Macromolecules - 9/19 - 9/23

Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Structures_of_macromolecules.png

Summary:

     Macromolecules are organic molecules that are needed to support life. Examples of macromolecules are lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. Macromolecules can be found in many things that we use everyday. Lipids can be found it waxes, proteins can be found in meat or fish, nucleic acids can be found in DNA and RNA, and carbohydrates can be found in bread, pasta, rice, vegetables, etc. The simplest form of macromolecules are called monomers. The monomer for lipids is fatty acids, protein monomer is called amino acid, carbohydrates monomer is called saccharides, and nucleic acids polymer is called nucleotide. Macromolecules have their own functions as well. Proteins regulate growth and development, lipids store energy in the cell, carbohydrates are essentially energy, and nucleic acids provide instructions for life (DNA and RNA)

SP7 - Arguing From Evidence:

     This week, I used the ACE strategy to answer questions in my work. On one assignment, I was given a set of 4 food items' nutrition facts and I was supposed to fill in the information on table. After that, I was given scenarios and I was supposed to find the food that would be best eaten for that scenario. For example 'If you wanted to heal or build up body mass, which food would you want to eat(from your food set)?" In that part of my work, I answered the food that I thought would best fit the scenario, cite my work by giving out the nutrition facts (carbs, protein, etc.), and explain how the food would help. In the example question above, I explained that my food had the highest in protein and that protein regulates development and growth. This one example of how I ACEd my answers in my work.

XCC - System and System Models:

     One system I noticed this week was a system involving macromolecules and living things. Macromolecules provide the necessary things for life such as Nucleic Acid which creates DNA and RNA for the living things to function. Proteins are needed to regulate growth and development, and Carbohydrates provide energy for the cell. Living organisms such as animals and plants consume or use macromolecules such as carbohydrates and proteins in food such as bread or meat. The two parts of this system- the macromolecules which helps support life and the things that consume the macromolecules- living organisms work together to help the living organism work.

           

Final Cell Wars Blog - Project Reflection

My Website: https://tackk.com/mne5wy

Summary:

     All organelles have different functions to help the cell. The vacuole holds in waste and helps plants grow. The ribosomes create proteins which creates hair. Lysosomes breaks down waste, the golgi body sorts, modifies and delivers components for the cell, and peroxisomes breaks toxins such as hydrogen peroxide. The cell wall protects the cell and keeps the plant together, and the cell membrane is basically another layer of cells and protects everything. The cytoplasm moves materials and information and fills up the nucleus and the endoplasmic reticulum transports proteins to other cells.

Backwards Looking:

     Have you done a similar kind of work in the past (earlier in the year or in a previous grade; in school or out of school)? Yes, I did do a project that covered the topic of cells and organelles. This project was called 'The Organelle Trail'. In this project, you were assigned a partner and an organelle. With your partner, you must make a wanted sign for the organelle. In your wanted sign, you must have the 'Wanted: [Organelle]' text, a picture of the organelle, its function(s), its location in the cell, what it contains inside the organelle, and a brief description of it. In this project, I learned about the Cytoplasm and its properties and functions.

Inwards Looking:

     How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work? I thought that this project was pretty fun to do because I got to learn about the organelle that I was studying about (the mitochondria) and apply the information about the mitochondria into my posters, smears and video. The part that I enjoyed most in the project was making my smears and because I got to put my creativity into the smears (especially making the memes for the smears) and research and learn more about each organelle. I also enjoyed making the posters since they looked really nice at the end and gave information about the mitochondria. The part that I didn't really like was the creation of the video and presentation because the work on the video was a bit tedious and repetitive and I feel like I didn't really do a good job at editing it.

Outwards Looking:

     Did you do your work the way other people did theirs? In what ways did you do it differently? In what ways was your work or process similar? For the most part of the project, yes. I did do the project similar to other students. One thing that I did differently was instead of making a video informing people about my organelle, I made a song/video of my organelle. I saw that no one else made a song for their organelle. Another thing that I did that was different from classmates was that I didn't name my organelle. Many teams gave their organelles a name, such as Perry the Peroxisome, Camillo Golgi, etc. My team and I didn't really give our organelle a name. Again, for the most part of the project, we did the same things as other classmates. I made smears with memes and sources, posters with the same format (which was "Vote for [organelle]- [organelle does this and that]").

Forward Looking:

     What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again? If I was to do the Cell Wars project again, I would change a couple of things. One thing that I would like to change is the video type. The type of video that I made was a song, which didn't satisfy me. This is because I am not used to making songs and I feel like I would have done better on the video part of the project if I did not do a song, but instead a news report or skit, since I am pretty good at writing scripts for those. Another thing that I would like to redo for this project is the smears. I would've liked to make more smears, since I feel like I didn't make enough smears (I only made 2).

Vote:

      My vote for the Cell Wars is the Golgi Body. This is because the Golgi Body sorts, modifies, and ships proteins and components for organelles all around the cell. Although Golgi Apparatus causes Androgenesis, it is really rare. Without the Golgi Body, there is no protein packaging. Without protein packaging, organelles such as lysosomes would not have enough enzymes to function, and waste would build up in the cell.      

Cell Wars: Posters & Video - 9/5 - 9/9

Image Source: http://www.lhsc.on.ca/_images/Genetics/mitochondrion_000.jpg

Summary:

     The Mitochondrion is the power house of the cell. It provides energy to all the organelles around it. Without the Mitochondrion, many animals and plants would not exist since they require a lot of energy, and most living creatures would be bacteria. The inner membrane of mitochondria is folded and creates cristae. Cristae increases the surface area of the inner membrane, and allows the matrix, the part that is inside the inner membrane, to work at its most. The outer membrane of the mitochondria acts like skin, protecting the mitochondria.

  

SP7 - Arguing From Evidence: 

     This week, I argued from evidence and attempted to convince the class that mitochondria is the best organelle in the cell. In the video that my team and I were making this week, we said that mitochondria is the power house of the cell and nothing big would survive without them. We also explained the structure of the mitochondrion, and said that the mitochondria has two things: the inner membrane and the outer membrane. The outer membrane acts like the skin and the inner membrane is folded to increase surface area and maximize productivity. We also explained the function of the cell. The mitochondria collects sugar and organic molecules, chemically digests them into energy, and it is given to all organelles.

XCC - System and System Models: 

      This XCC is similar and kind of adds on to what I put in my XCC concepts in my blog two weeks ago. I noticed a similarity to an electronic device and a cell. A cell has its parts and its functions, such as the mitochondria, vacuole, lysosome, nucleus, etc. All these parts work together to achieve one or more things. An electronic device does the same thing. Take a computer for example. A computer has a hard-drive, a battery, screen, a sound card, a motherboard, etc. All these components of a computer work together to accomplish the things a computer does. The parts on a computer are also comparable to those on a cell. The battery is similar to the mitochondria, providing energy for the computer, the CPU is similar to the nucleus, acting like the brain of the cell, etc. In conclusion, cells act similar to electronic devices.

Cell Wars: The Mitochondria - (8/29 - 9/1)

Image Source: http://goo.gl/MbxUlK

Summary:

     Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. It takes sugar and organic molecules, (chemically) breaks them down and produces rich energy for all organelles in a cell. Think of the mitochondria as batteries. Without batteries (in this case mitochondria), no living thing would function. The shape of the mitochondria is meant to make the most out of itself and maximize its productivity. The inner membrane is folded to increase surface area inside the mitochondrion, giving it more space to work with. If a cell is too weak, it can produce more mitochondria to give itself more energy

SP7 - Arguing From Evidence:

     This week, I participated in the Smear Wars on Edmodo. In the Smear Wars, I pointed out the flaws and negative things that some organelles cause, and also defended the organelle I was campaigning for; the mitochondria. In the Smear Wars, I gave an explanation as to why a certain organelle should not be the new ruler of Cell Land, either for that specific organelle causing a severe disease or the vulnerabilities of the organelle. For example, the Cell Wall has holes in it, which allows a lot of water to escape from the plant. After explaining the flaw(s) of the organelle, I provided sources to back up my claim.

XCC - Structure and Function:

    In class, I noticed a Structure and Function with the mitochondria. The structure of the inner membrane of the mitochondria is folded to create more surface area and space. The more space given to the mitochondria, the faster and efficient it works. This is one way the structure works with the function- the structure maximizes productivity of the mitochondria. The outer membrane also provides a lot of space for the inner membrane to work in.

Review of Cells - 8/22 - 8/26

Image Source: http://goo.gl/jBAoWr

Summary: 

     Cells are in all living things and are the basic building blocks of life. There are billions upon billions of cells in each living organisms. Inside cells are tinier cells called organelles. Organelles  are the things that make a cell function, similar to a cell phone. A cell phone has many parts in it, which help it function. Different organelles each have their own function. For example, mitochondria help power the cell and keep it alive, and is responsible for basic cell activities.

 SP6: Constructing Explanations: 

     This week, I reviewed the topic of cells, organelles, and atoms. I also started the "Cell Wars" Project. The first work sheet I had was finding the "odd one out" for two lists. I was given two sets of lists of items, and I was supposed to find the item that did not fit in each list. I found out that list A had items made of cells and list B had items made up of atoms (with no cells). After solving the problem, I had to explain which was bigger; an atom or a cell. I said that a cell was bigger because everything is made of atoms, including cells. Since cells are made of millions upon millions of atoms, a cell is definitely bigger than an atom.

 

XCC: Systems and System Models:

      One thing I noticed when studying cells and organelles, I found out that there was a system with cells and organelles. The system I found was the cell and the system parts were the organelles. I saw that organelles work together to create a functioning cell. For example, the mitochondria provides energy for the cell, and allows other organelles in the cell to function. Also, the nucleus, powered by mitochondria, controls cell activity. This example proves that without one organelle, the cell would die out. Another thing to point out is that this cell system can work with other cell systems to create tissues, organs, and organisms.

    

Multiplier:

      This week, I was a Wanderer (Active Contributor). This is because I was always trying to find information on cells or the topic. Although I wasn't as dedicated as a Creator (Dynamic Contributor), I still always tried to find information on the topic and share it with my team/table.

Weekly Blog 5/9 - 5/15 - Food Systems

Image source: https://goo.gl/oSC74L

Summary (What I learned):

      When taking a bite out of an apple, do you ever ask: "Where did this come from?". You probably might not have even cared or thought about this question, but an apple, or any food product, goes through a long system to get to your house. This is called a Food System. First, the fruit or vegetable is planted in a farm and is taken care of. After that, the fruit or vegetable is harvested and then taken into a factory. When the food is in the factory, it is processed to either make the vegetable look appealing (like the way you see it in supermarkets) or combined with other food products to make one food product. For example, tomatoes are mixed with spices and other ingredients, such as vinegar, to make ketchup. After being processed, the food product is then stored in a cold, hot, or room temperature area depending on how it is preserved. For example, if you are storing meat or milk, you would put it in a cold area. After being stored, the food product is packaged, put it a truck or some other form of transportation, and put into the market, where you buy it. After you buy the food product, you take it home and consume it. Now that you consumed it, what do you do now? Do you compost the food product or throw it away? Food products get wasted in each step in the Food system. For example, during harvesting, not all fruits and vegetables are picked, even though they are still edible, and those unpicked foods are left to die.

SP-8: Obtain, Evaluate, and Communicate Information (What I did):

     This week, I obtained information about the food system by researching about it, doing an activity that showed the food system of an apple, doing another activity about learning the food system of chicken products, and discussing this topic with my table mates. When working on these activities last week, I evaluated the information I found by searching up the facts, and then using background information to support it. For example, I learned online that the first step of obtaining chicken products is raising the chicken. To make sure this was true, I thought to myself, is there any steps before raising a chicken? I already know that you need to raise a chicken before you do anything with it, so this information was correct. I communicated the given information by discussing it with my table and adding it to the 'Food System: Apples/Chicken" Chart.

XCC: System and System Models:

     When studying about food systems, I noticed that there was a System and System Models. The System was the food system, which I explained in the Summary, and there were also System Models. The System Models, which made the Food System work, was the Factory, Transportation, Retailers, and Farmers. The Farmers helped create the food, the Factory helps process the food, the Transportation transports the food to where it is, and the Retailers help sell the food to you, and then you eat it. Without these components, the food system would not work.

Multiplier/Conclusion:

     This week, I gathered data about food products and the process they go through to go to your house. I also learned about how much of that food is wasted during this system, how it could be wasted in each step of the system, and how to not waste it in each step of the system. This week, I was also a Wanderer, exploring the information and sharing it with my team.

     

Project Blog 5/2 - 5-6 - Biome Survival Project

Image Source: https://goo.gl/qAHWTT

Summary: 

     The Tundra Biome is the most coldest biomes in the world. This Biome is so cold that it makes it hard for life to live there. This is why in the Tundra there is very little vegetation or life there. If you were to survive in the Tundra, there would be many things to consider, such as: Food, Water, Shelter, Fire, and knowing all the dangers. Besides the cold weather, the Tundra Biome has almost no resources. Although it is abundant with water, it lacks vegetation, which makes it hard to find food or find trees for wood to make fire. It also has many dangerous animals and plants such as polar bears and monkshood. There are also no trees in the Tundra, which reduces your chance of finding shelter and materials.

Backward Looking:

      In what ways have you gotten better at this kind of work? I believe I have improved on researching information on certain topics and text production. I believe that during the project, I gradually started to find reliable information a bit faster. To find reliable information, I would research on one topic, such as 'Dangerous Animals and Plants in the Tundra". I would find one website, write down the information it has on that topic, and find another information with the same information. If the first website I looked up didn't have any matching information, I wouldn't add it. This is how I found information on this project. During this project, I think I got faster at it.

Inward Looking:

     How do you feel about this piece of work? What parts of it do you particularly like? Dislike? Why? What did/do you enjoy about this piece or work? I feel like the Biome Project was a really fun project to work on. This is because it was satisfying to work on the text product and finish it and learn about the Tundra Biome. The part that I particularly liked was making the text product, mainly because I liked how it looked like at the end and the information it displayed. The part I dislike about this project was the Diorama part. Normally, I would feel happy to work on a Diorama on a project, but I feel like the making of the Diorama didn't go as I thought it would, and I feel like we finished it a bit late(?). Overall, I think I enjoyed most of this project, though.

Outward Looking:

      What grade would you give it? Why? If I were to give a grade on my specific part on the project, I would give myself an A-. This is because I believe I did a really good job contributing to the team and helping them with the project. However, I also believe that I could have done a little better on researching information or doing more work in the Diorama. This is because I believe I could have contributed more into making the figures in the Diorama, since I feel like I didn't my full effort on it. I also think I could have found a little more information on the text-product part.

Forward Looking:

      What would you change if you had a chance to do this piece over again? If I were to do this project again, I would plan out what I was going to do, the deadlines, what I should get started on, etc. This is because I feel like I didn't plan out as much, which made me feel a bit mad or frustrated at times. I would also like to improve on the Diorama part of the project. This is because I believe things could have gone a little better or I could have improved on that part. The things I could have improved on during the diorama was the materials used or the planning.