| |
Teaching about Animal Scat
         Animal scat.....totally gross? or totally fascinating? I recently developed and tested a science activity with a group of girls and their mothers. The topic: what you can learn from an animal by examining its scat. That's right, scat.
For the activity, I paced the aisles of two local grocery stores, looking for food items that could be transformed into....scat samples. Then, I took my dog for a walk around our neighborhood, stuffing leaves, pine needles, and pine cones into plastic bags in order to create the realistic setting for each sample.
Each scat sample was formed out of food items, set in a naturalistic setting, and placed for the girls and their moms to examine. Armed with a classification key, they examined each scat samples' characteristics, such as shape, size, number, color, texture, and location, trying to match the scat sample with the animal who might have made it. Much fun was had when I revealed the animal/sample matches, and even more fun was revealing the food items which formed each scat.
Take a peek at these photos, keeping in mind that the scat is formed from human food and, in theory, totally edible. The photos include replica scat from coyote, opossum, deer, toad, mouse, rabbit, bear, cougar, and goose. Which food item do you think was the secret recipe for each type of animal scat?
AAAS Reviews Quicksilver Web Module
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently reviewed the Quicksilver Web Module, an online learning tool which I helped co-develop for the University of Washington's Center for Ecogenetics and Environmental Health. The review is posted in the AAAS' online resource, Science NetLinks, which provides reviews of science education resources for K-12 Science Educators. The Quicksilver Question Web Module is a fun, interactive, online learning adventure set in the fictitious gold mining town of Quicksilver, Washington. Participants navigate through the town, meeting with the town's residents (including a museum docent, toxicologist, teacher, senior citizen, and fisheries biologist) to gather information about human health and the town's legacy of gold mining and mercury contamination.The reviewer, Brian Shmaefsky of Kingwood College, calls the online learning adventure "a valuable environmental toxicology teaching resource" which can be used to "reinforce health education, language arts, math, science, and social science" as well as "ethical issues related to technological applications." The module "builds the scientific framework needed to rationally analyze suspected cases of environmental health problems related to pollution."To read the AAAS review, click here. To read the AAAS description of the module, click here. And to launch the web module, which is fun for adults as well as middle and high school students, click here.
Marine Education Workshop for K-12 Teachers
Friday, December 11, 2009, 8am to 5pm, in Seattle.Join NOAA staff from the Seattle area to learn about what NOAA Fisheries and WA Sea Grant offer you as a teacher. Come hear about the ocean literacy principals and conduct activities directly related to NOAA science that can be used with your students. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Morning coffee, lunch and take-home materials will be provided. Clock hours will be available.Contact Casey Ralston to participate. For registration questions, you may call 206-302-2461 or click here.From: NOAA
"Less than 50% of our 10th graders are passing the state math and science exams."
Supt. Dorn Calls for Changes to Math, Science Graduation Requirements
Proposal calls for continuation of current math requirement through 2014 SEATTLE--Citing major concerns with the passing rates on the high school math and science exams, State Superintendent Randy Dorn has proposed significant changes to the math and science graduation requirements. Dorn will unveil his proposal today at the annual conference of the Washington State School Directors Association. Dorn said students and schools will need more time with new math and science learning standards that are now being implemented around the state. The new standards won't be assessed until 2011 for math and 2012 for science. That doesn't provide ample opportunity for the class of 2013, current ninth graders and the first class required to pass four state exams, to learn the standards, or teachers and schools to align curriculum and materials to them, he added. "It doesn't take a mathematician to see that we have a big problem in our state. Less than 50 percent of our 10th graders are passing the math and science exams," said Dorn, who noted 10th graders' passing rate on the reading and writing exams is more than 80 percent. "We need to be fair to our students and give them time to learn the new standards. It's simply a matter of doing what's right." Current law states that beginning with the class of 2013 (students in the ninth grade in the 2009-10 school year), students will be required to pass two end-of-course tests: one in Algebra I/Integrated Math I, and one in Geometry/Integrated Math II. In his proposed changes to the math graduation requirement, Dorn will ask the 2010 Legislature to:
--Continue the current requirement of either passing a state math exam or earning two credits of math after 10th grade through of the class of 2014; and
--Establish a "two-tier" bar for the math graduation requirement, beginning with the class of 2015, in which one tier (Proficient) is the goal, but another tier (Basic) is enough to earn a diploma. Students who meet Basic would be required to earn a fourth credit of math.
Using Massachusetts as a successful example, Dorn said his proposal of a two-tier system maintains the state's high standards, but also helps set a realistic passing bar for students. Requiring a fourth math credit ensures that students who don't meet Proficient on state exams will continue to build their math skills. "We've been arguing about math for decades now," Dorn said. "We've finally got some of it right. Now we need to figure out what kids should know coming out of high school." Dorn's proposed changes to the science graduation requirement include the creation of end-of-course exams in life sciences and physical sciences instead of using single comprehensive science test. He also proposes that the Legislature delay the science graduation requirement until 2017, after students have had time to learn the new science standards, and the new end-of-course exams have been administered for two years. "Reading, writing and math are taught every day in our schools, but the same can't be said for science," Dorn said. "We need an increased emphasis on science instruction in elementary and middle schools so our students are better prepared for the high school graduation requirement. I also believe the end-of-course exams will assess our students' knowledge more effectively than a single comprehensive test." Dorn emphasized that his plan for math and science is fair to students. "This is the best way to give students the education they deserve," he said. "We must maintain our high standards, but we have a rare chance to set the bar at the right level as we implement new learning standards in math and science and move to end-of-course exams."
From: OSPI. For more information, visit the OSPI website.
Free Course for Science Teachers--Life Sciences
QUILS (Quarter Institute in Life Sciences), "Smart Bodies: Activities for Teaching Health", is an evening course for middle school teachers. Teachers will actively participate in health related lessons that can be taught in the middle school science classroom. Activities can easily be adapted to high school and upper elementary. Dates: Thursdays, 4:30 - 7:30 PM, January 7 - March 4 (no class February 18), 2010. Teachers receive 2 credits of BIOL 491. Graded C/NC. Eight weeks. You will receive a manual for the course and other books and materials to use in your classroom, all for free! Interested teachers are invited to apply on-line . Direct application link. From: WSTA
Free Astronomy Teaching Resources
COSMIC TIMES: POSTERS, LESSONS AND TEACHER GUIDES (grades 7 to 12)Cosmic Times is a series of curriculum support materials that trace the history of our understanding of the universe during the past 100 years. It consists of 6 posters, each resembling the front page of a newspaper from a particular time in this history, with articles describing the discoveries. The language of the articles mimics that of a newspaper from its respective era.Each of the Cosmic Times posters is accompanied by a range of classroom lessons for grades 7 to 12, including at least one multi-disciplinary lesson. Each poster also comes with two newsletters--one with the text from the poster and the other with text at a slightly lower reading level. Teachers may request a free copy of all materials and may also download electronic copies of materials at this website. EXPLORE! ICE WORLDS! - HANDS ON ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES (ages 8 to 13)Discover our most precious resource - water - in its frozen form through the new Explore! Ice Worlds! suite of hands-on activities. Three themes are investigated: All About Ice, Ice in the Solar System, and Ice on Earth. Find these explorations as well as presentations, recommended books, and Internet resources at this website.EXPLORE! PROGRAMThe Lunar and Planetary Institute's Explore! program is designed to engage children in space and planetary science in the library and informal learning environments, but is easily adapted to the classroom or other setting. The activities are easy to do, use readily available materials, and are aligned with national science standards. The Explore! program provides materials on a variety of topics, including lunar exploration, health in space, and Mars geology, all available free for educational use at this website.SUN-EARTH DAY 2010: MAGNETIC STORMS (grades K to 12)Join NASA in celebrating Sun-Earth Day on March 20, 2010. This year, we will take a journey into the heart of the electromagnetic force and demonstrate how magnetism, an everyday force that makes motors work, sticks notes to our refrigerators, and keeps electricity flowing to our houses also plays a key role in understanding the sun and is responsible for the most violent explosions in the solar system: Magnetic Storms! For lesson plans and "easy to do" activities for students at all levels, go to this website.From: NASA SpaceGrant Newsletter
Teacher Program in Costa Rica
The application is now available for the 2010 Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica, a fully-funded professional development program for U.S. educators. Funded by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and administered by the Institute of International Education, the program aims to advance environmental stewardship and global connectedness in U.S. schools and communities. Applicants must meet the following requirements to be eligible for participation in the program: Hold U.S. citizenship; Be employed full time as a secondary school (grades 6 to 12) classroom teacher or teacher-librarian; Teach in one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia; Have a least three years of consecutive, full-time teaching experience.
The program will take place June 18 to July 3, 2010 and the deadline to apply is January 6, 2010. Please visit our website for application instructions, eligibility requirements, FAQs, and to apply online. From: TITP
|
|
