8th Grade U.S. History

  1. Daily Slide Decks (Google Drive folder)
  2. Our Classroom Norms

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This Summer in the Arctic

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As reported previously on this blog, Arctic sea ice rebounded this summer. About half of the sea ice survived the summer melt. Last summer's sea ice hit a record low. The rebound did not seem to surprise some scientist because two record lows in a row have yet to be recorded since Arctic sea ice levels have been tracked. During my visit to the Arctic (Aug. - Sept. 2013), on-board the USCGC Healy, many observers commented on the relative abundance of polar bear sightings . This news of a sea ice rebound would also be welcome to the native Inupiaq peoples of Alaska, since subsistence hunting of whales is a continuing cultural practice. More on the Arctic sea ice rebound here .
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Day 1 of Research Cruise

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USCG Healy is an icebreaker ship, home-ported at Seattle, WA Hey readers. I just landed on the ship on which I'll be part of the science team, collecting sediment samples in the Arctic Ocean. I'll be onboard the USCG Healy, which is an icebreaker ship, operated by the United State Coast Guard. The mission will take three-and-a-half weeks, and I'll be absent the first week of school. The flight from San Diego to Barrow, AK was a long one! I departed San Diego on Wednesday, August 14th at 7:00pm, and arrived in Barrow at 11:30am on Thursday, August 15th. You don't have to be a mathematician to know it was a long, long flight, with a long, long layover in Anchorage, AK. (16.5 hours total)!
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Arctic Expedition - Day 14 - Teachers at the North Pole

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Polar bears are enjoying the "abundance" of Arctic sea ice this year According to many people in-the-know, Arctic sea ice is relatively abundant this year. Towards the end of July 2013, " Arctic sea ice actually expanded by 20,000 square kilometers ," according to Jason Samenow of the Washington Post. This is not to say Arctic sea ice is healthy as it has ever been; quite the opposite . In a NOAA report , 2012 was one of the warmest since climate records have been kept. The Arctic, according to the report, is warming faster than other places on Earth. This year's better-than-expected sea ice seems to be really welcome news to polar bears, however. During this cruise, I have personally made visual contact with five polar bears. While others on the cruise--mainly Martin Reedy, Arctic wildlife observer for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, whose job is to count these beautiful creatures--have probably seen double what I have. Polar bears are lovely; polar bears...
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