Mrs. DuBose’s Class: AdVeNtUrEs iN ScIeNcE

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

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 this week we have learned what a minerals is using the mnemonic device: CRINS which stands for Crystal (repeating pattern), Recipe (definite chemical composition), Inorganic (non-living) Naturally formed, and Solid. Next, students learned the 8 ways that geologist can identify minerals: C3DFHLS- Color, Cleavage, Crystal structure, Density, Fracture, Hardness, Luster, and Streak.  Students had quite an enjoyable time applying these properties to figure out the identity of mystery minerals.  Lastly, students learned the 2 ways minerals can form-from evaporating solutions and from the cooling of magma and lava. Students learned that when they drink Kool Aid they are essentially drinking a solution because sugar is dissolved in water.  They also learned that through the process of crystallization crystals are able to grow. Students were quite BEDAZZLED of the large size of crystals from a geode and the size of crystals from obsidian.  I posed the questions as to why do you think the crystals were different sizes and their was always that ONE shining star in each class who correctly guess it had to do something with the temperature of the magma and lava.  The quicker the molten rock cooled, the SMALLER the crystal.  SLOW = BIG CRYSTALS FAST=small crystals

Taking their understanding a step further, I asked them how do you think we could create our own crystals?  Many students quickly grasped that we could create our own solutions and allow the solution to evaporate over several days.  Students had a great learning experience creating their borax solutions and seeing their crystals start to grow.  I used sugar last year and it started to get mold.  This year I used Borax at the recommendation of another science teacher due how quickly crystallization starts.

LEAVE A COMMENT..Share your experience creating your crystal or going on the mineral scavenger hunt

Don’t forget minerals are EVERYWHERE and WE USE THEM EVERYDAY!…To go on a mineral scavenger hunt, click on the picture below

If you are interested in growing your own crystals, try Grow Your Own Crystal Experiment on page 2..  If you want to earn 15 points extra credit to test grade, you must do the LAB REPORT that accompanies it!

THIS WEEK’S ADVENTURES

Last week students learned about the Earth’s layers. This week students were presented with the word Pangaea. Many students remembered that it was the “huge supercontinent” that existed millions of years ago. They did a great job recreating the cut-n-paste Pangaea in class using fossil evidence. The next question that was posed was why do you think Pangaea broke up. Students quickly realized that Pangaea must have drifted apart. This opened up our discussion of Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory. This led us to the discussion of convection currents. A pot of boiling rice was a wonderful example of convection. We also discussed the three types of heat transfer: radiation, conduction and convection through watching a bag of Jippy Pop. We did some cool little hand motions to go with radiation, conduction, and convection. ASK your child!

To review Continental Drift, click here

Interactive Animations

• Wegener’s Continental Drift
• The Breakup of Pangaea

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

This week’s science activity (this is number 9 & 10)is fun for the whole family. You and your family will have fun learning the order of the planets and the planet sizes using a roll of tissue paper. Have fun using your classroom knowledge to help our your parents.  This can definitely be used as a Teach Your Parent Night.  Remember you get to earn 1 point for each time you get “teach” your parent.   While your there, you can do other at home astronomy activities too..Have fun!

This Weeks At Home Experiment: 10/13-10/17

Penny in A Cup

Hi Scientists,

Your mission is to use a penny, a cup, and a index card to show how INERTIA work. The law of inertia, Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion, states that an object tends to stay at rest or in straight line motion if no outside force acts upon that object. It can also be described as the resistance of any object to change in its motion. Using inertia, we can drop a penny into a cup without touching it

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

This Weeks At Home Experiment: 10/6-10/10

How does the type of fuel affect the rocket height?

Well Scientists,

We have applied our knowledge of action and reaction forces to our pop rockets in class. Now you can have fun with this activity at home.  The question this time is which type of fuel ratio gets the best height. Remember you have to get the CLEAN FILM CANISTERS.  You can go to Eckard, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart, etc and nicely ask for clear film canisters.  Tell them you are doing an experiment for science class. Remember to say PLEASE AND THANK YOU.  These are possible variables that you can test once you get home.

1. Try changing the ratio of vinegar to baking soda
2. Try changing the ratio of vinegar to alka seltzer
3. Try changing the ratio of water to alka seltzer

Choose one thing to change (that’s the variable) and make a prediction. Then test it and send your results to ZOOM. Your results could end up online..HAVE FUN EXPERIMENTING

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

This Weeks At Home Experiment: 9/15-9/19

Hi Super Scientist,

This week we worked on our volume skills and learned how to measure liquids and irregular objects using a graduated cylinder.  Have fun at home making colors

Materials

• 9 small clear plastic cups
• water
• an eyedropper (that has mL) on sides..GO to the PHARMACY for ONE
• food coloring: red, blue, & yellow

Before starting your experiment

1. Take 3 of the cups and add 1/2 cup of water to EACH. Label one RED, the other BLUE, and the last YELLOW.
2. Then add 5 drops of red food coloring to the RED.  Repeat with yellow and blue in their respective cups.
3. The colors will act as your STARTERS
4. Next Label the 6 remaining cups A-F

Color Making Time

Follow the steps below below using an eye dropper.  Remember to rinse out the eyedropper in between steps

1. Into cup A measure 19 ml of red liquid.
2. Into cup C measure 18 ml of yellow liquid.
3. Into cup E measure 18 ml of blue liquid.
4. From cup C measure 4 ml and pour it into cup D.
5. From cup E measure 7 ml and add it to cup D and mix.
6. From the BLUE STARTER cup measure 4 ml and pour it into cup F.
7. From the RED STARTER cup measure 7 ml and add it to cup F and mix.
8. From cup A measure 8 ml of liquid and pour it into cup B.
9. From cup C measure 3 ml and add it to cup B and mix.
10. Record the color and volume of each cup A-F into the Rainbow of Colors Table 1

Cup	Color of Liquid	Amount of Liquid (mL)
A
B
C
D
E
F
	Total liquid Test Tubes A-F	mL

Voila!! You made a rainbow!!

Don’t forget to share your response with your fellow scientist!! Leave a comment..

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

This Weeks At Home Experiment: 9/8-9/12

Arrows Optical Illusion
Blind Spot

Well Scientists,

We applied discussed the importance of taking careful observations and remembering that we can’t trust our eyes.  Put your observation skills to test, with this weeks at home lab where you try outsmart the OPTICAL Illusion   Remember to send your results to ZOOM. Your results could end up online..HAVE FUN EXPERIMENTING.  Check out the optical illusion below..Can you see the TWO images??

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