Projects in class lead to great collaboration!

     Two of the hallmarks of a 21st century education are collaboration and communication. In science, we have been working across the grades on in-class projects that not only enhance what we are learning in class but also reinforce communication and collaboration. These life skills can't be emphasized too much. The foundation in these skills built here at HCA will serve each student well as they move on to higher academic challenges and their eventual careers.

     Sixth grade students broke into teams to tackle the four spheres of Earth's systems: the hydrosphere (water), the geosphere (solid earth), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (life). They researched the way these systems interact with each other to create the whole Earth. They will display their work and share it with the HCA community as posters outside the science lab.

     The 5th grade is creating food webs found in various ecosystems around the world: the rainforest, the deciduous forest, a coral reef, and a freshwater lake. They will identify producers, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd order consumers, and apex predators in their project. Students first created a prototype poster after researching food webs in their respective ecosystems. They will make a final poster demonstrating the flow of energy through each system that will also be shared with HCA outside the lab..

     It was Cell Cake week in 7th grade! The students designed plant and animal cells using cakes and candy decorations to represent the organelles found in each type. Stevie, Kadin, Will, and Aidan each contributed "organelles" to put on the cake while properly identifying their location and function in the cell. After building the cake, it was enjoyed by the class and shared with others...well done, Grade 7!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

6th grade collaborates on two science projects!

     The Sixth Grade is known for working well together and that was on display in full force this week in science!

     On Monday, they excavated their second set of compostable and plastic utensils 30 days after the first set and 60 days after initially burying them in the HCA Organic Garden. They visually inspected the utensils for any noticeable changes to their shape or coloration. The utensils were then taken to the lab where they were rinsed off and weighed. The students recorded the data and compared it to the baseline measurements and the first data set. After gathering all the data, the results were..........

no change!

               

Indoors, they began an investigation of the open systems of the Earth's Four Spheres:

The Geosphere, the Hydrosphere, the Atmosphere, and the Biosphere.

They worked together to develop a project they could share with visitors to the Middle School floor about the interactions between the Four Spheres. They worked diligently and with open minds to float and agree upon ideas to share this information with HCA.

 Look for their final creation in a future edition of this blog!

5th grade investigates chlorophyll

     Now that we are in fall, it is a perfect time to investigate why leaves change color. The 5th grade investigated this at the microscopic level this past week. We started by exploring two ways to do liquid chromatography. This process separated the different chlorophyll pigments using filter paper and rubbing alcohol.

     The first method we tried was lightly crushing leaves onto the paper using a coin. The second method examined crushing the leaves with a mortar and pestle in an alcohol solution and using a pipette to apply the solution to the filter paper. The results were made by direct observation and comparing each method to see which best separated the different types of chlorophyll on the filter paper. Results were pretty much evenly split and the reasons for why this happened were discussed in class.

       

     During the next class, we learned how to operate the compound light microscope so we could observe a green leaf segment and compare it to a red leaf segment. We started by observing fixed specimen slides to familiarize ourselves with proper microscope care and techniques. Then we compared the leaves and drew our observations on paper.