Nicolas Reed Science Blog

Punnet Square Link        This week my science class learned about how genes and traits are passed on to their offspring. I learned this by doing activities and assignments. What I learned is that in order to find the probability of the trait your kid will have you have to make punnet squares. Another thing I learned was that if you have one dominant letter/allele (upper case letter) well then the dominant trait will always show. The only way a recessive trait will show is if you have two of the recessive letters/allele (lowercase letters). Another thing I learned was what homozygous means, which is you have to of the same alleles and also what heterozygous means, which is when you two different alleles. The last thing I learned was what type of traits can be inherited which is eye color, height, hair color, ear shape, etc. S&EP 1-Asking Questions and Defining Problems:        This week I asked a lot of questions because I had questions about the definitions of words like

      Summary      This week was the Charity Fair where we had to pick a charity in California, research them, create an ignite about them. Then you had to create a product to raise money for that charity then create an instructable of how you created it, then create a tri-fold then present your ignite to a whole bunch of parents for the charity fair. What I learned from doing this year's charity fair was that charity's truly make a big difference in people's life. Also that when you present you should make good eye contact, talk with your slides, and don't sway around. The last thing I learned was to stay open to ideas because maybe that idea will make your project better. What our Product is Link Backword-Looking      What I knew before this subject was what a charity is which is a group of people that donate money and help a cause. Another thing I knew was how to research a charity and find important information and stats that are helpful. Also how to

Link       This week in science we were discussing if it is easier to be a omnivore or vegetarian we discussed this by taking notes on 6 different videos and articles and starting a new essay about which one to chose. One thing I learned was if more people become vegetarian it could stop world hunger because farmers won't have to feed as much animals. Another thing I learned was that if you are an omnivore it makes it easier to get the nutrition a human needs. Also that when being an omnivore you have a better chance of getting overweight because it is easier to eat over the amount of food you need when being a omnivore. One other thing I learned was that if you are a vegetarian you have a better chance of not getting certain diseases. The last thing I learned was that if you are a vegetarian you have to eat a variety of foods to make sure you get the nutrition you need. S&EP 7_Engaging in Argument from Evidence-        This week I used evidence to support my claim

 Summary Link      This week in science we had a project on different types of animals and plants and the adaptations they had to make to stay alive in their habitat. What we had to do was choose a biome, (environment) and I chose desert then choose an animal and plant in that biome and find 5 adaptations for both animal and plant then put all that information on a google slide. I chose the african wild dog and saguaro cactus and some things I learned about the african wild dog is that one of the adaptations it makes is hunting in a pack to stay safer. Also they have long legs so they can run faster when they are hunting. One thing I learned about the saguaro cactus is that one of its adaptations is it has thorns so they can protect themselves better. Another adaptation they make is that they tend to begin their life under a nurse tree that can give them shelter and moisture. Backward-Looking Link        Some things I knew before the project were what adaptations

Bear Hibernating Link      This week I learned about habitats and the adaptations that animals have to continue and live in that environment. One thing I learned about animal adaptations is their is different types of them, and they are physical adaptations and behavioral adaptations. Another thing I learned is what those different adaptations mean. Physical adaptations are a physical change or characteristics and behavioral adaptations mean a way a certain animal acts. The last thing I learned was some examples of behavioral and physical adaptations. Some example of physical adaptations is having long body parts like a giraffe's neck, webbed feet, and shedding. Some examples of behavioral adaptations is storing food, migration, being nocturnal, and hibernation. S&EP 6_ Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions:      This week I did a lot of explaining because I had to do this doc about habitats and a lot of the questions involved explaining. For example one

     This week in science we learned about high and low concentrations with water. We learned this by taking notes and doing an experiment. The most important thing I learned about concentration is what it means, and what it means for science is how much of a substance is in something. Another thing I learned about concentration is affects the shape of which that substance is in. For example if a cell has 90% water in it and 80% water on the outside of it than the cell will deflate because the water will move up and out of the cell (this means the cell is hypertonic). The last thing I learned about concentration is the 4 states of concentration and what they mean and what happens if that is the case. The 4 states of concentration are: Osmosis-Movement of molecules from a low to a high concentration. That means the cell will stay the same. Hypertonic-Lower concentration outside the cell than inside. The cell will shrink and deflate. Hypotonic-Lower concentration inside the ce

      This week in science I learned about CHONPS and building blocks life. CHONPS is an acronym for 6 elements, and those elements are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. The most important thing I learned about CHONPS is they are the main elements that make up living organisms that help living things live.  For example CHONPS makes up the building blocks of life and moving on to that subject one thing I learned about the building blocks of life is what they are. The building blocks of life are 4 main molecules that are very important to life and those 4 molecules are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. Link     The other things I learned about are important facts about all 4 molecules. One thing I learned about nucleic acids is it is made of CHONP not CHONPS because it is not made of sulfur but it is made of everything else. What I learned about carbohydrates is it's monomer is saccharide. What I learned about lipids is that it'

Summary Link      This week in science we completed a project called cell wars that we have been doing for 2 weeks.  What you had to do was chose a organelle, mine was the cell wall, and you had to say why it is the best throughout all organelles in cells then best explain that on a poster and video.  What I learned from doing this project is that most organisms have a disease.  Another thing I learned was that the cell wall is created by this sugar called cellulose.  Also that the mitochondria gives humans their energy.  The last thing that I learned is that the cell wall determines what comes in and out of each cell and determines the plants actual shape.  Backward-Looking       The things I knew before this project started was some organelles in the plant cell. Some of the things that I knew that are in the plant cell are the mitochondria, cell wall, cell membrane, and chloroplast. Another thing I knew was that the chloroplast helps the plant do the photosynthe

    This week my group completed our poster and are almost done with our video. The things I learned this week were that how my organelles shape is related to it's function. For me my group is the cell wall and the cell wall's shape is related to it's function because it covers the outside of the cell to have most of the protection. Also that the cell wall pretty much determines how big the plant will be and the shape of it. The last thing I learned is that a cell wall is made of cellulose. Cellulose is a special sugar. Link S&EP7_Engaging in argument from evidence: Ethan, my friend and I engaged in a smear campaign for a class project and our argument was that the mitochondria is very bad because it can give you a very bad disease. We used evidence by adding a professional website that we double checked that talked about the disease that the mitochondria gives humans.

       This week we started a new project called cell wars, and the point of cell wars is to sell why your organelle is the best out of all the other ones, and my organelle is the cell wall. One thing I have learned this week is that a cell wall is in every plant cell and plant cell only. Also that they chloroplast is in the plant cell so we will be smearing them a lot (smear means talk smack  about another organelle in a nice educational way). Another thing I learned is that the cell walls function. The cell walls function is it creates the plants shape and it determines what comes in and out of each cell to keep the each cell protected. The last thing I learned was that the cell wall protects bacteria from coming into the cell. Link S&EP 1-Asking questions and defining problems:        This week I asked a lot of questions. The types of questions I asked are the already known things about the cell wall but not known by my group. One question I asked was what is the func

Link      This week my science class did a science experiment with a partner (my partners were my friends Mason and Antonio). What I learned from doing this experiment was which magnet is stronger, a circle or square and it was circle. I learned that because my experiment was exactly that which magnet was stronger and we tested that by putting paper clips on each magnet and seeing which magnet will hold the most. I also learned how to analyze data after you are done with your experiment. One other thing I learned was more about the scientific method because this week we actually performed it. The thing I learned about the scientific method was that depending on your experiment you may not have to use some of the steps of the scientific method. I know this because that exactly happened to me because my group skipped some steps and yet our experiment was still good and fair. S&EP 4 Analyzing and Interpreting Data:      This week I did some analyzing. I did some analyzing by

= Link This week in science we learned more about the scientific method. What I learned was that the scientific method has no ending and no order. I also learned about how scientists after they are done with an experiment they write in something called a scientific journal. What they the do in a scientific journal is they put in their data and their findings so other scientists can build of their findings. Then after they are done they get peer review where other scientists check their journal to make sure it is correct and they get that so other scientists can trust that their findings are true. S&EP  6-Constructing explanations and designing solutions: This week I did a lot of explaining because we did a document that asked a lot of questions that involved explaining. For example one of the questions was, what is meant  by peer review so you had to explain what peer review is. Another example was w hat is the difference between an independent variable and a depe

Food Labels This week in science I learned about food labels. Food labels are things on food like the nutrition facts, ingredients, use by dates, sell by dates, and expiration dates. One thing I learned was why we have food labels and we have food labels for the customers so the customers know what they are eating. I also learned why storekeepers rotate the food (rotating food is taking it on and off the shelf based by its date) and storekeepers rotate their food so they can keep their customers satisfied. Another thing I learned was what use by dates are and use by dates are dates for customers so they know when it is best used by. One other thing I learned was what sell by dates are for and sell by dates are for storekeepers and they usually use them when they are rotating food. The last thing I learned was that people and store keepers throw away food prematurely. So in conclusion this week I learned about food labels.

This week I learned about food miles and foods being in season. I learned about food miles by doing assignments that my Ms. Johnson. One thing I learned was what food miles are,  Food miles are a way of measuring how far food as traveled before it reaches the person who eats it. Another thing I learned was what in season mean and in season means (for food) that the produce is good for picking and for being harvested. One other thing I learned was that food is healthier if you buy food that is in season because then people won't have to pray ethylene gas on it. Also that buying in season food is better for the environment because then gas won't go into the air because of the things transporting the food to a place where that produce isn't in season. The last thing I learned is that the less of the carbon footprint the food has the better it is for you

Link  for the image of where food waste goes.      This week my science class did state testing and we had a person come and talk about food waste for a project that we currently are doing. What I learned from the science testing is to think about the question for a couple seconds then answer. It also helped me review to always read the question and the answer one more time then go on to the next question. What I learned from the interview was where the food waste would go last and first and the ones in between them. I also learned ways people are trying to stop food waste percentages. For example how much people compost, how much people don't have food every da, etc.  I really liked this week in science because it taught me new things and it helped me review a lot of things that I will need to remember and use in the future.

liquid taking its shape of its container      This week my science class did a lot of zondle and quizziz, these are websites that help you learn things and review things that you may have forgot. One thing I reviewed and was a big help for me was the body systems, and this was a big help because I forgot a couple important things about it (I reviewed it in zondle). The thing that I thought was most important that I reviewed from the body systems was I learned the difference between the circulatory system and the respiratory system. Another thing I reviewed was matter (I reviewed it in quizziz). The thing that I thought was most important from that was that liquid is a state of matter that holds its shape because it takes the shape of its container. The last thing I learned (not reviewed) was that brass is a combination of two metals or more. I learned this from doing zondle and doing the lesson physical and chemical properties.

Regular Circuit Link      My science class had to do a project that involved circuit.  What we had to do for that project was we had to make a parallel or series circuit and then do a paper on our circuit. I chose to do a series circuit and my partner was (you didn't have to have a partner) Ethan.  One thing I learned was that you could make really cool inventions by making a circuit.   Another thing I learned was that for some circuits it is easy to explain to people how the circuit works because the circuit is pretty simple but for some people it is hard because their circuit is very complicated.  I learned is that tin foil is a great tool when using circuits.  Because it is a platform basically it is also great because it can fold so it is good to put around bowls so the bowl (that is now covered) can be used for many different types of circuits.  The last thing I learned was that if you have one battery that has a lot of volts and you put a light on it you could literally

Parallel Circuit Series Circuit      This week I learned about different types of circuits and how and why they work. One type of circuit I learned about is a parallel circuit. A parallel circuit is a circuit that two things that are using electricity and that will never touch each other. Another type of circuit I learned about is a series circuit. A series circuit is a circuit with two or more of the same thing that is using electricity and is in the same circuit. One interesting fact I learned about a series circuit is that if you are making a series circuit with lights and you literally take of the light of one of the lights the other light won't work because that light that is working is relying on the other light to either finish the circuit or keep the electricity flow of the circuit to move.

Link      This week in my science class we did circuit stations and answered questions about them.  There were 12 circuit stations and each station involved a battery(s), wire(s), and a light(s). What I learned from doing this is how to complete a circuit and what are conductors of electricity, which is metal. I also learned how to be safe around electricity. Another thing I learned was if you use batteries when you are trying to make a light light up it makes the light brighter. If you are going to do (I also learned this) this you can't have both plus sides connected with each other because then it can't complete the circuit. The last thing I learned was that if you are trying to make a light light up like in this picture the copper wire can only be on the plus and minus sides (like in the picture) of the battery and no where else because then it stops the electricity flow.

Link What the project was      The project was you had to pick a mineral and a do a google form to adopt it. Then you had to answer the questions on the show sign up the questions you had to answer were your mineral's description ( give description of what your mineral is ), your mineral's physical features, how your mineral is formed, how it is used, and other interesting facts. Then you had to make a google slides presentation with all things you had to do on the show sign up.      The things I learned from doing this project is that most sedimentary rocks are formed the same way or similar.  Another thing I learned is that most minerals might be more common than the other so it's easier to find answers for the one that is more common.  I also found out that sodalite is a stone of trust for some people and I thought that was very interesting. One other thing I learned is that sodalite is found in many places. The last thing I learned is that sodalite can be ma

Link     In the activity Master Mines you had to go in a mine and find a mineral, then you had to do tests on it to identify it, then you had to answer a questions about what each test is. What I learned was some of the types of tests people use to identify minerals and other material and what each test does and what each test is. Some types of tests people use are the streak, luster, hardness, color, structure, density, and conductivity test. Luster ( I'm explaining what this test tests ) is the physical property of a "mineral of a mineral that describes the way light reflects off its surface. The 4 minerals I tested so far are diamond, quartz, graphite, borax. Another thing I learned was the what the hardest mineral is and the hardest mineral is diamond although diamond is pretty fragile. I really liked doing this activity because at my old school we barely did science so all in all it was fun learning about minerals.

Link   Nickel        What the project was What my science class had to do for this project was we had to pick an element     ( my element was nickel )  from the periodic table and answer a series of questions about your element ( everybody got the same questions ). Then when you were done with that then you had to make a google slides presentation about your research.      What I learned from doing this project was the way to find an element's family is by looking at the elements in its group  (  Palladium, platinum, and Darmstadtium ) . I also learned what an atomic number is for an element the atomic number is how much protons the element has ( 28 ). Another thing I learned is the three types of an element a metal, non-metal, and a metalloid ( metal ). The most interesting things though were nickel is used to make pans and cars ( also they are apart of the car and pan meaning it is in it ) also nickel lasts for 25-35 years.      The things I knew before this pro

Link        The things that I learned this week in science were about atomic theory and periodic table. What I learned about atomic theory was that atoms are the most important part of atomic theory. What I also learned about atomic theory is that ( this is a follow up of the atoms part ) protons, electrons, and neutrons make up an atom, and 2 or more atoms make a molecule and 2 or more molecules make up an element, and 2 or more elements make up a compound. What I learned about the periodic table was that the periodic table is split up between metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. What I also learned about the periodic table is that row are called periods and columns are called groups.

Link   All five states of matter      On Thursday and Friday my science class did a document on matter ( and partly physical and chemical change. What I learned from doing that document was that their is actually five states of matter and I only that their was three ( because the three I knew were the most common ). The fives states of matter are solids liquids, gasses ( common ), plasma, and be condensates ( aren't common ). The other thing I learned was that air counts as matter. I used to not think that because I thought it didn't have a volume or mass to it but I did know it did take up space and anything that is matter has to take up space and have a mass/volume. I also didn't think that because I knew it couldn't be a liquid or a solid and I thought it couldn't be gas. But when I finally changed my mind was when Ms. J said that if you fill up a balloon with air it will way more than it did without air.

Link        Friday in science we did an experiment on what would happen if we put baking powder in vinegar because we know the results of putting vinegar in baking soda. Which is it explodes/over flows and creates carbon dioxide. The thing that we had to do for this experiment ( or paper whatever you want to call it ) is a write on a paper our observations and also draw them. What happened in the experiment was we pored vinegar in baking soda and powder ( obviously ) and the materials we used to do this was 2 small cups of vinegar, 1 small cup of baking soda, and 1 small cup of baking powder. My observations were for baking powder were that the water was more thick than the baking soda and it was much less bubbly. My observations for the baking soda were the exact opposite which is that the water was not that thick and the water was very bubbly. My other observations were that the baking soda's bubbles were big and the baking powder's bubbles were very small.

Link       Today and yesterday my science class and me were trying to figure out what the unknown crystal is. Most people thought it was Epsom salt but it isn't because Ms. J said so our choices to chose from are Epsom salt, sugar, salt, and MSG. I personally think that it is salt just in bigger pieces. My reasoning behind that is Epsom salt is a type of salt and it looked just like the unknown also the MSG's and sugar's shapes aren't even remotely close to the unknown so that just leaves salt. The things I learned from this experiment in class is don't eat what Ms. J tells you not to eat ( just kidding but I actually did learn that and sorry Ms. J ) also to  look more closely when you make observations. The last thing I learned was that you in order to figure out a problem you have to a couple experiments.

Link        Today for science we did a thing with an M&M. What we did was we got a plate and filled it with water then we placed the M&M in the center of the plate and then we just left it there and wrote down what we saw was happening to the M&M. What I learned that from doing this was that when you put an M&M in water it disintegrates. Link       A couple of days ago people presented their Sever Weather Project ( except for me because I didn't have to ). The thing I learned about most was hail so I am only going to give tell you things I learned about hail. One thing I learned from listening to other peoples projects was that hail is actually balls of ice getting thrown at you and I didn't know that. I also learned that to be safe in hail you want to block the windows because you windows can break in a hailstorm. The last thing I learned that one piece of hail can be as big as a tennis ball. So just imagine a big piece of ice just hitting you

Link For Image I Searched on Google        This week I learned about the atmosphere in science. The things that I learned about the atmosphere are that the atmosphere has four layers which are the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the thermosphere these layers are all in order I also learned how high each layer is in kilometers. The way I learned this was by doing a worksheet in science and in the worksheet you had to draw a line plot of the different temperatures and altitudes. I also learned this by taking notes on a couple of videos that my class watched in science. I really liked learning about the atmosphere because at my old school we didn't do science so this is the first time in my life that I am learning about the atmosphere also learning about the atmosphere was a fun learning experience.                           Sincerely, Nicolas Reed          

What I Did to do the Project and the actual Project Link          The project was called Severe Weather Project. But the project was different for me then most of the other students because I was on an Independent Study so I had to do it on paper not on computer. The thing I had to do was choose two severe weather patterns  ( I chose tornadoes and floods ). The thing you had to do with the severe weather patterns was write a description, geographic occurrence, formation conditions, safety and preparation, possible damage, and other interesting info for the severe weather patterns.  The Start of the Project Blog          What I learned from doing this project is that floods are very dangerous because I used to think that they weren't that dangerous. Another thing I learned is the way you can see tornadoes, which is the collected dust in the tornado. One other thing I learned was that in the U.S.A. floods kill more people each year then tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightni