Matter matters! 8/31/17

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We started to study chemistry this week. That includes matter, atoms, chemistry, elements, periodic table, all that.

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. Mass is how much matter something has. Atoms are the smallest things in all of creation. They are like the building blocks of the world.

Matter

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. Air is matter. It takes up space in the atmosphere. Electricity is not matter. It does not take up space and you cannot weigh it. Like love! You cannot weigh emotions like love. They do not take up space and they are not matter. A virus that makes you sick is matter. It stuffs up your nose. It makes you sick. It takes up space.

All matter is composed of atoms.

Atoms

Atoms are the building blocks of matter. Atoms are individual. They group together to make everything in this world. Two or more atoms grouped together in called a molecule. Matter is made up of different types of atoms. You and I are only made up of about 6 different elements. An element is a pure substance made up of only one type of atom. A pure substance is made up of only one type of molecule. Elements are what makes up the periodic table. Elements are materials like gold, silver, graphite, neon, helium, oxygen, carbon dioxide, these are all examples of elements. Atoms are made up of the three particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons. The proton is the positive charge in the atom, the electron is the negative charge, and the neutron is just neutral. Electromagnetic forces are what hold the particles together to create atoms. The nucleus of the atom holds the protons and neutrons. The electrons live outside in the electron shell. The space in between the electron shell and the nucleus is empty.

How small is the atom?

Well, the atom is really really REALLY small. Imagine an atom exploding to the size of a blueberry. If you shrank yourself down to go inside, you would not be able to see the protons and neutrons inside the nucleus. If you made the blueberry the size of a house, you still wouldn’t be able to see the nucleus. You would have to expand the blueberry to the size of a football stadium. Even then, the nucleus would only be the size of a small  marble.

A compound is made of two different types of atoms. All compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds.

Oxygen is a molecule. Carbon dioxide is a compound. An element is a substance that is made up of one type of atom. A pure substance is made up of only one type of molecule. Water is a pure substance. Table salt (sodium chloride) is a pure substance. Salt water (a.k.a. the ocean) is NOT a pure substance.

The properties of matter are mass, volume and density. Mass is how much matter is in the object. (How many atoms.) Volume is how much space an object takes up. The density is hard to define, but is somewhere around the lines of how much stuff is smushed into a given space. Or how much mater stuffed into a certain volume. If you had a post it note, it has mass, volume and density. If you rip it in half, its mass and volume are different, but its density is the same. If you had a post it and smashed up into a ball, its mass, volume, AND density would be different.

S&EP: SP2, using models

I used an online model to help me understand how to find an object’s mass and volume. We used Explorelearning.com to help with the interactives, which were very useful. We found the volume of water, the mass of lightbulbs, and it was like we were in a real laboratory.

XCC: Systems and System Models

In P.E. yesterday, we were doing an excersize. Ten of us were in a circle, and we had a volleyball. We passed around the circle in a pattern. Then, the teacher added balls. He added a football, a baseball, a tennis ball, and even a frisbee. We as a team needed to learn a good system to keep from being overwhelmed.  

Explain how this system connects to other systems.

All other systems need to have some sort of cooperation to keep it running right. Everything needs to work together in just the right way for the outcome to be perfect.

- Explain the limits of the system.

A system is not perfect. There are times when you maybe throw the ball too high to catch and everything falls apart. There might be a time where you need to pull a piece, but you don’t know which one and pull the one that makes the tower fall.

- Explain the advantages of thinking of this as a system.

A system advantage is when you find the right system, the operation runs smoothly and you can move on to higher challenges.

Multiplier: I think I was a Learner this week

I think I was a learner because I took lots of notes and worked hard in class. I wasn’t barely coming by, I was trying to go above expectations!

Correcting the Science and Engineering Practices quiz 8/25/17

There were eight questions on the quiz. I got three questions wrong. I will explain the answer I thought and chose, why it was wrong, the correct answer, and why it was correct.


Question #4: A group of 7th graders creates and analyzes graphs of the data from an investigation about the relationship between a ball's mass and its speed down a ramp.


The answer I chose for this one was SP4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data.


I thought that the answer was SP4 because I didn't read the question right. I read the word analyze and I thought that this must mean that the answer was analyzing data. I didn't pay any attention to the part with the words graph and mass. I saw them, but I wasn't paying attention to their importance.


The correct answer was Using Mathematics and computational thinking. This was the right answer because the group of 7th graders were using graphs to investigate the relationship between a ball's mass and the speed of it down the ramp. Graphing is related to math because when you are graphing, you need to be precise with where you place the points and what numbers you use.

Question #5: The 8th grade class writes explanations about why a light source is needed for a person to see an object. In their explanations students provide evidence from an investigation as well as scientific ideas to explain why this occurs.

The answer I chose was SP6, Planning and Carrying out Investigations.

I thought the answer was SP6 because even though the words writing explanations were there, I also saw providing evidence from and investigation were there. I was torn between answer C  and answer F. I then decided between the two and I chose answer C because I didn't have that one chose and I thought, 'Well, I think that answer C is the correct answer. But what if answer F is right?'  So I re-read the question and settled on answer C. 

The correct answer was Constructing Explanations. I saw the key word explanations in the question. I thought that this answer was correct, but I also thought another answer was correct. I re-read the question again and I decided on the other answer. I thought that both answers had an equal chance of being correct, since they both had a little key word in the question. I chose the one I thought was correct, but I was wrong.

Question #7: Students in Mrs. Garcia's class use a class chart of what different animals eat and group the animals in different ways based on their food sources. Students then discuss which animals would be affected if changes occurred to different food sources.

The answer I chose was SP7, Engaging in argument from evidence.

I thought that the answer was SP7 because when I read the question, I saw the part, Students then discuss... I tried to use my brain. When students discuss things, they usually tend to argue about their opinions and why they and only they are correct. I happen to know this, being a student myself, so I selected the answer Engaging in Arguement from Evidence.

The correct answer was Analyzing and interpreting data. This was correct because the students in Ms. Garcia's class were using a chart to look at the food chains they were learning about. They were analyzing the data they had collected and they were looking at the chart, interpreting the food sources and animals they were. I wasn't thinking about any of this reasoning when I answered the question, but I see that I was wrong, I see the right answers, and I see and understand why they are correct. 

Why I returned to AdVENTURE 8/21/17

Why I returned to AdVENTURE:

      The reason I returned to AdVENTURE this year is because I really love it here. AdVENTURE was the fourth school I have ever attended, and I love it more than all of my other schools combined. AdVENTURE has teachers that help you and care if you learn or not. They help you to learn and grow. AdVENTURE is fun. They have lots of projects and we are always learning in groups. I like to collaborate with others, but sometimes I like to work alone. We have projects almost every day, and we are always kept busy with fun things to do. AdVENTURE does have rules, but they are limited. I think that these rules make sense and are for the students' safety. Our motto is RRS: Respectful,Responsible, Safe. There are posters with this all over the school: how to be RRS in the classrooms, cafeteria, gym, etcetera. We can be Respectful by listening to the teacher and not talking when someone else is talking. We are Responsible by bringing our own materials and turning in our homework on time. We can be safe by listening to the teacher and obeying the rules of the school. I like to follow the rules, because it makes the school a better place to be. I like AdVENTURE very much, and I love to do all of the projects and learning that they do here. AdVENTURE is the best school I have ever attended, and they have the best teachers I have ever had. I love everything about this school, earning Patriot Bucks, the rewards, ice-cream Fridays, spirit days, everything.