Oil-eating bacteria, also called oleophilic bacteria or oil-degrading microbes, are tiny living things that eat oil for food. These bacteria can break down different kinds of oil, like oils from plants and animals, as well as oil from gasoline and other products. When these bacteria digest oil, they get energy to grow and release carbon dioxide and water as waste.

Spark you thinking!

1. Set up your science mini spark recording page:#4: Bacteria That Eats Oil

2. Watch this video about an oil spill, and how we try to clean it up using bacteria. Take 5 notes from the video on your recording page.

3. Make a section on your recording page for each of these headings.

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion

4. Read this article, How can we find oil-eating bacteria to clean up the sea? to learn more about this topic. For each of the sections, write down what you learned on your recording sheet.

5. Answer three of these questions on your recording sheet

• Why is it bad when crude oil gets into the environment?
• Why do conventional methods of cleaning up oil spills present us with a problem?
• What is a better alternative to conventional clean-up methods?
• What does a higher intensity of the red color of Nile Red say about the oil-eating ability of the bacteria in the new test?

6. Create a chatter pic to show what you learned.

 Make the main character a bacteria. You can draw it or find a picture. Choose two of the questions from step 5 to anwer in your Chatter Pic

Chatter Pic STEP BY STEP!

Step 1 – Find Chatter pic in Mosyle.

Step 2 – Take a picture or get one from the gallery in your device. You can also make a drawing and take a picture of it!

Step 3 – Draw a line on the object to create a mouth.

Step 4 – Record your voice! Remember you only have 30 seconds.

Step 5 – Add stickers if necessary or desired.

Step 6 – Save your project into the camera roll.

8. Share your science mini spark recording page and your chatter pic with your teacher/EY coordinator.

The oldest glue in the world is over 8,000 years old and comes from a cave near the Dead Sea. Today, we have enough types of tape and glue to build and repair almost anything. But what gives glue and tape their stickiness? And is one stronger than the other?

Spark you thinking!

1. Set up your science mini spark recording page: #3: Glue or Tape?

2. Watch this video. Record at least 10 science words that you hear.

3. This is a vocabulary rich video. Create a mini dictionary with at least 8 terms and definitions to go along with the video.

4. Choose one project to complete

• Write a short speech from the point of view of tape or glue explaining why it is better than the other.
• Who invented Scotch Tape? Do some research to answer this question. Use at least 5 sentences.
• Why would you want to use duct tape to hold a chain of bowling balls together instead of glue? Explain this using 5 sentences.
• Make a list of all of the the types of tapes and glues that you know about. try to come up with at least 15. Don’t forget those made by nature.

5. Share your science mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Source: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/which-is-stronger-glue-or-tape-elizabeth-cox#digdeeper

Ever wonder how glass is made? It’s like making a giant cookie: you mix sandy quartz with some lime and a sprinkle of sodium bicarbonate, then bake it in a super hot oven until it turns into a shiny, crunchy treat—just don’t eat it!

Spark you thinking!

1. Set up your science mini spark recording page: #1: How Glass is Made

2. Watch a video about glass from Mystery Doug. Take a 5 notes on your recording page as you watch.

3. Watch this animated step video about glass from Mocomi.

4. Draw a picture timeline or use pic collage showing several of the different glass making processes that were shown in the video. Include at least 3 science words in your visual.

5. Share your science mini spark recording page and your chatter pic with your teacher/EY coordinator.

source: https://mocomi.com/how-is-glass-made/

Physics is the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy.  Learn more about physics by checking this video about the impossible kick.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your STEAM mini spark recording page: #32: Football( Soccer) Physics

2. Watch this TED Ed video. Write down the terms mentioned in the video.

3. Choose 3 of these questions to answer on your recording page. Use at least 2 senetence for your response. Remind your teacher that the key can be found in the science mini spark folder.

1. Explain the significance of the spin that Carlos put on the ball when he kicked it.
2. Describe Newton’s first law of motion and how it relates to the kick made by Roberto Carlos.
3. What is the Magnus effect and how does it contribute to the ball curving in flight?
4. List the factors that can affect the trajectory of a free kick, as mentioned in the video.
5. How does the air pressure differential created by the ball’s spin influence its path?
6. Discuss whether it is theoretically possible to kick a ball in a way that makes it return to the kicker.
7. What are some examples of other sports or objects where the Magnus effect is observed, as mentioned in the video?
8. Reflect on the challenges a player faces when trying to curve a kick accurately—what makes it so difficult?

4. Check out Physics for Kids Overview on ducksters.com.  List all the 7 main physics topics on your recording page.

5. Choose one of the pages to read. Create 5  trivia questions for your classmates to answer using information from this page

6. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Advanced:

Watch the Fascinating Physics of Everyday Life video.

Answer the questions. What is the law of conservation of angular momentum?

• How does something not touching anything (i.e. Hubble Telescope) know where it is?
• What are two important things to know about science?

The seven rows in the periodic table are like the levels of a video game, and the eighteen columns are like the cool teams you can join! The latest “superheroes” added to the table are Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson—talk about an elemental upgrade!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Science mini spark recording page: #28: Newest Elements

2. As of the date of this post, Aug 2024, 118 elements have been discovered. Watch this video about the newest elements and take detailed notes on your recording page about them.

3. Jim Roberto, ORNL associate lab director for science and technology partnerships, says “The discovery of new elements is actually very exciting on a number of different levels, and what we have done with our partners is change the periodic table, and we have changed every high school chemistry book.” Discuss the collaboration involved in the discovery of element 117. Which institutions were mentioned as partners? Record your response on your recording page.

4. Element 117 has been discovered and it is a very interesting process. Why is the creation of superheavy elements like element 117 significant in scientific research? Respond on your recording sheet.

5. We have a lucky connection to this discovery! Mrs. Sindt, EY teacher at Rockbrook, Oakdalem and Hillside, has a brother who is the Isotope Production Manager at Oak Ridge National Lab.  His name is John Krueger and he is an alum of Hillside Elementary and Westside High School! 

6. Some Rockbrook students asked John Krueger questions and received some very detailed, interesting responses. See the questions and responses here.

7. OPTIONAL: Think of a question you have about this discovery, or about science in general, that you’d like to ask him.  Email your question to your EY coordinator and will make sure it gets to Mr. Krueger.

8. Share your science mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.