My Science Portfolio Mrs. Paine

Science Notebook This year I have learned that the most important science tool that I can learn to use well is my Science Notebook. I use my science notebook for taking notes that the teacher gives us in class. I use my notebook for writing down my investigations, collecting data, creating scientific sketches, and communicating what I have learned this year. I also use my notebook to help me study and prepare for assessments. It has become one of the most valuable tools I use in science.

Science Tools One of the new tools I have learned about in science this year is the graduated cylinder. You use a graduated cylinder to measure the volume of liquids. But the fascinating thing I learned is that you can also use it to measure the volume irregular shaped solid objects such as rocks and marbles. You use something we learned called water displacement. Water displacement is when you measure the amount of water before you put the object in the cylinder, then measure the water level after you put the object into the cylinder. You subtract the differences of the water levels, then ‘wala’, you know the volume of the irregular shaped solids. Pretty cool, huh?

Scientific Method We use the scientific method to organizer information when we are conducting an investigation or experiment. It is a series of steps that you follow. The steps are: Create a Question/Problem Research Make a Hypothesis (this is a prediction) Plan and Conduct your experiment Observe and Collect Data Analyze your results Draw (this means write) your conclusion One way I have used the scientific method is when we were experimenting with different types of food. We were trying to find out which food had the most fat content. First we…….

Physical Science Learning About Matter One thing I have learned about matter this year is…….. Three new vocabulary words I have learned and their definitions.

Physical Science Matter (cont.) An investigation I did to learn more about matter was…..

Physical Science Matter (cont.) The most interesting thing I have learned about matter is…. Some questions I still want to learn about matter are……

Force and Motion These are some things I learned about force and motion:

Forms of Energy Some forms of energy I learned about were…..

Electricity Explain how you built an electric circuit and how it worked. Explain how you transformed electrical energy in to light, heat, and sound energy during your circuit investigation.

Thermal and Sound Energy Compare and contrast thermal and sound energy.

Light Energy Describe what you learned about light energy, the way light interacts with different surfaces, (opaque, transparent, translucent; absorb, reflect, refract) lenses (concave and convex), and prisms. Give some examples.

Space Science What I learned about the planets and other objects in space.

The Sun Five fascinating things I learned about our Sun:

Moon Phases Tell what you learned about the phases of the moon.

Earth Science Our Amazing Earth This is what I learned about the layers of the Earth

Forces below the Crust Write what you learned about what you learned about changes to the Earth’s surface from forces below the crust such as: -Plate tectonics -Pangaea -earthquakes -volcanoes, etc.

Forces on and above the Earth’s crust Write what you learned about forces that cause changes to the Earth’s surface such as: -Wind, water, ice -weathering, erosion, depostion -constructive and destructive forces

Landforms Choose at least 3 landforms that you learned about and tell what you learned: Example: One landform I learned about was a sand dune. A sand dune is formed when wind weathers and erodes sand, picking it up, and depositing in a pile in a new place. I made a sand dune when I went to the hands on station in class. I blew a straw through a hole in a box that had sand in it. I could see the wind moving (eroding) the sand and piling it in a new place (depositing). A sand dune is a create by a constructive force because the sediments pile up.

Properties of Soil INSERT A PICTURE OF YOU OBSERVING SOIL FROM THE HANDOUTS FILE Write about what you learned about properties of soil. Refer to what you are doing in the picture and what you did in the observation. Use your data chart you made in class about properties of soil.

Soil Retention/Absorption INSERT A PICTURE OF YOU DOING THE RETENTION/ABSORPTION EXPERIMENT FROM THE HANDOUTS FILE. Write about what you learned about soil retention and absorption when you did the experiment in class. Tell which soil you tested, what did our data show, and what was your conclusion. Refer to the picture you inserted and use your notes from the class experiment.

Water Cycle Explain what you learned about the water cycle, the steps (precipitation, run off, evaporation, transpiration, condensation), and why it is important.

Carbon Dioxide-Oxygen Cycle Explain what you learned about this cycle, who does what (plants, animals), and why it is important.

Nitrogen Cycle Write about what you learned about the nitrogen cycle, how it works, why it is important, etc. Make sure you include something about decomposers and how the nitrogen is ‘fixed’ so plants can use the nitrogen to pass on to us.

Plant Cycle Choose a plant and create a labeled diagram of its life cycle, or explain its life cycle.

Animal Life Cycle Choose 2 different animals and compare and contrast their life cycles. (example: rabbit and a butterfly; or a frog and a human). You may create labeled diagrams if you would like.

Inherited Or Learned Explain what you learned about inherited traits and learned behavior. Use the notes in your science notebooks to tell about something you learned from one of the Ipod videos you watched about inherited or learned (example-trained penguin, Skidboot, Jump rope podcast, penguins in the wild, octopus in the fish tank, ect.)

Adaptations Write about what you learned about adaptations. Explain some of the plant and animal adaptations that you learned about that helps living organism survive in their environment (camouflage, mimicry, plant roots and spines, animal beaks, fur, etc.) and how these animals use these adaptations to meet their needs.

Food Chains/Food Webs Create a food chain below. Explain what a food web is and how it works.

Predator/Prey Relationships Describe what you know about predator/prey relationships. Write about what you learned when you played the “Oh, Deer” game.

Biome/Ecosystem Use your notes to write about two biomes we learned about in class. Compare/contrast how they are alike and how they are different. What is the climate, the animals that live their, the landforms we will find, etc.)

Collin County Adventure Camp Use the next 2 slides to tell about what you learned when you went to the outdoor education camp. After you have written about your experience, choose 1 or 2 pictures from the picture folder to add to your portfolio, and write about the pictures you chose.

Collin County Adventure Camp cont.

Favorite thing you learned and did this year!!!