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??

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. 

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!!

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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Last week we learned what a mineral is and the 8 ways they can be identified. This week were are learning how rocks and minerals are related. Minerals are the building rocks for rocks! There are 3 main types of rocks (sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic).

An igneous rocks forms when magma or lava hardens. There are 2 Types: extrusive (forms small crystals because lava cools quickly once it reaches earth’s surface) or intrusive (forms large crystals because magma cools slowly beneath earth’s surface)A sedimentary rock is made from pieces of sediments, rock fragments, animal or plant remains.There are 3 types of sedimentary rocks: clastic (rocks stick together), chemical (formed from solutions), and organic (remains of plants and animals/living things. The last type of rock is a metamorphic rock (morph means to change..think if the POWER Rangers) are rock made from rock that has been put under heat and pressure deep within Earth. There are 2 type foliated (minerals grains have been flattened and aligned) and non-foliated

We will use crayon shaving to take a ride on the rock cycle (thank to scienceclass.net) as we explore how rocks are formed. We will be acting out the Rock Cycle and students will have the opportunity to be creative by  song, rap, poem, or story that goes with the Rock Cycle ! If you are great with video and love music, you may create a music video that incorporates the Rock Cycle. This project would be due by May 29th! Make sure you complete your vocabulary foldables on Rocks and Minerals. These are great review before your Minerals and Rock test this Friday.  If time permits, we may be playing a review game on Thursday

IGNEOUS ——————- SEDIMENTARY————— METAMORPHIC
Check out the Rock Cycle Animation below and Da Rock Cycle to the tune of Webbie’s Independent

• What are the 3 Types of Rocks
• Interactive Rock Cycle
• Rock Cycle Interactive
• Interactive Rock Cycle Animation
• Rocky’s Journey on the Rock Cycle
• Fun Rock Cycle Activities for Home

This week we have wrapped up our the Journey to the Center of the Earth.  We thoroughly enjoyed our Journey to the Center of Earth Jeopardy review game for our upcoming test.  We wrapped up the week by going on a webquest that showed us how Earth’s Plate are A Movin’ and Groovin’.  This unit got students really engaged for how plate movement effects, named EARTHQUAKES and VOLCANOES.

This week’s Adventures

Wow, its already February (Feb 2-6). Last week we learned that convection currents happen in the mantle due to the molten material. Convection currents are the primary reason that the Earth’s crust moves. This week we continue with journey to the center to the Earth by talking about sea-floor spreading which was discovered by Harry Hess. He came to Wegener’s rescue since no one believe his theory of continental drift. Hess discovered something amazing at the bottom of the ocean…THE SEA FLOOR WAS ACTUALLY SPREADING at mid-ocean ridge. (The sea floor spreading is the process where magma is ejected out of the ocean floor (basically a a crack ) called a mid-ocean ridge. This magma turns into to new ocean crust As more magma comes out of the ridge, it pushes the older crust further out.. The question students then asked is if the sea floor is spreading then “why isn’t Earth growing bigger”. Many students realized that old crust is heavier and sinks back into the earth at trenches where plates collide. This process is called subduction.

Students were thoroughly amazed that the magnetic poles actually reverse position. We looked at the animation below to help understand this complete concept.  Students were quite intrigued that iron can turn and point to the strongest magnet (our North Pole).

To help students understand this concept we created a sea floor spreading model that helped students visualize the mid ocean ridge, subduction trenches, and magnetic reversals. To understand the process of subduction, students observed Diet Coke and Reg. Coke and had to explain how one was like continental crust and the other is oceanic crust

To review Sea Floor Spreading , click here

This week we have wrapped up our sun, stars, and galaxies unit. Students have been learning about our closest star, the sun. We have created a model of the sun and now we are learning how stars go through a life cycle like humans. We will wrap up our star unit by making a classroom into a planeterium as we get the chance to observe constellations in the classroom. Our next journey will take us back to Earth as we Journey to the Center of the Earth

SPIRAL                                    ELLIPTICAL                       IRREGULAR