Bailie Kroll- Science Methods

  Week 7- DNA and Genetics   Learning This Week: This week we learned more about the structure and function of DNA and how they contribute to our genetic make up. The big ideas from this week were understanding that traits are determined by genetics and environmental factors and there are patterns in the way genetic information is stored, expressed and passed on. We learned that DNA is stored in the nucleus of the cell and proteins are generated in the cytoplasm. DNA is packaged tightly into chromosomes which is important because DNA is about 5 feet long! Segments of DNA are called genes and these represent specific traits of an organism such as hair color, eye color, skin tone, etc. A genotype is expressed through alleles that code for these traits such as Bb for brown eyes. The phenotype is the direct observable trait of the organism. The process of converting the information stored in DNA into proteins is called the Central Dogma and is very important in the study of biolog...

    Week 6- Flowers and Food Chains   Learning This Week: This week we learned about the different parts of the flower along with the pollination process, we also continued our discussion of food chains and impacts the environmental factors can have on ecosystems. We began by looking at our updated fast plant and ours finally has budded yellow flowers! It has been interesting how quickly our plant has developed over the course of six weeks. With that, we discovered the female and male parts of the flower and their importance of reproduction. We took dried bee's and modeled the pollination process that occurs in the natural world. Then, we looked at how food chains and food webs can be affected by natural and human caused events. We listened to the story Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! by April Pulley Sayre, that describes the different environmental and human factors that could affect a turtles life cycle. After reading the story, we engaged in an interactive activity where we...

     Week 5- Ecosystems   Learning This Week: This week I learned about ecology and the impacts that ecosystems have on different species. Ecology is the study of the relationships living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. We discusses the similarities of biomes, habitats, and ecosystems. Biomes are described as large areas that have similar climate conditions and similar dominant types of plants and animals. During lecture we discussed the six main biomes of our planet: Desert, Forest, Grassland, Tundra, Marine, and Freshwater. Habitats are specific places where a particular community of organisms live, these take place inside of the six biomes. An ecosystem is a community of living and nonliving things that interact with each other in a specific environment. For example, we can study a specific lake that is a habitat for many species. We can look at how water temperature, community of fish, humans, pollution, etc. all play a role in this e...

    Week 4- Lesson Planning   Learning This Week: This week I learned about the 5E model for lesson plans in science and how to utilize it in my future classroom through student and teacher roles. This lesson style is split up into five lesson segments, all starting with the letter "E", hence, 5E. The five segments are Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate. Conceptual understanding and inquiry-based learning is the goal of this method and to involve students in hands-on learning. Another benefit to this model is that it aligns well with the NGSS and the three dimensions: Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Cross-cutting Concepts. This plan also incorporates the higher order thinking skills of emphasizing remembering and understanding a topic before applying, analyzing, and creating a final product. I am excited to utilize the 5E framework in my future teaching! Update on Fast Plants  Application to Future Teaching:  This week...

  Week 3- Life Cycles   Learning This Week: This week, I learned about the process of life cycles, complete vs incomplete metamorphosis, and how living things are interrelated. Every living thing goes through some form of a life cycle and there is complete and incomplete metamorphosis in these cycles. A complete metamorphosis consists of 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Humans, turtles, butterflies, etc. all have complete metamorphosis. On the other hand, incomplete metamorphosis consists of 3 stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, etc. are examples of incomplete metamorphosis.  Living things are all interrelated through their ecosystems. Photosynthesis is the important process that plants undergo to get their food. Animals then eat these plants and go through cellular respiration to get their energy through ATP. Animals also eat other animals (humans eating beef, pork, poultry, etc.)              ...