No Bones About It!

SCIENCE
Why didn't the skeleton go to the school dance?
He had no body to go with!!!

The skeletal system was our focus this week as we continued on our journey on the human body systems. This week was full of science stations to include many small lab investigations on the skeletal system. Station 1 was called Keep Your Bones in Shape. We determined that the shape of the bone gives the skeleton a strong support system to carry a body's weight. The students tested three different shapes (triangular, square, and cylinder) made of index cards. We placed books on the index cards to test if the shape did support more or less books. Please ask your child what shape held the most books and why or bones are that shape. Bone is made of MANY layers of tissue. In the compact bone there are circular structures called the Haversian system. This system protects the blood vessels in the center of the bone tissue and keep the bones very strong. To test the Haversian system the students tested straws in a random pattern and straws in a circular pattern. They discovered that the Haversian pattern was much stronger. Station 2, Celebrate Vertebrates and Fight Friction tested the joints, synovial fluid and why our backbones are made of 26 vertebrae instead of one long bone. The 3rd station, Building the Framework recreated a skeleton on paper and applied the scientific name of the bone (humerus) to the picture of the bones.

The stations were a lot of fun and the students enjoyed the wide variety of activities!
We began working with our t-shirts this week. The students were introduced to the idea of wearing their interior body systems on the exterior t-shirts. We will be drawing the body systems on front and back of the shirt. We will continue working on our body system t-shirts on Fridays!

The last activity for the week was Chicken Wing Dissection. Your children had an amazing time dissecting grocery store chicken wings. We observed the dermis, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. This activity really demonstrates that even though the body systems are separate they must work together for the organism to live!

Have a wonderful weekend and tell your children to get ready for more bones and muscles next week!

MATH
This week we reviewed all previous learning from the Data, Statistics, and Graphing Unit. The students worked collaboratively in pairs to analyze data collected during the worm dissection. Then, using this data, they composed test questions which was compiled into a subsequent “team test.” I once heard that a teacher’s ultimate goal is to work him/herself out of a job. Thomas Carruthers put it this way: “A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” I’m happy to report that this week I felt rather unnecessary! YAY! Watching these kids own their learning in this capacity is what every teacher strives for. My soul was definitely fed watching them in action this week.

Next week we move ahead to our final unit of the year – Geometry and Geometric Measurement. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed as we are embarking on our concluding unit prior to testing! Wow! The geometry learning objectives for 7th grade focus heavily on surface area and volume of 3-dimensinoal figures, as well as the similar and congruent 2-dimensional figures. I look forward to the exciting learning that lies ahead of us!

We're Diggin' It!

SCIENCE
Many famous people have recognized the ecosystem services that earthworms provide. Cleopatra declared earthworms to be sacred, and forbade Egyptian farmers from removing them from the land. Aristotle called them the “intestines of the soil.” Charles Darwin, who studied earthworms for 39 years, said, “It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world than the earthworm." We began our dissection by understanding the ecological impacts earthworms have on the environment. Please take a moment and ask to see your child's lab investigation on the earthworm dissection. I wold LOVE it if you would take a moment to ask why we depend on earthworms for our survival on this planet!

This week we began body systems by dissecting earthworms, Lumbricus Terrestris. These remarkable invertebrates have some very interesting body systems that we were able to observe through dissection. We observed the digestive system, the reproductive system, the nervous system and the circulatory system. These systems are much more simple that our body systems but provide an amazing springboard for learning about our body systems! I am hoping that the students will be much more interested in learning about the digestive system now that they have seen the pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, intestines of the earthworm! We can compare our systems to the earthworms for greater understanding of the functions of each organ and how they are connected to work as a system by extracting nutrients from our food for our cells. This will allow the students to move into deeper understanding of the body systems as they are now participants in their learning through the dissection process. We will conclude our unit on body systems by dissection a frog, which as a vertebrate is much more similar to our body systems.

The week concluded with a web quest on the human body systems. The web site http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/ is very interesting! The Cool and Gross Body is a very comprehensive web site that allows students to learn the body systems and organs through questions such as,"Why do I burp?". This is always a great way to get middle school students interested in science!

We will begin using the white tee shirts next Friday in class. If you have not sent one in, please do or let me know if I can help you find one. Target, Walgreens and Walmart all had shirts for less than $3.00. A closet in your home is a good spot to look too. A man's undershirt will work wonderfully. We will be drawing on the shirt with sharpies, markers, and paints. This will be a work of art about the body systems!

I can't wait for next week! Muscles, tendons, and bones are on the docket through chicken wing dissection!

Math
This week we applied our previously learned knowledge in the Earthworm Dissection Lab by collecting data on the following: the total number of segments, the number of segments between the clitellum and mouth, and the total length in cm. This data will be used this week to construct histograms, determine percentages, and make inferences. The students can also expect to see this data again on the application of their announced test on Friday! 

We also learned about histograms. A histogram is a way to show how often data falls into different ranges, or intervals. To incorporate reading skills in the content area of math, I had the students use their Math On Call text in partners (or individually depending on their preference) to answer some leading questions that I placed on the overhead. Then we discussed our interpretations of the text in a whole group setting. Following the acquisition of this background knowledge, we constructed histograms and bar graphs on the topic of “TV”. This allowed us to compare and contrast the ways in which histograms are alike and different. For more details, please see your child’s daybook.

Reminders:
The Data Analysis and Graphing STUDY GUIDE is due this Thursday, February 25th. The Data Analysis and Graphing TEST will be this Friday, February 26th. Please hold your child accountable for preparing for this test at home using appropriate resources such as homework from this unit, the Math On Call reference book, http://www.mrsv.org/, and their daybook notes. Thank you, in advance, for the support you provide at home! It truly makes all the difference!