Found a new frog

How is your summer going?

This time of year I am constantly finding tiny frogs in my yard. They are everywhere. As I was mowing my yard yesterday I found a frog that I have never seen before. Check out the pictures-
I went to Google and typed in "identify a frog" I found the Leaping Pad, a site with tons of frog information and then I clicked on NY frogs, The Cortland Herpetology Connection.
I scrolled down the page and found my frog. It is Rana sylvativa, the wood frog. I thought it was Pseudacris triseriate, the western chorus frog but after comparing photos it is a wood frog.
Do you remember classification? Notice the genus and species names are not similar at all. Even though these frogs look similar they are in different families. Uh oh, you do remember KPCOFGS right? (kingdom, phylum,class, order, family, genus, species)
Have you seen anything unusual this summer? How about any bears?! I have heard reports they are in the area and I am on the look out.

Summer by the seashore

We took a trip to the seashore, Fire Island National Seashore. It was amazing. There are no cars so we took a ferry and walked to a campsite in the dunes. It was great hearing the ocean waves crash as I lay in the tent. We walked the beach and found lots of interesting things. This was a dead crab with small shells that had already attached to him. Even when the crab is dead he provides an environment for the small clams to live.





This next picture is algae that had washed up on shore. Can you see the round structures on the algae? Those are the air bladders. Remember those from our Algae unit? What do air bladders do?

Tell me what you have done this summer?

Bird watching- part 2

It took me a while and I missed her many times but this is the best video of the mom feeding her babies. All day she flew in to feed them and then off to find more food. It must be very exhausting being a mother bird!



check here every week. I will post you stories and pictures of my summer.
Tell me about yours. You can even send me pictures and I will post them.
My email address is sclimenhaga@albionk12.org

Have a wonderful July 4th.
Mrs. Climenhaga

Bird Watching part 1

Here at our house, just off the porch is a gourd nest. Every spring a bird lays her eggs. This year I had the camera ready to get movies.


Have you seen any bird activity? Post me a note and tell me.

Technology and Biology

Starfish Dissection

The afterschool starfish disssection was interesting. The digestive system of the starfish is unique with the mouth in the center, on the underside and then the food is delivered to each of the rays. Below are some photos.
(Click on the above paragraph for a great live video)

17 Year Cicadas

In the AMS classes this week we watched the
award winning video
Return of the 17 YEAR CICADAS
by Roger Hangarter, University of Indiana.

I thought you might like to share the video with someone. You could even tell them about the type of metamorphosis that the cicada goes through! I just know they would be interested. Go ahead, show off your science knowledge!

Here is the link for the video-
17 Year Cicadas


After you watch it check out this video from the BBC featuring
David Attenborough talking about the -

Life Cycle of the Cicada

This summer as you relax, camp, ride your bike, play ball, mow or pull weeds be on the lookout for insects. They are really everywhere! Remember insecta is the largest class of arthropods on earth (second largest? the arachnids!) Post me a note and tell me what you found and some observations you made.

An Extreme Sport and Your Body

We have read and talked about our body systems and our lifestyles, what we eat and the bad habit we should stay away from. Scientist are always looking at activities and evaluating the effects on the body. I found this article on mountain climbing and thought you would be interested. Read the short article and post me the reasons why this extreme sport can be hazardous to our bodies and what system it affects.

Mountain Climbing

Coming soon to the blog page- your dissection pictures!

Human Body Systems

These are some great sites for you to explore on the human body and the incredible systems that keep us going. This site is from the American Medical Association. Great information.

www.ama-assn.org/ana/pub/physician-resources/patient-education-materials/atlas-of-the-body.shtm

This Health score site has great visuals for each system
www.innerbody.com/htm/body.htm

How about a game? Connect the missing organs to the system

www.sciencenetlinks.com


Know your systems!! The next exam is 75% body systems.

Time to Dissect!

2008 WAS THE YEAR OF THE FROG

You have been waiting patiently and working hard to get ready for the first dissection.
This Thursday we will be examining the body systems of an amphibian. For those who are not going to do a actual dissection,

you will log onto this site for your lab. It is an excellent site that will give you real pictures of a dissection without the hands on experience.

Web based dissection courtesy of Osseo-Fairchild School District, Wisconsin

ofsd.k12.wi.us/science/frogdiss.htm


I do have other organisms to dissect. Give me your feedback on the lab,
actual or web based. I would like to know what you think.
Did you have enough time? Were the instructions clear? Did you partner or work alone?
What surprised you? Was it what you thought it would be?
Who wants to be a surgeon? a veterinarian?

MORE GENETICS

Many of you are really interested in Genetics. In the middle school we do the basics but in high school and college you will get deeper into this amazing area of science.

I have posted some sites here that you can explore that will give you answers to your questions and give you information that will make you ask more questions.

This is a good thing! A scienctist always has questions.

Never stop asking.

Genetics Learning Center

Check out the two movies, What is DNA? and What is a Gene?

You can also build a strand of DNA.

All this is on the left side of the page. Want to know more?

Check out the other titles or go to the home page. This is a great site.

DNA Learning Center

This site is dedicated to Watson and Crick.

Click on the tabs at the top to learn more about the DNA code.

Let me know what you are thinking. Post me a comment.

Genetics

If you would like to test yourself on the Punnett Squares, dominant and recessive crosses, you can click on one of the links below.
You must read carefully! Have fun.

http://www.athro.com/evo/gen/punexam.html



Genetics Practice


Let me know what you think about our genetics Chapter. What are the muddiest points for you?
(these are the things that just are not very clear)
Post me a comment!