MS 821 6th Grade Science

2004-05-31T13:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, here it is, the final word on the exit projects.

1. I’m going to skip the background information as a necessary part. It may be used for up
to 30 points of extra credit, though.

2. The Lab Report (outlined below) is worth a test grade, and the Board about half a test
grade.

3. “When are they all due?” you might ask... Well, the Lab Report will be due no later than
Wednesday, June 2. The poster boards will be due probably Monday June 14^th, and we
will presents projects that week.

4. I would like to have a quick Science Fair during the last week of school. More about that
later.

The lab report is all of your information together, from the Question to the Conclusion. We
worked out many of these sections previously. Remember, you should write the Lab Report so
that anyone who reads it could repeat your investigation.

Question. All investigations start with a question. It is simple and to the point. It is also the title
of your investigation.

Materials. What was everything you needed?

Hypothesis. What did you think would happen? Why?

Procedure. Every step that was needed for your investigation. (NOTE: You do not need to
include “I went to the flower shop on 5^th and 23^rd to get the soil,” but you should include what
type of soil that you used.) The procedure should be detailed. The procedure should not include

“what happened” (which is the “data collection” part). The procedure can include sketches as
well as descriptions.

Data Collection. This part can be tricky. When doing the investigation, you take data. This data
can be in two different forms:

A log book. This would be for people who are doing long experiments (like with plants or
mold). Every day, or every few days, there should be measurements and perhaps a sketch or
picture. Every time there is information written down it should be on a new page. (NOTE: You
don’t have to have an actual “book,” you could staple pages together, or something similar.)

Data tables. This is for people who are measuring something several times, possibly
comparing two things. For instance, if I want to measure how many times I hit a ball, the table
might look something like this:

Type of Bat	# of hits (out of 20)
Wood	12, 14, 10, 9, 15
Aluminum	18, 19, 15, 20, 18

If I were measuring how many times my sister and I hit a ball with different bats, it would look
like:

# of Balls Hit

	Mr. Levine	Mr. Levine’s Sister
Wood	13, 13, 15, 14, 12	5, 6, 3, 7, 10
Aluminum	19, 16, 18, 17, 18	9, 12, 11, 14, 7

Analysis. This is the hardest part of your report. Now you have your data, but data by itself
doesn’t tell us much. What can you do to the data? Here are some ideas:

Mean, Median, Mode, Range. Use the “statistics” you have done in math class. For
example, in the case where my Sister and I were using a Wood and Aluminum bat above, you
could find the mean, median, mode, and range of each: Mr. Levine with the Wood Bat, Mr.
Levine with the Aluminum Bat, Mr. Levine’s Sister with the... etc.

Rate of Change. If you measured a plant growing, it hopefully always got bigger. So you
might have data like this:

Day	Plant A	Plant B
1	3 inches	3 inches
3	4 inches	3 inches
5	6 inches	4 inches
7	8 inches	6 inches
9	11 inches	8 inches

You can subtract to find how much the plant grew every two days. From Day 5 to 7, Plant A
grew 2 inches, and Plant B grew 2 inches. But from Day 7 to Day 9, Plant A grew 3 inches, while
Plant B grew 2 inches. You could then find the average growth. (You could also subtract Day 9
- Day 1, and divide by 9 Days - 1 Day = 8 Days... Plant A: 8 inches ÷ 8 Days = 1 inch per day.
Plant B: 5 inches ÷ 8 Days = 0.625 inches per day.)

Another easy way to see how fast something grew is to make a graph.

NOTE: See Mr. Levine about your specific project so he can help you on this! Even if it’s
just quickly in the morning (if he’s not busy), or at lunch, or if you have a substitute (and Mr.
Levine’s not busy), or email me (Levine821@yahoo.com) or... um, running out of ideas, ... on
the Shea Stadium trip (not on the Hershey Park trip, that would be too late...), or especially at the
After School!!!

Results. What did your analysis tell you? My analysis told me that... (A) I can hit better than my
sister, and (B) I can hit much better with an aluminum bat. Or, ... My investigation showed that
Plant A grew faster than Plant B. It also showed that Plant A was much greener. Both started at
the same height, but Plant B did not grow right away...

Conclusions. Why do you think it happened? For example...

I hit the ball better than my sister because I have been playing baseball longer. Also, the
aluminum bat is lighter so it is moves quicker. But, the aluminum bat hurts my hands more, so I
can’t really decide which is better...

OR ... Plant A, which was given spring water, grew better because the spring water has
extra minerals in it. A plant must need these minerals. Plant B, which got tap water, didn’t grow
as fast, maybe because there are few minerals in the water. Or maybe there is something else in
the tap water that stops the plant from growing. I hope not, I wouldn’t want to drink that...

Then comes the poster, which we’ll do later.

2004-04-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

Hello from Florida!

I'm visiting family down here in West Palm Beach (ask Ms. Cozo where that is...), and went to two wonderful places. I thought you might enjoy them too. I will be adding pictures as soon as I figure out how.

Butterfly World is a place where they have a huge cage with thousands of butterflies flying around in it. You get to walk through them! There are other parts of the park with different types of birds as well.
Butterfly World

And, we went to a wetland preserve called The Wakodahatchee Wetlands. There were many types of wild birds (no cages, just a half mile boardwalk through it), turtles, and even an alligator! Very nice walk, and my aunt is a birding expert, so she knew what each type was, as well as how old it was. There were some baby birds that hadn't left their nests yet. This wetlands is actually a place where many of these birds nest this time of year.
The Wakodahatchee Wetlands

Hope you enjoyed your break as much as I did!

Oh, and to all of you in 601 who screamed "Happy Birthday" to me at the end of class, I think I can finally hear again. :-) Thanks!

-Mr. Levine

2004-04-10T20:28:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I am very sorry. I did not create the links to the sites correctly below. The sites that could help with your pamphlet are:

Basic Anatomy: Tissues and Organs
A look inside the human body
Thinkquest This is a little childish, but probably useful.
Biology Topics
BBC Online These are games, but you can learn something from them too.

2004-04-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

We have just started “Human Biology,” so part of the homework is related to that. The other part of the homework is about your exit project.

First, the exit projects: If you have not started your project, this break is a real good time to do so. If you are doing something like a plant, then I really hope you have started already. Make sure that you have all your materials and your procedure, and that you record all of your data. Keep a log book for every day (if it’s a long-term project), or for every trial (for short-term projects).
Put your data in tables. Many people are doing an experiment, most of which have one test variable; some are doing an experiment with two test variables. See examples below of each.

One Variable
Test Variable (ex: Time)	Outcome Variable (ex: Distance)
...	...
...	...
...	...

Two Variables
	Test Variable 1 (ex: Person)
		Tim	Mary
Test Variable 2 (ex: number of seconds)	0 sec.	...	...
	30 sec.	...	...
	60 sec.	...	...
	90 sec.	...	...

If you can, take pictures of what you do. This does two things: (a) prove that you did it, and (b) provides an easy way to collect data. (If you have access to one, a digital camera can take almost unlimited pictures; take as many as possible, and then just use the best ones.)
When you get back, I will try to hold an afterschool where I can talk to you for several minutes about your project (instead of several seconds in a noisy classroom during class).
These projects will be due the first or second week in May.

Now for the pamphlet. You are going to do a pamphlet about a particular human organ system. Your main reference should be your “Human Biology and Health” text book (HBH). Some websites that may help are:

Basic Anatomy: Tissues and Organs
A look inside the human body
Thinkquest This is a little childish, but probably useful.
Biology Topics
BBC Online These are games, but you can learn something from them too.

In class, you were assigned an organ system.
Below is the general assignment. On the back of the page is your specific assignment. I will list the section(s) that will help you in HBH, and two assigned sections (reading and questions). Keep this in mind: when you get back, you will be presenting (and handing out) the important facts about your organ system (along with the other people who did the same system). At the end, everyone will have the important facts of each organ system.
The assignment : This brochure has a lot of information. I suggest at least using the long paper for it (8.5" by 14"). Your brochure must include the following:

Title Page - This has your organ system’s name, your name, your class on it.
Sketch - A sketch of the organ system, labeled with all the important parts (Optional - you can put this on the Title Page.) 20 points.
Functions and Structures
- What are the major functions of this system? Why is it important? 10 points.
- What are the organs involved? What does each do? 10 points.
- What different tissues are involved? 5 points.
- What does the whole system do? What steps are involved? How does it accomplish its job? 10 points.
- What other system(s) does it work with? 10 points.
Possible problems - Sometimes things can go wrong, and a system will have a problem.
- Describe two major problems that the system can have. 10 points.
- What can be done to help Is there a cure or a treatment? 5 points.
- What can be done to prevent these problems? 5 points.
- What type of problem is it? Is it a problem from within (for example: someone’s blood won’t clot; or an allergy to pollen), or something that wasn’t naturally caused by your body (for example: a scrape; damaging your lungs by smoking). 5 points.
Glossary - at least five words related to your system, plus their definitions. 10 points.

You can fold the paper however you like it, but please keep the final dimensions smaller than 8.5 inches by 11 inches (short paper). You can fold up long paper, or short paper; it can be folded and have more pages; you can attach together two or more unfolded short papers; etc.
As always, make it appear nice. Color is always appreciated, but not necessary. The brochure is due the day we get back to school, March 14th. Lastly, this is a job for you alone. One or two other people also have your topic, but I want you to work alone. You will collaborate when you return
See the example below.

Other important things to remember!
The day you get back, we are going to have the Movable Museum! (Yes, I will still collect your homework.) Please try to be here, there is no re-doing this. We were chosen specially for this, and I promise it will be fun!
The Liberty Science Center trip is on Friday, April 30th. We are leaving here at 9AM, and returning at 4PM. DO NOT be late that day! The trip will cost $11, and all money must be in by Thursday, April 15th along with the permission slip you received in class. We need chaperones for this trip also (see the handout).

As always, if you have any problems, please email me at Levine821@yahoo.com

Enjoy the break!

Skeletal
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 38 - 49.
- HW: Read 38 - 45. On p. 45, do Q 1 - 5. Read 46 - 49. On p. 49, do Q 1 - 5.
Muscular
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 50 - 54, 42 - 44.
- HW: Read 50 - 54. On p. 54, do Q 1 - 4. Read 38 - 49. On p. 49, do Q 1 - 5.
Skin
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 56 - 62, 162
- HW: Read 56 - 62. On p. 62, do Q 1 - 4. Read 50 - 54. On p. 54, do Q 1 - 4.
Circulatory
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 100 - 111, 120 - 124, 143. (113 - 118 optional)
- HW: Read 100 - 106. On p. 106, do Q 1 - 5. Read 107 - 111. On p. 111, do Q 1 - 4.
Respiratory
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 130 - 138, 140 - 144.
- HW: Read 130 - 138. On p. 138, do Q 1 - 5. Read 140 - 144. On p. 144, do Q 1 - 5.
Excretory
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 145 - 150, 140 - 144.
- HW: Read 145 - 150. On p. 150, do Q 1 - 5. Read 130 - 138. On p. 138, do Q 1 - 5.
Immune
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 161 - 167, 156 - 160. (170 - 179 optional)
- HW: Read 161 - 167. On p. 167, do Q 1 - 5. Read 156 - 160. On p. 160, do Q 1 - 4.
Nervous
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 190 - 203.
- HW: Read 190 - 194. On p. 194, do Q 1 - 4. Read 196 - 202. On p. 202, do Q 1 - 4.
Endocrine
- Reference: HBH Pages 16 - 21, 226 - 230.
- HW: Read 226 - 230. On p. 230, do Q 1 - 4. Read 190 - 194. On p. 194, do Q 1 - 4.

2004-03-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

Classification
1. An organism is any living thing
2. Characteristics of Living Things
  1. All organisms are made of cells.
    1. Unicellular organisms have one cell.
    2. Multicellular organisms have more than one cell.
  2. All living things are composed of water, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
  3. All organisms use energy.
  4. All living things grow and develop into more complicated organisms.
  5. All living things respond to their surroundings
  6. All living things reproduce
3. The Needs of Living Things
  1. All living things need a source of energy
  2. All living things need a source of water.
  3. All living things need a living space, a place that has their food and water and shelter.
  4. All living things need to keep conditions inside their body constant.
4. Biologists classify living things into groups so that the organisms are easier to study. You can compare and contrast those in the same group.
5. Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
  1. Kingdom - The number of organisms is huge; organisms within one kingdom have only a few things in common.
  2. As you go down the line, the similarities increase, and the number of organisms that fit those categories decreases.
  3. A species is just one type of organism. It is the most specific category.
6. An organism’s scientific name is made of the last two categories: the Genus and Species.
7. There are 5 or 6 Kingdoms (depends who you ask). Plants, Animals, Fungi, Protist, and Monera (sometimes people break up Monera into two).
  1. Organisms in the plant kingdom use the energy from the sun, and combine it with water and carbon dioxide to make sugar (food). They also have cell walls around their cells, and are multicellular.
  2. Organisms in the animal kingdom must find food; they cannot internally make their own. They have no cell wall, and are multicellular.
Microscopes
1. Using a microscope
  1. Make sure the diaphragm is open all the way.
  2. Make sure you are using the low power lens.
  3. Move the mirror so that you have a bright light source. But, use a room light; NEVER USE THE SUN!
  4. Place the specimen over the light hole in the stage.
  5. Focus using the coarse focusing knob.
  6. Switch to medium power, and refocus using only the fine adjustment knob.
  7. If you can, switch to high power and use only the fine adjustment knob.
2. Magnification vs. Resolution
  1. Magnification is how much bigger the microscope makes the specimen look.
  2. Resolution is how much detail the image has.
  3. Better microscopes increase both of these.
3. Using a slide
  1. Hold the slide only by the edges or by the label.
  2. Never touch the specimen in the middle.
  3. Use the stage clips to hold the slide on the stage so you can tilt the microscope back
4. Making a wet-mount slide
  1. Use a thin layer of specimen so that light can get through it.
  2. Place the specimen in the center of the slide.
  3. Put some stain on it. Stain helps bring out details that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to see
  4. Hold the coverslip at an angle and let it drop onto the slide, over the specimen.
  5. Carefully place it on the microscope so as not to let any liquid drip out. Clean up any spills immediately.
  6. DO NOT use high power – it will squish out the stain onto the microscope.
Cells
1. Parts and functions
  1. The nucleus is the control center, directing the activities inside the cell. The DNA is stored inside (the instructions for the whole organism). It is surrounded by a nuclear membrane to keep it separate from the rest of the cell.
  2. The cell membrane protects the cell, and provides a “gate” that only lets certain things in and out.
  3. The cytoplasm is a gel-like substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus. All the organelles are in the cytoplasm.
  4. Organelles are parts in the cell that perform specific functions.
    1. Mitochondria convert food into energy.
    2. Vacuoles are storage areas for extra food, water, wastes.
    3. Endoplasmic Reticulum, Golgi Bodies, Ribosomes.
  5. Animal vs. Plant
    1. Animal cells often have an extra “recycling” organelle called Lysosome.
    2. Plant cells have an extra boundary, the cell wall. It keeps the cells “box-like” shape, and protects the cell.
    3. Plant cells make their own food in a special organelle called Chloroplast. They convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into food.
    4. Animals cells often have several small vacuoles. Plant cells usually have one big vacuole.
  6. Mitosis
    1. For an organism to grow and develop, usually it needs more cells. Cells split, or divide, but first make a copy of their DNA. This process is called Mitosis.
    2. A cell spends most of its time in Interphase. All the normal activities of a cell’s life are going on. Right near the end, it makes a copy of its DNA.
    3. Then the nuclear membrane breaks up to let the copies of DNA come out. Spindle fibers hold the chromosomes (the DNA carriers) in a line across the cell, and pull them towards opposite ends. The cell pinches closed and forms nuclear membranes at each side of the cell, and you get two daughter cells with identical (the same) DNA as the parent cell had. In humans, on average cells divide about once a day.

2004-03-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

This week's science article is about diamonds. Not just ordinary diamonds, but diamonds that have been made in a laboratory. However, they are chemically identical to real diamonds, and some are even better!

It is due on Monday, March 8.

Man Made Gems

There are many other articles on this too. I'll put up some more later if you want to read them.

2004-02-29T13:14:00.000-05:00

This post only comes along every four years... why is that? Today is Leap Day! That funny extra day that is added every four years, except if it is a century year that is not divisible by 400 (in other words, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000 were). Why bother with this? This site has some answers to that... Leap Year. Another site with some info is: Why are leap years used?

Happy Leap Day! Some suggestions for the day:

Watch Superman (...able to leap tall buildings in a single bound)
Find someone who's birthday it is today! How old is this person? Remember, his or her birthday only comes once every four years!
Play leap frog! The Official Rules according to Zoom
Or, look at this website which took all of the ideas that I was gonna put here, and put them together before I did! Okay, so I found this site after I started writing this, and I'm jealous. Leap Year

Also, the calendar that we follow is only one system of calendars. We use a solar calendar, it is based on our movement around the sun. Some other calendars, notably the Jewish and Chinese calendars, use a lunar calendar, based on the moon's movement around the earth. They have to add leap months every so often so that the seasons stay near the same months. This site is about Chinese Lunar Leap Months: Chinese Calendar. And, here is one about the Jewish Leap Months: Jewish Calendar.

2004-02-16T18:45:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are some sites that have models of cells:

Cells Alive!
Inside a Cell
This is another school's project with lots of nice tips and pictures
Cell and Virus Structure Scroll down and click on the type of cell you want; there is also a bunch of information about the organelles in each cell too! This is a very useful site!

Hope those sites help! There were a whole bunch that I found on google.com; those above were the easiest to use. Email me if you find any other good sites.

2004-02-15T15:12:00.000-05:00

Hello Boys and Girls,

Currently I am in San Francisco. But, even from here, with the miracles of the internet, I can still post your homework:

Holiday Homework Assignment:

Okay, this is NOT word for word because I left the homework sheet in New York, but, you have to make a 3-dimensional model of a cell. There is a photocopy of the pictures from ScienceSaurus on the sheet I handed out, and there are also pictures in Cells and Heredity on pages 26 and 27. You can use whatever you like to make the model, EXCEPT FOOD! Some suggestions for what to use: a shoebox with construction paper or clay in it; a foil tin thing that you bake things in, also with construction paper or clay in it (NOTE: there are round ones you could use for an animal cell, and rectangular ones you could use for plant cell); an old basketball; etc.

What does 3-dimensional mean? Not just a drawing on a paper, it has to come out of the paper

The project is worth a 50 point quiz. Part of that 50 points is an explanation. Label and explain each of the parts of the cell.

There is extra credit also. If you want to find a specific type of cell and make a model of that, then you can get up to 15 extra points. You must still label all the parts, and explain them. NOTE: You only have to do one cell; if you do the extra credit, you don't also have to the general animal or plant cell.

I will search the internet for some nice pictures of cells that are labeled. I will post them as soon as I find them.

Part 2 was to do some book assignments. I don't have the exact page numbers with me, but it's the first two sections of Cells and Heredity (and the questions), and the very last section of Chemical Building Blocks. However, for the CBB assignment, DON'T do the questions, just define the words in bold.

My friends Mr. Gerald, Mr. Svoboda, and Ms. Mooney say hello! Enjoy your break!

2004-01-23T08:18:00.000-05:00

An easy way to get smarter? Scientists found out something interesting about juggling... Juggling good for the brain, study shows

2004-01-15T16:13:00.000-05:00

We will have a Science Test on Tuesday January 20. It will cover the topics below. We will go over the worksheet, and there is plenty of space to add in notes. Study for the test using this review sheet, old quizzes, homework questions, class notes, and worksheets. Note: I will NOT ask you to memorize the periodic table, but you must be able to USE it.

Units and Measurement
1. What is a unit? Why are units necessary?
2. Some common units of:
  1. Time (second, minute, day, year, month, etc.)
  2. Mass (gram, kilogram)
  3. Length (inch, foot, mile, centimeter, millimeter, meter)
3. How do we use a ruler? What does a ruler measure?
4. How do we use a stopwatch? What does a stopwatch measure?
5. How do we use a triple beam balance? What does a triple beam balance measure?
Chemistry - Reactions
1. What are common observations about a chemical reaction? How can we tell a chemical reaction has occurred?
2. What are some chemical reactions we have observed?
3. What are products?
4. What are reactants?
5. What does the Law of Conservation of Matter say?
6. Chemical Symbols - what do they represent?
7. Chemical Formulae
  1. Represent a type of molecule
  2. What do subscripts tell us?
  3. What do coefficients tell us?
  4. Counting atoms in a formula.
8. Chemical Equations
  1. Represent a chemical reaction, Reactant + Reactant ----> Product + Product
  2. Is the equation balanced?
Chemistry - Periodic Table
1. Charge
  1. What are the types of charges?
  2. How do they react with each other?
  3. What examples did we do in class? (Balloons and hair)
  4. What are the particles that have charge called?
  5. What particle has no charge?
  6. What is the total charge in a group of particles?
2. Protons determine what type of atom we are using. Where do we find protons?
3. How do neutrons affect the atom? Where do we find neutrons?
4. What does the Atomic Number tell us?
5. What does the Atomic Weight (or the Atomic Mass) tell us?
6. How many electrons does a neutral atom have?
7. Why are the listed Atomic Weights, on the Periodic Table, not whole numbers?
8. How is the Periodic Table organized?
Chemistry - Structure of the Atom
1. The nucleus
  1. What does the nucleus look like? What is the problem with this?
  2. What does the Strong Nuclear Force do? How does this force work?
2. Electrons
  1. Where are electrons located?
  2. What is the \emph{electron cloud}?
  3. How did Bohr draw electrons?
3. Sketch a simple atom like Hydrogen, Helium, \ldots, Argon (Atomic Numbers 1 to 18)

2004-01-08T18:07:00.000-05:00

This week's article is an interview about the rover, called Spirit, that is on Mars: Getting to Know Mars

Also, here are some more pictures from Spirit:
NASA Press Release Images from Spirit
Spirit Rover Bounces Down on Mars
Spirit Pan from Gusev Crater
Red Mars from Spirit

Lots more Mars to come!!! Yay!

2004-01-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

Mars!!! NASA sent two rovers to Mars in June, and the first, Spirit, has touched down, and is sending back pictures!!! There is lots of info out there, but at least take a look at:

Official NASA Mars Site
PBS Mars Site
Space.com Mars Coverage

Also, a much older spacecraft (older than Mr. Levine himself), Voager 1, is at the very edge of the Solar System.
26 Years After Launching, Voyager Is at Crucial Border

2003-12-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

The following are your vacation homework assignments

Scientist Paper

Over the Thanksgiving Break, you chose a scientist. Now, over the Winter Break, you will write a paper about your scientist. This is not a long paper, it should be between 350 and 500 words. (Do not worry if you have, for example, 338 words, that is fine; also, you can go over 500, but I don't want it to be too long.) You must demonstrate that you know something about who your scientist is, and what he/she did.

And now for the assignment. You must find information about your scientist. The easiest way to do this is with the internet (try www.google.com, or try the "Famous Scientist" links on the right), but you can use books like encyclopedias or biographies, or any other source you can find. The information you need to find is listed below:

10 points. When did you scientist live? Is he/she still alive? Or was the scientist from the a long time ago?
10 points. Where did your scientist work? What country was the work done in? If there is one, what university or company or government agency, etc., did he/she work for?
15 points. What field of science did your scientist study? Usually there is more than one field, so talk about them if you like. How do you know your scientist studied this field(s)?
The research:
- 25 points. What work did your scientist do that made him/her famous? How was the work done? (For instance: Did the scientist use a telescope and find the moons of Jupiter? Or did the scientist experiment with bacteria using a microscope? Etc.)
- 20 points. Why was this work important? Who benefited from the work? Did it change our view on the world? Was something invented or improved?
10 points. Why did you choose the scientist? Why do you think your scientist should be famous?
10 points. A bibliography. Where did you get the information from? (THIS IS NOT PART OF YOUR 350-500 WORDS!)
- All your information had to come from somewhere. DO NOT COPY THE INFORMATION!!! Use your own words, and tell me where the information came from.
- Example: I used the following sources for my paper. (1) www.famousscientist.com/galileo (2) A book called ``Galileo and his telescope'', by S. Ramakrishnan, published 2003; pages 29-38, and page 45. (3) Encyclopedia Everything, 2000 Edition, Volume 7; pages 13-19.

Design a neighborhood

We are starting a biology section. Two of the biggest ideas in biology are order and organization. To explore this, you are going to design the layout of a neighborhood. This is a mostly residential neighborhood, so there are lots of houses. But as any neighborhood has, there are certain other things that must be included:

1 Bank	4 public phones	1 hospital	1 nursing home
3 ATM Machines	1 hardware store	1 Subway station	1 gas station
2 schools	5 mail boxes	2 bus stops	1 public parking lot
1 park	1 pizzeria	3 delis	1 funeral home
1 supermarket	1 pet store	2 restaurants	1 pharmacy
1 police station	1 flower shop	1 auto repair shop	1 post office

Use a grid map like the kind you find in NYC. Make it about 10 blocks long and 3 or 4 blocks wide. Design your own neighborhood keeping the following things in mind: safety, convenience, flow of traffic, location of services (are the homes in the same parts as the shops?) -- commercial vs. residential areas, locations of areas where children will be, etc. Give the neighborhood a name that makes it your own. Remember, all of the things listed above MUST be included. You can add anything else you like.

Write a short paper about your decisions: Why did you choose to lay it out the way you did? What ideas did you have when you designed your neighborhood? What in the layout makes it safe, convenient, allows the traffic to flow, etc.? This should be at least 150 words, but use more if you need to. If there is anything specific you thought of while making the layout, include it. Note - you can do this as a list if you like, you do not need to make it into paragraphs.

All of this information (the scientist paper and the neighborhood) will be on my website. If you have any questions, please email me at Levine821@yahoo.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can (usually the same day).

2003-12-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

This week's article is about a space probe that is going to Jupiter. NASA is building it and wants to study Jupiter's moons to look for many things. NASA Spacecraft to Explore Jupiter Moon.

In other news, what is the largest prime number you can think of? I'll bet Michael Shafer knows a bigger one. The largest prime number known was just found. It has 6,320,430 digits, and would take 1,400 to 1,500 pages to write. Student Finds Largest Known Prime Number. Just wanna see the number? It's here, but might take a little while to completely download.

2003-12-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

Smaller computers? IBM is working on making computer chips even smaller than they already are. They are developing "nano-chips". IBM unveils nano-chip technology.

Nano, by the way, means "one billionth". For example, one nanometer is 0.000000001 meters.

2003-12-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen the moon rise through a shadow? Check out this picture of the moon, taken from the top of a volcano in Hawaii... it's part of the "Astronomy Picture of the Day" website (which has a link in the Astronomy Links part).
Moonrise Through Mauna Kea's Shadow

2003-12-02T23:13:00.000-05:00

Gobble, gobble... This week's article: Turkey Gobbling Puzzles Experts. It is due 12/8.

2003-12-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

Ever wanted to know about volcanoes? Lots of information at: Volcano World

2003-11-30T23:03:00.000-05:00

This is how your molecule will be scored. It is worth 20 total points:

10 points for accuracy
- 4 for identifiable atoms: for instance, do all hydrogen atoms look the same?
- 4 for shape: does it look like the picture?
- 2 for the chemical formula.
6 points for research.
4 points for visual appeal.

2003-11-26T00:15:00.000-05:00

A picture of the recent lunar eclpise:
Astronomy Picture of the Day, 11/11/03

And some more: Space.com Lunar Eclipse Pictures

2003-11-24T21:22:00.000-05:00

This is your Thanksgiving Vacation assignment: We have made molecules in class, and now I want you to find an interesting (but simple) molecule and make a model of it. There are some in your text books, and many more at the following website:

Common Molecules Collection

The molecules at that site are split into many categories. We have made Water and Carbon Dioxide in class, so don't use them, but choose something simple (with, maybe, 10 atoms or less... look around, there are plenty of them).

Once you have chosen your molecule, make a model of it. The model should not be too large, something that fits in your hand. Don't use food to make it, but use whatever else you like. I suggest marbles, ping pong balls, super balls, or styrofoam balls, but wood or plastic would work well too. If you need a better picture of the molecule, try using Google Image Search by typing in the name of the molecule. You should get several pictures of it.

Next you will need some information about the molecule. The "Common Molecules" site has the chemical formula of each molecule. The formula is the list of letters and numbers that tells you what, and how many, of each type of atom is in that molecule. For example, if I use Baking Soda, the chemical formula is NaHCO₃. This tells you that there is one Na (sodium), 1 H (hydrogen), 1 C (carbon), and 3 O (oxygens) in each molecule of Baking Soda. Include the chemical formula, and tell me how many of each type of atom are in one of your molecules.

If you are using the "Common Molecules" website, then click on the molecule. It will tell you a little about it. However, don't just copy the information there. Do a small amount of research about the molecule. Look it up in a dictionary, in an encyclopedia, or on Google. Here are some tips on how to look up information on Google:

First try just the name of the molecule. If I type in "Baking Soda", however, I will probably get a lot of recipes... so try something else.
Try typing in, for instance, "Baking Soda information" or "Baking Soda molecule". Also you can look for a FAQ, a list of Frequently Asked Questions, by typing "Baking Soda FAQ" into Google.
If that doesn't give you anything good, then try something like "What is the molecule of Baking Soda"
Email me at Levine821@yahoo.com if you are really really having trouble. Don't wait till Sunday night, though, to email me because I won't get back to you in time.

This should only be about half a page to a page of writing (about 100 - 150 words would be good).

The other part of your assignment is on the post below, about the famous scientist.

Have a great Thanksgiving, and if you are eating a turkey, tell your family about all of the chemical reactions that occur!

2003-11-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Over the Thanksgiving break, I want you to use some of the "Famous Scientists" links on the right to find a scientist that interests you. Over the Christmas/New Years break, you will be writing a paper about this scientist. We're going to start now by deciding on a scientist. The first link, Science World Biographies, has the option of finding a scientist by "Branch of Science," and several other categories (on the top left); all of the links are useful. Try them out!

So, come back from Thanksgiving knowing who you will write your report about. You can pick someone like Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton, but if you look around you will find lots of scientists and lots of important discoveries that they have made. You may pick any scientist, alive or dead, any field of science, any country, etc.

2003-11-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

This week's article is about endangered species. There is a group that makes a list every year of all the endangered species that scientists know about. This year's list is bigger than ever...
Number of Threatened Species Tops 12,000.

An intereresting creation: Geneticists created a virus that eats bacteria!
Bacteria-Eating Virus

2003-11-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

This week's article is going to be about batteries. It seems that scientists are working on all sorts of new fancy battery systems. With Silicon's Help, a Change in Status for the Lowly Battery. It is due Monday, November 17.

Here's another good article. It is talking about the world's smallest instruments. Striking Notes of Progress on the World's Tiniest Guitar.

2003-11-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

See lunar eclipse photos: Mr. Eclipse

2003-11-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

NEWS FLASH!!! Lunar Eclipse on Saturday night!!! This link gives a description of it, plus the times to watch: Observer's Kit for the Nov. 8 Total Lunar

This link has lots of answers about lunar eclipses: Get Ready for Saturday: 10 Cool Lunar Eclipse Facts

Look for the moon from about 6:30 PM till about 10:30 PM on Saturday night. It is fully eclipsed from 8:06 - 8:31, and should look a little reddish. Lunar eclipses are a lot of fun, and very easy, to see. They happen because the Earth gets in between the light from the Sun and the moon, so the moon moves into the Earth's shadow. The above links have much more information, so check them out! :-)

2003-11-05T23:39:00.000-05:00

The Sun has been very active recently, which is odd. The Sun goes through a cycle of high and low activity, and right now there shouldn't be much of anything happening. But, it has let out several solar flares recently. Last week, the Sun had one of the largest solar flares in history, Thank you Sun, may I have another? This week, it let off an even bigger one. Here are three good articles about it, one of which is this week's article assignment:

From Astronomy.com, Solar Kaboom.

From the BBC (British Broadcasting Company), Sun produces monster solar flare.

And, this week's article, from Space.com, Latest Sun Flare Likely Strongest of Modern Era.

There's a nice picture of this flare at Astronomy Picture of the Day, 11/6/03

By the way, I know I have been doing a lot of articles about space. I promise that there will be more about animals and other things soon!

2003-11-01T14:12:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of lemmings? There is a myth about them that when their population gets too big they run off a cliff. Well, they do seem to die in large numbers, and scientists now know why, as this New York Times article talks about: Scientists Find Lemmings Die as Dinners, Not Suicides. The Discovery Channel website also has a good artlce about the same thing: Predators Kill Lemmings, Not Suicide.

Do lemmings sound familiar? There is a line of puzzle games based on them that are a lot of fun. (They are based on the incorrect thought that they will commit mass suicide.) This site has info about the games and links to many other pages about the game: The Lemmings Compendium.

2003-11-01T14:12:00.000-05:00

Remember, there is a test on Monday! Good luck!

And there is no school on Tuesday!

2003-10-30T17:52:00.000-05:00

Here's another good article from the NASA webpage about the activity on the sun:
Tuesday/Wednesday Solar Punch.

2003-10-30T17:42:00.000-05:00

News flash! The sun is very active right now, and is sending particles speeding towards us! This is one article about it: Massive Solar Explosion Heading Straight for Earth.

There is an observatory that only looks at the sun. They have lots of images of what is happening. See them at: SOHO.

Next week's article will be about the doings on the sun.

2003-10-26T01:49:00.000-05:00

There will not be an article due on Monday, November 3.

2003-10-26T01:42:00.000-05:00

We will have our first test on Monday, November 3. It will cover:

Observation:
1. Observation vs. Assumption.
2. Why good observations are important.
3. The 5 senses.
4. Recording data.
5. Using tools (hand lens, ruler, etc.)
6. Comparing and contrasting using Venn Diagrams.
Chemistry:
1. Molecules and energy.
2. John Dalton, and the 4 things we know about matter
  - All matter is made of atoms.
  - Atoms combine to form molecules.
  - Atoms/molecules are always moving.
  - There is space between molecules.
3. Dry Ice (carbon dioxide).
4. Water.
5. Phases (solid, liquid, gas)
6. Phase changes
  - melting
  - boiling/evaporating
  - condensing
  - freezing
  - subliming
Planning an Investigation
1. Systematic Observation: 1 situation, where a plan is made, all the variables are set up and controlled (kept the same), and observations are recorded over time.
2. Experiment: two or more situations, where a plan is made, all the variables are controlled except one (the TEST variable), and observations are recorded over time. Remember... everything is the same in all situations except for the test variable.
3. Variables (control variable, test variable, outcome variable).
4. Investigable and non-investigable questions.
5. Materials, procedure, data collection, results, conclusions.

2003-10-24T19:15:00.000-04:00

There is a quiz Monday for all classes. It is about the differences between "systematic observations" and "experiments."

2003-10-19T10:54:00.000-04:00

The article due on Monday, 10/27 is about researchers at Duke University. They got a monkey to control a game only using thoughts.
Monkeys use mind to move objects

2003-10-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

The article due on Monday, 10/20 is:
NASA Successfully Uses Laser Power To Fly A Plane. The article is about an airplane that NASA made. It has no engine. There is a light that shines on it from the ground that keeps it flying.

By the way, NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Visit their website at: http://www.nasa.gov.

2003-10-14T22:41:00.000-04:00

Our School, a view from overhead

2003-10-13T19:20:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the MS 821 6th Grade Science Blog! I will post homeworks, updates, test/quiz dates, and links to your weekly articles on here.

2003-10-13T18:25:00.000-04:00

This is the article that was due Tuesday, 10/14/2003:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/07/science/space/07TITA.html