Science
Science Fair resources
Science Fair: Where to start?
First, you need to identify a question that exists in your world regarding heat. (examples: how to keep my room warmer, how to keep something cold in a cooler/water bottle. How to keep heat in a space or out of a space. Each student needs to identify where they want to start in solving a real problem in their world.
Second, you need to look at what materials you have available to work with. This is not something that you need to Lowe's to try to solve. Think of this as the Apollo challenge (you know when the astronauts had to solve the filter problem with only what they had).
Third, design a process, or a prototype that will be tested. This should be simple, no engineers required. It should be something that a 6th grader can do without help. There is something to be discovered here.
Fourth, keep track of all the steps you take. Write everything down, you may want to test your idea more than once and you will need to have your controls in place. Remember you will only have your notebook and board to show us, no items come to school. Draw models or take pictures to SHOW us what you did.
Fifth, keep track of your data to explain to us what you discovered. Analyze your data and explain what you found. Tell us what you think about your findings, for example did you need more of a material to prove your idea, would another material work better than one that you chose and how do you know.
Last, create your board with all of your information. Make sure that it is easy to read and includes all of your information. Presentation counts.
First, you need to identify a question that exists in your world regarding heat. (examples: how to keep my room warmer, how to keep something cold in a cooler/water bottle. How to keep heat in a space or out of a space. Each student needs to identify where they want to start in solving a real problem in their world.
Second, you need to look at what materials you have available to work with. This is not something that you need to Lowe's to try to solve. Think of this as the Apollo challenge (you know when the astronauts had to solve the filter problem with only what they had).
Third, design a process, or a prototype that will be tested. This should be simple, no engineers required. It should be something that a 6th grader can do without help. There is something to be discovered here.
Fourth, keep track of all the steps you take. Write everything down, you may want to test your idea more than once and you will need to have your controls in place. Remember you will only have your notebook and board to show us, no items come to school. Draw models or take pictures to SHOW us what you did.
Fifth, keep track of your data to explain to us what you discovered. Analyze your data and explain what you found. Tell us what you think about your findings, for example did you need more of a material to prove your idea, would another material work better than one that you chose and how do you know.
Last, create your board with all of your information. Make sure that it is easy to read and includes all of your information. Presentation counts.
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Heat Transfer
Matter websites
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Water Cycle resources and websites
Climate Resources
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6.4.2 Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems. Emphasize consistent interactions in different environments, such as competition, predation and mutualism.
6.4.2 Investigation 1
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Watch the 4 videos on the National Geographic site. Pay attention to the patterns of relationships that you see between the animals.
Watch these videos to better understand the relationships between the predator and prey. There are a lot of big vocab words. If you do not understand them, keep track of them and we can talk about them during our chat.
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Vocabulary
Competition- The rivalry offered by a competitor Predation- Predatory behavior, when one organism captures and feeds on others Mutalism-a relationship between two organisms in which both benefit from the relationship Symbiotic-a interdependent relationship in which both parties benefit from each other
Keep track of your learning, you will have 6.4.2 Assessment #1 on Google classroom.
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6.4.2 Investigation 2
The Snowy owl and the Lemming have a dynamic relationship. What happens when one of them has an increase or decrease in numbers?
For more information read pages 113-114 out of the textbook at the top of the page. Keep track of your learning, you will have 6.4.2 Assessment #2 on Google Classroom.
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Your second assessment will be on the patterns you see between the snowy owl and lemmings. Click on the button for the first data table and watch the video to better understand the dynamics between the snowy owl and the lemmings
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6.4.2 Investigation 3
Australia has a very unique ecosystem with animals that are found nowhere else in the world. What are the patterns of interaction between the animals.
Click on the kangaroo image, it will take you to a website of Australian animals. Read about the animals and choose one that you would like to further study. You will be making a food web with your animal in the middle. Think about things as small as insects and what is the highest predator.
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Watch the video of the quokka. Did you know that this is a real animal? I couldn't resist you knowing about this animal, it is now my second favorite.
Now click on the food web to follow the instructions on how to create a food web. Keep in mind What does your animal eat and what eats your animal. You will make a food web for the Australian animal you have chosen. Make sure you label and connect as many organisms as possible. Have at least 12 organisms in your web. Take a picture of your web and email it to [email protected] On your assessment #3 you will be explaining your food web to me. Good luck! |
6.4.3 Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and the flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. Emphasize food webs and the role of producers, consumers, and decomposes in various ecosystems. Examples could include Utah ecosystems.
6.4.3 Investigation 1
How does matter provide energy to animals, especially in a predator/prey relationship?
6.4.3 Investigation 2
Why are food webs important? What happens when something disappears from an ecosystem?
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6.4.3 Investigation 3
What happens when invasive species (organisms that are not native) come into an ecosystem? Are there benefits? Are there problems?
Read through the information about the invasive mussel problem here in Utah. Watch the video at the end.
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Read through the information about the phragmites. They are an invasive species here in Utah. You can see them in the ditches by the Holiday on 8400 W. Take good notes because you will be using this information in a later lesson.
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Look through the data on the introduction of a new squirrel species. What patterns do you notice?
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6.4.4 Construct an argument supported by evidence that the stability of populations is affected by changes to an ecosystem. Emphasize how changes to living and nonliving components in an ecosystem affect populations in that ecosystem. Examples could include Utah ecosystems such as mountains, Great Salt Lake, wetlands, and deserts. (LS2.C)
6.4.4 Investigation 1
How is an ecosystem balanced? Are there factors that cause it to be out of balance? What has to be present for there to be balance?
This simulation is a little bit confusing. You start on the bottom and click on the next level. Once you have created your food chain, click the RUN button to see what happens to the populations. Its nice because you can see if there is stability in the food chain or if it is imbalanced. You should run the simulation at least 15 times, changing aspects of the food web each time to see the impact. If you can download the data sheet and record your simulations, you will start to see patterns in the ecosystem.
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This simulation is on the Great Salt Lakes food web. The simulation is the first button and the questions that go with the simulation are on the second button. You do not need to print, and it is a good idea to write down your answers as you will be writing an argument at the end of this standard.
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6.4.4 Investigation 2
Investigate why the population of Mule deer, wolverines, and Bonneville Cutthroat Trout are concerning and what people are doing to better understand their needs and environment.
Read this article about the wolverine and decide if changes in the ecosystem affect the population of the wolverine.
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Read through the information on the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout to see how changes in components of an ecosystem have affected the population.
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Read the article on the mule deer and find out how people are affecting the environment in order to allow the stability of the population to work.
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6.4.4 Investigation 3
The same spot in Yellowstone National Park looks very different in pictures taken 11 years apart. Why? What is happening?
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Look at these two pictures. What is different? Write at least 5 things. Write down some questions that you have about what you are seeing. What predictions or guesses do you have about what is happening. What can you predict is happening with the animals that live there?
Now click on the button to see some graphs of animals that live in this area. Are there connections that can be made to explain what is happening in the picture? Now read the article about the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone. Notice what the experts were surprised by happening when the wolves were added back to the ecosystem.
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6.4.5 Evaluate competing design solutions for preserving ecosystem resources and biodiversity based on how well the solutions maintain stability within the ecosystem. Emphasize obtaining, evaluating and communicating information of differing design solutions. Examples could include policies affecting ecosystems, responding to invasive species or solutions for the preservation of ecosystem resources specific to Utah, such as air and water quality and prevention of soil erosion. (LS2.C, LS4.D, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)
6.4.5 Investigation 1
Do we want the carp in Utah Lake? What about the native June Sucker?
6.4.5 Investigation 2
Are beavers helpful or harmful? What should we do about them?
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6.4.5 Investigation 3
Should we let the Great Salt Lake dry up?
This is the powerpoint that I would have used in class. You can skip the first few slides and go to the ones that say student slides. This presentation has you look at some of the factors of the lake. You will need to be in "present" mode to get the links to work. Some of the links at the end are broken, so don't worry about them.
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This is a website that has you learn more about the factors of the lake. Some of the links are interactive and a few of them you have seen in a previous investigation. Your assessment at the end of this investigation will have you make a claim about the lake:
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