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

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

Students are learning why we have day and night and seasons.  We learned that the Earth spins or rotates on its axis every 24 hours.  This rotation causes us to have day and night.  We also learned that Earth is tilted on its axis.  When our axis is tilted toward the Sun and are getting direct sunlight which gives us summer and when the axis it tilted away we are getting indirect sunlight which gives us spring. Students had a blast using flashlights and styrofoam balls to model the Earth’s motions.  For some cool videos see below

Earth’s rotation animation

Motions of the Earth

How do we get day and night

THIS WEEK’S ADVENTURES: This week we are learning about THE METRIC SYSTEM. The measurement system used by SCIENTIST and by most of the world. Students will learn the metric units of length, volume, mass, temperature, time. This week will be filled with mini-labs to help understand each unit.

AT HOME SCIENCE TIP: Parents and students it would be great idea if while you are shopping if you point out the metric units below so that students could make connections at home.

This week we learned about lab SAFETY in science and started SCIENCE INQUIRY.  Students were required to get their LAB SAFETY contract signed and take a LAB SAFETY test and score 70% before they can participate in FULL labs.During lab safety, we also had fun learning safety with SPONGEBOB,  playing a lab safety symbols matching game , and playing a lab safety review game before our big LAB SAFETY TEST on FRIDAY. 

On Wednesday, student enjoyed learning how science works through our DOGS & TURNIPS ACTIVITY. Many students realized that our HYPOTHESIS changes as we get more information and that scientist may get different answers even seeing the same information because we all have different backgrounds and ideas.

On Thursday, students used the scientific method to see how scientist solve problems.  To jumpstart our brains, we saw a StudyJams video about Scientific Method (great cartoon that connected with kids), Mrs. DuBose then demonstrated the scientific method by walking the kids through the QUESTION: Which will hit faster a book or a sheet of paper. The kids all said the BOOK would hit 1st.  This was a GREAT discrepant event because I posed the question “what if it doesn’t matter how heavy an object is..these two objects are supposed to hit the ground as the same time”.  It was great hearing that IDEAS..Finally someone said “ball up the paper so it doesn’t have AIR resistance.”  GREAT SCIENTIFIC THINKING. After that students then applied their knowledge Drops on A Penny Lab.  (I did introduce the idea of surface tension by using my data projector to show me filling up a cup of water and showing the children the bubble across the top. Many students expected the water to spill out.)

The students were quite amazed by the number of drops that could fit on a PENNY.  After we completed our lab, I asked the students what else do you think could affect the number of drops on a penny.  Their ideas were.

1. Type of liquids
2. Types of soaps
3. Temperature of water

This was a great intro to learning about variables next week because they will get to experiment with how does “SOAPY WATER AFFECT THE NUMBER OF DROPS ON A PENNY”. Lastly, on Friday students took their LAB SAFETY TEST (required by our county). I am happy to report that over 98% of our team passed.    As an incentive to always study, I have a class challenge called BRAIN WARS where classes compete and whoever has highest classroom average gets a prize: a PBS ticket, piece of candy, 5 points EC, etc, 2 minutes added to Preferred Activity Time, etc.

DON’T FORGET TO check out this week’s