Homework:
 - None.
 - Test will be on Wednesday, Feb. 15th.
 - Notes/summary page has been updated.
 - I added a Power Point I've used with my students you can view in case you are confused about the rules of relative age. It is on the notes/summary page.

Absent students:
Please review the power point on relative age on the notes/summary page. Copy definitions onto handout 106 and complete the sheet. Also complete the questions on the reflection sheet, handout 105. See me tomorrow for the key points/ideas.

Today in class we:
 - Completed a reflection (H105) on natural evidence.
 - Discussed the rules of relative ages.

Handouts:
You received three handouts in class today:
 - Handout 105: Natural Age Reflection Sheet
 - Handout 106: Rules of Relative Age
 - Handout 107: Relative Age Activity

Homework:
 - None, woo!
 - Your unit 5 reflection exam will be coming up next Tuesday, February 14th. Begin reviewing your binder to make sure it is complete, review the notes/summaries page, and make sure you have completed all of your work for this unit. Also, the topics I will cover on the test are listed on the review page.

Absent students:
Please complete handouts 103 and 104. If you have trouble with them, e-mail me for help. Also, e-mail me your answers and I can provide feedback for you. After today, we are done with our study of dendrochronology. We won't be going back to it.

Today in class we:
 - Completed our exploration of dendrochronology.

Handouts:
You received one handout in class today:
 - Handout 104: Tree Rings Revisited

Homework:
 - Make sure you have finished 1-5 on the tree ring sheet. We'll talk about the entire sheet tomorrow.

Test Updates:
The test is now scheduled for Tuesday, February 14th. In class we discussed how we did not think it was fair for students who did not complete all their work for the unit to participate in the group tests. So, that will become a new rule. Any student who has missing work or did not come in to makeup labs will take the test individually.

Absent students:
Please download the tree ring sheet below and complete it for tomorrow. All the information you need on the sheet is there. If you have questions, the internet has an amazing resource of tools for you to use! Don't just give up because "you don't get it." Search for what you don't understanding.

Today in class we:
 - Reviewed the data from the footprints worksheet.
 - Started exploring tree rings and analyzing data connected to them.

Handouts:
You received one handout in class today:
 - Handout 103: Introduction to Tree Rings

Homework:
 - None!
 - Bring your calculators to class tomorrow.

Notes and Summaries
The notes and summaries page was updated today with the activities we did in class.

Absent students:
Today we completed our activity comparing the length of our legs to the length of our strides. You will need to talk to your group to get the data they collected. We also started handout 102 in which we attempt to calculate the speed of a dinosaur by looking at its footprints and leg length. Download this and review the information so you are prepared for class tomorrow.

Today in class we:
 - Measured the length of our strides and compared it to the length of our legs.
 - Started an activity in which we attempted to determine the speed of dinosaurs by looking at its footprints.

Handouts:
You received on handout in class today:
 - Handout 102: Footprints and Speed

Homework:
 - No formal homework.
 - Bring a calculator to class tomorrow (must be able to do square roots).
 - Periods 1 and 3 only: Be sure that you wrote down your starting and ending points of your 10m measurement from the hallway. You will need it so we are ready to go in class tomorrow!

Notes and Class Summary:
There is a new page on the site that contains the copies of last year's notes and a summary of activities we have done in class. Some of you have requested this so I hope it becomes a helpful resource for you!

Absent students:
Today we finished handout 100 (looking at the footprint posters). You will need to schedule a time with Mr. Ower to look at these posters so you can finish your questions. We also started an activity where we will be collecting data about how we walk. To be ready for class, please find your leg length in metric (centimeters). Your leg length is the distance from your hip to your ankle. Be sure your leg is straight when you measure.

Today in class we:
 - Finished our exploration of dinosaur footprints (in order to see what we can learn about the animal from them)
 - Started a data activity where we are going to find a relationship between leg length and distance of stride.

Handouts:
You received one handout in class today.
 - Handout 101: Data in Stride

Homework:
 - Finish handout 99 (complete observations/inferences plus reflection questions). Handout 100 is not homework. We shall continue the exploration of handout 100 tomorrow in class.

Notes:
Copies of last years notes on fossils are available on the notes and summaries page. Remember, these notes just summarize our lessons. The exam is not based on the notes. Exams are based on the activities and discussions we have in class.

Test Announcement
The reflection exam for our current unit will happen, at the earliest, this Friday, February 10th. It will be the same format as last time: you will work with a team of students to answer questions using your data (your binder) you have collected during the unit. You can work alone if you'd like and you may turn in your own test copy or a group copy.

Absent students:
Please download and complete handout 99. The purpose of handout 99 is to make observations about the footprints and provide explanations for them. For example, all of our classes made this observation: "Footprint B is darker than footprint A." For our inference we asked "why" and got: "The animal that made footprint B is heavier than the animal that made footprint A."

Your goal is to make many observations/inferences like these in order to find out what happened where footprints A and B meet. Your observations/inferences will be used to support what you think happened. So, carefully make observations that are relevant to discovering what happened. (Ex: don't make an observation like "there are 18 footprints" because that really doesn't help you figure out what happened.)

Do not attempt to complete handout 100. You will need to see the pictures in class in order to complete it.

Today in class we:
 - Reviewed footprint trace fossils to come to see how scientists learn about animal behavior.
 - Observed large footprint specimens to answer questions related to animals.

Handouts:
You received 2 handouts in class today:
 - Handout 99: Traces of Tracks
 - Handout 100: Inferring from Tracks

Homework:
 - None (woots!)

Absent students:
Download handout 97. Your job is to create definitions of the fossil types based on the worksheet from the previous day (handout 96: Fossil Types). Essentially, each fossil has its own definition that is created by combining the observations you made. The fossil definitions tend to follow this format: "______ is a fossil that is (box 1), shows (box 2) of the organism, is preserved in (box 4) and can (other observations)." So, with that in mind, complete the "my definitions" side of the worksheet. Most students in class figured out the correct definitions on the first try!

We also completed the reflection sheet. You are expected to complete questions 1 and 4. See me for a textbook so you can complete questions 2 and 3.

Today in class we:
 - Created definitions for each of the fossil types.
 - Completed our reflection on fossils.

Handouts:
You were given two handouts in class today:
 - Handout 97: Fossil Definitions
 - Handout 98: Fossil Reflection

Homework:
 - None

Absent students:
Please download handout 96 and the picture guide below. Read the instructions and complete the sheet. There can be more than one right answer for the tables (ex: you can have both imprinted and 3D in the same box).

Today in class we:
 - Reviewed yesterday's exploration
 - Discussed the reflection questions from the activity
 - Completed an activity where we identified the characteristics of each fossil type

Handouts:
You received one handout in class today:
 - Handout 96
 - (Including images for 96 as well, but this is not a handout)

Homework:
 - Complete the four questions on the back of handout 95 (fossils exploration).

Absent students:
Use handout 95 and this page to complete the worksheet. If you left 95 at home, you can download it from the Binder tab at the top of the page.

Today in class we:
 - Completed our observations of fossils for the exploration activity.
 - Began answering the four questions on the back of the sheet.

Handouts:
No handouts were given in class today.

Homework:
 - None.

Absent students:
Please use your timeline (or this National Geographic web page) to answer questions 1, 3, and 4 on handout 94 below. The key ideas and topics is a summary that our class made of the topics we learned. This part can be complete with Mr. Ower in class tomorrow.

Today in class we:
 - Used our timelines, books, and other resources to answer questions about how life has changed over time.
 - Learned how catastrophic events impacted life on earth.
 - Started our observations of fossils.

Handouts:
You received two handouts in class today.
 - Handout 94: Timeline Reflection
 - Handout 95: Fossil Activity