Prokaryote Pizza

Now it is time to get acquainted with our textbooks, which I passed out on the last day of class before vacation.  Hope you still can find them! Chapter One, section one - Cells: The Basic Units of Life.  Read pages 2-11; In your science log, write down the vocabulary words and their definitions. Write down the three parts of the "cell theory." Answer the questions in the study guide on page 11. (Younger students may do this aloud to a sibling or mom.) Review the diagram of the bacteria, and be able to draw & label  it from memory. 50 pts. for all.
The Big Idea- All organisms are composed of one or more cells.  So in answer to our question, What are the characteristics of life? we can say, living things are always made of cells.

Bacteria have 3 basic shapes: can you figure out what they are?  draw the 3 shapes in your science journal, and give them names.

Taking Care of the Shrimpies-  So now that we know it's an animal, we have to feed it something.  But what??? lots of choices.
Feeding:The  shrimpies are not hard to feed. They accept most foods that they can filter out of the water as long as it’s not too big and doesn’t dissolve in water. Examples of this are yeast, wheat flour, soybean powder, egg yolk. It’s hard to know how much to feed them, but don't overdo--they are small!
Oxygen & Water Quality: Feeding means pooping too, so you'll want to change the water now and then.  Here's how:  Aquarium maintenance: Brine shrimp are usually kept in small tanks which means that water quality may deteriorate quickly. This means that water changes are of utmost importance. I recommend changing at least 20% two times a week. This is to prevent low oxygen levels which will be a result of poor water quality. It’s also important to clean the bottom of the tank since brine shrimp moult very often during their way to adult hood which leaves a lot of remains on the bottom of the tank which may deteriorate the water quality. This should be done by night using a flashlight to draw the brine shrimp to the surface. Brine shrimp are drawn to light and the light from the flashlight will attract the brine shrimp to the light source keeping them safe while you are cleaning the bottom of the tank. {So I think that means using your mom's turkey baster to pull the junk out of the jar bottom; get your mom to show you how to do this. Replace 20% of the salt  water with new salt water--use one tablespoon rock salt or sea salt to one quart water.}


Could some of you who have lids bring in your shrimpies on Monday to look at under the microscope?  Thank you.
And keep making observations and recording in your science log!

What Is the Meaning of Life?

Are Flames Alive? video question

Here is a link to the worksheet I handed out in class: The Martian and the Car,
in case you misplaced it.  Feel free to get ideas from brothers, sisters and even parents, if you wish.  25 pts.

A short video: Introduction to the characteristics of Life
Reading: (3 pages) What is Life?  10 pts.

Hopefully you brought your jars of salty water + "whatever" home.  Just to remind you of the assignment, here goes:

1. Put your jar in a safe, not-too-hot spot, where it will not be thrown away or forgotten.  Tell your family about it so they will not dispose of it either.  Maybe give it a name. (Peanut is taken, but Peanuts could work.)
2. Set aside two or more pages in your science log for making observations, drawing illustrations, and asking questions.
3. Make your first day's observations.
-Write a description
-Draw what you saw under the microscope
-Make a hypothesis about what it might be, or what category: plant, animal, fungi, protist, bacteria?
-Is it alive?  what makes you think so?
-What might it need in the coming days?

Goal is to keep these kritters alive and observe them for at least three weeks, and grow them as large as possible, and to use our most careful descriptive writing skills possible.  OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE!
15 pts.

The Game Is On!

For Thursday's class-- review all the science vocabulary this year--including from the beginning with Mrs. Copperman.  We will be playing games- Pictionary and Catch Phrase, the Science Edition.
 Be prepared.

A Short Note

Thanks for class today--it is great fun being your teacher.

All that is necessary for Monday is to prepare for the short vocabulary quiz with Quizlet (see last Monday's homework for website) and also to finish up the pumpkin project, which is due Monday to turn in.

And that's that...

Class-Ify

The coloring page I passed out in class-- The Elements of Life-- read and follow the directions on the back. 10pts

Some Review Videos Forming Molecules with Atoms  ***IF YOU LIKE SONGS
[brown letters = web site ... left click with mouse]

"Learn how atoms bond to form molecules with this great chemistry video. Water is made up of millions of molecules which are in turn made up of atoms.

This video touches on important topics such as protons, electrons, electron shells, valence electrons, the periodic table of elements, how water molecules are formed and more."

Element Song

"This great animated video teaches kids about the different elements of the periodic table with the help of a unique song.Learn about various gases, metals and compounds, find out what coins are made from, what makes balloons fly high in the air, what living things are made of and much more. Meet the elements of the periodic table with this great chemistry video for kids."

 5 Pts, just for listening.

A Quizlet to help you learn vocabulary, created just for you.
http://quizlet.com/17426430/atoms-and-molecules-5-7th-grade-flash-cards/  Choose "Print" and follow directions to make your own flash cards or play any of the games online.  This is a site you will find very helpful in your academic life, including history class! (If you have older siblings who have been in my class, ask them.) Experiment with how to use it. (or just print from here.) I will give a short vocabulary quiz on Monday for up to 20 points.

Finish up your Pumpkin logs/reports/questions.  See side bar if you have lost the directions.  This is worth up to 100 points and must be turned in next Monday, completed. I will look at them and return on the last day before vacation.

On Thursday we will be sorting and classifying the molecules of life--so in preparation I want you to sort out and organize something else; it could be your closet, shelves, toy box,  a messy drawer or cupboard, part of the garage, or... ask your mom or dad for an idea.  Your mom can assign the point value, up to 25 points for a job well done.  Have her write it in your lab notebook.

Nematodes A.re Cool / Fungi are ...

well, fun.

I hope you enjoyed finding so many life forms under the microscope; I enjoyed your enthusiasm, and I really appreciated that you didn't automatically say "Gross!"  The name of this little guy pictured above is C. elegans, because it is so...elegant.  They are fantastic specimens for important research, such as  studying neural pathways, aging, and a host of other investigations, and have even been launched into space.  C. elegans made news when it was discovered that specimens had survived the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003.


Homework starts with some very short videos that you will enjoy.  Please take a few moments after watching to write down 3-5 sentences: one sentence which summarizes the video clip, and two or three sentences which tell an interesting or important fact that you would like to remember.  

decomposers 4min video : The Unseen World   
Watch and summarize.  5 pts.
[I hope by now you all realize that the brown letters are a website, and if you left-click on it, it will automatically open up in a new window.]

Planet Wild - fungi 

Watch and summarize.  5 pts.

Mushroom Mycelium Feeding on Nematodes!
Watch and summarize.  5 pts.  And here's the
The Musical Version 

Gross fact: The largest nematode ever  was found in the placenta of a sperm whale.  It was 8 meters long (25 ft.)
It was named, appropriately enough, Placentonema gigantisma.-+
The ones in your garden do not get this large--they stay mostly microscopic.

A page of facts about nematodes:
http://nematode.unl.edu/wormgen.htm

Now, for today's question: Where does the matter that make up the pumpkin come from?  From the soil? Yes, but just a little of it.  98% of the mass that make up living things are just a few types of elements- carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.  Where does the carbon come from? Here's a clue:  Brainpop - photosynthesis  ( pcshome  ilearnathome )
Only watch movie. 5 pts.

And here is a story to read (one page):  The Cyclic Journey of an Atom Please print it out and put it in your binders.  Extra points if you read it aloud to your mom.  5 pts. +5 extra credit. 

Lastly, of interest to you boy-type people, here's a little bit on Punkin' Chunkin' -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=sXuQvAPwcOE&NR=1
(My apologies for the one coarse word.)

Well, today was very...loud. l=/
But the concept was good, and I think you-all got it:

A chemical reaction is when the starting molecules rearrange themselves into different molecules, which have different properties.  In this experiment we saw that combining baking soda with calcium chloride (in the presence of water) produced  salt, chalk, carbon dioxide and a water molecule.

Go back to your worksheet and try to finish whatever parts you did not do in class.  We will go over "page 6" - writing the chemical formulas - in class on Thursday.  You can build 2 made-up molecules, write the formulas, put them into a baggie, bring to class, and we will test each other on them.  OK?  15 pts.

Next, some brainPOP.com: Do the regular- watch the movie, fill out the vocabulary sheet, take the quiz, and then if you are an older  student (6-8th grade) read the FYI pages.
username/passwork:  pcshome   ilearnathome    15pts. each

http://www.brainpop.com/science/matterandchemistry/compoundsandmixtures/

/http://www.brainpop.com/science/matterandchemistry/chemicalequations/

Lastly, I want you to collect a sample of your pumpkin to bring to class on Thursday-- just a teaspoon or so, put in a small tupperware type container.  We will look at these under the microscope; who knows what we'll see???  5 pts.

What are the two things to bring to class? 
-pumpkin sample
-Two made-up Lego molecules  (less that 10 legos each)