Quiz Monday

Remember that there is a QUIZ ON MONDAY which will cover the parts of the flower, their functions and pollination! Look in your science notebooks for all of the information you will need to pass with flying colors.

EXTRA CREDIT: Explain to your parent what pollination is, write what you told them on a piece of paper and get them to sign it saying they learned about pollination from you.  This will earn you 2 points towards your quiz.

Happy studying!

Flower Part Personification

Students learned the fine details of flower parts this week and were tasked with creating a cartoon character based on a specific structure. Here are some of their designs and paragraphs.  I have some very creative young adults this year.

Some of my favorites

Meet the pistil

The anthers

Stigmas collecting pollen

.

Growing in the Classroom

Since the beginning of our plant unit the students have been growing flowers, peas, bean and corn in the back of the classroom.  Look at the progress already!

Day 1: freshly planted

Day 7: growing strong! 

Native Plant Garden Alert

Hi SalzburgScience Blog readers! Sorry for the delay in posts but it has been busy around here.  Our class is going to be creating our very own native plant garden on campus in honor of our flowering plant/pollination unit.  Why native plants? Well, native plants (those that are from California) support the native animals and insects also from California, providing them with food, shelter and places to lay their eggs/raise their young.  Without these native plants our animal species don't have anywhere to go. So this is important work.  Keep posted for pictures as our garden develops.

The Grow Native Nursery

Here are our native plants waiting to go in the ground

Stigmas, anthers and petals oh my!

Welcome to the plant unit (my personal favorite)! For the next few weeks we will be talking everything plants: growing plants, pollenating plants, fertilizing plants, native plants, invasive plants, pollinators, pollination syndromes....you get the idea. Here is a sampling of what we have learned so far.

Evolution Book Project

Students have been furiously working on their evolution books.  They designed an imaginary creature and are then building a cladogram and evolutionary history of their fictitious animal.  The works in progress are very impressive, I can't wait to show off the final products.  Keep posted!

Open House!

Yesterday at Open House the Astronomical Society made an appearance, we had the opportunity to view the Sun, Moon and even Jupiter and its moons! One of the Astronomical members even instructed us on how he put together his very own telescope with materials from Home Depot! Sounds like a spring break project to me. Thank you to all of the parents and students who came last night and to City Year for a great Mario themed math night.

Waiting in line to look at the sun

Looking at sun spots and solar prominences

The moon as viewed through the home made telescope!
(It can be yours with 200$, Home Depot and a little elbow grease)