7th Grade Advanced Science Summer Assignment - 2016Fairhope Middle School

Purpose: To assess thinking and problem solving skills in Science

All work should be neatly hand written, no computer generated work. All questions should be answered in complete sentences. Grammar rules should be followed. The graph should include all parts needed for a complete graph. Work should be reflective of beginning 7th grade level work. All responses, including the graph, may be recorded on notebook paper.

Alternatively, you may use graph paper for the graph if you choose, but this is not required.

Each assignment will be graded using a Rubric and entered as Classwork/Outside assignments. This category is 40% of your grade. These three grades will be recorded in the first nine weeks of the new school year.

Be sure to include your full name and the subject (Science) on EACH sheet of paper you turn in.

Your summer Science Assignment is not complete unless you turn in all parts. 1. Part 1: Science Reading and Responses (1 page) 2. Part 2: Scientific Method Practice (1 page)3. Part 3: Analyzing Data (2 pages)

Part 1: Science Reading and Responses

Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions below.

Bat AdaptationsBats live in different biomes throughout the world. But fruit bats – or “flying foxes,” as

they are often called – are found only in the tropical rain forests of Africa, India, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and some Pacific islands. The following passage describes the adaptations of these bats.

Fruit BatsFruit bats are the largest bats in the world, with a wingspan of about 1.5 meters. A bat’s

wing is like a modified hand. It has four very long fingers and a shorter thumb. Leathery skin stretches across the fingers and attaches to the leg. The fruit bat’s thumb and second finger have claws that helps it grip objects and move around in the trees where it roosts during the day. The bat also uses its claws to bring fruit to its mouth.

As you might expect, fruit bats feed mostly on fruit. A fruit bat’s canines – the pointed teeth next to the front teeth – are very long. These teeth help the bat grab and hold onto fruit. Its front teeth, or incisors, are short and strong for cutting through fruit skins. Tiny scrapers on the bat’s tongue help remove fruit pulp from the skin. The bat’s flat back teeth, called molars, chew and mash the pulp. Because the bat’s mouth opening is small, the pulp and juice do not dribble out. The bat swallows the juice and pulp and spits out the skin and seeds. The bat often scatters the seeds as it flies.

Fruit bats also eat flower nectar. Many tropical flowers that bloom at night have a sweet scent, and fruit bats have a good sense of smell. When the bat lands on a flower, it rests its back legs on the lower petals and grips the upper petals with its claws. The bat’s long, narrow muzzle and thin, flexible tongue reach deep inside the flower. As the bat feeds pollen falls on its head. The bat then carries the pollen to another flower.

Directions: Answer the following questions in detail on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Describe how a fruit bat’s claws help it survive.2. Name the three types of teeth the fruit bat has. Describe the

function of each type of tooth.

3. Besides its teeth, how else is the fruit bat’s mouth adapted for

eating fruit?

4. What adaptations help the fruit bat feed on flower nectar?

5. How does the fruit bat help the plants it feeds on?

6. How would the ecosystem be impacted if this fruit bat were

extinct?

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Part 2 - Scientific Method Practice Page 2 of 4

Directions: Read the text below. Then match each statement with the number of the correct step in the scientific method.

The scientific method is a set of steps that scientists use in order to learn more about something. By following the scientific method, scientists can gather information, perform experiments, and discover new things about our world. The scientific method follows this general pattern:

1. identify a problem or question

2. research information about the problem or question

3. generate a hypothesis about the problem or question

4. design and perform an experiment

5. gather and analyze observations from the experiment

6. draw conclusions that are supported by your experiment

______ Elissa hypothesizes that crickets make more noise on hot nights than on cool nights.

______ Elissa counts the number of chirps made by two groups of crickets. One group of crickets

is in a cool cage and one group is in a warm cage. There are five crickets in each cage and

she counts for 30 minutes.

______ Elissa goes to the library to read information in an encyclopedia about the habits of

crickets.

______ Elissa wonders what causes crickets to make more noise some nights than others.

______ Elissa makes a chart of the number of chirps made by the two groups of crickets and

compares the findings.

______ Elissa concludes that crickets chirp more often on hot nights than on cool nights.

Name two ways Elissa controlled her experiment. (What did she keep the same?)

What was Elissa’s variable?

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