Mrs. DuBose’s Class: AdVeNtUrEs iN ScIeNcE

When the gray wolf was eradicated from Yellowstone National Park in the 1920s, more was lost than just the noble and fascinating predator. The park’s entire ecosystem changed. Now, nearly a dozen years since the wolves returned, the recovery of that system to its natural balance is well underway.  In the Valley of the Wolves is a riveting documentary that provides understanding into ecosystems, adapations, food chains, niche, animal interactions and more!! Teachers, I have a created movie questions that go along with the movie for your classroom use. Click here

Hi Super Scientist

This week we enjoyed learning about ecosystems.  We enjoyed watching Finding Nemo and applying what we have learned about ecosystems: abiotic and biotic factors, habitat, symbiosis, and food webs. We created our own cycle of life by creating food chain from National Geographic magazines. 

A food chain includes plants, or producers, plant-eating animals called herbivores, a meat-eating animals called carnivores, animals that eat both plants and other animals (omnivores), and tiny creature, or decomposers, that break down dead plant or animal remains

Symbiosis basically means ‘living together’ . These symbiotic interrelationships can be divided into three main categories; Mutualism, when both species involved benefit from the relationship, Commensalism, when one species benefits and the other isn’t affected, and Parasitism, when one species benefits, and the other is harmed in the process.

Commensalism                              Parasitism                           Mutualism
(credit to Dirk Redecker. University of Basel Botanical Institute)

Commensalism: One partner living on the other with no obvious effect on the second.
Parasitism: One partner living on the other with detrimental effect on the second.
Mutualism (symbiosis in a strict sense): Advantages for both partners.

CAN YOU GUESS IS IT..

MUTUALISM, PARASITISM, OR COMMENSALISM??

What is a habitat?
A habitat is a special place where a plant or animal calls home. Just like you have a home or place to live, so do animals and plants. When we talk about an animal or a plant’s home it is more like a neighborhood than a “house.” An animal needs four things to survive in its habitat—food, water, shelter, and a place to raise its young. Just like you have to go to the store to get food, an animal leaves its “shelter” to get the things they need to live. If the population’s needs aren’t met, it will move to a better habitat.

Working Together
There are many plants and animals that will share the same habitat. The animals and plants that live together in a habitat form a “community.” The community of living things interacts with the non-living world around it to form the ecosystem.

Because resources like water and food may be limited, plant and animal species often compete with each other for food and water. The only way that they can all live together is if they occupy slightly different niches or hold different “jobs” in the community. No two species can occupy exactly the same niche. They all have their own jobs or niche in the community.

A niche is the smallest unit of a habitat that is occupied by a plant or animal. The habitat niche is the physical space occupied by the plant or animal. The ecological niche is the role the plant or animal plays in the community found in the habitat.

Hi Super Scientist

The year is quickly wrapping up.  Our last unit will be the Circle of Life.  We will be studying how EVERYTHING is connected.  That macaroni that you had last night or that chicken that was so scrumptious all started out from one place–THE SUN.  We will begin this unit by learning about ecosytems–basically the Circle of Life.  We will have many fun activities that teach us about ecosystems, biomes, food pyramids, photosynthesis, and more. 

GlaxoSmithKline’s Science in the Summer program in North Carolina is a fun and free science education initiative that helps elementary and middle school children “grow into science.” Children in seven central North Carolina counties will explore science firsthand through a unique GlaxoSmithKline educational program hosted by local libraries.

GlaxoSmithKline’s Science in the Summer will offer a free five-day program for elementary school students at 20 libraries. Middle school students will also participate in Science in the Summer through an intensive one-day laboratory experience aboard a mobile science laboratory, part of UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s DESTINY program.

The 2009 program will focus on chemistry. Students will learn about chemical reactions, build models of molecules, experiment with common foods, explore the density of water and examine how chemistry affects their lives each day.

Each site will offer classes at three levels:

• Level I, for students entering grades 2 and 3, will meet daily from 9 a.m. until 12 noon.
• Level II, for students entering grades 4 and 5, will meet daily from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
• Level III, for students in grades 6, 7 and 8, will meet one day during the week, performing science activities aboard the DESTINY mobile science laboratory.

To find the a Science in the Summer programs scheduled in 2009 in your area..click here   Each library has its own guidelines for registration, and spaces are limited. Parents should contact libraries directly for more information about registration.

2009 FCS TECHNOLOGY CAMPS

 DIGITAL EXPRESSISONS      ROBOTICS         GEOCACHING

It’s time again to think about what are going to do after the first week of being lazy on the couch.  Ahh, I got it.  Apply for a Summer Technology Camp with FCS. Camps are available for rising third- to twelfth-grade students with topics including digital photography, animation, robotics, geocaching, and more. Applications will be accepted through Friday, May 15th. For more information, click here. Summer Technology camps are now open for registration.  Deadline for registration is FRIDAY, May 15, 2009. There is no fee for these camps. 

Important rules to remember

1. One child per application, please.
2. Camps begin at 8:00 am and end at 12:00 pm.
3. By registering your child for camp, you are giving permission for your child’s photograph to be posted on the Franklin County Schools webpage. 
4. More info and the registration forms are available by clicking HERE. REMEMBER SPACE IS RUNNING OUT FAST!!

Prepare to get dirty and have some fun learning about Weathering and Erosion. 

What Happens To A Mountain?

Question: What changes will happen to the mountain of soil over the course of a month

Hypothesis:  I think …

Procedure

1. Build a “mountain” of soil 50 cm (about 20 inches) high in an undisturbed location in your backyard yard.
2. Observe the mountain once a week for the next 1.5 month.  Measure its height and width and note any changes in its surface.

RECORDING DATA: This chart will be a log of your experiment. Make a chart that includes

1. the date and time,
2. the height & width,
3. observations (description),
4. daily drawings of your mountain. 

Analysis and Conclusions..After observing the mountain for an extended period of time, answer the following questions

1. What was the initial height of your mountain
2. What was the final height?
3. How much soil did your mountain loose (subtract #2-#1) ?
4. Prediction: How long do you think it would take for your pile to weather away
   • HINT: A. Divide the answer from question # 3 by the number of days you observed.  
   • B. Take the amount of final soil height ( question #2) and divide it by the number you got in step A )
5. What forces do you think might have caused changes in your mountain?
6. Why do you think your soil weathering away so quickly?
7. What naturally protects soil from erosion?
8. What could you do to your mountain to conserve soil or make it more erosion proof?

In class we went outside and observed the soil profile and had an DIRTY good time.  Your job is to be a SOIL SCIENTIST and investigate the layers of soil at your house. Your job is to create a soil profie (similar to the picture on the left) and label and name the soil horizons or layers.  You are to put the soil you collect into small sandwhich bags and attach them to a poster .  You get to be as creative and artistic as you want.

-Collect a baggie of each type of soil and staple to a sheet of THICK construction board and answer the following questions.  This will be added as 20 points EC on a TEST grade.   Click the more button to see the project details!

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How do the forces of erosion change the world in which we live? Join us and find out

Greetings Science Snoopers! You might say we’re going to really get “down and dirty” because our topic is erosion and one of the key things that erosion controls is DIRT! Most people don’t realize it, but every minute of every day, our earth is being changed by the forces of erosion. Wind, water, ice, insects, and even people help to move soil and wear away the surface of the planet. Your mission is to investigate one way that shapes your neighborhood and then write about it. Let’s begin by investigating the facts! Have fun being a Dirtmeister by doing these fun science experiments at home!

Did you do your lab report..If not click here

SAFETY ALERT: ALWAYS REMEMBER even the simplest activities with the most basic of materials can be harmful or dangerous, so parental supervision and guidance is critical at all times

At Home Science Experiments

• Neighborhood Erosion Experiment
• Soil Erosion Demonstration
• Soil Organic Matter (Aggregate Stability)
• Soil Air
• Particle Size Demonstration