Rock Cyce

On Monday we continued with rocks and began reviewing for the quiz on Tuesday. This quiz contains information on metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. The basic information on the the rocks will be on the quiz but we will not have to identify any specific rocks. Instead on Friday we will have a lab practical where we will have to identify the most common rock types from each formation of rock. To study I used the quizlet on rock vocab. The terms that I often missed were pluton and stock. I would often mix these two up a lot but after a while I figured out how to remember them. One thing I need to improve on when studying for this test is understanding the difference between intrusive and extrusive rocks types and how to tell them apart.

On Tuesday we had our science quiz. For the most part it was challenging but I was able to use my common knowledge of rocks to work through the questions and come up with the best answer. One thing I will need to review for the test is labeling igneous rock formation below the Earth's surface. Some of the rock formations that I mixed up were stock and laccolith. Now I know that the difference between a stock and a lacolith is that a stock is a smaller version of a batholith and a lacolith pushes through the rock layer almost forming a new layer. After the quiz we worked on our sedimentary rock lab that we had started last week.

On Wednesday we got our quizzes back and I was happy to see that I did very well. We went over the commonly missed questions and had a basic overview of the entire quiz. After reviewing the quiz we worked on our sedimentary rocks. This rock lab was the most difficult for me because I did not have a clear understanding of the questions. Most of the questions were very complicated and revolved around the different processes of sedimentary rocks. After the lab we individually reviewed for the lab practical on Friday. The two rocks I usually mixed up were slate and shale. This is because they have similar colors and shale is the parent rock for slate.

On Thursday we continued with learning about rocks. We reviewed the processes of the rock cycle. In the rock cycle any type of rock can go through any of the rock formations. For example igneous rocks can change into sedimentary rocks through weathering and erosion. Weathering can break down rocks through natural proceseses such as acid rain and wind. Acid rain is an example of chemical weathering because the acid content in the rain can break down the minerals of rocks. After reviewing notes we worked on the textbook questions about the rock cycle. Most of the questions were review but some of the questions were about topics we discussed that day. We also had practicing on identifying the rocks for the lab practical on Friday.

On Friday we took our lab practical on rocks. One person went at a time and while we were waiting we studied for our upcoming test and worked on reviewing rocks. The lab practical was like  the practice one we reviewed in class but the rock samples were a lot different.  The color of the granite samples were very different I could not tell which rock it was at first. Most of the other rocks were similar in color but not in texture. After taking the practical I worked on my study guide for the test next Thursday.

Rocks and More

On Monday we continued with learning about rocks. We had previously started a new unit on them before Thanksgiving break but did a little reviewing before class just to make sure that we had a basic understanding. We then began to work on a new lab. This lab will help us learn more about different rock types and how to classify them. A big part in classifying rocks is by the way they are formed. Igneous rocks can be formed by two types of lava felsic or mafic magma. The difference between these two types is that one is more viscous than the other. One of the easiest texture to identify is the glassy rock texture. This rock has very sharp edges and is very shiny like glass. Another really cool rock type is pumice. This rock is very light and has many vesicles. Vesicles are holes that are forms in the rock because of pockets of gas that have formed inside the rocks. Due to all of these holes the rock is very light and can even float on water.

On Tuesday we continued with this lab and after finishing the lab I had a better understanding of intrusive and extrusive rocks. I also learned the slower the lava cools the larger the grains are. This is because they have more time to form. Fine grains are formed when lava is cooled quickly resulting in an extrusive rock.  To classify igneous rocks there are categories to help categorize them. Rocks can be classified by texture, color, intrusive, extrusive, minerals, and felsic of mafic. Lighter rocks have a lower density most of the time because they are very high in their silica content. Darker denser rocks, such as obsidian, are heavier because of their higher levels of iron.

On Wednesday we started to learn about metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have been changed in some way from its original parent rock. For example bread changes into toast like metamorphic rock turns into a new form of rock. Metamorphic rocks can be categorized as foliated  or non-foliated. Foliated rocks have very distinct layers called bands. After notes we started a new lab on the classification of metamorphic rocks. This was like the igneous rock lab before although I did find naming the rocks a little easier in this lab.

On Thursday we reviewed notes mainly focusing on sedimentary rocks. Sedimentary rocks are formed from ground sediment that comes together over many years. Organic sedimentary rocks form from products from living organisms such as bones and shells. Chemical sedimentary rocks form from precipitates from water. After reviewing notes we started a new lab on sedimentary rocks. I have found sedimentary rocks to be harder to identify than igneous and metamorphic.

On Friday we continued with the sedimentary rock lab. I had a difficult time naming the rocks and that is something I need to improve on especially for the lab practical next week. We also have a quiz next Tuesday on everything we have learned so far with rocks. This lab helped me learn most of the basic concepts with rocks such as how each rock is classified.

Earthquakes

On Monday we started a new lab having to do with earthquakes. This lab like the other one we did last week would help to reinforce the new information we had learned from taking notes. Earthquakes are caused when the plates under the crust move. Sometimes these movements can cause a large impact or a very minimal one. The reason that many earthquakes happen near the Pacific ocean is because that is where most of the plate movement occurs. The purpose of this lab was  for us to build a structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows that would still be structurally sound after an earthquake. The earthquake will be simulated with a large sheet of jello that will vibrate back and forth. Our structure was very tall so I don't think it will stay up for very long.

On Tuesday we finished this lab out by testing our structures on sheets of jello. Over night some of the structures loosened up and fell down but ours remained intact. The reason was because as the jello vibrated and moved back and forth the building structure moved with it bouncing back to its original position. My hypothesis from yesterday was proven wrong but if I were to make any improvements on it I would have added more support on the bottom and decreased the height of it as well. The rest of the day we spent working on finishing our labs and since I finished early I worked on my study guide. For the test so far I feel good about the past information that was on the quiz but I need to improve on studying the new information on earthquakes and volcanoes.

On Wednesday we did not have school since it was Veterans Day.

On Thursday we spent most of the class reviewing for our test on Friday. We played a review game as a class. This review game consisted of an answer sheet where we would record our answers. Each set of questions revolved around a different topic and most of the them had to do with the earth's core and plate tectonics.  From doing this review game I now know I have to review the different seismic waves such as body and surface waves. I also need to review the process that occur at a mid-ocean ridge and also the effects of plate boundaries. Other than those few topics of focused review I feel good about my knowledge of the test and have definitely improved my studying in advance from last week.

On Friday we took the test and afterward I felt generally good about it. I thought I was well prepared and I studied well in advance. When I saw my grade I was surprised because second guessed my self on some of the multiple choice answers but by using my knowledge I was able to narrow some of the answers down. Overall this week I definitely improved on my test because I did better on my test than quiz.

Tectonic Food

On Monday we reviewed for our science quiz on Tuesday. This quiz is on unit 4 which is about plate tectonics. As a class we reviewed for this quiz by playing a review game. The class split into two groups and each person from each side was given a series of questions to answer. If the person got the questions right then they were given the chance to shoot a nerf-gun at the white board that had targets on it with different numbers of points. This helped me review because from hearing the questions I knew which topics I needed to review for the quiz. One topic I needed to review is the occurrences of the mid-ocean ridge. It is a big topic so it is important that I understand it very well.

On Tuesday we took our science quiz. The quiz was easier than I thought it was going to be and I think I may have studied some material that wasn't even on the quiz. After studying I had a better understanding of what happened in the mid-ocean ridge and it also helped a lot with memorizing the vocab. After the quiz we finished our blogs and our only homework was our blog for that day. Overall I think I understood most of the material on the quiz and seeing my feedback will help me study for the test a lot better.

On Wednesday we reviewed questions with the website Kahoot. The questions varied from review from the quiz and questions from the next unit. I missed some of the questions from the next unit but got most of the review questions. After that we finished all the vocab for the whole unit which took up all of the class.  One word that you have heard before but most likely not in the context of science is compression. Compression is when rocks are forced together by external forces. Most of the vocab was new words I had never heard before but when going over notes tomorrow I will probably understand it more.

On Thursday we started a new lab. This lab helped reinforce some of the material we had reviewed in class. This involved cake icing, graham crackers, and fruit roll ups. The fruit roll ups represented oceanic crust because it was dense but also thin. The graham crackers represented the continental crust because it was thick but not dense. The icing represented the asthenospere because it is a thick semi-solid.  We demonstrated how the different crusts would react with each other in different situations. After the demonstrations we filled the data table in with drawings of what each one looked like and geologic features that would result from them.

On Friday we reviewed notes. one main question from this unit was how has plate tectonics affected evolution, ocean currents and global climate. We discussed this question and found that since Pangaea broke apart, species of animals were isolated from their original continents and had to adapt  to their new climate changes which led to biodiversity.  This also affects ocean currents because the plate movement disrupts heat currents. The heat changes in the atmosphere because volcanic eruption emit sulfur which decreases the harm of uv rays and can decrease the overall temperature. After notes we finished our lab questions about plate tectonics. This week I improved on my study habits but I still need to keep working hard.

Continent Drift

On Monday we finished our Continental drift activity. We did this activity to learn about the Continental drift theory since we cannot really do a lab on the Continental drift. In this lab we learned about a scientist from the early 19th century named Alfred Wegener. During his lifetime he created the earliest reasoning of Pangaea and Continental drift. Although people in his lifetime thought he was crazy, we now regard him as a genius. Some of his reasoning behind this was that the continents fit together almost like a puzzle. This implies that the continents were formed together and some how moved away from each other. His evidence also came from the fact that there were fossils of plants and animals that lived in  tropical climates found in glaciers. He reasoned an idea for the large land land mass which is what we know as Pangaea.

On Tuesday we did yet another activity involving the Continental drift theory. In this lab were instructed to create a model of what Pangaea might have looked like. We first color coded each physical feature such as mountains and rivers. We then cut out each continent. Then like constructing a puzzle we fit the continents together by their land features and shapes that corresponded with each other. After it was all put together we could see how each continent's physical features and land edges matched up and created one super continent. Matching these up really helped show on a visual level how each continent connected. After doing this part of the lab I can see why Wegener had the theory that he did.

On Wednesday we finished this lab. The last activity we did on this lab was a model of the oceanic crust and the occurrences that happen there. We cut three slits in a paper and each slit represented an important feature in the oceanic crust. The center slit represented the mid-ocean ridge and the two outer slits represented subduction zones. Slips of paper slid in and out of the slits to represent magma. The paper coming from the mid-ocean ridge was magma coming up and hardening into crust. The paper coming out of the two subduction zones came out of the bottom and represented continental crust being recycled back into the mantle. This model helped me have a better understanding of what really happens in the oceanic crust because understanding this is something I need to improve on.

On Thursday we reviewed for our quiz by doing textbook questions and short answer practice questions. After doing the questions I now know that I need to review the layers of the earth. Specifically the parts of the mantle such as the asthenosphere and the mesosphere. The asthenosphere is review but the mesosphere is a new layer we are just learning about. After that I worked  on short answer questions. I wrote my answers in the comments section but I was not signed in, so my work did not save. I was sad that this happened but I got enough practice in for the quiz even though they were not submitted.

New Unit

On Monday  we did not have school because it was a teacher workday.

On Tuesday we reviewed our test we took on Friday. I did very well and only missed one question. I definitely would not have missed it if i had read it carefully. This is definitely something I can improve on. Since we were starting a new quarter, we cleaned out our binders. After cleaning them out I then realized that I am going to have a lot of information to study for my midterm. We have also started a new unit on plate tectonics. This unit will have lots of vocab from the unit about the earth's core because that is what forms the earth's plates. After that we started a new science starter. Then we continued to work on our Eco-science lab. This was our last day of data collection and all of our plants had died. This was probably because there was a large decrease in temperature over the weekend. After eight days of growing we threw the plants in the garbage which in my opinion was not very eco-friendly.

On Wednesday we spent most of the class time working on our Eco-bottle lab. We worked on our conclusion and discussion questions. When writing any conclusion it is important to use your hypothesis and tell whether it was correct or  incorrect. From this week I need to improve on constructing a conclusion so I am glad this lab will give me lots of practice.

On Thursday we officially started to discuss unit 4. First we started out the unit by taking new note cards. One word that really stuck with me was magma. I had heard this word before but never really understood what it meant. In case you heard this word mentioned and did not know what it means, it is a lava like substance but instead of it being on top of the earth it lies below the volcano. We also went over some basic information about the earth's crust to get us ready for plate tectonics. One thing we had slightly covered in past units was the ocean crust and the continental crust. The continental is denser under mountains because of the pressure applied from the mountains. After starting notes we worked on finishing our Eco-bottle lab. Today we traded labs with other groups and evaluated other group's work. For the most part, our lab did not have many corrections just some technical errors that we can easily fix.

On Friday we finished the week with a cool activity. Okay it was not as cool as an explosion but it was better than a pop quiz or worksheet. We started the class by adding more note cards to our collection. The new vocab really helped me understand how the earth is made up and how the plates move. After vocab we reviewed our notes and learned how some early scientists reasoned how the continents move apart from each other each year. This theory is called continental drift. After notes we did an activity that we will finish on Monday. this activity was very hands on and allowed us to do some real thinking.

Overall this week has been great and went by a lot faster than I had anticipated.

Dead Plants and a Test

     On Monday we took more data from our plants and our group was on day four of collecting data but the plants had been growing for much longer. Since we were not there to water the plants over the weekend the plants began to wilt. Also since they have been moved to the green house they did not grow as much. While each group was taking data we also reviewed notes. One thing I learned was some ways that carbon is returned to the atmosphere. One way is the burning of fossil fuels. Since humans are burning a lot more fossils, increased levels of carbon dioxide are occurring. One thing I can do to study for my test is review the discovery education question and notes.

     On Tuesday we reviewed in class by taking a survey of questions to see what we knew. This helped me a lot because it helped me know which note cards I need to review. Two words I often mix up are Convection and Conduction. I know from reviewing that convection is heat moving through a liquid. After that we started a new lab to help demonstrate the carbon cycle.  As a group we would have a total of eight tests and each group was assigned to do one question. The question our group had to answer was, "do plants do cellular respiration in the light?" My hypothesis is no, because plants need sunlight to perform photosynthesis so since they have sunlight they will have a way to make food. Our group set up our trials and then will wait until tomorrow to get our results. After that we learned how to set up a graph in spreadsheets to better and more neatly display our data. It was definitely a challenge but easy when we got the hang of it. After that we took the data for day 5 of our plants. Our plants still seem to be wilted but so did everyone else.

      On Wednesday we finished collecting data for our carbon cycle lab. In the is lab we found that when plants undergo cellular respiration they produce carbon and take in oxygen but when they undergo photosynthesis they produce oxygen but take in carbon. We know this because the indicator turned green when there was carbon but turned blue when there was oxygen. The plants in the light turned blue but the plants in the dark turned green. From this lab I learned  that plants are a main contributor to the carbon cycle. After that we finished setting up our graphs with our data for our plant data. We then took data for our plants for day 5. Our plants do not look as healthy as they did and the pesticide is making the water very cloudy in the bottom of our bottles. On Friday we will take our test and it will also be the last day of data we take.

On Thursday we took data from our plants on day 6. Most of our plants were dead except for one of our control plants. Although we have not completed all our data my prediction for our plants is that that they will just continue to die and wilt. I think this was their predetermined fate from the beginning.Along with taking plant data we also prepared for our test on Friday. We did this by reviewing our study guide in class. This really helped me a lot because the students who did their study guide had an opportunity to ask questions in class and go over notes. Overall one thing I can improve is studying. Using the discovery education questions is a great way but I definitely need to study the questions about the earth's axis.

On Friday we had our test. This test was a lot easier in my opinion than the quiz. I felt much more prepared for the test and was able to retain the information better when studying during the course of a week. I think quizzes are a lot harder than tests because there is less possible points so if you mess up then it affects your grade much more. After the test we also took plant data and my prediction was right, our plants are dead. I feel bad for this poor grass, I sure wouldn't want to be sprayed with chemicals and then get malnourished. Overall this week has been a busy one and I am glad it is over.

New Unit

     On Monday in class we started a new unit on how humans have impacted the Earth over time. As humans we tend to consume more natural resources than we actually need to survive. Along with over population of the earth of a whopping 7 billion, our resources tend to deplete rather quickly. This new unit targets that problem and educates us on what our actions can really cause.

     To start the class,we did vocab cards on some of the new words in our vocab. One word that stuck with me was biomass. Biomass is dried matter that is compiled in a habitat or living area. An example of this is dried leaves. So instead of saying "I have to rake the leaves outside", you could say " I have to rake the biomass outside".

     After that we talked about our new lab. In this lab we will go over and learn how the things that we pollute the atmosphere with can affect the growth of our plants. This is the first lab so far this year in which we will actually construct our own labs. This project is very similar to the biosphere lab we did in sixth grade but this lab will take about 2 weeks.

     On Tuesday we finished up the note cards for the quiz we will take next Tuesday. One new word we added to our collection of note cards was hydroelectric energy. Hydroelectric energy is energy made by water sources such as dams. However this is one of the many "natural resources" that is questionable if it hurts or helps the environment. In our notes we began learning about the largest contributions to the gaping hole in the ozone layer. For those who were wondering what the ozone layer is, it is a layer in our atmosphere that protects our plant from some of the sun's harmful rays. I bet you never thought that one animal's fart could contribute to 20 percent of the earth's overall green house gas level. Cow farts contain methane which is natural green house gas but is still harmful to our atmosphere. I bet you will remember that next time you see a cow.

     After notes we got into groups and discussed and brainstormed for our sustainable ecosystems lab. In this lab our group will be testing to see the effects of pesticides on plants. We will have two control groups and two test groups to make sure our results are very accurate.

    On Wednesday I was sick so I could not attend science class. However it seems like they were very productive.

   On Thursday we continued with our lab. Since I was not there the previous day, my lab partner had to update me on what was happening.To finish up the main parts of the lab we created our lab procedure. Since we were testing the effects of pesticide on plants, we made sure to include the step on the amount of pesticide used and when to apply it. After writing the procedure we set up our bottles. To do this we took four water bottles,two for tests and two for control, and cut the tops of of them. Then we poked a hole in the top and put water on the bottom of the bottles. Then in the upper part a mixture of soil and Bermuda grass seeds.  To finish them off we added four sprays of water and let the magic of science kick in. One tip when doing any labs is to label each test or group so that you do not get anything mixed up.

    On Friday we continued with our labs.  Today was the day we created our data tables for the growth of our plants. When making our data table we made sure we included both qualitative and quantitative observations. A quantitative observation is an observation that deals with numbers but a qualitative is an observation that deals with descriptions and appearance. For example in our lab our first quantitative observation was the height of the grass and our first qualitative observation is that nothing has started to sprout in the soil yet.

I can improve on my speed for Picture This. I have a new strategy up my sleeve.

Relative Dating

Monday was Labor Day so we did not have school.


 On Tuesday in science class we began reviewing for our quiz on Wednesday. We went over some new rock terms used in relative dating. Relative dating is when you classify rocks with no certain number but in chronological order like youngest to oldest. Also in addition to that, we did a worksheet focusing mainly on relative dating and on the back we added some new rock terms. The pictures we drew with the terms really helped me understand the main concepts and helped me study for my quiz the next day.


On Wednesday we had our quiz. I think I did okay but in my opinion some of the rock questions were worded weird. I studied for about an hour but one thing I could improve on is double checking the notes to get any information I might have missed. Along with the science quiz we had another science Olympiad meeting. I am super pumped for this year and am glad to be a part of the whole thing.


On Thursday we reviewed our quiz we took the day before. I did not do as well as I hoped but there is always room for improvement. Since we had a substitute we finished the note cards for unit two. Most of the note cards we added were words I was familiar with but had no idea what they meant. Before doing these note cards I had no idea that Pangaea was when the earth was one large supercontinent(also a vocab word) that began to break apart with a process called uniformitarianism . I now know from the quiz that Hutton came up with the term uniformitarianism not unconformity.


On Friday we reviewed our notes cards we did the previous day in class. After that we started section 5 of our notes. One thing I took back from the notes is the science words used by  professionals. I bet you didn't know that ga stands for giga annum which is a billion years. So instead of saying the earth is 4.6 billion years old you could say the earth is 4.6(ga) years old. One of the Latin roots you probably didn't know, unless you took Latin, is eon which means big. In science words an eon is the biggest division in the geologic time scale.

Overall this week has been a week of review and notes. Next week will be much shorter so we will not be blogging.One thing I can take back from this week is even if you do not do so well on an assignment you can always take something back from it.

Relative dating Lab

Relative dating graph

Fossils and Dating

On Monday we started the week by making three new note cards and starting the new vocab for unit 2. After that we reviewed the test we took on Friday. This test was only a review so future tests should be much harder because it is new material. We still had an Oreo lab to finish so we drew up our conclusions and proved our hypothesis to be wrong or right. Tomorrow we will start a new lab to learn new topics.

On Tuesday we did and intro into unit 2. The whole creation of the earth in one class period is a lot considering it was 13 billion years ago. We first started by adding 3 more cards that would help us understand some of the topics in the unit. After that we began to take notes and fill out an earth's crust diagram that looked like a pizza that was in the oven too long. We briefly talked about the first two layers which were the inner and outer layers of the earth's crust. After this lesson I happened to realize that we as humans have not been around for along time.

On Wednesday we continued with our notes and learning about the creation of the earth. We completed two more note cards to add to unit two of our vocab.Then we finished our diagram of the earth's layers. We are exposed to the earth's crust, the top layer, so we are naturally thinking it is one of the biggest layers but it really is not. The mantel is the largest and thickest layer making 70% of the the earth's volume. Even though there is so many movies about going to the center of the earth it is pretty much not likely that anyone has gone down there. First of all the inner core is 6000 kilometers down and approximately 12000 degrees Fahrenheit. Yeah, I don't think it is very possible. One of my favorite parts of the unit is learning about fossils. Fossils are made out of traces of past life that are preserved in rock in a process that can take hundreds of years.

On Thursday we continued with our notes on Unit two. This time we went deeper into fossils. After that we started a new lab on radiometric dating. Unlike relative dating, radiometric dating gives a more accurate age on fossils. When a rock sample has a radioactive element, it can be dated by how much of the parent isotope remains. In this lab we simulated the process radio metric dating with pennies. We had a hundred pennies and each penny represented an atom of the element carbon 14. We would then dump out all the pennies and the dump would be considered a half-life. We removed all the coins with tails to represent removing the dead atoms that are no longer radioactive. We then recorded the number of heads which were the parent isotopes. We continued this process several times until there was no more. We did three trials and all of our data was very close. In reality each half-life would take 5730 years and "ain't no body got time for that!". This lab was a good simulation in my opinion and helped me grasp the larger topic of radiometric dating.

On Friday we reviewed our notes for unit 2. One of the main things I took back from the unit was Superposition because it is such a fun word. Superposition states that sedimentary rock formations form so that the oldest layer is on the bottom and the youngest layer is on the top. This makes sense because over time more rock layer will be added. After reviewing notes we worked on our radiometric dating lab. We reviewed the data and determined how many years it would take for each half-life. One thing I can improve on this week is to double check my labs for spelling and small careless errors.

Second Week of School

     After a long Summer it is always so hard for me to transition back into school time. During Summer my brain does not do work so I guess school is a nice break for my usually lazy brain. The first week of school was super hectic so we were not required to blog.  The first week of school we started a lab about baking cookies which would some how refresh our brains on the scientific method and use of variables. I thought this lab was going to be fun at first but then I realized I was going to be blind folded and a bunch of people who I "TRUST" are going to be giving me directions. That did not sit well with my brain that was still half asleep. For this lab to be considered a learning experience and, not just baking cookies, we had to change the amounts of one ingredient. The ingredient we changed was our independent variable. Our group changed the amount of baking soda and halved the amount.

    On Monday one group member brought back the cookies from being baked over the weekend and we filled in our data table. When tasting our cookies we found that what we varied didn't really change anything. For some reason our cookies were salty and I take none of the blame because I was blindfolded. Tomorrow we will find the density and hopefully finish the lab. In addition to the lab, we also took notes on a brief introduction to unit one and completed our note cards in class.

      Tuesday is usually not my favorite day of the week, but science class this Tuesday happened to be pretty fun. To start the class we finished our note cards adding the words precision and accuracy. This was a review from last year but Mrs. G did a demonstration  to help us remember the difference between the words. A volunteer shot foam dart bullets on to a bulls-eye and after they were shot we had to determine if they exhibited accuracy or precision. The shots were so off that they did not really represent either. After our crash course on precision and accuracy we finished our cookie lab. All the groups calculated their cookies' density and shared our results. Last year I vowed to improve time management with my studying so that is what I hope to do this week.

      On Tuesday we started a new lab. Mrs.G must really like cookies because in this lab we are comparing the creme in Oreo cookies. You probably have all seen the double stuffed Oreo in the grocery store, but are they really double stuffed? This is what we are trying to figure out in this lab. By comparing regular Oreos with the double stuffed version we will try to determine if it is really double or if it is a rip off. We collected data from both cookies by weighing a cookie, a single wafer, and the creme. The results showed that the double stuffed version is significantly higher, but is it double? Through this lab we are are getting practice with our variables , which we so need, and learning how to collect proper data. In this lab we finished about half way and will continue to work on it during the week. If any of you were wondering ...I did not eat the cookies we used for our experiment . Would you eat cookies 8th grade boys have been touching with out washing their hands first?

      On Wednesday we did some review for the upcoming test that was on Friday. This review was not super detailed but we reviewed some of the key things on the study guide. For our science starter we reviewed varibles. I have a good understanding of my variables but I could always use some extra help. In addition to the review we worked on some lab questions for our Oreo lab. If the double stuffed Oreos have less than half the filling I won't really be that mad because a cookie is still a cookie. I hope I do good on my test tommorrow and am going to study the heck out of my notes.

On Friday  we took our science test. I thought the test was very easy because it was mainly a review. It wasn't has hard as I thought it was going to be and I studied very hard the night before so I hope I get a good grade.

Another thing I had to include in this blog is the upcoming Science Olympiad year. We are all super stoked just putting together the team so I guess it shows what lies ahead. With all our hard work we put to the table it was definitely worth it last year.

Dart gun demo

Oreo cookie lab

Blind folded cooking

I can't believe the year is over!

This year in science has been even more awesome than last year. We did so many spectacular things this year that I don't even know where to begin! But I shall try to capture it all in this final blog.....

At the beginning of the year we started out with Chemistry. By the end of the unit we were all like mad scientists in action.
We studied the periodic table and even made our own, out of cereal boxes. Each person had an element to contribute. This was a fun class project and it helped me learn some new facts about our elements along the way. We also made our own Bohr model of an element. I am glad I did not get an element with tons of electrons and protons. In this unit I realized how small an atom is and how even smaller its nucleus is.

We did lots of crazy science experiments that you probably shouldn't try at home. Even the chemicals had warnings on the box! One of my favorite labs we did in chemistry was the lab we did to test the chemical and physical changes of experiments. This lab was one of my favorites because it involved many stations. Each station had a chemical or physical change and we had to determine which one it was. One of my favorite stations of this lab was the baking soda and vinegar. The two chemicals combined exploding in a plastic bag and creating a pretty cool chemical change. I would advise doing this experiment outdoors. We could surely tell you the difference between a chemical and physical reaction from all the labs we did with them.

One of my favorite days we had in the chemistry unit was mole day. This day celebrated the unit of mole which is 6.02x10^23. We celebrated the day with mole day themed food and created t-shirts to wear. I had the honor of making the hats for mole day! Mole day was the first time I had tried guacamole.  We even paid a dollar to play human whack-a-mole with the teachers being the moles. The whole day was like a mole day party in celebration of a pretty cool number.

We did some things this year that most middle schoolers would be afraid to do. Even I thought that some ideas were a little crazy but with some convincing I eased my way into believing it would work. We dunked a live person in water to determine their volume and density. This is a perfect example of one of the skeptical labs we did. In the end it worked but it resulted in someone getting wet.

When we went into our physics unit I was very nervous because I did not want to solve long equations to find out how a ball rolls. I enjoyed physics much more than chemistry because we were less likely to get blown up in physics and we learned why and elephant and a feather do not land on the ground at the same time. Thanks to air resistance they don't!

I was wrong about people getting blown up because for one our labs we broke a cinder block on Mr.Simon's  chest. This demonstration proved that if force is applied evenly throughout the cinder block that the cinder block will not crush someone's internal organs.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME

One of my favorite labs we did was the Egg Drop lab. This was one of my favorite labs because we got to watch a helicopter go up into the air. At first when I heard the idea for this lab I thought Mrs.G was insane. I thought there was no way that an egg could survive a four story drop. Our group was not successful at first with the saving of the egg. Our device to enclose our egg broke and was very heavy. We started brainstorming and came up with the idea to use two car wash sponges to sandwich the egg inside. This idea ended up saving our egg from the helicopter drop. Surprisingly most of the eggs dropped did survive. Sometimes physics seems to make the impossible, possible. One thing I learned from this project is that when constructing a device to protect a falling egg, the number of layers doesn't matter, it's the effectiveness of each layer that matters.


This year was also a big year for Science Olympiad!! We did better than we ever imagined by swooping up a first place trophy at Regionals.  We spent a ton of hours preparing and studying for our events. At the end of States we took home a fifth place trophy and our teacher/coach extraordinaire Mrs. G, earned a coach of the year award for the entire state! One thing I hope to improve on next year in terms of Science Olympiad is getting first in all my events and hopefully the team will move on to Nationals next year. Our pink shirts rocked! Pink shirts will rock again in 2016!!!!

The last few weeks of school we had our final for science. The Chemistry portion of the test was a lot harder in my opinion than the Physics part of the test because physics was a lot easier for me. Overall I did okay on the final but I definitely hope to improve next year.
Towards  the end the year we took a trip to defy gravity to relieve some stress and defy gravity. I had lots of fun and am excited to see what they have planned for us next year. We also had the annual boat regatta which unfortunately I could not attend. I heard it was lots of fun and congratulations to the winners.

           

 

My outlook on science changed throughout the year because of the constantly changing and thought provoking labs we had each week. One week the labs seemed practical and the next we I thought we would need a safety permit or  a waiver to participate. One goal I have for next year is to take first place at state in all my events. I plan to work even harder next year at science and science olympiad. The thing that I am most looking forward to next year is the field trips planned. I am sure that Mrs.G has created some great learning opportunities for next year...she never disappoints!!!!.

Hope everyone has a great summer and I can't wait for science camp and Earth and Science next year!!!!

Review Week

    On Monday to review for our test on Wednesday and our final, we used Kahoot to review questions on the scientific method for our final. I had some difficulty with the questions about variables but after looking through the folder I began to remember all the knowledge I lost. We got our large folders back with all the junk from our binders. Just looking through the binder gave me anxiety of all the stuff I had to cram in before the final. The folder has determined my weekend plans. After Kahoot we took another assessment from the text book. I got an 8 out of 10 right which was pretty great. I hope for the best results on my test ( I hope I do not fail).

On Tuesday we reviewed for the test on waves. We went over our study guide we did last Friday. I do not think anyone got much of this study guide done last Friday because they were too excited for paintball. One thing I need to review is diffraction. Diffraction is when sound waves move through a slit and transfer into another area. An example of this is when you are in another room and sound waves move through the vents.
After we reviewed for the test we played grudge ball. This game is always a fun way to help us review because it motivates us to answer the questions right. If you answered a question right on a test and was rewarded with throwing a ball into a hoop, I think a lot more people would want to take a test.

On Wednesday we had our test.I thought this test was a lot easier than the quiz.The one question I had trouble on was the question where we had to solve for two equations. I think I re-did the the equation seven times and got the same wrong answer every time. By the end of the quiz I thought I did well until I saw my grade. I did not just do well I did GREAT!!!!

On Thursday we used Kahoot to do a review through multiple chapters. The questions were mostly based around Newton's Laws. I thought this review was a good run through the basics of mass and velocity. After Kahoot I felt like I was about to die. I did not know how one person could feel so terrible. I do not think even science could explain the way I felt that day. I felt so sick I had to leave in the middle of science class so I do not know what happened the rest of science class. If I had to take a good guess we probably reviewed through some of the past chapters.

On Friday we

One thing I need to improve on this week is taking my vitamins so I do not miss all the fun things we do in science class. Overall this week was just an average review week and I can not wait until finals are over so the stress is replaced with fun.

Looks like they had fun while I was gone

Reflection and Refraction

On Monday we reviewed in class for the quiz on Tuesday. We used Kahoot again to review for our science starter. One thing I understood better after the review was how to find the amplitude of a wave. I wrote down everything I needed to remember or missed in class to help with the quiz so at home I knew what to review. One thing I needed help with was frequency, but eventually I began to understand after having it explained to me in guided study.

On Tuesday we had our science quiz. After the review we had the day before I was well prepared. While taking the quiz I had trouble with the question solving for frequency when we were given the period.  With some application I began to figure it out. After this Quiz I have a better knowledge of waves which will increase by the time we take the test.

On Wednesday we had a field trip in Social Studies so we did not have science class.

On Thursday we used Kahoot to review some of the science topics. I enjoy using Kahoot in class because we have to answer the questions as fast as we can. It is very satisfying moving up on the leader board. After that we started to dive into learning about reflection and refraction. To help us learn about reflection and refraction we did some demonstrations. Mrs.G put a glass rod made out of Pyrex into a beaker and poured in Wesson oil.  Magically the rod began to disappear. This was because the glass and the oil had the same reflection ability so it seemed that it had dissappeared but really our eyes could not see it. We also filled a glass container with water and put an arrow behind it. The water made the arrow point the other way. After our demonstrations we used the assessment questions in the book to review for our test next week.

On Friday we worked on our study guide. I remembered the material from the past quiz and the new stuff we just learned. Most of the questions were application questions. One thing I need to improve on this week is learning how to apply the material we use to the problems and equations.

We also went to play paint ball on Friday to celebrate science olympiad. I did much better this year than last year and luckily was not shot by Mrs.G.

Intro to Waves

On Monday we did not do very much. We talked about Science Olympiad most of the time and then watched a very cool video regarding a wave pendulum. So excited we placed fifth in the State!

On Tuesday we started our new unit on waves.  I learned that an oscillation is one full wave. Another important thing we discussed was the different parts of the wave. The top of the wave is called the crest. Another important part of the wave is the trough. The trough is the bottom part of the wave. The trough and crest are between a line which is the equilibrium. To demonstrate the wave we made a model with duct tape, wooden skewers, and gummy bears. To construct the model we taped the tape to two ring stands across the room. We then, put the gummy bears on the wooden skewers. We attached the skewers to the tape. After we constructed it we applied a disturbance(energy) and watch the wave form.

On Wednesday for our science starter we used Kahoot. For Kahoot we had to answer a series of questions about waves to help us review. I thought this was very fun and I hope we use this program in the future. To help us understand some of the wave terms we did a worksheet. In this worksheet we used a slinky to represent waves. We stretched the slinky and measured it. Then we timed the oscillations it took. After that we found the average speed.

On Thursday we used Kahoot again. I did not know some of the terms because we had not reviewed the whole chapter yet. One term I learned was the Doppler Effect. The Doppler Effect is when there is a noise but it is moving. You remain stationary so the noise begins to get louder than quieter. One example of this is a Fire Truck. The sirens are making noise and it is moving. You remain stationary so the noise begins to increase then decrease. We also finished our worksheet. After this worksheet I had a better understanding of terms such as amplitude, frequency,and wave length.

On Friday  Mrs.G was not there. Mr.Batten was our substitute and he gave us a worksheet to do. This worksheet was very challenging and required some research. Most of the topics covered on this list were more advanced versions of the material we had already learned. With some application and research we were able to complete the worksheet. Overall, I understood most of the worksheet except a few select questions.

One thing I can improve on this week is double checking my lab data tables to make sure that all of the units are filled in correctly .

Slinky Lab

Kahoot

Wave Model