Inquiry: How to find spring constants and what effect they had on spring expansion.
Research: We read things online
Collaboration: I worked with a classmate and we got help from Ms. Echols.
Presentation: We made a board and presented at the science fair.
Reflection: We could find the same things but look at spring contraction.
Mini Capstone: DNA
Inquiry: I wanted to know DNA patterns.
Research: I researched DNA online and DNA structure.
Collaboration: Me and a bunch of my classmates showed off our DNA projects.
Presentation: My presentation was a 4ft model of DNA made of candy. It actually was the reason I got an A on the project.
Reflection: I wish I would have made the model sturdier.
Chloe Epstein
12/6/14
Orange
Reflection
SFP-
Inquiry- I wanted to know more about Pollution and how it affects the world in different ways so I could prove it’s existence to people who think it’s not a serious problem.
Research- We gathered information by using resources like the internet and teachers who knew about this topic.
Collaboration- Since focusing on a problem like pollution we were a part of the community because if we don’t do something about our polluted climate soon there will be no community at all.
Presentation- We both took turns speaking and tried to be loud and keep people interested. We were also well prepared when answering questions.
My most intriguing project of the year would be burning glass in order to make it bend. I had never done it and never thought it could be done. I still remember what I had made.
I wanted to know why does that type of glass is able to be bent when heated, would other class have the same ability to? When I was doing the experiment, I did gather and organize some data. Such as how long it took to actually be able to bend the glass, compared with the timing of my partner’s, Miranda Abazoski. I was part of a great community, which is my class for bio, we help each other, and just support each other when needed. Such as sharing samples, data, etc. I didn’t really do a presentation with that project, it was more of a discussed type of presentation if you want to say it. I enjoyed it, it was one of the first experiments I had done here at SLA, thanks to Mr.Sherif! What I would do differently would be to leave the glass longer in the flames so I can easily bend it more, I noticed that I had to put much force into bending it, because I had took it out too quick.
Overall the experience was great! Throughout the year, almost all the experiments I really did enjoyed.
Dissection Portfolio
Inquiry - How is the human body similar/different to the bodies of other organisms?
Research - My group gathered information by dissecting the different organisms besides humans as well as looking up information from online resources.
Collaboration - I worked with my partners to help research more about the anatomy of humans, frog, and grasshoppers
Presentation - My group’s presentation was clear and easily understood by anyone reading it. All of the systems in the presentation were all clearly display via the chart of all of the bodily systems.
Reflection - I would have liked to make some of the information more thorough so we could have more to offer our class.
The most interesting project that I completed this entire year was the SFP water filtration and the follow up water filtration experiment in class.
Inquiry: Before I started these experiments I wanted to know how to filter the river water using biotic filters. The reason I wanted to know this is because half of Philadelphia’s drinking water comes from the Schuylkill River. If we can find out how to improve the water using renewable sources then it will be very time and money efficient.
Research: For research my partner and I explored plants and their root systems. We did this to understand why and how plants were excellent filters. When researched we found out that plants’ roots absorbed nutrients, phosphates, nitrates, and didn’t add any excess matter. We also researched turbidity levels and the normalcy levels for different water systems. We then looked at pH levels.
Collaboration: In terms of collaboration I had a partner for the SFP, and then worked with my table group for the in class water filtration. My partner and I worked side by side the entire time together. For the in class experiment, my group all worked on different jobs to make the results come together. We even did the experiment again to retest the results and to add some components. I also collaborated with Mr. Sherif to help with the science behind the experiment. I had a couple of peer editors for my SFP writeup.
Presentation: For my presentation I made a slideshow for the SFP with my partner. For the in class lab I wrote the data in my lab data book. For the SFP my partner and I also presented it to fellow classmates and scientists.
Reflection: When I was reflecting I was thinking about the possible errors I made and future modifications. For modifications on my SFP I would use different types of plants for filtration. I would do this because from my research I learned that plants were the most effective natural filters so I would like to find the best plant for the river.
One of my favorite capstones from this year is the Q1 genetics
BM. During this project I discovered the innards of how genetics works.
Our team studied Leukemia. Leukemia is a term that originates from
the greek roots leukos, meaning white, and aima, meaning blood.
This condition can be critical because it is a cancer that harms
the flow of your white blood cells. White blood cells are necessary for
maintaining a healthy immune system. So this issue is of extreme
concern to me.
During the Q1 semester we learned various other topic on
genetics. I learned how to read and create a punnett square. I learned
about dominance and recessive; co-dominance and hereditary traits;
etc.
Inquiry
Our team had questions on genetics and on how leukemia worked.
Research
I wanted to learn more about leukemia, so my team and I
researched what it was and what it did.
Collaboration
The team I worked with collaborated to discover the various
properties on Leukemia and genetics as a whole.
Presentation
After our research was complete, we felt obligated to present our
research to the class.
Reflection
Our classmates gave us generous feedback in which we added to our
knowledge of genetics as a whole.
Inquiry - I wanted to know some disease of the eye. We chose to study Glaucoma
Research - we had a classmate in our group that actually has glaucoma, so we got most of the information from her.
Collaboration - We assigned to each member of our group what exactly we had to research, and then we put it all together in our final presentation.
Presentation - We took turns explaining each slide, with our classmate explaining exactly what glaucoma is and her experience.
Reflection - I would probably go to one of my doctors and ask for more information to make the research more primary rather than finding the information online.
Energy in Nuts Project
Inquiry: During this particular project, I wanted to figure out if nuts were as healthy as projected on packaging and on the article
Research: I looked up caloric content of the nuts. Also, I experimented by burning the nuts and adding kilocalorie for each degree.
Collaboration: I collaborated with a few students, as they helped me measure and also provided me with new nuts to try out.
Presentation: I created a trifold board. The effectiveness was the engagement of the board as well as the design.
Reflection: What I would do differently is try a different food and compare the findings to a different set of food.
