National Geographic Science - Spanish Sampler - Grade K
Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/157347
CUADERN O DE ÓN INVESTIGACI DE CIENCIAS Chapter 3 Lesson 7 Guided Inquiry 5 Guide the Investigation, continued • Each day, have students observe the mold in the bag. Ask: ¿Cómo cambió la cantidad de moho? (More mold is present.) • Ask: ¿De qué color es el moho? ¿Cuál es la textura del moho? Answers will vary depending on the type of mold. 4 Explain and Conclude •Guide students as they record observations in their tables. Have students share results with each other and observe the different molds that grow on different types of fruit. •Discuss reasons that similar investigations can produce different results. Ask: ¿Por qué podrían variar sus resultados? Students may mention that different types of mold grow on different fruits. •Explain that molds are decomposers and that they break down dead organisms and release materials back into the environment. Ask: ¿Qué función tiene un descomponedor en la cadena alimenticia? Guide students to understand that without decomposers, nothing would decay and nutrients would not be recycled into the environment. •Students may wonder where the mold came from. Explain that there are microscopic mold spores in the air. Some of these may have been in the bag already, or some may have landed on the fruit before it was placed in the bag. Once in the bag, in cool, dark conditions, the mold reproduces. •Say: Con sus observaciones como evidencia, infieran de dónde obtiene el moho su energía. Students should infer that mold gets its energy from the fruit it grows on. Ask students to trace the energy the mold gets from the fruit back to the sun. Guide students as they draw a food chain diagram that shows how energy moves from the sun to the fruit to the mold. •Discuss how scientists design different types of investigations depending on the questions they want to answer. Ask: ¿Qué pregunta respondieron en esta investigación? Encourage students to think of other questions and investigations that might help them find out more about mold. T121c Guided Inquiry Raise Your SciQ! Moldy Cheese and Medicine Although many molds are harmful, there are several that are useful. Some molds are used to make Roquefort, bleu, Gorgonzola, and Stilton cheeses. Brie and Camembert cheeses have white surface molds that are safe to eat. Mold is also the source of the antibiotic penicillin. Discovered in 1928 by bacteriologist Sir Alexander Fleming, penicillin was reported as being able to destroy bacteria without producing any toxic side effects.