Weekly blog 5/27/18

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Image link: https://www.quora.com/What-shape-is-a-black-hole-Is-it-like-a-funnel-or-like-a-consuming-ball

Summary: This week we learned about multiple subjects, two of them were meteor showers and black holes. What I learned about meteor showers was that they happen when a large meteor enters our atmosphere and when it passes through our skies it creates streaks of light. I also learned that when meteors reach the ground, they are called meteorites. One more thing I learned about meteor showers is that there are 95 types of meteors and 2 main types of stony meteorites. For black holes I learned that a black hole forms by cores and the energy produced is dwarfed by gravity. I also learned the three parts of a black hole, the event horizon which is the border where nothing can return, the ergo sphere which is a field outside the event horizon and spins really fast due to the gravity of the black hole, and the singularity point which is the center of a black hole. Lastly I learned that when a black hole “consumes” things the gravity in the event horizon begins to distort and rip everything.

SP8: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
A major practice of science is to communicate ideas and the results of inquiry—orally; in writing; with the use of tables, diagrams, graphs and equations; and by engaging in extended discussions with peers.

Did you present something to the class?

Yes this week I presented/taught the class about how elements react. We presented with a google slide first, then went outside and did an experiment. Lastly we went back inside and asked them questions based off of what we told them.

Weekly blog 5/20/18

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Image link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v40s8_7ZcrU

Summary: This week we started a project where we need to make a lesson plan to teach the class. Me and my partner did how elements react with each other (chemistry). Something I learned while researching is that some elements don’t have a strong reaction with each other like adding water to a metal. But if you make the metal hotter and add water then the reaction would be much stronger. This can be called a chemical reaction (two elements reacting to each other and forming a new substance). When adding water to hot magnesium you can create magnesium oxide and hydrogen gas.

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions
The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanations about the natural world.  explanatory power.

Did you explain something through your work?

(This may be when you researched something)

Yes we researched how 2 different elements can react to each other. This proves that when you combine 2 elements, you can get even a small reaction.

Weekly blog 5/13/18

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Image link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5uftFsVdME
Summary: This week we learned about how stress from natural disasters and normal stress affects people's brains. Stress can have long term effects on people like PTSD, anxiety, zoning out, and making mistakes you normally wouldn't make. PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a problem that has to do with your mental health where you can become depressed, have nightmares, remember the trauma, anxiety, etc. But stress can also be a good thing because it can help you become more resilient if the natural disaster happens again. Stress also helps by but a community together to rebuild and get back to normal life.

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions
The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanations about the natural world.  explanatory power.

Did you explain something through your work?

(This may be when you researched something)

Yes this week we researched about how stress can affect the brain. Then we had to answer questions about the stress from natural disasters. The articles we read explained that people who experienced a natural disaster could have a lot of stress and some can experience PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), shrinkage of the brain, Alzheimer’s, and forgetting to do simple things. But in one of the articles it explains that it could be a good thing to experience a natural disaster because when scientists did a test 15% of people had better mental stability. Natural disasters can also bring people together to repair their community. People will also be more prepared if a natural disaster happens again.

Weekly blog 4/29/18

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Image link: https://socratic.org/questions/which-types-of-galaxies-have-a-clearly-defined-disk-component
Summary: This week we learned about galaxies and reviewed the different planets in our solar system. There’s actually different types of galaxies such as spiral galaxies, elliptical galaxies, irregular galaxies, and peculiar galaxies. Spiral galaxies are like flat disks that have dust, gas, and old stars in them. Elliptical galaxies are like spiral galaxies but they have less gas and stars, however the stars it has are much older than those of a spiral galaxy. Irregular galaxies are galaxies that were formed by collisions of 2 galaxies. But the galaxy doesn’t have a distinct shape and are more faint than a spiral galaxy. Lastly a peculiar galaxy does have a shape but the shapes that a peculiar galaxy has are just like irregular galaxies, they were created by a collision.

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions
The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanations about the natural world.  explanatory power.

Did you explain something through your work?

(This may be when you researched something)

Yes we filled out a google document and we had to use information from a video to answer the questions. We had to put the definitions of galaxies and what a galactic collision was.

Weekly blog 4/22/18

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Image link: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FusionintheSun.svg

Summary: This week I learned about stars, how stars are created, and what the phases of the moon are. Stars are created by a process called nuclear fusion which has two hydrogen atoms come together to create a helium atom. This process leads to a star burning its energy until it has none left. When it runs out of energy the star becomes a white giant where nuclear fusion is no longer possible. I also learned that when you measure a stars brightness it’s called magnitude. When a star has low magnitude that means it’s brightness is high and when the magnitude is high that means the brightness is low.

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions
The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanations about the natural world.  explanatory power.

Did you explain something through your work?

(This may be when you researched something)

This week we had to research how stars are created, the definition of a type of star, and phases of the moon. On a document we needed to answer questions about stars. We also had to explain how some processes worked for stars.

One Man Band Project Blog 4/15/18

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Summary: This week we did a project where we had to create our own instrument which needs percussion, wind, and string with 3 pitches each. From this project I learned that with string to get a higher pitch you'd need to put more tension and the less tension a string has the lower the pitch. I also learned that for a maraca depending on how big or small the container is, how much material you put into the container, and the material will make the maraca sound like a lower or higher pitch. If you use a different material for the maraca the sound when you shake it could sound different. Then for wind I learned that to amplify the sound you can put the sound through a tube and put a cone at the end.

Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before we started?

I knew about different pitches and how sound travels, but I didn't know how to really create different pitches on instruments besides with bottles. I also knew how sound can change and how to create different pitches with bottles by putting different amounts of water in them. I also knew that certain instruments were in wind, string, or percussion. Such as drums for example, drums are in percussion and maracas are also in percussion.

Inward-Looking: What did/do you find frustrating about it?

What I found frustrating about this project is that I had to make 3 pitches for each type of instrument. I also had trouble making the wind part of my instrument which I also found frustrating. What I still find frustrating about the project is that I still can't play the wind part that well since it doesn't work 100% of the time. Also that I didn't have a good way of connecting the three maracas and I had to use string to connect them. One more thing is that the first maraca that I made wasn't as good as the 2nd and 3rd maracas.

Outward-Looking: If you were a teacher, what comments would you make about this piece?

If I was a teacher comments that I would make about this piece would be about creativity, the string, the wind, and the percussion. For creativity if I were a teacher I'd say "It doesn't look like anyone else's but it's not very colorful". For string If I were a teacher I'd say "The string is rubber bands which works well and is and sounds like real strings”. For wind I’d say “It isn’t very unique although it does have 3 notes”. Lastly for percussion the three notes do have a distinct difference to them if you listen”.

Forward-Looking: One goal I’d like to have for this week is...

I’d actually like to have multiple goals for this which such as keeping my grade at an A, being more creative with my work, and use my critical thinking skills more. I want to keep my grade at an A because then I’ll have a chance at getting 4.0 at the end of the term. I also want to be creative with my work because it would make my work be more presentable. It can also make the possibilities of what my final product could be more. Lastly I want to use my critical thinking skills more do that I can get better at solving real life problems by solving problems in school.

Weekly Blog 3/25/18

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Image link: https://physics.tutorvista.com/waves/types-of-waves.html?view=simple

Summary: This week we learned about different types of waves and the parts of a wavelength. There’s two types of  waves, mechanical and electromagnetic waves. Mechanical waves are waves that need a medium to pass through. An example of a mechanical wave is a seismic wave which passes through the earth (the medium) and can cause a tsunami. A medium can be a gas, liquid, or solid. Electromagnetic waves however don’t need a medium to pass through. An example of electromagnetic waves is light waves which don’t need to pass through a medium like air molecules.

SP7: Engaging in argument from evidence
In science, reasoning and argument are essential for clarifying strengths and weaknesses of a line of evidence and for identifying the best explanation for a natural phenomenon.

Did you participate in a class discussion providing evidence for your answers, and/or used the ACE strategy in your work?

Yes in class we talked about the different types of waves and why they’re different. We also talked about examples of the waves and why they’re a mechanical or electromagnetic wave.