TWIS #15

This is my very last blog post and this is kinda a relief, they were kinda a pain.  So this finally week in science we once again did many things, it is the end of the year and I've enjoyed myself through out this science class experience.  This week on wednesday we again did the marshmellow challenge.  We were assigned to our original groups, I was ok with it until David said one group was very even.  I couldn't say no and walk back to my group, I just went though it and did the challenge.  It turned out to be not the best challenges. We didnt do so well, everybody either had different ideas or people just didn't participate.  We ended using the final minutes in the challenge time to just tape a bunch of random objects given to us.  Then on thursday we made a video introducing ourselves to over next year's science teacher.  We went on the roof and picked a spot we like and started recording.  We answered questions on David's blog so it was easier for us.


This week in science I learned a couple of things.  I learned that working with certian people can be difficult but I have to try, and that 20 minutes can go by fast.  Also I learned that it is now much easier to talk to the webcam  then at the beginning of the year.  Well I only was in the science class enough for the last two marshmellow challenges and I wouldf have to say that it went down.  My group was most of the time unquaperative and I felt like we weren't working as a team. I had different ideas then one had and they wouldn't let me finish.  I think it depends on the group members.  My last group won  because we worked together, honestly I think thats all it takes.  I do like working in groups but it was hard not to talk to each other.  I like hearing all the creative ideas.

TWIS #14

This week in science I did many things.  One thing that I did this week was on monday we were told about biodiversity.  Also we were told about something called the HIPPO dilema, which is a big problem, and is causing habitat loss.  Then we went on David's blog and there we clicked on a link that brought us to a website with information about the HIPPO dilema.  With that information we answered questions on David's blog into our spider observation logs.  On wednesday we got in our groups and each group got a renewable or nonrenewable resource, we researched it and then made posters on it, my group did Natural gas. On the poster we answered question on David's blog, we had to draw a picture and everything. On thursday watch a video with the class about rapid bird growth population, and how dangerous it's becoming a problem to society. Then we watched a video on the same topic and answered questions on a worksheet bout the video.

This week in science I learned many things.  One thing I learned about was the HIPPO dilema.  The HIPPO dilema is the short way of saying or short word for the disruption of biodiversity.  For example deforestation, mass amounts of pollution, human popluation growth, humans use many resources, and lastly over comsumption.  I also learned that non renewable resources can take millions and millions of years to remake, that is why they are non-renewable.  Since my group did natural gas, one thing I learned was, that natural gas was made from prehestoric animal reamains buried deep in the sand.  Over the years it has gotten deeper and deeper, and to get to it we have to drill into the ground's sand, slit, and rock to get to the oil and gas deposits.  The we learned about population growth in places that the organism is not native to.  We specificly learned about a bird that was introduced to america and is rapidly reproducing and winning in the competion for food and nesting space against the native birds. 

This Year In Science

TWIS #12

This week in science we did many things.  One of the things we did was make spider observation logs, these logs helped us record what our cellar spiders did everyday or every other day.  We didn't just write anything, we wrote things according to specific activity directions we got.  We got to decorate the cover how ever we wanted to, then we had to number all the pages and begin to fill the that very same day.  We Also watched a number of Brain Pop and other videos about energy pyramids, symbiotic relationships, and food chains.  After all the videos and also diagrams, we took little quizzes and did different worksheets.  When learning about food chains we played an online game linked to David's blog that made us set up food chains properly and they can be tricky.  They also tested us on our knowledge of  mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, which happens during symbiotic relationships.

This week in science we learned many things.  I remember a lot of things from last year and most of this stuff was a good refresher on living environment and other stuff.  I learned that ecosystems can be controlled easily, especially just like my spider habitat, and that everyday something new would be happening in the tank.  Even though I was absent on this day, but I learned about mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.  It sounded familiar and I had an idea of what they meant and their meaning actually were interesting and happens a lot in ecosystems during symbiotic relationships.  I also learned that food chains can start from the smallest things and also be a cycle and go back to producers after the consumers.

This Month in Science #10

This month in science we did many things. First we were shown different videos on human impact on our environment, and that's what started the Human Impact Campaign.  With our teacher we talked about it and we talk about how we would be separated into 4 groups, water, waste, transportation, and energy.  We were allowed to pick the group we wanted to be in, and I chose transportation. The first thing we did was make up questions on how people affect the environment, and how much they use transportation. Then with those questions we picked the 3 best questions and made them into n online survey.  Everyday we had to go on our Gmail and take the survey on how many times we took the train that day. Then we did our first experiment on energy where we tested different electrical object and record their voltage in watts and kilowatts. With the recorded data in both kilowatts and watts we found the average for each object and made a line graph. Also then we were given articles based on transportation (my group) impact. We had to read and analyze the article, then post up a blog explain about what we read. One of the coolest things that happen this month was that some people from this human impact group came and talked to us about different posters that we were going to make and put around for people to see.  We also were told that with those posters we were going to make a campaign.  In that campaign we came up with a slogan and a cool picture we made up and they explained to us the importance that people are aware of these environmental problems. Then next day my teacher David told us that with those designs we were going to make T-shirts. We never got to make them though.  These people came in and saw our designs, they helped us improve them.

This month in science I learned a number of things.  One thing I learned was that people in New York can be either really friendly or just plain rude.  I also learned that there is a grave importance to the impact on our environment and who acutally care and who doesn't.  Another thing is that making Designs  that people have to catch someone's eye is a bit difficult but fun!

This Week in Science #11

This week in science we did a lot of things.  we started a new topic in science about ecosystems and how  they work in an orderly cycle.  On monday all around the room there were papers hanging up, and on each paper, at the top, said a word that has to do with ecosystems.  For example ecosystems, plantcell, carbon cycle, water cycle, food chain, producer, decomposer, and photosynthesis.  Then we each got 8 post-its, and with them we wrote something about each topic that we knew about, one post-it for each topic.  Then on wednesday, we got these empty tanks, as the beginning of our new experiment.  These tanks will be a mini ecosystem that in a group of 4 we control.  The main focus of the ecosystem in the Cellar spider we would be putting inside to see if our ecosystem has a correct cycle going.  When we got our tanks and a blank piece of paper that was where we would draw out, plan, and name if we wanted to the spider and its ecosystem.  When we finished that we got our tanks and lay a layer of pebbles at the bottom, then a layer, about and inch thick, of soil.  After a little while we went out to Seward Park with our tanks and collect whatever we thought or needed in our tank, the could've matched what we drew in the outline.  In my group we got plants dead and alive, sticks, flowers, rocks, and all kind of bugs.  When we got what we needed we went back to class.  On thursday we split our group of four into two.  Half the group worked on Google Docs and other other half (that i was on) had to look up information about the cellar spider to answer questions given to us.

I learned many things thing week like many facts about the Cellar Spider.  Some facts that I learned were that cellar spiders look similar to Daddy Long-Legs, because of their long, thin legs.  Just like their name, cellar spider are found in damp cellars, basements, and crawl spaces.  their ar e 20 species of cellar spiders, found in the United States and Canada.  Also, cellar spiders eat a number of things, but they will invade other spider webs and eat the host and eggs and prey they may or may not have caught.  Cellar spiders only live for about a year.  Lastly I learned that the cellar spiders scientific name ids Pholcidae.  This weeks experience learning about a new spider reminded even more how much I love spiders.

TWIS #13

Photosynthesis

a) If we were to leave these spider habitat tanks sealed but removed all of the plants, what would happen? And why? Use these terms in your explanation: glucose, photosynthesis, energy, carbon  dioxide, oxygen.



If we were  to remove all of the plants in the spider habitat, I think that there wouldn't be as much oxygen circulation through out  the tank. The tank would produce more carbon dioxide, but no glucose, because  there is no photosynthesis going on, and the plants will be making no energy.  Also there will be no plants to take in the H20 and the tank will become moist.