Vertebrates

 

On Monday I was excited because we were finally learning about vertebrates! I've been waiting for this ever since we started dissecting. No offense to all the invertebrates but their body structure is kind of boring. Even though we aren't dissecting a fish, I'm sure Chloe the cat would surely enjoy the fish smell left in the room and visit more often. Learning about vertebrates is a bit harder because they have so many more body parts to learn about. I learned that vertebrates have a backbone and some skeletons can be made of cartilage and some can be made of bone.

On Tuesday we started the frog lab. We opened and examined the mouth of the frog. When I first opened the mouth I thought I had taken off the tongue because it did not look like humans. I learned that the tongue is not attached to the back of its throat like humans but it is attached to its lower jaw which allows it to extend further.

On Wednesday we reviewed the chapter very well and examined the frog. On Thursday we began our frog dissection. I like this lab because it is the closest to the human body we will get. My dissection went pretty well. My group exhibited teamwork and worked pretty well together; this was a great improvement over last week. I can definitely improve on how I assign lab duties and making sure everyone has an equal share of the workload. Our ability to communicate well this week is a great benefit of lab work as there is less chance of us messing up. This was probably my favorite lab because my group worked so well together.

On Friday we had our open book quiz. I thought this was easy because I had my notes but also difficult because I had to keep flipping through to find the answers.

My dad and I worked on Science Olympiad this week. I can definitely improve on working with my dad. I have a hard time listening to him sometimes because he doesn't always listen. We are working on being better listeners.

The link below has a lot of neat information on tree frogs including their sensitivity to their habitat. This week was a long week and I am looking forward to spring break!

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish/tree-frogs.aspx

frogs  

useful test tool 

go team WAAS! 

skinning the frog 

Spirit Week!!!!

On Monday we observed starfish. Although these spiny creatures are cool on the outside, there is not really much to them on the inside. Today we also had a surprise visitor. We had a cat! His or her surprise visit made me think of "Cat in a Hat". The fishy starfish we were dissecting or maybe it was the squid, attracted this feline friend to science! I liked learning about sea cucumbers because of how they moved. I learned that the starfish eats by ejecting his stomach and secreting enzymes to break down the food. The way the starfish eats made me glad we have mouths and teeth to chew our food. I think I can improve by printing out the notes before class so I can follow along and make notes on the side.

On Tuesday - Well today was 'Wacky Tacky Day". It was cool seeing all the teachers in their wackiest apparel!. The starfish dissection was practically my worst dissection! This bony echinoderm was like cutting through dry cement! Apparently there was some miscommunication from the group of what I should cut and what I shouldn't. That was unfortunate for me because no one wanted to cut the starfish because they didn't want their hands to smell like fish. So there I was like a deer in headlights not knowing what to cut. So they told me to cut it like a donut. Of course I thought the metrephoric plate was the hole and the part with the legs cut off was the donut part. Let's just say my starfish was a little "special". I definitely need to improve on the way I interpret the directions I am given and be sure to ask for clarification when in doubt!

On Wednesday we finished our starfish dissection. This dissection helped me learn how the parts of a starfish work. I enjoyed having a visit from the cat; which is ironic because in Explorations we are doing the play Cats. I think I need to improve on how long I take to do my labs. I think I should try to finish more at home.

On Thursday we reviewed for our test on Friday by playing Pictionary. The practice vocab quiz helped me know what I needed to study. Pictionary was interesting. My table especially...Zane's and James Albert's drawing needed some true interpreting. The different ways we reviewed this week really helped me know what to study better. I need to improve on studying vocab.

On Friday we had our test. I think I did pretty well. I had a fun time at the dance on Friday evening. It was a long hard week but lots of fun!

I watched this starfish dissection on you tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb1ZDwGwTBs

Friday dance 

 Me and my friends 

Playing pictionary 

starfish

starfish dissection 

Really busy week...I want sleep!

This week I just wanted to sleep but I knew this weekend I couldn't because I had to improve my boomilever design so we can win at state! On Monday in science we observed the grasshopper and learned about arthropods and its body structure. I learned that the grasshopper has two different sets of legs; one for walking and one for jumping.

On Tuesday we dissected a grasshopper. The grasshopper was one of the hardest dissections I have done because the exoskeleton was very hard to cut through. I learned that the rectum stores the poop :-) and does not secrete enzymes.

On Wednesday we reviewed for our quiz on Thursday. The quiz was on arthropods and molluscs. We reviewed by writing the vocab words on white boards. This activity helped me learn the definitions  I did not know well. 

We had our quiz on Thursday and I did well. I was adequately prepared by reading my chapter notes and studying my vocab. On Friday we completed our biodome lab which I had not seen in months, so I was panicking that I had lost it; but in a rush I found it. On Friday I also presented my individual exhibit for National History Day and I am moving on to Regionals.

This week I worked on improving my boomilever design. Without going into too much detail I worked on improving my efficiency by tweaking my original design. I think this new design is a good improvement.

I have attached a link on the ehrlichia tick. I am familiar with this tick because my mom got bit by one and these things creep me out. I think I may have arachnophobia!!

 http://www.columbia-lyme.org/patients/tbd_ehrli-anapla.html

Biodome

science class working outside 

grasshopper dissection 

national history day 

Science Olympiad Week and so much More!!

This week in science was jampacked with hardwork, long days and lots of fun.
On Monday we finished dissecting the worm from the previous week. I learned about the circulatory half of the worm; how the circulatory and the digestive systems work together. On Tuesday we finished our worm dissection labs. From drawing and answering the questions I had a better understanding of the worm's body structure. We had our Chapter  test on Wednesday on cnidarians and worms. I didn't do as well as I would have liked on my test; but I tried my best. On Thursday we got instructions on our field trip planned for Friday to Wonderworks in Myrtle Beach and prepared for Science Olympiad which was on Saturday. Friday was filled with lots of fun at Wonderworks. I really enjoyed the 360 bike, the braingame and 6D theater. The bubbles were also awesome! Then it was time to get some rest for the big long day on Saturday. The day started out early in the morning with lots of surprises, fun, and excitement. Team WAAS was awesome! We had so much fun!!! By the end of the day I had placed second in my boomilever event and was very surprised when I heard my name called for the leadership in science award. I was so happy! The excitement was even more hearing them call WAAS' name to go to State. I am already thinking about ways in which I can improve on my boomilever. I cannot tell you in my blog post exactly how I plan to improve; because that will be giving my winning plan secrets away on this public blog!!!! I am so excited about everything we accomplished this week as a school team!!! It was a fun, hard, awesome week !! I have attached a link from the local newspaper with the number and size of the Science Olympiad competition; which gives even more numbers to show how awesome our team of 18 did, competing in a group of almost 1000 students!!!


http://portcitydaily.com/2014/02/28/close-to-1000-students-to-compete-at-the-wilmington-regional-science-olympiad-at-uncw/








 Team WAAS 2014

 Worm dissection 

Me and my dad/coach 

Wonderworks field trip 

Off to State we go!