Alternative Science Job

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This post will provide the directions for the alternative science job. Your assignment will be focused on cells and organisms. You'll have about three class periods to complete this task.

1. Start by working through this fun-damental. Complete both sections. (What are Cells? and Your Body's Cells.)

2. Create a blog post on your blog. Title it: Cells and Organisms. Write a paragraph that explains what you learned in the fun-damental. Answer the following questions in your post.

• What is a cell?
• Do you think a worm has cells? What about a candy worm?
• What do all living things have in common?
• Why do you think larger organisms need more cells instead of just bigger cells?
• Name two organisms that are made of only one cell.
• Name two organisms that are made of many cells.
• Bacteria are very tiny, very simple forms of life. Do you think a bacterium is made of only one cell or of many cells? Explain.
• Why does your body need different types of cells?
• What is tissue?
• What are examples of different cell types and tissues in plants?

3. Complete this exploration. In your blog post, write a second paragraph which answers the following questions.

• Why are blood cells so far apart, while skin cells are grouped closely together?
• Is Euglena more similar to a muscle cell or a leaf cell? Why?
• If you looked at cells from the trunk of a tree, which of the cells you observed would probably look most similar? Why?
• Explain what each of the following cells do: Root Cells, Stem Cells, Leaf Cells, Skin Cells, Blood Cells, Muscle Cells, Amoeba, Euglena.

4. Complete this exploration. Write a third paragraph on your blog post which answers the following questions.

• Why does bone tissue have a hard outer structure? 
• Describe how the tissues in leaves and the stem work together to help a plant survive
• Compare and contrast the information you learned about humans and plants in this exploration. 

5. Check in with a teacher when you've finished these directions. 

Reading Nutrition Labels

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nutrition_label.gif

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please take some time to read and discuss the article from class. The take some time to look at the nutrition label you brought to class today.

Write a post on your blog that summarizes what you learned. Write a bit about the label you brought to class today. Was the food healthy? Were you surprised about the serving size?

Here are some additional resources to check out:
Nutrition Facts from the Mayo Clinic
Interactive Food Nutrition Label
The American Heart Association
Kid's Health

If you have time, post a comment here with a link to your blog post!



Push your thinking, Dragons!

Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

A Night at the Talent Show...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here are some pictures from on stage at last night's talent show. Enjoy!

~Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

A Day With the Dentist...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

When you comment on this post, take a minute to say thank you to Dr. Tippets. Also, share a bit about what you learned!

~ Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

Positive Thinking...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is an extremely important post. Your classmates may remember what you write here for the rest of their lives. Please take this seriously.

You are being asked to write a bit about every student in this class. The compliments you write, as well as the adjectives you list will be used in some end of the year projects.

You'll write a very short paragraph and then list some adjectives that describe each person. Do you need help with some great adjectives? Look here, but remember to use only words you know and understand. Keep your work positive.

You cannot submit the form until you have responded to every question, which means that you need to start and finish the job in one sitting. You cannot finish later.

Your ideas do not have to come from this year alone. You have known some of the students in your class for many years. Think back if it helps you to write something positive.

This idea comes from a story I read a long time ago. If you're interested, you can check it out here, but please,  not during class. You need all of your time to fill in the form.

Thanks for pushing your thinking, Dragons! We know that this will be a challenging assignment, but you can do it.

~ Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

The Perfect Healthy Meal...

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Here are the directions for your next writing (and science!) job.

Using the book, Food and Nutrition, by Barb Davis, along with the website, Choose My Plate, you will write about your very own custom designed perfectly healthy meal.

1. Write this piece in a Google Document. Title it, "My Perfect Healthy Meal." Organize it in your writing folder.

2. Make sure that you set your share settings to "public on the web."

3. Write about your own perfect healthy meal.

4. Here's what we'd really like to see in your description of the perfect healthy meal:

• What are your food and drink choices? Why did you make these choices? What did you leave out? Why?
• What organic and inorganic nutrients did you choose? Why? (Look in the book for more on organic/inorganic nutrients.) 
• The book clarifies that there are six main types of nutrients. How many of them have you included? Which ones? Why?
• Some people say that a rainbow on your plate is an indicator of a healthy meal. What colors of food have you included in your meal? 
• How many calories are in your meal? Why? Use this tool to help with calorie counting. 
• Did you include dessert in your meal? Why? Is it healthy? (Yes, there are healthy desserts!)
• Have you correctly cited your resources (including the website and the book)? 
• What unique foods have you chosen? Please try to choose some foods we might not all know about! 

We can't wait to read all about your healthy meals!
Blow us away with your creativity!
Push your thinking, Dragons!

~ Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

Saving America's Wild Horses by: Deborah Harrison

Image citation

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, you will be reading and working with the book titled Saving America's Wild Horses. Your assignment is contained in this blog post. Please make sure to read and follow each of the directions carefully and in order.






Directions:

1. Create a blog post on your own blog. Make a link to these directions in your post.

2. Create a vocabulary resource (Google slides or Google doc w/table) and include it in your post.

• Keyword, Link to definition, and a cited, copyright free image

3. Read the book. 

4. Write a summary of the book. Include each vocabulary word (in bold) at least once in your blog post.

5. If you finish the post and include all of the pieces listed above, please go ahead and add a link or two so that your audience can learn more about this topic. You may also include a copyright-free image that is cited correctly.

Push your thinking, Dragons!

~Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

Choose My Plate

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we will begin learning about health and nutrition. What do you already know about the food you eat each day?

In your comment to this post, please share what you think is important about what/how we choose to eat. After your comment is posted, please take a look at the choosemyplate.gov website.

~ Mr. Moore, Ms. Vander Velde, and Ms. Thumm

Electricity and Magnets

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is where I will post my reflection and vocabulary resource for this unit. This post is currently under construction.

 

Mr. Moore

Science Team Participation Form