Future Humans: Climate Change & Pollution

On Friday you all seemed to name Climate Change & Pollution as two major concerns for Future Humans.

We will continue the film tomorrow.  But for now:


Understand Climate change
Climate Change 101 with Bill Nye (video)

OR
Sci Show (Hank Green) (video)


Watch this Sass-Machine Mic Drop Climate Deniers  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhdymoRTz6M (video)



Why Don't People Believe in Climate Change Science?
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2euBvdP28c


Look at some 'Before' and 'Now' images taken by NASA satellites 
Stat of Flux Before and Now Images 


NASA: Frequently Asked Questions about Climate Change
http://climate.nasa.gov/faq/


NASA: Visualizations of Sea Ice, Sea Level, Carbon Dioxide and Global Temperature
http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resource_center/interactives


GAME: Greenhouse Attack! (Flash based)
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/greenhouse-gas-attack/en/#/review/greenhouse-gas-attack/game.swf


QUESTION to CONSIDER:
1. Why don't people accept Climate Science?
2. What are barriers to people taking action on reducing their CO2
3. What do you still find confusing or challenging about this?
4. What are 5 key things you got out of exploring the links above?

Major Inquiry

Expectations: You are to produce   Either an: Experiment: A full Scientific Report including Introduction, Method, Results (graph and table) & Discussion  (approx. 1000 words) Or a... Report: 1,250 words in essay form (introduction, paragraphs, conclusion).  Talk to McWhirter to get advice on how to structure it. And Formally present your findings to the class in a verbal presentation. Lessons allocated: Thursday 11 November - Friday 18th November .  Presentations:  Tuesday 22nd and  Wednesday 23. Verbal presentations will be peer and student assessed.

Links: EXPERIMENTS
Step-by-Step Self Assessment Guide (for experiments) A guide on how each section is awarded, and some things to look out for

Experiment Rubric: A short guide to the differences in each section at, above and approaching the grade standard

How to Write a Killed Above GS Discussion Paragraph by paragraph guide to writing a good discussion.  Bear in mind, simply following the guide without strong reflection or research into your own experiment, won't give you an Above GS mark!

How to Write an Introduction (Science Report):
- Start by explaining the broad ideas of your experiment (ie if your experiment is about memory do a bit of general research about how memory works)

- Move into more specific ideas to do with your experiment (ie if your experiment is comparing memory to gender, just reflect on whether studies have looked into this before)

- Move into your aim and hypothesis: There is no need to repeat this in other sections - but you may wish to put this in a separate section. 
Here's an example of a good introduction to do with bacteria
Links: REPORTS
How to Write a Sick-As Science Report
Report Rubric : Be aware there is no need for a title page, although a thesis statement would be good.  To get Above Standard on bibliography you should be using 5+ references of excellent quality (ie. .gov, .edu, or from science websites or similar) and they should be referenced with citethisforme.com 

Microbes: Interpreting Your Plates

Monday 7 November
To Do:
1. Conduct microbes experiment & incubate
2,Collect some references from the internet which relate to your study area,
3. Take some notes (in your own words) ready for a discussion.

Finished?
Have a look at:
The Nikon Photomicrography Competition: This is an international award for outstanding photos using microscopes.
Cells Alive Animation: Which gives you some perspective on how small the microbial world is

To learn how to interpret your results read from the following website
Science Buddies: Interpreting Agar Plates

A Good Discussion Reads regarding Soap & Sanitisers 
ABC News: Do alcohol  based hand sanitisers really work?
Show me the Science: Hand Sanitisers
Dr Karl: Hot Water & Hand Washing
Dr Karl: On Soap & Hand Washing

Endocrine System: Diagnosing your patients

Diagnosing your Patients

Image from http://humanbiologylab.pbworks.com/

What's this funny smell?
A funny smell in urine can be an indication of ketones being present. 
Ketone bodies are acids made when your body begins using fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. When there is not enough insulin to get sugar from the blood and into the cells, the body turns to fat for energy.  A well known ketone is acetone (used in nail polish remover) and it smells bad! Read more about ketones here

Possible Diagnosis: Renal Tubular Acidosis 
Is a form of kidney disease where the kidneys fail to sufficiently acidify the urine.  Urine normally should be around pH 5-7 - but patients experiencing RTA will have a more alkaline urine. Causes for this can be an deficiency of the hormone aldosterone, produced by adrenal glands.  As the urine is not being sufficiently acidic, the H+ ions are passed into the blood, causing an intense burning pain near the kidneys.  Associated with this can be protein in the urine, which are broken down during the acidifying process. Read a bit more about it here


Possible Diagnosis: Ketacidosis:
This is caused when the body exhausts its stores of glycogen (glucose) and starts burning fat for energy.  This leads to a build up of ketones, which are a waste product of fat breakdown. 
Ketones are acidic in nature which then causes acidic urine.  Three main causes of ketacidois is excess alcohol consumption, diabetes and starvation. Read a bit more about it here


Possible Diagnosis: Diabetes:
Diabetes is caused when the pancreas does not produce sufficient amounts of the hormone insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.  This causes excess sugar to build up in your blood.  As a result your kidneys are put into overtime, as they normally send all glucose back into the bloodstream.  The kidneys begin sending glucose into the urine.  The excess glucose in the blood stream also dehydrates the cells - which normally are higher in glucose levels than the blood.  This dehydration causes the patient to feel thirsty but also urinate more frequently.  Ketones in the urine are also a symptom of diabetes, when blood sugar crashes and the body begins synthesizing fats for energy.  Read more about it here


Possible Diagnosis: Kidney Infection from Yeast Infection:
Yeast infections commonly occur when a patient is taking antibiotics.  Antibiotics,while killing 'bad' bacteria also can kill off 'good' bacteria.  Antibiotics do not act on yeast (which is a fungi), and yeast growth is usually kept in check by good bacteria.  Hence, when the good bacteria die, yeast proliferates.  Kept unchecked a simple yeast infection can travel up the urinary tract into the kidneys and cause kidney infection.  This is dangerous, as an infected kidney can easily infect the blood. 
Kidney infections are not likely to be caused by hormones: Read more about it kidney infection

The Brain

OPTION 1: BRAIN GENERAL

MAKE: 
A brain model (out of plasticine or similar) which details 5 main parts of the brain and their function.


LISTEN: 
To one of the podcasts from the Radio National program "All in The Mind". Learn about the history of insanity, mind-reading and other fascinating topics here:  All in the Mind Podcast

To Do: 
1) Record the title of the talk you listened to.
2) Record some notes which detail:
      a) An overview of what was covered in the program
      b) Some key points made in the program
      c) Some parts you found interesting or challenging


WATCH: 
One of the TED talks on the brain.  Browse through the list to find a topic that interests you.  TED Talk Brain Playlists

To Do:
1) Record the title of the  TED talk you listened to.
2) Record some notes which detail:
      a) An overview of what was covered in the talk
      b) Some key points made in the talk
      c) Some parts you found interesting or challenging

OPTION 2: HEAD INJURIES IN SPORT 

To Do:

1. Go over the resources below to create a definition for concussion - don't just use Google definitions!

2. Pull out some key facts about concussions from the studies (in the links below, dot point fine)

3. What are some of the key issues involved with concussions and young people (dot point fine)?

4. How are attitudes to concussions changing?  What advancements have led to this change in attitude?

5. How have advances in technology allowed for concussion prevention and management?

6. Given what you've read, what is your personal opinion about the number of concussions a high school athlete could 'get away with' before being sidelined from their sport permanently?

Suggested Links

Scientific Study: Traumatic Brain Injury in Victorian Hospitals 
 https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/198/8/increasing-incidence-hospitalisation-sport-related-concussion-victoria-australia Focus specifically on the 'Results' section to find some interesting facts

TED Talk: Kim Gorgens on protecting the brain against concussion

http://youtu.be/VC0taBVUF2o

  

Hack Interview: Ian Roberts and Dr. Ian McDougall (audio podcast)

https://storify.com/triplejHack/ian-roberts-interview

Significant Advances in Technology Being Made in Concussion Technology (video)

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8311371/significant-advances-being-made-concussion-research-universities-nationwide  

 Interactive Image: Head Injuries of a 21 year NFL player

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/02/big-idea/concussions-interactive

    

Concussion: Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors & Treatment

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/basics/definition/con-20019272

OPTION 3: INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY or ILLNESS

EITHER: Answer all 4 questions 

1. Describe the condition that you are studying: How is it contracted?  How does it effect individuals (bear in mind there is often a 'spectrum' of effects so ensure you cover this)

2. How has opinions and understanding of this condition changed over time?  What were some milestones in advancing our understanding and treatment of this condition?

3.  Write a case study of a person that is affected by your intellectual disability.  This could be either someone in your life, or find a case study on the internet (Mrs. McW can help with this).  The purpose of the case study is to give a real life example of how someone is effected by their intellectual disability/illness.  Think carefully about 

4. Use the 'Google News' tab (in Google) to find some current advances or news in the particular condition you are studying.  Summarise one recent (and relevant) article. Make sure you cite it.

OR 
Answer questions 1 & 4 (only) and
Summarize a TED talk on the topic of your choice TED Talk Brain Playlists or a All in the Mind Podcast

Your Assessment

Have you communicated that....

1. You understood the topic and could communicate your understanding clearly and with adequate depth and detail expected by a Year 9 student


Through this you should show that you understand: 

1.   The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research

2.  Advances in science and emerging sciences and technologies can significantly affect people’s lives

3.  People can use scientific knowledge to evaluate whether they should accept claims, explanations or predictions

4.  Scientific understanding, including models and theories, are contestable and are refined over time through a process of review by the scientific community

Visual Illusions

Interpretation of Images

Spinning Girl Illusion

The Science behind The Dress

The Corner House

10 of the Greatest Optical Illusions

We human's have pretty good vision - but what don't we see?

We don't see things outside our attention, 

.....but this can be improved through practice *sign in with your facebook account*

We don't see things outside our periphery, 

..... but this can also be improved through practice

We don't see the entire colour spectrum, unlike the mantis shrimp.

Some of us don't see many colours at all: Try the colour-blindness simulator

We don't see UV light, unlike birds

We only see at a certain speed, unlike dragonflies

We don't see the very small: How small is the smallest thing to see with a naked eye?  

We don't see objects without certain cues.... like the spinning girl.  Find the explanation here.

How does our vision shape up compared to different animals?

But how do we know what colour is?  Vsauce - colour is an illusion

The Brain

Your Task:  Friday & Assess on Monday

Here are two videos on the brain:
Crash Course: The Brain
or if you don't like Crash Course try
Bozeman Science: The brain

You will be allocated one of the following:

Parietal Lobe

Temporal Lobe

Olfactory Bulb

Occipital Lobe

Cerebellum

Brain Stem

Hippocampus

Amygdala

Frontal Lobe

Corpus Callosum

You will leave a short summary of your brain part on our group padlet:

GIRLS GROUP PADLET https://padlet.com/wall/qn3ob05eci
BOYS GROUP PADLET https://padlet.com/wall/g1g5wx7tsbcg

 In which you will:

- Attach a picture on the internet that clearly states where this part is located.

- Discuss the exact spot in the brain where this part is found 

-Discuss the function of this part of the brain and describe a dysfunction that may occur in this part.

-Give an example of an activity, that the reader could participate in, which is utilizing this part of the brain particularly.  Ask McWhirter for help if unsure!

Successful Students will:

1. Research their part of the brain thoroughly and understand this to a point where they write confidently and clearly in their own words and avoid jargon terms   /5

2. Communicate clearly the  location and function of this part of the brain, and an example of a dysfunction.    /5

3. Select an interesting, relevant and clearly explained activity which highlights clearly the link between action and brain function.   /5

TOTAL out of 15.

Good Resources... ok just one. Find the rest yourself.
Interactive Brain Map

The Brain

Your Task:  Friday & Assess on Monday

Here are two videos on the brain:
Crash Course: The Brain
or if you don't like Crash Course try
Bozeman Science: The brain

You will be allocated one of the following:

Parietal Lobe

Temporal Lobe

Olfactory Bulb

Occipital Lobe

Cerebellum

Brain Stem

Hippocampus

Amygdala

Frontal Lobe

Corpus Callosum

You will leave a short summary of your brain part on our group padlet 
GIRLS GROUP PADLET https://padlet.com/wall/qn3ob05eci
BOYS GROUP PADLET https://padlet.com/wall/g1g5wx7tsbcg

 in which you will:

- Attach a picture on the internet that clearly states where this part is located.

- Discuss the exact spot in the brain where this part is found 

-Discuss the function of this part of the brain and describe a dysfunction that may occur in this part.

-Give an example of an activity, that the reader could participate in, which is utilizing this part of the brain particularly.  Ask McWhirter for help if unsure!

Successful Students will:

1. Research their part of the brain thoroughly and understand this to a point where they write confidently and clearly in their own words and avoid jargon terms   /5

2. Communicate clearly the  location and function of this part of the brain, and an example of a dysfunction.    /5

3. Select an interesting, relevant and clearly explained activity which highlights clearly the link between action and brain function.   /5

TOTAL out of 15.

Good Resources... ok just one. Find the rest yourself.
Interactive Brain Map

Reaction Experiment

Your Task:

Conduct a quick and simple study which investigates factors effecting reaction time.

Use the article above to help you decide what might be an interesting question to ask.

Once your question is decided:

1. Make a prediction about what you expect to find.

2. Write a method on how you will study this
- It should be detailed sufficiently that someone could reproduce your experiment exactly as you did it
- It should be written in dot point or list for
- Ideally it should be written in past tense
- You should not refer to 'I', 'we', 'us'.


3. Write up a results table ready to take results
- Look under the 'resources' tab to get some tips and tricks for using Excel

-----------

Writing Your Report:
*HINT* Use the Inquiry Resources under the 'Resources' tab for help.

This is a simple inquiry to give you some practice in the skills you will need for your major inquiry (next term).  Therefore you won't need to include all the usual sections or put the same amount of detail in.

Your simplified report should include:
1. Aim & prediction
2. Method (detailed)
3. Results table and graph
4. A short discussion of what you found.
-- This is where you discuss your results (and graph) and then compare this to the research of others.
--Look at the 'How to Write a Killed ABGS Discussion' in the Resources tab.
 --Be sure to include some research from the internet about it, there are some helpful links below

Main Reading Reaction times vs Reflexes

Influences on Reaction Time (This article is long and has a lot of unnecessary info, but you may find it has some easy to understand information that relates to your experiment)

More Influences on Reaction Time (Again, find the section that relates to your specific experiment - try and ignore any confusing information!)

The Nervous System

Your task is to create a labelled model of a motor nerve.

The model should demonstrate:

The structure and function of the:
- Mylelin sheath
- The axon
- The dendrites
- The cell body (soma)

Watch: Structure of a nerve cell
Read: Overview of a Neuron (read up, but not including, the 'variations on neural theme' section)


Your model should also:
Compare and contrast the role of sensory nerves to motor nerves.  Showing this through a table or flow chart would be best.

Read: Nervous System Intro which is very good
or the Overview of a Neuron (link above)
or BBC Bitesize 

Time Line Project

TIME LINE PROJECT (assignment outline)




Optional: Explore Human Evolution

Go through the following websites and take notes to improve your understanding of the evolution of humans.


INTERACTIVE:
Human Evolution over time.
Human Evolution Interactive

What period of time did Humans evolve over?  How did climate fluctuate? How many homo species do we know about?


IMAGE:
Lucy: The crucial 'missing link' fossil between 4 legged primates and bipedal primates
An image of the fossils of 'Lucy' Australopithecus afarensis

This image reflects ALL the fossils we currently have of Australopithecus afarensis.  What questions or comments do you have about it? 

VIDEOS & INTERACTIVE:
Big History: Human Evolution
Big History (chapter and videos)

What does this website outline as the important stages of human evolution?

INFORMATION:
Walking Upright: Some of the evolutionary mechanisms
Walking Upright Mechanisms

What was required for primates to walk upright?  Over what period of time did this occur?


INTERACTIVe
Compare the mystery skull to other known homid skulls:
Mystery Skull Interactive

How many hominids were there? What features of the skull do Scientists use to understand them?

TEST: Photosynthesis & Respiration Wednesday 15th

On Wednesday 15th August you will be having a test:

The test will have three sections:
1. Multiple Choice Section
2. Short answer questions (about a short paragraph of writing required)
3. Analysis of a photosynthesis or respiration experiment (like one we've done in class).

----
The types of questions being asked will be:
- What is photosynthesis and respiration: What are the reactants and products of each>
Watch: Bozeman Photosynthesis  
Try looking at BBC Bitesize: Carbon Dioxide and Respiration 

- Why is photosynthesis important? How has/does photosynthesis effected the planet?  SHORT ANSWER
Try looking at this TED ED video or Cambrian (early animal) Explosion wiki  or watch: Photosynthesis and Global Climate

- Where does photosynthesis and respiration occur?
Watch this interaction: Photosynthesis Interactive  and Respiration Interactive

- What is the similarities and differences of respiration/photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis	Respiration
Makes Glucose  Uses Glucose	Makes Glucose  Uses Glucose
Makes Carbon Dioxide  Uses Carbon Dioxide	Makes Carbon Dioxide  Uses Carbon Dioxide
Makes Oxygen Gas  Uses Oxygen Gas	Makes Oxygen Gas  Uses Oxygen Gas
Occurs in the chloroplasts  Occurs in the mitochondria	Occurs in the chloroplasts  Occurs in the mitochondria
Occurs continuously  Shuts down at night	Occurs continuously  Shuts down at night

Also there will be questions about:
- Reading the periodic table and understanding proton, neutron and electron count from it
Watch: How to read the periodic table (also notes on the power-point below)

- Reading a chemical equation and understanding its notation (numbers and letters)
Watch Writing and Reading a Chemical Equation (also notes on the power-point below).

- Conservation of mass principle and how it is applied to chemical reactions (like photosynthesis and respiration)
Look at this: Conservation of Mass and Chemical Reactions

Also there will be questions about:
- Your assignment - volcanoes and how first life formed (multiple choice)
-  Snowball Earth: How it started, its impact on life, and how it finished SHORT ANSWER
If you have completed the assignment and looked at the resources there, you should be fine to answer these questions.  Look at the assignment link below for more help.

Experiment Question:
This question will get you to analyse the results of an experiment and answer some questions in relation to photosynthesis and respiration.   To prepare for this question you should have a thorough understanding of these two chemical reactions and have a think about some of the experiments we have done in class: Finding starch in leaves and testing acidity of algal balls.

Other Resources:
Power Point from Class

Volcanoes Assignment

This assignment has two parts. 

 Part 1 is the Google Earth mapping activity which aims to get you familiar with the processes that form volcanoes.  You will need to download Google Earth.

Part 2 is designed to get you to learn about how volcanoes played a part in three major events.  This will help you learn more about these events, in preparation for your next assignment.

Part 1: Identifying modern day Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and their causes

You will need these files for this activity: 

Understanding Crust Types and Boundary Types
Understanding Plate Tectonics (interactive website - the section slip, slide, collide is specifically about volcanoes)

Download Google Earth 
Download Google Earth

The Data Files 
You will need to save this file to your computer
Plate Tectonics Exercise If it won't open ask the relief teacher for the USB stick, or ask a friend who has had it emailed to them. 

Part 1: ACTIVITY

1.  Download Google Earth on your device. School computers should have it on their already.  Press the windows button+S and type “Google earth” to find it.  If it is not there, you can download it from the net (a box will pop up on downloading for a teacher to authorise this).

2. Download the Google Earth Data files (on the blog) and save them in a folder.

3. Open Google Earth.  Click ‘Open’ and select ‘Plate Tectonic Exercise’

4. The data for the Plate Tectonic Exercise is now on the left hand side of the screen.  Deselect everything in the Plate Tectonic Exercise folder except for ‘Global Volcanism Program’.

5.  Zoom in until you begin to see the red triangles indicating volcanoes.

6.  Use the Google Earth volcano data to draw on your physical map the areas which have high volcanic activity (don’t worry too much about isolated volcanoes like those in the Pacific Ocean).  Use a key and label this ‘Sites of high volcanic activity’.

7. Deselect ‘Global Volcanism Program’ and now select ‘All EQuakes’.  Zoom in if you cannot see all the Earth Quake Activity.

8. Use the Google Earth earthquake data to draw on your physical map the areas which have high earthquake activity (don’t worry too much about isolated earthquakes like those in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans).  Use a key and label this ‘sites of high earthquake activity’.  Take special note of the earthquake depths (draw in the progression of depths if you wish). 

9.  Finally deselect ‘All EQuakes’ and select ‘Plate Convergence’ (it’s towards the top of the folder).  This is a series of arrows points to spots where two plates are converging

10.  Draw these arrows onto your physical map.

 

PART 1: QUESTIONS: Write on back of map or type up.

a)  What is causing these areas to have such high volcanic and earthquake activity? (1 mark)

b) Use the resources available on the blog to explain why these zones lead to high volcanism.

c) Use the resources available on the blog to explain why these zones lead to high earthquake activity.

 

d) Why in some areas do you tend to get clear lines of  earthquakes that go from shallow, medium to deep depths?  Give an example of an area you found on Google Map where this is evident.  Use the data on Google Earth about Earthquakes to back up your statement. 

PART 2: Significant Volcanic Activity in History

Event 1: First Life

 Q1. The Miller Urey Experiment was crucial for testing the hypothesis that first life formed in “a warm little pond” from the combination of nutrients and proteins 3.8 billion years ago.

What was the Stanley Miller experiment and what did they find? Take notes from the following video to answer this question (dot points fine)  (5 marks)

Stanley Miller: Stated Clearly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNijmxsKGbc

Q2.  Since the Miller-Urey experiment scientists at NASA believe volcano action was crucial for providing these nutrients.  Use the link below to identify how volcanoes may have been crucial in providing the first elements for first life – dot points (in your own words) is fine.  (4 marks)

Volcanoes and First Life 

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2008/volcanic_life_origin.html

 Event 2: Snowball Earth

Q1. Use your notes from the film ‘Snowball Earth’ and further research on the internet, identify the role of volcanoes in ending Snowball Earth and giving rise to the first multi-cellular life.  Please reference your writing using either (Catastrophes dvd Snowball Earth) and/or the url from the websites you use.  Ensure to include information about greenhouse gases.

Event 3: DVD “Planet of Fire”

Q1. Watch this video either on your computer or phone from the URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00ILddHJlKw

TAKE NOTES AND SUBMIT THESE AS PART OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

Due on Friday August 5 :

1) Your coloured in map and answers to the first part questions

2) Answers to Event 1 and Event 2 questions

3) Notes from the film "planet of fire" > handwritten and attached to map is fine.

send to 

taroonawork  @    gmail    .    com

Plate Tectonics: A force that shapes our Earth

So far we have looked at three key events:

1.  The formation of the Earth and Moon
2.  First life forming
3.  Snowball Earth

We have also looked at how currents work and how they affect our environment.

During your assignment next week you will be exploring how volcanoes have shaped our planet.

THURSDAY:

Before launching into looking at volcano based events we need to understand:

How do volcanoes work and what drives these processes? 

This leads us to our next event:

4. Movement of the Earth's tectonic plates (aka continental drift)

To Do:

Move through the Dynamic Earth Interactive (from intro until the Quiz)
Pay particular attention to the section slip, slide and collide 

Dynamic Earth Interactive

Earth History Events

Your Task:

Select an Earth History event and research what it was (in a sentence really) and when it occurred. Try and visit a few sites to verify the date.

When you're done come back in and we will place the events in the correct spot on the time-line.


Try looking at the U1: Earth History tab for some helpful links.

Hello!

Use this blog as your first port of call to learn about what we are covering and to access course content.