Look at! Test it! Find it! Identification Minerals

Minerals Properties: 

Let me start with introducing what is the mineral. Since the definition of minerals are included to class lessons. Minerals are natural solid elements from the lithosphere. How do people identify the difference while most of them similar to each other. Yes, it is possible to do. Just need to know some properties of mineral such as steak, luster, fracture/cleavage, hardness, and composition.


Streak – is the color of the mineral.
Luster – is the feature of mineral that tells us metallic or nonmetallic.
Fracture/Cleavage – is the shape of the mineral, when try to break down into pieces. Fracture is when mineral is broken unevenly. Cleavage is when mineral is broken evenly.
Hardness – is to determine how mineral is hard. Glass plate will help to spot the hardness of mineral by rubbing to each other. If mineral is scratches the glass plate, so it's harder than 5.5. The hardness of glass plate is equal to 5.5. If it doesn't scratch, so the hardness is less then 5.5. This is simple way to determine the hardness. 
Composition– is chemical elements, which mineral is made up. For instance Si - silicon, O2 - oxygen - SiO2 is quartz. Si is composition of silicon. 

Those all characteristics will help to identify names of the mineral. The video below gives more clarity about mineral properties. Movie is made by high school students. Watch it and enjoy of the experiment.





Reflection:

1. What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
   I most enjoyed about this project was testing minerals. This project was awesome. During this project I learned new terminologies that contributed to make video later. Also the chart gave out that include some chemical made to get involve profound into this project. I liked chemistry and relevant things to it. 
2. What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
   Most challenging was for me during this project to find right program to work on my video. Such as I had computer with windows operation system where couldn't work on iMovie. I made some research of software that will help to make movie. But when I got done, the format didn't supported. Then I was looking for converter. Most programs weren't free. Therefore, I considered this part of the project is most challenging. 
3. What new skills did you learn from doing this project? 
   I learned a lot of new skills from doing this project. How to overcome the challenge I faced with format of my video. I gained new skills in new software. However, by teacher support it was easier to solve. The website she gave me help me to get embed of my video. I learned how to test characters of minerals and what feature row materials have. In addition, I learned the difference of features in camera. The flower made picture more clear. 
4. Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work?
   I think I did well and for it seemed there is not anything to improve. But next time I will attention more on time management. Because of this lack lead me to look for other programs. The class time was enough to finish project on time.

Shake Earth's Layers! Show our world!

Lithosphere Layer: Activities: Mini-Posters, Brainpop Video and Model. 
                                          Topics: Continental Drift, The Ring of Fire, Mountain Building, Volcanoes, Earthquake and Faults.

Mini-Posters: Continental drift: Alfred Wegener person who theory about continental drift. All continents were together in one giant continent called Pangaea. Evidence for this theory was the fossils, rocks and remains of animals. Same evidences found in different places.

The Ring of Fire: The Ring of Fire is the ring of active or dormant volcanoes. These volcanoes formed on convergent plate boundary. Convergent boundary happens when one tectonic plate goes under another continental or oceanic crust. The result of this process formed mountains and volcanoes.

Building mountains: Mountains building’s caused of tectonic movement. There are 4 types of mountains: folded, dome, fault-block and horst & Grabens. Folded Mountains formed by two tectonic plates pushing each others. Dome Mountains are formed from melted of rock from earth’s crust. Fault-Block Mountains are formed from blocks broken earth’s crust that moving up of down. Horst & Grabens Mountains are formed from increasing earth’s crust. Horst is mountain formed from block moving up. Grabens are mountain formed from block moving down.     

BrainPop: Volcanoes: Volcanoes are most dangerous thing when they activate with explosion. There are three types of volcanoes: Cinder core, Strato volcano and Shield volcanoes. Because the ash that came out close sun rays, turn to dark clouds. Explosion happens because gases collect in the earth mantle. The lava turns to sold position and has minerals called basalt and pumice. Shield volcano happens in most activity volcano and heat places. The Hawaii islands made up on hot spot place. There are two most activity shield volcanoes.  

Earthquake: Earthquake happens by moving plates, actually when they hit to each other or slide past one plate another. Earthquake can be so mild that people don’t feel. Sometimes so strong so can destroy entire buildings, roads. The machine people use to detect earthquake called seismograph. This machine draw waves and tells how can be strong earthquake. The active boundaries where plates meet are called faults. Activities on surface of land such as earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mountains depend on faults movement.

Model: Faults: Faults are the rocks in replace motion. This happens when to plates sliding each other then breaking. There are types of faults: normal, thrust and strike-slip. Normal Fault is when one of the rocks goes down because of extension of the Earth’s crust. Thrust Fault is when one rock moves up. Also this called reverse fault. Strike-slip happens when rock move to left or right side. These movements make earthquake on the Earth. The result of strike-slip can be very dangerous. If house located in the place where two rocks move to sides. House just can destroy. Examples provided according to Wikipedia resource thrust fault was found in the Qilian Shan, China. Based on platetectonics.com information,” Aside from Mid-Ocean Ridges, subduction zones, and collision zones, there are areas where the stretching or compression of plates causes slight fractures in the earth’s crust. These areas of crustal stress are called faults”. This is another definition of faults.


Asthenosphere Layer: Activities: Prediction Map and Demonstration Lab. 
                                                         Topics: Plate Boundaries and Plate Tectonics.

Prediction Map: Plate Boundaries: This activity helped to learn a lot about types of boundaries and effects of them. Transform boundary is slide pass each other. The effect is earthquake. Convergent boundary is when two tectonic plates come together. When oceanic-oceanic come together, trenches and islands create. When continental-continental is result of mountains. Divergent boundary is when two plates go away from each other. Ridges happen because of oceanic-oceanic plates, Rift-valley is caused of continental-continental going away.  Mantle Hot Spot is active volcanoes, at the end creates islands with active volcanoes.

Experiment: Convection Currents: This experiment showed how convection currents work. First step added food coloring, then it went down. Second step hot water and temperature changed the movement of food coloring. Added food coloring in second step went up, after temperature of water decrease food coloring slowly went down, once again reached hot spot moved up. The whole process presented how convection currents occur and move plates. At the end of this experiment, I learnt how convection currents work and the temperature moves the food coloring/mantle result of this circle, where happens movement of plates.


Mantle Layer: Activities: Narrative Video. 
                           Topic: Earth Interior.

Narrative Video: Earth’s Interior: The spheres above the land include: Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Lithosphere is the solid part of the Earth (sand, rock and mountains). Hydrosphere is liquid part, which is water layer (rain, oceans, snow, lakes,etc...). Atmosphere is the gas layer of the Earth. In many kilometers under the ground, from outside to inside there are Crust, Asthenosphere, Mantle, Outer Core, and Inner Core. Crust is the land with everything on it, another name is tectonic plate. There are two types of it oceanic (under the ocean) and continental. The oceanic plate is denser than the continental plate. Asthenosphere is layer between mantle and crust that consist melted rock, this is where the convection currents happen. Convection currents move the tectonic plates. The Mantle is the liquid part under the crust as known as magma. Lava comes out and makes new crust at a volcano.  The Outer Core is the liquid layer, consists of nickel and iron. The Inner core is the solid layer includes iron and nickel, this is the hottest layer.

Critical Thinking Question:
Do you agree with the theory of plate tectonics? Why or why not?

I agree with the theory of plate tectonics. Because at the beginning the landmass was Pangaea and now we have 7 continents. The Earth crust divided to pieces and the scientists proved it by learning the structure of land. Geologists concluded the all land were together then replaced and still moving. The effect of their movement people feel and see as earthquake, tsunami and volcanoes. In one words it is natural disaster. These evidences support the theory of plate tectonics.

Reflection:

• What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
  The most enjoyable part of this project is the Demonstration Lab. Because I had done a lot of labs but this one was unique. This experiment didn't require a lot of supplies. To do and presentation were easy and simple. 

• What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
  
  This project was interesting and very diverse, with so many different activities with different topics. The most challenging for me was the Narrative Video. The reason is collections right information took time but later bad happen all work has gone. I had challenge with time management but by support of my partner I did finish it on time. Thanks Ali! 
  
• What new skills did you learn from doing this project?
  
  From this project I gained my knowledge about Earth's interior and learnt new relevant terms in English that I didn't know.
  
• Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work?
  
  I don’t think, I have anything to improve. I did them well and want to keep them as it is.

Solstices & Equinoxes

Vocabulary:

Word	Native language (Russian)	Definition
Axis	Oсь	The imaginary line through the Earth.
Tilt	Hаклон	The angle from right position to side by 23.5°.
Equator	Экватор	The line divides earth into two hemispheres.
Revolution	Оборот /  Вращение	When object goes around another object.
Orbit	Oрбита	The way planet goes around. Earth orbit is called Ellipse.
Equinox	Pавноденствие	The equal day and night by 12 hours each. There is two equinoxes: Vernal and Autumnal.
Solstice	Cолнцестояние	Position of the sun depending on the seasons. There is two solstices: Summer and Winter.
Summer Solstice	Летнее Cолнцестояние	The longest day of the year. It happens on June 20/21.
Autumnal Equinox	Oсенний Pавноденствие	It happens on September 21/22 and 1st day of the fall.
Winter Solstices	Зимнee Солнцестояниe	The shortest day of the year. It happens on December 21/22.
Vernal Equinox	Bесенний Pавноденствие	It happens on March 21/22 and 1st day of the spring.
Direct Sunlight	Прямый  Cолнечный Луч	When sunlight is straight comes to Earth.
Indirect Sunlight	Kосвенный Cолнечный Луч	When sunlight is not straight but in little angle comes to Earth.

Summary: 

Solstices and equinoxes happen because of revolution. Earth spins on it axis as known rotation. Earth tilted to side for 23.5°. An equator divides Earth into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern. There is two solstices: Summer and Winter. Summer solstice happen when earth axis point toward to sun. Direct sunlight comes to northern hemisphere and on the Earth in North Pole are summer season on June 20/21. Same time in southern hemisphere weather is winter season. Winter Solstice happen when sunlight comes in little angle, specific they are not straight which called indirect sunlight. Equinoxes are when equal day and night. There is two equinoxes: Autumnal and Vernal. Autumnal equinox is fall season which starts on September 21/22. Vernal equinox is spring season that starts on March 21/22. The shape of Earth orbit is Ellipse. All these changes happen through movement around the Sun.

Critical Thinking Question: 
How is earth affected by movement (revolution)? 


The Earth is affected by movement. This statement proven by revolution. Revolution happens when the Earth goes around the Sun. The way earth goes around the Sun is called orbit. Climate and time change by this movement as known Solstices and Equinoxes. Solstices is when longest or shortest day of the year.  Equinoxes is when equal day and night. Summer solstices happen under direct sunlight when is longest day of a year on June 20/21. Winter solstices happen under indirect sunlight when is shortest day of year on December 21/22. Autumnal (fall) or Vernal (spring) equinoxes happen when earth gets equally sun rays in both hemispheres. All these events cause by earth movement. 


Reflection: 

• What did you enjoy most about this project and why?
  My most enjoyed part of this project is making video. In addition I was movie editor that help me gain knowledge about imovie. Because we cooperated together and tried to make good and well enough. I enjoyed of doing my work at this project. I hope, I did well.
• What was most challenging for you during this project and why?
  Throughout this project I didn't have challenges. Because members of group exactly knew what to do and helped me to make necessary things. Also teacher gave me all required paper and guide that helped me to figure out quickly. Collaboration and communication skills were helpful to finish on time. 
• What new skills did you learn from doing this project?
  I learnt how to work with imovie software and edit movie that has been done by group. The program worked well, editing process was easy but not enough skills, didn't give me chance to make unique well. By learning how to work with this program, I made some changes and some classmates already gave me feedback. Next time I will use learnt skills to make more interesting. 
• Is there anything that you could have done to improve any of your work?
  Yes, there is something that I could have done to improve my video. I looked through my classmates works and I realize about I need to add some thing to make unique. For example add some captions and song during video. Another parts of our group work has been done perfectly. I wouldn't change anything else except this small detail.