Evidence for Continental Drift

As you know, Alfred Wegener came up with the theory of continental drift based on evidence he had gathered from different scientific fields. His idea was that all of the continents were once one large landmass and have since moved apart. His evidence came from land features, fossils and climate changes. Since Wegener's time scientists have found a lot more evidence that the continents have moved. Research continental drift and find at least 2 specific examples of evidence that the continents have moved.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

After flying around in the atmosphere, now we are descending into the solid part of the earth. In class, we brainstormed questions about the structure of the earth. Pick one of these questions to research and post your findings:

1. How old is the Earth and how do scientists figure this out?

2. How did the Earth form?

3. How did the oceans form?

4. Why are the oceans salty?

5. Who has been to the deepest part of the ocean and how did they get there?

6. How do scientists think magnetic polar shifts happen?

The Atmosphere

The atmosphere has 4 main layers; the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere and the thermosphere. These layers are characterized by changes in temperature, but each has different phenomena that occur there. Research one of the layers of the atmosphere and write an interesting fact that you learned about it in your blog comment for this week.

Frogs!!!

This week we will wrap up body systems by dissecting frogs and looking at their various body systems. We will be comparing their organs with our own. Do some research on frogs and share in your comment some interesting facts that you've learned.

Animal skins

Our skin has many functions. It serves as a barrier, protecting the skin from injury, infection and water loss. It also helps to regulate body temperature and eliminate wastes. It produces vitamin D. Finally it helps us gather information about our environment through our sense of touch. Our nails and hair are both part of our skin.

All animals have some type of skin serving these functions. Research a type of vertebrate animal (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird or mammal) and find out about how their skin has been modified to help them survive.

Excretory System

You've just learned how the kidneys filter blood in the microscopic units called nephron. Wastes such as urea form urine which travels from the kidneys to the urinary bladder by way of the ureters. From the bladder, urine travels through the urethra out of the body. Do other animals produce urine in the same way?

Choose any animal and research how that animal filters wastes out of its body. Do they have kidneys or another organ that does the same job?

Diseases of the heart and lungs

So far in our Human Body Systems unit, we have studied the skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems. You have learned all about how these systems work when everything functions normally, ie when you're healthy. What happens when something doesn't work right, when you're ill? Find out about one disease or disorder that affects one of these systems. Explain what doesn't work right and how doctor's treat the problem.


Examples - Skeletal: osteoporosis, scoliosos, bone cancer
Muscular: Muscular distrophy, fibromyalgia,
Digestive: stomach ulcers, Krohn's Disease, diverticulitis, stomach cancer
Circulatory: leukemia, anemia, sickle cell anemia, aneurism
Respiratory: Emphysema, lung cancer, bronchitis

How does it get oxygen?

All animals need oxygen for cellular respiration. Plants need oxygen, too. Most organisms do, although for some bacteria and archaeans oxygen is toxic. Humans are mammals, and like all mammals they use lungs to get oxygen out of the air. Find out about how other animals get oxygen for cellular respiration. Again, remember that invertebrates such as worms, snails and insects are also animals. Write 2 interesting facts about the respiration system of your animal choice.

Blood Thirst!!

For those of you who have read the Twilight Series, or are reading it, you know that blood plays a focal point of the plot. For those of you who haven't read and/or don't want to, its about vampires. Vampires use blood as their food source to survive. While vampires are a creation of fiction, sometimes fact is even stranger. There are a variety of animals that feed on other animals' blood. Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, leeches, bed bugs, and vampire bats are just a few. There's even a vampire finch that drinks the blood of other birds.

Do some research of your own about one of these animals or another type of sanguivore (blood eaters.) Write a short paragraph (5-6 sentences) about what you learned about them. Please no paragraphs on human vampires!

Cardiovascular System

You’ve been learning about the human heart. Our heart has 4 chambers and is divided into a left and a right side. What about other animals? Find out about the hearts of fish, amphibians, reptiles, or birds. Just pick one and tell how many chambers their heart has and how it pumps blood through their bodies.

Digestive System

All animals need to eat in some fashion to get energy. Do all animals have esophagi, stomachs and intestines? Remember caterpillars, worms and sponges are animals, too. Pick an animal and find out one fact about the digestive system of that animal. Post your fact in the comment section of the blog by Friday 3/13. Please only post once and remember to use only your first name and last initial.