Populations by Shylo

Population, in human biology, is the whole number of inhabitants occupying an area, such as a country or the world, and continually being modified by births and emigrations and deaths and emigrations.

In class I worked on the population of birds. I noticed that there are only a little bit of one bird species and then a lot of one species of birds. There aren’t as many grouse in Garden Valley as there are hawks. There are many birds in Garden Valley and you can see most of them anywhere you go. There are more than 20 common species in Garden Valley like the Mountain Bluebird, California Quail, Black-billed Magpie, Cooper’s Hawk, Woodpeckers, etc.

In class, we also went over how many bushes, trees, flowers, animals, etc. in Garden Valley. So that when we make the Garden Valley guide, it will show everybody that their are many populations taking up the Valley. I noticed that Garden Valley is a place known for its nature and its animals. I really do think that Garden Valley is a good place to go just to get away. Garden Valley is beautiful and people come to see it for its nature and populations.

Cell Structure, by Grace

How does cell structure and function effect our lives?

Cells are vital parts of life. Without them we would not be able to live. Cells contain many different parts that assist in the overall function of the cell. There are different types of cells; they are often categorized as prokaryotic and eukaryotic.

Prokaryotic cells are smaller and simpler than eukaryotes; they have no membrane-bound organs. Prokaryotes are most often bacteria. These cells have many different shapes composing these cells. The more rounded prokaryotes are cocci, rod-shaped cells are bacillus, and spiral shaped cells are called spirilla.

The outer layers of Prokaryotes help to protect the cell. The outer layer is a slimy coating and is called a capsule. Attached to this capsule are appendages called pili or cilia and projections called flagella; these appendages and projections assist in the movement of cells. The middle layer is a cell wall and is tougher. The inner skin is a cell membrane that is much more delicate.

The inner layer of the cell contains all of the organelles that assist in cell function. These organelles are found in a liquid filling called a cytoplasm.

Prokaryotes are simple and easy to grow. They reproduce quickly and are all similar. These cells are unicellular and can form chains of cells making them filamentous.

The other type of common cell is the Eukaryote. Eukaryotes are larger in size and more complex. These cells have organelles and chromosomes. Eukaryotes can be specialized for one job.

There are many organs found in the Eukaryotic cell. They contain a cell membrane to assist in the protection of the cell; it is composed of a phospholipid bilayer. The fluid mosaic model shows the makeup of this organ.

Controlling the cell and containing information is the nucleus. The mitochondrion in the cell makes energy for the cell. Ribosomes build proteins from amino acids found in the cytoplasm; they are made of RNA.

There are two types of Endoplasmic Reticulums(ER). They can be smooth which build lipids and carbohydrates. There is also a rough ER which stores proteins that are made by attached ribosomes. Working alongside the ER is the Golgi Complex that takes in sacs of raw material from the ER and sends our sacs containing finished cell products.

Lysosomes are also a part of the cell. They are types of sacs that contain digestive enzymes to get rid of worn out cell parts and food absorbed by the cells. Giving shape to the cell is the cytoskeleton composed of microtubules. Vacuoles found in the cell are water filled sacs that stores starch and waste products.

Eukaryotic plant cells have chloroplasts filled with chlorophyll. These organs turn solar energy into food energy by photosynthesis.

Eukaryotes can be multicellular and include plant and animal cells. The cells may work together to form tissues while the tissues work together as organs.

Cells continue to stay important to our lives because they work together to bring us life. We are made up of cells and without the specialized functions and structures of cells we would not be able to live.

Physical Science Vehicle Derby

Next week, on Thursday at 8:30 we are having a derby for our self-propelled vehicles! Ask your student what their vehicle looks like, and why it is able to move.

Prizes to be given out:
Fastest Vehicle
Longest-running Vehicle
Most Creative Vehicle
Best Design Vehicle

Motion by Jess

I’m going to talk about motion. Motion is a very pretty important thing in physics right? It’s the way things move, stop and turn. Without motion we would just be sitting here not moving at all: that would be pretty boring. In class we are building a self- propelled vehicle and you need to know a lot about motion in order to make your car go. In this brief post I will tell you all i have gathered about motion.   

Motion is a change in position of an object. Motion is described as displacement, direction, velocity, acceleration, and time. Like if a car is going down hill the car will pick up velocity and start going faster the weight has a lot to do with it to. If there was a lighter car going downhill it wouldn’t go as fast as a heavier car because an object that is in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an opposing force. The longer a car is going down hill the faster it will go.

Sir Isaac Newton was one of the greatest scientists ever. According to a story, Newton saw an apple fall to the ground and he thought that the same force which caused the apple to fall was also the motion of the Moon and the planets. In 1687 Newton published his three laws of motion In 1687. His three laws explained how the concepts of force and motion work.

Newtons first law I already told you was a object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force.

Newton's second law of motion states that a force, acting on an object, will change its velocity by changing either its speed or its direction or both If your basketball rolls into the street and is hit by a bike, either the ball will change direction or its speed or both. It will also be the same for the bike.

The third law is probably the best known of Newton's laws. It states that for every force and action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Like when you are shooting a gun and it kicks back because of its power.

Why is motion essential to life? Why do lighter things move slower than heavier things? Some questions for you to ponder on.

Like I said motion is very important and somethings are still difficult to process about motion because its such a complex topic. So many things to learn!

What is Dry Heat? By Abbey

Most people know what heat is. The faster molecules move the more heat that is given off. What might surprise a lot of people, it surprised me at least, is there are different forms of heat. (Wet heat, Dry heat, Radiation.)

One form of heat that really interested me is dry heat. Dry heat cooking is basically any technique of cooking where heat is transferred to the food without moisture being used. When cooking with dry heat, higher temperatures are usually involved (300F or hotter).

Interesting facts!

·         Browning of food can only be done through dry- heat cooking

·         Although deep frying means putting the food in hot, LIQUID, fat, it is surprisingly a form of dry heat.

·         Dry heat isn't just on the stove, its also used when grilling

Here’s a question to think about- Why can some foods be cooked by dry heat and wet heat? (ex. hot dogs, eggs) 

This is such an interesting topic to me personally because before this was covered in class I didn't know cooking was classified into different forms. Now whenever I’m making food I like to think about what kind of heat is being used.

Chauncey's layer's of the earth

I think that it is easier to memorize a phrase that goes with the vocabulary that you are trying to memorize.  For example; in math you would use P.E.M.D.A.S, Pandas. Eat. My. Dad. Every. Sunday.

So to memorize the layers of the atmosphere I did one for myself that is easy to learn, very efficient and even a little bit of fun.

The layers of the atmosphere from top to bottom are Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere and Thermosphere. So my phrase is-

"The Stupid Monkeys Talk"

I found that by making a short easy phrase it is way more efficient then to just straight memorize them it is 10x more efficient.

The spheres of the earth are also a catchy one to remember. The layers from bottom to top are ; Asthenosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere.

A Lizard Hides Bugs

Asthenosphere- one of the spheres of the earth, it is a plastic like region.

Lithosphere- the lithosphere is the rigid, outer part of our planet

Hydrosphere- Where all the water is on our Planet

Biosphere- Where all life on the planet is

What is Heat? By Dillon

Heat is something that cooks food and heats things up by making atoms vibrate. We use it to cook our food so it is not cold when you eat it. There are many different types of heat. The heat source that I am doing is wet heat it is used to cook multiple different foods.

Wet heat- It is heat that uses moisture and ands moisture to foods to cook them, deep fry. Wet heat usually uses lower temperatures than dry heat.

Why does wet heat use lower temps that dry heat would?

This topic is important because there are different types of heat for different uses of cooking and wet heat is one that is in almost every day use.

Here are some examples of wet heat!!!

Chauncey's Newscast on Acid Rain

Breaking Acid News

Check it out!

The Scientific Method, brought to you by Dani

Scientific Method is a rational and logical set of steps that scientists use to test theories and draw conclusions.

There are six simple steps to the scientific method, and they are…

1.        Ask a question.

2.        Do some research on the topic.                                  

3.        Come up with a hypothesis based on the question.

4.        Test your hypothesis with an experiment.

1.        Analyze the results of the experiment.

2.        Draw a conclusion from the results.

Some interesting facts about the Scientific Method:

• No one really invented the scientific method rather the method was just put together through time.
• Some of the greatest minds helped to shape the scientific method such as Aristotle,  and Galileo.
• The Scientific Method is the backbone to every science experiment.
• There are two types of the scientific method. The experimental method uses numerical data and graphs while the descriptive data uses visual observations and interviewing.

ARISTOTLE                           GALILEO

Why is the scientific method important to us?

                The scientific method is one of the most important parts of science because it neatly organizes a way for us to test our

                theories and draw conclusions through experiments.

A few questions to consider!

1.        Why do you think it is important to organize our experiments and data that we have gotten from our hypothesis?

2.        Do you think scientific method will change in the future or will it always stay the way it is now?

The End!!!

Note from Ms. Raino: If anyone can be called an inventor of the scientific method, it would be Ibn al-Haytham and Al-Biruni, who both pioneered sets of scientific, experimental based inquiry in the 1020s and 1030s

Project Based Learning

Here in the science classroom, two of the classes have just started a project-based learning unit. 

Physical science is learning about motion, forces, and Newton's 3 laws by creating a self-propelled vehicle. 

Biology is creating a guide to the ecology of Garden Valley, and in turn they are learning about ecology, invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants.

Project based learning is when "students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge."*

These projects include the following components:

1.Content area knowledge- in this case, motion and force for physical science, and ecology for the biology class.

2. Skills for the 21st century, including collaboration, creativity, innovation, problem solving skills, and communication. 

3. Inquiry- students are in charge of asking questions and researching to find out the answer.

4.. Motivation and choice- students are in charge of their own learning, and their creative output.

5.Critique and Revision- students will have the chance to have their work reviewed, and constructive critique given, in order to create a more polished final product.

6. Public Audience- instead of the project being within a closed classroom, students will present their work to community members, and in turn, become the expert.

If you'd like to see the self-propelled vehicles in our derby, come by the school at 8:30 am on October 2nd.

*http://bie.org/about/what_pbl

Mack's Measurement Thoughts

We learned about the metric system. During this chapter we learned how to measure certain things by the volume, density, temperature, distance, mass, and time. We did a couple of labs to help demonstrate measurements using scales, and measuring density, and mass.

*Only three countries have not converted to the metric system, one of those being the U.S.

(U.S., Liberia, Burma are the three countries that have not converted over)

*The metric system was developed based on decimals.

(Moving the decimal point certain places over)

*In ancient times, the foot was 11 1/42 inches. Today it is 12 inches, the length of the average man’s foot. (We use a ruler, back in the old days they used a human foot, they did not have nothing else to use.)

How is the metric system better than the non-metric system?

How are we supposed to measure something without it? We would not know the length of anything we would have to just guess. If we had to measure something and measurement did not exist we would use objects. For example, an arm, you can measure with an arm but not everyone’s arm is the same length. Without measurement how would you know what ingredients to add to certain foods or objects to make them? Life would be difficult without it.

This image gives an overview of common U.S. measurement.

Shyenne's Take on Making Ice cream in Cool Science

I have discovered the secret to making ice cream. I have learned from Mrs. Raino how to make ice cream with a few ingredients. It all started with learning the conversions and how to read big science words.

            Take 30 minutes out of your day to make some ice cream plus 15 minutes is a work out. I mean, who does not like ice cream after you work out? Plus, you can add any kind of flavors to your desire. Ice cream is really easy to make. You just take 2 bags and fill the first one with the ingredients and the second one with the ice and salt. The first bag consists of milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. You then place the first bag into the second bag making sure that the first bag is zipped tightly. You then just shake the bag for 15 minutes and checking the temperature every 5 minutes. How did the salt make the ice cream freeze?

            Well this was my experience with making ice cream; you should make yours and see how it turns out. 

~Shyenne

What we are doing in class this week

Physical science: We just finished a measurement lab, and we will be moving on to motion tomorrow.

Advanced Biology- What are the molecules of life? Ask your student!

Earth Science- We will be focusing more in depth on the atmosphere.

Cool Science- What is the difference between cooking with dry heat and cooking with wet heat?

Biology- We are starting an Ecology unit, and we will be compiling a guide to Garden Valley as part of it.

Chemistry- What has mass and occupies space? Matter. Ask you student how chemists separate matter.