Blogging about science

In order to get students pumped about science, I encourage them to read and write about new discoveries. Last week students posted their first blog post on My Big Campus. Here are some of the top student blog posts:

Cassidy O.

Title of the Article: New Jurassic Flier

·Author: Janet Raloff

·Source: Science news for kids/ August 23, 2012

·URL: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/08/flying-jurassic-dinosaur-pterosaur/

·What is the main topic of the article? Amazingly well-preserved fossil

·Summary: A man named David Hone is a paleontologist. Being a paleontologist means he studies the remains of prehistoric plants and animals preserved in old rocks. He went to a museum one day and discovered that a scientists was talking and said “how nice another Rhamphorhynchus”. Just the looking closer at the fossil he realized that the scientist made a mistake and categorize the fossil as a rhamphorhynchus. When he looked closer at the fossil he and other scientist realized that it was a new type of fossil. They named it Bellubrunnus, or Brunn beauty, in honor of the German rock quarry from where it was found. 

·Why is this topic important to you/ why did you choose this article? This topic is important to me because ever since I was little I have loved rocks.  One day when I was in 4^th grade I went on my first fossil hunt. I have always been amazed by fossils. Some years later I found an arrow head and also a rock that an Indian used to turn corn into a corn meal powder. 

Senecia G.

Title of the Article: Sweets on the Brain 

·Author: Stephen Ornes

·Source: Science News for Kids June 28, 2012

·URL: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/06/sugar-free-sweeteners-fool-the-bodys-internal-computer/

 

·What is the main topic of the article? Humans and health

·Summary: Diet sodas are sweetened with an artificial sweetener. When people regularly drink diet pop, their brains get confused. The brain gets messed up counting calories and can cause you to overeat. A test was done on 12 people who never drink diet pop and 12 people who always drink diet pop. They drank either artificial or real sweetener. Scientist tracked their brain activity. They found that the same part of your brain that’s lacking proper activity for obese people is lacking for you when you drink artificial sweeteners and diet pop. That’s why drinking diet soda has been linked to gaining weight. 

·Why is this topic important to you/ why did you choose this article?: I chose this article because the human brain fascinates me and I want to learn more about how it works.

Chance T.

Title: Beelzebufo: A Giant of a Find

Author: None Listed

Source: National Geographic    August 3, 2012

URL: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/animalsnature/beelzebufo/

Main Topic: Biology

Summary: Paleontologist, Dr.  David Krause of Stony Brook University in New York made an outstanding discovery on his trip to Madagascar. On his trip he discovered the largest frog fossil the world has ever known, the Beelzebufo. The frog was 1 foot and 4 inches and weighed about 10 to 11 pounds, beating the previous record species of frog which is the goliath frog of West Africa, which can be 12.5 inches long and weigh about 7.2 pounds. This frog was the ancestor of a South American frog. You might be asking how this frog went from South America to Madagascar which is halfway around the world. Well during the cretaceous period Madagascar and South America were together and the frog hopped of onto Madagascar.

Why did you choose this article? I chose to blog about this because I love to see how animals today differ from their ancestors in the past.

Last Week in Biology by Madison S.

In Mrs. Glade’s 8^th period biology 1 class students are learning about the importance of water for life. They have been finding out lots of interesting things about aqueous solutions along with acid and base interactions. To supplement notes students read an article by Natalie Angier called, Small, Yes, but Mighty: The molecule Called Water. The biology class is also learning about organic molecules. They started a group project, which involves them making a power point over about an organic molecule of their choice. Their project puts them in the role of a space explorer in the year 3012, searching for life on other planets. They are charged with creating a PowerPoint presentation about molecules that make life possible on Earth that will be used to teach the newly discovered life forms about Earth. Students are really getting into their roles and having a fun time researching organic molecules.

This Week in 7th Grade Science by Taylor Q.

This week in Mrs. Glade's 7th grade science class, we've been learning about different science equipment and preparing to use the scientific method. The students have been working on various worksheets to get them familiar with the measurements and equipment they will be using. This Friday the kids did their first lab! They've also been taking notes and writing daily in their science journals to get them familiar with what they will be learning.

(Note from Mrs. Glade: Sorry for the lack of 7th grade pictures. The first lab with 7th graders is always a little chaotic, and I forgot to ask my student assistants to photo-document the event. We did not however complete the lab, so there will be an opportunity to photograph the lab on Monday. Have a great weekend!)

Using the Scientific Method by Jenna M.

Throughout this year, my student assistants will be helping keep everyone updated on classroom events. Here is Jenna's first blog post:

This week Mrs. Glade’s 8^th graders have been keeping pretty busy. They’ve been learning all about the scientific method and how all the steps work together to help scientists develop scientific theory. Today they are doing a lab to determine which tape is the stickiest. They are using Scotch tape, masking tape, and duct tape. The lab works by putting the different types of tape on the table after their ramp (the ruler) and rolling down the marble. The shorter the distance the marble rolls after hitting the tape; the stickier the tape is. I am looking forward to seeing what the class will be working on next week! :)

What is science?

Last week students explored the meaning of science. As they were working, one of my wonderful student assistants, Tiffany, made these observations:

First period students work together to illustrate their definition of science.

"This week my class did a project on what they thought science was. Students had to draw pictures to represent what they thought science meant to them.  They drew on posters the size of a regular sheet of paper. The students had the chance to work in a group of 5 or less. At times they got a little carried away and got a little loud, but I thought it was great to see the enthusiasm that they have.  As I went around the room, it looked like they all had a lot of fun doing this project." -Tiffany


All of the student posters have now been uploaded to Facebook. There were many different ideas about what science really is, and what scientist do. Overall the students seem to be very excited about exploring the world around them. 

Here we go!

The first day of school was definitely a success. This year I have about fifty 7th grade students, ninety 8th grade students, 12 freshman biology students, and 5 student assistants. All students are required to bring in a composition notebook by Monday August 20th.

This week all three grade levels are completing introductory activities to get acquainted with the science classroom. We are discussing general expectations and laboratory safety information. All classroom documents and handouts can be accessed by clicking on "Classroom Agenda" on Harmony.

Also a reminder to all parents and students: North Daviess Science is on both Facebook and Twitter. Connect with us for frequent updates and photos of class projects and experiments.

Student Assistants

Education is a collaborative effort. Everyone from students to parents and teachers to community members should be part of the educational process. This is why I am constantly trying to get everyone involved in the science classroom. Unfortunately science tends to get a bad rap from the general public. A lack of understanding leads to skepticism of scientific theories and practices. My goal is to counteract these negative stigmas by helping everyone realize the beauty and brilliance of science.

This year I'm hoping to get a crew of student assistants to work as ambassadors for science. Any high school student can opt out of study hall to become a student assistant. Last year I had three absolutely amazing student assistants who helped me accomplish so much more than I would have ever been able to do alone. This year I am hoping to get at least one student assistant per class period to help with daily classroom activities as well as educational outreach.

Here are my guidelines for all my student assistants: Science Student Assistants

SpongeLab

Without up-to-date textbooks, a lot of the science curriculum needs to come from alternate resources. I've been spending a lot of time this summer searching the Internet for well-made and age-appropriate science resources. The task is a lot harder than you would think. Although the Internet does have a wealth of resources, most materials are not made with middle school students in mind. Additionally resources that are well-made are usually very costly.

However, I was lucky enough to stumble upon SpongeLab, an open education platform containing an abundance of science games, videos, simulations, and interactive tutorials. I can not say enough good things about SpongeLab. I've spent days playing their games and exploring their resources, and I am very excited to share them with the students at North Daviess.

Here is the link to their homepage for anyone who would like to explore their content: http://www.spongelab.com/

Starting a New Year

Last year I did not have much success with keeping this blog up to date. This upcoming year is bringing a lot of changes, and I hope to be more diligent about updating and utilizing my blog.

Ideally this will grow into a useful tool for communicating and collaborating with students, parents, and other teachers. I'm in the process of updating my pages to include curriculum outlines and resources. This will be a slow and arduous process, but I hope to have a wealth of material posted by the time the school year starts.

Oops!

Well I haven't kept up with this site nearly as much as I would have liked. Keeping a blog up to date, on top of everything else that has been going on this year, has been a bit of a failure. Just to let everyone know, I have not forgotten about this blog, and I am planning on re-vamping it in the near future... I would like to morph it into more of a website, rather than a journal. I am hoping to create a place where I can post assignments, links, and important information for students. Something like this: https://sites.google.com/site/mrsmanuelsscienceclass/home or this: http://thesciencequeen.net/