Week of January 19-24

Monday was a special day for all of us in one way or the other. Some of us liked it and some of us didn't like. Some people liked it because we were off of school and we can get away from homework and have a break from our teachers. Some of us like it because we can spend the day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all the great things he's done. But me I wasn't to fond of that day. Well actually I don't really remember because I got a concussion sledding.
On Tuesday I wasn't in so I don't know what we did. But Tuesday did make history with the inaguration of Barrack Hussein Obama the first African American president!!!! I wasn't in again because of the accident on Wednsday which was the day that all of you had the science test that I still have to take.
On Thursday we talked more about cell reproduction and why sperm and egg cells only half the amount of DNA. This is because they have to combine to create an organism.
On Friday we talked about the details of how cells reproduce and the different stages of the reproduction.

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Week of January 12-16

This week we reviewed about protein synthesis and got started on a new unit about reproduction. On Monday we reviewed everything about how DNA uses Thymine instead of Uracil. And RNA uses Uracil instead of Thymine. We learned also how cytoplasm, ribosomes,and also the rough ER are involved in the process of protein/enzyme synthesis. A codon has a group of nuclaic bases. mRNA delivers the information from the nucleas about the DNA and proteins and brings it to the ribosomes which are in the rough ER. The ribosomes read the mRNA codon by codon and as they are doing this amino acids are being released. So tRNA go and bring the acids by the specific codon. On one side of the tRNA is the binding site for the amino acid and the other is the anticodon designed to the specific amino acid. Then the amino acids stack on top of eachother like a ladder. They do this until all of the amino acids are stacked together and then they become a disorganized line which is the protein. That night we made a map of the whole process and on Tuesday we went over it.
On Tuesday we went over it by acting it out. Someone was the Ribosome, someone was the tRNa, and some people were amino acids, and ect. Then after we did that we started the new unit on reproduction. We got started on the basis that cells come from other cells. Continuing from this we learned that there are two kinds of reproductions. There is sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is when you need a sperm cell and an egg cell, which when combine create an organism like an animal or a human. And with reproducing sexually the cells/organisms are'nt exactly the same. Asexual reproduction is when you don't need a male or a female. For example cells reproduce asexually by duplicating and the cells are exactly the same.
On Wendsday we went over everything and most of us got started on the studyguide to study for the test on next Wendsday. We also worked on a work sheet on the last few days of the week. We looked at the tip of an onion root which we examined. GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week of January 5-9

This week we focused on photosynthesis and protein synthesis. We built a chart of photosynthesis that consisted of how water and energy from the sun contribute to the making of glucose and oxygen. Carbon Dioxide that we breath out also contributes to this process. It's like a cirlce. We breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide that the plants take in and then they release oxygen that we breath in. Then a small animal eats the plants. A large animal eats a little animal. While this is happening the glucose of the plant is still in their bodies. Finally we eat the large animal and we get the glucose. Then the process of protein synthesis comes into play. Many processes take place during protein synthesis like transcription and translation. As we learned on Thursday from two simulations. One describing transcription and one describing translation. Transcription is the process where DNA is read and made into RNA. Translation is the process where the ribosome reads the RNA made from the DNA and makes into a protein. On Friday we had a quiz on all of this. I hope everyone did well ( including me)!!!!!!!!