Noor's Science Methods Blogs

  Week 5: Where Does Living Stuff Come From  What question are we investigating? This week we investigated the questions, "Where does living stuff come from? Where does it go?".  What did we do in lab to investigate this question? To begin, we started out with a whole class discussion while reviewing the ways seeds can travel and spread.  We then watched a few videos and created a class list of different ways seeds are dispersed throughout the world. Next, we went over the procedure for the activity that we were about to complete. Each group picked one of the methods of which a seed can be dispersed throughout the land. After choosing a method, each group had to prepare a physical presentation to emulate the seed dispersal. Our group chose the method of seed dispersal traveling through animals, particularly birds. We created a replication of a bird, picked up a seed through the beak to represent the bird eating the seed. We then moved to a different part of the ...

  Week 4 Blog: Monarch Butterflies  What question are we investigating? This week we investigated Monarch butterflies, as well as what makes a question "good" according to the NGSS. Our class had several questions about Monarch butterflies such as, how do Monarch butterflies know where to travel, how does the super generation reproduce, and how do they travel so far.  What did we do in lab to investigate this question? We used the acronym KEWL to begin setting up our investigation. Starting with what we know, our evidence, what we want to know, and lastly what we learned. There were 5 different stations set up in the classroom to help us investigate these questions. The first was different diagrams of the butterflies life cycle, the second was parts of real Monarchs under a microscope, the third was looking at the caterpillars, the forth was analyzing the chrysalis, and lastly watching a video of the growing process and looking at learning materials.  Chrysalis Cater...

Week 3 Blog Post What question are we investigating? The questions we investigated this week in lab were: Where do plants get their food? Where do plants get their energy? What did we do in lab to investigate this question? After taking a google form where we had to chose which person had the correct statement on where their plants get food, we had a very extensive class discussion. During the discussion we broke down what photosynthesis is, and the way animals get food vs. plants. We then took some plant algae and put them in a vile of water that was polluted with carbon dioxide. We tested photosynthesis by leaving one vile in the light so the process of photosynthesis could take place, and put the other in the dark.  What did we figure out? During the discussion  we found out that plants get their food from sugar after breaking those sugars down through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process used by plants to convert light energy into chemical energy...