Natural Disasters

I think natural disasters can provide great learning experiences for our students. Not all areas experience the same weather related phenomena and I feel it is important to understand what can occur in different parts of the world. Living in Ohio, earthquakes and tsunamis are not really a threat but the recent disaster in Japan has provided some valuable learning experiences for my students. They now have a greater understanding of just how devastating both earthquakes and tsunamis can be.

After last year’s disaster in Haiti, my school conducted a fundraiser and was able to send more than $1,000 to help relief efforts. We are currently organizing another fundraiser this year to assist with relief efforts in Japan. I am going to have my students work in small groups creating posters that will be hung around the school to advertise this fundraiser. These fundraisers are a great way for all of the students in my school to work together for a worthy cause. I will also make sure my students are aware of how many countries helped out America after the tragedies on September 11, 2001. There are also many churches and community centers in the area that are ask people to work together to help provide some relief for others after a natural disaster.

Ask a Scientist

When a person has a science related question, they can submit their question through the following website: http://www.askascientist.org/. Here is what I decided to “ask a scientist”: how does a zygote eventually become a multi-cellular organism with tissues, organs, and other specialized cells and structures? I know cell division definitely plays a part but I cannot even begin to comprehend how this single cell continues to divide until it forms all the tissues, organs, systems and other structures that make up a multi-cellular organism.

Unfortunately, it has been almost two weeks since I submitted my question and I am still waiting for a reply. At first I thought this would be a great resource to use with my students but after hearing about the number of people who experience delays in receiving their answers and that others never even receive a reply, I do not think I would use this resource in my classroom.

If I do eventually receive a reply, I will keep all of my readers posted.

Evaluating Web 2.0 Presentation Tools

Animoto

Animoto allows web users to create their own photo presentations, set to music. Once photos have been uploaded, you can choose a preloaded music track or upload your own mp3.

Pros:

- Basic access for creating slideshows is free.

- Everything is automated making it easy to use.

- You have the option to upload your own music.

- Completed videos can easily be uploaded to services such as YouTube.

Cons:

- Free access will only create up to a 30-second video.

- To create a longer video costs $3 per video, or an all access pass can be purchased for $30 per year.

- You do not have control over how many of your photos will be displayed, how quickly they will displayed, how quickly they will be mixed and which methods will be used. This is all automatically done by the Animoto mixing algorithms.

Glogster

Glogster is a tool used to create online posters. These posters can combine audio, video, text, and graphics to create interactive posters.

Pros:

- Features are very user-friendly.

- Can benefit both students and teachers.

- “Glogs” can be easily posted onto webpages or plogs.

- Users can log on from any computer with internet access to continue their work.

- It is easy to embed content from other places.

Cons:

- If your network is slow, Glogster will be tough to run.

- Many glogs require fast processors for all of the links and embedded videos to work.

- As with all technology, possible glitches can cause “lost” projects.

21st-Century Learning Tools

There are many education resources that can be utilized by both teachers and students. When searching for online resources that can be used to teach students about the three states of matter, I found several excellent websites.

Many textbook publishing companies also have educational websites designed for elementary students. The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company has an excellent website, www.harcourtschool.com. The states of matter link, http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/states_of_matter/, shows animated models of how the particles are positioned in a solid, liquid and gas.

Scholastic is another publishing company that has great online resources. Through this website, www.scholastic.com, students can research different concepts in science or other content areas. They have a “student activities” tab that includes links to numerous online activities and interactive resources. After selecting this link, students can search for the subject and content area of their choice. Many concepts have links to “Study Jams” which include animated videos, songs with lyrics, vocabulary reviews, and quizzes. The link for their activities on the states of matter can be found at: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/matter_states/.

There are also websites available that teachers can use as guided lessons with their students. Andrew Rader Studios has several online science resources through www.chem4kids.com. Students can use the links on this website, http://www.chem4kids.com/files/matter_intro.html, to gather basic chemistry information. Most of this information includes detailed descriptions and diagrams designed specifically for elementary students.

The website http://science.pppst.com/ includes links to free presentations in PowerPoint format and also has links to other websites with interactive activities for students. The PowerPoint presentation on the states of matter, http://science.pppst.com/matter.html, could easily be utilized by individual students provided they have access to a computer and the Internet. The links to the interactive activities make for a great reinforcement of just about any concept in science.

These are just a few of the many websites that can be used by both teachers and students for educational purposes. Feel free to share any of your favorites sites to add to this list.

Exploring Heat Transfer

I recently conducted an experiment exploring heat transfer. The purpose of this experiment was to identify materials that act as better insulators than others. Four identical ceramic mugs were used.

The four materials to be tested were a cotton wash cloth, aluminum foil, wax paper, and plastic wrap. I chose these variables because each one was a completely different material than the others. My original prediction was that the cotton wash cloth would provide the best insulation and the tin foil would provide the least.


An equal amount of water measuring 120 degrees Fahrenheit was poured into each much and a rubber band was used to attach each material securely.

After thirty minutes, each cover was removed and the temperatures of water were recorded.

The cotton wash cloth worked the best with the water measuring 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The mugs covered with aluminum foil and wax paper both measured 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The plastic wrap provided the least insulation with a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Since these results were so close, I decided to conduct the experiment a second time. I decided to wait forty-five minutes before removing the covers to see how much the outcome would change. The cotton wash cloth still provided the best insulation with the water measuring a temperature of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The aluminum foil and wax paper did not yield the same results after waiting the additional time. The aluminum foil measured 97 degrees and the wax paper measured 96 degrees Fahrenheit. With the water temperature measuring 94 degree Fahrenheit, the plastic wrap again provided the least amount of insulation.

If I was to repeat this experiment, I would choose different materials to test. I would test a piece of wool against the cotton wash cloth too determine which one provides the best insulation. My prediction is that the wool would provide better insulation than the cotton wash cloth. Another idea would be to cut equal size squares of four different materials to place on top of each mug. Four materials that would be great to test are cardboard, Styrofoam, plastic, and rubber. My prediction for this test is that the rubber will provide the best insulation and the cardboard will provide the least. Do you agree or disagree with these predictions? Why do you feel this way?

Guided Inquiry Lesson: Pendulum

I recently conducted a guided inquiry lesson to determine whether a lighter or heavier pendulum would come to rest more quickly. A basic experiment was set up to gather enough data in order to draw an accurate conclusion.

To build the base of the pendulum, two identical quart containers were used. Both containers were filled with water to ensure they would be stable enough for conducting this experiment. The containers were placed ten inches apart, and a twelve-inch wooden ruler was attached to the top of them using duct tape. A string was attached at the midpoint of the ruler with an excess of ten inches for attaching a weight. Three different size washers were used as weights and consisted of the following masses: 1.1g, 8.2g, and 16.4g.

To ensure accurate results, each washer was tested three times.

When testing each washer, they were attached to the string and placed on top of a small box that was 7 ¾ inches in height.

The box was slowed moved away until the washer fell off, due to the force of gravity, and the pendulum was in motion. The pendulum with the 1.1g washer remained in motion for an average of three minutes and thirteen seconds. When using the 8.2g washer, the pendulum remained in motion even longer with an average of four minutes and fifty-one seconds. The 16.4g washer caused the pendulum to remain in motion the longest with an average of six minutes and thirty-nine seconds. Based on these results, it can be concluded that a lighter pendulum will come to rest more quickly than a heavier pendulum. These were the results I expected.

This experiment could easily be modified by changing the length of the string before attaching the washer. Also, a pendulum could easily be built using different materials. Before I use this lesson with my third grade students, I need to ensure they fully understand why the only variable that should be changed is the size and mass of the washer. I think my students would really enjoy designing and building their own pendulums. This would be a great lesson to teach them about Newton's second law. Plus students would be able to understand how friction from the air eventually causes the pendulum to come to a rest.

Structured Inquiry Lesson

I recently conducted a structured inquiry lesson with a group of seven students who are about to enter the fifth grade. The main objective of this lesson was for my students to compare the density of an ice cube with water, vinegar, and isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.






There was an equal amount of each liquid provided and students had to safely identify which liquid was in each container. By using their sense of smell, students were able to correctly identify each liquid.










Students then recorded their predictions as to whether an ice cube would sink or float in each liquid.










Students soon discovered that the ice floated in both the water and vinegar. I decided to use food coloring when making the ice cubes to enhance the visual aspects of this lesson.










Students then discovered that the ice cube sank in the isopropyl alcohol and recorded each result. They were also required to write out three statements that compared the density of an ice cube to each of the liquids.









To extend this lesson even further, I asked my students if they could think of a way to make an ice cube float in the middle of a liquid. By mixing water and isopropyl alcohol together, they were able to achieve the desired results.





I was very pleased with the overall success of this structured inquiry lesson. My students really seemed to enjoy themselves as they were engaged in the inquiry process. Below are a few examples of the completed work submitted by my students.