The Grand Finale

Well, dear readers, here is the final installment in our Science CEO: The Blogging Project. It was a project to share aimed to share our knowledge in Science (plus our adventures) via the worldwide web. This has been more than a class activity, and it's worth more than grades. A whole lot more. This is a way we can share and express with the world what WE think, because it's worth something.

Beforehand, our group, RECaJiInna,  talked about how we were going to do this project. We had to decide on a name for our blog, which had to be unique and at the same time describe each of us in our group. We decided that a mash-up of our names would be the easiest way to do that. Then we had to communicate with each other the tasks we were assigned to do to make this blog look GOOD. Everyone in the group needed to participate actively so that he/she may have a part in the blog as an important member.

At first, we encountered the amateur mistakes because we were new to this whole blogging thing. We explored the things we could do with the layout and finally, we became familiar with the settings.  Our main problem for the blog was when we didn't understand what the other members were doing, and bad communication usually leads to problems. We fixed these problems later on as we had group discussions, either through YM conferences or face-to-face in school. We were able to edit our mistakes, typos and grammar errors thanks to comments from other groups and our teacher. Thankfully, we made it through! And, voila! We present our blog!

If we were asked to do this again, we would agree to do it in a heartbeat. No hesitation! This is F-U-N! And it's the type of intelligent fun you find in a learning experience like this! You can learn something new, you can express what your feeling, you get to explore the world (and your computer) and you bond with your friends. We would definitely do this again, and we think future batches would enjoy doing this too!

We don't really think the way the CEO was handles should be changed. It was an organized method, and we easily knew what we were supposed to be writing about and who we should be commenting on by just visiting  http://sciencebloggingproject.blogspot.com/

The most important thing we learned in this project is to be sincere. Trust in God, and he'll lead you to success! We are all different, and there's no reason to hide that. We each have our own beliefs, and even if given the same topic, we'll each have a different way on how we interpret that. But no matter how different we are, we all fit together.Doing this blog, as well as reading the other groups' blog, helped us understand that.

And so, thank you to everyone out there who's supported us and read our blog! We hope you learned as much as we have in this experience, and we hoped you enjoyed the ride! Thank you to everyone who voted for RECaJinna, it really meant a lot to us!

Thank you VERY MUCH to Teacher Rye for giving us this experience, as well as all the others. Sir, thank you for putting up with our noise and times we were extremely annoying. Thank you for teaching us Science in a way which would make us remember what we learn. Thank you for the FIELDTRIP to UPLB, thank you for the lectures, thank you for helping us grow. But most of all, sir, thank you for believing in us, even though sometimes we ourselves would not. You've been a great teacher, and you've helped make our final crusade here at the TLT one of the best times of our lives. We'll really miss you, Sir.

6th Graders Vs. Steps

During our field trip, one of our stops was at the Makiling Botanical Gardens, which is located in the University of the Philippines Los Baños. More specifically, you can find the Makiling Botanical Gardens (MBG) at the slope of Mt. Makiling. And so, what is this place? It’s a protected sanctuary for flora and fauna. There, you can find a large tract of tropical forests, endemic and exotic plants, creeks and waterfalls, a wildlife collection, and a center for Philippine raptors (birds of prey, in case you didn’t know). Did we mention it also has picnic areas? Well, it does.

Before we entered MBG, we weren't expecting a hike. We thought we would be in an enclosed area where a scientist or someone would just tell us about the history of MBG and bring some plant examples. We were WRONG!  We really had a lot of exercise. Phew, just remembering that is tiring! We walked more than a hundred steps of stairs as we toured the garden area. Well, walking is healthy. But the scenery sure was beautiful! There were so many different species of plants, each kind unique.

On the bottom of MBG there is a river with huge boulders we did not reach that but one of our group mate already made that there when he was small.  

Through the experience at the Makiling Botanical Gardens, we learned that nature is something that is truly indescribable.  It's just so diverse, and no specie is the same with another. That's why we have to protect every type of organism on this planet. All of them have a purpose in the world, no matter how big or small.

Here are some species you can find at MBG: 

 Name

• Common Name: Kapa- kapa
• Scientific Name: Medinilla magnifica
• Classification: Kingdom Plantae, Division Angiospermophyta

 Characteristics

• Evergreen shrubs
• Leaves are opposite or whorled, or alternate in some species
• Flowers are either pink or white in color

 Ecological Relationships

• Producer 
• Autotroph   

Name

• Common Name: Red Lauan
• Scientific Name: Shorea teysmanniana 
• Classification: Kingdom Plantae, Division Angiospermophyta  

Characteristics

• Woody trunk
• Can grow to be very tall

Ecological Relationship

• Producer 
• Autotroph

And that's the end of our field trip. All our expectations were met. Actually, they were better than what we expected! After we went home, we were sad because we didn't want this fun day to end, but we were happy that we got to go through it. 

The greatest lesson we learned here is that field trips can be used as bonding time for you and your friends. You might realize that they're actually like family. We also learned very important stuff about nature, dairy, and stuff about each other too. We're really grateful to Teacher Rye and the School for this truly memorable experience. We will never forget this experience because it was an amazing experience, and we grew in some way after we went through it.

That's it for post 8, folks! Please check out the other posts regarding not only the field trip, but the other posts as well! We're nearing the end (this is the second to the last post)!

-RECaJiInna

                           

Hehehehe that is nice .

We're one big  family.

That's a picture of all of our  (unbiological) brothers and sisters

  We salute you Sir Rye,teachers and kuya for supporting us, and letting us experience such a wonderful field trip!

Thank you for reading this hope you had a great time reading this and we still have one last post before we end this.But, fear not! This blog shall live forever! 

REFERENCES:

http://www.google.com.ph/imglanding?q=kapa-kapa+flower&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=XXjz8T31p3s1BM:&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenareh/2504790872/&imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2196/2504790872_390dff1487_z.jpg&ei=-Ch6TYjyFI6yuAO3sJGqBw&zoom=1&w=482&h=640&iact=rc&oei=-Ch6TYjyFI6yuAO3sJGqBw&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&biw=1024&bih=402

IRRI WORLD OF RICE!

Oh, Hello there! For this post, we will be talking about the fourth site we went to during our feld trip to UP Los Banos, Laguna, the IRRI, or the International Rice Research Institute. Here are some facts about the IRRI:

 - The mission of the IRRI is:

• to reduce poverty and hunger
•  improve the health of rice farmers and consumers
• ensure environmental sustainability through collaborative research, partnerships, and the strengthening of national agricultural research and extension systems

 - The IRRI aims to:

• Reduce poverty through improved and diversified rice-based systems.
• Ensure that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative environmental impact, and can cope with climate change.
• Improve the nutrition and health of poor rice consumers and rice farmers.
• Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next generation of rice scientists.
• Provide rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they need to develop improved technologies and enhance rice production .

Rice
Common Name: Rice
Scientific Name: Oryza Sativa
Classification: Division Angiospermophyta




In the IRRI, we learned about rice, the tools they use in cultivating rice, and how they help the other farmers nationwide and globally.

Here are some pictures of tools used for collecting rice

Before we were sent to the museum, we were first brought to an auditorium were we watched  a short-ish long video that talked about what the IRRI does, and who the IRRI helps. In that video the IRRI also teached us how to take care of plants and how to see if the rice plant is already ready to be harvested.    

The lunch and game at the crammed bus beside the museum

Well well well. its  lunch break  in the crammed bus. Unfortunately it was drizzling outside so we had to eat inside the bus. We were also supposed to play the 3rd Eco Dama game outside, but for the same situation, we had to continue the game.. inside the bus.


here is a picture of the ongoing ECOdama game

 well after all those we went to the MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY.  Luckily, the drive was only 2 minutes away.


 The museum was built  on September 30, 1976 it consists of preserved biological and zoological specimens, wood samples; by-products of microorganism, and also thousands of living plants/trees maintained in a separate location. This museum also serves as a reference for science and a center for documentation, research, and information.


A preserved monkey and a human baby.

In this museum  we learned lot of  things like Beetles,wasps,bees,butterfly,preserved babys snakes and other mammals there is even a baby whale,  worms hook worms and others. If you are planing to go there you got to be early so you could see every thing.their are also stuffed animals birds and as skeleton of  whale and  land mammal which we do not know

 

Some organisms from The Museum of Natural History. 


Name:
Common Name:  Cave microbes
Scientific Name Chemo Heterotrophs 
Classification: Bacteria


Characteristics:
Unseen by the naked eye.


Ecological relationship:

• Heterotroph

http://www.nps.gov/tica/naturescience/otherlifeforms.htm
Name
common name: Cave Fungi
Scientific name: Plasmodium
classification: Fungi


Characteristics:

• A cellular creeping somatic phase of slime molds 

Ecological relationship:

• Decomposers

could not find a picture 

Name
Common name: Brushland ringed mushroom
Scientific name: Agicarus
Classification: Fungi


Characteristics: 

• Grows abundantly in grassy places 

Ecological Relationship:

• Decomposer 

could not find a picutre

Name
common name: Cave Bacteria
scientific name: Speleothem 
Classification: Bacteria 


Characteristics:

• Abundant in deposits of soil or sediments 

Ecological relationship

• Parasite 

http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/Research/BahamaBacteria.htm

Name

Common Name: Musky Fruit Bat

Scientific Name: Ptenochiius jagori

Classification: Class Mammalia

Characteristics:

•  uses extra skin to fly

Ecological Relationship:

• consumer

http://fruitbat.dannyaguilarbio.com/fruitbatinformation/

Name

Common Name: Cave Gekko

Scientific Name:Gekko gigantic

Classification: Class Reptilia

Characteristics:

•  has scaly skin
•  lives in caves

Ecological Relationship:

• consumer

http://www.loupiote.com/photos/18320864.shtml

Name:

Common Name:Dwarf Sperm Whale

Scientific Name: Ragia Sima

Classification: Class Mammalia

Characteristics:

• it's a mammal that lives under water
• it's one of the smallest kinds of whales

Ecological Relationship: consumer

the trip to "INSTITUTE OF PLANT BREEDING"

Wazzup!!And now, we take you to our second destination (do not be afraid; this is not final destination). We go to  IPB or Institute of Plant  Breeding. Here are some facts about I.P.B.:

 IPB has been at the forefront of plant breeding research and applications in the country.  Now, Dr. Jose E. Hernandez serves as the director of IPB and concurrent director of the Crop Science Cluster.

IPB serves to: (1) develop new and improved varieties of important agricultural crops; (2) undertake studies in plant breeding and allied disciplines related to crop improvement; (3) systematically collect, introduce, preserve, and maintain a germplasm bank of important and potentially useful agricultural and horticultural crops; and (4) assist other agencies in the multiplication of quality seeds and vegetative materials of recommended crop varieties.

 IPB now has a wide collection of germplasm that utilizes its collection for evaluation and distribution of important and potentially useful agricultural crops.  The collection ensures biodiversity, making traditional and wild varieties readily available for breeding new improved varieties.

In short, they help farmers  produce crops and support them if their is a shortage of seeds; produce biotechnology by using science; find new ways to protect the plants in fighting harmful diseases and insects. They also find ways on how to produce plants in extreme conditions like drought .


  
Here we will talk about our adventure. First, here are some plants we found in I.P.B:

1.Name of Organism

• Common Name: Papaya
• Scientific Name: Carica papaya L
• Taxonomic Classification: Plantae

2. Characteristics

• Sweet
• Flesh is yellow-orange
• Juicy 
• Can reach up to 30 feet

3. Ecological Relationship

• Producer
• Helps cleanses the stomach;eat it before you sleep so in the morning you can go to the bathroom.

our group mates house

1. Name of Organism

• Common Name:Kamatis/Tomato 
• Scientific Name :Solanum lycopersicum 
• Taxonomic Classification:  Plantae

2. Characteristics

• Herb
• Red when ripe
• Both a fruit and vegetable.
• Juice used for asthma and bronchitis

3. Ecological relationship

• Tomatoes also contain lycopene, p-coumaric acid and cholorogenic acid, all possibly helpful in reducing cancer risks.   
• Reduce the risk of blood clots, which can trigger heart attacks and strokes.

http://www.stuartxchange.org

1. Name of Organism

• Common Name:Gumamela/hiniscus.
• Scientific Name : Hibiscus  rosa-sinesis.
• Taxonomic classification: Plantae .
• Division  Angiospermophyta.

2. Characteristics

•  Can grow Up to 4 m.  high.
• Can come in many colors.

3. Ecological Relationship

•  When it decomposes , it can be used as fertilizer and helps other plants grow.

• 

First we were sent to the lobby  of I.P.B then a lady went to us and talked about I.P.B and their history.The one who built that building was  late president Ferdinand Marcos, our tenth Filipino President. After the introduction she showed us some of there hybrid plants  and the hydro phonic plants they also do biotechnology,but they did not tell us that.   


I.P.B helps farmers  produce better crops that can with stand  floods and droughts. They find ways also to cultivate plants without soil.

Here is picture of hydro phonic plant:

that is a tomato plant

As you can see in this other picture, they use water. That's why it got its name hydro, meaning water and  phonics  pertaining to the phonic method of teaching . They use water mixed with minerals that can support the growth of the plant. The pot is a Styrofoam box used for shipping fruits.

plant cloning  is an example of biotechnology the lady just talked  a bit about it, but we researched we  used it in our own words

Cloning has been around for centuries. Cloning allows the gardener to replicate a genetically identical plant from a parent plant. The clone will have the exact same characteristics as the mother plant, the same growth habit, disease resistance, fruit shape, flower color .But now in the modern world cloning is much easer then the old days because we have modern technology 

   +      =      




hybrid plants hybrid plants are a mix of plants Hybrid plants are the result of cross-breeding similar varieties of parent plants. The goal is to produce desirable characteristics in the next generation, meaning that the hybrid seed will carry the newly combined and desirable genetic makeup. Plants have been doing this all by themselves for as long as they have been making seeds. for example they  mix breed corn and abaka the result would be a abacorn a mix of abaka and corn. they wont name abacorn they would name it CA1 because its not yet named they just tested it.
           Here is an example of it    

We were toured around the compound. In one part of the compound, there was a lab where they study the plants. 

So thats all folks! Stay tunned  for more of our adventure in the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Post #4: Let's talk about dairy!

Hoozah! We 6th graders, from both classes Lauan and Almaciga, finally had a field trip to UBLB or University of the Philippines, Los Baños! We were able to visit five destinations when we were there. We had a field trip to UP Los Baños so we could learn about certain plants and animals. Some of which are found here, in the Philippines, and some are found in other countries. We, group 3, had a lot of expectations for the field trip. A few of those expectations being: to learn lots of new things about plants, to learn lots of new things about animals, and to have loads of fun! Even before we left for UPLB, we were already looking forward to learning lots of new stuff!

Now, from the 5 destinations we were able to visit, in this post, we will be talking about the first one that we were able to visit- The Dairy Training and Research Institute (DTRI.) 

Our group, the third group, expected to learn more about milk and how to milk a cow/cattle properly. And our expectations have not been overlooked! We did learn about milk and how to milk a cow/cattle properly! We now know that we must massage the udder before milking it. Also, we learned that when you milk a cow, it can give about two liters of milk.
If you are in need of more details about cows, or cattle, please enlighten yourself with the details we have been able to provide by researching:

Organism 1:

• Name: Cow
• Common Name: Cow/cattle
• Scientific Name: Bos Taurus
• Classification: Class Mammalia
• Characteristics:
• Heavy body weight
• Has udders
• Big
• Ecological relationship:
• Consumer
• Herbivore
• Pictures:

Here is a picture of a man pushing a cart of milk.

Here is a picture of the cows we saw in the field trip.

these is where they keep the sperm collected from the male cows

These is what cows eat like sugar cane and stuff that are nutritious to their health and that helps them become big and strong.

 

Post #3: Plants, Plants, and more PLANTS!

Our 4th quarter CEO, or Creative Expansive Output, was about plants. We had to research on the Divisions we were assigned. Well, no, technically we were the ones to choose since we picked from pieces of paper... We were also given the choice to work in either pairs, groups, or individually.

Hello! Inna here! Just like our CEO last quarter, we had to report. But this time, we reported on plants. I, Inna the awesome Marquez, was the 6th to report. Therefore, I was to report on the Division Ginkgophyta which has only one species.

Hola, awesome reader of ours! It is I, Raine. As Inna mentioned above, for our Fourth Quarter CEO, we had to report. again. But this time, we reported on plants.  I was the one who reported after Inna so I was the seventh to report. I reported on the oh-so-awesome-like-this-blog Division Coniferophyta, or conifers. I worked with Berry Berry Gleek of blogitty blog-blog.

Hello there friends! My name is Camille! I reported on the Division Cycadophyta, or cycads, with my other friend, Hotaru, from the Science Gurus! I was the eighth to report, just after Raine!

Hi! This is Babyface, or commonly known as Jigger. I like guns and weapons and nerf guns! I also like--Oh right, back to the topic. I reported on The Division Gnetophyta, or Gnetophytes, which I had a hard time saying! I reported individually, and I was the ninth to report.

My name is Enzo. I was the second to the last to report with my groupmates, Spazmboi from Blogitty Blog-Blog and Ryuu from the Science Gurus. My topic was on the Class Monocotyledones, or Monocots.

Was it easier for us to prepare for this CEO than the last one?
 

Inna- Well, at first I thought it would be easier, since I had just learned that the Division I was reporting on only had one species. But no. It wasn't actually that easy. I worked individually; therefore, it was a little more challenging even if last quarter we all worked individually. And when I researched about it, it only had limited data in the internet. But, I searched some more... and more... and EUREKA! I found the right source!

Raine- For me it felt the same. Though I worked in a group, my groupmate and I kept to ourselves a lot so it was actually as if we were working individually the whole time. 

Camille- I don't think it made much difference too. But my groupmate and I both worked efficiently and we were able to present quite well, so we're really happy. t was much more fun working in a pair too. 

Jigger- I think it was a bit easier to prepare for this one because we already did it before. 

Enzo- It was easier to prepare for this CEO because we worked in groups.

 

 The advantages and disadvantages of working individually or in a group:

Being alone - Being alone could mean more work to do, and having no help from others. But on the plus side, if you didn't do quite well, there's no one else to blame.

Being  in a group - If you work in a group, you and your groupmate/s could help each other;you'd be doing less work than if you were by yourself; and sometimes, you could finish faster. The disadvantage, though, is even if your groupmate/s didn't do anything and you did all the work, in the end, you'd all still have the same score which isn't really fair.



source: http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?

Did we encounter any problems during this project?

Inna- Like our blog about the animals, I had the same problem: Limited data in the internet. But I was able to resolve this problem. I searched, and searched and searched until I found several sources which approved the right data.
Raine- I also took a long time researching for this CEO. Almost all the websites I found contained different data from each other. But I continued searching and HUZZAH! I found the website which they all agreed with. :)
Camille- Not really, no. I didn't really have problems.
Jigger- I don't think I encountered any problems because I also learned alot about plants.
Enzo- The only problem I encountered was that we were given very limited time for this CEO.

We learned that...

• We must protect and conserve our natural resources. 
• We need to always do our best and work hard.
• We can't use just one source when researching.
• I learned that we need to use all our resources with caution. 
• We need to pray to The Lord for help.

Here are some facts about our topic:

Ginkgophyta-  Gingkophyta is represented by one living species, Ginkgo biloba. This species is restricted to China where it may be extinct in the wild. The group was well represented during the Mesozoic with worldwide distribution.Today, Ginkgo biloba is widely planted as an ornamental. 

  

             

Ginkgo biloba

Gnetophyta- Gnetophytes include three extant families and four genera. This lineage dates back only to the early Cretaceous in the fossil record and is widely considered to be the closest extant relative of the flowering plants.

  

Welwitschiales

http://images.search.yahoo.com

 Cycadophyta-  Cycads are a division or seed plants made up of only three living families. They are now of greater interest for their uniqueness than  for their ecological or economic importance. Members are scattered around the globe but are restricted to tropical or subtropical climates.



  
Cycas revoluta

  

Coniferophyta (also known as Division Pinophyta)- Conifers are cone-bearing seed plants with a vascular tissue. All  conifers today are woody plants , the great majority being trees with just a few being shrubs. Conifers are gymnosperms. 

Pinus resinosa


Monocotyledones- Monocotyledons are one of the most distinctive major lineages of angiosperms and traditionally have been paired with the Dicotyledons as the two main groups of flowering plants. Among the monocots are some of the largest families of angiosperms as well as some of the most economically important species of plants. Numerous vegetation types are dominated by monocots including grasslands, palm savannas, sedge meadows, and cattail marshes.

 
Wheat   

P.S: We hope you like this blog  post and we also hope that you have learned a lot! Please keep visiting RECaJiInna! Bye for now!

 

REFERENCES:

http://thingswholesale.com/ginkgo-biloba-tree.php

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0PDoS4J02dNo2EAsYejzbkF/SIG=133h9v416/EXP=1298678665/**http%3a//www.impactlab.net/2010/08/29/scientists-crack-the-genetic-code-of-wheat/

http://tejiendoelmundo.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/planta-ornitorrinco-la-planta-a-la-que-le-crecen-dos-hojas-cada-siglo/
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0PDoS6E1GdNz2kAL4KjzbkF/SIG=120c0gum4/EXP=1298679044/**http%3a//www.dezinerfolio.com/taxonomy/term/29
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/courses/systematics/Phyla/Coniferophyta/Coniferophyta.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinophyta

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dpinus%2Bresinosa%26b%3D41%26ni%3D20%26ei%3DUTF-8%26xargs%3D0%26pstart%3D1%26fr%3Dsfp%26fr2%3Dtab-web&w=464&h=400&imgurl=www.uwgb.edu%2Fbiodiversity%2Fherbarium%2Fgymnosperms%2Fpinres_cone01web400gf.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uwgb.edu%2Fbiodiversity%2Fherbarium%2Fgymnosperms%2Fpinres01.htm&size=49KB&name=Trees+of+Wiscons...&p=pinus+resinosa&oid=9db793529fac47d5fae32ddfc32900dc&fr2=tab-web&no=52&tt=2230&b=41&ni=20&sigr=123foqjd2&sigi=12918d54a&sigb=13l8t32b5&.crumb=60Ws/wG22pR