We played a game where we utilized mathematics to calculate force, acceleration, and distances.

We learned that a cell is made up of different parts that perform different functions to keep the cell alive. We learned that both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane which is a flexible covering that protects the inside of the cell from the outside environment. We learned that it is made up of proteins and phospholipids. We learned that there are many different animal cells such as nerve, skin, and blood cells. We learned about the parts of the cell that are responsible for processing, transporting, and storing molecules. The Golgi apparatus gets proteins ready for their specific jobs then packages them into tiny membrane-bound, ball-like structures called vesicles. These vesicles transport substances to other parts of the cell. One vesicle is called a lysosome which helps break down larger food molecules into smaller ones and recycle parts of the cell.

Thursday, January 11, 2018
10:30 - 11:00; 30 min. -
Science Enrichment:
Dolphin Friends -
I met Jayne today, and she asked me about my dolphin friends. I showed her some videos of dolphins I have studied. She saw how mother dolphins teach their babies, and sometimes put them in time out. We talked about orcas, I assured her that they were just really big dolphins, and although they looked very scary (at SeaWorld) but in truth they are gentle and intelligent. We also talked about large whales, sharks, and Finding Nemo.

Yanuell and I played a board game today which challenged him to answer questions about weather. We had a great time. Afterwards, we took turns drawing weather-related cartoons involving students in our school.

We learned that cells want to maintain a surrounding that is not too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry even though the environment is constantly changing. This maintenance of a constant internal state in a changing environment is called homeostasis. Homeostasis ensures that cells can carry out tasks such as obtaining energy, making new cells, exchanging materials, and eliminating waste. Organisms maintain homeostasis by the cells working together. When we are cold muscle cells will contract to generate heat by shivering. Some trees lose leaves in the winter to reduce the amount of water loss. The green pigment, chlorophyll used for photosynthesis breaks down changing the color of the leaves before they fall.

How Do We Measure Weather? - We learned that weather is what the atmosphere is like at a given place and time and meteorologists are scientists who study weather. Meteorologists measure air temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation. Next we learned about tools meteorologists use such as a wind vane, anemometer, barometer, and hygrometer. Then we learned that a wind vane measures wind direction and an anemometer measures wind speed while a barometer measures air pressure and a hygrometer measures water vapor or humidity in the air. Then we learned how data is gathered through radiosonde and the importance of weather reports. Next we learned that weather is what the atmosphere is like at a given place and time and meteorologists are scientists who study weather. Meteorologists measure air temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation. Next we learned about tools meteorologists use such as a wind vane, anemometer, barometer, and hygrometer. Then we learned that a wind vane measures wind direction and an anemometer measures wind speed while a barometer measures air pressure and a hygrometer measures water vapor or humidity in the air. Then we learned how data is gathered through radiosonde and the importance of weather reports. We conducted an experiment where we created a barometer from a jar and a balloon. Then we placed it outside to measure changes in air pressure. After a few hours we noticed a change in air pressure by the expansion of the balloon. We played a game where we answered questions relating to weather. We took a quiz on instruments used to measure weather.

Planned for science.

We learned about the different types of clouds and what they can mean. We learned that stratus clouds are low-lying and can look like a gray blanket covering the sky and blocking the Sun. These clouds can rise to a maximum height of 6500 feet and may signal rain. A stratus cloud that forms near the ground is called fog. Then we learned that cumulus clouds resemble cotton puffs, have flat bases, and can grow very tall and wide. These clouds rise to 20,000 feet and can signal fair or stormy weather. Next we learned that cirrus clouds often form high in the atmosphere where temperatures are cold. They are thin, feathery, and made of ice crystals. They form above 20,000 feet to a height of 42,500 feet and are often a sign that the weather is about to change. We learned about different forms of precipitation such as rain, sleet, hail, and snow. Then we learned that sleet begins as rain or snow and freezes near the ground. Hail forms inside large thunderclouds as wind carries raindrops higher and higher into the colder part of the cloud it freezes more and more water making it grow in size. Rain can drizzle with drops the size of 1/10 of a millimeter in diameter or be as large as 6 mm in diameter during a heavy storm and a rain gauge can measure the amount of rain that falls in an area. Snow crystals become heavy like rain as they grow making them too large for air currents to keep them aloft, so they fall to the ground as snow. Then we completed our cloud chart and performed an experiment. Next we played a game in which we answered questions on weather. This improved our knowledge of the instruments and terms used by meteorologists. Then we played a game on cloud formations.
Assignment: Create a cloud identification chart.

We reviewed the similarities and differences between plant and animal eukaryotic cells. We created a booklet and participated in a few other activities to help us remember the organelles contained in each cell. Then we looked deeper at the process of photosynthesis performed by the chloroplasts in plant cells. We learned that chloroplasts contain a green pigment called chlorophyll which captures energy from sunlight. Then this light energy combines carbon dioxide and water which forms the sugar glucose and oxygen gas. Plants break down glucose for energy and store excess sugars in the roots and stem. Plant cells are very different from animal cells in that they make their own food. The oxygen and sugar that the chloroplasts produce is needed for mitochondria to perform cellular respiration. The products of photosynthesis are the starting materials for cellular respiration just as the products of cellular respiration are some of the materials needed for photosynthesis.

We learned that the Earth never gets water added to it, nor does water disappear. We learned that most of the evaporation and precipitation happens in the ocean because it is the largest body of water. Water is constantly recycled in the water cycle and freshwater is scarce. About 97% of all the water on the Earth is in the oceans, and so only 3% is fresh water. Next we created a book in which we listed the ways that we use water and the fresh water sources. We learned that the water cycle has no beginning and no end. We were curious as to why the ocean is salty so we did some investigation and learned that salt in the ocean comes from rocks on land. The rain that falls on the land contains some dissolved carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. This causes the rainwater to be slightly acidic due to carbonic acid (which forms from carbon dioxide and water). As the rain erodes the rock, acids in the rainwater break down the rock and carry the sediment to the ocean. We modeled the total amount of water on the Earth and observed that the freshwater amount is very small. Then we modeled where each source of freshwater is located. We watched a presentation on the Water Cycle that showed us real examples of Earth’s runoff water and leaves performing transpiration. Then we pretended we were a drop of water and described our journey through the Water Cycle. Next we played a game where we answered questions on the water cycle.