Discovery Update

If you have not been following the work going on during the space shuttle mission, here's an update --

In one of the record-setting five space walks scheduled for this space shuttle mission, astronauts swung open the door to their new space station addition Saturday and floated into the spacious and sparkling white room, formally christening it Harmony.
Even though it looked immaculate inside, international space station commander Peggy Whitson and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli — the first to enter — wore surgical masks and goggles to protect themselves from any dirty stowaways, like dust, lint or crumbs. The air inside the school bus-size chamber was immediately tested.
Harmony was named by schoolchildren in America but made in Italy, and Nespoli proudly noted that as he bobbed up and down in the 24-foot-long, 14-foot-diameter chamber that was delivered by shuttle Discovery.
The European Space Agency's science laboratory, named Columbus, will hook onto Harmony as early as December. The Japanese Space Agency's lab — called Kibo or in English, Hope — will latch onto Harmony early next year.
Harmony also will function as a nerve center, providing air, electricity and water for the space station. It was launched with racks of computer and electronic equipment. All this gear had to be locked down for the jarring rocket ride to orbit, leaving the astronauts to undo more than 700 bolts to free up the equipment.
Perhaps just as important, Harmony will provide extra living space for the three space station residents. It is the station's seventh room; the first one was launched in 1998.
The space station's crew will move Harmony to its permanent location after Discovery leaves in another week. Until then, the astronauts will be restricted on how long they can spend inside the new compartment because of the makeshift ventilation system currently in place.

About Classification

Scientists, we know, divide living organisms into a system of classifications. As we begin to study how that system developed, and what the different categories mean, students got a first-hand understanding of just how tricky it can be to take a diverse group of things and try to agree on a way to categorize them... do you group these objects by their "use" or their "value" or "what they are made of" or something else altogether. It was a good way to come to understand the dilemmas that scientists face as they attempt to classify all the different lifeforms on our planet.

Our Signatures in Space!

Today, if the weather cooperates, the space shuttle will take off for space carrying our signatures with it. The giant poster that we signed last year will fly into space as part of an ongoing program that is intended to get students interested in the space program and the science that is connected with it. If you are interested in the whole program and in learning about the schools that have participated in the years before this, you can check it out here.

Not everyone gets to take part in this program. It really is something special for all of us. Here's what one program official says:

Having signatures flown on the Space Shuttle is a rare treat as space is
extremely limited on each mission. Space requirements limit us to only
approximately 500 schools per year, and we try to sign up as many schools as
possible that have never participated before. Once we reach our quota, we create
a wait list for participation the following year.

We will be in the cafeteria today at launch time, watching on the big screen, hoping for good weather, and cheering as the shuttle takes off on this latest mission, carrying seven brave and talented astronauts, a lot of important experiments and equipment, and OUR SIGNATURES into space.

Science Test -- October 23

The test over Chapter 9: Seed plants will be next Tuesday, October 23. Here is the study guide (just in case you lost yours).

Science -- Chapter 9 Study Guide: Seed Plants

All seed plants have vascular tissue and produce seeds.
A seed has three parts: embryo, stored food, and seed coat.
Photosynthesis occurs mainly in the leaves. Stems support the plant and transport water and materials through the plant. Roots anchor the plant and absorb nutrients.
Leaves have an outer protective layer. The underside of leaves has small pores, called stoma. These stoma open and close to help the plant control water loss and the passage of gases into and out of the leaves.
Stems can be either herbaceous or woody.
There are two types of vascular tissue – phloem and xylem. Phloem carries food from the leaves. Xylem carries water and other materials from the roots.
Transpiration is the process of water loss through a plant’s leaves. Plants control water loss by closing the stomata.
Some plants have taproots which grow straight down. Other plants have fibrous root systems that branch out, forming a tangled mass of roots very close to the surface.
All gymnosperms produce naked seeds. Many have needle-like or scale-like leaves, and deep root systems.
There are four groups or “families” of gymnosperms: Cycads, Gingkos, Gnetophytes, and Conifers.
Gymnosperm reproduction happens in two stages. First pollen falls onto the female cone. Then an egg cell and a sperm cell join. The zygote develops into the seed’s embryo.
Angiosperms produce flowers and fruits.
Angiosperms reproduce when pollen falls onto the stigma of the flower. The sperm cell and egg cell join in the ovule. The zygote develops into the seed’s embryo which becomes the fruit.
There are two types of angiosperms: monocots and dicots. Monocots have seeds with a single seed leaf. Dicots have two seed leaves. Monocots have leaves with parallel veins, and flower parts in threes. Dicots show leaves with a branching pattern in their veins. Their flower parts are found in fours or fives.
A tropism is a plant’s growth response toward or away from a stimulus. Plants respond to light, touch, and gravity.
Plant hormones (like auxin) control tropisms and many other plant functions.

Vocabulary:
Phloem
Xylem
Seed
Embryo
Cotyledon
Germination
Stomata
Transpiration
Cambium
Root cap
Gymnosperm
Cone
Pollen
Ovule
Pollination
Angiosperm
Ovary
Flower
Petal
Sepal
Stamen
Pistil
Fruit
Monocot
Dicot
Tropism
Hormone
Auxin

Identify and be able to label the parts of the flower --

Identify and distinguish monocots (long narrow leaves, veins follow and parallel the leaf, flower parts in threes or multiples of three), and dicots (wide, flat leaves, veins in a branching pattern, flower parts in fours or fives):

Writing about "Plant a Sock"

Time to finish up our "Plant a Sock" project. We had MIXED results. Across our two classrooms, only 15 boxes showed signs of germination and growth of any sort at all. We have a lot of theories about reasons why our seeds may not have grown. That's an interesting story in itself in this very strange year of drought. However, it is time to summarize our results and move on... So, this is what is needed for the lab report on this project: 1) What was the process? 2) What happened to your sock/box? Include any observations or notes that you made. 3) Class data -- maps and sketches/notes 4) Conclusions --

• Why and how did seeds germinate and grow where they did?
• What might have given us different results?
• What does this activity tell us about seed dispersal?

Attach all your data, maps, and notes to your write up.

Math Test Coming up...

We are almost finished with our study of data analysis and graphing. The test over this material will be next week. Students in the 64-Math group will have their test on Tuesday, and those in the 63-Math group will be testing later in the week. I find that students often have more trouble preparing for mathematics tests than they do for other subjects. It is, seemingly, more difficult to know what to do to get ready for a math test. Here's one place to go look -- especially for the "central tendency" portion of the data analysis work. This is a very good review website.

Field Trip -- Caldwell Nature Preserve

We spent Thursday at the Caldwell Nature Preserve, studying plants, pollination, photosynthesis and the life cycle of trees. It was a bright and sunny day, and we had a great time in a truly beautiful setting. We had a chance to learn some of the science we've been studying from our text book, "up close" in the woods, and really explore what grows right here in our own area. The naturalists that led our tours were wonderful and the whole day turned out to be a very positive experience.