2020-2021

 Welcome to my science blog. I will not be posting very often since I now use google classroom and ASPEN to communicate with students and parents. I do use the links in class and students can access data from home via the tabs. I'm looking forward to a great year!

Welcome Back!

It was a hot start to the school year today! This is the first time I've had an early dismissal on the Day 1. I want to welcome Ms. Flanagan to our classes this fall to do her student teaching. It is an honor for her to have picked me as her mentor because she was a student in this class. She and I have been working hard planning fun lessons and activities. Seventh grade will be learning about the lab and safety while 8th grade will be starting a lab in a few days and learning about the coastal studies project and our creek visits.

Prize Opportunity #3

This Monday there will be a solar eclipse! While we are just outside the optimal viewing area, it will still be spectacular. Send me one fact about the eclipse and I will add it to this post as they come in. NEVER look directly at the sun!

Here is a website with a free app about the eclipse http://bit.ly/2w8FCF3

Jackson - this solar eclipse is that it is the first American eclipse since 1979

 Nayan - the moon will obscure the sun for the longest time (2 minutes and 41.2 seconds) from a perspective near Carbondale, Missouri, and the next total solar eclipse will be visible on April 8 2024

Hannah - The last time anyone in mainland US saw a total eclipse of the Sun was on 

February 26, 1979.

Polina - The Solar Eclipse looks like it does because the suns diameter is 400x wider than the Moon, but the Moon is 400x closer to the Earth so it looks like the Moon fits inside the Sun.

 Cameron - the eclipse is the the solar eclipse happens once every 18 years 

Eva - the last time a solar eclipse was visible in the USA from coast to coast (as this one is) was on June 8, 1918

Henry - Never stare directly at a solar eclipse without special eclipse glasses. The sun can damage your eyes.

Red and Char - 

• not only humans but also animals act strange when there are solar eclipses, 

-llamas stand together during the solar eclipses.

-spiders tear down their webs during a solar eclipses.

-songbirds go quiet.

-farm animals lie down.

-chickens start to roost

• when the ​moon is blocking the suns rays from the view of people in certain areas of earth that is an eclipse
• the sun was off place until about the month ago when the sun was put back in place to have a solar eclipse in united states
• a solar eclipse only happens when the moon  passes in front  there earth sun to ma ke an appearance of he moon blocking out the sun  from certain of area on the planet

Owen - the US is the only country that will be touched by the eclipse's path of totality on Aug 21.

Evan - When the moon totally blocks the sun, that's called the totality.

A path 70 miles wide from Oregon to South Carolina was able to view the totality today. 

Only about 65% of the sun was eclipsed in the view from RI.

Awesome job everyone! This opportunity is now over

Prize opportunity #2

ID this crab for a prize.
Seen on the beach in SC.
Please don't post the answer
Send me an email so other people have a chance.
kaczynski.jim@jamestownschools.org

Happy Summer! Prize Opportunity #1

Happy Summer to all!

I hope you are all enjoying time off and doing good things. Over the summer I will post announcements and opportunities for you to earn prizes.

Opportunity #1 - June 27-July 8 - Take a picture of the moon, email it to me telling me what phase it is in (full, waxing gibbous, etc).

Meteor Showers on the way

Leonid meteor shower - November 16

Geminid meteor shower - December 13

Welcome Back!

It has been a great start to the new school year. We are using the topic of hurricanes to get back into the day to day procedures in science class. Students are logging into google classroom, sharing documents and will be learning/reviewing lab safety. Next week they will show you how our google classroom is set up.

Important dates

April 9th RI Science Olympiad 8-4:30 RIC

8th grade NECAP dates set - May 10,11,12  8:30-10:30

Creek visits resuming soon

7th grade - May 5th - 6th Boston Museum of Science sleepover

All eyes on the tropics!

Keep a sharp watch on Joaquin. He may impact us later this weekend or Monday. Use this link to get info   http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Open House!

Welcome to Science. Stop by to check out the room and say hi

Great First Day!

Very nice to see all the smiling faces and excitement for science. It was super hot in class, please remember a water bottle. I began a discussion of google classroom today and gave codes to all students to join my classes. I will assist as needed. We went over the safety contract and will learn about safety equipment tomorrow.

Happy summer!

Have a great summer. Experiment, explore, and observe. If you find anything cool, send me an email or a picture. If you hear of a fun activity, send me the info and I will post it.

I found a bunch of fossils in Kentucky while at the Regional soccer match.

Extra credit:
Watch the basketball video I posted on twitter and email me what causes the ball to move the way it does

Check back for more extra credit opportunities.

2015 balloon video

Balloons and Dance

 It looks probable that we will fly our hot air balloons on Wednesday after lunch. Temps will be the warmest and winds not too strong.  Dress to be outside for about an hour!


7th & 8th Grade Dance Friday night! The Royal Court will be announced at the dance. Glowsticks, pizza and snacks will be sold.

Spirit week!

Spirit Week Schedule

Monday - PJ day     SNOW DAY

Tuesday - Grade Color Day 8th=blue, 7th=green, 6th= red, 5th=yellow
               - 5th and 6th grade Ice Cream Social - 2:45- 4:00

Wednesday - Team/sports day (wear your favorite team gear)

Thursday - Mix and Match/Fashion Disaster day - Mix it up and have fun
                - Heart necklaces on sale at lunch for 25 cents
                - Faculty vs. Student basketball game @ 1:30

Portfolio Conferences

 7th grade - Tuesday 12/9 from 3-6 pm

8th  grade - Monday 12/8 from 4-6pm

Open House

It was nice to familiar faces and meet new people last night. Thank you for making the time to come visit the school and the science room. Remember that science is everywhere, so look around, ask questions, search for answers.

Great first week!

We have completed one complete cycle of classes and are getting into a classroom routine. A few things to know about the science classroom:

Science binders stay in the room
Two pocket folders (or alternate system) leave the room for HW
There is no book to take home
Only water bottles are allowed in the room
Only pencils are used (no pen)
HW is posted on my HW blog as best as I can
8th grade will be walking to the creek for our year long Coastal Studies project
7th grade will spend a fair amount of time outdoors as we study the woodland between the schools
7th grade will sleepover at the Boston Museum of Science on May 7th and return to school on May 8

Science Supplies for Fall 2014

Hi everyone,
As you are getting ready for science this year, here are the supplies you will need. 8th graders that had me last year may have some of this left from last year and can adjust.

1" three ring binder
5 dividers
1 two pocket folder
2 composition books
1 spiral bound notebook (80 pages)
1 pack of lined paper
pencils (many) and erasers
highlighter
colored pencils (not markers)

Not required but helpful
ruler
pocket sized sharpener
thumb drive
pencil case
graph paper for home
box of tissues for the room

Now on twitter

We are now on Twitter

follow at JtownRIscience@JtownRIscience