WATER CYCLE

What is the water cycle?

The water cycle is the process by which water is continuously transferred between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/how-weather-works/water-cycle

How does the water cycle work?

CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE:
Water cycle cloze and crossword


INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES:
CK-12

WATER SCARCITY

MAYBE YOU DO NOT KNOW THAT WE HUMANS HAVE A SEVERE WATER SCARCITY PROBLEM.

WATCHING THIS SERIES OF VIDEOS YOU ARE GOING TO UNDERSTAND WHY.

1. When is water safe to drink?

3. Where we get our fresh water

4. Fresh water scarcity: An introduction to the problem

TO EXPLORE OTHER TOPICS ABOUT WATER EXPLORE THIS LINK:

https://blog.ed.ted.com/2017/08/08/5-ted-ed-lessons-about-water/

What is water?

YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWER TO THIS AND OTHER INTERSTING QUESTIONS CLICKING INTO THIS LINK:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z9r4jxs/articles/zkd3rwx


DO NOT FORGET TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE USING THE ATTACHED QUIZ

What are living things?

Living organisms have certain life processes in common. There are seven things that they need to do to count as being alive. The phrase MRS GREN is one way to remember them:

• Movement - all living things move, even plants
• Respiration - getting energy from food
• Sensitivity - detecting changes in the surroundings
• Growth - all living things grow
• Reproduction - making more living things of the same type
• Excretion - getting rid of waste
• Nutrition - taking in and using food
• There are two types of nutrition
• Heterotrophic nutrition: animals eat other living beings.
• Autotrophic nutrition: plants do not eat other living beings. They obtain their food from water, air and soil.

It can be easy to tell if something is living or not. A teddy bear might look like a bear, but it cannot do any of the seven things it needs to be able to do to count as being alive.

A car can move, it gets energy from petrol (like nutrition and respiration), it might have a car alarm (sensitivity), and it gets rid of waste gases through its exhaust pipe (excretion). But it cannot grow or make baby cars. So a car is not alive.

ORIGINS OF LIFE

In this in this post we're going to learn about the origin of life through a interesting series of videos and other resources.

The first and most relevant question is.... Can Science explain the origin of life?

EDPUZZLE: MYSTERIOUS ORIGINS OF LIFE ON EARTH
https://edpuzzle.com/media/5da0972a973aa641068cc593

Why People Need Plants

The purpose of this lesson is to teach students that plants provide people with food, clothing, shelter, and many other things that we use in our daily lives.




ACTIVITY 1:
List three items you use every day.
Trace each of those items back to a plant by drawing a picture.

ACIVITY 2:
Make a list of things that people get from plants. List and discuss each item.


Compare your list with this one:



Food: vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy, etc.
Oxygen: plants make this through photosynthesis
Clothing: cotton jeans, flax, and rayon fabric
Medicine: herbal teas, cancer treatment medicines developed from bark of the Yew tree, active ingredient in aspirin was developed from the bark of willow trees, etc.
Paper: from wood pulp
Furniture: lumber from trees
Cosmetics: plant dyes, plant oil fragrances, nut shell exfoliants in facial wash, etc.
Energy sources: biofuel, firewood, etc.
Shelter: lumber from trees and straw bales for homes.

ACTIVITY 3:



Distribute the following plant products to each group.

Cotton fabric
Flower
Fruit
Maple syrup
Granulated sugar packet
Perfumed vegetable soap
Vegetable
Paper
Wooden object

Discuss the origin of each product. Try to fit the using People Need Plantsworksheet, and fill out the appropriate spaces.
After groups are finished, ask one group where they placed each object.Conclusion: Humans depend on plants for survival. Variation: Instead of doing the worksheet in groups, fill it out as a class while the teacher holds up an example of each item on the list.

Air Composition And air pollutants

Unpolluted air Composition

The Earth is surrounded by a mixture of gases called the atmosphere. The main gases in the atmosphere, and their approximate percentages in dry air, are shown below.

Gases in the atmosphere

gas	percentage in dry air
nitrogen	78 per cent
oxygen	21 per cent
argon	1 per cen

The atmosphere also contains a small but important amount of carbon dioxide, approximately 0.04 per cent, and tiny amounts of a few other gases.

Activity. Draw a pie chart showing the relative amounts of the three main gases in the air.

If you need help to do that click here

Humidity

In addition to these, air also contains water vapour. The percentage of water vapour varies from one location to another, and according to weather conditions. This is why the percentages of the other gases are usually quoted for dry air.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor is the gaseous state of water and is invisible to the human eye.^[1] Humidity indicates the likelihood of precipitation, dew, or fog.

What is relative humidity and how does it affect how I feel outside

Earth's atmosphere composition has changed over time
The Earth’s atmosphere has changed over billions of years, but for the past 200 million years it has been much as it is today.

Story of the atmosphere

The composition of the present day atmosphere is very different from that of the early Earth. Evidence can be interpreted in different ways leading to a number of explanations as to how the atmosphere has changed. 

Volcanoes admit large amount of gas into the atmosphere

The atmosphere of the early Earth was largely made up of carbon dioxide and water vapour, probably coming from volcanoes. When the Earth cooled the water vapour condensed to form the oceans. 

Carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans and began to form sedimentary rocks. A lot of carbon dioxide was trapped underground and eventually formed fossil fuels. 

Indirect evidence

The early atmosphere cannot be measured directly so scientists look for indirect evidence. This includes the chemical make-up of rocks, examining air bubbles in ice cores and looking at fossils. 

Some fossils suggest early organisms underwent the process of photosynthesis, using the carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. This meant carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere went down and oxygen levels went up.

ATMOSPHERE structure

This can be interesting...
World Freefall Record


Draw the main layers of the atmosphere, label them and copy its definition from this link

The simplest life forms

The simplest life forms

Concept map

Use the words in the cloud to create your own concept map about the simplest kingdoms in your notebook. Write any connecting texts you need.

cloud

Self-assessment

Test. Choose one answer for each question and then check your answers.


IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PROTOZOA EXPLORE THIS LINK

EARTH MOVEMENTS AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

Earth's Two Motions: Rotation and Revolution

(TEXT FROM: http://hubpages.com/education/Movements-of-the-Earth)

As a planet of the sun, the Earth revolves around the sun. Besides this, it also rotates on its own axis. Thus the Earth has two motions: the rotation and the revolution.

Rotation

The Earth rotates on its axis from west to east. The axis is an imaginary line passing through the northern and the southern poles. Earth's rotation is completed in about 24 hours — this is called the daily motion of the earth. This motion is responsible for the occurrence of day and night.

• One rotation is completed when a given heavenly body crosses the observer's meridian two times in succession.
• How rotation periods are calculated: The period of rotation is calculated with reference to a star and with reference to the sun. When it is calculated with reference to a star, it is called a sidereal day and when it is calculated with reference to the sun, it is called a solar day.
• Solar days and sidereal days: The solar day is a time period of 24 hours, and the duration of a sidereal day is 23 hours 56 minutes. This difference of four minutes between a solar day and a sidereal day is due to the fact that the position of the Earth keeps changing with reference to the sun due to the revolution around it; while with reference to a star at infinity, it will remain unchanged. Thus, a sidereal day is the actual time taken by the planet for a rotation of exactly 360 degrees on its axis.
• As a result of the apparent motion of the sun, the appearance of the night sky as seen from the Earth changes from day to day. The stars rise every day, four minutes earlier than the preceding day. Also, every night, one degree of celestial sphere is added to the eastern sky while one degree is lost from the western sky.

Earth's Revolution

Revolution

The movement of the Earth around the sun in its orbit is called revolution. This movement of the earth is also from west to east. The period of revolution is one year (365 1/4 days).

The orbit of the Earth around the sun is elliptical and not circular. Due to this, the distance between the Earth and the sun keeps changing.

• When this distance is minimum, the Earth is said to be in perihelion (around January 3).
• When the distance is the maximum, it is said to be in aphelion (around July 4).

The average of the maximum and minimum distances is called the mean distance and this distance of the sun from the earth is 150 million kilometers.

The apparent annual track of the sun through the fixed stars in the celestial sphere is called the ecliptic, and an imaginary plane passing through this plane and extending outward through all points is called the plane of ecliptic. This plane is imagined to be horizontal. The axis of the Earth (rotational or polar axis) makes an angle of 66 1/2 to the plane of ecliptic.

The Earth's axis points constantly to the same point (the polar star) in the celestial sphere. As a consequence the latitude on the surface of the earth at which the sun's rays fall vertically keeps changing as the earth moves it its orbit around the sun. Due to this the earth attains four critical positions with reference to the sun.

1. The equinoxes: On 21st March, the Earth is so positioned with reference to the sun that the sun's rays are vertical at the equator and the entire world experiences equal day and night.
2. The autumnal equinox: A similar situation occurs on September 23.
3. Summer solstice: On 21st of June the sun's rays are vertical over the Tropic of Cancer as the north pole of the Earth is inclined at its maximum towards the sun. At this time, the north pole experiences a long continuous day and the south pole a long continuous night (ergo, what we know as summer solstice). The northern hemisphere has the summer season at this time and the southern hemisphere experiences winter now. Also the days are longer than the nights in the northern hemisphere at this time.
4. Winter solstice: On December 22, the position of the earth with respect to the sun is such that the south pole is inclined at its maximum towards the sun and the Tropic of Cancer receives the vertical rays of the sun. This position is called the winter solstice when the sun shines continuously in the south polar region and it is a long continuous night at the north pole. This is the winter season in the northern hemisphere and the summer in the southern hemisphere. During the winter solstice, the days are longer than the nights in the southern hemisphere.

• Thus, the variation in the duration of day and night and the change of seasons are due to the earth's revolution and the inclination of the axis of the earth. Also the seasons are reversed from the northern to the southern hemisphere.

The Midnight Sun

At the time of the summer solstice, there is continuous day at the north pole as the circle of illumination passes through the Arctic Circle beyond the pole. As a result, at the places situated beyond the Arctic Circle, the sun will be visible continuously even when it is night at the same longitude in the lower latitudes. This phenomenon is called the midnight sun. A comparable situation occurs in the Antarctic Circle during the winter solstice when the circle of illumination passes through this circle beyond the south pole.

TASK

• COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORKSHEET (answer key)

GAME

• REVISE THE MAIN TOPICS ABOUT EARTH'S MOVEMENTS GAME

THE UNIVERSE - VOCABULARY

In this post we are going to explore the main vocabulary about The Universe


Read the text in this link

Click here to test what you have learned.


Task
Copy the sentences in your notebook

ADDITIONAL TASK
Complete this fill in the gaps activity.

Now, just have some fun. Let´s play VOCABULARY GAME

SOLAR SYSTEM

Copy this image and label the planets in our SOLAR SYSTEM


NASA SOLAR SYSTEM WEBSITE

HERE YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ABOUT PLANETS

ACTIVITY
SOLAR SYSTEM ORIGIN REVIEW
Copy the information from this scheme in your notebook.

ELABORATE A TIMELINE on the HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH

Make a timeline using the data and instructions provided in this link

HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH

How life has evolved ? Discover it in 1 minute...

How old is the Earth?
4 ways to understand the Age of the Earth 

How Prehistoric Life is studied?
Prehistoric life can be studied through different approaches.
One important source of evidence are fossils. How you ever wonder how fossils can be formed?
Watch this video to discover it

Now you now that fossils are extinct creatures, but What is a living fossil? 

History of Life on Earth: step by step

Understand the main events of the History of Life on Earth through a TIMELINE
(Copy it in your notebook)

Another timeline (if you want to dig deeper).

Read about PREHISTORIC LIFE on this BBC website

History of Life on CK-12


When will the next mass extinction occur? - Borths, D'Emic, and Pritchard
About 66 million years ago, a terrible extinction event wiped out the dinosaurs. But it wasn’t the only event of this kind -- extinctions of various severity have occurred throughout the Earth’s history -- and are still happening all around us today.



A complex way to explain the History of Life on Earth ( video for advanced learners)


If you understood nothing, try to explore this:
A collection of links in Spanish

STEM CELLS

Let´s start our journey to stem cells with this wonderful award-winning video about stem cells

After watch the video try to answer this quiz

Here you have a collection of interesting areas to dig deeper into stem cell research.

First hamburger made from lab-grown meat
In August last year the world's first hamburger was grown in a lab. Starting with stem cells extracted from the biopsy of a cow, a team of scientists grew 20,000 muscle fibres over the course of three months. You can find out how they then turned these fibres into a hamburger in this news article, which includes a video on the process.

Scientists use stem cells to grow human livers in mice – video
Last July the first functional organ was generated from stem cells by Japanese scientists. This video shows how it was achieved.

Stem cell research highs and lows – interactive timeline
In 1996 the future of stem cell research looked bright, but since then its development has been fraught with troubles. This interactive timeline picks out the highs and lows.

How to clone a mammoth
Although currently unlikely, in the future it may be possible to clone a mammoth. This article looks at the role stem cells could play in this.

Resources from the Guardian Teacher Network

Understanding stem cells
This lesson introduces students to the key concepts in stem cell science. It's made up of a set of short modules, mixing group activities with teacher-led discussion.

Role play scenario
This role play is based on a public hearing of a research ethics committee, which needs to decide whether to grant a licence for a clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries.

Activities to spark debate
A collection of activities to help students explore issues surrounding stem cells, including a quiz. The resource also gives information on good websites for students to look at to find out about stem cells.

Issues surrounding stem cell research
This lesson plan from the Wellcome Trust looks at implications of stem cell research and considers how it's likely to develop in the future.

The best of the web

The history of a medical sensation – timeline
This timeline from the New Scientist documents how stem cell research has developed over time. From being identified in mice in 1981 to a trial to see if it can treat age-related blindness this year.

Debating stem cells
The political and scientific arguments surrounding stem cells are considered in this article from Time magazine, which also discusses alternatives to the method.

EuroStemCell
There are a whole host of teaching resources on stem cells on the EuroStemCell website, which brings together the research of more than 90 research labs across Europe.

PLANTS II: Plant reproduction

We will use this resource to study the basics of plant reproduction

PLANTS I: plant and flower structure

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

VOCABULARY

Plant Structure

Copy this drawing in your note book and try to label it correctly 

What Do Different Plant Parts Do?

Plant parts do different things for the plant. Match the different parts of a plant with its definition

________

Roots act like straws absorbing water and minerals from the soil. Tiny root hairs stick out of the root, helping in the absorption. Roots help to anchor the plant in the soil so it does not fall over. Roots also store extra food for future use.

________

They do many things. They support the plant. They act like the plant's plumbing system, conducting water and nutrients from the roots and food in the form of glucose from the leaves to other plant parts. Can be herbaceous like the bendable stem of a daisy or woody like the trunk of an oak tree.

________

Most plants' food is made in them. They are designed to capture sunlight which the plant uses to make food through a process called photosynthesis.

________

They are the reproductive part of most plants. Contain pollen and tiny eggs called ovules. After pollination of the flower and fertilization of the ovule, the ovule develops into a fruit.

________

Provides a covering for seeds. They can be fleshy like an apple or hard like a nut.

________

They contain new plants. They are formed in fruit.

Find the key in this link

Now, lets focus on flower structure

Let´s discover flower structure by using this funny game (abc Bitesize)

Then draw a diagram of a flower labelled with all its parts

(Use this model)

Check your answers here.

READING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITY

Plant life cycles

Every living thing goes through changes. Living things grow through different stages. Then they reach the end of their life cycles and die. There are many kinds of plants. Each kind has its own life cycle.

Many plants start their life cycles as a seed. The seed needs certain things or it will not grow into a plant. Sometimes seeds wait in the ground until they can get the things they need. They wait for warmth from the sun. They wait for water. When they have what they need, they start to grow. A tiny little sprout will push out of each seed. The sprouts stretch up until they poke through the dirt and into the air.

The plants continue to grow when they get sunshine and water. The stems grow taller and leaves unfold. More leaves and stems grow on the main stems. The adult plants grow flowers. The flowers of many plants make fruit. The fruit has seeds inside it so more new plants can grow.

New plants look like their parent plants. Seeds from a parent plant will grow into the same kind of plant as the parent. When a seed begins to grow, it is the beginning of another plant life cycle.

Questions:

1) What is the process of living, growing, changing, and dying called? 

2) How do many plants begin? 

3) What two things does a seed need to have with it in the ground to be able to grow? 

 
4) Where can you usually find seeds in a adult plant?

5) What kind of plant will a seed grow into?

You can revise your answers here

LIVING THINGS: Life's Basic Ingredients

Watch this interesting  video about the life requirements.

Then, try to fill in the linked worksheet.

Vertebrates

Let's start with some basic vocabulary

suckle, warm, temperature, birth, fur, hard, soft , hair, feathers, eggs, dry, wet, smooth, damp 

Brainpop VIDEO about  VERTEBRATES

Now you are ready to fill in this VERTEBRATES' WORKSHEET

 worksheet key

It is time to summarize the main information about Vertebrates

If you want to know more, explore some of these interesting resources...

Frog dissection

Another vertebrates' video to watch real animals!!

INVERTEBRATES and VERTEBRATES

Before start reading about invertebrates you should remember severals facts about living beings...


Whittaker proposed the five-kingdom taxonomic classification of the world's biota into the Animalia, Plantae, Fungi,Protista, and Monera in 1959.

As you can see in this flash (please, stop at 1 min. 38 s!!!), Animals (Animalia kingdom) can be classified into two main groups:

• Invertebrates: animals without a spine or backbone
• Vertebrates: animals with a spine or backbone

Let's explore invertebrates by watching this funny animation about the diferent types of invertebrates. Visit this website to know interesting data about invertebrates.

Now, try to find their names in this invetebrates' word puzzle search.

Now, it is time to revise the basics about invertebrates by filling this missing word activity.

Try to see if you can identify some invertebrates and sort them into their appropriate groups.

To finish, use all your knowledge about invertebrates to solve the invetebrates' crossword. If you need some help to solve it, click here 

If you are interested in invertebrates, please visit this link to see amazing invertebrates' photos shooted by the best nature photographers.