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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
Mr. G's Class Facebook Page
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Blog Entries
Conditions of Use
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How many washers?
Article posted June 11, 2012 at 08:21 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3633
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The highest number of washers lifted in period 5 was 9 washers. The configuration that would lift the most washers would be: using 3 batteries in a series order, 2 wires, short string, and, not completely sure yet, a nail, not pulley.
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Article posted June 11, 2012 at 08:21 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3633
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Friction
Article posted May 16, 2012 at 08:11 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3765
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I learned that friction is a force that happens when two objects rub together. Without friction there would be nothing to stop us from sliding all over the place.
We used a 10/2.5 newton scale to measure the friction force of a wood block and 5 different surface types. I learned from inquiry 6.1 that the force of friction is different when something is dragged across different surfaces.
From inquiry 6.2 I learned that the weight you pull across a surface, the friction force there is. We dragged a block across one particular but, this time we changed the weight that we dragged across the surface. In conclusion, the more weight= the more friction.
From inquiry 6.3 I learned that if something has a smaller surface area with the same weight the smaller surface area has more friction force. For this experiment, we used on block but changed the surface area. The smaller surface area had more friction force.
FRICTION IS FUN=http://=http://=http://=http://=http://=http://!!!
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Article posted May 16, 2012 at 08:11 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 3765
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energy
Article posted April 18, 2012 at 07:58 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 4522
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I learned that today we are using more energy than we used in 2010.
Insulation helps conserve energy so the energy doesn't leak.
you can be safe with electricity by making sure that when you plug something into an outlet, plug it in all the way so none of the metal is touchable.
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Article posted April 18, 2012 at 07:58 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 4522
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How Battery Energy Works
Article posted March 21, 2012 at 08:23 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1419
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When it comes to batteries, there are more than one type of energy. Usually people think that batteries generate electricity, but they're wrong. When a battery is charged, it has stored chemical energy. But when it generates energy into a device, such as a battery, it turns into electrical energy. There are things called electrodes, which are the metal parts on the ends of the battery, that let the electrons run around the circuit enableing the device to work. That is the main idea of batteries.
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Article posted March 21, 2012 at 08:23 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1419
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Have you heard of Chimacum?
Article posted March 13, 2012 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1449
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I live in a town called Chimacum. Well, actually I live in Port Ludlow, a place right next to it, but I go to school in Chimacum. Our town is very small, and I really don't understand why the only school around is in the smallest town in the area. Port Hadlock, Irondale, and Port Ludlow are all bigger than Chimacum but the only school is here in Chimacum. We have a creek right by our school that we test water quality with. Chimacum is a farming town with lots and lots of farms. It takes a while for me, living in Port Ludlow, to get to Chimacum, but at least we know that we'll never run out of local foods!
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Article posted March 13, 2012 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1449
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batteries
Article posted March 13, 2012 at 09:08 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 5164
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I know that for batteries to work it needs a complete energy circuit. They power most electronic things. Some can be recharged and some can't. I'd like to learn how to make a battery and how they can transfer energy from natural things to electricity.
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Article posted March 13, 2012 at 09:08 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 5164
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Wrappin' It All Up!
Article posted February 29, 2012 at 09:26 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1038
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Roses are red, violets are blue, our creek is clean, clear, and cool. Nitrates, Ph and others like DO, lead us to one thing that all of us know. Chimacum Creek is doing great, so jump off your chair and celebrate!!!
That's right Chimacum Creek is absolutely great! If you don't believe so, I'll prove it to you. All the sixth graders in Chimacum divided into water quality jobs and gathered this data:
DO ( disolved oxygen ) average= 8.125 mg/l which is not too high or too low
Ph ( positive hydrogen ) average= 6 which means that our creek is almost pure but slightly acidic.
Turbidity average= 44.7 NTU which means our creek is clear.
Nitrates average= 0.3 mg/l which means that there is enough nitrates for algae to grow but not enough for fish to be effected.
Ammonium average= 1.6 mg/l which is the only average here that is bad.
Flow rate average= 1972.8 gal/s which is slow enough for fish to rest but fast enough for the algae to not grow super big.
Temperature average= 31.13 dergrees F which means the creek is cool. ( As in cold ).
This data proves that Chimacum Creek is doing well. And if this still doesn't convince you, that data is backed by our benthic macros research.
Jac and Aliina from the North Pacific Salmon Collition brought in water samples from the creek that had a bunch of bugs in it. A tool on the moodle showed us a chart of what bugs are tolerant and sensitive. We identified many mayflies which are very sensitive. That means that our creek is clean enough to be home to very sensitive bugs.
So, all of this years water quality research has totally paid off, it lets us know that Chimacum Creek is doing awesome. But, just because we know that the creek is clean and healthy, doesn't mean we can take it lightly. We still need to make sure it stays clean. So please stop doing anything that might pollute it, even litering on land can effect the creek.
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Article posted February 29, 2012 at 09:26 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1038
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Chimacum Creek Nitrates Data
Article posted February 10, 2012 at 09:20 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1559
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 https://docs.google.com/a/csd49.org/spreadsheet/ccc?pli=1&key=0Av3UWPBxN0bLdFVTMmlaemdXMF9EeU5ibU5keVVWaEE#gid=0" alt="" />This is the nitrates data that the nitrates people all the way from 2002 through 2011 gathered. It takes a pretty big drop at the begining, then it stays the same for a while, and then takes a huge incline. This tells us that the nitrates level has dropped and risen over the past 10 years.
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Article posted February 10, 2012 at 09:20 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1559
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Special Thanks
Article posted January 27, 2012 at 08:54 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1234
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As everybody knows, the whole 6th grade went on a field trip to Snow Creek to plant trees. But our field trip wouldn't have happened without Jac, Aliina, and all of the volunteers from the North Pacific Salmon Collition. I'd like to give a special thanks to my volunteer. THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAWSEE!
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Article posted January 27, 2012 at 08:54 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1234
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Salmon Life Cycle
Article posted January 4, 2012 at 09:22 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1044
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There is a very confusing question out there. "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Well wouldn't that work with any animal that lays eggs? Of course it would! So I am going to go through the entire salmon life cycle to find out which came first, the salmon or the egg?
The Egg Stage
Salmon eggs are usually a reddish orange color. They have a black dot right in the middle. This is the salmon egg's eye. The mother protects the eggs by digging a hole, like a burrow, called a redd. The eggs are then shielded by a layer of gravel. Eggs are threatened by predators, pollution, high temperature, and gravel disturbance. They need cold water and lots of shade.
Alevin stage
Alevin is the second stage of the salmon life cycle. They are small and have a little sac hanging from their belly. This is a yolk sac. The little fish are fed this through their yolk sac. They are theatened by gulls and other big fish like trout. Alevin need gravel to hide from predators.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcusalevin.jpg" width="400">
Fry Stage
Once salmon hit the fry stage, they start to look like normal fish. They need lots of woody debris to hide under. They also need a cold environment with sediment free gravel. Loss of riparian habitat is a huge threat to salmon. Riparian habitat is The community of plants around water that is concentrated.This is really important to salmon.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcusfry.jpg" width="400">
Parr Stage
The parr stage of the salmon life cycle is an interesting one. They grow black stripes on their backs for camouflage. Parts are threatened by loggers and especially blue heron. They need their parr marks to protect themselves from predators like birds. Parr need lots of food.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcusparr.jpg" width="400">
Smolt Stage
Smolts look almost exactly like parrs exept they don't have parr marks. Smolts are often sucked up in hydroelectric dams. That's why people put up nets to scare the smolts away from the dams. The smolt stage is usually when they start to swim to the ocean, but they can't be exposed to salt. So they start to grow a grey skin color that is salt tolerant.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcussmolt.jpg" width="400">
Adult Stage
The adult stage is the second to last stage of the salmon life cycle. Adults are threatened by orcas and seals, and there is a huge fish out there called white sturgeon and they grow huge by eating tons of salmon. So those are threats too.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcusadult.jpg" width="400">
Spawner Stage
The spawner stage is the last stage of the salmon life cycle. Once they reach the spawner stage their mouths curve upward and they grow sharp teeth to defend their spawning grounds. Once they spawn, they die.
src="http://educatoral.com/rm604/images/per5/g1/marcusspawner.jpg" width="400">
So, I guess, even by going through the entire salmon life cycle, we don't know which came first the salmon or the egg.
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Article posted January 4, 2012 at 09:22 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1044
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Water Cycle Monopoly
Article posted November 23, 2011 at 07:40 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 2067
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Article posted November 23, 2011 at 07:40 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 2067
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Article posted November 11, 2011 at 01:59 AM GMT •
comment • Reads 215
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Article posted November 11, 2011 at 01:59 AM GMT •
comment • Reads 215
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Cleanest of the clean
Article posted November 3, 2011 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1806
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Here it goes.The last hit of the night.Who will win,Yellow jackets or Chimacum.Here's the wind up,and the pitch... Smack! It's going far! It could make it over! Can it, will it... Yes!! Yellow jackets win!
Yeah,sadly,Yellow jacket creek is cleaner than Chimacum creek.We compared the two creeks and Yellow jacket creek had a score of 25 and Chimacum had a score of 21.It was close, but in the end, yellow jacket creek is cleaner.
The scoring criteria is pretty simple.First, each team got a microscope, plugged it in the computer,and pulled up a tab called "miXscope".Then we took samples of water from the creek, put them under the microscope,and took some snapshots of the bugs in the water.Next,we identified the bugs using a macroinvertibrates identification sheet.After that, we added up the total score by using a scoring criteria sheet that lists the sensitive, very sensitive, tolerant, and very tolerant bugs. The very sensitive bugs are worth 4 points,sensitives are worth 3, tolerants are worth 2,and very tolerants are worth 1.We added them up and got a score of 21.
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Article posted November 3, 2011 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1806
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severed legs!
Article posted November 2, 2011 at 09:13 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1712
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how gross is that!I'm pretty sure this is from a stonefly nymph because right in between the legs is a tail with two little attenae things sticking out.The picture on the bottom is of the bug that the legs came from.
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Article posted November 2, 2011 at 09:13 PM GMT •
comment • Reads 1712
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Water pollution and quality
Article posted October 7, 2011 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1952
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Water is one of the most important resources on Earth.Water can be used for drinking,showering,or cleaning.Water can also be used for recreational uses like boating,swimming,or fishing.Water pollution can happen in a great variety of ways.It could be small,like someone throwing trash in a river,or it could be some thing very big.For example,the BP oil spill consisted of a big oil rig.It exploded and released gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.Not only did it pollute the water, but tons of wild life was harmed.
What is water pollution?
Water pollution is the contamination of any body of water.There are seven types of water pollution.Surface water pollution,groundwater,oxygen depletion,nutrients,micro-biological,suspended matter,and chemical.Water
pollution is caused when trash or other pollutants are discharged into a body of water.
What are some of the sources of water pollution?
There are nine sources of water pollution.Sewage and waste water,marine dumping,industrial waste,radioactive waste,oil pollution,underground storage leaks,atmospheric deposition,global warming,and eutrophication.Marine dumping can result in a big problem.The plastic part that holds a six pack of soda together,is also known as a death trap necklace.
What are the effects of water pollution?
The effects of water pollution depend on what chemicals are dumped and in what areas.Water pollution in urban areas are often caused by garbage dumped by individuals.Many little kids make this mistake daily.All those pieces of trash build up and your river's water quality will be down in the dumps.The trash could kill the plants, making the oxygen rating low, low oxygen could kill the fish, and no fish could effect all sorts of things whether it's a social or recreational matter.
What can be done to improve water quality?
Make sure your gutter downspouts are pointed towards your
yard,never towards driveways or other hard surfaces.If it is pointed towards the driveway,the water could make the driveway erode, causing the little pieces of concrete to be carried into nearby lakes.Something as little as this could be what one little sea creatures life is depending on.
What are some actions that can be taken to help prevent water from becoming polluted?
It is as easy as reduce,reuse,and recycle.You can reuse empty water bottles instead of throwing them in the trash.Recycling is an easy way to keep the Earth and ocean clean.
As you can see,water pollution is a very big problem.It has impact on a lot more than just water quality.Since water is the most important resource we have,it is so important that we keep it clean and drinkable.Please help keep our water clean.
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Article posted October 7, 2011 at 09:23 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 1952
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Mt.St.Helens
Article posted October 4, 2011 at 09:06 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 2188
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I don't think Mt.St.Helens will erupt again because it a second time in 2004, so you never know when it might erupt.A ranger at Cispus even told us Mt.St.Helens is an active volcano.A lot of the mountain in 1980,and if it erupts again it could keep eroding.If this process repeats itself,Mt.St.Helens will never be the same.
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Article posted October 4, 2011 at 09:06 PM GMT •
comment (1) • Reads 2188
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my middle name is Frederick
Article posted October 3, 2011 at 09:05 PM GMT •
comment (7) • Reads 2649
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1.I have green and brown eyes
2.I play drums and guitar
3.ravioli is Italian
4.Mr.Gonzalez is an alien
5.cows have three stomachs
6.I like to ride my bike
7.my little brother is a brat
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Article posted October 3, 2011 at 09:05 PM GMT •
comment (7) • Reads 2649
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