Mantowausu | An Evolution Fantasy

Mantowausu by Jane Partsch

 

Has your imagination ever taken you away to a far-off land, full of different creatures and plants? This leopard went through the same thing, but it wasn't its imagination, it was its reality. A Mantowausu was first a figment of the imagination of me and my team. But we brought it to life with its evolutionary story and history. We gave it a name, home, diet, body, protection and more. Everything that you need to be able to be a successful species. It's habitat full of dangerous things that we had to think about and process to figure out its protection, diet, and predator(s). The food chain already figured out, was a problem that we needed to solve, seeing as our animal couldn't be the almighty animal that rules the forest and is not eaten. It needed to adapt to be able to survive. Its mutations kept it living, while natural selection was fighting for it. The Mantowausu endured a lot, hoping to find a home where it fits. The Mantowausu was part of the quest to understand evolution and the way that it works, changing the course and lives of whole species forever. The Mantowausu has shown my group and me, really just how evolution works and how it changes lives. The Mantowausu and evolutionary fantasy, has come to life. With everything it needs to survive and live on, making for a successful life. In the end, the Mantowausu shall be revealed to the public, as the wonder it really is. This has taught me about the different ways that evolution happens and what evolution does to affect different organisms and ecosystems.

Backwards-Looking

I went through a lot to get to this point. My team and I have figured what animal we wanted to make and it's evolutionary story and background. We then created the slideshow above and made sure to add all of the adaptations and information. Then we decided what our animal should look like and what its name should be. We then decided how we would make our poster and prototype. Then we made a prototype and made it look nice so that we were proud of the work that we did.

Inwards-Looking

I really like this project and am proud of this and like the work that I have produced. I really like the slideshow and the image and all of the work that we put into it. I think that we could have done a little more in the slideshow and the picture could be a little better. Overall, it was a very good project I am really proud of it.

Outwards-Looking

Compared to those groups who choose the same project, we did ours similarly. We all made a poster and a slideshow and an animal. But our animals were different as well as our slides, poster, and presentation. We decided to paint instead of color, our poster. We decided to include bullet points instead of paragraphs. We didn't label our animal's poster, others did. Some did it individually, we did it in a group. Overall, we had a lot of differences within the very similar outcome and project.

Forwards-Looking

If I was to do this project again, I would have changed my slides a little, and added more to the project. I would have added a cladogram and visual representation of the food chain and how our animal, the Mantowausu, fits into it. I would also have added some more images to the slideshow/presentation. I also would have liked to make a website for our animal that went along wth our project further exlaining our anima and it's adaptations. But I think that I managed my time well, which is an imporvement, and worked hard to get this project done and do it well.

Mantowausu | A Flying Rain Forest Cat

Evolution is a huge part of life on planet C. A mysterious, dangerous and interesting alien plant. Full of rain forests, poisonous plants, insects, birds, fish, monkeys, and huge dangerous snakes. On this strange planet, the Mantowausu was born. The Mantowausu used to be a leopard, but when challenged with the harsh and strange environment of Planet C, it chose to take its own course. It started with a mutation, one leopard's DNA was mutated so that it had wings, this trait was passed on and better developed, then through natural selection, those with wings lived longer to reproduce and passed on the trait. Then being separated from Earth's leopards in an act of genetic drift, those Mantowausu's with larger fangs and harder paws, survived longer. Able to catch food and fight back against their slithery predators, they live long enough to reproduce and pass on their traits. The Mantowausu then had another mutation. It now had oils that would release into its fur to keep it dry in the moisture of the rainforest. The Mantowausu has developed a diet for birds, fish, and a smaller monkey if it can catch it. The Mantowausu nest in crooks of trees far off of the ground to avoid the poisonous plants, as the adult's paws are hard, the poison can't enter their body, but the young paws are still soft and vulnerable. Through many adaptations and struggles, the Mantowausu has come to grow into its environment and live a good life.

S&EP
SP3: Conducting Investigations

The Mantowausu is a very interesting animal that took a lot of time to create. We had to investigate all of the properties and unique traits that the Mantowausu would possess. We investigated all of the things that the Mantowausu would need to survive and how it would get it. It was a difficult but fun process that I very much enjoyed.

XCC
XCC: Stability and Change

The Mantowausu went through a lot of change to become stable in its environment. It had to adapt and change to fit the climate and ecosystems on Planet C. It also had to keep a stable life and living practice that kept it alive and safe. This was a huge thing. Without change, the Mantowausu would have never become stable enough to continue to live and would have died out. The Mantowausu needed the change to become stable and learn to live in its environment. Change and stability really affect animals and evolution. It is the process in one phrase, changing over time to become more stable and safe as a species.

Cladograms and Common Ancestors

Cladogram Vertebrata by Biology Dictionary Editors

One of the most common things known amongst people who have studied evolution is that we all share a common ancestor. But how do we figure out which one we are the closest related to? The simplest thing to use is a cladogram. A cladogram shows us traits that certain organisms share, who their closest relative is and what common ancestor is shared most recently between organisms. A cladogram consists of a line climbing diagonally upwards, diagonal lines branching off of the baseline, the name or a picture on the top of one of the branches and a list of traits shared by the organisms as we go further up the diagram, below the baseline at certain points. To make a cladogram you first identify all of your organisms. Then you make a table of the organisms and their traits. Go through the table, it the organism has the trait, put a plus sign, if it doesn't, put a minus and if you don't know, put a question mark. Then make a Venn diagram, but not your usual two circles Venn Diagram. Start by drawing one big circle. At the bottom, put the most common trait and the organisms that share it. Then draw another circle inside that first circle. In this one write the next most common trait and the organisms that share it. Continue to do this until you have listed all of the traits. You are now ready to build your cladogram. Draw a line at the bottom of your diagram, this line represents time. Then draw a line branching off of the one you just drew, for every organism you have. Leave space at the top. You will then look at the center of your Venn diagram, you will most likely have one organism and the trait that only it has. Take that one organism and put it on the line at the front of the baseline. This would be the most recent. Then put the trait that it shares, beneath it where the organisms line meets the timeline. Then move o to the second smallest circle in your diagram. You then choose the organism that is not yet on your cladogram. Place it and the trait on the cladogram. Repeat these steps until all of the organisms and traits are on your cladogram. You can now figure somethings out. At the spot where the organisms line meets the line of time, you will have a common ancestor of that organism and the ones above it. The closer the organism is to this spot, the more recent the common ancestor, the closer they are related. You can also use this to figure out what two animals are more closely related. If they share a more recent common ancestor, they are more closely related. You can use cladograms to sort and classify organisms, as well as figure out things like common ancestors, close relatives and who the organism evolved from. Cladograms tell us a lot of things, no wonder they are so common.

S&EP
SP2: Using Models

A cladogram is a big model that helps scientists all over the world to understand organisms. Cladograms help people to figure out many things. But to make a cladogram you need other models. These include Venn diagrams and tables. These are two very useful, visual, diagrams that can help you no matter what you are looking for. Cladograms and the process to get them includes many models that make life easier for people.

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XCC: Structure and Function

Cladograms are a type of structure that has many functions. A cladogram is a simple structure of lines and words. It has many different functions. These include showing us traits that are shared, like spikes, claws and hair. It also shows us who certain organisms are more closely related to. Like Bears and Birds or Bears and Monkeys. They also show us common ancestors, like bacterias and other more recent and complex organisms. Cladograms are simple to construct, and tell you a lot about certain organisms, this is why they are used so often.

The evidence for Evolution | How we know that we evolved

 

Evolution Evidence by Jane Partsch

We know that evolution occurred in earth history. But how and why do we know this? There are 5 things that show us that evolution occurred and that it is happening. This is morphology, the fossil record, Comparative Anatomy, Homologous Structures, and Embryology. Morphology is the change in physical characteristics. The fossil record is observation seen in preserved organisms from the past. Comparative Anatomy is the comparison of living organisms. Differences and similarities in living things. Homologous Structures are structures that have different mature forms in different organisms but develop from similar embryo's. Embryology is the study of embryos. This all tells us that thing have evolved. This is because they show that some characteristics have changed over time. Which is basically the definition of evolution. They compare different things to find out how things are similar and different from each other, showing us ways that certain organisms evolve.

S&EP
SP1: Asking Questions, Defining Solutions

Have you ever wondered how evolution works, why it works and how we know that it happened? How do people know that we didn't just land on earth by unknown means, and just look somewhat like animals? I have. But it turns out that there is a ton of evidence on this subject. This evidence supports evolution and not some weird space landing. Evolution does happen, it uses different methods to drive it and evolves life. We will always have questions, and the only way to get rid of them is to define its solution,

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XCC: Patterns

Patterns are seen everywhere every day. Some are small, others are big. Some change your life and some are just part of it. But every day the patterns keep going. Evolution is a huge pattern. Always repeating itself. Changing organisms, then going and changing them again. All in a never-ending cycle, all in a never-ending pattern. Not only does evolution show a pattern, but our evidence of evolution also shows one. The evidence is like a pattern. When you compare human arms to those of other animals, you find that it looks similar, this happens no matter what you compare. Pattern. No matter what kind of pattern it is, humans tend to miss them. But if we took a moment to look around, life's patterns might just give us a clue on how to live ours.

Darwin's Finches | Darwin's Revolutionary Breakthrough On Evolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%27s_finches

Charles Darwin is one of the most widely known scientists around the globe. Charles Darwin made a major step in the realization of evolution and helped us get to where we are, right now, in our studies of it. Without him, we wouldn't know a lot about evolution. Darwin started to come up with the theory of evolution, whilst on his stay in the Galapagos islands. Darwin discovered different species of finches, all very similar, but with different beaks and adaptations. They were different shapes, sizes and differently adapted, but all could have shared a common ancestor. So, why were they so different. The more that Charles Darwin looked into this, the more he found. Darwin used his finches to come with yet another amazing discovery. For Darwin also came up with the basics of the process of natural selection. Darwin found that each beak was different from the other. On islands with lots of rainfall, islands that produced a lot of new soft seeds, smaller beaks were the popular trait. The dominant trait. But on islands that were drier, and produced less, older and harder nuts, the larger beaks were more common. This has to cause some wonder on why, if they were all from the same common ancestor, did they have different beaks. This is because of natural selection. This meant that the finches, all on different islands, started to see changes. For instance, one island gets a ton of rain for ten straight years. Many of the smaller-beaked birds are finding it easier to get food. This soon becomes the growing trait. Since the island can't hold millions of these birds, the birds with the trait that is not needed, starts to die off. Eventually, we are left with the smaller-beaked finches. Another example would be on an island with a drought. The seeds are too tough for the small beaks of the smaller-beaked finches, to break open and eat. But the larger-beaked finches find it easy to open the tough, large seeds. The smaller-beaked finches start to die of hunger, while the larger-beaked finches become more popular and continue to reproduce. Eventually, the smaller beaked trait, dies out and we are left with the big beaked trait. There is a lot of stuff that we can learn from the world around us, we just have to look. Charles Darwin looked in the right place at the right time and discovered something truly amazing, something groundbreaking. He discovered the beginnings of evolution.

S&EP
SP3: Conducting Investigations

Charles Darwin's theory was a very complex one. The theory of evolution has many different pieces and parts that must go together to make the picture whole. I conducted an experiment on the many pieces and parts that went into Darwin's discovery of such a life-changing cycle that happens in front of our eyes. I investigated the difference and evolution of Darwin's finches and came to the conclusion that the finches had adapted to become a better fit for their environment. This along with the process of natural selection made the finches what they are today, and gave us our knowledge of evolution.

XCC

XCC: Stability and Change

Change happens all around you. leaves change color, people change age, seasons pass by and organisms grow. But somehow, our world stays stable. The change not being able to throw Earth off. Just like evolution. Evolution is a change in the gene pool after a long period of time. Change in the gene pool. This change helps the organism become more stable in their environment and situation. It helps to keep the organism from toppling off of its stand, into total chaos. Evolution is the change that allows stability of a species to be possible. We evolved from apes but were able to stay stable and alive. With the help of evolution, we are where we are today. We are who we are today. Without stability and change, our world would be plain and boring. Nothing new and a big old mess. We take change in different ways, depending on who we are, how big it is and how much it affects us, our lives and our feelings. But we always seem to let little things pass by, and not notice the things and cycles and process within them. Keeping them changing and stable.

Evolution, The Greatest Show on Earth

What is Evolution? by yourgenome.org

When life started, we had only single celled, simple, life forms like bacteria and algae. How did we get to a point where life is so diverse, different and complex? Evolution. Evolution is a change in heritable traits that can be seen across many generations. It is change that happens over time. Lots, of time. You have most likely changed and are different than your great grandparents. Over a long period of time, you changed. This change might be seen in your mother, and possibly, in your kids. This is evolution. You have a change in your heritable traits that can be seen across many generations. But why did change happen? What caused the evolution? There are five main driving forces of evolution. Natural selection, mutations, genetic drift, genetic flow and mating choice. Mating choice is when you mate with a person because they have the same trait as you or a trait that you like. This means that you are choosing to pass on a certain trait. If this happens for long enough, one trait starts dying off, and the other thrives. Evolution.

Genetic flow is when people, carrying a certain trait, enter a different population. It then introduces that gene into that population's gene pool, therefore causing people to get that trait. A black fly decides that it is going to go and live in a blue fly population. The black fly mates with a blue fly, and the black fly trait enters the gene pool. Overtime, more of the blue flies, start to turn black because of the black fly trait. Evolution.

Genetic drift is the gradual loss or increase in genes in a population. Therefore causing certain traits to become more or less common, making changes in the heritable traits that the population has. A green eyed person mates with a blue eyed person. The offspring has green eyes. The blue eyed trait starts to die out in the population until it is gone and people continue on with their lives and live without it, changing the way that the population looks. Evolution.

Mutations are random changes in the DNA of a person. These can be good, bad or neutral. These new changes in the DNA can be passed on through the population, eventually changing it. The cat population has pointy, straight, ears. One cat is born with floppy ears, it's offspring now has floppy ears. This new trait is added to the gene pool and becomes more common in the population, changing the way that the cats looked. Evolution.

Last, but not least, natural selection. Natural selection is where there are at least two traits in the gene pool and one helps the organism survive better than the other. The part of the species with the bad trait dies off before they can reproduce, the part of the species with the better trait reproduces more. Therefore, the trait that is more successful will become more common and be passed on more, making it dominate and change the population. An island is home to a species of birds. They come in two colors, green and blue. The blue birds get eaten more often because they stand out more. The green birds mate and their offspring are green. The blue bird trait eventually dies out because the environment can't support their reproduction, and they die too soon to reproduce often. The green bird trait lives on, making the population be all green. Evolution.

S&EP
SP1: Asking Questions, Defining Problems

What is Evolution? How does it happen? And why does it matter? These questions are shown through millions of years of history, and all throughout today. Evolution is a way that a population changes due to mating choice, genetic drift, genetic flow, mutations and natural selection. Without evolution, we and many other species, like dogs, whales and more, wouldn't be here. This planet has changed throughout time, and with it, we came. We may be a small bit of it, but we are in Earth's history because of evolution. By studying these questions, I have formulated my own opinions and definitions, about evolution and the beginning of life.

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XCC: Cause and Effect

Evolutions is one of the biggest examples of cause and effect in life. It show the basics of cause and effect. Mating selection, is the cause of a trait to become more or less common, driving evolution and effecting the way the population is. Genetic flow causes different traits to be added to the gene pool, driving evolution and effecting the population by adding diversity. Genetic drift causes certain traits to increase or decrease in size or number. Effecting the populations size, diversity and traits. Natural selection can cause whole traits and parts of populations to disappear, lost to evolution. Effecting whole parts and systems within a population. Evolution causes life to be the way that it is now and causes it to change going forward, making it better and diverse. Effecting the way that life is lived and populations grow. All we can say is that evolution, has taken us a very, long, way.

WAC | We are not part of a 6th mass extinction

              There have been 5 documented mass extinctions. But people are wondering, are we part of a 6th mass extinction? And if we are, is it because of us? No, as a matter of fact, we aren't part of a mass extinction. In the AEON article We are not edging up to a mass extinction by Stewart Brand it says, "Viewing every conservation issue through the lens of extinction threat is simplistic and usually irrelevant. Worse, it introduces an emotional charge that makes the problem seem cosmic and overwhelming rather than local and solvable. It’s as if the entire field of human medicine were treated solely as a matter of death prevention. Every session with a doctor would begin: ‘Well, you’re dying. Let’s see if we can do anything to slow that down a little.’” We aren't in a mass extinction, we have polluted the Earth, cut down animals habitats and just straight up killed animals and plants. But even with all of that, our actions are a fraction when compared to the events of mass extinctions in the past.

                 Over our time on Earth, species have gone extinct and their numbers have dropped. But these numbers are nothing compared to the numbers of the past. They are only a fraction of the destruction. In the Atlantic article, Paleo Expert: Earth is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction by Eric Worrall, it says, “‘So you can ask, ‘Okay, well, how many geographically widespread, abundant, durably skeletonized marine taxa have gone extinct thus far?’ And the answer is, pretty close to zero,’ Erwin pointed out. In fact, of the best-assessed groups of modern animals—like stony corals, amphibians, birds and mammals—somewhere between 0 and 1 percent of species have gone extinct in recent human history. By comparison, the hellscape of End-Permian mass extinction claimed upwards of 90 percent of all species on earth.” Also in the Newsy article, Scientists Can't Agree If We're Really In A Mass Extinction by Sarah Schlieder it says, “Stewart Brand, president of the Long Now Foundation, says current rates don't signal a mass extinction because the past five wiped out at least 70 percent of all species in a relatively short time. He says current rates are too slow for us to be in the middle of one.” We may have killed species and caused them to become ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened’, but our actions are a fraction of what happened in the other 5 mass extinctions.

                Many people are interested in conservation and keeping animals alive and well. Fortunately, we have enough time to do this. If we were in an actual mass extinction, by this time, when we are noticing it, it would be well on its way and irreversible. If we were in a mass extinction, conservation would not be as big as it is now, and things would be dying at a higher rate. In the Atlantic article, Paleo Expert: Earth is Not in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction by Eric Worrall, it says, “‘People who claim we’re in the sixth mass extinction don’t understand enough about mass extinctions to understand the logical flaw in their argument,’ he said. ‘To a certain extent they’re claiming it as a way of frightening people into action, when in fact, if it’s actually true we’re in a sixth mass extinction, then there’s no point in conservation biology.’” Another thing is that in the AEON article We are not edging up to a mass extinction by Stewart Brand it says, “The five historic mass extinctions eliminated 70 percent or more of all species in a relatively short time. That is not going on now. ‘If all currently threatened species were to go extinct in a few centuries and that rate continued,’ began a recent Nature magazine introduction to a survey of wildlife losses, ‘the sixth mass extinction could come in a couple of centuries or a few millennia.’”The rate of extinction is simply not moving fast enough for us to be in a 6th mass extinction, we don’t have enough organisms gone in the amount of time since we evolved on this planet for us to be in a mass extinction.

                Some people say that our carbon dioxide levels and greenhouse gas emissions could and are causing a mass extinction. They believe that our carbon leaks and emissions are causing a sixth mass extinction. In the MIT News article, Mathematics predicts a sixth mass extinction by Jennifer Chu it says, “Taking this reasoning forward in time, Rothman predicts that, given the recent rise in carbon dioxide emissions over a relatively short timescale, a sixth extinction will depend on whether a critical amount of carbon is added to the oceans. That amount, he calculates, is about 310 gigatons, which he estimates to be roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon that human activities will have added to the world’s oceans by the year 2100.” Well, this evidence and prediction does seem good, the problem is that this would have already happened if we were in a mass extinction. He states that this could happen by 2100, but that is in almost a century and might not even happen until later on. His argument is good, but it does not show that we are currently in a mass extinction.

                Finally, we are not in a 6th mass extinction because of global warming. While we are in global warming, that doesn’t mean that animals will all die and we will go with them. In the AEON article, We are not edging up to a mass extinction by Stewart Brand he says, “But just because organisms are sensitive to change doesn’t mean they are threatened by it. Any creature or plant facing a shifting environment has three choices: move, adapt or die.” Also, “Evolution is far more rapid and pervasive than most people realize. The activity of all organisms all the time is summarized in the title Relentless Evolution (2013) by John Thompson. As Chris Tomas, a conservation biologist at York University in the UK, told New Scientist last year: ‘It is only recently we have come to realize quite how much evolutionary change is going on.’ What we might be seeing in response to climate change, he suggested, ‘is starting to look very much like a global acceleration of evolutionary rates’.” Global warming may be a big thing, and it is very important. But Global warming does not mean that we are in a 6th mass extinction, we are just going through a rough time.

                There has been 5 devastating mass extinction recorded in Earth’s history. They wiped out many species and organisms completely with only room for those who clung to life and struggled to survive. But we will not be made the 6th. While many people say that the evidence shows this, the evidence does the opposite. Life is lived happily when optimism is part of the equation, all the news about the 6th mass extinction is putting unnecessary fear into people. Global warming and animal conservation is an important topic and people should care about it, but not because it could cause a mass extinction because it is important to care. Many people think different things, we all have different views, but that is part of being human. So next time you think about the dinosaurs, be glad that you aren’t in their situation.

Geologic Time

Geologic Time Project by Mackenzie Macdonald

Have you ever wondered what life was like in the past? Like how would it have felt to be your parents growing up when they did? But have you ever wondered as far back to roughly 4.6 billion years ago? Why 4.6 billion years ago you may ask? Well, that was when the world started. This was during the Precambrian. The precambrian lasted from 4.6 billion years ago till 544 million years ago. During the longest era, Earth was formed and single celled organisms evolved. Life on Earth started. Next is the Paleozoic era. This era lasted from 544 million years ago, till 245 million years ago. This period is split into seven periods, the most for each of the eras. During this era, the continents formed, reptiles and amphibians evolved and life on Earth became bigger and more complex. The first cone bearing plants evolved and life started to speed up. Next came the Mesozoic era. The age of the reptiles. This era is split into three period and lasted from 245 million years ago until 66 million years ago. This may be the most famous and well known era from before humans evolved. Many dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Flowering plants evolved as well as birds and even mammals. Pangea was formed and broke up, at the end of this era there was a mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs and many other organisms. The last era is the Cenozoic era. The Cenozoic era lasted from 66 million years ago until present day. There were ice ages, mammoths and saber toothed tigers. Plus Homo Sapiens evolved, which started the ruling of humans and ended the animals time alone, unbothered on Earth. Earth's history has lots of chapters, each of them at least as interesting as the last. I can't wait to see how this chapter unfolds itself.


Backward-Looking

In the past I have made posters and boards. I think I have improved upon making this work by making it neater and better planed out. I spent more time on this poster making sure my drawing and writing was neat and that everything was in the right place. I layed stuff out and moved it around till it fit and looked nice. I also took time on my writing and was more creative than usual.

Inward-Looking

What was especially satisfying to me about the end result of the project was that it looked really nice, neat and creative. You could tell that it took people a long time to make it. The poster looked about how I imagined it and I was proud about the work that I did. I put a lot of effect into it and it payed off.

Outward-Looking

If someone who didn't know me looked at the piece of work that I made, they would most likely learn that I am hard-working and that I put a lot of effort into what I do.They would probably see that it just have taken a lot of time to do and that it was hard. This would show that I worked hard and put a lot of effort into the work I produced. Also they would see that it looked neat and that it looked pretty good, which usually means that someone put y=time and effort into something.

Forward-Looking

When I look at my piece, one thing that I want to improve upon is making it look more cohesive. Well the parts of the project all look nice and neat and like they could go together. I wish that it would look more thorough and have a lot more in common. I feel that as a whole it was good, but that is one thing that could be better.

The Mesozoic Era

Geological Time Scale by Andrea Perez

Earth's history is split into many pieces. This is called the geologic time scale. The geologic time scale is divided into four main parts, the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The Mesozoic Era lasted from 245 million years ago till 66 million years ago. The Mesozoic is divided into three parts. The Triassic age from 245 mya (million years ago) till 208 mya, Jurassic age from 208 mya till 144 mya and the Cretaceous age from 144 mya till 66 mya. During the Triassic age dinosaurs, turtles crocodiles and cycads first evolved, along with the rare early mammals. It also included the first bird who's name translates to "Ancient Winged Thing" . The Triassic age also included the breakup of pangea and the separation of the continents. In the Jurassic age giant dinosaurs roamed the land causing the Mesozoic to be nicknamed the age of the reptiles. During this time period the continents had now divided themselves in half to make Laurasia and Gondwanaland. The last and final part of the Mesozoic era was the Cretaceous. During this time period mammals became more common as well as flowering plants like the magnolia. This was also the time of the famous mass extinction that wiped out many species as well as the dinosaurs. The Mesozoic era is part of our Earth's history and a very important one at that.

S&EP: SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations

I planned and carried out an investigation of what life was like in the Mesozoic Era. I investigate what life had evolved and gone extinct during this era. I also investigated the weather and climate as well as major changes such as the mass extinction. There is a lot to learn about the Mesozoic Era and all that lived during it, and all that had happened. The Earth's History is interesting and full of surprises and puzzling events.

XCC: Cause and Effect

Cause and effect is a very important part of our lives and living itself. Many things have happened in our lives, and these were all caused by something. In the Mesozoic era, in the cretaceous time, there was a massive extinction. This is believed to be caused by a massive meteor that hit the earth millions of years ago. This massive extinction was thought to be the effect of the meteor that hit Earth and exploded just off the coast of current day Mexico. Thanks to a meteor, we no longer have to live with Tyrannosaurus Rex's and other dinosaurs. That must have impacted our lives as well.

Rock Cycle and Determining Relative and Absolute Age

A Sticky Cycle By Jane Partsch

The rock cycle is a very interesting cycle. It happens all around us and shapes some of the biggest landmarks in the world to day. From the eroded rocks of the grand canyon, to the sculpted beauty of Mt.Rushmore and the famous Mt. Everest. Rocks are all around us changing everyday. But even though they are changing. the help us to determine things that won't change, like our past and the past of planet earth. Rocks help scientists to figure out the relative and absolute age of different fossils and things that have happened on planet earth. But what is Relative and Absolute age. The relative age of something is how old it is compared to something else. Like how I am younger than my sister, but older than my brother. Absolute age is the age of something since it was first made. Like that painting is 126 years old. Rocks help scientists to figure out the relative and absolute age of things by showing use different layers that all represent different time periods. In sedimentary rocks, columns and groups of fossils help to show use the relative age of different organisms that lived on planet earth. This is because if the first layer of rock is the oldest and the top layer is the youngest, we can determine which fossils are younger than other one, and which are older depending on what layer they are found in. In other rocks, layers can represent what the earth was like at that time period. It also helps us to figure out relative ages of certain things like the San Andreas fault line. The San Andreas fault line is younger than the rock that it cuts across.This is because the rock had to be there to have the fault cutting across it. You can't rip a paper if you have no paper to rip. Overall, rocks all around the world help scientists figure out what happened in the past, and what could happen in the future.

SP3: Planning and carrying out investigations

I planned and carried out an investigation of how fossils and different rock layers help us to figure out what happened in the past and what could happen in the future. I was also able to organize different layers of rocks based on the fossils and the knowledge that I had about different species like ourselves, the homo sapiens. I figured out that scientists can learn things about our past and apply them to the future because what happens now, must have happened in the past and the other way around. 

XCC: Patterns

We see patterns all around us in life. From birthdays, to weekly events and different ways to count things. Patterns are all around us. One of the patterns that I see most in my life is going to school. This is something that repeats on the same basis and for a long period of time each year. Monday through Friday. The first day through last. Repeating and repeating and repeating itself. Seeing as I go to school, this pattern is a big part of my life and will soon upgrade itself to being work. Working Monday through Friday the first day till last. This is a pattern that I find to be like background noise. Basically, waking up every morning to go to school is routine for me. It is not a big deal for me that I go to school. It is just something that I do. School itself is big, but going is not. It, like many other patterns, is something that is not as noticed as other things, but they still are a big part of our life.

Why I came back to AdVENTURE

AdVENTURE STEM by @AdVENTURESTEM

This is my fourth year here at AdVENTURE. I came back to AdVENTURE because I love how the program has PBL - Project Based Learning - I also like how you move teachers but stay with you class because that way you can do more cross-class projects and work in the same groups. It also helps to get to know new people and make more friendships over the years. I love this school because I love my teachers and what I am learning about STEM (Science, Technology,  Engineering, Math) and how to use the things I learn, in everyday life. This helps because the older I get the closer to becoming an adult and having to really use all these skills, I get. Over all it is a very good school.


I like the PBL learning because I feel like it helps to learn things more deeply when you are collaborating with people that have different opinions. This helps to build up teamwork and the understanding of different views. It also helps to know more than one view on a situation or problem because then there are more possible ways to solve it and you can learn different things. I also like PBL because it allows you to learn hands on. This helps me better understand what I am working on.

I also love all of my teachers and the whole STEM set up. I like the STEM set up because you learn about different skills that are very useful and come in handy later on in life. I also like the STEM set up because it prepares you for a life of living in a technology based world. It helps me to better understand technology and how it works. I have learned and will learn lots more skills that I will need to use later on in life.

For this last year at AdVENTURE I want to reach some goals. I want to get Valedictorian and continue my all A's streak. I also want to be able to break one of the girls mile records because I am 3 seconds away from the first one. This year I also want to become the class representative to be in student council. I want to achieve a lot this year an I know that with my teacher help, determination and all that I have learned, I will be able to meet my goals and continue to work hard.

AdVENTURE is a amazing school. I could not have chosen better. This school has prepared my for life later on and being able to find my place in the fast growing, technological world. I have learned a ton and have been taught to strive for greatness. I love this school and will be sad when the end of the year rolls around and I have to say goodbye. I love AdVENTURE, this is why I have decided to stay at AdVENTURE for as long as I have.