2010
03.04
I’ve been working on a unit called “Size and Shape of the Earth.” I framed the section I taught of it around modeling, talking about how we use 2D models to represent 3D space. I noticed that students seemed to be struggling with this concept. Though they could look at a contour map and repeat that contour lines close together make a steep gradient, I wasn’t sure that they were really understanding how 2D and 3D models can be used to represent the same landscape, that you can go from one to the other, and they can be used to show us the same things but in different ways (such as profile and gradient).
So, I ended up doing a lesson with 3D models. Students made a model out of PlayDoh (3D) and from there made it into a contour map (2D). After, I switched the maps around so groups had to reconstruct somebody else’s mountain (go from 2D to 3D). They also had to draw a profile from the 2D map and compare it to the 3D profile.
I think this ended up being a really good visual and activity for the students. I was a little nervous about how it would work out in practice, but while a little messy, it was that organized chaos of a good hands on activity. Here’s some pictures!
Category Uncategorized |
2010
02.24
Last weekend I broke my finger. Nothing too bad, but bad enough so I have to get a pin put in tomorrow (to help prevent arthritis problems down the road) and that my doctor recommended casting it to keep it immobile until the surgery.
Anyway, I factored my broken finger into Monday’s warm up by drawing a contour map of a ski mountain and several ski trails. The warm-up told the kids that I had broken it skiing, and asked them what trail they think it happened on and to state their evidence. In also had them recommend me a new trail and to me evidence/an arguement for why.
Not only did this tie into what we were doing, it also saved class time by not having to repeat the story of my unfortunate finger to each student as they walked in. When they came in exclaiming, “Miss! What did you do to your finger?!” I simply directed them too the warm up. They really got a kick out of me relating my injury to Earth science, which allowed me to prove that science happens everywhere, even on the weekends.
That was my fun moment for the week. I’ll keep this one short as I am typing one-handed.
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2010
02.18
Seriously? Where does the time go?
I woke up early today with the hope of making progress on my discipline paper. I am going out of town tomorrow and will have very limited access to internet, so I really needed to be productive.
Before doing the paper, I really wanted to get the activity I am doing in class on Monday set up so that I could get feedback before Sunday night. I am going to have my students make a contour map of Whistler Mountain, in honor of the Olympics. Well, I ended up spending hours on finding a good topo map of Whistler. From there, I had to hand make a guide so that the students are actually constructing the map, not just looking at it (there go another couple of hours). Finally, I go to scan and I have to deal with computer issues (bye bye another hour and a half). Now, map finally uploaded, I have to design the actually activity that goes along with it.
Well, anyway, its 12 hours later and I am still putting finishing touches on my activity for Monday. The dicipline paper is untouched and I am losing my internet access as of tomorrow morning (hence the blogging tonight).
Moral of the story:
1. Work is like a gas, it fills to fit the available space
2. Designing your own activities from scratch takes A LOT of time… so steal steal steal
3. Don’t plan a weekend away with friends when you are in the middle of student teaching (even if it’s part of a week long break)
p.s. if anyone feels like making your own contour of Whistler Mountain, here’s the map
Tags: Rant Category Uncategorized |
2010
02.14
Continuing off my blog from last week, I have kept thinking of cool ways to get students interested in the content. I have been watching the Olympics all, and it hit me like a bolt of lightening…. the Olympics is all SCIENCE. I will be teaching my students about slope and gradients next week, so why not build it around the slopes and mountain in Vancovour?
Weather is becoming a big factor in the games, so analyzing weather patterns and maps can also take on an Olympic theme.
How about Physics? The Winter Olympics has it all! It’s all forces, friction, torque, momentum, aerodynamics, energy transfer…
Biology and Chemistry? What about what the Olympian’s bodies are going through from body systems to cellular processes. Maybe consider genetics in terms of different optimal genotypes/ phenotypes for athletes.
You can really get creative with it!
Check out this article from the NY Times on the subject. It talks about how NBC has teamed with the National Science Foundation to create a series of videos that breaks down the science behind a lot of the sports: snowboarding, skiing, slapshots, curling….
The Olympics are a great teachable moment!
Here’s a bunch of fun science snippets around the Olympics:
- Curling stones weigh 42 pounds each and they’re made from a type of granite known as Ailsite. It can only be found on the island of Ailsa Craig, off the coast of Scotland.
- It takes lots of speed — or kinetic energy — to launch off of a 22-foot high wall. The walls of Vancouver’s pipe are the tallest ever, so we can expect lots of hangtime in February.
- By pulling their arms into their bodies, figure skaters can increase the speed at which they spin. Try spinning in your office chair with your arms out, then pull them in.
- In the air, ski jumpers hold their skis in a V-formation, which provides 30% more lift than if the skis were parallel. The V-formation creates more surface area.
- ‘Clap skates’ help long track speed skaters keep their blades on the ice longer, to maintain friction. A hinge connects the blade to the boot and that equals more speed.
- Figure skating boots are made of leather, which provides both stiffness and movability. A figure skating blade has two edges, on both the inside and outside, to give the skater control.
- A process known as ‘baking the skates’ helps hockey players maximize the power they generate each time they push off the ice. Hockey players heat up the boot and mold it to their foot.
- Snowboarders pump their legs to maintain momentum in between tricks. Gravity works against riders in the middle part of a halfpipe, pushing down and reducing speed.
Tags: Reflect, Share Resources Category Uncategorized |
2010
02.07
I have been trying to think on how to draw students in at the beginning of the unit. Science is just so COOL, students shouldn’t see it as boring or dry. This week a student asked me why in the world would I ever want to be an Earth Science teacher?? I was telling her about how fascinating I found it trying to interpret millions and millions of years of the Earth’s history based off of what we can see at the very surface and how sweet it is that we can see life preserved in the rock record from millions of years ago. She thought that was cool, but class wasn’t. I have been thinking since about the importance of sharing your excitement and the “coolness” of science with your students.
For example, my mom recently sent me an email with some brain teasers. This may not be relevant to Earth science, but the brain is so fascinating. Looking at some of these things are a good way to “hook” students into a unit on the nervous system and begin generating some interesting questions. Also, they are just fun, enjoy:
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
Read out loud the text in the triangle below:
Did you say “a bird in the bush”? If so, you failed to see that the word “the” is repeated!
Which way is the woman spinning?
Apparently if she is spinning left, the left side of your brain is working (and vice versa)
Category Uncategorized |
2010
01.29
My dad gave me a copy of a book called “Making sense of secondary science” which he had to buy for a science education course that he took recently.
It goes through a lot of main science topics and tells you what misconceptions students of each age level often have about them. It’s basically a summary of a ton of research that has been done by many different people on the subject. I can bring it in if anyone want to check it out. It might be really useful to prepare yourself for potential misconceptions even before you APK.
You can check it out on Amazon here.
Tags: Share Resources Category Uncategorized |
2010
01.28
I feel like I am going to be very challenged this semester for getting my work done AND getting sleep… not to mention trying to stay healthy.
Maybe it’s just me, but my formal lesson plan write ups take me probably 2 hours if I am focused as I am working. Add to this actually planning and prepping a good lesson, creating valuable assessments, giving my students useful feedback, grading, making phone calls home, making myself available to my students after school…
Lets take a day in the life of Maeghan on Wednesdays… I’ll be getting to school at 7:15am and, with no after school, staying until 3pm. It’s a half hour drive back home. On Wednesdays I will barely have enough time to leave for my class in Honeoye Falls, and from there I go to Topics where we get out at 9:30 pm. If I get home by 9:45, with just the lesson plan write up, I will be working until 11:45pm, and that’s not even taking into account actually thoughtfully planning a lesson! I can’t see getting to bed before 1 or 2am, and then being up at 6am again the next day… Notice this schedule didn’t include any meals, gym time, mental breaks, or time spent with family or friends. Nor does it include grading, doing my own coursework, or be available to my students after school.
I guess I’m at a loss on how to possibly stay physically and mentally healthy with this type of schedule. I’m also worried about what kind of teacher I will be to my students on only 3 or 4 hours of sleep with no decompress time. I’m also worried if I’ll even be a teacher Inext year if I don’t have time to work on my resume, look for jobs, interview, or study for my cert exams!
I have a feeling our March Madness this spring will have nothing to do with basketball…
Tags: Rant Category Uncategorized |
2010
01.10
I am doing a 5-day project with my students, and am using a website that helps you set up a “webquest”
It’s www.zunal.com
It’s really easy to make a site for an online project, and is letting me go “paperless” as well as letting the students do the teaching for our next unit on cell processes.
Here’s the one I made
Tags: Share Resources Category Uncategorized |
2009
12.03
This was the Thursday of STARS. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. We were all at East to prepare our final presentations. Unfortunately, only one of our girls from FS was able to come to East today, but we were happy to have her. We started our poster construction today because we wanted it to really be co-constructed from our whole teams (though we did have the girls make Powerpoint slides and graphs in previous weeks.
The East team had 3 girls today. It was a little difficult having only one girl from FS because she got a little excluded from the girl’s conversations (it didn’t help that one of the East girls mentioned how much she hated FS). Other this bump, things went really well. The girls had fun painting the poster and all of them worked on a different portion. Sabrina called home to all the parents and we think (and hope!) that everyone is coming on Saturday.
It was a little sad saying goodbye to the girls. Melissa had left a little early, but the East girls were emotional at the end. I was so happy, though, to see how much the girls (even those who might be a little more challenging) really seemed to have loved STARS.
Hope Saturday is a success! 
Tags: Reflect Category Uncategorized |
2009
12.03
Hey Guys, been doing some web surfing, and am finding some great stuff. Becci also just put up some great one’s on her BLOG
Job Stuff
- If you are looking for a low income school/district that you might be able to get federal loan forgiveness (or you need high needs for Noyce/UTL), here’s where you can look them up
- If you want to check out what your starting salary would be at a district, you can find current teacher contracts for all NYS school districts here
All subjects!
- All types of FREE computer simulations! DNA, Greenhouse Effect, circuits, rates and reactions… students get to change different variables and see the effects, GREAT visuals! Seriously, CHECK THIS OUT!
- Crazy big list of resources… everything from artistic images from of the Earth from throughout the globe to lesson plans to science news to
Earth Science
Physics
Biology Resources
Chemistry Resources
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