Everglades K-8 Center 2017-1018 Dear Students: You all worked hard to complete such an important year. In an eff ort to keep your minds sharp during the summer, you will complete a science assignment that will reinforce the skills you learned in Science. The science assignment will take you on an exciting journey through nature, reviewing the main standards from the previous science course. This packet includes 5 assignments. Choose only one and complete it during your summer break.
*Assignment 1: Introduction: In Science, a biogeochemical cycle is a pathway by which a chemical substance moves through both the biotic (biosphere) and abiotic (lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere) components of Earth. A cycle is a series of change which comes back to the starting point and which can be repeated. The term "biogeochemical" tells us that biological, geological and chemical factors are all involved. The circulation of chemical nutrients like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and water, etc., through the biological and physical world are known as biogeochemical cycles. In effect, the element is recycled, although in some cycles there may be places (called reservoirs) where the element is accumulated or held for a long period of time (such as an ocean or lake for water). The most well-known and important biogeochemical cycles are: _The carbon cycle _The nitrogen cycle _The oxygen cycle _The phosphorus cycle _The sulfur cycle _The water cycle _The rock cycle Instructions
_ View the videos on the previous cycles by clicking on the link below. Access the following link in order to find more information about the previous biogeochemical cycles. Link: http://florida.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ttv10.sci.ess.watcyc.currents/t he-role-of-ocean-currents-in-climate/ Directions: After you watch the video, select a cycle to research, and create a short written report (must be at least 4-6 paragraphs). See below for what needs to be included in the paper. For the selected cycle, the report must include the answer to the following questions: 1. Pathway of movement (how the molecules/elements move through the environment) 2. Main processes involved in the chosen cycle (include a drawing of your cycle, labeling the main processes in it as well as a typed chart describing each of the main processes involved in your favorite cycle) Refer to the chart below. Name of the Cycle Main Processes Involved in the Cycle (Number of processes depends on cycle) Description
3. Impact of human interference on the cycle (How does human intervention impact the cycle?) 4. Importance of the chosen cycle in nature. Note: For additional information about each cycle, you must do a brief research and include it in your report. Final Product: Make a 3D model of your cycle and present it to your teacher along with the written report.
*Assignment 2: My Ecosystem in a Box Part 1: Creating a Model Students will have to create an ecosystem. The ecosystem must include a model of the following: *Abiotic Factors (at least ten main factors) *Biotic Factors (at least ten factors) *Use a background color to simulate their habitat. For example, if the organism lives on land, you must use a combination of green and brown colors to describe their habitat. Different types of habitat can include land, ocean, freshwater, rainforest, jungle, etc. *Draw a food web including at least 3 food chains that may occur within your ecosystem (all food chains should start at the producer level and end at the third level - consumer. Remember, this can be a separate drawing from your model (can use pictures). Part 2: Written Part *Describe the main characteristics of your ecosystem and how your ecosystem would benefit others. *How can your ecosystem model become disturbed? *Complete the following chart summarizing the main relationships within an ecosystem.
Community Interactions Description Examples in your ecosystem Competition Predation Mutualism Commensalism Parasitism Neutralism Amensalism
Note: The grade of your project will be based on the following: organization, creativity, and required information presented in a written and visual form. *Write a short story about an ecosystem that is disturbed and undergoes succession. Hint: Include a flowchart with your story to show the main stages of change. ***You may use materials such as shoe boxes and printed pictures of different animals belonging to your ecosystem, to illustrate your models. ***This assignment is only for ONE model of ONE ecosystem. *Assignment 3: Follow the detailed directions below to complete your Summer Assignment: *Go to the website: www.learner.org. Type the word Ecology in the upper right corner search window. *Click on The Habitable Planet on the left side of the page. Under the heading The Habitable Planet, click on Content by Unit. Scroll down and click on Unit 4-Ecosystems. *On the main page, under Content for this Unit, click on Video. Watch the video and answer the following questions about the video: 1. Why do tropical rainforests have such immense diversity? How do they maintain their diversity?
2. What role do tropical forests play in stabilizing climate and atmosphere? Can we take advantage of and enhance their ability to store carbon? Why is this important? 3. How can data from a tropical rainforest that explains species diversity and abundance be helpful in managing and protecting temperate forests, such as those in Yellowstone National Park or any other ecosystem on planet Earth?
4. Why do ecosystems like Tropical Rainforests have such immense diversity? 5. How does science restore diversity to areas where human activity has interfered with the natural structure of a habit/ecosystem? *Write a two-page research paper about the importance of biological conservation across the globe. Discuss (1) main factors negatively affecting species around the world and (2) what scientists are doing in order to combat those problems. Report must be printed.
*Assignment 4: Performing an experiment Introduction Dear Scientist, You will now assume the role of Geologist. These important scientists study the structure of the Earth, especially rocks and minerals. Important scientific terms that they use are: weathering, the wearing down of rocks. There has been a considerable amount of chemical pollution in the air resulting in the formation of destructive acid rain. This is affecting the rocks of the Earth. Is acid rain as destructive as people say? Your mission is to conduct an experiment to determine how much damage will occur to the rocks near your home if acid rain continues to fall. How Do Chemicals Weather Rocks? The experiment: 1. Place an equal number of limestone or marble chips in each of two jars. 2. Cover the stones in one jar with water and those in the other with vinegar; then screw lids on the jars. Be sure to use the same amount in each jar. 3. Hypothesize what will occur in both jars. 4. Allow the jars to stand overnight. 5. You may notice some bubbles forming in the jar with the vinegar. What does this mean? 6. The next day, pour out the liquid from each jar into separate bowls. 7. Label the bowls "water" and "vinegar". 8. Allow the water in the bowls to evaporate. 9. Compare the amount of solid material remaining in the two bowls. 10. Repeat the experiment with rocks from your yard. 11. Complete the Experimental Design write-up and conclusion on the following page. 12. Decide if you consider acid rain to be destructive. Defend your decision. Experimental Diagram
Title Type of Experiment (controlled experiment, observation) Problem Statement (Can be written as a question) Hypothesis: **Most of the time a hypothesis is written like this: "If [I do this], then [this] will happen."... **Your hypothesis should be something that you can actually test, what's called a testable hypothesis. Test (Independent) Variable: Outcome (Dependent) Variable: Experimental Tests: Number of Trials per Test: (repetition) Variables Held Constant: Control Test:
Writing Your Conclusion Directions: Write your conclusion within three paragraphs. Answer questions 1-3 in the introduction paragraph, question 4 in the body paragraph, and questions 5-7 in the conclusion paragraph. 1. What was investigated? (Describe the problem statement) 2. Was the hypothesis supported by the data? 3. What were the major findings? 4. How did your findings compare with other researchers?
5. What possible explanations can you offer for your findings? 6. What recommendations do you have for further study and for improving the experiment? 7. What are some possible applications of the experiment?
*Assignment 5: Introduction: Scientific Inquiry refers to the many different ways in which scientists investigate the world. Many times, investigations are said to follow a Scientific Method. Scientific methods are steps that are followed during an investigation to make sure that the information gained during the investigation is accurate and true. Part 1: Identify and State the Question or Problem. During this investigation, you will practice the steps listed above as well as different science skills. You want to know which paper airplane design is best. The first thing you have to do is decide what best means. This is called an operational definition the definition you will use during the investigation. For this investigation, we will define best as the plane that flies the furthest. We will not be concerned with height, loops, or straight flight. Part 2: Background Research. Find out what is already known about paper airplanes. You may use the Internet. Spend a little time reading up on paper airplanes. Write 3 5 notes here: Part 3: State a hypothesis.
Based on how we defined best and what you now know about paper airplanes, write a hypothesis that states which type of paper airplane (which you are testing) will fly the greatest distance and why you think this. Use complete sentences. Part 4: Write a Procedure. When you design an experiment, you must first pick one thing to test, the length of the plane, the weight of the plane, the style of the plane, position of weights on the plane, and so on. *****Important: A list of Materials is needed so that other scientists can repeat your experiment. The procedure for this investigation is partially done for you. Add any extra steps needed for your investigation. 1. Select 3 different paper airplanes. a. b. c. 2. Pick a spot to launch the planes each time. 3. Throw the first airplane. 4. Measure 5. Record the data. 6. Repeat 4 more times. 7. Throw the second airplane. 8. Measure 9. Record the data. 10. Repeat 4 more times. 11. Throw the third airplane. 12. Measure
13. Record the data. 14. Repeat 4 more times. List all of your materials below: Materials
Part 5: Collect & Record Data Distance in Meters of Airplane Flight Type of Airplan e Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Averag e Distanc e 1 2 3 Part 6: Analyze Data All graphs have some things in common: * The manipulated / independent variable is on the X-axis (bottom). * The responding / dependent variable is on the Y-axis (side). * Each axis is labeled to identify the variables. * Units of measurement are included in the labels. * The graph has a descriptive title. * The information Comparison of Flight Distances
nce in Meters AIRPLANE 1 AIRPLANE 2 AIRPLANE 3 TYPE OF PAPER AIRPLANE
Part 7: Draw Conclusions A conclusion is a discussion of the data. The data is described and explained and the hypothesis is accepted or rejected The hypothesis, is (accepted / rejected). The data shows that The results of this investigation are useful This investigation can be improved by Part 8: Communicate Results Professional scientists must be able to share the results of their investigations with other scientists all over the world.
Be prepared to spend 5-10 minutes discussing the results of your investigation with your scientific colleagues (classmates)