Keeping Up With Global Competition

A 2010 New York Times article recalls the 1957 launch of Sputnik.  This event surprised the United States because they were unaware that the Soviet Union had harnessed such technology.  "Our response to Sputnik made us better educated, more productive, more technologically advanced and more ingenious" (Friedman, 2010).  Our country's enthusiasm towards science education is lacking.  I honestly don't know what it will take to re-create this enthusiasm.  Our nation is in a crisis due to our national debt, foreclosures, unemployment, gas prices and global competition.  We are not on the path to improvement.  Americans are not thinking about science education, they are thinking about how to care for their families and where their next meal will be coming from.  I believe we need an event the magnitude of Sputnik to re-ignite our attention and place our focus back on Science Education.


References
Friedman, T.L.  (2010,January 17).  What's our sputnik?  [Op-Ed].  The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK. 8.

Totally Tubular Tornado

I taught a science lesson using a tornado model.  To begin the lesson I used small-group discussion to access the background knowledge of my students.  We wrote key words on the board about tornadoes and discussed in detail what they look like and what they sound like.  I was surprised at the amount of information my first graders knew about tornadoes. 

After the discussion the students constructed the model and began to manipulate it.  I didn't tell my students how to create a vortex, I just told them that I wanted them to create a water vortex inside of the 2-liter bottle.  During this discovery phase, I encourage them to look on the board for key words that might help them with their challenge.  Finally, they manipulated the model to form a vortex. It was very exciting and they were very proud of their accomplishments.  Even during the frustrating times, the students remained interested and engaged in the activity.  We also discussed "tornado alley" and how tornadoes develop and where they occur most often.  Students drew pictures of tornadoes and learned essential tornado survival tips. 

   

Humanitarian Aid

Natural disasters are happening all over the world.  Sometimes they happen so far away from us that we don't realize the impact they have on those affected by them.  I want my students to understand that even though we are far away from natural disasters, we can help alleviate discomfort by providing humanitarian aid to those in need. 

Prior to starting our project we will discuss different types of natural disasters and the effect they have on human life and our way of living.  We will talk about earthquake preparedness and practice the 'drop, cover and hold on' technique.  We will have a representative from the Red Cross visit our classroom to provide us with information about making hygiene kits. 

Once we have an idea of how much money we will need, we will work together with local businesses in our community to raise money to buy the supplies we need.  We will earn the money through private donations or fund raisers.  Once we have the supplies, we will assemble the kits and deliver them to the Red Cross.

   

Ecology Lesson Review - Feathered Friends

Introduction

Students created an ecological lesson plan which they implemented in their classrooms.  This application will include a review of the results of the Feathered Friends lesson plan that I created.  My summation will begin by focusing on the goals of the lesson and whether or not the intended learning outcomes were achieved.  Additionally, I will discuss the successful parts of my lesson plan and how modifying aspects of it might increase student performance.  Lastly, I will reflect upon the backward design process of creating lesson plans.

Goals and Intended Learning Outcomes

            Yes, I believe that the goals of my lesson were achieved.  I sensed that my students obtained an enhanced understanding of how special characteristics provide bird species with survival advantages in particular environments.  By the end of the lesson, students were able to provide examples of how bird bills, feet and wing characteristics enable the species to survive and thrive in their environment.  I know that the students had this understanding because they expressed their new knowledge through pictorial representations and verbal explanations.  They were able to create appropriate environments for their species based on their feet, wing and bill characteristics.  

Lesson Implementation Success

             One of the partrs of the lesson that was successful was the group discussion.  As I circled around the room I heard some great discussion on how the wing span of a humming bird and a robin differ and also, how the feet of a swan differ from those of an eagle.  Students worked well together in a group setting and took turns expressing their opinions.  Another part of the lesson that was effective was having the students create a fictitious bird species.  The students were engaged in the activity and the assignments gave them the freedom to use their creativity.  To enhance this activity I added a webcam live feed to the lesson.  We watched the footage from the “Delcorah Eagle” (Delcorah, 2012) nest webcam.  It was fascinating to view the eagles’ nest which was situated in the branches of a cottonwood tree 80 feet up.  I believe it was an excellent addition to the lesson because students were able to view young eaglets jumping around the nest, flapping their wings in preparation to take their first flight.   We had just discussed wingspan and shape of wings so they were able to apply their new knowledge to this real life experience. 

Backward Design Process

            I discovered the backward design process for creating a lesson to be very effective.  It makes sense to begin a lesson plan with the end result in mind.  As I planned the lesson I continually referred back to my objectives to ensure that the activities and procedures of the lesson supported my purpose.    

References

Decorah Eagle Cam. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.decoraheaglecamalerts.com/ie.htm



Ask a Scientist Experience

I posted a question on Ask a Scientist.  I wanted to know what causes normal cells to turn cancerous.  I did not receive an to my question so I have gone on a quest of my own.  Some great links I found to answer this question are;
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/how-healthy-cell-become-cancerous

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/WhoAmI/FindOutMore/Yourbody/Whatiscancer/Whathappensincancer/Howdohealthycellsbecomecancerous.aspx

http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/cells/how-cancer-starts

I new insight I gained was that cancer cells do not develop over night.  I also discovered that turning a healthy cell into a cancerous cell, is not a quick and easy process.  Something that I found very interesting was that most precancerous cells die before they can cause cancer.  This information was interesting and helpful.  I still have more questions about cancer cells, but I will save that for another day.

Enjoy the links.
Jennifer

Presentation Tool Evaluation

Prezi
The Prezi tutorials were very informative.  I would recommend watching these prior to getting started.  It takes a little getting used to but if you spend a little time with it, you will learn how to develop a great presentation.  The special features of Prezi allow you to layer objects and link objects together.  As far as reliability I think it would be a great tool to use in the classroom for content presentations.   Prezi is available online and it is free.  The Prezi website provides you with examples that you can view to get ideas for your own Prezi presentation.  You can upgrade your subscription to improved versions, but the free subscription is all you need to get started.  It is accessible form home, and at school in the classroom.  Prezi allows you to add animation sound and video clips to your presentation.  I think that Prezi would be engaging and motivational for students.  It is a great way to collaborate with other educators.

Wiki
I like the idea of using Wiki to communicate with other educators.  Wiki allows you the opportunity to work collaboratively with others using the same document.  It makes collaborating quick and easy because several different people at different locations can edit and add new information to the same document.  There are free tutorials on line as well as free subscriptions.       

Scientific Inquiry

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Scientific Inquiry

I designed an inquiry based experiment around the the question which referred to the effect that large objects have when colliding with smaller objects. I used a small and large marble as part of my experiment. The results of my experiment provided examples of Newtons first and second laws of motion. When carrying out my experiment, I discovered that the large marble hit the small marble and continued to roll a distance of five feet before stopping. This insight was contrary to my predicted results. Originally I hypothesized that the large marble would hit the small marble and stop without traveling any distance. The small marble continued to roll a distance of twenty feet after impact until it collided with the wall of the classroom.
The experiment went well. I learned a lot form the experience particularly when my hypothesis was rejected. I would modify the assignment by repeating the experiment on different surfaces other than carpet. I would then compare the data and draw conclusions form the results.
I would like to use this activity in my classroom. As an extension we would connect to the real-world experiences of skiing and snowboarding. We take a ski trip each winter. We would connect our in -class discussion of mass, velocity, force and acceleration to our winter sports experiences.
One of the most important things I would like my students to learn from this experience is to understand the laws of motion and how to recognize examples of Newton' s laws in our everyday lives.

Heat Transfer - What is the best Insulator?

The insulating materials that I selected were a paper towel, cotton cloth, aluminum foil and plastic wrap.  I chose these materials because they were readily available.  To begin, I cut all materials into eight inch square pieces to ensure that the same length of material overlapped the edge of each mug.  I boiled the water to one hundred seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit so that I would have a constant temperature variable to compare my results to.  I carefully added a cup of hot water to each of the four identical mugs and then covered the mugs with the insulating materials.  Rubber bands were used to secure the insulating materials tightly to the top of each mug. 

After thirty minutes, the water in the paper towel covered mug was 110 degrees.  The water in the cotton cloth and plastic wrap mugs were both 115 degrees.  Finally, the water in the aluminum foil mug measured a temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit.   

My hypothesis was not supported by the outcome of my experiment.  I hypothesized that the cotton cloth would be the best insulator due to its thickness and pockets of air contained within its fibers.  The aluminum foil was the most efficient insulator.  After thirty minutes the water temperature in the aluminum foil covered mug was the warmest.   

If I designed a similar experiment for my students, I would make it more fun and engaging by having them design insulating covers for pop cans.  This experiment would have relevance to my students lives because during the summer months it gets hot in our region of the state.  There is nothing like a cold drink on a hot summer day.  Students could design covers using a variety of materials.  Through personal investigation, students would discover which materials are effective insulators.