Mr. Powell Science
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  • Home
  • APES
    • Unit 1: Ecosystems
    • Unit 2: Biodiversity
    • Unit 3: Populations
    • Unit 4: Earth Systems and Resources
    • Unit 5: Land and Water Use
    • Unit 6: Energy Resources and Consumption
    • Unit 7: Atmospheric Pollution
    • Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
    • Unit 9: Global Change
  • CHS Environmental Science
    • Environmental Chemistry
    • Ecosystems and Population Interactions
    • Earth History and Natural Resources
    • Weather and Climate
  • Science Resources
    • Genetics >
      • Genetics Exam Review
    • Evolution
    • Chemistry
    • Physics - Motion and Forces >
      • Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration
      • Force
      • Newton's 3 Laws of Motion
      • Gravitational Force
      • Weight
      • Newton's Second Law - Finding a Net Force
      • Newton's Second Law of Motion - Finding Acceleration
      • Newton's Third Law of Motion
    • Physics - Energy and Waves
    • Astronomy
    • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • BMS Lacrosse
  • STEM at CHS
  • About
  • Contact

Happy New Year!

1/9/2020

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After yesterday's exploration of purposeful movement we returned to chemistry today. In class we discussed different types of molecular models as well as why they are important and why it's necessary to use different types of models to represent different phenomena. We will continue building molecular models tomorrow. Check out the video to the right to see even more models made with Snatoms!
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First Day of School and Methane Bubbles!

8/15/2018

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Great first day of school! It was so nice to meet all of the new 8th graders and get our science year off and running. In class students made ball and stick models of methane, a flammable gas, and then Mr. Powell made soap bubbles filled with methane. Students made some predictions about the behavior and properties of the methane bubbles and after a demonstration learned that they are highly flammable! We also covered some class guidelines and procedures. Please BRING A COMPOSITION BOOK to class tomorrow. 

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Balancing Chemical Equations

12/18/2017

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In preparation for our exam Thursday, the last skill we need to master is balancing equations. We balance equations because the law of conservation of mass tells us that matter can not be created or destroyed and that the sum of the mass of all the reactants of a reaction must equal the sum of all of the products. 

We also briefly discussed neutralization reactions, that are the result of mixing acids and bases together to form a neutral solution. Two of these reactions are featured in the video to the right.
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Acids and Bases Continued

12/15/2017

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We continued our study of acids and bases today by creating a Venn Diagram of the two types of solutions, using a card sort and our whiteboards. We added to our understanding with a video and discussion. Students also wrote conclusions for their labs from yesterday. 
acid_base_card_sort
File Size: 37 kb
File Type: pdf
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GOLD TAPE QUESTION: Write out the chemical formula and draw the chemical structure for the strongest acid in the world.
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Acids, Bases, and pH

12/14/2017

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Today's colorful lab had students investigating the pH of different household chemicals as well as creating their own color coded pH scale. We used red cabbage juice pH indicator to create our scale. The video to the right further explains pH and some photos of our lab are below.
Acid-Base Exploration Lab.pdf
File Size: 207 kb
File Type: pdf
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Bonding Continued

12/11/2017

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Today Mr. Houde continued our investigation into the structure of atoms and their bonds to form molecules. We read from the selection attached below and began exploring something called the Octet Rule, which tells us that an atom will do whatever it can to get 8 valence electrons, even if that includes sharing or stealing electrons from another atom (which is how bonds are formed)
Atomic Structure and Bonding
File Size: 609 kb
File Type: pdf
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How Small is an Atom?

12/7/2017

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Mr. Houde took over class today and we read about the history of the atom as well as the best current model we have for the atom. Atoms make up everything around us and yet astonishingly they are mostly made up of empty space! 
If you want to explore more about atomic structure, check out this BUILD AN ATOM simulation in which you can build your own atoms!
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Skittles Skittles Everywhere

12/6/2017

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As we continue our investigation into the Law of Conservation of Mass, today we used skittles to represent atoms that move around during chemical reactions. 
candy_conservation_of_mass.pdf
File Size: 140 kb
File Type: pdf
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Lavoisier's Law

12/5/2017

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     We continued our exploration of the law of conservation of mass today by reading about Antoine Lavoisier, a french scientist who, along with his wife Marie-Anne, first described the law of conservation of mass, also known as Lavoisier's Law. Although a magnificent (and wealthy) scientist, Lavoisier could not escape the unrest of the French Revolution and was beheaded.
        In addition to reading, we also watched a video about the fundamental laws of chemistry that discussed Lavoisier along with many other early chemists who laid the foundation for our modern understanding of matter. 
         We finished up with some more molecular modelling. Today we made multiple molecules then "reacted" them to form new molecules. These activities are in the lab sheet attached below.
conservation_of_mass__modelling
File Size: 194 kb
File Type: pdf
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Antoine and Marie-Anne Lavoisier. The husband and wife team that first described the law of conservation of mass

Gold Tape Question

In the video today, Hank explained that Hydrogen (Row 1 on the periodic table) comes from the Greek words Hydro and Genesis (generated) which means Made From Water. Your task is to pick one element from each of the remaining rows           (rows 2-7 = 6 total elements) and figure out (and write out) how they got their names and submit that to Mr. Powell by email or in person.
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Potions with Slughorn and the Law of Conservation of Mass

12/4/2017

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Chemistry is a lot like potions class from the world of Harry Potter. And just like with Harry, sometimes we need to make notes on our instructions to get the best results. In class today students conducted an investigation into the law of conservation of mass. If you would like to try this experiment our lab sheet is attached below.
conservation_of_mass__lab.pdf
File Size: 138 kb
File Type: pdf
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    Mr. Powell is a High School Science Teacher in Western Colorado.

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