September 20/ Chapter 4/ ROCKS

Dear Students:
This week we will continue to work in Chapter 4: ROCKS!!!!!We will explore Sedimentary Rocks, Metamorphic rocks and the Rock Cycle. Our Chapter TEST will be Wednesday, september 29. We will carry out activities in class to get ready for it. Our multistation Lab Activity certainly was a big success. Slowly but surely we will continue to practice our lab skills as well as our class content. Your workpack should be ready by Wednesday, september 22. We will proceed to discuss it in class and to make sure that no questions are left unanswered. I will now list some of the goals you should meet as we approach the end of the chapter:

List the the characteristics used to identify ROCKS
Identify the three major groups of ROCKS
Identify the characteristics used to classify Igneous Rocks
Describe ways in which Igneous Rocks are used
Describe how Sedimentary Rocks form
List and describe three major groups of Sedimentary Rocks
Explain how sedimentary rocks are used
Describe the conditions under which metamorphic rocks form
Identify the ways in which geologists classify metamorphic rocks
Explain how metamorphic rocks are used
Describe the rock Cycle
Explain the role of the plate tectonics in the rock cycle

Don't forget to use the links provided in this BLOG to review your material in a daily basis, as well as the class notes.

Now lets take a look at some Effective HABITS

You can prepare yourself to succeed in your studies.
Try to develop and appreciate the following habits:

Take responsibility for yourself
Recognize that in order to succeed you need to make decisions about your priorities,
your time, and your resources

Center yourself around your values and principles
Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important

Put first things first
Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or other interests, distract you from your goals

Discover your key productivity periods and places
Morning, afternoon, or evening?
Find spaces where you can be the most focused and productive.
Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges

Consider yourself in a win-win situation
When you contribute your best to a class, you, your fellow students,
and even your teacher will benefit.
Your grade can then be one additional check on your performance

First understand others, then attempt to be understood
When you have an issue with an instructor (a questionable grade, an assignment deadline, etc.) put yourself in the instructor's place.
Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation

Look for better solutions to problems
For example, if you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read it.
Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center

Look to continually challenge yourself