Project Blog Charity Fair

Image Source:

https://docs.google.com/a/oakgrovesd.net/drawings/d/10hBFfr54Ym2HCDyA1-b447-lNOthMW49pxkJHU-mMKk/edit?usp=sharing

Summary:

Charity fair is a event where we make items to support a select charity. The charity we were trying to support was the National Immigration Forum. The NIF is a charity based in Washington D.C. that collects donations in hope of giving immigrants a better life in America by giving them English lessons and teaching them about aspects of American life. I also learned how to make an interactive map to help show where our product parts came from. 

Backward-Looking:

Have you done a similar kind of work in the past (earlier in the year or in a previous grade; in school or out of school)?

I have done charity fair before as a 5th, 6th, and 7th grader. Otherwise I haven't done anything like this outside of school only in school 4 times already. Each time was more different from the next since they were striving to make charity fair more safer and so that students can put more of their heart into it.

Inward-Looking:

How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work?

I feel really proud about this piece of work because it is for a cause personal to me. When we finished I though we did a great job on it. I really liked making the ornaments since I could get creative with it and make all sorts of patterns on the ornament. I kind of disliked the math part since we had to redo a couple of those and it was stressful for a small time. But overall the project was sort of fun but mostly painting the ornaments.

Outward-Looking:

What grade would you give it? Why?

I would give it a A. I would give it this grade since I think we put solid effort into the project seeing as we got it done by Charity Fair night. I also think our presentation was pretty good since we rehearsed quite a lot. But other then that there was really nothing wrong that we did that I think it should get less than a A.

Forward-Looking:

What's one goal you would like to set for yourself for next time?

Next time I would strive to put full effort into our work next time so we don't have to go through the stress of redoing it. I had to deal with this multiple times with the math portion and it was pretty stressful. I would like to set this goal so I don't have to deal with that type of stress again. This is my goal for next time. (If I get another chance at Charity Fair)

Weekly Blog 12/4 - 12/8

Image Source:

https://www.mos.org/live-presentations/balance-and-motion

Summary:

Motion is the movement of something from one point to another. One way to track if you're moving is to look at a stationary object to use as your reference point. There is also distance which is a scalar and distance which is a vector. Distance is the amount of distance traveled through conventional means such as winding highways or freeways. Displacement is the distance traveled if you were to take a straight path from your start to finish.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

This week I did a worksheet involving motion and the basics of it. The worksheet involving doing multiple models to show the distance between a person their destination and their displacement from start to finish. This is SP2: Developing and using models since I used multiple models to show the distance and displacement a person traveled or could travel.

Weekly Blog 11-27 - 12/1

Image Source:

http://www.algonquinucc.org/advocating-for-justice/

Summary:

Your carbon footprint is defined as the number of greenhouse gases caused by you, an organization, or a product. The more transportation is needed for something, the bigger the carbon footprint of that object or person gets. For example, if you need items to make a product, you find the mode of transportation for each and add up the number of CO2 emitted to find out the total carbon footprint of your product. It is important to know your carbon footprint so you can see your impact on the environment and how you can decrease that amount to help the environment. 

S&EP:

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking

This week I worked on a map with my partner to find where our materials come from. We then used math to find our carbon footprint. I performed SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking this week because I used math to figure out our total carbon footprint.

Weekly Blog 11/6 - 11/10

Image Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_flight

Summary:

Flight is in all of our lives to when we see birds take off from our trees to planes landing at the airport. Flight is only possible with some specific traits that allow them to glide through the skies. Some include feathers, bones, weight, etc. If birds didn't have these specific traits then they wouldn't be able to fly to this day.

S&EP:

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions

This week we worked on investigating the origins of flight. After we got all of our information in, we constructed a hypothesis about the how these traits exist today. I performed SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions this week because I constructed a hypothesis on how flight has come to be to this day.

Weekly Blog 10/30 - 11/3

Image Source:

http://www.sliderbase.com/spitem-1090-3.html

Summary:

A cladogram can be used to identify traits that different animals have in common. This helps scientists to be able to see easily which animals have a common ancestor. This helps see which animals are the most related and which aren't. This is especially helpful when trying to find relatives of extinct animals to try to find out more about its history.  By using these scientists can learn more about a species' history and their ancestors as well. 

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models 

This week I performed SP2: Developing and using models by using a model of a cladogram to see what the T-rex is the most related to. This is SP2: Developing and using models because I am using a model to understand about cladograms and about how different species can be related.

Weekly Blog 10/23 - 10/27

Image Source:

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/her/evolution-and-natural-selection/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection

Summary:

Natural selection could be called as survival of the fittest. Natural selection is really when specific parts of a species have traits that help them survive in the environment so that they can have offspring. But survival of the fittest doesn't just limit to the strongest, fastest, or biggest. It could mean the smartest, most collaborative, or most camouflaged. It really varies depending on the environment and the predators there are.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

This week I did a little simulation with the peppered moths and a bird to show a little example of natural selection. I also drew a little comic to show natural selection. This is SP2: Developing and using models because I used a model to see how natural selection works and I made a little comic showing natural selection.

Weekly Blog 10/16 - 10/20

Image Source:

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_16

Summary:

"Natural selection is the process by which random evolutionary changes are selected by nature in a consistent, orderly non-random way." This means that natural selection is the process where changes happen which are chosen by nature in an orderly way due to a change in environment, predators, etc. Natural selection was a theory proposed by Charles Darwin for a mechanism of evolution. What really shaped his theory of natural selection was Finches that he had discovered on his voyage of the HMS Beagle. It took a long time for his theory to be accepted by the scientific community, as it had taken him 15-20 years of hiding his drawings and writing on natural selection.

S&EP:
SP2: Developing and using models
This week we learned about natural selection through models like spoons, forks, and knives to learn about natural selection in an interactive way. Then we also went on a game called, Who Wants to Live a Million Years? This was a game where we could select traits to help the species survive in harsh and sudden condition. That is how I performed SP2: Developing and using models.

Weekly Blog 10/9 - 10/13

Image Source:

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/on-evolution

Summary:

Evolution means descent with modification. This is based on the idea that all life shares one common ancestor. Evolution is driven by four different mechanisms. These include Gene Flow, Natural Selection, Mutations, and Genetic drift. These all drive evolution thru acts of nature like relocation, predators, etc.

S&EP:
SP2: Developing and using models
This week I performed SP2: Developing and using models because this week we did two labs exploring mutations and genetic drift. We performed the mutation lab with tic tacs and M&Ms. Then we performed a lab about genetic drift with M&Ms to explore about Genetic drift. That is how I performed SP2: Developing and using models.

Geologic Timeline Project Blog

Image Source:

https://prehistoricoregon.com/following-the-geological-timeline

Summary:

The Mesozoic era lasted from 251.0 mya to 65.5 mya. It was known as the age of reptiles. The Mesozoic era was divided into 3 periods. There was the Triassic period, the Jurassic period, and the Cretaceous period. The Mesozoic era had many unique life forms such as the first bird, the dinosaurs, etc. There was also unique geology, during this time the continents were arranged into the supercontinent known as Pangaea. As the Mesozoic era dragged along, Pangaea was slowly breaking up over the course for millions of years. Pangaea continued to break up through the Cenozoic era to how we see the continents today. But even to this day, the continents are still moving at a pace which is too slow to really notice.

Backward-Looking:

How much did you know about the subject before we started?

When we started this project, I didn't know much just about the age of the dinosaurs and the supercontinent Pangaea. Before I came to this school, I wasn't educated much about the history of the earth just some stuff in the area or stuff special to California. But otherwise, I never learned anything from 1st to 4th grades. When I came to this school, I never learned anything about this subject until 8th grade came along which is where I learned about the Mesozoic era and its diverse life, climate, and geology. But other than the 8th grade, I never learned anything about the Mesozoic era.

Inward-Looking:
How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work?
I felt good after we finished our time project because, thru lots of work and dedication, we turned our project into our own view and creative perspective on creating a project. I really liked chapter 3 and chapter 2. I had created chapter 3 with lots of writing and drawing and Joshua had created chapter 2 which was the best-looking chapter of all. I really disliked having to do all this work because I had spent about 3-4 hours making my page a reality. I really enjoyed making the whole project like drilling the hole through the pages so that it could open and close like a real book.

Outward-Looking:
What grade would you give it? Why?
I would give it a B. I would give it this grade because we were rushed while working on this project. This led to less color, pages that weren't aligned, and sloppiness on some pages. Because of this rush Evan never finished his chapter of the book so it was pretty frustrating and stressful to have such small time to finish the project. 

Forward-Looking:
As you look at this piece, what's one thing that you would like to try to improve upon?
I would like to improve the quality of work for future projects. I would like to improve on that because the quality of work I had for the project wasn't very great considering it wasn't all colored by the time the due date came along. The writing also wasn't very good because I was in a rush to finish the project by the due date. If I could improve the quality of work for the next project then I will be set to make a better project than what I did last time.

Era Report

Era Report

      The era I am researching is the Mesozoic Era which was the era following the Paleozoic Era is followed by the Cenozoic era. This era is separated into 3 periods, the Triassic Period, the Jurassic Period, and the Cretaceous Period. The continents during this era were in Pangaea and by the mid-Triassic, Pangaea had begun to break apart. By the time the Jurassic period came along, the pieces of Pangaea were still floating along the earth's surface, there was the breaking up of the small parts of Pangaea such as the breaking up of the northern, southern, and the western pieces of Pangaea. By the time the Cretaceous period came along, the pieces of Pangaea were breaking up into small continents by the mid-cretaceous. Our position today was just on the far left end of Pangaea which slowly shifted over the Mesozoic Era. 

       One type of plant life that thrived through the Triassic period included the Horsetail, this plant has underground stems (which a dinosaur wouldn't eat), which lets dinosaurs eat the plant without killing the actual plant. This allowed the Horsetail to regrow and thrive during the Triassic period. Another type of plant during the Jurassic period was the Cycad. This plant had a unique ability to grow in all sorts of habitats for a considerable amount of time. Finally, a plant from the Cretaceous period was the Williamsonia sewardiana which was like a tree with a woody stem and simple leaves with it. This plant had survived from the Jurassic and all the way to the late Cretaceous.

       There was plenty of animal life during the Mesozoic period including the Therapsids which had survived the Permian Extinction from the era before. By the early Triassic, it appeared to show that the Therapsids would dominate the Mesozoic era. But by the mid-Triassic, most Therapsids had become extinct and new animals would dominate the era. One type of animal from the Jurassic period would be the Archaeopteryx which was known to be the earliest type of bird in history. It could fly but it wasn't a very strong flier. And finally, one animal from the Cretaceous period is the T-rex. This was a famous carnivore that dominated the late-Cretaceous and was capable of eating up to 500 pounds of meat in one bite.

        The climate during the Triassic period was influenced by Pangaea. Because of this climate during the Triassic period was hot and dry in the middle of Pangaea since they were cut off from the cool ocean air at the edges of Pangaea. And if you were on the edge of Pangaea then you probably experienced cooler, seasonal weather. Weather during the Jurassic can be found through the use of rocks which can give hints on the weather during that time period. Some of these rocks include evaporites and coals. The evaporites show evidence that warmth and low levels of moisture. The coals give clues that there were swampy conditions in the humid areas. These two rocks indicate that the Jurassic period was most likely warm, low in moisture and there were some swampy conditions with it. The Cretaceous period had weather that was influenced by Pangaea. Because Pangaea was breaking up during the Cretaceous period, the climate in all the parts of Pangaea was much cooler than it was during the Triassic and the Jurassic. Seasons began to become more pronounced as the global climate got cooler due to Pangaea breaking up.

       The Mesozoic era was the era known for the types of species it held such as dinosaurs and the first birds on earth. The breaking up of Pangaea in this era was critical to our world so it could look like how it is today. Because Pangaea broke up, this provided more cool air to the species and animals in the middle of Pangaea. The plant life in this era was unique because they could survive different environments, one that can live on even when an animal eats it and one that can survive for quite a while in all sorts of climates and habitats. In conclusion, the Mesozoic era was a unique time of evolution and events for animals and plants that allowed them to have their own unique abilities surviveive and thrive. 

Weekly Blog 9/11 - 9/15

Image Source:

https://sciencewithmsbarton.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/radioactive-dating-game.png

Summary:

Radioactive dating is important when you want date rock or fossils. First, you find a type of material within the object. For dead things, you measure carbon, and for non-living things you measure Uranium. Next, you find out how out how many of that material is within the item. For example, the half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years. So say that item has 50% carbon-14 within it. This means that the item is 5,730 years old since 5,730 means that there is 50% carbon-14 remaining. So that object has been around for 5,730 years.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

This week I performed SP2: Developing and using models because I used a model to find the age of an object such as a bone. A picture of this is included above. I used a model to find the age of objects through the knowledge of the material and its half-life to determine the age of an object.

Weekly Blog | 9/5 - 9/8

Image Source:

http://usenaturalstone.com/wild-ride-rock-cycle/

Summary:

The rock cycle is a process that happens over and over again. This is a process that happens every day without us paying any attention to it, due to the speed the rock cycle operates at.  The rock cycle could be represented in different ways such as starbursts, crayons, playdoh, etc. This cycle has been going on for millions of years forever repeating itself. This is how we have different types of rocks in this world. Each rock is slowly turned into something new again and again until it gets to its original form, which from there restarts again over and over and over.

S&EP:
SP2: Developing and using models
This week I performed SP2: Developing and using models by using starbursts to represent the rock cycle by performing the processes that happen during the rock cycle like heat and pressure to turn a sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock.

2017-2018 Year Blog | 9/1/17

Image Source:

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/images/modules/msese/earthsysflr/EFCycleP2.gif

Summary:

The rock cycle is one of the natural cycles that happen around the world. The rock cycle creates new rocks from old materials from other rocks. Say you start with an igneous rock and you want it to go through the rock cycle to become an igneous rock again. Well to do this it would have to take years through weathering and erosion to turn it into sediments, which from there would take a while for those pieces to compact and cementation to turn it into a sedimentary rock which has different layers to it. Then from there heat and pressure turn it into a metamorphic rock. From there it would have to undergo melting to turning it into magma. Finally, from there it cools down turning it back into an igneous rock. But it doesn't end there! The rock cycle will keep going for years far past our time. 

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

This week I performed SP2: Developing and using models by using Gizmos to investigate the stages of the rock cycle and the way the rock cycle works over millions of years to reuse old rocks to make new ones. I also create a little chart that showed every process of the rock cycle through arrows and they each said every process the rock undergoes to get to the next stage.

Article Blog 5/15 - 5/19

Summary:

Are you lactose intolerant but would like to try milk? A company has made that possible for those who can't drink milk, possible for them to drink milk. Two scientists got together and used something called Buttercup and got a copy of cow DNA put the DNA in a specific location between the yeast where it produced a milk product without any lactose, steroids, or antibiotics. This milk, created by perfect day, has many more advantages than regular milk such as: no lactose, steroids, or antibiotics, earth friendly, longer shelf life, etc.

Citation:

Feitlinger, Sarah. “California-Based Perfect Day Makes Cow Milk Without The Cow!.” DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 16 May, 2017, Web. 20 May. 2017.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

The author performed SP2 because they used different pictures to represent about Perfect Day and about some facts about their product. They included a picture of what their milk excels at such as; lactose-free, steroids-free, and antibiotics-free. They also included a picture where it shows what their product uses like less use of land, energy, etc. It also shows a picture of what this product could be used for like ice-cream, pizza, etc. Finally they include a picture of their product.

Article Blog 5/8 - 5/12

Summary:

China has a problem with clean air, but an architect named Stefano Boeri plans to solve that by building buildings with trees and shrubs all over to produce oxygen while reducing the number of carbon dioxide. The plants can also capture dust particles, block noise, and acts as a wind screen to help make life easier for residents of these buildings. The first to open is the Forest Mountain hotel opening this fall. Although he plans to open three of these forest buildings, he knows it is not enough to solve China's air problems, he plans to also make wood buildings that run on solar power or wind energy. This is what this architect is trying to create to solve the air problems in China.

Citation:

Feitlinger, Sarah. “Italian Architect Envisions "Forest Cities" To Combat China's Air Pollution.” DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 08 May, 2017, Web. 14 May. 2017.

S&EP:
SP2: Developing and using models
The author performed SP2 by adding pictures of what the Forest Mountain Hotel will look like when it finishes construction this fall. It also shows two videos related to the topic and a picture of one of those wooden houses. This is SP2 because the author used pictures to show what the hotel and wooden house would look like and two videos related to the topic.

Article Blog 5/1-5/5

Summary:

Ever break the screen on your phone? Ever want to replace it, but too expensive? Well scientists are creating a new type of screen that can heal by itself to repair everyday cracks on your screen. This material is made up of salt ions and transparent polymer that be stretched up to 50 times its size. Hopefully this product will come out to market in 3 years, Hopefully in 3 years your phone isn't so fragile.

Citation:

Mantha, Maitreyi. “Your Next Smartphone May Have A Self-Healing Screen.” DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 03 May, 2017, Web. 07 May. 2017.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

The author performed SP2 because they used multiple picture relevant to what information was there at the time. One example is the picture where it showed how present screens worked. Another showed a cracked phone. Next showed an example of a cracked screen and a healed screen. This is how the author performed SP2.

Article Blog 4/17 - 4/21

The article is about how flying cars can become a reality in the near future. It shows many models of different companies trying to make this a reality with the different models shown. Models include: a car that transforms into an airplane, a car that transforms into a twin propeller car, a car where a hover-like thing picks up the pod part of the car, etc. Two of these inventions are expected to come out in 2020 in the market. As you can see we aren't so far from flying cars as you think we are.

Morjaria, Daksha. “Flying Cars Edge Closer To Reality.” DOGOnews, DOGO Media, Inc., 26 Apr, 2017, Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

The author performed SP2. The author showed this by showing multiple pictures of cars that will show up in the market in the near future to show what people are making in pursue of this 70 year old dream. They use videos to show what they have made and how it works when it comes out in the market.

Article Blog 4/10 - 4/14

Summary:

The article is about trapping mosquitoes to analyze the DNA they have collected from different species. Using new technology they can analyze over one million different pieces of DNA. The technology also allows them to analyze diseases to their source like say rabbits or cows. This allows doctors and health care workers around the globe to stop outbreaks before they spread. This technology really helps because 65% of all diseases that humans are effected by come from other species.

Citation:

Feitlinger, Sarah Benton. "Microsoft's Project Premonition Recruits Mosquitoes To Help Prevent Disease Outbreaks." DOGOnews. DOGOnews, 12 Apr. 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

The author performed SP2 because they used a picture to show what diseases mosquitoes are responsible for then it tells of how they could help us. And it shows a satellite picture of hot spots for diseases. And it shows a drone picture of view where water and structure can be observed for the mosquitoes they are after. Then it shows an example of the data they collected from their tests. Finally it shows a video explaining what this technology can do for the world. This is all SP2 because the author used picture related to the topic to show an example of how it was like doing this and explaining how this helps.

Article Blog 4/3 - 4-7

Image Source:

https://cdn4.dogonews.com/images/4c9c8687-f54c-430a-86b4-bdd1920e79b0/4935b1536843f2cea1a96b8c00f2478e.jpg

Summary:

The FoldiMate is a machine where you clip your clothes to a machine and it folds your clothes and does some extra stuff as well. First you clip your clothes onto the clips on the machine. Then it takes your clothes and folds them. Next it drops it and puts steam to rid of wrinkles. Then it perfumes, softens, and sanitizes the folded laundry. Finally It dispenses your clothes done and ready on the bottom. And the whole thing is 66 pounds and will cost $850.

Citation:

Bussing, Kim. "Meet FoldiMate, Your Laundry Folding Robot!" DOGOnews. DogoNews, 5 Apr. 2017. Web. 08 Apr. 2017.

S&EP:

SP2: Developing and using models

The author of this article used SP2 because they had multiple ways to show exactly how the FoldiMate worked with a diagram and a video to show how it worked. And they showed a picture and video of another bot that can fold laundry, the Laundroid. This is SP2 because they used models to show how the FoldiMate worked and another folding robot, the Laundroid.

L

Weekly Blog 3/27 - 3/30

Image Source:

http://sciencewitheberhart.weebly.com/uploads/2/1/7/1/21711460/3427790.png?874

Summary:

Elements are pure substances that are composed of one type of atom. They cannot be separated into a simpler substance through physical or chemical means. A compound is a pure substance composed of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds. You can identify a chemical reaction due to color change, odor change, etc. DISSOLVING IS NOT A CHEMICAL CHANGE.

S&EP:

SP6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions

This week I performed SP6. I performed SP6 this week by when in the castle problems they had asked different questions and was given different clues to find the right element. This is SP6 because I designed solutions for the different rooms in the 'castle'.

XCC:

Cause and Effect

The cause is something like baking powder and vinegar being put together and the effect is a reaction like an explosion of some sort or how the vinegar bubbles up. The parts used for the experiment are the cause and the effect is a chemical reaction.

Weekly Blog 3/20 - 3/24

Image Source:

http://www.popsci.com/sites/popsci.com/files/styles/large_1x_/public/periodic_table_large.jpg?itok=0gYVEwsY&fc=50,50

Summary:

The periodic table of elements has names for the columns of elements like the halogens or noble gases. There are 8 A columns while there are 10 B columns. There are metals, non-metals and metalloids on the top part of the periodic table. The atomic number can be found by the number of protons in the atom. And the atomic mass is the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom.

S&EP:

SP5: Using mathematics and computational thinking

This week I performed SP5 because I worked on a paper where we had to use math to find the number of neutrons are in a specific atom. This is SP5 because I used math to find the number of neutrons in specific types of atoms.

XCC:

Patterns

The pattern is in the periodic table. You can look at the periodic table and see that it partly goes in order of atomic number but it also goes in columns of what you can call families like the last column that family is called the Halogens. This is the pattern in the periodic table of elements.

Weekly Blog 3/13 - 3/17

Image Source: 

https://d2gne97vdumgn3.cloudfront.net/api/file/vnqdG4PQSyKYLsPMLFU6

Summary:

Atoms are made of three components, protons, neutrons and electrons. The nucleus of the atoms if the middle where the protons and neutrons are. You would enlarge the atom to the size of a stadium and the nucleus would be smaller then a marble. If there are more protons than electrons it is called a cation while if there are more electrons to protons then it is called a anion.

S&EP:

SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data

This week I did a work sheet and showed how to find if an atom is a cation or anion. And I used a drawing to show what element I created using protons, electrons and neutrons. This is SP4: Analyzing and interpreting data because I used a table to show if a atom is a cation or anion and I used a drawing to show what element I created.

XCC:

Cause and Effect

When there are more electrons than protons the electrons is the cause while the effect is the atoms becoming a anion. Or if you have a atom where there are more protons than electrons then the cause is the protons while the effect is the atom becoming a cation. The change in electrons and protons is the cause while the effect is the atom becoming a cation or anion.

Project Blog Endangered Species

Image Source: 

https://www.polydesmida.info/tasmanianmultipedes/img-key/bvw.jpg

Summary:
The blind velvet worm hunts by shooting sticky slime at prey. The scientific name for the blind velvet worm is the Tasmanipatus Anophthalmus. This worm lives deep in rotting logs within dry eucalyptus or sclerophyll forests. Much about this worm is unknown as research of these worms requires logs to be broken up which destroys the habitat for the worms. Only two major events happened on the timeline of the blind velvet worm, 1996, Blind Velvet Worm added to the IUCN list, 2006, a wild fire burnt about 30,000 hectares in the St. Marys area which could've decreased Blind Velvet Worm numbers.

Backward-Looking:
How much did you know about the subject before we started?
I didn't know about the blind velvet worm before this project started. I knew about other worms but never knew about this one specific worm. We were actually were trying to look for a random species for the bonus points. We came across the blind velvet worm and decided to give it a go. But other than knowing about some worms I didn't know anything else about this subject.

Inward-Looking:
How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work?
I wasn't the proudest of this work as there could've been more info on the Blind Velvet Worm if there was more information on the internet and IUCN list. I liked the searching through different endangered species to choose our animal for your endangered species project. I disliked research because very little information was provided for the Blind Velvet Worm. I liked working with my team as well and the all worked well.

Outward-Looking:
What grade would you give it? Why?
I would give this work a B+. I would give it this grade because the info was pretty precise and there. But the infographic was unfinished and needed a little more work on it. The information on the research was precise but lacked details on population of the remaining worms. Little details were provided for major events on Blind Velvet Worm timeline for the IUCN list.

Forward-Looking:
One thing I would like to improve upon is ... 
I would like to improve the amount of effort that went into this project. More effort could've been used for the research. The presentation that we were supposed to do could've gone a lot better if we submitted and presented it. The infographic needed more effort to finish as it wasn't finished. This is what needed more effort put into it.

Weekly Blog 2/17 - 3/3

Image Source:

http://68.media.tumblr.com/6f33dc907f91c09ba1acdd4bf1a186f3/tumblr_myeb528fVw1rxyvj1o1_500.jpg

Summary:

The blind velvet worm is also known by its scientific name, Tasmanipatus anophthalmus. This worm lives in decaying logs in dry eucalyptus or sclerophyll forests. There are many threats to the worm including wildfires, firewood collection, destruction of micro habits due to collectors and research workers. There are also more ways to help the blind velvet worm including make signs and videos to raise awareness of the blind velvet worm at your local community, banning firewood collection in areas known to where the blind velvet worm lives, ban or disallow forest clearings, etc.

S&EP:

SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations
This week me and my team carried out investigations on the blind velvet worm. This SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations because we conducted research on the blind velvet worm and where it lives, how much of the population are left, etc.

XCC:
Stability and Change
The blind velvet worm is the system here and the population could be stable but a wildfire or firewood collection could cause the population to change. The blind velvet worm is the system while the change is firewood collection or a wildfire.