A Year of Documented Learning

Astronomy:
This past year I began learning astronomy. My favortie activity in astronomy was when Mr. Getty came and we used models of the solar system to develop a better understanding of space and how it works. Using computers we changed the velocity and mass of the planets and the sun and studied stable orbits, unstable orbits, and what lies beyond Earth in space. I liked this activity because we were able to use technology and test our own hypothesiss to learn.
Weather and Climate:
During the weather and climate section I enjoyed the activity on the computer where we compared warm fronts, cold fronts, stationary fronts, and occluded fronts. I liked this activity because I was able to see how the different fronts worked and what was different and alike between them.
Geology:
As we learned about geology I liked when we got to do the different tests to find out which rock or mineral was which. In this activity we learned about many different kinds of rocks and minerals. I had fun in this activity because it was hands on and we really got to understand how to identify rocks and minerals.
Weathering and Erosion:
The weathering and erosion section was also fun because my friend and I got to work on a podcast together. I had a lot of fun working with my friend on this podcast. I liked how we got the freedom to choose which way we wanted to present our research and all have the same guidlines. As you can see I really enjoyed making the podcast about weathering and erosion.
Earth's Waters:
In the Earth's waters unit I enjoyed the activity on the computer where we learned about the cycle water goes through. After learning about the water cycle we answered questions about it on our blog. I enjoyed this activity because it was hands on and we got to apply what we learned right after learning it.

Thanks for viewing my blog this year which included my projects, homework, and thoughts.

The Water Cycle

1. What is the water cycle? The water cycle is a never ending process where water is moved from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back again.

2. Does the water cycle have a beginning or end? The water cycle never ends or begins it is continuous.

3. Starting with a puddle on a sunny day, describe how water might move through the water cycle and eventually fall back as rain. A water puddle on a sunny day will evaporate in to the atmosphere and in the atmosphere becomes cool and the water vapor condenses in a process called condensation creating a cloud and then water gets to heavy to hold and will precipitate from the atmosphere to Earth's surface as rain.

Stream Pollution

Annotated Bibliography

www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/waterpollution.htm
I used the website above for my research on stream pollution. This website helped me to understand the differnt kinds of water pollution and more about water pollution. Understanding water pollution was important because we need it so much and to teach others yo need to know your information.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/400-499/nb401.htm
I also used the website above for my research on stream polluion. From this website I gained a better understanding of stream pollution and its effects. This website also explains the different types of water pollutin and causes. This website helped me throughout my stream pollution research.

http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-science/freshwater/tools/shmak/manual/10manage
I used the website above to research stream pollution. On this website I found ways to reduce stream pollution. This website also talks about pollution around farm areas and how to prevent it. This was a helpful site for me in researching stream pollution.

http://www.promotega.org/GHC06004/WaterPol.htm I used the website above to research stream pollution. This website explained the different kinds of water pollution, different causes, and more about water pollution. The part that I used most was the ways kids can help to reduce water pollution. This website was a good source in learning more about stream and water polluton.

Stream Pollution

Essential Question

What, specifically about your topic, are you going to research? How to reduce stream pollution?
What conclusions did you come to? People can drive fuel-efficient cars, water treatment plants can be improved to filter more pollution, minimize runoff by planting gardens, and car maintenance. What do you recommend average citizens do to make a difference? Average citizens can make a difference in their community. One way average citizens can help reduce stream pollution by using ecologicall-friendly power. Citizens can also stop throwing trash into streams or any body of water. Another way citizens can help is by watching industry and farms, ranches, and feedlots. So make a difference in your community today. Be specific. This is the main part of your assignment.
What would happen if, worst-case scenario, nobody listened to your recommendations? Stream ecosystems will not be healthy or the stream will not be able to sustain life.
What would happen if, best-case scenario, everybody listened to your recommendations? Streams will have less and less pollution and they will be able to sustain life while being healthy at the same time.

Penny Lab

I experimented with a penny, a water droplet, and water. First I set the penny on a flat surface. Then I put water in the water droplet and dropped water droplets from the water droplet on to the penny trying to get the most drops of water on the penny without having the water come off the penny. I predicted I would drop four drops of water and it would bleed of the penny. Unlike my prediction the penny held 16 drops of water. The penny held the all the water and the water stuck together because of capillary action which is caused by the forces of adhesion and cohesion. The force of adhesion caused the water stick to the penny because the water molecules attract and stick to other substances. The force of cohesion caused the water molecules to stay together because they are so close together.