Modeling Earth Science

For the implementation of the model lesson plan I used two activities. The first activity was the making of a model of the layers of the Earth. The students created a piece of pie shaped Earth that had the six layers labeled: inner core, outer core, mantle, asthenosphere, lithosphere, and crust. The students then colored the layers white for the core and the hottest layer, yellow for the outer core which is a little cooler, orange for the mantle, red for the asthenosphere and lithosphere, and brown for the crust to finish off the ensemble.This was a scale model representing a 1:10 million scale which meant the the layers where done in centimeters and millimeters for the average depth of each layer. Herein lies the problem when working with fifth grade students. While they know what the metric system is many have trouble using a meter stick to make accurate measurements and many have to be retaught everything while the lesson is going on, which made for a long lesson. We also needed to use a new tool, which was used to make the arc that would create the sphere when we put together all the pieces. We used a piece of string for a compass because the first measurement was from the center or core out to the crust, which at this scale was 63.7 cm. Needless to say that many of the arcs were not very pretty. It took a lot of help to get many of them to a usable point.

The second part of this lesson had to do with plate tectonics. Using a demonstration that incorporated vegetable oil in a glass baking dish set up on ceramic mugs and using two Sterno canisters to heat the oil. The heated oil had thyme leaves to show the convection currents that were being created in one dish and cutouts of the continents in another dish to show how the currents inside the mantle layer would move the crustal plates causing them to separate or run into one another. The use of this model made a big impression on the students and seemed to help them understand how the convection current provides a force that would move the crust. This activity went well but the safety issues of hot oil and Sterno canisters makes t one that you need to think out before attempting in your classroom.

Scientifically-Literate and Compassionate Citizens

There are many ways that I connect my students understanding of how the natural laws of science affect their lives everyday. Living here in Wisconsin the students have been aware of weather related events such as tornadoes, flooding, droughts, and blizzards that have caused damage and devastation. The community in which I live have been part of efforts to help storm victims as close as 20 miles away after a tornado touched down in the town of Siren. The relief effort had students help put together food packages for those affected as well as some went to help with the clean up efforts. Another situation that my students are aware of is the massive flooding that has taken place in places such as North Dakota and even parts of Minnesota. Working with the Red Cross, disaster relief organizations and other charitable organization that send volunteers to fill sandbags and stack sandbags to shore up levies and dikes are ways that I help my students understand the importance of helping others in time of need. Lead by example I always say. Some have even been apart of clean up efforts where they went into some of the damaged homes and remove items that need to discarded or refurbished.

These efforts of the communities in the mid-west are unselfish acts to help those who were less fortunate than ourselves and had to endure the effects of natural disaster that could easily have happened right here in our home town. As and educator I try to have my students analyze the most recent natural disaster and see if they can explain factors that led up to or caused this type of disaster. Through this analysis I have them think of ways they might have help to prevent this from occurring or come up with a plan to lessen the severity of the disaster in the future. They are also asked to think about how they could make a difference for others that have endured these types of disasters.

By educating the students about the natural phenomenon that cause these type of disasters the student can understand some of the planning and designs of cities and towns in different parts of the country and world. Buildings in one area of the world are designed quite a bit differently than buildings in another part of the world. The students become more aware of why it is important to take into account the weather, climate, and geological make-up of the area when designing living environments for human habitats.

Ask A Scientist?

I would like to give the answer I received from ask a scientist but unfortunately I have not received one as of today. I will let you know if I do get one in the future.

Web 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0 Tools

The tools that I have researched this week and in the past that I enjoy using or would like to learn more about are numerous. The presentation tools like Prezi and PreZentit are great new tools to present information much like a PowerPoint but in a newer format that has made putting together a presentation a lot easier. The ease of use for these two presentation tools comes from easy to follow instruction to great tutoring tips and instruction videos (Laureate, 2010). Other tools that I have used or would like to use in the future are Google Docs, Tour 280 Slides, and Imovie, these tools are both fun to use and have many features that make presentations interesting to view and follow.

My school district has been generous enough to also provide many of the classrooms with Promethean boards that have many great features to utilize while creating lesson and giving presentation. Professional development that guides the use of this tool is essential but when you learn the basic tips you can create great lesson, as well as, capture the students interest in manipulating the white board and it fun tools.

Another tool that I have been introduced to is Google Docs. With the web capacity and the ability to work within the cloud you can create useful documents, web pages, and much more. During my investigation I have found that Google Docs is not the easiest tool to use some of the applications can become confusing for those of us who are not computer literate. There are some benefits to creating documents in Google docs however, such as the ease of sharing you documents with other staff members or friends.

If I had to make a choice for a presentation tool though I would have to choose Prezi. The ease of use and the idea of one page presentations that can move and adjust to the needs of the presenter make this tool fun to work with and interesting to follow. Another plus is that you can share your presentations through PDF or online to many people in different locations at the same time. This week’s research has brought to me many new tools to think about and I believe that I will have many opportunities to learn how to best utilize each tool. I look forward to finding out which tools appeal to my students and trying each in classroom situations to find out which ones will work best for all.

References:

Laureate, 2010. An Introduction to Prezi® Learn how to use Prezi®, an online presentation tool. Retrieved May 3, 2011 from Laureate online video.

There are many great science related sites for children to explore but which ones have content that will help students inquire about science and science topics? In my search for good sitesthat incorporate technology, motivate students, and utilize twenty-first century skills I found a few that fit the bill. First, I need to identify the topics of my research, which is “Quantum Theory.” Quantum theory has a wide variety of topics that are not only interesting to children but can be modified to bring into the classroom or research using technology. My focus, because it has to do with the Wisconsin State Standards is electricity and how it works. Wisconsin core standard D.8.8 Describe and investigate the properties of light, heat, gravity, radio waves, magnetic fields, electrical fields, and sound waves as they interact with material objects in common situations, retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/standards/scid8.html on April 8, 2011 is a great standard for students to investigate electricity, discuss how electricity moves and does work and analyze a variety of ways that we can produce electricity. Knowing how electricity works is a key component to understanding technology and the benefits it provides humans.

A web site that I use for many of the lesson I teach is http://www.brainpop.com/.

It has short videos, quizzes and even some labs that the students can do on line that help them to understand concepts of science as well as other core subjects. The students like the videos so they are motivated to watch and learn. Another site I found was Riverdeep, http://web.riverdeep.net:80/portal/page?_pageid=820,1388464&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&success_cancel_url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.riverdeep.net%3A80%2Fportal%2Fpage%3F_pageid%3D820%2C1388464%26_dad%3Dportal%26_schema%3DPORTAL&source=demo&source_code=# retrieved April 11,2011,this cite had many virtual labs that the students could manipulate and have questions answered for a better understanding of how things worked.

One activity that I would use in class would be that of virtual labs that have the students build electrical circuits. The students can manipulate virtual wires, lights, buzzers, batteries and other gadgets so that they can gain an understanding of how series circuits and parallel circuit use electricity to do work. The challenge of using this in my classroom would be the lack of computers for student use. We have a computer cart but it is virtually impossible to get so I have a group of four desktop computers, which makes it difficult to get twenty-two students on for this type of activity.

References:

http://web.riverdeep.net:80/portal/page?_pageid=820,1388464&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&success_cancel_url=http%3A%2F%2Fweb.riverdeep.net%3A80%2Fportal%2Fpage%3F_pageid%3D820%2C1388464%26_dad%3Dportal%26_schema%3DPORTAL&source=demo&source_code=# retrieved April 8,2011

BrainPop: retrieved April 8, 2011 http://www.brainpop.com/

Heat Transfer

For the heat transfer activity I chose to use newspaper, aluminum foil, saran wrap and a cotton washcloth for the covers of the four identical mugs. The water was heated to a consistent fifty degrees Celsius and I allowed the four mugs to sit exactly thirty minutes before rechecking the temperature of their contents. My hypothesis was that the washcloth would have the greatest insulating effect due to the many air pockets created by the woven fibers. It was also my guess that the aluminum foil would be the worst because of it being a metal and metals are suppose to be great conductors of heat and electricity so logically it would give up the most heat to the surrounding air. As I finished with this activity I was surprised to find that my hypothesis was the opposite of what I first believed to be true. In reality the aluminum foil was the best insulator only allowing a twelve degree Celsius change in temperature over the thirty minute time period and the cotton washcloth was the worst having a sixteen degree Celsius drop in temperature.

In reflection from the readings this week the text, Integrated Science, (Tillery, Enger, & Ross, 2008) specific heat is the amount of heat required to change the temperature of a certain material one degree Celsius and that aluminum’s specific heat was (0.22 cal/gC°), which means that aluminum is one of those metals that does not heat up easily and also does not transfer heat well. This makes sense when you look at aluminums location on the periodic table, close to the metalloids and non-metals. Aluminum is a good conductor of electricity but not a great conductor of heat probably why you see it used in conjunction with a plastic insulator for things like travel coffee cups.

Setting this up for a classroom, I would get several different types of materials for the students to test. The concept of variables can be easily addressed in that all the items must be exactly the same except the materials you are testing. You can discuss how using different mugs might allow the temperature change happen at different rates much like the covers you are testing. It would be important for the students to understand that the density of a material affects its ability to transfer heat and that some metals that are less dense than others may be better insulators than they are conductors much like aluminum.

Reference:

Tillery, B., Enger, E., & Ross, F. (2008). Intergrated Science: Fourth Addition, Boston, MA: Laureate Education Inc.

Marble Momentum

          The activity I chose to investigate was the one that dealt with how different surfaces affect the momentum of a marble? In order to accomplish this activity I first raided my daughter’s toy box to find a marble that would be used to test the different types of surfaces. Next, I located an area in the room to carry out the experiment that gave me plenty of space that had no other obstruction that would affect the outcome of my trials. With the marble and test area decided, gathering the final materials need to carry out this task, I set up my test area. The materials I chose to use consisted of the marble and four different surfaces; two types of carpeting (Shag and Berber) place on a track created with a lined box four meters long and one meter wide. Two other tracks were also created, one filled with a fine sand, and the other with a smooth wood base that were the same size as the two boxes with carpeting in them.  The final item needed to test how the momentum of a marble would be affected by the surfaces it is rolled on, was the ramp that I designed using two, one meter rulers, that have a groove down the center, taped to a wood plank and set at a height of five centimeters.

            The hypothesis that I based this test on was that a marble’s momentum would be adversely affected by a surface that has a greater amount of friction to apply a net unbalanced force in the opposite direction of the momentum of said marble. To test my hypothesis the five centimeter incline plane applied gravitational force to put the marble in motion down the two meter ramp, where it will then come in contact with a surface that is flat and utilizes one of the four surfaces to be tested.  The experiment began with the first trial, which used the smooth wood surface. The marble was able to travel the entire length of the wood surface and then through conservation of momentum hit the end board, a stationary object, which caused the marble’s momentum to reverse and continue back in the opposite direction. The second trial was with the Berber carpet, which had a similar result but only return back toward the ramp a distance of half a meter. The third trial used the shag carpet and had drastically different results. In this trial the marble was only able to advance about one and a half meters in total before coming to rest. The final test utilized the fine sand and much like the Shag carpeting the sand resisted the momentum of the marble and brought it to rest at one meter thirty-seven centimeters. To verify the results I repeated the four trials three different times and then took the average of all three trials to base my information on. My conclusion supported my hypothesis in that the greater the frictional surface the greater the unbalanced net force in the opposite direction causing the marble to stop sooner.

            The outcome of the experiment was what I expected it to be, in that the marble’s momentum was affected by the different surfaces with a varying degree affect. As expected the marble’s momentum allowed it to move the farthest on the smooth wood surface and the least on the shag carpeting. So I wasn’t surprised by the outcome of my experiment.  The final trials of the experiment went very well but it took a lot of time and some searching for the right materials without spending a fortune to build the ramp and runway. Luckily I have a large shed with way too much junk in it. Works great for a struggling science teacher who loves to create things on his own to use in his classroom. If I were to set this up for the classroom I would probably have the students find areas in the school to test different types of surfaces. This would be a less controlled but might be fun for the students. Another would be to have the students create a race with their marbles to see how different masses will produce different results. This test could also show students how momentum will affect them during an accident in a car. Using small cars like in Newtons’s Amusement Park video with Janice Bright (Laureate, 2011) and the momentum of cars. She used quarters on the vehicle to demonstrate how the momentum of the quarter will cause it to continue forward when the car comes to an abrupt stop. It would be my goal to show students how momentum affects motion and  how that can work for us in situations that are controlled but can also work against us in uncontrolled situations such as a car accident. I have used this type of activity with my students and yes I do believe that I have helped them understand this concept about motion.

Reference:

Momentum Land. (Laureate Education Online Streaming, 2011 release).

Inquiry Lesson

Lab pictures with Graphic Organizers

Making calculations and mixing thing together is what it is all about!!

While I did not add all the graphic organizers and pictures for this lab I did include these pictures and a few with the graphic organizers (see link above). I only included the front of the graphic organizer and will be revising the back to include a chart. This lesson was on mixtures and solution, with the concept of how temperature will affect a solution ability to dissolve a solute. The students really enjoyed the lab and working with the equipment, especially the hot plates which I was a little skeptical about. The students handled them well, however, I will in the future make them harder to crowd around. Revision or reflection number one, make sure you keep the lab as safe as humanly possible. Like I said before, I will also revise the graphic organizer so that it includes a chart which shows how much salt will dissolve at the different temperatures. I will have the students fill this in as they work on their specific temperature range and create a final copy that includes the whole group information at the end so they have a visual that they can relate to when it is all done. Overall, the students responded quite well to this inquiry lesson, they found how hard it is to be accurate yet how important it is to be precise, and they came up with many good questions as the lab progressed that showed me they were interested and engaged during this activity. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Working with mixtures and solutions is a fun
time in the  science lab. Carefully working with the hot plates and epson salt.

Melting Icebergs

Having done this activity in a science class a few years ago I remember that very little if any water overflowed the container. This is due to the fact that water expands as it freezes and traps air inside causing it to become less dense than liquid water. So the melting of an iceberg really won’t increase the amount of water in the seas and won’t cause global flooding on its own. However, much of the Earth’s freshwater supply is located in glaciers located on land in areas like Antarctica, Greenland, the Alaskan Tundra and part of Russia known as Siberia. These glaciers if melted would increase the amount of water in the ocean causing a rise in sea level of approximately sixty-one meters. That is a significant increase and could cause global flooding of mass proportions.

I believe that the Earth is going through a warming period, but I am not convinced that global warming is anything more than one of the processes the Earth has gone through in it long, (short) history. Geologically speaking the earth can be considered to be quite young. During that time, roughly 5.1 billion years, the Earth has experienced dinosaurs, an ice age and the global climate we enjoy today, not to mention the other changes documented by scientist to this point. Global warming is taking place but maybe it is another period of Earth’s history that we have little or no control over. Yes, I believe that we contribute to greenhouse gases through car exhaust and factory discharges but I once read that the oceans can control greenhouse gases over time. But do we have enough time?

So, the question I have is how do we continue the rapid pace of growth that we are experiencing today in the world and slow down the effects of global warming? Do we really need to? I mean maybe global warming and its affects will change the global environment for the better? Increased fresh water will lead to more evaporation, which will lead to more rain in areas that are experiencing wide spread drought releasing nutrients that have been locked away for centuries and create new agricultural enterprises. Only time and extensive research will tell. But do we take that chance? 

Holidays

Hope everyone had a great holiday and winter break!