Homework - solar ovens

Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.

 

What is solar cooking?

In the United States, the stoves in our houses run on electricity or gas. In other parts of the world, many people still cook over campfires. One of the many cool things about solar ovens is that they don't need electricity, gas, or wood to work--they cook food using only sunlight! Basically, you put food in a box and trap the sun's heat by covering the box with glass or plastic.

Answer the following questions using the paragraph above.

1) What do stoves in the USA run on?

2) What powers a solar oven?

3) How does a solar oven work?

Due 2/1/09 (Monday)

Homework - electricity

Read the paragraph and answer the questions.

Where does most electricity come from?

Have you ever thought about what happens when you flip on the light switch and the light turns on? Electricity is flowing to the light bulb, but where does it come from? In the U.S., most of our electricity is made in giant power plants that burn coal or natural gas, or are powered by large dams or nuclear energy. That electricity sometimes travels a long way from the power plant to your home, often hundreds of miles.  From the wires on those giant towers, electricity travels to smaller power lines on poles, which often run along roads or streets. 

Use the above information to answer these questions:

1) Where is electricity made?

2) What does the electricity travel through?

Due on Friday 1/30/09

Homework - US Energy Use

How much of the world's energy does the United States use?

Of every 100 people on the planet, 6 live in the United States. If everything were fair and equal, we would use as much of the world's energy as we have people--6 percent. Instead, we use between 25 and 30 % of the world's energy! Each of us uses twice as much energy as the average person in England, two and-a-half times as much as the average person in Japan, and 106 times that of the average person in Bangladesh!. And using too much energy isn't just bad because we're going to run out of it someday.

Use the above information to answer these questions:

1) Out of every 100 people that live on our planet, how many live in the USA?

2) How much of the world's energy should we use?

3) How much do we use?

Due on Thursday, 01/29/09

Homework - saving electricity

How can I save energy and electricity?

If you're not using a light, or if you're not using the computer, or if you're not watching the TV, turn them off!! Riding your bike or walking or taking the bus or the train instead of getting in a car and driving somewhere saves a lot of energy, too. So does taking shorter showers.

Use the above information to write a list of three things people can do to save electricity.

1) ___________

2) ___________

3) ___________

Due Wed 1/28/09

Homework - solar panels

 How do solar electric panels work?

Solar electric panels are made up of something called silicon, the same thing that makes up sand. There is more silicon on the planet than almost anything else. Even though you can find silicon almost everywhere, making a solar panel is difficult and expensive. The silicon has to be heated to super high temperatures in a big factory, and then formed into very thin wafers.

When sunlight hits a solar panel, it makes electrons in the silicon move around. (Electrons are teeny tiny specks--they?re way too small for us to see, even under a microscope.) The electrons flow through wires that were built into the solar panel. And presto! We have electricity!

Use the above info to answer the following questions:

1) What are solar electric panels made of?

2) What happens when sunlight hits a solar panel?

3) What are electrons?

Due on Tuesday 1/27/09

Homework - The First Solar water Heater

In the 1700s someone in Europe figured out you could make water boil by collecting the sun's heat behind a few panes of glass. A solar hot water heater! From the early 1920s to just before WWII, everyone in Florida heated their water with solar hot water heaters.

Use the info to answer these Q's:

1) When and where was the first solar water heater invented?

2) Describe the first solar water heater.

Due Monday 01/26/09

Homework - The Sun

Use the above information to answer the following questions:

1) How many planet Earths would fit inside the sun?

2) The Earth is _____ million miles from the sun.

3) It takes _______ minutes for the sun's energy to reach Earth.

Due Friday 1/23/09

Homework - Solar Power

Disadvantages of solar energy:

1) The amount of energy is not constant because of cloudy days, rain, and so on.

2) Only a small amount of solar energy hits any one spot, so you need a lot of land to collect it.

Answer these questions:

A) What can solar energy be used to do?

B) What are the disadvantages? (In your own words!!!!)

Due Thurs 01/22/09

Homework - Mr. President:)

Today the entire school will watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. This is a historic day for the USA. Your homework is to go home, think deeply about Mr. Obama's speech and then write your reaction to it.  Did he address an issue you feel strongly about? Did he inspire you in some way? 

2 paragraphs please. We will type your answers and display them in class.

Homework - Inauguration Day

Answer the following questions:

1) What does the word INAUGURATION mean?

2) When is INAUGURATION day?

3) What time will Mr. Obama be sworn in?

Due on Tuesday, 01/20/09

homework - Capitals

What are the capitals of the following states?

1) Arizona

2) New Mexico

3) Oklahoma 

4) Texas

Due on Fri 1/16/08

Homework - Obama

Answer the following Barack Obama questions:

1) When was Mr. Obama born?

2) Where was he born?

3) Obama used to be a senator of which state?

4) What is his wife's name?

5) What political party does he belong to?

6) Where did Mr. Obama go to school?

Due Thursday 01/15/09

Homework - Energy

What do the following words and phrases mean?

1) Energy conservation

2) solar power

3) wind power

4) clean coal 

5) biofuel

6) biodiesel 

HINT: Google is your friend:)

Due on Wed 1/14/09

Homework - Isn't it ironic?

Irony: A state of affairs that is opposite to what you expect. For example, today Ms. D is wearing a T-shirt that says "no more homework" but is still giving you lots of homework! This is IRONY. Choose two lines from the above Alanis Morrisette song and explain why they are IRONIC.

Due Tuesday, 01/13/09

Homework-Illinois

Answer the following questions:

1) What languages are spoken in Illinois?

2) What is the capital city of Illinois?

3) What is the largest city in Illinois?

4) What is the total population of Illinois?

5) What is the name of Illinois governor?

Hint: Go to wikipedia and type in Illinois

Due Monday, 1/12/09

Homework-More Vocab:)

Define the following words:

1) Coordinator

2) barracks

3) Migrant

4) Population

5) Property

6) Necessity

7) Basic

Due on Friday 01/09/09

Homework-Vocab

What do the following words mean?

1) Midwest

2) Migrate

3) Immigration

4) Undocumented

5) Racism

6) Laborer

7) Travel

Definitions due on Thursday 01/08/09.

Homework - Illinois

Answer the following questions:

1) When did Mexican immigrants start getting to Southern Illinois?

2) Where did most of them settle?

3) How many workers came in January 1944?

4) How many Mexicans lived in Southern Illinois in 1970?

Homework Due on Wed 01/08/09

Homework - January 20th

This homework is due on Tuesday 01/06/09.

On January 20th, Barack Obama will become the president. What would you say to him if you could? What problems do you want him to fix over the next four years? 

Write a letter to Mr. Obama telling him what problems you think are important. For example, you could talk about the high cost of living, the war, etc..