Charity Fair project blog

Summary

Suicide is a huge problem in the world and in some states it is twice as common as homicide. Charity fair is a huge project we do once a year where we do research on charities that we are passionate about and make a product that is related to the charity in some way. At the Charity fair we sell our products for a profit and the money goes to the charity that the group with the best pitch chose. The Charity I chose was the American Foundation for suicide prevention. This charity has a lifeline that people can call when they are in need of help. They also conduct research and spread awareness of the issue and try to end it overall.

Backward-Looking

  Before this project I did not know much about this subject, I knew it was very bad and needed to stop but I did not know quite how common it was. And it is very common. I did the same project last year. But the only difference was that I did a charity about animals like everyone else. Over time I have gotten better at this project because every year I understand more and more what to do.

Inward-Looking

I feel like I did a good job on this piece of work. I really like how we worked together to create a design for the game board and I think it turned out very good. I did not really like how long it took to make each game. To make all the games it took about 3 1/2 hours. For me it was satisfying to see the pile of finished games grow and grow.

Outward-Looking

  I think I did things different than other people. Instead of doing a charity about animals I did my project on another topic that is less popular to research. The things I did the same as other people is we did all the things we had to do. I would give this piece of work a B because I think a did a pretty good job, but there were quite a bit of things that weren't that great. When people look at my work, I want them to notice how much work I put into all of it.

Forward-Looking

One thing I would improve on is maybe spending more time on the project so that I could have fixed some of the bad things.

WAC Ecotourism

Have you ever seen a National park and thought wow! This helps us so much! Well, it may surprise you to know that ecotourism is not actually as amazing as it sounds. Though it does help that it makes these areas where wildlife can exist, humans are very destructive creatures who when they visit the park; will litter, trample the wildlife that is there, and erode the landscape by walking on it a picking up things so much so that that area slowly withers away.

From article one I got: With that many people around animals and natural landscapes you get trash and hurt animals. It also hurts the earth because people walk off path, step on plants and small organisms and if near a river, the ground might wither away into the river and making the park overall worse. But there is hope because there are laws and regulations preventing people from doing all of these things but sadly, not many people follow them. From article two I got: There is trash being put on the grounds and that is polluting the national parks. And that makes nature less beautiful for those who don’t pollute and just want to enjoy nature and worse for the animals who live there. Also animals might come by and think it is food and eat it then get sick and die.

From article three I got: It is dangerous for the animals and people when people are stupid with animals. (Taking pictures, feeding them, etc) Sometimes you have to punish the bears to make them be afraid of humans and stay clear of them because if bears are too comfortable with humans, they will follow people for food or go in the road and not be scared of the car horns. From article four I got: People like to take pieces of rock and plants, and that leads to erosion and that is not a good thing. People also like to step off the path and onto the forest, which leads to trail erosion and makes that park not look as nice. People like to harass wildlife and that disrupts the wildlife and is dangerous for them and us. People could be loud and rude to other guests and wildlife and might unleash their pets that will go into the brush and disrupt wildlife and trample plants. Also sometimes people leave fires going while camping, and that starts huge wildfires. From article five I got: People will go and disrupt the underwater reef wildlife by grabbing the corals (therefore possibly killing it) and move sea urchins out of the way with tongs. Even though there is money going to animals, there are still hardly any there. The business is less about saving the animals and more about getting as much money as possible. The people working at the reef lie about how safe it is for the people and animals. They drop anchors into the choral and drag it, destroying the fragile ecosystem.

Some might say that ecotourism is helping national parks. Their reasoning is that it helps because it raises money to help preserve these areas of wildlife. There are also rangers to prevent people from being dumb and hurting the land. Another one of their arguments might be that people get to see the landscape and that inspires people to help nature and donate money to keep these places going and protecting wildlife or that There are rules prohibiting these actions such as feeding animals and taking selfies with them. There is a way to make the bears not like humans. But the reason that this is not convincing enough is because it might help that these areas exist now but, when people go there, they ruin the habitats of these animals by killing coral or by putting bears and other animals in danger.

People go to these places that are meant to help animals but end it just hurting them. They let the animals eat trash, they destroy their habitat by walking where they shouldn't and picking things up that shouldn't have been picked up, and they kill animals like newts because they think it's funny.

Eco tourism is bad because people go into these habitats and destroy them and make life worse for the animals that live there. We kill animals and harass them in their habitats. We destroy their habitats. So now that you know why these parks are bad, do you still think that they are "America's best idea"?

Weekly Blog (12/8/17) Ecotourism

Summary

Ecotourism is a huge problem all over the world. We open parks that are meant to help the environment but sometimes it feels like they may not be the best for our environment.

S&EP

I asked questions and defined problems because I got a question ("Is Ecotourism HELPING or HURTING our environment"). So I spent the week defining problems mostly (shown in summary).

XCC

This week's XCC is cause and effect because when we do bad things like litter and not follow directions, bad things happen to the environment.

Weekly Blog(12/1/17)Carbon Emissions

Carbon emissions are very common. To get all the things we use every day, we produce a lot of carbon emissions from vehicles used in the process that are bad for the environment.
I constructed digital model to represent and understand where my materials comes from when I buy them at stores. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand how much carbon is released into our air.
This week, I believe that the XCC is cause and effect because, when you transport goods/materials, the process releases carbon into the air.

Project Blog(11/17/17)

          Ketchup is not that dangerous to plants. Baking soda is actually way more poisonous and that is what killed the plant.
          Before we did this, I thought that ketchup was dangerous to plants because there is vinegar in it. I decided that baking soda would neutralize it because it is a base, and vinegar is an acid. Yet, it turned out that there was not much vinegar in ketchup and the baking soda poisoned the plants.
          I am not that happy with this work because when we tried to fix the problem, all we did was create another problem.
          My project was different to other people's because I chose something that is different than cleaning supplies like windex and pure vinegar.
          One thing I wish I could improve upon is choosing a different neutralizer that was less poisonous.

weekly blog(11/12/17)Vinegar

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi4xJSc5bnXAhXksVQKHQtBChUQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.enzyme-facts.com%2Fproperties-of-vinegar.html&psig=AOvVaw1glYy52brbNp_-zs4r3rDa&ust=1510601972191002

          Vinegar is very harmful to plants. It is very acidic and that means that it can kill things. One way to neutralize it is with baking soda/sodium bicarbonate. It might look more dangerous, but that it is just the forming of non-hazardous chemicals like salt and water.

          This weeks's S&EP is asking questions and defining problems. I think that it is that because we asked "why is vinegar dangerous to plants?" and the problem is that vinegar is dangerous. This has brought me closer to mastery because now I understand that ketchup has vinegar in it.

           This week's XCC is cause and effect because, if you mix ketchup with a plant, it dies. And if you mix ketchup with baking soda, it is neutralized.

           This week I was a learner because I said, I want to know why ketchup is acidic.

Weekly blog(11/5/17) pH scales

http://www.phscale.net/

      pH scales are a measurement of acidity or base in a liquid. Litmus paper is usually used to test pH levels because it turns into the colors above depending on how acidic it is. Acids are usually in sour things like lemons as shown above. Bases are usually in cleaning liquids like ammonia and bleach (don't mix those together!).

     This week the S&EP, I would say was that we conducted an investigation. We did this by mixing liquids of acids or bases together with indicators to show how acidic something is.

     This XCC is cause and affect. I think that it is cause and affect because it was, if you mix the liquid that we are tesing with the indicator liquid then it changes color and shows how acidic the liquid is.

Weekly blog(10/29/17) Different types of chemical reactions

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

          There are four different types of chemical reactions. These types of reactions are called 1. Synthesis, when two or more thing come together to create something bigger. 2, Diffusion, when a molecule splits into smaller pieces or individual atoms. 3, Single displacement, When there is a small molecule/atom and a molecule of 2 or more and one atom or piece of big molecule breaks out and switches places with the small piece. 4, Double displacement, When there are two "big" molecules and a piece of atom of each of them come of and join the other molecule like square dancing.

          For S&EP we used models because we made chemical reactions, then got a worksheet that showed us the formula and had us chose which type of reaction it was. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand how chemical reactions work. I think that now I would be able explain it to someone else who does not understand.

          This week's XCC is Cause and Effect because we did chemical reactions, and that is when you mix these things together, something else happens.

weekly blog(10/20/17)Conservation of Matter

http://www.iun.edu/~cpanhd/C101webnotes/matter-and-energy/images/h2o2.jpg

          This week in class we learned about the law of conservation of matter. The law of Conservation of matter is the theory that during a chemical reaction, matter cannot be created or destroyed. This means that if you weigh a chemical reaction before and after, it will stay the same.

          This week for S&EP we conducted experiment by making a chemical reaction. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand that it doesn't change weight.

          This week's XCC is cause and effect because we did chemical reactions and we saw that putting two chemicals together can create a chemical reaction.

Weekly Blog (10/15/17) Formulas

http://keydifferences.com/difference-between-atom-and-molecule.html

     This week in class we learned about Molecules and Formulas that represent them. We learned how atoms bond together, we learned how they act together.

     This week for S&EP we used mathematics to count atoms by multiplying and subtracting numbers and using Subscripts, Coefficients, and Parenthesis. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand how to count atoms in a formula.
     This week XCC is patterns because there are a lot of patterns in formulas that make it a lot easier once you find them.
     This week I was a learner because I did my work and tried to learn, so I did learn.

Project blog (19/6/17) Periodic table of Video Games

     In this project we learned in depth about the periodic table and how to create one out of anything.
     Before this project, I knew how the periodic table was basically arranged.
     I feel pretty good about this piece of work. I like how the grid is perfectly spaced and there are no messed up spots. I do not like that we could not print out the key.
     I think we worked pretty similar to other people. One thing we did differently was use a black board. We mainly did the same thing by having the same components.
     One thing I would improve upon would be making the printed title straight because it is crooked and annoying.

Weekly Blog (10/1/17)

https://sciencenotes.org/printable-periodic-table/

     This week in class I learned and got more practice about how the periodic table works. We have have been working with the fact that the families are more alike than the rows.

     For the S&EP, we constructed models by making our own periodic table of something we like, my group made a periodic table of video games and we put genres as families and companies as rows because genre defines games more than company.

     For XCC we discovered that periodic tables can arrange more than elements.

     This week I was a learner because I did a lot of research and tried to learn as much as possible.

WAC Defending Mendeleev

     Dear National Science Foundation (NSF),

     I am Dmitri Mendeleev's friend and I have some things to say about why he is not crazy. You may think he is crazy for leaving spaces, but he is leaving spaces for atoms that have not been discovered because (example) is there is a 30 and 33, why wouldn't there be a 31 and 32? He can predict its qualities because elements in the same column/family will have similar properties. If he doesn't leave spaces there will be no patterns to follow.
     One property that he took in mind while making this table is reactions. When look at it, it looks like a messed up blob. But when you look at it more, you see that in the columns are elements that react the same. This is because (as you will discover later) they all have the same amount of electrons on their outer shell so that gives them the same reactions.
     Another property he took into mind is atomic weight. This helps by making things easy to find. This also shows that things react because how many electrons are in the outer shell. That affects electrons in outer shell because for every proton, there is a neutron.
    He is also right because people discovered the elements that he left spaces for. Those elements fit perfectly it the gaps and reacted like he expected them to. This is again, because of the electrons in the outer shell. His idea actually makes so much sense and is so logical that some people also thought of it.
     So in conclusion, what may seem like a complete mess has a method, and that method is pretty logical. So you should not shut him down. He has created something amazing, that will help you define how elements work.

Weekly Blog (9/15/17) Periodic table

https://www.chemicool.com/

     This week in class we learned about the periodic table. The periodic table is organized into 8 main columns (Not including metals/ Yellow elements). We also learned about the different groups or as shown in this picture, the different colors.

     For S&EP we used mathematics to find out that the different 8 columns have different electrons in their outer shell. Such as in the first row, the have 1 electron in their outer shell so they all react the same. And the second row have 2 valence electrons etc.. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand why they react the same.

     This week I was a creator because I was answering a lot of people questions and helping them out.

Weekly blog (9/8/17) Isotopes and Ions

https://socratic.org/questions/what-is-the-difference-between-atom-and-molecule

     This week in class we learned all about Isotopes and Ions. An Ion is when there are uneven amount of electrons-protons. An Isotope is when there are uneven amounts of Protons and Neutrons.

     This week for S&EP we used mathematics to find out if something was an Ion/Isotope. This brought me closer to mastery because now I understand what Ions/Isotopes are.

     I believe that this week I was a learned because I really like chemistry and I want to know about it.

Letter to King Arthur

     Dear King Arthur,

     My findings say that Crown 4 (Found by Gawain) is the golden crown. I know that crown four is the gold crown because it has the same density as gold. Density is how much stuff in is a given space. A mathematical equation to find density is grams/cm3.

     I found that Crown 4 is the golden crown by using the equation grams/cm3 on all of the crowns. My team worked to together so that 2 of us did two crowns and 1 of us did 1 crown. Then after we had all the density numbers, we compared them to the densities that Merlin supplied us.

     I also found that crown 1 (Found by Lancelot) was silver, Crown 2 (Found by percival) was Aluminum, Crown 3 (Found by Bedivere) was steel, Crown 5 (Found by Galahad) was Lead. I found all this using Merlin's density chart.

Why I returned to adventure

     The reason that I returned to AdVenture is that I like the teachers and the teaching style. I love how it is more hands on and instead of sitting there and doing a worksheet on circuits, we make circuits.

Weekly Blog(21/5/17) Environmental Responsibility

     This week in class we got a list of different things you could do in an urban village to make it the best possible.We had to chose three of the actions and make a poster or flier that said what your urban village would do to be the best possible. I learned how many different things you could do to make an urban village awesome besides adding trees.

     This week's S&EP is that we used models (that picture you see on top) to show different things we could do to make an amazing urban village. This brought me closer to mastery because the more you use a skill, the better you get at it.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

      In response to the letter published on Wednesday, February 21, 2001, I would like to clarify the following.

     The first error I noticed was in the first sentence saying that it is incorrect that chlorine is killing the fish. I know that this is incorrect because recent tests proved that there IS chlorine in the Fo River.
     The second error I noticed is that they said that the chemist proved that there is no chlorine but they actually said that there is chlorine.
     His cattle ranch did NOT leak phosphates into the pond, we tested the runoff from his cattle ranch and it had not phosphates.
     Also Phosphates do not directly poison fish, but they do make more algae grow, which take all the oxygen out of the water.
     The fifth mistake I saw as that they said the oil that poisoned the fish was from his refinery but it was actually car oil from the city.
     Another mistake is that his logging operations caused no sediment because they where both near the Rafta River yet the Rafta river was clear.
     The seventh mistake I found is that the sediment in water does not make the water cold, it actually makes the water a lot warmer because it turns the water a darker color and darker color take in more sunlight and then the water heats up.
     The eighth mistake was that his oil refinery was not causing the acid rain, this in because he put something called scrubbers in the smoke stacks to prevent pollution from getting out.
     The ninth mistake was that the person said that there was pH 8 acid rain but pH 8 is not acidic. I did a pH test on a sample of the rain, and it turns out that the rain was pH 3, which is as acidic as vinegar.
     The last mistake I found is that they said that Don Juan Tuno is responsible and I know this is untrue because look at all the evidence above.

Sincerely,
Desmond Rix

Weekly Blog(5/7/17) Phosphate

http://www.pollutionissues.com/Ve-Z/Water-Pollution-Freshwater.html

     This week in class, we learned about how phosphates damage water life. This diagram above shows where the phosphates usualy come from.

     This week's S&EP is we conducted investigations about how phosphates are killing the fish and where the phosphates are coming from. I got closer to mastery at this skill because I got better at taking notes and looking at the data, and making a conclusion out of that.

Weekly Blog(4/28/17) The mystery of the dieing fish

     This week in science class we learned how air pollutants can cause acid rain, how some minerals can mellow out the acidity, that chlorine kills fish, and that sediment can kill fish.

     This weeks S&EP is conducting investigations. We conducted investigations by reading information to try to figure out what is killing the fish. I have gotten closer toward mastery of this subject by getting a lot better at taking notes.

Weekly blog(4/7/17)How global warming dangers humans

https://sites.google.com/site/goinggreenindallas/how-does-global-warming-affect-our-health

     This week in class, we split into groups for how global warming affects different sectors of earth. My group got human health. I learned that global warming (which is caused by air pollution which also causes lung disease and asthma) also effects temperatures of water water, which might sound nice until you hear that mosquitoes lay eggs in warm water, and as you may have heard, mosquitoes can spread some very bad illnesses. Water pollution is another thing that global warming causes. It causes water pollution because it causes floods and rain, and that results in dirty runoff into our water supply.

     This week's SE&P is that we we communicated information. We communicated information by doing lot's of research and taking notes then showing them to our groups and answering questions. This week I got closer to mastery in this area by knowing whats important and what's not.

Weekly Blog(3/31/17) Carbon cycle

https://eo.ucar.edu/kids/green/cycles6.htm

     This week in class, we learned about the Carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is how carbon cycles around and travels through organisms, earth, air, and water.

     The SE&P is that we used models. We used models because we labeled carbon levels in air over the past hundred years and put it on a wall to show how the carbon levels in the air went up.

Weekly Blog(3/25/17)Coriolis Effect

https://sites.google.com/site/sed695b4/projects/demonstration-equipment/coriolis-effect-jennifer-kim

     This week in class we learned about the Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect is basically how the winds move with the earth or else the winds would be at 1,600 kph (1,000 mph) around the equator. But, it is way more complicated than that. This diagram shows how the winds move in the different hemispheres of earth.

     This week for the SE&P I communicated information because we worked with our team and did research to work on a sheet. I got better at sharing my information and working with a team because I figured out what is important to tell my team and what is not.

Weekly blog (3/17/17) Tornados

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/climate/dakota-prairie-tornado/

     This week in class we learned about weather, and we also learned about storms and how they happen. This is a picture of a tornado because a tornado is a storm and I found the very interesting.

      The SE&P is we used models because we all did research and put it on a document. This brought me toward mastery so I can get better at close reading and finding what information I need.

Project blog(3/10/17)My thermos

     In this project we learned about heat transfer. We got with a team and created a mug that could hold minimum of 250 milliliters. Our mug was made of polystyrene (styrofoam) because it has billions of air bubbles inside it that trap the heat, duct tape because it has rubber which is a good insulator because it prevents electrons from traveling through it, and wool yarn because wool has fibers that the heat grabs onto.

     Before I started I knew these were good insulators but I had know idea why.
   
     I am proud of this product. I really like how it holds in heat really well and isn't uncomfortable to hold. I don't like how the lid after being opened a closed a lot stopped closing all the way.

     We did our work differently because we didn't buy a glass jar or just use a water bottle covered in tape. But ours (The bottom piece) was made from styrofoam cup with the lip taken off in side a bigger cup. The I put scraps of foam on duct tape and wrapped it around the cup a few times. The I stuck it in the bottom of a gatorade bottle filled with duct tape and foam scraps. The I wrapped to whole thing in duct tape, then in yarn, then in duct tape again.

     Next time I would like to make the seal between the two pieces work so it did not drip.

Weekly blog (3/4/17) Insulation Vs Conduction

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd
=&ved=0ahUKEwihhMrWk77SAhXmslQ
KHe7KCFkQjxwIAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wi
kipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMug&bvm=bv.148747831,d.cG
w&psig=AFQjCNGYgJEFEKedx7Gn4ybfBLgiGyIR6w&ust=148876
1685911826

     This week in class we learned about heat insulation and conduction. We our task was to create a mug using that holds 250 milliliters that keeps the liquid as warm as possible. I learned that polystyrene (Styrofoam) is a good insulator because it has billions of micro bubbles of air in it. I think learning about this had to do with global warming because air is a good insulator and that is how all that heat is staying on this planet and melting all the ice.

     This week S&EP is we demonstrated what we learned about heat transfer by making coffee cups that should keep the coffee as warm as possible by preventing conduction (when you touch the coffee cup and it's hot) and preventing convection (when you feel the warm steam coming off the top. I have gotten good at constructing models because I do it so much and even though it's always different, I learn something new.

Weekly blog(2/16/17) Transferring energy

http://www.polytechnichub.com/modes-heat-transfer/

     This week in class we learned about how heat aka thermal energy transfers from object to object and what the different ways they travel are called. If  the thermal energy travels through direct contact like if you touch a pan and it's hot that is called conduction. If you see that water is boiling and rapidly moving around, that is convection. And If you go outside on a hot summer day and feel the warmth of the sun on you skin, that is radiation! Radiation is when heat travels through electromagnetic waves in the air.

     For my S&EP this week, we constructed models by making diagrams on paper about the three types of heat transfer. This helped me understand how heat transferred because if I write down, I have to know the facts very well.

Project Blog(2/9/17)Genetics

     In this project we learned a LOT about genetics. There are many different types of genetics. There are Mendelian genetics and Non-Mendelian Genetics.

     Before we started, I did not know much. All I knew was the basic Mendelian Genetics and I had no idea what it was called or the details about it.

     I feel like I did a good job with my work and am proud of my drawings except on my villain drawing I should have made both drawings face the same way.

     I think I did my project differently than most other people because everyone set up their poster differently and had completely different characters except the original superhero's were all based on animals.

     If I would do this again I would try harder on the hands and feet of my Epigenetics drawing.

Weekly blog (2/3/17)

https://pixabay.com/en/photos/dna/

    This week in class we made posters for all of our drawings and papers we made. The difference between GMO and a mutation is that a mutation happened naturally as the organism was developing and a gmo unnaturally.

     The S&EP this week is we constructed models my making posters that show the genetics in the of my characters.

Weekly Blog(1/27/17) Organ systems

This week in class we learned about organ systems because we drew our super villain in normal mode and a nefarious/evil mode. We also had to draw all his organ systems that changed and how it benefits him.

     For my S&EP we used models (our drawing) to represent the organ systems and how they changed. We also wrote descriptions for each drawing. I am getting better at drawing detailed drawing to model stuff. 

Weekly blog (1/13/17) GMOs

http://www.hercampus.com/school/u-ottawa/defense-gmos

     This week in class we wrote an origin story for our super heros and we wrote if they were a GMO or a mutation. I learned what the difference was between GMOs and mutations. A GMO is if something happens during life and a mutation is when it happens before life.
     We also learned that not all gmos are bad! A lot of people are scared of them but most of the time they aren't bad, a lot of them are actually just adding nutrients.
     This week the S&EP was we used models aka our origin story because we wrote what happened for that GMO or mutation to happen. So this helped me by letting me more deeply understand how mutations and GMOs work.

Genetics vocabulary quiz

A.  Phenotype masked in heterozygous organisms, that can only be observed in homozygous organisms.

B.The physical appearance of an organism as distinguished from genetic makeup - what the organism looks like.

C. One or more alternative forms of a gene.

D.A genotype consisting of two identical alleles, also called purebred

E.A genotype consisting of two different alleles, also called hybrid

F.Phenotype observed in heterozygous organisms.

G.The particular the combination of alleles for a particular gene.

Weekly blog(1/5/17) Healthy lifstyles

http://www.healthactionpartnership.org/2012/10/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/

     This week in class, we learned how to be healthy. It is always Important to eat healthy. That means having a balanced meal so instead of eat a bunch of junk food and a few vegetables; you should switch that around and eat more healthy stuff like fruits and vegetables and only a little bit of junk food if any at all. That includes fried food, sugary stuff, and super salty food. This Picture is showing what a balanced meals would look like.

     For the S&EP we used models to demonstrate what could happen if you don't eat healthy, sleep a good amount, or have a lot of stress. For these models we used the pictures we drew of a superhero child and drew them as an adult with these problems.