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sarah's blog!!
We have three 6th grade Science classes and two 8th grade Science classes blogging here from the Pacific Northwest in Chimacum, WA! Sixth graders are learning a bit about Mt Saint Helens, environmental science through fresh water ecology, and physical science this year. Eighth graders are learning about life science this year. Please join us as we learn Science by exploring our world.
Mr. G's Blog
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Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Article posted June 8, 2011 at 09:00 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3442
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We experimented with and observed Madagascar hissing cockroaches this week! These cockroaches live under leaves and wood, and eat mostly fruit. They have powerful chewing mouths.
The type of experiments we did were simple and did not harm the cockroach. We blew on it, observed it eating, and dropped ammonia near it. Some of their (the cockroach's) reactions were expected, others were really suprising.
For example, when we blew on the cockroach, it moved away, which we expected. But when we dropped ammonia in front of it, the cockroach reared up and almost ran off the table.
We also discussed their body structures, like their legs and heads. The legs have rear facing spines. When you to grab ahold of the roach, it can slide it's legs forward without any resistance, and use the spines to slip out of your fingers. This is one example of how insects (and any other living thing) can evolve adaptations to help them survive.
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Article posted June 8, 2011 at 09:00 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3442
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Elwha Dam
Article posted May 6, 2011 at 09:04 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1137
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Article posted May 6, 2011 at 09:04 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1137
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Slime mold!
Article posted May 2, 2011 at 09:15 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1102
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We did a Socratic circle discussion on an article. That article was about slime mold. It claimed that the yellow pigment in "Dog vomit" slime mold is zinc and cadmium resistant. That means that it could be used against zinc poisoning!! It's interesting that something that looks like vomit could be so useful. It also means that slime mold could help reclaim zinc poisoned soil.
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Article posted May 2, 2011 at 09:15 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1102
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Snails!!
Article posted April 21, 2011 at 09:11 PM GMT •
comment (3) • Reads 885
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We recently did an experiment with snails. My group decided to test a snails eyesight. We set a snail at a tape starting point, placed a carrot chunk at a controlled interval, and did three trials per interval, per snail. The distance intervals were 0cm, 2cm, 4cm, and so on up to 10cm. We tested three snails on whether they went to the carrot or not. We thought that the snails would lose track of the carrot at about 6 or 7 cm.
Out of a total of nine trials over three snails, here are our results!
0cm-- 100%
2cm-- 78%
4cm-- 67%
6cm-- 44%
8cm-- 22%
10cm-- 22%
This data supports the conclusion that snails can see up to 10cm away but...
Our research later revealed that most tests confirm that snails don't see like we do. They see only light and dark. We think that the snails may have used their sense of smell to find and eat the carrot, but we haven't found any evidence saying how well snails can smell. Apparently people haven't done much research on this....
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Article posted April 21, 2011 at 09:11 PM GMT •
comment (3) • Reads 885
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Plant Fair reflection and stuff
Article posted April 13, 2011 at 08:50 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1046
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So... last week in science class, we started investigating plants. But instead of teaching it using normal methods, Mr. G decided to let us present what we found in our research in a science fair sort of setting.
My team researched plants in different soil types. That's also what our lab was about. We found that Plants need Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium to function normally. We also learned that sunflowers are hardy plants and that barrel cactus's like slightly moist soil. Another topic of research was about wilting and over-watering plants.
In our lab, we planted radishes in 6 different soils: gravel, beach sand, long jump sand, loam, mud, and random dirt. The radishes grew best in the sands an the loam. They ended up drowning in the soils with poor drainage-- gavel, mud, and dirt.
I really liked the way our project went, and I think it was good to have kids learn from other kids. Everything went really well with our experiment and project. This is definitely a project to have next year's class do!!
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Article posted April 13, 2011 at 08:50 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1046
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8th grade bacteria
Article posted February 28, 2011 at 09:19 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1198
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In our bacteria lab, we swabbed four places. My team swabbed the bathroom, a keyboard, an iPad and the water fountain. I predicted that the toilet or the keyboard would grow the most bacteria.
Our first attempt at growing bacteria didn't go very well. For one thing, the incubator was nine degrees higher than it said! Also, we used a regular agar, instead of a nutrient one.
My hypothesis was partially correct. We grew the most bacteria in the bathroom. The one with the second most bacteria was the water fountain. The one that grew the biggest bacteria colony was the keyboard. One thing I would do differently is swab more thouroughly, to get more bacteria on our dish.
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Article posted February 28, 2011 at 09:19 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1198
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Chimacum Creek trip-- River foam
Article posted February 10, 2011 at 09:17 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1413
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Why does foam form on rivers? Plants and other organic materials that live in rivers produce organic compounds. Some of these are surface active agents, and like soap they lessen the surface tension of the water. Less surface tension allows air bubbles to stay without popping on the surface of the water, creating foam.
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Article posted February 10, 2011 at 09:17 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1413
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What is wood made of?
Article posted January 25, 2011 at 09:18 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1759
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The wood in a tree is made when lignin and cellulose bind together to make a hard substance called wood.
"Lignin-- A complex polymer; the chief constituent of wood other than carbohydrates; binds to cellulose fibers to harden and strengthen cell walls of plants."
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/lignin.htm
"The basic unit of cellulose--the tough, fibrous organic compound that gives structure and tensile strength to wood and plant fibers like cotton--is the simple sugar, glucose."
http://www.ehow.com/about_4676442_what-basic-unit-cellulose.html
"There are six carbon atoms in a glucose molecule. They can be in the form of a linear chain, or the chain can be connected to itself to make a ring.
Attached to the carbon atoms are 12 hydrogen atoms.
Also attached to the carbon atoms are six oxygen atoms. The oxygen and hydrogen atoms can be attached to one another as well as to the carbon atoms."
http://www.ehow.com/facts_4926535_what-glucose-made.html
"Minerals from the soil help build the solid material in plant roots, stems, and leaves. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air and water make up over 90% of most plants."
http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=30
My conclusion: Essentially, trees are made up of Hydrogen, Carbon, and Oxygen, which are absorbed/taken from the air and water.
Note:
Glucose is made up of 12 hydrogen, 6 carbon, and 6 oxygen. Out of Hydrogen, Carbon, and Oxygen, Oxygens atomic weight is the heaviest. Even though there are 12 hydrogen atoms, hydrogen is so light, it weighs less than 6 carbon atoms. 6 carbon atoms, in turn, are lighter than 6 oxygen atoms. At first, it might sound like the tree would be mostly made of oxygen, but at night some of the oxygen is released, and the carbon dioxide is made into the woody fiber in trees.
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Article posted January 25, 2011 at 09:18 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1759
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Animal vs. Plant - Cells
Article posted January 10, 2011 at 08:54 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1468
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Animal and plant cells are mostly the same. They have most of the same parts, like rough endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, and peroxisomes. Centriole, centrosome, and micro tubules are all similarities between plant and animal cells. However, animal cells are more blobbish (usually round), whereas plant cells are typically square. Plant cells also have something that animal cells don't- chloroplast. Chloroplast allows plants to photosynthesize, and make food. Animals have to eat food to get energy, so their cells don't have chloroplast.
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Article posted January 10, 2011 at 08:54 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1468
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Polyacrylate+Salt
Article posted November 16, 2010 at 09:00 PM GMT •
comment (2) • Reads 1666
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Me and my group started a lab involving polyacrylate crystals and salt. Polyacrylate crystals look like plastic beads, and they absorb water. We put the crystals into water with varying levels of salt and measured their diameters.
CONCLUSION:
When I observed the effects of varying levels of salt on polyacrylate crystals, I found that my hypothesis was correct. As the levels of salt increases, the size of the polyacrylate crystals decreased. For example, after ten minutes, the crystals with no salt averaged 5.5mm, and the crystals with one minispoon averaged 5mm. After 24 hours, they averaged 14.5mm and 11.5mm respectively. I believe that the crystals were smaller in salt water because polyacrylate crystals only absorb water. That means that the salt was forced to dissolve into the remaining water. Since water can only dissolve so much salt before the salt becomes solid again, the polyacrylate crystals couldn't absorb any more water. I would not make any changes in our lab, because I think it went well and we got great data. For a different experiment, we could see how fast the polyacrylate crystals would disintegrate depending on the amount of salt in the water.
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Article posted November 16, 2010 at 09:00 PM GMT •
comment (2) • Reads 1666
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