Friday September 21, 2018
12:00 - 12:30; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; Electromagnetic waves -
Yanuell was involved in a investigation into the animals of the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico. He showed me video of the Coqui frogs, who are considered a national treasure. We then reviewed the qualities associated with different light wave energies. Finally we examined the extreme length, and usefulness, associated with the weakest of light energy, commonly called radio waves.
Friday September 14, 2018
12:30 - 02:30; 120 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; Electromagnetic Spectrum -
I introduced Yanuell to the electromagnetic spectrum. We discussed how the shape and frequency of a light wave, changes the characteristics of the energy transmitted on that wave. I explained that the more compact wave, has a higher frequency, and is called a gamma ray. These are the energy associated with a nuclear bomb. The waves that are the longest are radio waves that we use for listening to music and watching television. We worked our way through the different types of EM waves, and how each level of energy affects the human condition. We also discussed how the atmosphere protects us from gamma radiation: another excellent reason to be mindful of air pollution. At the end of the class we watched the brain pop videos on electromagnetic waves, color, and kinetic vs. potential energy.
Friday September 14, 2018
12:00 - 12:30; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; Physics Review -
Yanuell and I reviewed the physics dictionary he created last year. He remembered most of the definitions and could easily demonstrate the three Newtonian laws. I introduced the Law of conservation of Energy, and how energy is transmitted through mechanical and electromagnetic waves. We discussed the differences between the two.
Friday September 7, 2018
12:00 - 12:30; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; 1st and 2nd Law -
Yanuell told me about his trip to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, and his birthday celebrations. We then progressed into an examination of the Newtonian laws of motion. I quizzed Yanuell, requesting he state and describe the first and second law.
Friday August 31, 2018
12:00 - 12:30; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; Scheduling -
After sending my birthday wishes to Yanuell in advance of next week, he told me of his plans to go to Washington DC for his birthday. We discussed some things he may want to do while he was there. He also laid out his protracted plans to Skype until the Cardinals are done playing baseball, then travel to Puerto Rico, Barcelona, a cruise, and eventually, after the new year, coming to rest in Jupiter. During this discussion we explored his knowledge and preconceptions of each experience.
Friday August 17, 2018
12:00 - 12:30; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
SKYPE; Welcome back -
Yanuell and I shared our summer vacation stories. We shared stories about our pets and I learned what Yanuell did over the summer holiday. We then had short talk about what we will do this year to enrich his 5th grade science.
Charlie watched a Shape of Life invertebrate video today which was an overview of invertebrates and explained how invertebrates make up 97% of all animals. The video began with the simplest invertebrate, sponges, and moved to each evolving species including cnidarians, mollusks, annelids, arthropods, and echinoderms. it explained how each new species was different from the former and the adaptations it made.
We learned that temperate forests have deciduous trees and before the leaves fall off the trees pull important nutrients from the leaves into the trunk and stems. We learned that tropical rain forests are warm and rainy all year. Plants called epiphytes have adapted to reach light by living in the trees. We learned that the soil is very thin in a tropical rain forest so some trees have roots that grow down from the branches to prop up the tree. We learned that in grasslands bison and elephants have flat teeth for chewing grass and rabbits and prairie dogs have strong front paws to help them dig burrows. We learned that in the desert camels have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand and they can close their nostrils during a sandstorm to keep sand out of the lungs. We learned about life in the taiga, a far northern habitat with very cold winters and short, warm summers. The taiga has conifers or evergreen trees that grow seeds in cones. They are well adapted to this environment because they bend without breaking and their dark green color helps them absorb more light from the sun. Polar habitats that are covered with ice year-round are home to many animals like penguins, polar bears, and ptarmigans.
Assignment: We added examples of behavioral adaptations that organisms do in order to survive. We watched the waggle dance of bees on the National Geographic Website.
We learned that the place where a living thing lives is called a habitat and that all of the living things needs must be met within its habitat. There are polar, mountain, jungle, and ocean, desert, and grassland habitats in the world. Then we learned that adaptations are characteristics that help living things survive such as a jackrabbit having large ears that help keep their blood cool. We learned that plants and animals have three types of adaptations: behavioral, physical, and lifecycle. The physical adaptations might involve body parts, body covering, or color and shape. One example is the bright color of a rose attracts pollinators, but the thorns keep plant-eating animals away. Other examples of physical adaptations are sharp teeth, webbed feet, and camouflage. Another example is mimicry. Mimicry is when an animal or plant looks like another animal or plant that is poisonous or has a painful sting, a predator will think twice before trying to eat it. Life cycle adaptations are changes in the length of stages of growth and development related to an organism’s habitat. Behavioral adaptations are learned behaviors or instincts. For example migration and hibernation are instincts but hunting for food is a learned behavior.
Charlie made his cell cake today. He used icing for the cytoplasm and different types of candy for each organelle. He placed the organelles accordingly on the cake and then labeled each one. He then explained each organelle and its function.
