Shelly has returned from her "vacation"

....and is resting comfortably in her tank after eating a hearty meal of turtle pellets! Some of you were worried about her absence, but I knew that she would turn up eventually. Let's just say that I was thrilled to see her again.

In an effort to prevent both her and Isador from taking these unannounced vacations, I immediately turtle-proofed room 241A and purchased a baby gate from Target. Now Isador can join his big sister again in stretching their turtle legs in our classroom!

Simpsons Evolution Intro

I'm not a huge Simpsons fan (I'd consider myself to be a moderate fan), but the intro linked below has to be the most original one ever! Watch the video, and note the path in which evolution occurs.....from single celled organisms (Homer-bacteria) on through the development of simple multicellular organisms (Homer-jellyfish), step by step as complex reptiles and mammals evolve. Amazing. I just wish that we could view it in class.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Here's a question for you.....and I want to see your responses (is anyone reading this out there?): which gas, when produced, enabled the "Homer-fish" to make their way out of the water and evolve into terrestrial (land-dwelling) animals?

Enjoy!

The second week is nearly over.....

And I think that I've got most of your names down! Have you noticed that I've been calling on you by name, even though you haven't remembered to keep your name plaquard on your desk? Not bad, eh?

This week, we covered the Scientific Method....the systematic process in which we search for solutions to problems. Can you recall the steps of the Scientific Method in order?

Let's review:

1. State the problem/Ask the question. What are you looking to solve?


2. Gather information on the topic. Research the subject of your investigation (ask a professional, use the internet, go to the library)


3. Form a hypothesis. Propose a solution to the problem.


4. Experiment. Carry out a plan to test your hypothesis.


5. Record and analyze data. Organize the information that you gathered in data tables or diagrams, and create graphs to visually represent your results.


6. Form a conclusion. What can you conclude from your experiment? Was your hypothesis correct? What could you improve about the experiment?

In an experiment that you are looking to discover how effective something is, two test groups must be studied. One group will be the variable group, or the group that receives the factor that you are testing. The other group is the control, the group in which the variable is not altered. The control is used as a benchmark to measure the variable's effect.

Let's take a look at the following experiment that was designed to see how important rich soil is to the growth of a plant:

A student hypothesized that plants grown in poor soil will not develop as well as plants grown in good soil.

Both test groups must develop with the same conditions: same variety of plant seeds used, same amount of water used, both exposed to the same amount of sunlight, etc.

Only one factor can be different between the two groups; in this experiment, the type of soil used would differ. Only one variable can be tested at a time, or you will not be able to determine what caused the observed results. In this experiment, the variable was the type of soil used. The student was then able to conclude that plants grown in good soil grow taller than plants grown in poor soil. If the student had changed other conditions between the two groups, he may not be able to determine which factor actually produced taller plants.


We will end this week with a Scientific Method quiz and a review of appropriate laboratory behavior. Next week will begin with the characteristics of living things and the beginning of our unit on Evolution.

Enjoy your weekend.....create stunning lab safety posters over the weekend.....and rest up. Next week will be packed with learning!