Oil! Oil! Oil!

Have you ever wondered how you get oil? Are you yearning to find out how much money you can make if you become a geologist? Well, today in science class we learned about the process of getting oil. In order to determine whether a part of land is able to drill for oil successfully, it needs to fulfill the following three conditional requirements: source, reservoir, and trap. Source means that the land is deep and old enough for it to have formed oil. A reservoir is the container like area under the ground that stores the oil. The trap, is the hard rock that is used as a lid to keep the oil in the reservoir. Each student drew three maps noting where the source, reservoir, and trap was located. The idea was that when these three maps were overlapped, we would see where we would drill for oil. The teachers filled pans with gravel and occasionally a "reservoir" (cup) of "oil" (syrup). We had five chances to drill for oil and see if we found any. However, it was not that simple. Every time we moved to a new location and drilled a centimeter we lost thousands of dollars! In order to show us the economic portion of the lesson, we were able to calculate the money we made from oil and subtract the money we spent drilling. My group found 3 oil spots, two measuring 1.5 square kilometers and one measuring 2.5 kilometers squared. After filling in all the given formulas, I calculated that my group made approximately 49.2 million dollars! Although that is a lot of money, if this was in the real world, the government would deduct certain amounts and the company would have to pay all the employees their deserved salary. Then, after deducting these and other amounts of money, I could enjoy the amount of money. This class activity was extremely fun and hands on! I learned a lot from this lesson, as you can see above. I would definitely enjoy doing another activity similar to this in the future.

Oil! Oil! Oil!

Educational AND Fun? Not so impossible!

Recently, in Science class, we have been making kites and decorating the outsides with weather symbols. This not only foreshadowed the upcoming unit on wind energy, but it also helped us learn the basis of weather. Not only was it informational, but it was extremely fun at the same time! We got to be creative with the designs of our kites, and everything was done from the regular diamond shape to a kite shaped like a sheep! Being able to relax during this activity was needed because we enjoyed learning about what we were working on. All of our kites are finished, hyped up and ready to fly! Separate from our actual kite, we were required to write a paragraph on why we think kites fly. I wrote that it was the speed and direction of the wind, and the actual shape and weight of the kite that enables a piece of paper to suddenly become an airplane. All of our kite theories will be put to the test when we take a field trip outside and fly our kites! We will be able to discern which of our hypothesis' were correct, and which of ours needed more guidance. Plus, thanks to this past week in science class, we have been learning a lot more than previously on how the wind is measured and recorded (knots). Hopefully, we will be able to put all of our new wind knowledge together in order to achieve the common goal that everyone has in mind: THE HIGHEST FLYING KITE!!! (I'm already crossing my fingers!)

Cell Phones (S.S. paragraph)

The advancement in society that I feel has made the biggest impact on society is the discovery of cell phones. These remarkable devices allow anyone to contact anyone around the world in a matter of seconds. Helping with emergencies, cell phones reassure parents that their child will always have a way to contact them if need be. Also, some cell phones contain tracking devices so that you can find the child if they get lost or lose their phone. Cell phones overall help people around the world directly communicate with each other without needing to be plugged in to a wall. In fact, these phones can be brought across the world to another country and will still be able to be used. Cell phones provide unlimited communication and protection for people at a fairly low price. We grew up in the cell phone generation, but how do you think the elder generations survived without even knowing they existed?

Build Your Own Atom

Recently, in Science class, we have been learning about protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons make up the inside of the nucleus, and the electrons are on the outside orbiting around the nucleus. The electrons are also a lot smaller than protons and neutrons. Since we have also been learning about elements on the periodic table, we used both of those skills to create our own element atom using two spheres and different color beads and marbles. The blue marbles were the protons, the white marbles were the neutrons, and the green beads were the electrons. To start building the element, we found the atomic number on the periodic table. This showed us how many protons (or blue marbles) to put into the nucleus (or the inner sphere). Then, we subtracted that number from the atomic mass, which is the total number of atoms inside the nucleus. Doing this gave us the number of neutrons (or white marbles) that belong inside the nucleus. Then, since the element has to have a neutral balance, and the electrons have a negative charge, the number of electrons would balance out the protons. This gave us the number of electrons to put in the outer sphere, which is the same amount as the protons. Then we weighed our elements and recorded our data. I feel that this was a really fun and hands-on way to learn about the making of an element. It also helped us remember the vocabulary, and how to use a periodic table. This is definitely an activity that everyone would enjoy doing again, and it helps drill the information into our head.

to build your own atom go to... http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/investigations/es0501/es0501page04.cfm

Overweight or Unpopular State?

Many people think that who you are in high school or middle school has nothing to do with who you will become in the future. In a recent study on more than 4,000 girls around the age of 15, this was proved untrue. When weighing the girls over a two year time period, it seemed that their view of their social status affected their weight gain. Those who thought they were extremely unpopular gained more weight than the girls who considered their social status as more popular. The study shows that those who are low in social self-esteem are 69 percent more likely to gain an excess of 11 or more pounds in two years. Though the girls who thought they were more popular did gain excess weight, it was a lot less- only about 6 pounds at the most. None of these girls' were out of the category considered normal weight for their ages, however, people are starting to find out new ways to prevent obesity in teens and boost their self-confidence. Who are they relying on to stop this small but important dilemma? Teachers? Principals? Nurses? Peers? Nope...parents! Parents and influential adults in their lives will impact their view on themselves and their social standings. This may not necessarily be true with all teens, but take some time to view your opinion on yourself. Look in the mirror. (Go ahead, look! I won't go anywhere!) And tell yourself how amazing you are. Because everyone is beautiful..it just depends on if we all see it. But remember, that if you don't see your inner beauty, their may be some health effects that affect your outer beauty!

article from:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/07/diet.popularityweight.ap/index.html

FUN FROG DISSECTION!!!

Let's play I-Spy! I'll go first. I spy something green and slimey that lives in moist habitats! That's right, it's a frog and we got to dissect them last week in Science class! Before we could dig in, we were showed a video on how exactly to cut the frog. But when we started, it was so much fun! I personally enjoyed finding the different organs and taking them out. In our lab packets, we had to identify the heart, lungs, liver, stomach, fat bodies, and more. I thought it was cool how we could compare the frog's anatomy to that of the human's. For example, we both have mostly the same organs, but completely different body structures since frogs have enormous jumping legs with solid muscles. I also thought the life cycle of frogs was extremely interesting. Over all, dissecting the frogs was a lot of fun and I enjoyed every minute of it! At times it could get a little gross, but it was awesome to see the inside of an actual frog! To conclude this blog, I would like to end with a brief message to the dear frog I dissected...I AM VERY SORRY!
http://www.infovisual.info/

1. My favorite TV show is American Idol!!! I love laughing at the horrible singers (not to be mean)! And I like voting with all my friends for the ones I love!


2. My favorite meal is pasta! Since my family is Italian, we have it for every gathering!

3. My favorite nonschool activity is travel lacrosse and hanging out with friends! They're both extremely fun!

4. Someone I look up to is my older cousin who was the second in his senior class and is going to Yale! I want to be like him!

5. My goal for the future is to become a journalist for a famous magazine or newspaper!

6. In the first hour after school I usually do homework so that I have the rest of the day free!

Ringtones: music or a trap?

Most of us teens have cell phones, right? Well, I don't know about you but picking a ringtone is my favorite part! In India, they figured out how to put the new animal ringtones to work. These ringtones make the noises of cows 'mooing', goats bleating and roosters crowing. They are using these to bring leopards toward them, since they are attracted to the animal noises. This is a safe way to attract the cats, rather than use real animals who would be in danger of getting hurt. By bringing leopards to them, they can trap them. Why would they want to do this, you ask? Because many of these leopards have been wandering from the forest towards the village in search of food, which could lead to people killed. In order for the leopards to really get trapped, they fixed the speakers behind a cage. Then, the leopard goes into the cage to look for food, and is trapped. Since this idea, five cats have been successfully trapped, and taken back to the forest and away from the village. I feel that Ahmedabad, India made the correct decision by putting these traps to work becuase they have saved many villagers as well as leopards.

info found from : http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/06/05/leopards.ringtones.reut/index.html

Roller Coaster Madness!!!

For the past week in Science, we have been working on building roller-coasters or skate-parks out of certain materials given, such as paper tubes, tape, straws, and paper cups. My group is creating a roller-coaster. The requirements are to have four hills and bends. We are doing this project to put Newton's laws to the test. By looking at the speed of the marble, we can figure out the highest points of kinetic and potential energy. For example, our highest point of potential energy, or energy that will be used for kinetic energy, is at the very beginning of the ride because it will be pushed down the ride, but it hasn't been yet. Our highest point of kinetic energy was in the middle of one of our fastest hills because it had the highest speed and the most energy.When I went online to find more information on Newton's Laws, I realized that all three are on seperate topics, but they relate in a certain way. They all relate to the world around us and they teach us about speed and velocity. I feel that this project is a fun and efficient way to have us learn about physics and Newton's Laws.
info found from: http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/02144/basics/newton.htm

Toy Cars Can Go Far!!

This week we have been working on the formulas of speed, and how they apply to real life. The last few days, we have been racing toy wind-up cars to calculate the average of their speed. All we had to do was divide the distance the car traveled by how many seconds it took to get there. For example, if it traveled 200 centimeters in 4 seconds, the speed would be 50 centimeters per second. We would do this in three trials, and in order to find the average speed, we added all of the distances and the speeds together and divided them. After that, we compared the speeds to different cars, and what effected the speed. My group found out that the farther back you pull the car, the farther forward it will go. Also, by applying a forced push to the car it makes the speed excel. Previously, we were also learning about the formula of velocity which I found out more information on the website ahead. Over all, I thought that having a hands on activity like the toy cars was a great way to learn and study speed formulas. I feel that we should do more activities like this one in the future.

I found info on speed and velocity formulas on... http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/1DKin/U1L1d.html

Healty Food- Making its Way into Our Schools

We have been starting to notice it all over our cafeteria. Fat free ice cream. Vegetable pizza. 100-calorie Oreo cookies. Some of the food tastes good, but some we think is just going way too far. In an article I read on CNN, it talked about how healthier food and drinks are slowly taking over our school lunches. They have begun this process after the fact that 12 million kids between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight. If they can change the way Americans eat in the school systems, maybe they can change the way Americans eat all the time. During this past January, Bravo! Brands Inc. started selling a 150-calorie, 8-ounce bottle of flavored milk in about 8,000 schools across the country. Some flavors of this new health-efficient drink are Starburst, or Milkyway. They are also going to start selling low-fat smoothies and yogurt in school cafeterias. In order to be able to sell in schools, company spokesman Charles Nicolas said, "Pepsi is reformulating its popular Doritos, Cheetos and Quaker products for the 2007-2008 school year..." This is proving that many main companies want to play a role in making America a healthier country. I think that all food industries should work their way into making their products- and the world- healthier for the new generations.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/13/schools.healthy.foods.reut/index.html

Lent Give-Aways & Their Result

What are you giving up for Lent? Chocolate? Candy? Soda? Surprisingly many kids have decided to give up all social networks such as AOL Instant Messenger, and any other form of e-mail or online chat. Most of these teens have said that it has been extremely difficult to stay away that long. Giving up these sites has helped many focus while doing homework and realize how much they relied on computers. MySpace alone attracted 64.4 million different visitors in just the month of February! This shows that this generation is way too attached to online chatting. ONe doctor even said, "this behavior results in a lack of sleep, missed meals, poor hygiene and, in some extreme situations, seizures." As you can see, this small habit can result into much more serious issues. Therefore, limiting online time is beneficial because it helps us realize how much more important school work is and human interaction instead of online chats. "People are realizing that reality involves people, not pixels." I feel that this will result in a better society, where it is not overpowered by technology. Although I am writing this on the computer as we speak, lessening online availability will improve the society, along with our own health.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/03/29/no.facebook.lent/index.html

Hi everybody! Testing this week! AHHHHHHHHHHH :) To all my "eighvies" GOOD LUCK!
hahahhahaha

Class Response: Gregor Mendel: Genetics

All throughout the unit of Genetics, we have been learning about the miraculous works of Gregor Mendel. Was he just an ordinary guy who had a random craving for peas? No! He worked with pea plants to discover heredity. In class we learned that he was a monk who was educated by the University of Virginia. Throughout his lifetime (1822-1884) he developed the method of cross-polinization. He performed his arts in a monestary garden on his campus that soon became his home away from home. We also learned that he was called the "Father of Genetics" due to his extreme discoveries and his notes that were useful to the scientists to come. Having done a whole chart about Mendel, we can just about say that we are experts. But, for more information, i went onto a website full of Gregor's achievements. It told me that he tested on 28,000 pea plants. He found out two laws, His first law was that each gene has two alleles: one from each parent. The second was that it is a random assortment of chromosomes that lead to many different alleles. The website also contained this famous quote, "The value of utility of any experiment are determined by the fitness of the material to the purpose for which it is used." This website contained lots of extra information that I can add to my notes on this famous scientist Gregor Mendel. I feel that if Mendel hadn't been so successful in his studies, we would not have such advanced theories about genetics. How would we ever know the probability of a gene that our children will have? We wouldn't if it wasn't for Gregor Mendel!

info found at:http://library.thinkquest.org/C0118084/History/Mendel.htm

Class Response: Genetics Assessment: Therapeutic Cloning

Imagine being sick in a hospital bed, not knowing what is wrong with you, not even knowing if you'll live through the next minute. Then, the doctors mention therapeutic cloning as your only chance to survive, with the small catch; this would be a test run meaning that this is not gauranteed to work. Would you take the risk? I know I would! My Genetics Assessment question was why we should support therapeutic cloning, and what the many benefits are. This was a very interesting topic to research because I feel that I agreed with the point of view I was placed on. I found out that therapeutic cloning and stem cell research are ways to clone cells and organs in the human body to use as a disease treatment. Cloning would easily help all humans with diseases because it would enable us to clone organs to use as donors, which would eliminate the problem of waiting for a donor. This would ensure us that it is the same DNA as the reciever, and it will be the right size. Also, by cloning stem cells, it lets us multiply them into different types of cells (nerve, brain, blood, etc.). Also, by cloning, we can test new treatments on them without hurting anyone. As long as we keep it for medical reasons, I am 100% behind therapeutic cloning. I feel that it will save millions of lives, while enhancing medical science all together.
some info found from: http://www.religioustolerance.org/clo_ther.htm
(others from my assessment notes)

Cameras Smarter Than Us?

Whenever I walk into a store that has a surveillance camera, I wave my arms idioticly and make funny faces at the camera. Don't laugh. We've all done it. Whether the camera is in a grocery store or a high-class resaurant, no one can resist putting on a show for whoever is on the other side of the wires and hi-tech lenses. This fascinating article I read was on how security cameras in stores and airports are smarter than ever. New designs and definitely new technology led to a new security camera that can interpret what they see, such as how tall you are, how much you weigh, and if the way you're walking means you are up to something. They are called "never-blinking surveillance cameras" because they are always watching, as if waiting for something to happen. A lot of the cameras used today catch criminals after the crime, but this new gadget is "able to detect suspicious behavior and potentially prevent crime befor it occurs." Many areas, such as Chicago, Washington, Baltimore, gaming industries, and casinos, have already put this amazing technology to work. Although these places seem to have put this gizmo to good use, London is the new camera's best customer, having installed many all around the country. US militaries in Iraq are also using them for safety purposes, in order to protect borders and forts. As you can see, these new cameras would decrease the amounts of thefts in stores, and other crimes elsewhere. I feel that the US government should install these cameras to most- if not all -of the major stores. From now on, be careful on what faces you make at the cameras wherever you go, because you never know what face is interpreted as someone up to no good.
info found at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17330942

Too Sick, or Too Quick

I read a very intresting article about how parents know when to let their child stay home from school due to certain symptoms. We have all tried it before...putting hot water on our foreheads, faking a pale face with baby powder, and my favorite, the crayon chicken pox. Most of the times parents catch us, because mothers seem to know all. But do they know when their children are really too sick for school? Well, in the article it said that the usual fever limit is around 100 or 101, although they definitely vary depending on the school or state. Many other sicknesses to stay home to would include vomiting, severe nausea, pink eye, rashes, viruses, etc. On the other hand, colds are not usually a reason to stay home, unless the symptoms would lead the child to be extremely uncomfortable in class, or you feel it may be leading up to a flu. As far as when it is okay to send your child back to school, most parents and schools feel most comfortable using the 24 hour rule, which goes for fever, vomiting, and other illnesses, although simple colds can have a much fewer limit. So, in the time between work carpools and the buses arriving, try to avoid split-second decisions. For they often lead to careless choices and huge mistakes. The article's main lesson was for the parents to trust their instincts. This can go from sending them to school with complaints of a cold, or keeping them home due to lack of normality. I completely agree with that statement, because I know that my parents know a lot more than I do about being sick. So, for all of my classmates reading this, when you complain of being "too sick for school" trust your parents' opinions and decisions, for they know what they are doing.

info found at: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2893860

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/02/13/gps.sneaker.ap/index.html

In this highly interesting article, a man named Isaac Daniel has created a GPS chip imbedded into a line of sneakers. After losing his eight-year-old son in 2002, he was determined to find a way to help all parents find their children in a time of devistation. However, the shoe can be worn without having accessed the tracking system. When the wearer gets in an emergency situation, he/she can just press a button on the side of the shoe. As soon as the system is activated, it sends a signal to a monitoring service (that does cost you money). To be safe, if for some reason the wearer was not able to press the button, a family member or close friend can call the monitoring service.Much to the very uptight parents in America's dismay, they can not call the authorities just to find out where their teen is really sneaking off to. If this does happen, the one who called will have to pay a cost by law. The only major flaw in Daniel's invention is that the connection may vary based on how many satellite systems are reachable. So, in order for your signal to be completely transmitted, you'd need a pretty clear view of the sky. Being such an efficient idea, they are now starting to implant these chips into military combat boots, so that they will be able to track their MIA soldiers. These shoes will truly be able to secure the safety of America's citizens. In my opinion, these shoes would certainly help parents locate missing children. Also, I am so thankful that they will be able to help those serving our country in Iraq. This is truly a miraculous invention that will change the way America looks at technology.

science has been fun lately!!!

Hey, everyone! I think that Science class has been extremely fun lately! I loved how we did the suitcase game, and the hamster activity! They both made the whole class interestes in what we were learning, and they were definitely a break from all those notes and packets. Being such fun games, I would like to play more like them! We don't have to play a game every class, but once a week would be nice! What do you think? Maybe, before the next big test, each class could make up a review game, and we could switch so that every class gets to play every game! This would be very exciting, and it would be a great way to review what we have learned! I don't know all about it, but let me know what you think! Well, summing this post up, I feel that interactive activities in class have been catching out interest more! I will write again soon! And remember....keep smiling!
~ kolie715