MIDDLE-SCIENCE

=Life Science= The area of scientific study that deals with living things. Life science is divided into many different branches.

=Human Body Introduction:= As humans, we are born with amazing bodies. Our bodies are made up of many systems which all work together in order to keep us alive and working. These systems allow us to do many things, many of which we take for granted such as breathing, thinking, moving, tasting, touching, seeing, and hearing. Our bodies allow us to do all of this in return for being fed, given water and air. These three basic things allow our body to function, and although we as people may require more, the body needs only those three basic things: food, water, and air. The objective of this book is to educate everyone who reads it regarding all aspects of the human body; its functions, its needs, its strengths, and its weaknesses. **Human Body - Anatomy** Anatomy describes the composition and relationships of parts of our body. Just describing how our body is composed of many parts helps us guess and memorize functions of our body. Anatomy is what this book is mostly about and it is fascinating to see how well our body is designed. Anatomy deals with organs or groups of organs. An organ is a distinct part of our body with a function, for example our heart. Anatomy of the movement apparatus (all organs that are involved in movement), for example, deals with muscles, bones and tendons. Groups of organs such like this are also called organ systems.

Human Body - CirculatorySystem The job of the circulatory system is to get oxygen and nutrients to all the parts of the body. Waste products like carbon dioxide are carried away so they can leave the body.

Human Body - Heart The Heart is a muscular organ. Its primary responsibility is to pump blood through your blood vessals by repeated, rhythmic contractions. This allows the entire body to recieve the oxygenated blood it needs.

Human Body - Eyes Eyes are the parts of our body that perceive light. They allow us to see the world and to understand how objects relate to each other. We can distinguish far objects from close ones and determine their color and shape.

Human Body - Muscle Muscles are the organs that make us move. Muscles are everywhere. They can be tiny as in the ear or huge like leg muscles. Although no muscle is directly visible you can watch many of them in action in the mirror, when you flex your muscles.

=The Elements Introduction:=

**Introduction to The Elements** The whole universe is built of [|matter]. Right now, you are surrounded by it. The air we breathe is matter, and all the things you see around you are matter. The odors you smell are matter and the sounds you hear are caused by the movement of matter in your ears. Matter is everything that takes up space and has weight. Scientists say that matter has volume and mass. Matter is made up of tiny building blocks called [|atoms]. The purest type of atom is called an element. The elements are what give matter its different qualities. Today we can see atoms by using a special instrument called an //electron microscope//. An electron microscope lets us see things that are millions of times smaller than the things we can see with a powerful optical microscope. Most of the matter around us has more than one element in it. But some matter is made up of just one element. If you have ever held a diamond, for example, it is made of just one element, Carbon. Surprisingly, the graphite in a pencil that you use for drawing or writing is also Carbon, just its atoms are differently arranged. Some other examples of matter that contain just one element are: NOTE: These examples are not truly pure elements, because metals will always have tiny amounts of other elements present as impurities. Not many elements occur as a pure substance. Some elements like Gold and Sulphur do naturally occur as a pure substance, as does Carbon when it is a diamond. But most substances are made up of several elements bonded together. For example, water has the chemical formula H2O meaning that one molecule of water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Ancient people knew how to extract the element iron from iron oxide. They heated iron oxide dug from the ground with charcoal. The iron was originally a "compound" of two elements, iron and oxygen. By heating them, they separated. The oxygen joined with the carbon in the charcoal leaving the purified iron behind. The [|Periodic Table of Elements] (for a more [|visual Periodic Table of Elements]) is a table showing the different kinds of elements arranged according to their different characteristics. Much of it was worked out many years ago. So far we have identified 81 elements that occur naturally. There are approximately 25 more that are man-made.
 * An aluminium drink can
 * 24 carat gold jewelry
 * The helium gas in a balloon that floats upwards
 * Cast iron garden railings
 * Lead sheeting used by builders on the roofs of houses

The Elements - glossary of terms

=Earth Science is the study of earth and its histroy= There are four main branches of Earth Science. Together they make up the field of Earth Science. They are. =1. Geology= Geology, study of the planet earth, its rocky exterior, its history, and the processes that act upon it. Geology is also referred to as earth science and geoscience. The word geology comes from the Greek //geo,// “earth,” and //logia,// “the study of.” Geologists seek to understand how the earth formed and evolved into what it is today, as well as what made the earth capable of supporting life. Geologists study the changes that the earth has undergone as its physical, chemical, and biological systems have interacted during its 4.5 billion year history. =2. Oceanography= Ocean and Oceanography, great body of salt water comprising all the oceans and seas that cover nearly three-fourths of the surface of the earth, and the scientific study of the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the so-called world ocean. The major goals of oceanography are to understand the geologic and geochemical processes involved in the evolution and alteration of the ocean and its basin, to evaluate the interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere so that greater knowledge of climatic variations can be attained, and to describe how the biological productivity in the sea is controlled. =3. Meteorology= Meteorology, study of the earth’s atmosphere and especially the study of weather. A meteorologist is a person who studies the atmosphere. Meteorology is divided into a number of specialized sciences. Physical meteorology deals with the physical aspects of the atmosphere, such as the formation of clouds, rain, thunderstorms, and lightning. Physical meteorology also includes the study of visual events such as mirages, rainbows, and halos. The study of the winds and the laws that govern atmospheric motion is called dynamic meteorology. Synoptic meteorology is the study and analysis of large weather systems that exist for more than one day. Weather forecasting is part of synoptic meteorology. Agricultural meteorology deals with weather and its relationship to crops and vegetation. The study of atmospheric conditions over an area smaller than 1 sq km (0.4 sq mi) is called micrometeorology. Climate describes the average weather of a region. Climatology, a division of meteorology, is the study of a region’s average daily and seasonal weather events over a long period. =4. Astronomy= Astronomy is the study of the universe beyond Earth. It includes the study of star and planet nature, position and movement and their relation to Earth.

PLEASE INSERT INTERACTIVE RESOURCES UNDER APPROPRIATE STANDARDS AND GLE'S:

CLICK ON THE DISCUSSION TAB FOR SITES THAT NEED A HOME. This website for kids has some fun and practical information relating to astronomy. []

This BBC site offers a multitude of games on the human body and mind. GSEs in Life Science and the Natural world K-12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/index_interactivebody.shtml

From the World Wildlife Fund, a site that targets Middle School GSE LS1 (5-8) – INQ+ SAE- 1 LS1 (5-8) Using data and observations about the biodiversity of an ecosystem make predictions or draw conclusions about how the diversity contributes to the stability of the ecosystem http://www.biodiversity911.org/

Help Billy Blood drop save lives by killing bacteria (Bacteria Bash) and donating blood (donor game) among other activities and links at http://www.blood.co.uk/pages/games.html This site applies to GSE Life Science Standards LS 1 and LS3 (5-8)