10/31/09 Blog

This week in science, we learned about plant and animal cells and their differences and similarities. We learned about them by making four slides: potatoe with blue stain; potatoe with with red stain; potatoe with non-stain; and grass. We then viewed each slide under both high and low magnification. I noticed that in all of the potatoe slides, in both high and low magnification, the cells are mainly made up of circles, small and large. The grass, however, did not have many circles in its structure. It is important to know about animal and plant cell structures because we are composed of and surrounded by them.
We also learned more about cells by learning about their structures and functions by discussing them with our class and doing some research, and finally making a chart:

• Structure-Function
• cytoplasm-holds everything in place
• nucleus-controls everything that goes on in the cell
• cell wall-protection, structure
• etc.

This is important to know because throughout our science careers we will constantly be dealing with cells. Also, we are surrounded by and composed of them.

Kt's 10/25/09 Blog!!!

*Just so you know, I was absent from school Thursday Oct. 22 and Friday Oct. 23*

This week we learned how to perform a Gram Test to determine if our chicken bacteria collected in the petri dish is gram positive or negative.
To learn about this Jillian and I conducted a gram test with Mr. Finley and another group. Some steps of the test include:

• Sterilize needle
• Put distilled water on slide
• Rub sterilized needle on agar
• Drop 5 drops of different chemicals on slides

Our test results were gram negative because it did not retain the crystal violet dye and turned pink. So, I believe the chicken could have had proteobacteria. Some types of proteobacteria include Salmonella and Shigella.
It is important to know how to conduct a gram test because throughout our future science carrers we will often have to know whether something is gram negative or gram positive.

This week in Science we also talked about different types of bacteria such as Tetrabacillus, Staphlyococci, and diplospirillum. We learned these by putting together parts that make up bacteria. For example, I could cocci on the end of diplo and get diplococci, meaning a pair of circular bacteria. This is extremely important to know in science because you must know these terms when identifying bacteria to know what you're looking at.

10/17/09 Blog!!!

This week in Science class we focused on our list of objects consisting of:

• demonstrate knowledge of a microscope
• learn how to use it-what each part does
• know names of parts
  
• how to hold microscope
• know how to make a slide (wet mount dry mount)
• Test the materials sent from CHD
  
• Enter your own objectives
• Conduct at least two experiments-one microscope & one petri
• Analyze blood results
• And some more...

So we had a lot to do! My group tested a pot/chicken in a petri dish and pond water under a microscope, after we studied for and took our quizzes. Before we could conduct our experiments. we wrote out procedures for them. We learned how to do experiments by learning about microscopes and petri dishes, getting mini-lessons on making slides, talking about science safety, and having class discussions. It is very important to learn how to conduct an experiment now because as we grow up, we'll be doing more and more experiments. Also, if we are involved with experimenting or if we are scientists when we're older, this is something we'd have to know how to do with ease.

We also talked about small organisms this week. We learned about them by studying a simulation that focuses in on tiny organisms such as Paramecium and tRNA. It is important to know about these little organisms because: 1- they are all around us and 2- AS we continue experimenting as we grow up, these might be organisms involved with the experiment we are conducting, and I think that it's important to know what you're experimenting.

Kt's 10/10/09 Blog!!!

This week in science we learned more about what's inside our petri dishes, cell and virus structures, and microscopes.
We learned about our petri dish contents by studying them and looking at the amount of colonies (when bacteria reproduces into lots of bacteria) each dish had. We then discusses the characteristics of the colonies.
We learned about cell and virus structures by researching them and drawing labeled pictures of a cell and virus. This helped me understand them A LOT more because it showed me what they really look like and the different features and charicteristics each has. For example, without having to personally research and draw a bacteria cell, I would not have learned what a Ribosome or, converter of food to energy is.
To learn about microscopes, my group and I took a look at one. Also, I attended a mini-lesson from Mr. Sagen on dry/wet mount slides which I learned a lot from. One thing I learned in the ini lesson is that pipettes are used to apply liquid on a wet mount slide.
It is important to know about what is inside of our petri dishes because I believe it is silly to perform an experiment such as ours without understanding it. Next, it is important to learn about virus and cell structures because #1 They are all around us and #2 They largely affect our petri dish experiment. Finally, it is important to know about the proper use of a microscope and slides because they are great, useful tools and they are something you use your entire science career to view important things in.

10/4/09 Blog!!!

This week in Science, we learned more about the Truman Middle school's band absences and looked for an explanation and evidence to back it up. We also learned about swabbing bacteria.
Some things my group and I discovered about Truman middle school band this week include:

• They competed in a band competition with Jackson Middle school
• The bands went to a restaurant following the competition
• One of the restaurants the schools visited received negative health inspections
• All kids that were ill had stomach aches
• The concert was outdoors in a park in a Pavilion
• The Pavilion is right next to a lake
• The Wast Nile Virus was going around the community that Jackson and Truman are in

Using these observations, we were able to come up with two hypotheses:

#1: " We strongly believe that the ill students were infected by the West Nile Virus, a disease transmitted through mosquito bites. The concert was outdoors in a park where mosquitoes are very likely to be found in the Springtime. Also, the pavilion is next to a lake that many students socialize at, and water attracts mosquitoes. Plus, many kids that were swimming in the lake got sick!

#2: " The Cheep Chicken Hut could have gotten students sick with food poisoning, but one of the parent's of a child that had gone to the restaurant and got sick in an interview stated that she strongly believed her child was sick with the flu, not food poisoning."

It is important for us to know how to expolre and dig into a siuation like this and come up with hypotheses because these types of things happen everyday. So, to know what to do and how to do it, you can have the advantage of being capable of figuring out why it's happening.

This week we also learned about swabbing bacteria and where to do it. First, we thought of what areas of bathrooms are good for swabbing for bacteria-free surfaces, and what areas of bathrooms are good for swabbing for bacteria filled surfaces. We decided that the handle of the paper towel dispenser would be clean, and that the urinal handle would be dirty. So, our group then journeyed to the boys bathroom to swab those areas. We then rubbed the two separate swabs on different areas of the pitre dishes that we had received. I believe that the one side we rubbed the dirty swab on will grow and grow and take over the dish.

It is important for us to know about this because while learning about clean and dirty ploaces, we're learning about the interesting spread of bacteria. Scientists have to do this all the time. For example, they could set up a similar experiment if trying to find out if somebody is infected with a disease. So, an ill person could have their saliva swabbed. Then, a person who may or may not be ill can also have their saliva swabbed, and if the pitre dish has bacteria growing on both sides, the other person is clearly infected with the disease.