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Week 14: Causes of Climate Change

  What did you do in lab today? In lab we talked about our interview with an elder assignment and the different things that people said and what we thought was interesting. We also discussed data analysis and we looked at CO₂ data and saw that the levels have been going up over time. The simulation showed us how greenhouse gases trap heat in the air. Altogether, this helped us see why rising CO₂ levels cause the Earth to get warmer. ​ What was the big question? How does climate change work?​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? ​I* learned that CO₂ levels can get very high in classrooms and affect how people feel and learn. We also talked about how warmer temperatures cause more evaporation and more rain. Natural causes like the sun and volcanoes haven’t changed much, so most of today’s climate change is from humans. I also learned about the Albedo effect and how melting ice makes the Earth warm even faster. Links to an external site. What did you learn?  I learned tha...
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Week 13: Local Climate Change

  What did you do in lab today?  In lab, my group worked on our presentation about climate change, agriculture and plant life. We researched how temperatures are changing locally, regionally, and globally, and collected real data to show those trends. We also looked at how rising temperatures affect crops, plant growth, growing seasons, and the overall health of ecosystems.  What was the big question? What are the big issues of climate change?​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion?  I learned that a lot of scientists agree that humans are causing climate change. We talked about how scientists predicted warming a long time ago and how things like melting glaciers and rising sea levels show that it’s really happening. I also learned that the Paris Agreement is when many countries work together to try to limit how much the Earth warms, but we still need to do more to reach those goals. Links to an external site. What did you learn?  I learned that climate ch...
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Week 12: Climate Change

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  What did you do in lab today? In lab, we first went over our exam from last week, looking at the questions and talking about the curve. Then, we talked about the Weather Apps assignment, what we learned, and what was hard. We also worked on the Before the Flood assignment, answering questions with our group and the class. We reviewed the difference between weather and climate and the water cycle. After that, we did a research activity about different parts of Iowa. My group did research on Ames, Boone, and Fort Dodge and how rainfall has changed over time.  Before the Flood Primary points in the video:   The video shows that climate change is real and caused mostly by human activities, like burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests. It explains how these actions are raising temperatures, melting ice, and harming wildlife. The video also shares solutions and emphasizes that everyone needs to take action to protect the planet. Major issues:  The major issues incl...
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Week 11: Weather

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  What did you do in lab today? In lab, we talked about the water cycle and madea map that showed processes like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as the steps in between. Using what we already knew, we recreated the water cycle, talked about how it connects to weather, and learned about different types of fronts, including warm, cold, stationary, and occluded. ​ What was the big question?  How does water move through the environment? ​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? ​ We took exam 2.  Links to an external site. ​ What did you learn?  I learned that weather changes because of air pressure, fronts, and wind. High and low pressure make different kinds of weather, and warm and cold fronts show how air moves. I also learned that water keeps moving in the water cycle through evaporation, clouds, rain, and snow. Wind happens when the Sun heats the Earth unevenly, making air move from high to low pressure. ​ What was most helpful?  The...
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Week 10: Layers of Earth, Convection Cells, and Plate Tectonics

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  What did you do in lab today?  In our lab, we talked about the layers of the Earth, such as the crust, mantle, and core, and learned that the iron core helps protect us from the sun’s radiation. We learned about convection cells and how heat and density make the Earth’s plates move, which can cause earthquakes and volcanoes. We shared our convection cell videos and talked about how convection is like what happens in ovens and ocean currents. We also talked about why earthquakes and volcanoes can happen away from plate boundaries. For our lab activity, we used graham crackers, rice cakes, and whipped cream to model the three types of plate boundaries: divergent, convergent, and transform. What was the big question?  What is the Theory of Plate Tectonics​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? I learned that earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains all happen because Earth’s plates move. Earthquakes are caused by pressure building up and then breaking. Big ones can be...
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Week 9: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

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  What did you do in lab today? In lab, we learned about where volcanoes and earthquakes happen. We looked at maps to see where they are and tried to guess why they happen in those places. We also learned about three types of volcanoes, such as shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes, and cinder cone volcanoes. My group learned about cinder cone volcanoes. These volcanoes are usually smaller and have steep sides. They form when lava breaks into small pieces and piles up around the opening. Cinder cone volcanoes can erupt quickly and be explosive, but the eruptions usually do not last very long. ​ What was the big question?  How do volcanoes and earthquakes form? ​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? In Thursday’s discussion, I learned about earthquakes, volcanoes, and how the Earth’s plates move. We talked about Alfred Wegener, a scientist who lived from 1880 to 1930. He came up with the idea of Continental Drift in 1912. Wegener used fossils and layers of rock to sho...
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Week 8: Geology that kids see

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  What did you do in lab today? In lab, we looked at different kinds of sand and noticed how they looked and felt. We made guesses about where each type of sand might have come from, like a beach, river, or desert. Then we looked at fossils and used a chart to match them to sea fossils. This helped us learn how scientists find out about Earth’s past. Finally, we went to the MacBride Museum, where we saw real fossils and rocks that connected to what we learned in class. ​ What was the big question?  “How can sand and fossils help us learn about what the Earth was like long ago?” ​ What did you learn in Thursday’s discussion? In Thursday’s discussion, I learned that during the Devonian Period, most of Iowa was covered by warm, shallow seas filled with sea life like corals, trilobites, and armored fish. These ancient seas left behind fossils that we can still find today, like at the Devonian Fossil Gorge. I also learned how different types of sand and rocks form and change over ...
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