  3. Copper wire is imersed into a solution of silver nitrate.
     Zinc and hydrochloric acid with a subsequent gas test.
     A single displacement reaction.
  4. A solution of lead (II) nitrate is mixed with a solution of potassium iodide or
     a solution of silver nitrate is mixed with a solution of potassium iodide. A double displacement reaction.
  5. Potassium metal is heated with iodine crystals or
     the addition of water to anhydrous copper (II) sulfate (check for heat)
     and a synthesis reaction occurs
• Introduction to: Law of Reaction Rates and factors that effect the rates of reactions; chapter 7
• Lego models to show collision theory: Two main aspects: orientation and energy
• Hand out note from Dallas Community College
• Activities to show and demonstrate
  

Week Five Oct 3 to Oct 7

• Test at thye end of the week on Chapters 7 & 8
• Demonstrations on factors effecting reaction rates
  1. Sodium is dropped into hot and cold water.
  2. Granular zinc and zinc dust in sulfuric acid or
     potassium permanganate and glycerine.
  3. Magnesium reacting with dilute and concentrated hydrochloric (HCl) acid and the testing for hydrogen gas. This reaction will also be timed.
  4. Decomposition of hydrochloric acid using a manganese (IV) oxide as a catalyst. You nose will tell you what you get.
• Catalyst & enzyme: liver and hydrogen peroxide.
• Can you speed up a reaction? You devise a scheme to increase the reaction rate of a given reaction;
• What happens if you wish to slow down a reaction and in what cases would this be of advantage? See text book on food preservation.
• Introduction to acids and bases; Chapter 8 mostly notes.
  Notes to be obtained and read prior to start of class
• Indicators; their colour changes in acid, water and base
  Indicators used are bromthymol blue, phenolphthalein and methyl orange
• Production of acids & bases from the combustion of a metal and a nonmetal
  This is a lab to be done: sodium or magnesium will be burned in air, the oxide collected, in a gas jar and subsequent dissolving in water with the solution tested with bromthymol blue
  The above is repeated using the nonmetals sulfur &/or carbon
  Equations are developed based on indicator conclusions.
• The metals potassium, calcium and copper are added to water with phenolphthalein. Observations and conclusions are made.
• Readings & questions from the notes and text book
• Acid / base ---> the neutralization reaction
  Watching when the indicator changes colour.
  This type of reaction is a subset of the double displacement variety, in which a salt and water are produced.
• Acids & bases in industry and household products
  pH and soil; see the Rossini notes
  Readings required
  1. Section 7.6
  2. Section 7.10
  3. Section 7.11
  4. Section 8.10
  5. and these specific pages: 298 & 310, 311
• Thursday is wrap up review
  Make sure you look at the test summary at
• Unit test is next week; Friday Oct 7

Week Six Oct 10 to 14

• Physics strand is started this week
  You must have a ruler and protractor for this unit.

  PHYSICS

• Now its off to Physics: The Study of Motion
• Measurement, using equations and solving formula: the lever example and PV = nRT (balloon filled with oxygen)
  Precision and accuracy
  Units and unitizing the problem via analysis
  Significant digits and rounding off
  Prior knowledge: the Metric System, graphing, using the calculator, measuring, solving equations using order of operations.
• Review of Basic Skills working with algebra
• Introduction to Kinematics and the motion of a ball or toy car in one dimension
• Defining v, v_av, t and d and their relations
  Don't mix up v₁, v₂, or v_o,
• Collecting data and graphing this data follwed by analysis
• Organizing a problem to be solved ==> problem analysis or the GRASP method. Must be done for all problems in this strand.
• Quiz at the end of the week.

Week Seven Oct 17 to Oct 21

• Make sure you get this formula sheet     Click Here
• Introduction to problem analysis; must be done using the outlined steps to obtain full marks
• Quiz on problem solving skills, using various equations from sciemce.
• I will have you cover some openning material via the Internet.
• From the Internet: The Study of Motion: The Lab
• Speed comparisons; defining acceleration using equations
• Speed-Time graphs for acceleration & their analysis
• Instantaneous speed and corelating distance-time & speed-time graphs
• Activity to analyze distance time graphs when the speed varies
• Formula derivations and area under vt line
  1. Three motion experiments with proper write-up (Thursday - Friday)
     1. Bulldozer, spring loaded car and/or
     2. Marble rolling down a track and/or
     3. Ticker tape lab
  2. Recording data in organized charts
  3. Data analysis and graphing
• Lab to be handed in
• Relating Speed to distance and time
  average speed over a given time interval
• Distance time graphs and velocity time graphs, area und the curve, what does it produce. Slopes of each type of graph.
• Introducing the concept of acceleration; when speed changes during the course of an objects motion.
  Constant and changing acceleration
• Test on Motion Equations at the end of the week.

Week Eight Oct 24 to 28

• This is vector week
• We'll start with vectors in one dimension then move to two dimension. Rulers & protractors needed. Trig not necessary but will be mentioned.
• Vectors: as applied to displacement, velocity, and acceleration
  Distance is a scalar, displacement is a vector Speed is a scalar, velocity is a vector
• Working with vectors. Vector problems are solved with a ruler and a protractor. Make sure you have one.
  1. drawing a vector to represent an directional quantity
  2. adding vectors in one dimension; graphical and algbraic methods
  3. adding vectors in two dimensions; graphical & algebraic
     1. along the X-Y axis
     2. and at different angles
  4. applying vector techniques to velocity
     the navigation problem
• Frames of reference
• Vector quiz mid week
• Working with motion equations in which velocity is now a vectot.
  Acceleration is always in the same direction as velocity, unless the motion is circular (studied in grade 12)

Week Nine Oct 31 to Nov 4

• Review: Analysis of graphs
  1. position time graphs
  2. velocity time graphs
  3. Acceleration time graphs both speeding up and slowing down
  4. displacement from velocity time graphs
• The equations; see and refer to the summary sheets or the listed Internet sites.
• Acceleration due to gravity; a special case where a = 9.8 m/sec² in the downward direction. Note: this value is negative if the motion is upward.
• Wrap up of the following
  1. vectors on a graph --> the position-time graph
  2. slopes and tangents; what they mean
  3. velocity-time graphs
  4. changing velocities as vectors
     acceleration and velocity; the equations
  5. displacement from velocity time graphs
     area under the "curve"
  6. acceleration due to gravity and related questions
• test is on Friday of this week. Make sure you come prepared.

Week Ten Nov 7 to Nov 11

• Wrap-up motion test is Tuesday
• And now its of to Biology: The Sustainability of Ecosystems
• Introduction and outlines covered with student expectations and projects discussed.
  Biomes are to be assigned to the students in groups of two.
  Biome Project assignment sheet to be followed Click Here for this sheet.
  Homework for each chapter is on a per week bases: see Internet for the assigned questions.
  A chapter test will be given each Friday
• Diversity in Ecosystems: biodiversity
  1. Definitions used in Ecology
  2. Disappearance of habitats, ecosystems
     Species at risk
     Extinction and its effects on an ecosystem
     Restoring the Balance & Examples
  3. Ecology, populations, communities, ecotones
     Components in an ecosystem; biotic and abiotic

Week Eleven Nov 14 to Nov 18

• Animal project is due on Tuesday
• A look at endangered species, page 14.
• Autotrophs and hetrotrophs
• Albedo and photosynthesis
• Energy flow in an ecosystem
  Food chains & food webs;
  Limits on energy transfer, trophic levels
  Percentage of energy loss as eneergy flows up a food chain
  Pyramids of energy, numbers, & biomass
  The human factor in the energy equation
  
• A species role in an ecosystem: Niches & habitats
  Exotic species & the problems they cause. Zebra mussel example see text book.

Week Twelve Nov 21 to Nov 25

• Change & Stability in an Ecosystem; Chapter 2
  1. A change results in a new balance
  2. Cycles in Nature
     1. Cycling of Organic matter
        Decomposers:
     2. Pesticides and how they are transfered and accumulated
     3. Photosynthesis & respiration ==> the Carbon cycle
     4. Nitrogen cycle; how nutrients move through an ecosystem
• Stewardship project due this week
• Limits on population
  1. Biotic potential
  2. Carrying capacity
  3. Limits of tolerance
  4. Density factors

Week Thirteen Nov 28 to Dec 2

• Population patterns & changes
  Factors effecting population growth and deccline
  Carrying capacity & Limits of tolerance
• Kyoto project due this week
• The Terrestrial Ecosystem
  1. Canadian Biomes: 5 of them, Study project
  2. Biogeography
  3. Soil; types, uses, soil differentials mean different biotic components
     Soils & agriculture; fertilizing and pest management
  4. Forestry
     political activism and First Nation claims
  5. Acid rain; effects on soils and forests
• Test at the end of week on chapter 3

Week Fourteen Dec 5 to Dec 9

• Presentations start this week; make sure you are prepared.
• The Aquatic Ecosystem
  1. Lake studies; how lakes are stratified and types
  2. Seasonal variations on lakes
  3. Water pollution
     1. Indicators of water quality
        Bacteria content
        Dissolved Oxygen
        Thermal pollution
        pH
        Phosphates
        
     2. Sources of pollution
     3. Case study: the Great Lakes
  4. Marine Ecosystems
     The oil spill; a major disaster
     Fish populations; the fishing industry & First Nations claims
• Biome project presentations from Dec 6 to 9
  Make sure you know your date and are prepared

Week Fifteen Dec 12 to Dec 16

• Introduction to weather; assignment #1 ==> notes and instructions are to be found on the Internet at Weather Basics
• Earth's energy budget; a transparency
  1. radiation
  2. conduction
  3. convection
  4. advection
• Weather tracking work-sheet
• Absorption of energy and reflection of energy on the Earth's surface
• Tracing sun's energy as it passes through the Earth's atmosphere
• Layers of the atmosphere; homework assigned
• Gases in the atmosphere
• Air pressure ===> demos
  Assignment: Mount Everest assignment; due in a couple days
  Air pressure work sheet
• Videos shown; snow storms and severe weather events
• Thursday snow problems
• Temperature effects on air pressure
• Hydrosphere and ocean currents; homework assigned
• Be prepared for a quiz

Week Sixteen Dec 19 to Dec 23

• Mount Everest assignment due
• Water cycle revisited
• Components of weather analysis note
• Reception and distribution of incoming solar radiation; clouds & fog
  Precipitation
• Group assignment on clouds to be presented by the end of the week
  Cloud observing assignment
• Rain vs. showers & video

Christmas Break is upon us; make sure you keep reviewing the course material

Week Seventeen Jan 9 to Jan 13

• Severe weather conditions.
• A Hurrican study: Katrina hits New Orleans
  The immediate effects and aftermath
  New Orleans today, outline the recovery to date

Week Eighteen Jan 16 to Jan 20

• Weather report video is due this week.
• Culminating activity must be handed in this week.

Week Nineteen Jan 23

• Last day before Exams start
• Exam review would be appropriate
• Your exam is Jan ?