Charity fair project blog 12/17/17

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Summary: This week we worked on something called the charity fair, which is where we create products and sell them for the charity that we're supporting. We need to create a backboard and on the backboard would have a cost and profit, information about our charity, an interactive map, list of materials, charity statistics, company name, an image of our product, product name, and an instructable. We also have to give a presentation about our charity and why people should support it. Something different this year though is that we had to make business cards that had our company logo and name on it. The business card was so people could support our charity without having to buy our product.

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

I knew what I needed to to such as what I would do in each class and that we would need to do a backboard and choose a charity. I also knew that we would have to think of a product to sell. This year however, the product had to be related to our charity. I also didn't expect to make a business card or campaign video this year. But this is also the first year I did stress balls so it took me some time to get the hang of making the stress balls. Other than that I knew what we were going to do during the charity fair and how you were supposed to sell to people.

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

While preparing for the charity fair what I found frustrating was that my partner didn't do much work, some of our products got destroyed, and even though we planned out where to put everything on the backboard we wasted a lot of room. When my partner didn't do any work I had to do the rest and it took a while. Then when my partner made the prototype they let someone look at it and the prototype broke. Lastly when we were doing the backboard we didn't have much room and it was too late since we already put most of the stuff onto the backboard.

Outward - Looking: What grade would you give it? Why?

A grade I would give our charity fair project is a C+ for creativity, a B- for collaboration, and a B+ overall. I would give creativity a C+ because our backboard was pretty plain and other groups were also doing stress balls, about 3 or 4 more groups. Then for collaboration I did a B- because even though my partner didn't do some work, they still did some work when I asked them to. They also brought the materials when I asked them to, but they wouldn't bring the stuff unless I reminded them to. Lastly I would give a B+ overall because I think that a C+ plus a B- would be a B+.

Forward - Looking: One thing I would like to improve on is...

A few things I would like to improve on is my math, my partner choosing, and my creativity. I'd like to improve on my math because I had to re-grade the cost and profit and I would want to get a good grade the first time instead of regrading it. I also would want to improve on my partner choosing so that when we choose partners at the beginning of charity fair I could get a partner who does work equally. Lastly I would want to improve my creativity because a lot of people were doing stress balls and ours looked more plain then the others. Also because then it would catch people's eye and we could sell more of our products.

Weekly blog 12/10/17

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Image link: https://byjus.com/physics/distance-and-displacement/

Summary: This week I learned about scalar and vector quantities. I also learned about distance and displacement. Scalar quantities is how far something went and vector quantities are the same thing but they have the direction that something is going in. An example of scalar quantities is if someone said that the supermarket is 11 miles away from your home. Then an example of vector quantities is if someone said that the supermarket is 11 miles east of your house. Distance is also an example of a scalar quantity because distance also only says how far something is from it’s original position. Displacement however is an example of vector quantities because it’s how far away something is from it’s original position and the direction of where it went.

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking
Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.


Did you perform any math calculations?

Yes we did a lab this week and we needed to add to get a total distance and to get a displacement To get a displacement I would do one length squared and multiply it by another length squared.

Weekly blog 12/3/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disintermediation_graphic.PNG

Summary: This week I learned what a carbon footprint is and how retailers get their products. A carbon footprint is when a certain amount of greenhouse gases is released into the air by a specific thing. Some examples of things that would release greenhouse gases are cars, planes, and a train. Retailers and manufacturers use these modes of transportation to get their products and deliver their products. Depending on how long the distance is a certain mode of transportation would be used. An example is if the manufacturers and retailers are in different continents then the manufacturers would use a plane to send the products over to the retailers.

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking
Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.

Did you perform any math calculations?
Yes we preformed math equations to find the amount of CO2 gases that was released based on a certain amount of miles a vehicle traveled. To find the CO2 gases lets say for 11.8 miles I would do 11.8 by .41 to get the amount of CO2 gases released in the air by a vehicle.

Weekly blog 11/12/17

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Image link: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scientific_classification.png

Summary: This week we learned about classification. Classification is when you put something in a specific category. An example is when you put dogs and cats as mammals and when you but salmon and trout as fish. I also learned about different types of classifications such as eukaryotes. Eukaryotes is an organism that has cells that has a cell nucleus. An organism has to have certain traits about itself to be in a specific classification. Like tetrapods which is an organism that has 4 legs and movable joints. A dog would be classified as a tetrapod.

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 this week we did a google doc about classification and we needed to answer questions using a different number of sources.

Weekly blog 11/3/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whale_skeleton.png

Summary: This week we learned about how scientists find the common ancestor of an organism. There's actually multiple ways such as comparative anatomy and a cladogram. Comparative anatomy is when scientists check the bones of an organism and compare it to the bones of another organism. If they have a similar bone structure or they have a bone that's the same then they could both have come from the same common ancestor. A cladogram is similar except it doesn't just to bones it also does hair and embryos. A cladogram is similar to a graph and a scientist would use this to compare traits of multiple organisms and would see which organisms were most related.

SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data

Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in order to derive meaning.

Did you create a graph, table, drawing, etc. of the data you obtained in an experiment?

Yes because we used a cladogram to see who was most related to a T-rex and we used a graph to record our data.

Weekly blog 10/29/17

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Image link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_of_Peppered_Moth_evolution.jpg

Summary: This week I learned about peppered moths, their different colors, how they can survive, and how their population decreased. I learned that peppered moths can come in different colors such as the normal color which is white with black spots or just a dark colors. The peppered moths live in trees with a type of fungi in them and depending on the color of the trees the moths can survive or get eaten by predators. If the tree is a light color then the light colored moth would be able to survive better than the dark colored moth. But if the tree becomes a darker shade then the dark colored moth would be able to survive better. Peppered moths can also survive in the winter because their larvae turn into pupae during the winter so that they stay warm. I've learned that the peppered moths are a form of natural selection because nature can choose whether or not they're a dark colored moth or light colored moth depending on their environment or depending on whether or not it'll help the moths survive.

SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data

Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in order to derive meaning.

Did you create a graph, table, drawing, etc. of the data you obtained in an experiment?

Yes in class we played a game where you were a bird and you chose an area where you had to eat as many moths as you could within the time limit. On a google doc though there was data already recorded but you needed to put all that information in a graph. There was 2 sets of data. One for the light forest and one for the dark forest. When you put them in the graphs you had to answer questions while looking at the graph.

Weekly blog 10/20/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_selection.jpg

Summary: This week we learned about natural selection and we did an experiment. I understand natural selection more clearly now that we did an experiment about it. Natural selection is when nature selects traits that will help a population of animals survive from predators or the environment. An example is if a species is living in the desert and a trait that they get from natural selection is less fur so that the species doesn't get overheated. I also learned that through natural selection a lot of species of animals and insects are able to survive.

SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations
A major practice of scientists is planning and carrying out systematic investigations that require clarifying what counts as data and in experiments identifying variables.

Did you plan and carry out an investigation?

(Mostly when we do a investigation, lab, or experiment)

Yes we did an experiment about natural selection that included spoons, knifes, and forks. The spoons, knifes, and forks represented species of animals. There was also seeds and buttons that represented a food source for the species of animals. The experiment was that 1 person would be a spoon, a knife, or a fork. At the same time everyone would try to get as much 'food'as they possibly could with their 'species'. This experiment helped me understand natural selection by showing how certain traits in species help them get food. Such as the spoon and fork getting the most food because they both have traits to help them pick up more food. The knife however became extinct since it doesn't have a trait that helps it pick up food. This is like how lions have sharp teeth and claws to hunt down prey but giraffes have long necks to get leaves from high trees for food.

Weekly blog 10/15/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gene_flow.jpg

Summary: This week I learned about gene flow, genetic mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. I researched gene flow while my team mates researched the the other subjects. Gene flow is when one species moves to a different species when neither of the species have interacted before. Genetic mutation is when someone's DNA changes permanently and it's totally random. The mutation can either be useful or not to survival. Natural selection is when the more common genetic trait is shown such as if a brown beetle were to reproduce with another brown beetle then their children would be brown beetles. Lastly genetic drift is when some genes of an organism is missing and the organism doesn't have that gene. An example is if someone is double jointed and their child isn't double jointed.

SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations
A major practice of scientists is planning and carrying out systematic investigations that require clarifying what counts as data and in experiments identifying variables.

Did you plan and carry out an investigation?

(Mostly when we do a investigation, lab, or experiment)

Yes we did 2 experiments in class, one was about genetic drift and the other was genetic mutation. The experiments included using M&M's and tic tacs.

Project blog geologic time 10/7/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geologic_time_scale.gif

Summary: The project that we did was based on the following eras, the Precambrian era, the Paleozoic era, the Mesozoic era, and the Cenozoic era. The Precambrian era was the beginning of the earth and it looked like it was the apocalypse. The Paleozoic had the 2 snowball earths which covered the earth in ice. The Mesozoic era was the era of dinosaurs and the start of flowers. Lastly the Cenozoic era was the start of humans which then leads us the modern age. The era I studied though was the Mesozoic era which also had some extinctions. These extinctions happened during the Jurassic period one of which affected 80% of marine bivalve species. The second affected many creatures but 2 species didn't make it to the Cretaceous period.

Backward-Looking: How much did you know about the subject before you started?
I didn't really know anything about the subject except that it was about the dinosaurs and how they became extinct. I even thought that the only thing it was about was the dinosaurs. I also didn't know that they had periods for each era or that it during this time it had 4 eras. I didn't even know that archeologists used certain tools to find how old bones are based on the rocks. The only other thing that I knew though was that it was the beginning of the earth and life on earth.

Inward-Looking: What did/do find frustrating about it?
What I found frustrating during the project process was that the title was a bit messy but I got over it quickly. What I also saw frustrating was that my teammates had weren't working the whole time so we had to meet up to work on the project. We also painted on small mini earths but one of my teammates glued the earth onto the tri fold. The earth was dry but the team mate doing that earth painted it again so we had a bit of trouble dealing with a wet earth on the tri fold. What I still find frustrating is that there was a mess up on one of the era names so we needed to use white out. I still find it frustrating because it bothers me that it looks different with the white out.

Outward-Looking: What grade would you give it?Why?
For organization I would give the project a B+, for information I would give the project an A, and for creativity I would give it an A. I would give organization a B+ because some text from one era and another era would look like they're a connecting sentence. Then I would give information an A because the information is good and it has pictures that relates to the information. Lastly I would give creativity an A because we used arrows and we also put mini earths on our tri fold. Another reason is because we were one of the only ones that used a tri fold.

Forward-Looking: What would you change in the next revision of this piece?
A few things that I would change in the next revision of this piece is the title, the way that the text is kind of slanted in the Mesozoic era, and fix the paint stains on the paper. I would want to fix the title because it looks a bit messy and the top is kind of ripped. I would also want to fix the text because since it's slanted it's leaning toward the era on it's left. Lastly I would want to get rid of the paint stains because the paint stains are noticeable even though we put white paint over it. The paper on the tri fold is also a bit crinkled. I'd want to make sure that the paper isn't crinkled in the next revision as well.

Era report WAC

   My era is the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs ruled the earth. The reason why it's called the Mesozoic era is because Mesozoic means middle animals. The Mesozoic era is separated into three different periods which is the Cretaceous period, the Jurassic period, and the Triassic period. The two continents Europe and Asia both slammed into North America and Pangaea was formed. Pangaea is a super continent that soon drifted apart which formed Laurasia and Gondwana. The rest of the continents started to drift apart (continental drift) and they kind of had the look of what the earth is today.

   In the Mesozoic era besides dinosaurs and other animals, there was plants. Some plants that existed during the Mesozoic era was ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering plants. Ferns are plants that appeared after the Permian extinction along with gymnosperms. Gymnosperms are plants that had very good reproductive systems. Their reproductive systems were good because their seeds and pollen could go through a drought and then grow into the infant plant. Then the flowered plants entered in the Cretaceous period attracted many insects such as butterflies, ants, termites, and bees. In return the insects would spread the pollen to other plants. The flowered plants appeared on the trees such as maple trees and magnolia trees.

   Animals in the Mesozoic era included dinosaurs, small mammals, amphibians, and some sea creatures. Some dinosaurs in the Mesozoic era is the Apatosaurus and the Brachiosaurus which lived in the Jurassic period. There was also a small lizard like creature that was alive. They were called Diapsids and you could recognize them by their holes on their heads just behind the eyes. There are also the small sea creatures which is fish, corals, and Mollusks. Besides the sea creatures, some lizards started to be able to breath in the water and on land. This caused them to become the top of the food chain in the Mesozoic era.

   The climate in the Mesozoic era was tropical and it had a higher temperature than the Paleozoic era. In the Mesozoic era, there was also more deserts and less swamps since it was also dryer in the Mesozoic era than the, Paleozoic. Other than climate though there was also some important events, such as the Triassic extinction and 2 extinctions in the Jurassic period. During theTriassic extinction the creatures that became extinct was the labyrinthodont amphibians, conodonts, and all marine reptiles (the reptiles that could breath in water and land). Then in the Jurassic period the first extinction happened. Shallow water species and 80% of marine bivalve species went extinct during this time. Lastly the 2nd extinction happened near the end of the Jurassic period and some species severely affected by this, was the ammonoids, marine, reptiles, and bivavles, There was also some dinosaurs that were affected by this such as the stegosaurus and most sauropods. These dinosaurs didn't make it to the Cretaceous period.

   In conclusion there were some important events and some non important events that happened during this era. There were different plants and a variety of animals, some lived and some didn't. Some animals may have even only been alive in one period. But some I think evolved and survived to our modern world, or they might have just stayed the same and still survived. There may even be some animals that we didn't know existed in the Mesozoic era.

Weekly blog 9/17/17

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Image link: https://www.pinterest.com/rebeccagebers/history-~-world-prehistoric/

Summary: This week I learned about radioactive dating and about the prehistoric eras (Mesozoic era). Radioactive dating is a way for scientists/geologists to tell how old layers of rocks are and how to tell how old fossils are. Radioactive dating helps scientists/geologists know more about the Earth's history. The way that it works is that scientists read the radioactive signatures of rock layers to tell how old they are. As for the prehistoric eras, there are three different eras such as the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, and the Precambrian eras. I studied the Mesozoic era which has three periods which are the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous. The Mesozoic era is the era when the rocky mountains formed and when Pangea happened. Pangea is when a part of land split from another part of land.

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 in class we got into groups and we each researched an era. We wrote down the information on a paper with questions asking things like 'name an important event from your era' and what era we were doing. We explained something through our work because we answered the questions and our answers explain what happened in the era.

Weekly blog 9/10/17

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Image link: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/significance.htm

Summary: This week we learned about fossils and about different layers of rocks. There are also different types of fossils. Some types are when an insect get stuck in sap and their body is preserved or when a plant or shell is stamped onto mud and the mud hardens creating the shape. Another is when a dinosaur died and it gets buried until a couple years later when a geologist digs it up. There are also different terms being used to describe certain rock layers. Some of which include relative age, absolute age, extrusion, intrusion, and more. Relative age is when you compare an age of something to another thing. An example is " she's older than him by 1 year" the example is comparing someone's age to another's. For absolute age it shows the exact age for something or someone. An example is "this car is 5 years old" or "my dog is 4 years old". These examples show the age is the car and the age of the dog. Then extrusion is when magma cools on the surface and it's younger than the rock underneath it. Lastly intrusion is when magma cools underground and the rock is younger than the rock surrounding it.

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 we discussed different types of rock with each other. We took notes and when a question was on the presentation the teacher asked us to discuss with our table. We also did a worksheet about a certain type of fossil that appeared in one place and in another. We discussed this and people provided evidence from the paragraph when we went over the answers.

Weekly blog 9/1/17

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Image link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Rock_Cycle

Summary: This week I learned about the rock cycle. The rock cycle is like a regular cycle but it has different paths for different rocks or for weathering/erosion. You can do the cycle a different way each time to get the same thing you started with or with a whole different rock. There are 3 types of rocks such as Metamorphic, Igneous, and sedimentary. Metamorphic rocks can be created when pressure is applied to Sedimentary rocks or when an igneous rock gets eroded. Then sedimentary rocks are formed formed from an eroded igneous rock which then goes through sedimentation to become a sedimentary rock. Lastly an igneous rock is formed when metamorphic rock is melted and becomes magma. The magma then crystallizes and becomes an igneous rock. But there are 2 types of igneous rock such as extrusive and intrusive. Extrusive is when the magma crystallizes above ground and intrusive is when the magma crystallizes below ground. To shorten it igneous can change into the other 2 types of rocks besides itself and so can metamorphic and sedimentary. Igneous: sedimentary and metamorphic, Sedimentary: metamorphic and igneous, and lastly Metamorphic: igneous, and sedimentary.

SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations

. A major practice of scientists is planning and carrying out systematic investigations that require clarifying what counts as data and in experiments identifying variables.

Did you plan and carry out an investigation?

(Mostly when we do a investigation, lab, or experiment)

Yes we did an experiment using gizmo and we saw what actions would create a certain type of rock. Just like how if magma crystallizes above ground then it's an extrusive igneous rock and if magma crystallizes below ground then it's an intrusive igneous rock. Also if you were to erode an igneous rock which could become sedimentary or metamorphic.

Project blog 5/21/17

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Summary: During the past few weeks we were asked to create an urban village and to choose policies for this urban village. Before that we were asked to redesign a part of the school as well. My team redesigned the grass area by adding patches of grass. As for the part to create an urban village my team and I designed an urban village with 25% education, 25% outdoors, and 50% entertainment. Some things that I learned throughout this project is that it can take over under 15 million, 15 million, or over 15 million to create an urban village. I also learned what an urban village is since I didn't know what one was until we started this project. An urban village is a place that has places to eat, places to live, places to buy necessities, and places for entertainment.

Backward - Looking: 
I didn't know much on the subject before we started but only that we needed to create something for the project or that we needed to sketch things. The subject was on creating an urban village and to redesign a part of the school. I didn't even know what an urban village is until our Math teacher explained it to us. I never even really paid attention to the school areas and how we could fix it before we started the project.

Inward - Looking: 
Some things that I found frustrating about this project was that sometimes for specific classes I couldn't find information for what we were doing for the project in that class. Some other things is that we didn't work on one thing entirely in every class and in some classes we needed to do a budget for the things that we used for the project. For Math it was for furnishings and for the buildings in the urban village that we sketched and blue printed.

Outward - Looking: 
If I were a teacher some comments I would make would be for creativity, teamwork, the ability to turn in everything on time, and the finishing piece. First for creativity on the model for our redesign "Your model looks good but for the base of the model you could have used some sort of plastic instead of cardboard". Then for creativity on the urban village "I like the design you chose to put everything in and that you chose your furnishings with purposes in each building". Then for teamwork in every class "You worked well together and barely argued with each other". Then for turning in everything on time for each class "Mostly everything was turned in on time but one assignment was turned in late by one day". Lastly for the finishing piece of everything, "Everything was well done and finished".

Forward - Looking: 
A few things that I would like to improve upon is to remember to turn in everything beforehand so that I don't forget to after I finish the assignment. Another thing is to work hard on the assignments that I have and to finish them not till the last minute. I also want to make sure that I can work better with other people. By that I mean I want to be able to communicate better with my team mates so that we could plan ahead more. Lastly I want to be able to listen more closely to directions during a group project so that if my team mates didn't hear then I would know what to do.

Weekly blog 5/14/17

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Image link: http://www.estately.com/blog/2015/12/19-things-you-should-know-about-moving-to-cambridge-ma/

Summary: This week I learned about clean cities. I researched a clean city which was Cambridge, MA. First a clean city is whether a city has healthy food, daily exercise for citizens, if the city recycles a lot, etc. Cambridge has healthy food for its citizens and its council has meetings about fixing things around the city. Some things that the council fixed were to make the city better for the citizens or to make it cleaner. To make the city cleaner the council discussed things such as street cleaning.

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 research something, used the CITE-IT strategy and then “told” the class about it?
We researched about Cambridge, MA and put the info on a slide. We put the sources on notes but we may add them last since we're not done. We may present to the class our info and about what we learned.

Weekly blog 5/7/17

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Image source: http://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-2-molecular-biology/24-proteins/the-ph-scale.html



Summary: This week I learned about bases, acids, and neutral. Bases are things that feel slippery and most taste salty. Acids however are sour and some can burn your skin if your not careful. Lastly neutrals are things in between acids and bases. I also learned about the Ph scale which is a scale of color and numbers to tell if something is acidic, neutral, or if the element was a base. If something is acidic and you put indicator in it then it would turn pink. On the Ph scale 6 and below is acidic which is the color pink. Then 7 is neutral which is the color green. Lastly 8 and above is bases which is the color purple or blue. One more thing that I learned this week is that some people dilute acids to use it as a cleaning product. Acids can be used as a cleaning product since it can get rid of grime on dirty surfaces. Diluting however is when you mix acids and bases together because they cancel each other out which makes the acid not as effective to burn you.

SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data
Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in order to derive meaning.

Did you create a graph, table, drawing, etc. of the data you obtained in an experiment?
Answer: Yes we did an experiment in class so that we could understand the Ph scale better. The experiment was a baking soda solution with an indicator of cabbage juice. We had to had to mix water with 1 scoop (popsicle stick) of baking soda and put it in the cabbage juice. We did this 6 times and for each of those 6 times we added one more scoop of baking soda to the water. The cabbage juice each time still stayed pink. We did the same thing for sodium chloride and cabbage juice but instead of pink it turned green.

Weekly blog 4/30/17

Image: Image link

Summary: This week we learned about balancing equations and about what types of equations there are. First to balance equation each side is separated by an arrow and each side as to have equal amount of each element or compound. In the image above (the top equation) the equation is 2H2 + O2/2H2O. The / will represent the arrow in the equation. The equation is already balanced because if each side has H4 and O2 then that would make them equal. As for the different types of equations they're synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement. Synthesis is if an equation has A + B / AB. Which is basically adding 2 element together. Then decomposition is when you separate a compound into something simpler. An example is AB / A + B. Single displacement however is when a the compound loses an element when the element gains that element and becomes a compound. Example = AB + X / A + XB. Lastly is double displacement which is when 2 compounds switch an element. An example is AB + XC / AC + XB.

SP5: Using Mathematics and computational thinking
Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.

Did you perform any math calculations?

Answer: Yes because if the 2 is in front of the H2 in the image then you would do 2 x 2 which is 4. Then if there's only 1 O and there's a 2 in front of the O then it would be 2 x 1 which equals 2. There is also in synthesis if it were A + B / AB then it's similar to distributive property.

Weekly blog 4/9/17

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Image link: https://www.w3.org/TR/2012/WD-css3-fonts-20120823/

Summary: This week I learned about subscripts and what would happen if there was parentheses in an atomic symbol. A subscript is the number of molecules inside of an element. However if there's something like this: O(HeC3)4 then the He would be 1 multiplied by 4 and the C would be 3 multiplied by 4. The O would just be one. In total the symbol would have 17 molecules. I also learned that if there was a number in front of the symbol then it's multiplied by each individual element. An example is 2PhO3C4 and the Ph would be 1 multiplied by 2, the O would be 3 multiplied by 2, and the C would be 4 multiplied by 2. Then the total molecules in the symbol would be 16. You can also do a symbol with the number in front and with parentheses.

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking
Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.

Did you perform any math calculations?
Answer: Yes I perform math calculations because you need to add all of the subscripts together or multiply. It was also kind of like doing distributive property when you multiply with the parentheses.

Weekly blog 3/30/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Periodic_table_large.png

Summary: This week we learned about the peridoc table and what an atomic number is, what an atomic symbol is, what an atomic mass is, and how to find the amount of neutrons in an element. An atomic number is what signifies how many protons and electrons an element has. An atomic symbol symbolizes an element like O is oxygen and an atomic mass is how many ions are in an element. Then you need to find how many neutrons are in an element. You first find the amount of protons and electrons in the element by looking at the atomic number assuming the element is neutral. Then you find the atomic mass and substract the number of protons from the atomic mass.

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking

Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.

Did you perform any math calculations?

Answer: Yes I preformed math calculations by subtracting the atomic number by the atomic mass. for example if I wanted to find how many neutrons were in oxygen then I would find the atomic number and mass. The atomic number is 8 and the mass is 15.999 but I'm going to make it 15 so it's easier. If I subtract 8 from 15 then I should get the number of neutrons which is 7.

Weekly blog 3/26/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Graduated_Cylinder_low_form_250ml.svg

Summary: This week we learned about volume, density, mass, and a water displacement method. Volume is the amount of space that an object takes up or a space within an object. Density is how tight something is or how many things are in a certain amount of space. Density can also be mass over volume. Then mass is the amount of matter within a space. Then we did a water displacement method. First you fill a graduated cylinder up to milliliters. Then you put in what you want to measure in the cylinder. Lastly you see how much the water went up and that's your volume for that object.


SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking:
Mathematical and computational approaches enable prediction of the behavior of physical systems along with the testing of such predictions.

Did you perform any math calculations?

Answer: Yes we preformed math calculations because we did an experiment in class. The experiment required a formula of how high 10 pennies was. Another one was when we had to find the density by using mass over volume.

Weekly blog 3/19/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atom_diagram.png

Summary: This week I learned about atoms and matter. I learned that an atom has a nucleus that's made up of neutrons and protons. Then on the outside there are electrons going around the nucleus this is what makes up an atom. Protons, neutrons, and electrons are the 3 subatomic parts of an atom. A proton has a positive charge, a neutron has a neutral charge, and an electron has a negative charge. Then matter can be anything that takes up space some examples are chairs, tables, marker, a pencil, a computer, etc. I also learned that if there are more protons than nuetrons and electrons then the ion becomes positive. An ion is an atom with an electrical charge.

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?

In class we discussed what matter was and described/said some examples of matter (a classmate or an object in the classroom). We also watched the teacher present a google slide about what made up an atom and in tables we helped each other with google doc questions. In class we also took notes so we could use them in class.

Weekly blog 3/12/17

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Image link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Complete-circle-foodchain.jpg

Summary: This week I learned about the food chain. A food chain explains how an environment works. Such as what animal eats what or if they're a decomposer, consumer, or producer. The image up above is an example. The producer is the plants and the consumer is the grasshopper, the mice for eating the grasshopper, the snake for eating the mouse , and the hawk for eating the snake. Then when the hawk dies it's decomposed into nutrients. The nutrients goes to the plants and the process starts all over again. There's also something called a food web which is just like a food chain but more descriptive and complicated. An example is if the hawk eats a small bird and the snake then the food chain would branch out to what the small bird eats.

SP2: Developing and using models
Models make it possible to go beyond things you observe and simulate a world not yet seen. Models enable predictions of the form “if…then… therefore” to be made in order to test hypothetical explanations.

Did you build a model, draw a picture, created a concept map, etc?

We made a food chain on a piece of paper so that we could all understand it better.

Weekly blog 3/5/17

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Image link: http://www.edinburghgardenschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/carbon-cycle.jpg



Summary: This week I learned about the carbon cycle. First in the carbon cycle carbon dioxide is in the air which plants absorb for photosynthesis. The plant is then eaten by an animal and then the animal dies. Once the animal dies it's body decays. When the body decays it decays into the ground which makes fossil fuels. The fossil fuels are things like coal or oil. The fossil fuels are then taken to a factory to be made into energy. The factory lets out excess carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air again. The process then starts all over again.

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)

We researched about the carbon cycle by reading a packet on how a dinosaurs breath survives and goes into a cycle.

Weekly blog 2/19/17

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Image link: https://m.shutterstock.com/search?q=ecosystem

Summary: This week we did a worksheet on consumers, decomposers, and scavengers. There are also producers like plants which provide oxygen. We had a substitute and we did the worksheet. On the worksheet we had to catagorize animals and plants into consumers and producers. Some consumers are omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores. Then decomposers like bacteria and fungi decompose dead things which makes the soil fertile. Lastly scavengers are similar to decomposers but they're animals or organisms that eat other dead organisms. Some examples are vultures and hyenas. We also learned about Abiotic and Biotic factors in an environment. Abiotic is a nonliving organism and Biotic is a living organism. Some examples of Biotic are plants and animals. Then some Abiotic examples are water, the sun, and dirt.

SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data
Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed in order to derive meaning.


Did you create a graph, table, drawing, etc. of the data you obtained in an experiment?

We created a graph and went outside. When we went outside we labeled things that we saw outside into Biotic and Abiotic.

Project blog 2/12/17

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Image link: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fennec-fox/#fennec-fox-hole.jpg



Summary: This week we presented our super hero projects where we chose 1, 2 or 3 animals into a superhero and create them. Mine was a fennec fox and a weasel. I learned about other peoples superheroes and powers. I also learned that if you eat unhealthy then you can get cancer. In our superhero projects we had to do epigenetics and what our super hero child would be like. I learned that if the mom was unhealthy during pregnancy then the baby would be unhealthy. Also if the child has a high stress job then they could be at risk for maybe depression. I also learned about some animals that people used for their superheroes like the platypus with the power of poison.

Backwards - looking:
On the subject I didn't know much about the animals that I had to choose for my superhero. I also didn't know about punned squares or epigenetics. The only thing I pretty much knew was when we had to improve the villain I already knew some of the body systems, their functions, and what organs were in the system.

Inward - looking:
What I found frustrating about this project was that we had to draw a lot and I'm not very good at drawing. I found everything else fine though because I'm better at filling things in than drawing things. It's also because I didn't really dislike anything about the project.

Outward - looking:
The first grade I would give is an A, then a B+, and lastly a B. I would give it an A because the information on the super villain organs in my opinion was good. Then I would give it a B+ because I think that the epigenetics was good but not very good. Lastly I would give it a B because my drawings looked good but they were also pretty bad in my opinion.

Forward - looking:
I'd like to improve on my drawings and to put more detail on my sentences. I want to improve my drawing because if we do another drawing project then I want it to be better. Then lastly I want to put more detail into my sentences because then they'll be more descriptive.

Weekly blog 2/3/17

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Image link: http://www.fotosearch.com/LIF112/sa104008/

Summary: This week I learned that about your leg bones, arm bones, the kidneys, and the lungs. Your leg bones help you stand and if you didn't have them you wouldn't be able to stand. Some bones in your legs are the tibia, the fibula, patella, and femur. Then your arms help you grab things and block things. Some parts of your arm are called the radius, humerus, and the ulna. Then your kidneys take away waste from your blood and then it turns into urine and goes into the bladder. Some things connected to the kidney is the bladder, the bladder neck, and the ureter. Lastly the lungs which help you breath by separating oxygen from carbon dioxide. The lungs help you breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide. Some things related to the lungs is the diaphragm, trachea, bronchi, alveoli, and bronchioles.

SP2: Developing and using models

Models make it possible to go beyond things you observe and simulate a world not yet seen. Models enable predictions of the form “if…then… therefore” to be made in order to test hypothetical explanations.

Did you build a model, draw a picture, created a concept map, etc?

Yes I drew a picture of the lungs, kidneys, arm bones, and leg bones and I drew an improved/nefarious version of each for my super villain.

Weekly blog 1/27/17

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Image link: https://www.nap.edu/read/5923/chapter/14

Summary: This week we needed to write a story about our superhero's origin. I learned about how people combine DNA of animals by adding and maybe even shooting a metal pellet at an animal. There are many more but for my superhero I added letters into the letter code of the animal. My superheros original letter code was FF but then it changed into FFHW because if my superhero was originally a fox and human and weasel DNA got into my superhero that's what the code would be (FFHW). Then as for the metal pellet that's how the DNA got into my superhero. Scientists put weasel DNA on a metal pellet and the metal pellet would penetrate my superhero which makes the weasel DNA rub off into the DNA strands of my superhero. 

SP1: Asking questions and defining problems

A basic practice of the scientist is the ability to formulate empirically answerable questions about phenomena to establish what is already known, and to determine what questions have yet to be satisfactorily answered.

Did you ask a scientific question?

Yes because when we had to create our origin story for our superheros there were requirements so I had to wonder or ask myself how and what would happen to my superhero and what process would it take for them to become a superhero. Such as adding into the letter code and penetrating an animals skin to combine DNA.

Weekly blog 1/15/17

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image link: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Punnett_Square.svg/2000px-Punnett_Square.svg.png

Summary: This week I learned about what a homozygous is, what a heterozygous is, and how to make a punnett square. Homozygous means that when 2 alleles in 1 pair are the same such as AA or aa. Then heterozygous is when 2 alleles in 1 pair are different. Some pairs that are heterozygous can be Aa, Bb, or Cc. Then a punnett square is when you have a square and you break it into 4 sections. Then on the 2 sections on the top you put the alleles of  the dad and on the left side you put the alleles of the mom. An example is if the dad's genes are DD and the moms genes are dd. Then the combinations in each square would be Dd. The reason is because a child doesn't just get 1 gene from 1 parent, the child get's both genes but depending on whether the gene is dominant or recessive the child will most likely have the dominant trait.

SP2: Developing and using models

Models make it possible to go beyond things you observe and simulate a world not yet seen. Models enable predictions of the form “if…then… therefore” to be made in order to test hypothetical explanations.

Did you build a model, draw a picture, created a concept map, etc?

Answer: In class we did a few punnet squares in our notebooks and we had to do one for our superhero's child. To determine what genes the child would have.

Weekly blog 1/8/17

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Image link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics

Summary: This week I learned what a genotype, an allele, and a phenotype are. A genotype is a pair of alleles. A phenotype is a characteristic such as personality, hair color, eye color, how tall or short you are, etc. This also applies to animals and plants as well. Then an allele is the traits that you might have before you're born. I also learned about dominant traits and recessive traits. Dominant traits are when you're most likely to get because they occur more often in your family. Then a recessive trait is when your less likely to get a trait because it's unique or it doesn't occur much in your family.

SP1:Asking questions and defining problems
A basic practice of the scientist is the ability to formulate empirically answerable questions about phenomena to establish what is already known, and to determine what questions have yet to be satisfactorily answered.

Did you ask a scientific question?
Yes we answered questions about genetics and DNA on a google doc. Some questions were what are genes, what's a phenotype, what's an allele, and what's a genotype.