Grace's 8th Grade Page

5 Units of the Year(last blog post)

2009-05-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

For my last blog post I will be telling you all about my 8th grade year with Mrs. Casey.
We went over a lot of information this year. We really covered a lot of ground. 8th grade science was all about the Earth and how it works. In this post i will explain all about what units we researched and what my favorite topic was for each unit learned.
1. Astronomy

The first topic we covered at the very beginning of the year was astronomy. Astronomy was by far my favorite unit to research. There was so much to learn about and throughout the whole topic I just wanted to learn more. I think that astronomy was my favorite topic because I love learning about what is really outside of us. I think it's interesting to learn all about what kind of things there really are out there away from us. Looking at all the pictures from a variety of telescopes from outer space was just so fantasizing.
2. Weather and Climate (Earth's Atmosphere)

Weather and climate was a great unit! Also one of my favorites. We talked about all different forms fo weather and how they all form. It was a lot of fun. My favorite thing we talked about in this unit was all the different kinds of weather. It was so much fun with all the activities we completed and how unique Earth really is.
3. Geology

Geology was kind've interesting. I didn't like geology that much. Looking at rocks all the time didnt really interest me much. However, looking at minerals was my favorite topic! I loved the whole mineral idea! There were so many to research and they were all different and all so unique. They all had there own properties. Studing minerals was very fasinating.

4. Weathering and Erosion

Weather and climate was a fun unit as well. My favorite thing we did in this unit was a weathing and erosion podcast! We all had partners and we got to go outside and take fun picutres of weathering rock and erosion from all around! That project was so much fun! It took a lot of work and effort, but it was by far my favorite. We learned about how water, wind, and ice wear down Earth's surface and how Earth's surface is constantly changing! It was all very interesting.
5. Earth's Waters

Earth's waters was the last unit we did this year. My favorite topic we discussed was how many different types of water there were. They're are lakes, ponds, swamps, wetlands, and so much more! I thought it was a lot of fun to learn about all of Earths water and how we really need to do a better job conserving it.

My eighth grade science year was full of excitement, shocks, and work, but it was most definetly worth it! I loved this year and thought it was the best year of science i've ever done. Blogging was a lot of fun and hopefully a will continue doing it throughout my life!
Thanks Mrs. Casey
2008-2009 Earth Science was greatt(:

Where We Get Our Water From

2009-04-30T07:45:00.001-07:00

About 75% of the water we receive comes from mountain springs in the areas of Aspen, Lead ville and Breckenridge – Colorado. Pipes that transfer this water to reservoirs like rampart and catamount are at the least 10.6 miles in distance.Walking time would be about 1 day and 6 hours. Rampart is a 500 surface acre lake between the US Air Force Academy and Woodland Park. Catamount is a 210 surface acre lake on the North slope of Pikes Peak. From the reservoirs, the water is transfered to water treatment plants before it is received in homes. There are 5 local water sources: Pikes Peak Northern and Southern slopes, Cheyenne Creeks, Fountain Creek, Peakview Reservoir in Monument, and Northfield Watershed. Then there are 4 local ground water sources: Arapahoe (4wells), Denver (1well), Laramie-Fox Hills (1 well), and Widefield (4wells). From these treatment plants, the plant distributes the water to the many homes in the city of Colorado Springs and the border to border cities. Such as Manitou Springs, and Breckenridge.

-Jenna&Grace :)

The Water Cycle

2009-04-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

1. What is the water cycle?

The water cycle is a continuous process in which water moves through the environment.

2. Does the water cycle have a beginning or end?

The water cycle doesn't have a beginning or end because it is a continuous cycle.

3. Starting with a puddle on a sunny day, describe how water might move through the water cycle and eventually fall back as rain.
If there is a puddle laying on the ground and a hot, summer, sunny day there are a few steps that it must go through before it reaches Earth again. The water will first evaporate. After the water evaporates it goes through a condensation stage. After condensation comes precipitation. This is where the water will fall back to Earth.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2009-04-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

Animated Bibliograpy

2009-04-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

-http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

I used this website to help me understand more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It helped me understand the amount of unwanted biodegradable plastic in the ocean. Only a few weeks ago did I first hear about this garbage patch. This was the first out of four websites that I looked up to research the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and I was amazed. How can so much garbage be in the ocean and were still not doing anything about it? I used a lot of useful information from the website in my presentation.

-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm

The website shown above helped me understand even more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It also showed me how much pollution there is in the ocean. Its intoxicating the water and rapidly killing variates of marine life. Animals will eat this plastic and then, since it is biodegradable, it does not digest. It gets stuck in the animals stomachs and they can end up dying. I used this information in my presentation to help explain how bad this ocean pollution is coming and how it is rapidly getting worse.

-http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump

This website helped me really understand how terrifying this subject really is. There is a huge garbage dump moving around in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and no one is doing anything. Organizations need to be started and plans need to be made. People need to start figuring out a way to fix this problem or else we all could end up dying from over pollution. I used this website in my presentation to help people understand that we really need to fix this issue and we really need to find a solution soon.

http://blog.mywonderfulworld.org/2009/03/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.html

For the last website I just simply looked to find extra information about the subject matter. I didn't find out anything different, i just found out that this is a very serious matter. We all need to throw in a hand to get this situation under control. We need to find a new way to recycle instead of littering and throwing it all in the ocean. We need to find a new place to put garbage besides burying it inside of the Earth or laying it all in the ocean. I used this website so i could explain in my presentation the subject and what we need to do. I also used these websites of my worst/best-case scenario.

Ocean Polution

2009-04-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

Ocean Pollution (The Great Pacific Garbage Dump)

2009-04-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

Q. What, specifically about your topic, are you going to research?

A. On our topic of ocean pollution I will research the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Q. What conclusions did you come to? What do you recommend average citizens do to make a difference?

URL'S

-http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/
-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm
-http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jul/10-the-worlds-largest-dump
-http://blog.mywonderfulworld.org/2009/03/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.html

A. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a big patch of garbage, approximately the size of Texas, floating in the middle of the ocean. The garbage patch lies between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands. The dump is full of biodegradable plastic which is rapidly starting to kill the marine life. Shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and much, much more is only part of what is being discovered right now in the dump. Dead animal species are being found with stomachs full of plastic. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is formed and being formed from ocean currents. This patch is almost like a swirling whirpool of garbage. Marine life is starting to suffer because they are all mistaking garbage with food. Toxins in the water are also causing all sorts of marine life to suffer. In the central North Pacific, plastic outweighs surface zooplankton 6 to 1. Most of the plastic found in the dump is biodegradable. Fish and other forms of marine life then eat these substances which can not degrade in there stomachs which causes them to die. This garbage patch is just about the size of Texas and is rapidly increasing in growth. If we continue to do nothing about this garbage dump, it will contaminate are waters killing marine life and then, eventually, killing us. The only recommendations I can make is to recyle and not litter. You can also join a group to help clean up the waters and find a better place to put garbage other than our Earth's waters.

Q. What would happen if, worst-case scenario, nobody listened to your recommendations?

A. Worst-case scenario is almost every organism on the planet dies from toxis and over-pollution.

Q. What would happen if, best-case scenario, everybody listened to your recommendations?

A. If everyone listened to my recommendations it would be amazing. We all wouldn't die and we would end up with cleaner and safer waters[:

The Roaring 40's

2009-03-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,
The name of the place we are visiting is the Roaring 40's. It is located between the latitudes of 40˚S ad 50˚S, South of Australia. We would come to the Roaring 40's as sailors because these are some of the roughest waves to explore. The Roaring 40's is a strip in the ocean where there are no rocks or landmasses to slow the waves momentum which can lead to rough waters. The waves are cased by high winds the never stop. The shores around the Roaring 40's are rocky and desolate, stripped free of most plant life by the intense waves. The Roaring 40's is varied with squall, tropical thunderstorms, and either rough or calm seas which can double-cross sailors. The Roaring 40's reveals that Earth's waters can be as changing and unexpected as the seasons and the rest of the world around them. The waves of The 40's are always changing and if sailors don't know what to do they can be caught unaware and get into trouble.
~Your friends,
Grace and Audrey

Earthquake Webquest

2009-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

1. Most earthquakes tend to happen along the plates of the coasts around the world.

2. I think that earthquakes happen most along plate tectonics because that's where the Earth is constantly moving.

3. This area is called a ridge.

4. The earthquake closest to Manitou Springs occurred on Ute Pass. There was a swarm of three small earthquakes on January 18, 1997. People could feel this earthquake, but only for a few seconds. This earthquake occurred at a magnitude of 3.1.

5. The earthquake I will be researching as a magnitude of 7.4 and occurred in 46.862°N, 155.156°E. This earthquake occurred east of east of the Kuril Islands where earthquakes are pretty common and usually earthquakes occurring in the Kuril Islands cause tsunami's.

6. There are many ways to protect yourself from earthquakes. If you are indoors and an earthquake occurs the most important thing to do is drop and cover. You should take cover under a heavy object that is stable. If you are outside you should stay away from tall buildings. You should stay away from glass or anything that could fall. If you are in a crowded area, the last thing you should do is run to the nearest exit because that's what everyone else will be doing. Finally, you should be prepared for aftershocks from the earthquakes. They might not be as big or damaging as the actual earthquake, but they are still dangerous!The most important thing that you need to d during an earthquake is stay calm. It's okay to be afraid, but you need to stay calm.

Fronts

2008-12-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

Cold Front occur when warm air is forced upwards by cold air.

Warm Front occur when there is a lot of cold air sitting in one place and then a warm front comes in and it pushes the cold air away leaving warm air behind

Stationary Front is where a cold front and a warm front meet but neither one has enough force to push one away.

Occluded Front occurs when warm there is a little warm and and some cool air and the warm air gets forced upwards by the warm air

Which type of front occurred this week to bring the cold weather and then snow? a cold front

Cloud Formation

2008-12-02T07:57:00.001-08:00

Voyage Journey

2008-11-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Travel time: 13 Days

Direction traveling: Southwest

Were you successful? Yes

How many attempts? 2

How were you successful? I made it from San Fransisco to Sydney in a good amount of time.

What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel? Trade Winds, Doldrums and Horse Latitudes.

Travel time: 9 days

Direction traveling: Southeast/ East

Were you successful? Yes

How many attempts? 1

How were you successful? I made it from Havana to London in 1 voyage

What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel? Prevailing Westerlies.

Travel time: 15 days

Direction traveling: South/ Southeast

Were you successful? yes

How many attempts? 3

How were you successful?
I made the journey from Lima to Capetown

What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel?

Atmospheric Factors Affecting Earth

2008-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hey. Click above to view my paper

Photochemical Smog

2008-11-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Photochemical smog occurs when pollutants of a city, sunlight, and hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides mix together. When this happens it forms a brownish haze that develops in many sunny cities. Causes of photochemical smog are nitrogen and hydrocarbon oxides. There are many consequences of photochemical smog such as irritated eyes, harmed plants, animals, and living things, and photochemical smog can also damage many materials. As you can see photochemical smog is a problem we can hopefully get fixed some day.

Earth's Atmosphere

2008-10-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

There are many ways that Earth is different from any planet or moon in space that has an atmosphere. To begin, Earth's atmosphere makes it suitable for any living object on Earth. The atmosphere provides water and very suitable temperatures for humans, animals, plants, and any other living thing. Also if there were any type of meteoroid or crater to enter the Earth's atmosphere it would burn up before hitting Earth. Unlike the moon or any other planet without an atmosphere it would just hit the planet, but because of the Earth's atmosphere it will most likely burn up before it hits Earth. Finally, with Earth having it atmosphere it causes weather. The weather is caused by water entering the atmosphere, but it is still weather that will make it suitable for things to live on Earth. These are just a few out of many reasons that the Earth is different from any other planet or moon without an atmosphere.

How the Solar System was Formed

2008-10-27T07:44:00.000-07:00

2008-10-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

Exploring Space Today

By: Grace Gatto

Working in Space

A space shuttle is a spacecraft that can carry crew into space, return to Earth, and then be reused.
Space shuttles perform many important tasks such as taking satellites into orbit, repairing damaged satellites, and carrying astronauts and equipment into space.
A space station is a large artificial satellite on which people can live and work on for long periods of time.
A space station provides a place for long-term observations that can be carried into space.

Space Probes

A space probe is a spacecraft that carries scientific instruments that can collect data, but doesn't, however, carry any human crew.
Common space probe features include electrical power systems, communication systems to send and receive messages, and scientific instruments to collect data and perform experiments.
Space probes have no crew, which is an advantage because the probe can travel places space craft cannot go.
The disadvantage of no crew is that it lacks human control intelligence on the probe.

Summaries

2008-10-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

Science of Rockets
Since the late 1950's NASA has used Atlas rockets to launch probes into space. Recent Versions of the rockets are about 58 meters high. These Atlas rockets have 3 parts The first part of the rocket is called the Atlas, the second is called the Centaur, and the third part is called the payload. The payload launches the satellite or rocket into space.

The Space Program
NASA has some interesting history. Apollo 13 was launched April 11, 1970. Apollo 13 was a good thing turned bad. At first it seemed as if Apollo 13 was going to be a very smooth mission. After two days the oxygen tank blew up, but thankfully everyone on the flight survived. Even though NASA had this problem, they have still sent up 3 other spacecrafts.

Exploring Space Today
NASA started to use robots in space. They are floating robots that float next to an astronaut of their journey. This robot does many things that helps NASA with things in space. The floating robot floats next to the astronaut and monitors temperature, pressure, and air quality. This robot also allows the the astronauts to talk to one another and it's connected to a mission control center on Earth.

Using Space Science on Earth
Less than one percent of Earths budget goes to the NASA program. Even though that is not exactly all that much, people still complain about how money should go to something more useful, like medical hospitals.

Phases, Eclipses, and Tides

2008-09-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

Perspective

2008-09-17T07:34:00.001-07:00

Zoom is about seeing things in a whole different perspective. It starts out with what you thought could be one thing and then turns out to be completely different. For example, at first you might think that one picture looks like a sun, but when you look at it from a different perspective, it turns out to be a rooster.

Perspective can be described in many different ways. Almost everyone looks at things differently. We can look at pictures, people, or situations, but most of the time we have different perspectives. If you glance at a picture, you might think it looks like something different than what it really is. But if you look at it again, you might get a whole new perspective of the picture.

Scientists use perspective in many ways. They use perspective to look at one picture and then look at a different one to see the new perspective.

What causes Seasons?

2008-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

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