Cellular respiration - We learned that the mitochondrion is the organelle that breaks down food to produce energy which is stored in a molecule called adenosine triphosphate or ATP. The ATP powers many of the chemical reactions that enable cells to survive. The process of breaking down food to produce ATP is called cellular respiration. We learned that cellular respiration takes place in the cytoplasm and cell membranes of prokaryotic cells. Plants, animals, and most other organisms use cellular respiration to get energy from food.
We learned that the water cycle is a process that moves water between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere. The energy from the sun changes the liquid water on Earth to a gas in a process called evaporation. We also reviewed the processes of condensation and precipitation. We learned that water that cannot soak into the ground and flows across Earth’s surface is runoff. We learned that an aquifer is a body of rock that stores groundwater. We made a model of the water cycle and studied the process. We saw that landform used only one quarter of the area. We saw that runoff collects rock and sand from mountains moving it to the ocean. We created a book on the water cycle. We learned that water covers about 75% of the Earth and the Sun is the energy that drives the water cycle. We labeled each step in the water cycle including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Then we learned that transpiration is the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released in the atmosphere. Transpiration is essentially evaporation of water from plant leaves.
We learned the differences between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell. We learned that the cell is the smallest structural unit of all living things. Then we learned that a prokaryote cell is a single-celled organism that does not have a nucleus or membrane-bound organelles and the DNA is located in the cytoplasm. All bacteria and archaea are prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells have DNA contained in a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Animals, plants, protists, and fungi are eukaryotes. Most eukaryotes are multicellular except amoebas and yeast which are unicellular. Next we created a Venn diagram to understand the similarities and differences between the two cells. Then we built a eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell pocket and put the names of different cell organelles in the appropriate cell pocket to help us remember the differences between them. We performed a few other activities to document what we learned.
Friday, November 10, 2017
02:30 - 3:30; 60 min. -
Science Enrichment -
Science assessment and Plants -
I met Jeron today, and we spent some time getting to know each other. I asked him some scientific questions about his trip to Australia; explaining that science is the search for the truth, and is evident in everything we experience. We talked about science and discussed the different areas where he had a keen interest. I asked him to show me his home school computer program, which shows what science subjects he has completed and what was waiting his attention. It seemed that he had completed the physical science and Earth science sections, and had life science units left to complete. We started the plants section and he easily answered the questions about the function of plant anatomy. He demonstrated his considerable skill with his computer by making it read the questions and told me they were easy. We examined the plant anatomy section, and determined that the vocabulary was new. He admitted that the next section would require some study, but we had run out of time. I look forward to working with Jeron in the future.
We learned about coastal erosion from longshore currents. We learned two ways to reduce beach erosion. One way is a groin which is a structure that’s built at a right angle to a beach which traps sediment and reduces the effects of longshore currents. Another way is to create a retaining wall to help reduce erosion by waves. Next we learned that wind erosion carries sediment that cuts and polishes exposed rocks. Wind deposition results in dunes and loess. Next we looked at pictures of various types of erosion and determined whether it happened over a short or very long period of time. The sea arches and underwater caves took a very long time whereas the erosion of the soil or land happened very quickly. Then we played a new game called “Name the Rock” in which we were given a description or definition to determine whether it was igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic rock.
We learned that matter is made up of atoms. There are nearly 100 types of atoms that occur naturally on Earth and they are known as elements. There are only six elements that make up most of the human body. These and other elements are important for cell processes in all living things. We learned about molecules which are groups of atoms that are held together by chemical bonds. We discovered that molecules can be made up of only one type of atom as in oxygen gas which has two oxygen atoms or they can be made up of two types of atoms as in water. Next we learned that substances made up of atoms of two or more elements joined by chemical bonds are called compounds and most of the molecules found in cells are compounds. Organisms need molecules for growth, repair, and other life processes. Nutrients such as lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates are used for energy and building materials. The molecules that contain instructions for cell functions are nucleic acids.
Wind and Water Erosion - We learned that wind and water are the two most important agents of weathering, erosion, and deposition. Fast moving water can change the shape of rocks and strong winds can move sediment great distances. Young streams in mountains have the greatest energy and create V-shaped valleys. Then we learned that slower moving, mature streams erode the sides more than the bottoms of their channels creating meanders. Next we played a game where we identified how different rocks and minerals were formed.
We explored the differences between asteroids, comets, and meteors. Then we played a game where we answered questions about planet rotation, moons, and temperature. Next we looked at the Milky Way and other galaxies to determine the types of stars. We viewed images from the Spitzer Space Telescope of star birth, spiral galaxies, and the universe.
