Life+Science+-+7th+Grade

 Science Fair Project Rubric Student Name:__________________________ Science Fair Topic/Title___________________ Visuals don' relate to topic, aren't large enough, lacking captions ||  Data is neither clear ** nor ** neatly displayed in visuals: Visuals don't relate to topic or aren't large enough or lacking captions ||  Data is clearly and neatly displayed in visuals Visuals relate to topic, are large enough to see, and have captions ||
 * C  ||   B   ||   A   ||
 * Missing many of the following components/ components are of a low quality:
 *  Abstract
 *  Question/Problem
 *  Fair reason for project
 *  Research
 *  1-3 pgs; 1-3 sources; No hard sources; fair Works Cited; fair in-text citations
 *  Hypothesis
 *  Experiment:
 *  Materials
 *  Procedure
 *  Constants and variables
 *  Analysis of results in form of table, graph, journal sheet, pictures
 *  Conclusion
 *  Lab report ||  Missing some of the following components/ not all components are of a high quality:
 *  Abstract
 *  Question/Problem
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Good reason for project
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Research
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> 2-4 pgs; 2-4 sources; 1 hard source; Good Works Cited; good in-text citation
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Hypothesis
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Experiment:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Materials
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Procedures
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level2 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Constants and variable
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Analysis of results in form of table, graph, journal sheet, pictures
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Conclusion
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Lab report ||  Contains all required parts/ all parts are of a high quality:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Abstract
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Question/Problem
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Excellent reason
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Research
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> 3-5 pgs; 3-5 sources; 2 hard source; excellent w.c.; excellent in-text citations
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Hypothesis
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Experiment:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Materials
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Procedures
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level2 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 1.0in;"> Constants and variable
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Analysis of results in form of table, graph, journal sheet, pictures
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Conclusion
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Lab report ||
 * Data is neither clear **nor** neatly displayed in visuals
 * Project is done in messy and careless manner: no attention is paid to detail ||  Project is somewhat neatly done : some attention is paid to detail  ||  Project is neatly done; creative and organized, great deal of attention is paid to detail  ||
 * Project is poorly written and difficult to understand:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Writing is unfocused and off topic
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Grammar is poor; many punctuation, grammar and spelling errors
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> No evidence of proofreading and editing ||  Parts of project are difficult to understand:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Writing is not completely focused on topic
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Difficult to follow because of sentence and paragraph structure
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Some evidence of proofreading and editing ||  Project is well-written:
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Focused and on-topic
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Good grammar, spelling and punctuation
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Good sentence structure
 * <span style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"> Evidence of proofreading and editing ||
 * Oral presentation demonstrates fair knowledge of topic. Poor delivery of information. ||  Oral presentation demonstrates good knowledge of topic. Fair delivery of information.  ||  Oral presentation demonstrates excellent knowledge of topic. Excellent delivery of info.  ||

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2011/02/23/nr.baldwin.dead.dolphins.cnn

<span style="border: 0px initial initial; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font: normal normal normal 14px/19px arial; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 19px; padding-left: 186px; padding-right: 24px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">** CNN) ** -- Baby bottlenose dolphins are washing up dead in record numbers on the shores of Alabama and Mississippi, alarming scientists and a federal agency charged with monitoring the health of the Gulf of Mexico. Moby Solangi, the executive director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Mississippi, said Thursday he's never seen such high death numbers."I've worked with marine mammals for 30 years, and this is the first time we've seen such a high number of calves," he said. "It's alarming."At least 24 baby dolphins have washed up on the shores of the two states since the beginning of the year -- more than ten times the normal rate. Also, six older dolphins died. In January 2009 and 2010, no calf strandings were reported, compared to four in January 2011, the institute said. During the month of February for those years, only one calf stranding was reported each year. Blair Mase, lead marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), echoed Solangi's concern. "It's not common for this time of year to recover such young animals. When you put the numbers together, it's quite high compared to previous years." The occurrence has prompted NOAA to designate these deaths as an "unusual mortality event" -- defined as a stranding incident that is unexpected or involves a significant loss of any marine mammal population. While bottlenose dolphins are actually the most-frequently found stranding animal, the season usually begins in March, according to Mase. "We receive reports of stranding year round. We get an average of 700 total every year in the Southeast," she said. While scientists have seen baby dolphins wash up in the past, "This is not during the months that they should be," said Solangi. "We keep getting reports of new ones all the time, and February isn't over yet." There have been 13 unusual mortality events involving dolphin deaths in the Gulf of Mexico since 1991, Mase explained. Marine mammals are particularly susceptible to harmful algal blooms, infectious diseases, temperature and environmental changes, and human impact, she said. "Unfortunately we don't have a smoking gun here. We're looking at the possibility of an algal bloom but we don't see any evidence of a bloom going on in the water. Temperatures are a bit cooler, so we're looking into water temperature data and seeing if that has a role, but it's a little bit too early to tell." The IMMS said it has been able to perform full necropsies on a third of the 24 calves. The majority of the calves were too decomposed for a full examination, but the institute has taken tissue samples for analysis.The institute does not have conclusive results on the causes of death. Following the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion last April, which killed 11 workers and caused the worst oil spill in U.S. history, there has been heightened concern over the environmental impact. Due to the government's ongoing litigation with BP, which owned the oil well that erupted into the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA said it must operate under specific protocol in handling the dead dolphins. That might mean a delay in seeing the necropsy results. "In a world when we wouldn't be dealing with oil-spill protocols, we'd typically get results in about three weeks to a month," Mase said. "We aren't going to see results as quickly as we'd like to. We will be making sure these samples are collected, taken back and analyzed, but it could take several months." While none of the 30 dolphins were found with any oil on them, Mase said the agency is not ruling anything in or out on the cause of death. "Frankly, it's just too early to tell at this point. It's obviously on everyone's radar screen. Everyone's concerned about any impact of the BP oil spill, but we have to be very cautious as to identify any particular cause. We won't know until we have these samples analyzed and be able to identify the source." The most worrisome concern is that dolphin stranding season has yet to officially begin, according to Solangi. "Whatever it is, I hope it is just an anomaly. It certainly has connotations on reproduction and the population," he said. "Unfortunately, I think this is not the end of what we will be seeing."

**Week of January 24... science is wonderful so just try to understand and have fun its really an interesting subject! dont hate. even though you are learning about the millions of bacteria cells all over your body!** __Chapter 6: Bacteria and Viruses__ The students have started reading and outlining Section 1 of Chapter 6 The students will continue to nurture their plants and collect data on their experiments __Homework__ Due Tuesday: Section Review of Chapter 6 - Section 1 =Week of January 17= __Chapter 4: Modern Genetics__ The students have read and outlined this chapter. They have worked in groups to create tests that they will trade with other groups for content review. They have also created an experiment: - Is it possible to clone a plant and grow the new plant to be better than the original plant even though the new plants and the original plant are genetically identical? - The students have hypothesized that the answer is yes for various reasons that fall under the umbrella: if greater nurturing is given to the new plants than the original plant, then they will grow better even thought they are gentically identical. - The students have been recording data in their notebooks on the quality and progress of their clones. - The culminating assessment for this project and this chapter will be an analytical paper on the findings of the experiment. - We will also work with this paper in English where we will read professional samples of the kind of work the students are modelling.
 * This information will be used in a research paper, which the students are writing in English Class
 * The assessments for Chapter 4 are the group created tests, the experiment, and the research paper

__Homework__ Due Monday, Jan. 24 Read the article on cloning the mammoth Answer 4 questions: 1. What is the article about? 2. How is this like/different than Dolly 3. Will it work? 4. What are the moral ramifications?

=Researchers aim to resurrect mammoth in five years= = MNHN Bibliotheque Centrale – Artist's impression of the prehistoric mammoth. Japanese researchers will launch a project this year …= by Shingo Ito Shingo Ito – Mon Jan 17, 5:44 am ET

TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese researchers will launch a project this year to resurrect the long-extinct mammoth by using cloning technology to bring the ancient pachyderm back to life in around five years time. The researchers will try to revive the species by obtaining tissue this summer from the carcass of a mammoth preserved in a Russian research laboratory, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. "Preparations to realise this goal have been made," Akira Iritani, leader of the team and a professor emeritus of Kyoto University, told the mass-circulation daily. Under the plan, the nuclei of mammoth cells will be inserted into an elephant's egg cell from which the nuclei have been removed, to create an embryo containing mammoth genes, the report said. The embryo will then be inserted into an elephant's uterus in the hope that the animal will eventually give birth to a baby mammoth. The elephant is the closest modern relative of the mammoth, a huge woolly mammal believed to have died out with the last Ice Age. [|**Click image to see more mammoth photos**] AFP/HO/File Some mammoth remains still retain usable tissue samples, making it possible to recover cells for cloning, unlike dinosaurs, which disappeared around 65 million years ago and whose remains exist only as fossils Researchers hope to achieve their aim within five to six years, the Yomiuri said. The team, which has invited a Russian mammoth researcher and two US elephant experts to join the project, has established a technique to extract DNA from frozen cells, previously an obstacle to cloning attempts because of the damage cells sustained in the freezing process. Another Japanese researcher, Teruhiko Wakayama of the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, succeeded in 2008 in cloning a mouse from the cells of another that had been kept in temperatures similar to frozen ground for 16 years. The scientists extracted a cell nucleus from an organ of a dead mouse and planted it into the egg of another mouse which was alive, leading to the birth of the cloned mouse. Based on Wakayama's techniques, Iritani's team devised a method to extract the nuclei of mammoth eggs without damaging them. But a successful cloning will also pose challenges for the team, Iritani warned. "If a cloned embryo can be created, we need to discuss, before transplanting it into the womb, how to breed (the mammoth) and whether to display it to the public," Iritani said. "After the mammoth is born, we will examine its ecology and genes to study why the species became extinct and other factors." More than 80 percent of all mammoth finds have been dug up in the permafrost of the vast Sakha Republic in eastern Siberia. Exactly why a majority of the huge creatures that once strode in large herds across Eurasia and North America died out towards the end of the last Ice Age has generated fiery debate. Some experts hold that mammoths were hunted to extinction by the species that was to become the planet's dominant predator -- humans. Others argue that climate change was more to blame, leaving a species adapted for frozen climes ill-equipped to cope with a warming world.