What's going on in Mr. Solarz' Class?

Nature's Waste Matter

5/24/2017

Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Where do you think the items came from originally?
Do you think the items look the same today as they did a month ago?
What happened to the matter in each item over the past month?
Do you think the items will be the same forever? Why or why not?
What do all of the items in the bag have in common?
Do you notice any relationships between the items in the bags? They all...
What evidence do you have that the items were all once part of a living thing?
Another name for "nature's waste" is "organic remains." These are all organisms that are no longer living, or parts of organisms that are discarded, excreted, or no longer needed. What other examples of organic remains can you think of?
What would happen to each item from your bag if it were left outside? What might it look like in 6 months? What would cause it to change?
What would eventually happen to the waste MATTER in each type of organic remain?
Why isn't the earth just piled up with all the matter from nature's waste?
Why could all of the items in the mystery bags be classified as nature's waste?
Do you think that all living things generate waste? What makes you think that?

Answers:

Stick came from a tree. The leaf came from a a maple tree. A helocopter came from a maple tree. I think that the pine cones came from a pine tree. Grass came from the ground/dirt. The flower came from a flower. Wood chips came from a tree that has been shredded.
No because most same from a tree and most likley they were on the tree. The other items that were not from a tree are decaded now so that is a change that happened to them. Like a flower was connected to a big pretty flower but it fell off and was on the ground. In the last month they could have cut down a tree and make wood chips out of it.
I think over the moth the twig and the leaf started to get less water and fell off and started to deca. There is also the other plants that fell off and started to deca. Some of them could have been chopped or cut down and then made into the material they need.
I think they will change over time. Because they have already changed in the past month and I have seen the same matter that looks why different and it has done that after time. Like with a leaf it will start to deca and turn brown and crunchy.
They all comes from a plant. Like a flower comes from a flower. A leaf comes from a maple tree. The wood chips comes from a tree.
Come from a plant and most come from the same plant but others come from other plants but in all they all come from a plant. They are also all going to deca and die over time.
Like the pine cone if you go outside and look at a pine cone there is almost always a pin cone on the tree. Also the grass after the person mows the lawn you can see fresh clippings that are on top of the grass. It looks just like grass from the ground.
Feces from animals or insects that could have decaed.
Some would be still there but have different effects but most of them would have started to deca. The would be under the grass and slightly under the soil so if you went over it with your finger/nail you would probably get a little bit of it. Most of it would be brown and have no color to it.
It would be recycled back into the ecosystem as soil, then it would happen again to a new twig or flower or pin cone.
Because we reuse some f it like wood to do other things like have bonfires or collect flowers. But mostly it is because it decas and goes under ground and becomes soil.
Because they all come from something that is getting rid of them. Like a leaf that isnt getting enough water just falls off.

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Sunlight on The Menu

5/22/2017

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Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Explain how the matter in each ingredient can be traced back to plants.
Explain how these ingredients can be traced back to the sun.
What MATTER in the food originally came from producers?
What ENERGY in the food originally came from the sun?
How is energy transferred from the sun to ingredients in your favorite foods?

Answers:

The cool thing is that you don't even realize but it is like you are eating sun and grass and how so many ingredents can be traced back to the sun or even a plant. So first the venison comes from a deer and then that deer had eaten grass. Then the fried egg would have had to be cooked but that egg was from a chicken who had eaten grass.
It is cool that you are actually eating sun but you might wonder why and it is because the plants get energy from the sun. Then the animals will eat the plant or grass. So for the venison it would come from a deer who ate grass which had gotten energy from the sun.
Well since the plant or producer got matter from air and soil then that will be eaten and eaten and then we will have the matter in our food.
Well the plant got energy from the sun and then a plant would eat that and so on.
Well it is so cool because at first it just starts out as the sun and a plant but the the plant will get energy from the sun. Then the animal will eat the plant which had energy in it and the we will eat that animal.

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Players In An Ecoysystem

5/17/2017

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Grass is Producer.

Deer is Primary Consumer and Mountain Lion is Secondary Consumer.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Choose one of your Food Chains that you created and explain how it works.
Can a Food Web be considered a "system"? Why or why not?
What happens if a plant or animal all of a sudden disappears from the food web?
Using this food chain, "sunlight to apple to worm to bird to cat," How do organisms in this food chain get the matter they need for body repair and growth?
Using the same food chain in #4, How do organisms in that food chain get the energy they need for body warmth and motion?
What do you think happens to the matter that is NOT used by the organisms in a food chain or food web? Is it wasted or does something else happen?

Answers:

So first the sun will shine on the grass giving it energy that it needs. Then after the grass has grown a deer will eat some of the grass. After that the mountain lion will eat the deer who ate the grass.
Yes it definitly could. Because like a system the same thing repeats over and over again and in a food web the same thing happens over and over again. Like in my food web the deer eats the grass. Then the mountain lion eats the deer and it repeats just like a system. It keeps on going and like a system they rely on each other to do their role and if they don't then it could ruin the whole system.
It could cause a huge change. Because if one animal died then the animal who eats that animal would die since they would have no food and then so on. It would cause so many animals to die because one animal died. If you look a the image above you would see two animals and a producer. Lets say the grass dies then the deer wouldn't have anything to eat so they would use up what is left of their energy and then get weaker and weaker and soon die. So then the mountain lion wouldn't be able to eat the deer and then it would get weaker.
The food chain "sunlight to apple to worm to bird to cat," would work as the apple would get its matter from the sunlight. Then the worm would then get its matter from the apple who got it from the sunlight. Then the bird would get its energy from the worm who got it from the apple who got it from the sun. Then the cat would get matter from the bird.
When the animal eats a plant or another animal they get energy from that animal that had stored energy.
I think that some will be stored in the body as a fat or something else and other will go into the earth for the decomposers to brake down.

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Plants as Producers

5/17/2017

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Reflection/Synthesis:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

Plants need energy and matter to grow. Where do plants get their ENERGY?
Where do plants get their MATTER?
Where do plants get their FOOD (be careful - this is a trick question)?
Why are plants called Producers?
What would happen if plants didn't have a way to get energy?
What would happen to animals if there were no plants to eat?
What are some of the LIVING components of a plant "system"? (A plant "system" is everything that a plant needs to survive and everything it produces.)
What are some of the NON-LIVING components of a plant "system"?
In what ways do the components of the system interact?
What matter is transported in and out of the plant system?

Answers:

Sometimes you might get matter and energy confused but plants also known as producers get their energy from the sun. But they also can get some energy from the seeds that give them a little energy.
Plants get their matter from the air and the soil. By air it they don't like it all they keep the carbon dioxide and get rid of the oxegyn.
Actually there is a process called photosynthisis which converts the energy they get from the sun into food.
Because they produce food for other animals. They give or produce food for other animals. Like have you ever seen a deer eat grass the grass is producing food for the deer.
They would use up the energy they had from the seed and the they would start to get weaker and weaker and then eventually die.
Some would die if the only eat plants (herbivores). But if you ate animals or animals and plants then you would be fine because you would have other resources. But if you were a herbivore then you would use up all of your energy and start to get weaker and then die of hunger.
A living components of a plants system is the sun. It give sit its energy that it needs to make food, stay warm, and make sugars that are called glucose.
Some non living components are the air. Mostly the carbon dioxide form the air. Along with soil that it grows in that gives it the nutriens it needs. Along with water that keeps the plant moist. And helps the plant make another plant.
They interact because they need each other for it to work. Like a system lets say you have a system and then one day something isn't there what would happen. It wouldn't be great.It is like one system and they interact and count on one another to do their part.
Air is transported in and out of the plant system. In air there are different things like oxygen,carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc. But the plant only likes the carbon dioxide so it breathes in (takes in air). Then keeps he carbon dioxide which is what we don't like. Then they get rid of oxygen which is what we like. It is a win win situation for us and the plants because they give us oxygen and we give them carbon dioxide.

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Food - Matter & Energy

5/11/2017

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Answer the following questions while analyzing the Nutrition Labels:

As a result of looking at food labels, what did you learn about food?
Look at the ingredients of one human food label. Write down the food name. What ingredients came from animals?
What ingredients in the above food label came from plants?
What similarities and differences did you notice between the human food and pet food labels you looked at?
Choose an animal/insect from the ecosystem walk. What do you think it eats? Explain what you think it gets from its food.

Answers:

I learned more about what you want to look for in food and the parts of the food labels you never really look at but that can really hep.
I choose a can of Traditional Roasted Chicken Rotini. The ingredient that came from animals are Chicken which is in the broth and in the cooked chicken. Along with in the chicken fat.
The ingredients that com e from plants are tomato puree and soybean oil.
I noticed that in the pet food label there was way more ingredients than in the human food. Since I have a dog I know that there are so many different ingredients in dog food. Like in puppy food there is more things to help them grow and get bigger and stronger. I also could tell that the why the label was set up was different. I could tell there was more different ingredient in the pet food that you would have never really known what they were. But it was similar because it listed the ingredients and had percents on the label.
I choose a duck and since it is an omnivore it eats many things like insectes and grain and wheat. I think it gets energy and nutriens to get through the day.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What does food provide to animals, including humans?
Do the pet food and human food have the same nutrients? In what ways are they different?
Does a higher calorie count mean a food is better for pets to eat? What makes pet owners think that?
What is it in food that helps us repair our bodies and grow?
What in food helps us move and stay warm?
In what way does energy transfer when animals eat food?
Look at the nutrition label below for milk. How much energy is in the food?
What matter is in the food?

Answers:

Food provides energy and matter.
They have some different nutreins cause we need different things then they need. Since we are different they have other things that help them and we have different things that help us.
In some ways it is good but in others it isnt very bad. It is good so they get
Proteins is what helps us move and stay warm and in this milk their is 8g of protein per one cup of milk.
Calories and in those calories it gives us energy to stay warm.
.
There is 160 calories in 1 cup of milk.
The protein and fat is the matter that s in they food most likley it could be other things.

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If the World Were a Village

5/6/2017

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Explain what surprised you about the statistics of our world.
What upset you? What do you wish were different?
What made you want to do something to improve a situation?
Can you do anything to help? If so, what?

It is surprising of what we don't release about where we live and how many new things we figure out each day. We are each so lucky and thankful but we don't always give back and show it. We are all so different but can come together to be stronger and better.After you read it you realize a few things like what we should do to work together and make the world a better place.
I realize tat were we live there are so many things that we have that others don't and it is sad because we complain and others in the world have nothing and they don't complain. But we just make fun of them because of what they wear or how the look and that all needs to change. It would be so cool to just work together and not judge or be rude to everyone in the world.
It made me want to make sure to treat each other fairly and to work together and make sure to never discrimmanate. It makes me want to be way better than I am because if one person is and then you can learn and learn and become stronger altogether.
I could talk to my friends and family about it and then they would share about what we should do to change this problem. It would spread and than after time the world will start to become better and better.

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What is an Ecosystem?

5/5/2017

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Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

Ducks eat plants and bugs.
Ducks are interacting with other ducks.
The sunlight get absorbed by the plants and is turned into food
The plants

Between living & non-living things

Ducks breathe air (oxygen).
The Duck is swimming in the water.
Duck has to drink lake water.
The plants are growing in the lake taking up nuteroins from the water.

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Within a system of living things

Fish eat the bugs and plants
Fish eat algae
Fish are interacting with other fish
Fish eat smaller fish

Between living & non-living things

Fish is swimming in water
The plants are growing in the lake taking up nuterions from the water.

Reflect & Synthesize:
Answer the following questions in your blog post. Remember to have at least one follow-up sentence for each question, when possible.

What do living things get from their ecosystems?
What evidence do you have to support your answer to Question 1?
What does the term ecosystem mean, based on your experience in this lesson? (Don't use the definition from the BIG IDEA here. Put it into your own words.)
Brainstorm at least one question you have about Ecosystems that you hope you learn from this unit.
Look at the image below that shows a portion of a forest ecosystem. Name at least five components (living or non-living things) of the ecosystem that you can either observe directly or infer.
What are three (or more) interactions that might occur in this portion of the forest ecosystem?

Answers:

Aniamls get lots of things that are important from their ecyosystem. They get the food that they eat. Like a bird eats a worm. They also get energy from the sunlight. Like the plants get energy from the sun. Along with oxegyn. For each living thing it is different what they get some get more than others.
I you think of one thing that could help one animal think what other living thing it could help. Like soil it is wear a plant rows but also wear some bugs live.
An ecosystem is a place were a living thing live and has other living things that the interact with. These living things are called organisimisis. There are also non living things in its enviorment.
I would like to know Why some animals dont live in other ecosystems?
Trees, Deer, Water , Grass , Rocks and Clouds and Moutain. Some are living and some are non- living. They all have a different thing about them like the living things all need something.
Were this picture takes place there is deer, water trees and grass so there are less things that can happen here than in other places.In this ecosystem there are many different interaction some are:
1. A Deer eat Grass
2. A deer might interact with a different deer
3. A deer could get a drink of water

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How to Write a Book About Your Job

5/4/2017

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Here are some tips:

Use others ideas because they can lift you higher
Start writing at an early age (High school newspaper)
Brainstorm tons of Ideas before starting and ask others for ideas (Make Lists)
Take criticism because it can make your book much better
Take ideas that might have happened in your life and others that you know
You could use everyday stories in your book
Don't worry if things are sloppy it is ok (But then start getting neater and neater)
You could use some saying/quotes and/or acronyms
Ask others for help and inspiration
Just keep writing and coming up with more ideas
Try to keep all of your ideas organized
After you have ideas of where your ideas are going to go then start the process of typing
Break down your chapters and topics
The reader want to know the beginning of the book
If you ever hit writers block take a break or move on to the next topic
You can print out all of your progress to see how it is going and then can fix some things
Make changes and move things to where it sounds best
It is ok to make mistakes it is just a way to improve and learn more
Dont be afraid to share your book
you could make a google doc that your book is on and then you can share it with you editor and publisher witch you can put on suggestions for them and they can give you suggestions
Dont worry to take others ideas (Like your editors)
For your sub title think of tons of ideas then cut out some that arent your favorite and combined some
For your cover just start doodling ideas and characters for your cover

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My First Week in Space

5/3/2017

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When we were about to lift off I was nervous but excited at the same time. We were all excited to blast off into space. I was really excited to get to go to Mars. I will get to learn a ton since Mars is so much different than Earth. But I was nervous because I will be away from my family for a really long time. Elizabeth Smith, Léa Andre, Mia Schneider, Nicole Marino and I were all talking about what we think is going to happen. When we were all settled I got goose bumps because so many bad things could happen. As I layed there thinking of crazy things that could happen something else happened. The rocket ship blasted off it was rumbling and shaking, I felt like I was on a crazy roller coaster. I was trying to imagine like nothing was happening, thinking of all the good things that will be fun to do on the spaceship and on mars. It wasn't that bad after we got higher but it was crazy because everyone was silent and thinking. I could feel the rocket shaking but as time went on it got smoother and smoother. Then after a few minutes of silence we burst into laughter, we all were so happy that everything went well.
As you might of guessed at points we were all as bored as can be but we found things to do. There is twenty four of us so we found at tons of things to do! We all brought a few things that kept us occupied and that is one thing we did. Like we had music that someone brought that we danced to. Some things were more fun than others. Some of these helped us make sure things we would do better on Mars. One thing we did was workout! We had cool machines that helped us so then on space it is more different when we walk and do other things in space. I assumed it wouldn't be fun but it was because it wasn't like any other normal workout. We also tested different food that are freeze dried! Some people didn't want to do it because it was “too gross”. I decided to try it even though it didn’t look so good. It tasted pretty close to normal food but me as the chef I must say I would way rather eat normal food. One of the things the most people liked was to float around and do different moves like do flips. It was so much fun we would play music but then sometimes I start to get a little bit dizzy. Sometimes we would have compositions which were fun to do and watch. It was lots of fun but honestly it was fun how often we just sat down and shared stories about ourselves. I learned so much about everyone else! But then we all got tired and would go to sleep.
Have you ever not been able to sleep or you just keep waking up? Well that is what happens a lot almost every night. Because well, where we sleep it isn’t in a soft comfy bed. You are in a sleeping bag that is velcroed to the wall. I don't think that it is that bad since you have this little hut that is over you that you can change the temperature. I slept pretty well but some nights I couldn't sleep at all because it was loud or someone was talking or staying up late. The whole time in space there is no up,down,left or right so it didn't really matter where you slept.
Sometimes when I am looking out the windows I am amazed because of the view! It is always so pretty like a beautiful sunset or a rainbow. There is a different view almost every day since we are only in the spaceship for about sixth months. One of my favorites was seeing Earth. Because I have never seen the whole earth unless it was a picture. It was so cool I could see about half and it was beautiful. You know when you look up at the sky at night and see the stars and how they are pretty bright well I saw them and since I was pretty close they were super bright. It was super cool because once I looked harder a saw come constellations. I didn't get to see a lot since we were only there for sixth months. I mean that is a long time but in that time you can't see that many constellations. But trust me sixth months on a spaceship feels like a long time. You are with the same people for sixth months. That can get stressful! The sun looked so cool since I got to see it. It is so bright and big like a big star. I loved it, it was so cool. I saw a few other planets but they weren't as easy to see. All of them were so cool and looked way different then in pictures. We got to see a few space stations along the way. We would all look through telescopes to see earth and a few other things that we were curious about. Oh yeah we also saw parts of the rocket falling off. It was weird to see it just fall off,but it was cool.
On the trip there we all had tons of emotions. Some of us felt homesick because it was weird being that far away from family. I have to admit that was me. I would be away from my friends and family back in Australia. Some of us were really excited because well we were going to Mars and we were going to get to see and do crazy things we have never done on earth before. That was me. Some of us were also a little bit scared because of all the bad,terrible things that could happen to us. That was me just a little bit. It would be a very fun and adventurous ride. Good thing we have Robert Gagne too help us with our emotions. There is going to be twenty four of us all together for a long time that can get stressful and people can get really mad at each other and that is the least thing we want to happen right now. Our mission is huge and everything must go right. I can't wait til we land on Mars.
I know if we make a mistake we could die but I think we will do great and have tons of fun. It will be like a roller coaster with fun but serious and scary moments. I can't wait we will have so much fun. It will be so much fun to learn new things that we would have never learned on earth. Since Earth is way different than Mars. I Sophia Smith think that me and my greatest friends will have a great time. If I didn't go on this adventure I wouldn't have made such great friends. Like Mia, she got us crayons and markers that are neon. Hailie brought paper. We all had tons of fun and had tons of adventures. I had a great time so far and can't wait to get to Mars but there is still a lot of time to go.

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Sophia Smith

I am Sophia Smith, a chef from Broome, Australia. It would be very important to have a chef on the first manned mission to Mars because there is going to need to be food that will need to be served and cooked so that we can have lovely food and so we do not starve. We also need to have enough food so everyone gets the same amount of food.. I am excited to go on the adventure because I think it will be really fun to see new things the are not on earth. It will be fun to explore and figure out how to make a community on mars.

Nature's Waste Matter

Our Mars Constitution

Sunlight on The Menu

Players In An Ecoysystem

Plants as Producers

Food - Matter & Energy

If the World Were a Village

What is an Ecosystem?

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

Lake Ecosystem INTERACTIONS

How to Write a Book About Your Job

My First Week in Space

Sophia Smith

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