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Apr242013
POSTED AT 12:07 PM
What a fantastic day we had for our ecology observations. Things are changing at the three sites and I am sure that each of you noticed some unique happenings. Not only did we notice visual changes but there were many audible (noise) and even olfactory (scent) changes we experienced at each of the three sites. With this blog assignment, I would like to make note of these changes and have you start thinking about a couple of the aspects of the final project involving the ecology observations you have made throughout the year.
Let’s start with the changes you have observed over the past eight months. Answer the following questions, using your journal as your guide. You will need to look at the observations (1 - 7) you have made over the past 8 months.
Site #1: Mt. Laurel Forest
1a) Summarize how site #1 has changed over the past eight months.
2a) Based upon your journal entries, which observation (1 - 7) did you notice the greatest amount of change so far? What evidence do you have to support your claim?
Site #2: Low Lying Forest / Scrub Land
1b) Summarize how site #2 has changed over the past eight months.
2b) Based upon your journal entries, which observation (1 - 7) did you notice the greatest amount of change so far? What evidence do you have to support your claim?
Site #3: Wetland / Pond Area
1c) Summarize how site #3 has changed over the past eight months.
2c) Based upon your journal entries, which observation (1 - 7) did you notice the greatest amount of change so far? What evidence do you have to support your claim?
Ecology (noun): The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. (taken from wikipedia... yes, this definition is accurate)
Now that we have had a chance to discuss how things have changed with the three sites you have been observing over the past eight months, let’s starting thinking about your final project. One aspect of your final project will be a short investigation into the ecology of ONE of the three sites. This will be similar in many ways to the photosynthesis and cellular respiration experiment in the sense that you will be designing the investigation and conducting it “in” the class. A big difference is that these investigations will occur in the open environment (so they will be difficult to have complete control over) and the investigations will involve less equipment (due to the nature of the set up). Let’s get some ideas flowing and get some of the rudimentary details about this scientific investigation on the table. Answer the following questions using your experiences with this project so far along with your own specific interests in science. 1) Brainstorm a list of at least five investigative questions you are interested in surrounding the practice of ecology. Along with your list, include which site you would conduct this investigation. A few things you need to keep in mind are: This investigation needs to take place within one of the three sites and needs to involve the practice of ecology, therefore the investigation must have something to do with the interactions of organisms with each other or with their environment. The investigation will have to be completed during one or two science class periods. If it does last two science class periods, the two class periods will be separated by no more than 5 days. The investigation should involve the acquisition of real, collected and organized data. The investigation can not put any organism in harms way (this includes humans!) The investigation must use only basic scientific equipment made available in the science classroom.
Here are a few examples of questions (No, you may not use these in your brainstorming list):
“What is the average number of red maple seedlings that live past one-year within 20 feet of the parent tree at site #3?”
“What is the maximum/minimum depth of water marsh marigold can grow in at site #2?”
“What is the average number of Canada Mayflower within a 100 cm radius at site #1?”
Mar162013
POSTED AT 08:13 AM
It
looks like winter refuses to release its icy grip on New England and we
still have nearly a foot of snow in the woods around CTMS. This makes
it pretty tough for most
plants to push their way out of the frozen ground. Although we did not
see too much BIG change, there were many little things that everyone
should have noticed. Buds on trees are forming, water levels in vernal
areas and streams are rising, there is even some actual growth on
plants! For this set of observations I would like you to use both your
map and your journal as your reference source. It is important that you
explain your reasoning using evidence from these two reference sources.
Give me your best!Look at your map along with the key you created coupled with your journal to answer the following questions:Site #1:1) Based upon your map and your key, what organisms did you predict would live at site #1?2)
After visiting site #1 and making your fifth set of observations, do
you think you need to change the organisms you predicted to live at or
around site #1? Explain why or why not.3) Based upon the FIVE sets
of observations you made for site #1 thus far over the school year,
describe the following (this is similar to what you read with the “Predict-a-species” activity we did in class - check out the link for some assistance):Sunlight Amount:Water Amount:Soil Type:Apparent temperature compared to the other sites:Site #2:1) Based upon your map and your key, what organisms did you predict would live at site #2?2)
After visiting site #2 and making your fifth set of observations, do
you think you need to change the organisms you predicted to live at or
around site #2? Explain why or why not.3) Based upon the FIVE sets
of observations you made for site #2 thus far over the school year,
describe the following (this is similar to what you read with the “Predict-a-species” activity we did in class - check out the link for some assistance):Sunlight Amount:Water Amount:Soil Type:Apparent temperature compared to the other sites:Site #3:1) Based upon your map and your key, what organisms did you predict would live at site #3?2)
After visiting site #3 and making your fifth set of observations, do
you think you need to change the organisms you predicted to live at or
around site #3? Explain why or why not.3) Based upon the FIVE sets
of observations you made for site #3 thus far over the school year,
describe the following (this is similar to what you read with the “Predict-a-species” activity we did in class - check out the link for some assistance. Sunlight Amount:Water Amount:Soil Type:Apparent temperature compared to the other sites:Conclusion Questions:1) Based upon your observations so far, which site has changed the most? Explain why you think this site has changed the most.2) Based upon your observations so far, which site has changed the least? Explain why you think this site has changed the least.3) Did you happen to see any of the organisms from the “Predict-a-species”
activity? If you did, please explain why you think it was possible to
see them even during this time of winter. If you did NOT see any, please
explain why you were not able to see them. Make sure to read through
the descriptions on the “Predict-a-species” activity sheet.4)
Finally, based upon your observations, which site WILL change the most
by the next time we go outside for observations (around mid-April before
Spring Break). Answer this question using direct evidence from
observations from your journal. This prediction MUST be based on
evidence!!
Feb062013
POSTED AT 09:57 AM
This is your fourth installment of conclusion questions for this year’s ecology project. Use your journal to help you answer the questions and make sure to use your blog grading rubric to insure full credit for the assignment. Also, please make sure to label each question and don't forget to explain any answers in detail.
Thanks!
MR. S
1) During the third set of observations you made predictions on how the three sites would change in approximately one month. Well, we waited for a little longer than one month... actually it was almost exactly 2 months. I can guarantee you that a lot has changed, but just how much? How accurate were your predictions even though we waited two months? Do you think your observations would have been different if we came out a month prior? Please explain.
2) Which site do you believe has changed the most since your third set of observations? Why do you think this site has changed the most?
3) Supposedly, Punxsutawney Phil can predict the length of winter left with a mere look at his shadow. Did I mention that, Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog... and his meteorological degree is only from Stanford?? But seriously, humans have always used indicators to help us understand the seasons and the changes from season to season. Why do you think it is important for humans to have some grasp on when and how the seasons change? Name three BIG reasons why it is important for humans to have this understanding.
4) So, Punxsutawney Phil said we are going to have a short winter and spring will arrive early... then again, he can’t speak so I guess we just made this assumption. I don’t know how credible Phil is but there is one plant that is actually VERY credible. Some of you might have heard of a plant called skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). Yup, it can have an odd scent to it at times, but let’s get beyond that. People have used skunk cabbage as an indicator for the changing the seasons, by the way, it is actually a wild flower, the first to bloom! Check out this website on the skunk cabbage. Why do you think we can use the skunk cabbage as an indicator of the coming Spring?
5) Which site do you think you will find the most skunk cabbage? Explain why you think this?
6) How long do some ecologists think skunk cabbage can live for? How do you think a climatic change, such as an increase in temperature would affect the growth of skunk cabbage? Explain.
7) Other plants can be used as indicator species... as can the behaviors of animals. Another plant we see at the sites is Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia). Check out this website. Which site would you see the most of this plant? Why do you think it is growing the most at this site?
8) If the mountain Laurel flowers were to bloom in mid-April, what could you possibly conclude about the spring/summer for this year?
Dec112012
POSTED AT 10:20 AM
This is your third installment of conclusion questions for this year’s ecology project. Use your journal to help you answer the questions and make sure to use your blog grading rubric to insure full credit for the assignment. Also, please make sure to label each question and don't forget to explain any answers in detail.
Thanks!
MR. S
1) During the second set of observations you made predictions on how the three sites would change in approximately one month. How accurate were your predictions based upon what you have observed in the second observations?
2) Which site do you believe has changed the most since your second observations? What makes you think this? Explain!!
3) Looking at the three sites as a whole, what do you think is one big change that has occurred similarly across all three sites? Do you think that this one big change will continue to change from now until our next visit? Explain your answer.
4) So far we have experienced a more mild “winter” than we typically experience here in Massachusetts. What effect do you think a mild winter will have on the wildlife living within these sites? Be specific with your description.
5) Site #3 is called a vernal pool for a very specific reason. Check out this website on vernal pools and explain to us what a vernal pool is and what organisms typically are found in vernal pools.
6) Keeping the last question and the vernal pool site (site #3) in mind, what do you think would happen by Springtime to the vernal pool site if the winter was to remain mild and we were to get very little to no snow? What do you think would happen by Springtime to the vernal pool site if we were to experience a winter with below average temperatures and a large amount of snow? Make sure to explain your answers in detail since we will be revisiting these questions again during the Spring.
Oct222012
POSTED AT 07:08 AM
This is your second installment of conclusion questions for this year’s ecology project. Use your journal to help you answer the questions and make sure to use your blog grading rubric to insure full credit for the assignment. Also, please make sure to label each question and don't forget to explain any answers in detail.
Thanks!
MR. S
1) During the first set of observations you made predictions on how the three sites would change in approximately one month. How accurate were your predictions based upon what you have observed in the second observations? If you did not answer that question (question #3 from each site) during the first observations, please first state so and then, using the descriptions for your first observations, compare and contrast at least three things that have changed or remained the same for each site compared to your second set of observations.
2) Which site do you believe has changed the most since your first observations? What makes you think this? Explain!!
3) Looking at the three sites as a whole, what do you think is one big change that has occurred similarly across all three sites? Do you think that this one big change will continue to change from now until our next visit? Explain your answer.
4) How do you think an early November snowfall would affect each site? Explain.
5) Site three has a small wetland area where Mr. Stark has collected water samples for our “pond water” microscope viewings. What changes do you think these organisms go through throughout the year? Describe how you think these organisms adapt to the constantly changing seasons we experience here in Massachusetts.
6) Look back at your first set of conclusion questions completed on 9/16/12 for HW#4. Which site did you believe would change the least between September and the beginning of December? Do you still believe this or have you changed your mind, and if so, what site do you now think will change the least? Explain why.
Oct092012
POSTED AT 02:09 PM
Imagine a world where blob-like creatures lurk in the depths and once upon finding their prey they engulf it by wrapping its blobby self around and slowly digesting the prey. Or where organisms with hundreds if not thousands of moving appendages move in unison to propel forward and attack unsuspecting prey with digestive juices. These battles and many more play out constantly in a world we can never see with our naked eyes, eyes that can hardly pick out something the size of a flea let alone an organism 100 to 1000 times smaller. But with the help of one of the most influential tools in the biology world, the light microscope, observing these micro-worlds is a possibility. In our very class we have compound light microscopes which allow us to see microscopic worlds we were once unaware of. Lets see how you do with a little microscope scavenger hunt. Please complete all the following questions using COMPLETE SENTENCES and your blog rubric. Part 1: History of the microscope (please include the website you used to find all information, this website is very helpful if you would like use it) 1a) Who is accredited with the invention of the microscope and when was it invented? 1b) Who was Antonie van Leeuwenhoek? What is Leeuwenhoek accredited with? 1c) Who was Robert Hooke? What is Hooke accredited with? 1d) What is a compound light microscope? Who is accredited with the invention of the compound light microscope? Part 2: Use the following website Light Microscope Images 1) Click on “Protozoa” and complete the following questions: 1a) Find the Stylonychia (3rd row) and the Paramecium (2nd row). What similarities do they have in common (find at least two)? What differences do they have (find at least two)? 1b) At the bottom right of the Styloncychia there is a scale, about how long is the Stylonchia (don’t forget your units!)? 1c) Within each of the organisms there are round things and weird shapes. What do you think the stuff inside each organism is? 2) Go back to the original home page and click on “Plant”: 2a) Pick any sample and tell us which image you picked along with a description of the plant sample you have selected. 2b) How does the plant compare to the Styloncychia and Paramecium? Are there similarities or differences? What are they? Part 3: Use the following website 2011 Microscope Winners 1a) Pick one image and tell us the name of the image, the magnification technique and the magnification (should be something like 45x or 1000x… should have a number and an “x”) 2a) Pick one more image and follow the same directions from step 1a in Part 3. Part 4: Use your plant experiment to answer the following two questions 1) What is the independent variable you are testing? How are you insuring your experiment remains a fair test? 2) What initial data have you collected so far? Give a sample of the data you have and what you believe it means so far?
Sep262012
POSTED AT 01:07 PM
In the spirit of metric conversions and the metric cookie lab, I would like for everyone to find any cookie recipe on the internet or in a cookbook and then follow these simple instructions:
1) What is the name of your cookie recipe
2) What is the source of your recipe (i.e. what website, cookbook, even “Grandma” works here)
3) Recipe #1: List all of the ingredients in your recipe as you find them in the cookbook, webpage or recipe card. If you are using an internet resource, you can cut and paste the recipe ingredients.
4) Recipe #2: Now convert (use google conversions for help with this, just type into google the number you want to convert with the unit of measure and put an “=” with what you want to convert into. If the measurement is in cups, convert this to liters. If the measurement was in pounds or ounces, convert this into grams. Teaspoons and tablespoons should also be converted into liters. If the unit is not a measure but a number (i.e. “1 egg”) just leave it alone. Re-write your new recipe in the same format as in part 3, but this time use your metric measurements in place of the original imperial ones.
5) Recipe #3: Now write one last recipe, but this time make it kind of crazy. Change all of your relatively normal metric measurements into other metric measurements (i.e. if you had 50g of flour for recipe #2, change it into 50,000 mg of flour in recipe #3 and so on)
Good luck and happy recipe hunting!
Mr. Stark
Sep242012
POSTED AT 09:45 AM
Well, you all survived the odor of soaking beans, and I did not have to clean up any unexpected messes, thanks! Obviously we all noticed that the beans had changed, some more than others, but just how much change really occurred? There were a few goals that accompanied this lab as you remember, and they were:
v Accurately use the tools/equipment we use in science class
v Accurately use the metric system to make measurements in mass, length and volume
v Follow multiple directions without the assistance of Mr. Stark
v Make scientifically based hypotheses based upon clear observations made by the student
For this blog, I would like to focus on the final goal, making a scientifically accurate hypothesis based upon observation. This lab demonstrates a simple version of the scientific method along with the procedures one follows to create accurate data which can be easily sorted through. Look over the lab procedure you followed in class and answer the following questions to the best of your ability.
Any experiment typically has three types of variables; an independent variable (something that is changed by the scientist, there should only be one), a dependent variable (a quality that is being measured of the independent variable, i.e. change in mass), and finally a set of controlled variables (the procedures, tools and amounts which a scientist keeps the same during the experiment). For more on what the variables are in an experiment, check out this website.
1) What do you believe is the ONE independent variable in the bean lab? How do you know this is the ONE independent variable?
2) What do you believe are the dependent variables in the bean lab (there are more than one)? Why do you think we used these as the dependent variables for this lab?
3) What are the controlled variables in this experiment (use your procedure sheets to help you with this one)?
4) If I decided to have you test another type of bean with your experiment (Lima beans), which of the three types of variables did I change? Explain.
5) If I had students use 5ml of water to saturate their beans instead of 10ml of water, which of the variables did I change? Explain.
6) Let’s say you poured 5ml of water into 2 of the test tubes and 10ml of water into 3 of the test tubes. Would this experiment be fair? Explain why or why not.
Sep192012
POSTED AT 06:46 AM
Great work so far with all the metric review everyone! It seems that most of you are very comfortable using metric measurements and units, but I want to make sure of this prior to us starting our metric cookie lab and more importantly are big out of class scientific method project. Here are some practice problems concerning metrics. Please label everything correctly (i.e. “Part A 1, 2, 3, 4” etc…) and use your metric ladder to help you along your way, good luck! Part A - Write the correct abbreviation for each metric unit.
1) Kilogram _____ 2) Meter _____ 3) Gram _____ 4) Milliliter _____ 5) Millimeter _____ 6) Liter _____ 7) Kilometer _____ 8) Centimeter _____ 9) Milligram _____ 10) Centiliter ______
Part B - Try these conversions, using the ladder method.
1) 2000 mg = _______ g 2) 104 km = _______ mm 3) 480 cm = _____ m 4) 5.6 kg = _____ g 5) 8 mm = _____ cm 6) 5 L = _______ mL 7) 198 g = _______ kg 8) 75 mL = _____ L 9) 50 cm = _____ m 10) 5.6 m = _____ cm 11) 16 cm = _______ mm 12) 2500 m = _______ km 13) 65 g = _____ mg 14) 6.3 cm = _____ mm 15) 120 mg = _____ g
Part C- Figure out the answer to these two problems using metric units 1) The power at Kassie’s house went out last night during the storm. While the power was out the temperature in the house went up 1.3 degrees Celsius each hour. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius when the power went out. The power came back on four hours later. What was the temperature in the room when the power came back on? (Round to the nearest degree) 2) It must be hereditary, Devon decided. I am going to be tall, maybe even 2.3 meters tall. Since that doesn't sound too tall, he decided to tell people his height in decimeters. That would sound better. What is Devon's height in decimeters? 3) Anthony has a pet spider and a pet guinea pig. The spider is 10 mm long and the guinea pig is 35 cm long. How much longer is the guinea pig than the spider (in mm)?
Sep162012
POSTED AT 08:11 PM
First
of all, let me say how impressed I am with this seventh grade class.
You were all working hard and focused during our first ecology lab
session. Your observation skills and your enthusiasm are fantastic,
thank you. Instead of doing paper copies of our conclusion questions
this year, we are going to complete a blog each time we do our ecology
lab. Here is your first installment of questions. Use your journal to
help you answer the questions and make sure to use your blog grading
rubric to insure full credit for the assignment. Also, please make sure
to label each question and don't forget to explain any answers in
detail.
Thanks!
MR. S
1) Describe how the three sites differ from each
other using at least three complete sentences.
2) Describe how the three sites are similar to each
other using at least three complete sentences.
3) Think about TWO ways site two and three would be
affected if site number one was turned
into a parking lot and completely paved
over.
4) Which site is your favorite out of the three sites we visited? Why is this site your favorite
site?
5) Which site do you think will change the most within a month's time? Explain why.
6) Imagine you visit the three sites at the beginning of December. Which site do you believe
would have changed the least? Explain why.
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