project blog 10/28/16

Adaptations 10/21/16

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Curious_Raccoon.jpg

The one main goal of all living organisms is to survive long enough to reproduce. Plants need:

• Sunlight
• Food
• Water
• Air                           

Animals need:

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Air

For both animals and plants to survive long enough to reproduce, they change to fit their environment. These changes are called Adaptations. Adaptations are characteristics of life. They just happen. I cannot decide today I am going to grow gills and fins and live with the fish. And too bad for me if suddenly I grow them when I don’t want them. I must live with them. Adaptations are inherited characteristics that help organisms survive long enough to reproduce.

Structural Adaptations

Body parts or coloring that helps organisms survive.      

Camouflage

Blending in with your environment.

Examples: owl, tiger, frog, tiger, snake, crocodile.    

Mimicry

To copy the look of something else.

Examples: Monarch butterflies are poisonous. Viceroy butterflies aren’t. But viceroys look exactly like monarch. So they are safe for life.

Bent hind legs

Helps prey and predators run fast to get away or get prey.

Teeth:

Flat: helps herbivores chew and grind plants. Sharp: Helps carnivores tear meat apart.

Eyes: prey has eyes on the sides of their head so that they can be on the watch. Predators have eyes in front. They focus in on prey. Guess what? We're predators.

Behavioral Adaptations:

Instincts. The way an animal reacts in response to the environment.

Migration is when birds go south in the winter.

Hibernation is when animals go to sleep in the winter to live.

Dormancy is basically plant hibernation.

Plants have feelings. They protect themselves. They use thorns, bad taste, poison, spikes, and colovation. But next time you need protection, don’t go to a rose bush. You’ll get poked. And, plants don’t care about you. They won’t physically try to protect you. Plants behave too. They behave in phototropism. Over time, a plant will move to light if needed. And plants use Gravitropism, too. So don’t get dissapointed if you plant your cucumber upside down. It’ll go right side up; it knows.

Naked eggs 101 10/16/15

Chicken_Egg_without_Eggshell_5859.jpg

SUMMARY: This week we talked about diffusion.

Lesson 1: Diffusion

Diffusion is when particles spread out.

Lesson 2: Solvent & Solute

Solvent is the liquid in a solution.

Solute is what is dissolved in the solution.

    Lesson 3: Iso, Hypo, and Hyper tonics.

Isotonic: stays the same.            

Hypertonic: gets smaller.

"The egg size gets smaller." Hypotonic: get LARGER.

-Owen "Grow" as Arata puts it.

                                 

S&EP: SP4: Analyzing Data

This week we made a table to keep track of the data in the naked egg experiment. We had a chart where we wrote salt water, water, syrup, and vinegar. We weighed the eggs before putting them in their solvents and we left them that way for 24 hours. We then took the eggs out of their solvents and weighed them again. They were either hypertonic or hypotonic. This was very exiting experiment and I had fun.

Organic Molecules

noodles-pasta-spaghetti-farfalle-42326.jpeg

ORGANIC MOLECULES

This week we were learning about organic molecules. Here is what I KNOW.

Carbon

Carbon forms a total of four bonds. It can form straight chains, branched chains, or rings, giving living things the possibility of all different shapes.

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulfur, Phosphorus.

Nucleic Acids

Nucleic Acids are made up of Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus.

The monomer is nucleotide. Examples of nucleic acids are DNA/RNA.

DNA

DNA is found in the nucleus and carries all the information that the cell requires to perform its functions.

RNA

RNA codes for making proteins and can be found in the cytoplasm and nucleus.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are energy rich compounds that are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The monomer is saccharide. Carbohydrates provide energy for the cell and are components of some cell parts. The chloroplast makes carbohydrates. Examples of carbohydrates are starch, sugar, pasta, rice, bread, wheat, etc.

Proteins

Proteins are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

The monomer is aminoacid. Proteins form most organelles. They regulate growth. They also transport oxygen around. Proteins increase the rate of chemical reactions. Examples of Proteins are meat, beans, soy, tofu, legumes, cheese, yogurt, etc.

Lipids

Lipids are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The monomer is fatty acids. Lipids act as storage for the cell. Examples of lipids are oil (any kind), waxes, fats, butter, cream, and cheese.

S&EP: SP2: DEVELOPING AND USING PICTURES

This week I made a foldable containing the information above, lots of color, and pictures that I drew by hand.

Cell Wars! Project Blog 9/30/16

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Biological_cell_vacuole.svg/2000px-Biological_cell_vacuole.svg.png

Summary: this week I learned about lots of organelles.

Ribosomes:

Ribosomes are small, bumpy organelles that are blue and red. They are found in the mitochondria and chloroplast. Ribosomes make proteins and they don’t stop working. They work all the time.

Golgi: The golgi made the ribosomes. The golgi also packages proteins.

Mitochondria: The mitochondria is the best organelle because I did it. It controls like 90% of the cell. It controls more than any other organelle. It is true that you can get disease from mitochondria. But that I one in one trillion chance that will happen.

Vacuole: The vacuole is in both plant and animal cells. It takes up 80% of the space in plant cells. It stores water, food, and wastes. I am voting for the vacuole because if wastes were floating around in the cell, we would die. I did my project on mitochondria.

Endoplasmic Reticulum: The endoplasmic reticulum is like the post office of the cell. It receives the proteins all bundled up and sends them to all other ends of the cell.

Cell Wall: the cell wall is the one who is only in plant cells and helps the plant stand tall to reach the sun.

Cell Membrane: are in both plants and animal cells. They are protecting the cell.

Chloroplast: is only in the plants. It makes food for the plants.

Backwards Looking: Have you done a similar kind of work in the past (earlier in the year or in a previous grade; in school or out of school)?
Yes, I have. Last year I had done the organelle trail project. 

Inward Looking: What did/do you find frustrating about it?

The video taping part was the most frustrating part. 

Outwards Looking: What do your classmates particularly notice about your piece when they look at it?

They look at the part of the video Daniel added about Donald Trump.

Forward Looking: What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again?

Well, in the video we forgot to add "I am the mitochondria and I approve this message."

Cell Wars! 9/26/16

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0ZVGIkgGEzZRnNjX1ZSRXMtem8

SUMMARY: This week we were focused on our posters. Nic made the online meme above. Me, Sasha and Daniel drew our posters. Mine is below:

                            Link

We learned that the mitochondria controls 90% of the cell’s mutations. We also learned that the mitochondria produces aerobic respiration just for you. It also takes part in cellular respiration.

We also started filming our video. We have a script, and my part is highlighted pink, Sasha’s is cyan, Nic is yellow, and Daniel is green. Here is our script.

⭐Font for script: Caveat Brush

Sasha: Interviewer

Nic S: Audience

Annie: Monica the Mitochondria

Daniel: Audience

Ready, Set, START SHOW

Sasha: Hello and welcome to the Cell show! Here today we will be interviewing

someone special.

Sasha: And now may I present MONICA THE MITOCHONDRIA!

Nic and Daniel: (clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp)

Annie: Oh, thank you! I am Honored to be on the show.

Sasha: So Monica How do you think you will be the best candidate for President of cell land?

Annie: Well, the mitochondria controls 90% of the cell’s productivity. It is an organelle that performs the process of aerobic respiration. In aerobic respiration, simple food molecules like glucose are broken down for their energy. The process results in high-energy molecules called ATP.

Sasha: Wow I could barely process that. So Audience what do you think?

Nic & Daniel: wooohooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo woohoo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Sasha: Okay…………. So Monica what do you think you will do to help cell land if you win and do you think you will be better and win?

Annie: Well, the nucleus was the last president of cell land. I feel like I should be president because the nucleus was the one in charge of cell land. But the mitochondria also controls almost all of the cell. Sure, we need everyone else, and I realize that. It just seems like I should take the lead and help cell land back to its feet.

Daniel: That was great Monica. I’m going to vote for you.

Nic: Yes, me too.

Nic & Daniel: Bravo! (clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp clapp)  

Sasha: Why are you better than the other candidates?

Annie: Well, chloroplasts only work for plant cells. They do nothing for the animal cells. And the mitochondria powers more than even the nucleus. If the cell doesn’t have me, it’ll die.

Sasha: Can you tell me what you do for the cell Monica?

Annie: The mitochondria is an organelle that act like a digestive system which takes in nutrients, breaks them down, and creates energy rich molecules for the cell. The processes of the cell are known as cellular respiration. AND… If I win… I will make sure that everyone gets a lifetime supply of glucose sugar! And I will not build a wall…

Daniel: (awkward silence)

Sasha: Okay……..So that is it today folks see you later on THE CELL SHOW!

After show…

Nic: Glucose sugar? Yay! I’m voting for her.

Daniel: Glucose sugar and a lifetime supply of it! Just imagine!

Nic & Daniel: Whoohoo Monica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Daniel: She’s is even better than Donald Trump, I’m so voting for her!!!!!!!

Nic: Isn’t everyone better than Donald Trump. But I’ll say. What a great show.

Daniel: Ya!(in strange voice) she IS better than Donald Trump!!!!!!

Nic: She won’t build a wall!

⭐

That’s our script. We already voice recorded it the way we wanted it to be, and now we’ll face film ourselves. 📹 We all have an equal part in the video. And when we recorded our voices, it took 2 minutes.

S&EP: SP2
We did indeed use S&EP2 when we drew our posters.