Hibernation

Link: http://whyfiles.org/187hibernate/

This story is cool. I jsut recently gave them my students a journal prompt on this topic. It would have been great if I have this article for that day's exploration. Even without this, it is a great way to compare the aminal lifestyles to that of other animals and to humans.

Brain Functions Quiz

Link: http://www.chatterbean.com/right_brain_thinker/2/?&CCID=20066626203229414&QTR=ZZf2147483647Za20066626Zg0Zw0Zm0Zc203229414Zs3723ZZ&CLK=892061207171835153&&ac=003&ai=61D9F94A0546E954BA75C591A3BF333284F20CB2&ad=611473692&sp=&fb=science%20news&INKLE_AB=2

This quiz is a great way to get to know how your kids think. Not only do you get this information, they learn more about themselves and how they learn. It could be a beginning of they year activity or when the topic arises during your lessons.

Inadequate Drinking Water

Link: http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20061127.html

This site offers a problem in the world. To help students become more global and worldly,
this offers a problem and you can have students come up with reasonable solutions as well as compare they life to those less fortunate than themselves. You may even be able to use this kind of topic to motivate a service project.

11-30

Dark Energy is said to have been around for generations. The Hubble telescope has found that te dark energy found in space makes the universe increase in size at a very rapid rate. Although, I have not ever read anything really on dark energy and am not really sure what it is besides enegy that isn't otherwise seen with the naked eye on a daily basis, that's about it! The article was interesting in that I am intrigued by things from space. I thought it was very interesting and provided good information.

Math, Podcast from the Ozarks

Link: http://www.ams.org/mathmedia/#two

This story is really interesting in that it pulls techology, math, and problem solving together into a real-world situaation. Since the radio broad cast is available in pod cast, a teacher can preview the puzzle and then pplay it for the class and have them see if they can figure it out. Depending on you age and grade you may have to walk the students through the solution.

11-23

Hmmmmm.. "Differrent Ways to Cut a Cake".... well, the title in itself provides many ideas...you could use it as teaching fractions, numerator, denominator.... anyway.... enough on that... the article itself talks about how cutting a cake is often, "you cut i choose the piece". it talks about fairness in portions of foods, and in this case, a cake.

Global Warming is Killing Marine Life?

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061207084052.htm

This article stated that the ocean's plant life growing at a slower rate they believe because of global warming. Phytoplankton,which feeds most marine life, grow faster in a cool ocean and slower in a warm water and because of global warming our oceans are becoming warmer. However it also clearly stated that tshe uninterrupted nine-year record shows in great detail the ups and downs of marine biological activity or productivity from month to month and year to year. Captured at the start of this data record was a major, rapid rebound in ocean biological activity after a major El Nino event. El Nino and La Nina are major warming or cooling events, respectively, that occur approximately every three to seven years in the eastern Pacific Ocean and are known to change weather patterns around the world.

Using Computers to Create Interest

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060222/Feature1.asp

This article were written to help promote interest in a career field of computer science. According to the article the number of people entering this field has been reduce by 50% and less than 20% are women. Using an interactive computer program called Alice, a student can quickly create an animated movie in which characters move about and interact in an imagined 3D world. Along the way, the student learns how to write a simple computer program. This program will hopefully create interest in the field of computer programming in young students and one day increase the number of young people entering the field.

Putting the Squeeze on Toothpaste

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061129/Feature1.asp

This article discussed the physics that go into creating toothpaste as well as the innovative new things scientists are trying to do to make toothpaste even better.

This article definitely made me think about toothpaste a little differently. I never really thought much about it other than something that would help keep my teeth white and clean. I never really thought a whole lot about the structure of the toothpaste and how it could separate into different layers. This is a great article to allow students and adults to look at things differently. Science teachers can use this article to discuss why temperature is an important thing to learn about as well as tools that help scientists. This article described how microscopes are used.
This article can be used for science, but also for math. Students can write down the prices of different toothpastes that are in the stores. They can compare the toothpastes by name brand or by amount of ounces per tube. This would be an excellent way to use proportions and ratios. The students could also see how important it is to use math to shop for the best buy.

NASA plans to put a base on the moon by 2020

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2006-12-04-nasa-moon-base_x.htm
"NASA plans to surpass the Apollo missions by establishing a base on the moon that could lead to a permanent human presence on the lunar surface, space agency officials said Monday."

This is an interesting article complete with an interactive model of how scientists plan to build a moon base in the future. Students would benefit from a discussion about the importance of space exploration and the continuing efforts of scientists to learn more about the solar system.

Hearts of Croc's

I went to this site with my classroom, and I noticed that of all the articles my students decided that this articles was the most interesting. They read that crocodiles have an extra valve in their heart, which allowed them to stay under the water longer, and made them more of a deadly hunter. I love this site, and my students really enjoy reading these articles after we complete different assignments within the computer lab.

Beth

Snowflakes and Avalanches

Snowflakes and Avalanches

This article talked about scientists and the research they are doing to protect individuals during avalanches. It talks about prevention and strategies to help individuals. I thought the article was interesting because students can see the uses of GPS for survival. Students are able to understand the importance of these devices and how without them our world and life would be much different.

Beth

New type of slow earthquake detected

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2006-11-30-new-earthquake_x.htm
Japanese researchers have discovered a new and sluggish kind of seismic activity that helps reveal the inner workings of faults capable of producing massive earthquakes like the one that generated the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Classroom Use: This article could be used as part of a unit on the study of earthquakes, tsunami's, and other natural disasters. Students could examine the article to see how the scientists worked through the scientific process to reveal their learning.

Wayback.....Presidents and their secret history

http://pbskids.org/wayback/

This is a fun site that allows students to explore tidbits or secrets about past presidents. They might like the fact that it appears they are getting the scoop that no one else knows. It also provides some kid interviews about whether they would be president or not and what makes a good president.

Fatty Foods

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/fattyfoods.html

This goes well with a unit on health and diet. Students are shown or find out rather how much fat their food really has. It might open their eyes to what they eat. Maybe.....

Science Biographies

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/sci/biography.html

This is not really a site full of articles, but a great tool for teaching about science biographies. I feel sometimes students are not so interested in learning about people when given a book because it is overwhelming (at least for second grade). This site provides quick, fast facts.

Origami and Math

http://www.paperfolding.com/math/

This is a helpful site for teachers to understand that origami is more that just paperfolding it is mathematical. It also provides examples of different things that can be created with origami. This site can also help when teaching a unit on Japan.

National Geographic People and Places

http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_india.html

Our school has adopted a new curriculum that requires me to teach India. Well, I had nothing for India and really struggled with the content. This site is WONDERFUL! It has real pictures of people and places, a look at their flag, facts, videos, and music. The best part is, you can choose any country and it provides lots of primary sources to help teach.

Earth and Moon Viewer

http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

This is a great site when second grade gets to the science unit about the Earth and Sky. The students will love the real pictures and information provided. The images are current and are of the moon or of Earth.

Alaska Volcano Observatory

http://www.avo.alaska.edu/

I would use this site to show the very interested second graders updated volcanic activity on a variety of volcanoes. It doesn't really put information into article format, but in quick snippets of information. This makes it helpful when in a time crunch.

High-Tech Ancient Greeks

LINK: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061129151439.htm

CLASSROOM USE: This would be a good article to use with middle or high school students in discussing the history and development of science. The article discusses an astronomical calculator used by the Ancient Greeks that very accurately depicts the motions of the Earth, moon, and possibly the locations of the planets. First of all, it shows that knowledge of space has not neccessarily moved in a linear direction, from less understood to more. If this finding is accurate, then the Greeks had already moved quite far along in their understanding, only to have later Europeans regress backwards conceptually (placing the Earth in the center with no other planets). It can help students understand that just because an idea is newer does not make it correct and that all new ideas need to be carefully, critically examined. This also helps make clear that not all people from the distant past had the same ideas about the world (ie, that it was flat) and that there is almost always more than one theory about a concept out there.

Putting the Squeeze on Toothpaste

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061129/Feature1.asp

Classroom Use: This article would be a great discussion starter on how science affects our everyday life. This could get students to thinking about how and why things work and how science is continually used to improve our lives. From there students may feel more motivated to begin to investigate the how and why in objects that they interact with on an everyday basis.

Math of the World

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061108/Feature1.asp

"If you know where to look, you can find math anywhere you go. "

Classroom Use: This would be a great math lesson starter for students in an elementary classroom. The article discusses how math can be seen all around the world from the setup of an African village, as viewed from an airplane, to the patterns on a Native American piece of pottery. After reading the article to the class, students could then be challenged to find fractals, a pattern that repeats itself on different scales, around their classroom or school campus.

Astronomers discuss opportunities from planned return to moon

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2006-11-29-moon-return_x.htm

Classroom Use: This article could be used as part of a solar system unit. An activity assessing the advantages and disadvantages of placing a telescope on the moon could be the central focus of this article. Students could also take part in the planning and design of the telescope. The could also research the costs of what it would take to send a manned mission to the moon.

Study: 1 in 5 parents say kids online too much, but no effect on grades either way

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-11-29-internet-study-kids_x.htm

Classroom Use: This article could be a discussion point for a classroom study on the effects of technology on students' lives. Students could record their own time on the internet each day for a period of time, then the data could be used in a classroom graph and further analysis.
The following excerpts from the article could be used as points in a classroom discussion:

"In a study to be released Wednesday by the University of Southern California, 21% of adult Internet users with children believe the kids are online too long, compared with 11% in 2000. Still, that is less than the 49% who complain their kids watch too much TV.
About 80% of the children say the Internet is important for schoolwork, although three-quarters of the parents say grades have not gone up or down since they got Internet access."

"Americans 66 and over remain the most disconnected, with only 38% online. For all other age groups, at least 74% are online, with penetration hitting 99% for those 18 and under, likely because most U.S. schools now have some form of Internet access."

"The study found nearly a quarter of online users especially newcomers to the Internet — say they spend less time reading."

Open source Java presents world of opportunities

http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20061122/tc_infoworld/83996
Classroom Use: This is a great classroom discussion on both business and computer programming classes. The fact that Java is going open source mean that people will have the opportunity to develop programs for the market that use Java and that can interface with persisting java script programs. This will have impacts both in the business world and the software industry.

Inadequate Drinking Water Is a Leading Cause of Death in Children

http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20061127.html

Classroom Use: This article could be used as a discussion point for a variety of topics in an elementary classroom. Some ideas may include: the importance of drinking clean water, the significance of sanitation systems, environmental studies and the effect of pollution on the water supply, as well as a lesson on how water becomes safe to consume.

Reading Response week 4 Standards Kathy

Reading response week 4 This reading is about standards and accountability and what they mean to children. The focus is on availability and funding and how to make changes in the classroom. Although the intent in good I also find the following to also be true. This weeks reading very interesting and in the perfect world these ideas would be great. Unfortunately, we do not teach in the perfect world. I so not have access to a class set of calculators. I have one computer in my classroom for student use and there is no added software (although I do have access to the internet). I am quickly becoming frustrated with the state of education I am witnessing. Lawmakers make the laws and lay out student and teacher goals without any regard to funding. There simply are not the funds to support technology, evenly and fairly in every classroom. Furthermore, low income families simply do not have computers. In my experience if the family does own a computer my fourth grade students are not allowed to use it because they “may break it” then the family would no longer have a computer. Parents are also uneducated at the benefits their students could gain from the use of this valuable tool and do not tap into it as a resources. Holding teachers and students to standards that cannot be obtained is neither far to the students or their teachers. I do not see an integration of core curriculum until the playing field is equal. I dream for the day we have a perfect world with ideal classrooms.

Reading Resopnce Venus Flytrap

How a Venus Flytrap Snaps Shut http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050129/fob5.asp This article is very interesting it explains how the Venus Flytrap Snaps Shut. it relates how scientist have found a connection between the science of math and math itself. It also points out how engineers may use the plant to design triggering mechanisms in the future. I would like to use this article in conjunction to reading “The Math Curse” I have a flytrap already in place in my classroom and the students have had a lot of fun bringing in bugs to feed it. This article really illustrates how math and science are all around us.

Interactive Weather

Link: http://whyfiles.org/interactives/

I think this site is really cool. The site allows you to actually see the damage done by a tornado or other natural disaters. This provides students with a more realistic look at the effects, looks and other notions relating to bad wather conditions.

Controlling the Gypsy Moth invasion

LINK: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061116084149.htm

CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to use with middle to high school class in the discussion of human impacts on the environment and the science behind trying to fix those effects. The article describes how the gypsy moth first was released into the forests of the Northeast and what scientists are trying to do stop it's spread. It provides a good starting point for they study of what happens when a foreign species is introduced into an ecosystem. Studies could also be launched into other examples, including a discussion of how the foreign species spreads and what people are doing to limit the damage being caused.

Math of the World

In Science News for Kids.

I like this article because it reflects on the theme of created last year that expands if the theme that math is everywhere.

It gives another example of how to lace your shoes. Talks about the fractal design of African houses in African villages, the mathematical geometry of the cornrow hair style. The Africans use mathematical designs to express spiritual concepts. Math is also present in Native American bead designs. Eglash has created a computer program called “The Virtual Bead Loom Program” Graffiti Grapher, Navajo Rug Weaver, and Alaskan Basket Weaver, all based on the same concept. Among Eglash's other creations is a program called Rhythm Wheels. It challenges kids to figure out when two repeating sets of drumbeats, each going at its own pace, will meet. As they work with this program, kids learn about fractions and finding the least common denominator. In his computer programs Eglash gives explanations of the culture, history, and math involved. Mixing math and culture does more than teach math, it helps people understand each other better.

The article provides a step by step exercise on how to make a fractal snowflake from a design developed by Swedish mathematician Niels Fabian Helge von Koch.

Chillin Out!!

http://whyfiles.org/187hibernate/

Classroom use: I could use this article to start a discussion on hibernation, which is sometimes called sleep, and what types of animals hibernate. I would not not get to far into the meaning and the biology behind hibernation. I would discuss how certain animals sleep during this period, and how they live off the food they gather and their body fat. By showing some of the pictures of the animals (bears, polar bears, squrriels, etc) and how they act and what they do to stay warm during their time of hibernation is another idea to bring to their attention.

week of 11-16

Monster Storm On Saturn Spotted By Cassini Space Probe. this is a great article to use to inform children that Earth isn't the only planet that experiences storms. You could use it to teach compare and contrast on expository writing or using it on the 6 Traits. Great article!

blog for 11-9

The most interesting thing I found on the Science in the News. There was a quiz to see if you are right brained or left brain. I am right brained. I can use this in my classroom as a way to get studets motivated to learn about science and in another case, how the brain works. It is a really neat quiz!!! Try it, see how you learn!

Project Music

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040602/Feature1.asp

This article discussed different ways that music relates to math and the real world. One part of the article talked about the influence that classical music has on the amount of white blood cells in a person’s body. Another part talked about the amount of crashes people have while driving depending on the type of music they are listening to. Another part of the article discussed sounds that violins make. Another student found that learning the violin can make you better at math.

I think that a lot of students could really relate to this article. Many of my junior high students are taking music as one of their electives. These same students will be driving in the next couple of years. The study done on the amount of crashes while driving would be interesting for the students to learn about. It would probably make them think about the kinds of music they listen to as well as the kinds of music their parents listen to while driving.

The part about Mozart’s piece using the golden ratio was interesting. I have known many things where the golden ratio is apparent, but I did not realize that it was also part of one of Mozart’s songs. This was interesting. The article suggested maybe singing the multiplication tables someday. I think that it would be wonderful to incorporate music more into the classroom. In fact, my students completed an open-ended project and several groups chose to create and sing a song to remember how to do something. One group used it for memorizing facts and another group used it for remembering the quadrants of a coordinate grid. I would love to learn more ways to incorporate it into the classroom.

Ants on stilts

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060809/Note3.asp
Scientists are studying how ants can remember how to get back to the nest. Researchers cut off parts of ant legs and glued on pig hair on to some of the legs. Ants that had their legs cut off stopped short of the nest. Ants with hair glued on their legs over shot the nest. This proved that ants use a kind of GPS, they count their steps and remember them as a map. Once you shorten or lengthen their steps it throws off their map. I would use this to show how animals problem solve.

The new basketball

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061108/Note3.asp
The NBA has changed the basketballs it uses for its games. More than one player has disagreed with this change. Science says that these new balls are better then the old leather covered ones but players think other wise. I would use this article to have students evaluate if science testing is true. Would Spalding (the new ball maker) ever show science testing that proved the old ball was better? Students need to be able to apply their knowledge to make sure what they are reading is true, not slanted.

India says 16 percent of power to come from wind by 2030

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061106/wl_sthasia_afp/indiaenergywindelectricityenvironment
Classroom Use: This would make a GREAT classroom discussion on a variety of topics. The ones that came to my mind include: alternate fuel/power sources, environmental issues, economic issues and how a second world country can do something so innovated and why we can not.

Colossal hurricane-like storm seen on Saturn

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061109/sc_nm/space_saturn_dc
Classroom Use: This is great for a classroom discussion on the weather effect on other planets. I like the idea of using this in a comparison about our planet earth and with that of other planetary bodies.

Warmest year on record

The year 2005 is recorded as the hottest temperatures on Earth. The overall increase in the last 30 years is 0.6 degrees C throughout the Earth. The top five hottest years were all but one within this century. (2005, 2002, 2003,2004, and 1998) In 1998, El Nino was to blame for the high temperatures, but 2005 doesnot have anything to blame but global warming.

The coldest temperatures are having seeing the most damaging results from global warming. Alaska, Canada and Russia have seen an overall temperature increase of 1.6 degrees C. Global warming is an issue I really worry about, and I believe that as a society we need to have more of an awareness. As educators, I feel we need to educate our students about this issue, so our future generations are not heavily affected by global warming.

Beth

Blood Clots

I read the article:

Computing Catches Up With Theory: Modeling The Formation Of Blood Clots

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061030183121.htm

This article describes how technology can now simulate the formulation of blood clots. (Leading cause of heart attacks and strokes) It explains that the clot grows faster with increased bloodflow to the area, but after a certain point, it declines. There are several links from this article, one takes you to a site where you can take a genetic test to find your risk of blod clots. I was originally going to be a nurse, so this stuff is interesting to me. I would discuss with students the devastating results of a blod clot (It can be fatal!) and investigate ways to reduce the risks.

Estimation

I read a very short article titled:

Estimation - Rounding Numbers

http://math.about.com/b/a/257412.htm

It talked about the reason why so many students have difficulty with estimation and rounding. It suggests the problem may be that "children were probably trying to memorize the procedure instead of understanding what the math actually is...it comes down to place value and really understanding the value that each digit represents." I personally have seen seventh graders struggle with rounding- especially with decimals. The article has several links which include worksheets for practice rounding decimals. I think it is a great idea to give students more practice with this skill, and I will print the decimals worksheet for extra credit in my math class.

Salem Math Program

I read the article:

"Parents Upset Over Salem Math Program: Lawsuit threatened over new standards for taking algebra."

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=ae40fa64-7af5-4a07-8038-dcb042e013d2

In the article, parents are upset because of a new policy regarding placement of students in eighth grade algebra. There are three pre-algebra classes, and only one algebra class. The criteria for students to get into the algebra is very strict, so some capable students are left out. One parent was very upset because they felt their daughter should have been in the algebra class. Now their daughter isn't learning anything new and often ends up helping other students in the class. Students could give their opinion about the placement procedures, and if they feel they are fair. They could also think of alternatives to the current situation in Salem.

I read the article:

The Science of Love: Why do fools fall in LOVE?

http://whyfiles.org/033love/main1.html

This article describes some mating strategies for different animals, such as a hang fly and a poisonous redback spider. It suggests that humans have something in common with animals namely that we may "communicate with unconscious chemical signals" called pheromones. This is an interesting concept, but I'm not sure if It would be a good idea to discuss with seventh graders. I might have them research the effect of pheromones on different animals, but not humans :)

Commercial Spaceflight

LINK: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15654772/

CLASSROOM USE: This would be a good article to use with students fifth grade and up to discuss the problems and reasons for commercial spaceflight. The article describes the progress Virgin Galactic is making in developing a commercial spaceflight vehicle and it's plan for future travelers. Obviously, the first question is why? Virgin's proposed price is in the $200, 000 range, for essentially a flight to no destination. Is the experience worthwhile? If so, shouldn't it be more available? Also to be discussed is safety. Given the recent problems NASA has had, can we be sure a commercial passenger flight could be safe? This would also be a good launching pad to discuss where technology has taken us so far and where it might go in the future. What is possible?

"Evolution of Body Size in the Deep Sea"

I read the article:

Scientist's Persistence Sheds Light On Marine Science Riddle

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060911104122.htm

The article suggests that there is an "island rule: that small animals isolated on islands evolve to be bigger than their mainland relatives, and large animals evolve to be smaller." Also "when species colonize the deep sea, large bodied species become smaller and small-bodied species become larger." I thought this was very interesting and students could brainstorm explanations for this type of adaptation.

Endangered Species

I read the Science Daily article titled:

"Fox or Eagle: The Price Of Saving A Species"

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031202071105.htm

The article talks about the island fox (Urocyon littoralis) which is an endangered species. The problem is that it's predator is the golden eagle. The golden eagle is protected by federal law, but is not considered threatened or endangered. So the dilemna is- how can we save the foxes without harming the eagles? This could generate a discussion about ethics. Students may come up with hypothetical solutions to this problem.

Mathematical Imagery

I read the article:

Mathematical Imagery

http://www.ams.org/mathimagery/

The first line captured my attention, along with some beautiful pictures. It began "The connection between mathematics and art goes back thousands of years." The article describes many artistic masterpieces based on mathematics, such as Gothic cathedrals, origami, mosaics and quilts. That reminds me of my grandmother and the many beautiful quilts she made. Quilt designs can be very intricate. I think children would enjoy seeing all the different ways math is used in the world around us. Sometimes it seems they are scared of math, and this might be a way to get them interested!

Kaleidoscopic Images

I read the article titled:
Math: Whale Songs-->Kaleidoscopic Images

http://www.ams.org/mathmedia/

This article describes how a former engineer named Mark Fischer from California is using "wavelets- a technique for processing digital signals- to transform the haunting calls of ocean mammals into movies that visually represent the songs" I thought this was so cool! there were several different types of whales you could choose from. You could hear their songs while watching a visual representation of them. I think kids of all ages would be fascinated by this, it would be a great addition to any ocean unit.

Grammar of Genetics May Help Spell the End of Cancer

Over the years, scientists realized that mutations were not necessarily a death sentence, but a sign of susceptibility. The grammar rules of genetics govern the molecules that attach themselves to the DNA or modify its molecular scaffolding. These rules are called epigenetics.

Epigenetics is thought to be at the center of gene activity and function and also disease. This explains why identical twins do not always pick up the same diseases. Cancer also seems to occur later in life, probably after epigenetic effects have had time to accumulate. Fenstein is a scientist who advances the theory of epigeneticsl

He advances the proposition that perhaps cancer cells can be treated before they have the chance to develop into cancer.

He advances the hypothesis that maybe when we understand the “Grammar of Cancer we can unlock the mysteries of other diseases as well.

Attention Middle School Math and Science Teachers

Honeywell taking teacher scholarship applications
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1029edspace1029.html

What: Honeywell is accepting scholarship applications from middle school science and math teachers to attend the 2007 Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program June 18-29 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Background: Teachers who win scholarships for the program, which began in 2004, will receive curriculum training focused on space science and exploration. They will also participate in astronaut training such as a high-performance jet simulation and scenario-based space missions. Financial contributions from more than 1,700 Honeywell employees help support the program.

How to apply: Teachers can apply online at www.honeywell.com/hhs for the scholarships, which include program tuition and materials, round-trip airfare, meals and accommodations.

Space Umbrellas to Shield Earth

LINK: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061108/Note2.asp

CLASSROOM USE: This is a great article to use with middle to high school students for the introduction of a research project. The article explains and debates one proposal to stop global warming by launching tiny spacecraft that will carry umbrella-like shields to help block some of the sun's rays from reaching Earth. As a class, or in groups, students could discuss the merits of this proposal, as well as two others mentioned in the article. This would then lead to students creating their own proposals on stopping global warming, a unit that could be done as a webquest.

Mechanical puzzles

I read the article "Celebrating Puzzles, in 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 Moves (or so)," by Margaret Wertheim.

http://www.ams.org/mathmedia/mathdigest

A display of 30,000+ mechanical puzzles can be viewed at the Lilly Library of Indiana University. They were donated by Jerry Slocum. For over fifty years, he has been studying and collecting puzzles. I have always loved puzzles, especially ones that seemed impossible. My grandfather always had some crazy puzzle like two horseshoes linked together that you had to try and separate. I think those kinds of mind blowing puzzles would be great for kids to strengthen their problem solving skills. I think it would be a great idea to get some of these puzzles for my math class. I think they sell some at Crackerbarrell. Besides, I'd love to solve them myself!

Quantum Physics

I read the article "Entanglement Unties A Tough Quantum Computing Problem" from Science Daily.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060929094219.htm

It talked about error correction coding. Claude Shannon was first to prove that messages survived noise up to a certain point "channel capacity". The article says that Quantum computing systems necessitate error codes when processing quantum data ("qubits") which are transferred on single photons. To make error measurement easier, they include entangled qubits in the transmision. "Entangled qubits... are created when (for example) high-energy photons goes through certain materials, which convert them into two lower energy photons. These twin daughters remain linked even when they are separted, so something that happens to one is echoed in the other, instantaneously, no matter how far apart they are... so strange and counter-intuitive that it is sometimes called "spooky physics."" I thought this article was interesting, and could ignite the curiosity of seventh graders. I think it might even spark their interest in physics!

Students produce movie on cell phones.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061029/ap_en_mo/making_mobilettes

Classroom Use: I don't know about your school, but the school that I teach at does not allow for students to have cell phones on campus. Even if it has been given to them by their parents for specific reasons. I do not have a problem with cell phone being on campus as long the students understand that they are to be used only before or after school on in case of an emergency. After reading this article, I would love to have my students do this. I teach Kindergarten, but I know that most of them know how to work a cell phone for the most part. This would be a great way to have the students take ownership of learning outside of school. It could go one of two ways, for the good or could be interference for students that already have a hard time staying on task.

The Techo Divide Kathy's week 11 post

The readings this week discuss the mesh between teacher training and student readiness in the area of technologies. It also touches on the ever changing world of technology
In my school the divide between the technology we have and the teacher and student participation may be as wide as the Grand Canyon. On one hand we have our teachers many of which are trained and ready to go with the technology in their classroom. The district however, is not ready to spend the money to allow the teachers to have the resources they desire. On one hand our more affluent schools all have overhead cameras, and smart boards (largely because the parents demand their children have the best). And our lower income schools have little to no smart boards or over head cameras. the cost to supply has meant an impasse. Schools are not willing to put out the big bucks unless parents scream about it. In lower income schools the families are just happy for their kids to be in school. They are unaware of their student’s rights to be fair and equal and many times cannot speak out in fear of being deported or embarrassed. I feel to say schools are equal is wrong even within the same district the divide is GRAND.

Holy Ozone Hole!

LINK: http://whyfiles.org/shorties/218ozone_hole/

CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to use with high school students to discuss environmental issues as well as how to read scientific articles. In terms of environmental issues, the article touches on one major current issue, the ozone hole. It gives a good explanation of what ozone is and what it does and then presents the most recent measurements of the hole. Questions to discuss in class would be the human impact on the environment and the value of environmental efforts. In this way, the article also works well to focus on how to read scientific journals. The article explains how the ozone hole has gotten larger very recently due to variations in weather. However, one could very easily assume by reading the headline and first few paragraphs that the ozone hole is actually still growing larger, which would indicate that environmental efforts have not helped. It's important to help students learn how to analyze the entire article and discuss why short term changes don't necessarily reflect a long term pattern.

GPS Helps Measure Air pollution

Link: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061031-gps-pigeon_2.html

Pigeons are being used to measure air pollution in the city of Los Angels. A small backpack is placed on the a homing pigeon. The backpack contains a GPS, a modified cell phone, and tools to measure the air quality. This information is than sent to a blog which they use to detect which parts of the city create or have the worst air pollution. This is a great article to us in your classroom to show students how this technology is being used.

Scientist Strives to Make Perfect Jack-O'-Lantern Lid

Monsanto strives to breed better pumpkin

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061031/ap_on_sc/monsanto_pumpkins



Classroom use: This article could be used to discuss how science can be used to better improve our lives. The article describes how scientists are trying to use intensive plant breeding techniques to make the perfect peduncle, aka stem.

Teens using diet pills

The article research shows that girls in their teenage years are using diet pills more and that research indicates that the use of these pills by teenage girls has double in the last year. It seems as though the reason is because girls don't feel good about themselves or that they are "pretty or skinny enough". I guess it is up to us to let our young people know that they don't need to change the way the look and to make them feel better abou themselves.

Cola May Cause Bone Density

Link: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061028/food.asp

This finding is nothing new really. But now researcher may have found a direct link to drinking cola, whether it is diet or decaf, to the lose of hip density in women. The study found drinking one daily serving of cola lowered a woman's bone density about 4 to 5 percent in women over the age of 50. Men, it seems have no ill effects, but young girls may.

This article would be a great article to read with students about learning good eating habits at an early age. And even though drinking or eating unhealthy foods in moderation can still effect your health. This could also be a good article to take home and have families read together and than discuss ways to change drinking habits now, so that this does not happen to them.

Students produce movies with cell phones

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061029/ap_en_mo/making_mobilettes
Classroom Use: This article talks about how kids these days are not simply taking pictures with there phones but also short videos. This could make for some interesting extra credit or even home work assignments. The ability for kids to use this technology could be a grate asset to the teaching environment…or another hindrance. It would be up to the teacher to make sure that the assignment would be of real use and not just a fun thing to do.

Google battles rivals in race to digitize the world's libraries

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061029/tc_afp/afplifestyleusitClassroom Use: This is an interesting look at the future of libraries. This would be a good topic for discussion regarding the future of technology and the use of in to incorporate our history, especially in the realm of books and stories.

Internet Generation

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061025/Feature1.asp

Classroom use: Teaching Kindergarten is very interesting at times. You may think that the students are sweet and innocent but now days, they are very wise when it comes to using the computer and sites that are good and bad. When you start using the Internet in your classroom, it is very important to address the do’s and don’t of where to go and not go. This article is good to use when speaking to parents about positive benefits of its use, but also gives good insight on the worries that most parents have when allowing their child to use the Internet. It also gives examples of the types of benefits it has to the educational process and the learning of students. It is a great way to help with critical thinking skills, teamwork, and communication skills. Great article.

Scottsdale Voters Hold Key to High-Tech Classrooms

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1029techclassroom1029.html

Classroom: I know this is not an article that has to do with Math or Science, but it is a very interesting article in general to see where the furture of technology is going to lead us. Within this article it describes the “wave of the future”. In a perfect world, or when voters in Scottsdale say so, all classrooms will have speakers in the ceiling so that all students have the same chance to hear what the teacher is teaching; every room will have ceiling-mounted projectors, digital whiteboard (smart boards), extensive teacher training on all technology up grades, document projection camera DVD/VCR, Laptop/table computer, learning software, wireless mobile laptop carts, and much more. All I can say is “sign me up!”

It's a Math World for Animals

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20031008/Feature1.asp

Many students enter the classroom afraid of math. This would be a really fun article for the students to read. This article suggests that animals can often do math without ever having to learn about it. A man in the article took his dog to the beach and was surprised to realize that his dog was able to do calculus problems without actually doing calculus. Students would find this article interesting and really be able to visualize the article. The pictures also help to paint a picture for the reader.

This article also suggests that mathematicians can study animals to see how they do math. This could lead to methods to help students learn math in more helpful ways.

Reading this article reminded me about a research article I read a little less than a year ago. The citation is noted below.

Siegler, R. (2003). Implications of cognitive science research for mathematics education.
In Kilpatrick, J., Martin, W.G., & Schifter, D. (Eds.), A research companion to
Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. (pp. 289-303). Reston, VA:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Chronic Wasting

Researchers now know that cronic wasting disease is spread in deer through blood and saliva. Using topics like this you can discuss how new science discoveries can impact local economies. In areas where hunting is popular many local businesses depend on selling supplies to hunters. In states like Michigan bans were placed on baiting deer. This hurt local gas stations that sold deer bait and farms that sold feed. Even with current science research showing a health hazards many people will continue with their traditional practices.

Living in the Desert

www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061101/Feature1.asp
Living in the Desert describes how several animals have adapted to living in an environment were there is limited water. I would use this article in class to show exactly how an animal like a mouse can be genetically different from other members of its species. Students have a hard time understanding that animals can not be moved from one location to another and survive. They can see animals in local zoos and assume that they can live anywhere. Students do not understand that all animals are adapted to their environment in some way.

Internet Generation

LINK: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061025/Feature1.asp

CLASSROOM USE: When using the internet in class, it's important to address security and the fears of parents as well as pointing out the positive benefits of its use. This article is a good discussion starter for upper elementary to middle school students on this topic. It's a very good way to introduce just what exactly the internet is (highly complex system of computers) and why it's important to be aware of what could happen. However, it also gives examples of the types of benefits it has to the educational process and the learning of students. If students are to be successful in using the internet, it is vital that they feel confident in their safety and develop the critical thinking skills to recognize unsafe situations on-line. This is a good place to start.

Hangman

Link: http://www.theproblemsite.com/hangman/hangman_over.asp

This site is really interesting. You could have the students play the hangman game three to five times. After each time they play they write the word down. They then look up the words. It is an awesome vocabulary tool.

Math topics in the world

Link: http://www.topix.net/science/mathematics

This site offers students the needed tool to reaserch how math is used in every day life. Students would read the articles and depending on how you structure the assignment, they would be responsible for identifying when and how math is used daily.

Visual Imagery Technique Boosts Voting Study Finds

Penny Boivin

Registered voters who used a simple visual imagery technique picturing themselves voting were more likely to follow through and vote the following day, a study finds.

If they took the third person viewpoint it 60% voted, while 72% voted when they used imagery using the first person viewpoint. This study involves 148 students all of whom are registered voters. They were then asked a series of questions assessing their perceptions as voters.

In order to boost the number of ASU students voting I have designed a survey based on the research model with questions similar to those asked Ohio residents in 2004:

1, How personally important is it to you to vote on November 7.?

a) very important

b) somewhat important

c) I don’t think it makes a difference.

2. How much would your vote make a difference?

a) It would make a big difference.

b) It would only make a little difference.

c) Other people would just vote the same way

3. How much would you regret it if you did not vote and your candidate lost?

a) Very important

b) Important

c) Neutral

d) Not important

4. How likely is it that you will vote if there is a 20 minute wait at the polls?

a) I will vote for sure as I have my early ballot!

b) I will vote, because it is important.

c) I will probably vote.

d) I will probably get discouraged.

Take a few minutes and picture yourself going into the polls, filling out your ballot, casting your early or voting machine ballot, and picking up your ‘I Voted’ sticker.

Congratulations! You have just voted!

This could be at tables for people to use or as part of an online survey. Hopefully this study will be replicated at ASU!

Visual Imagery Technique Boosts Voting Study Finds

Penny Boivin

Registered voters who used a simple visual imagery technique picturing themselves voting were more likely to follow through and vote the following day, a study finds.

If they took the third person viewpoint it 60% voted, while 72% voted when they used imagery using the first person viewpoint. This study involves 148 students all of whom are registered voters. They were then asked a series of questions assessing their perceptions as voters.

In order to boost the number of ASU students voting I have designed a survey based on the research model with questions similar to those asked Ohio residents in 2004:

1, How personally important is it to you to vote on November 7.?

a) very important

b) somewhat important

c) I don’t think it makes a difference.

2. How much would your vote make a difference?

a) It would make a big difference.

b) It would only make a little difference.

c) Other people would just vote the same way

3. How much would you regret it if you did not vote and your candidate lost?

a) Very important

b) Important

c) Neutral

d) Not important

4. How likely is it that you will vote if there is a 20 minute wait at the polls?

a) I will vote for sure as I have my early ballot!

b) I will vote, because it is important.

c) I will probably vote.

d) I will probably get discouraged.

Take a few minutes and picture yourself going into the polls, filling out your ballot, casting your early or voting machine ballot, and picking up your ‘I Voted’ sticker.

Congratulations! You have just voted!

This could be at tables for people to use or as part of an online survey. Hopefully this study will be replicated at ASU!

The Pacific Ocean's- Bald Spot

A location the size of the Mediterrian Sea lacks sediment. This sediment or plankton is missing from this location. Scientist believe because of lack of nutrients within the Pacific Ocean in this location, no sediment or plankton collects here. The location is thousands of miles east of New Zealand. The area is called the South Pacific Bare Zone,

Scientists are excited about the discovery, because this location will make studying the ocean floor must easier. I think that students forget how difficult it is to study the ocean floor from this article I think that students may have a great idea how vastly large the ocean really is.

Beth

10-19

I read a lot of the articles for this week, because the ones I had chosen before were not really as meaningful or personable as I would have liked to find how to use it in my classroom. Therefore, for this week, I wanted to talk about how using a Math/Science Blog in my classroom, or as a journal idea would be beneficial. I think by using this idea in my classroom, it would make the students more aware of hte world around them, as well as what is happening around them. I think it is a good idea to get their outlooks on what is happening in the world of Math and Science.

The impact of fishing on fish populations

LINK: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061018150746.htm

CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to discuss the role of people in the food web with middle or high school students. It describes a study that was done on the impact of fishing on changes in fish populations. Basically what it found is that targeted fishing species have more radical population changes than non-targeted species. In the end, this makes the fished populations more vulnerable to environmental changes. This can lead to a good discussion on the role of human beings in the food web, as well as the impacts we may have. Are we taking too much? What impacts might this have on other species? How could this impact people in the future? Also, if we know we're having an impact, is there something we can do about it?

Energizing Classrooms

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Alternative_Energy/2006_April_and_May/Sprouts_and_Snippets_Green_Gazette

This article was based on a high school in Colorado where students are learning about energy policy and alternative sources of power from award-winning teacher Matthew Brown. He was named 2005’s Renewable Energy Teacher of the Year by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Brown thinks this kind of curriculum will affect future consumers, inventors and policymakers. “Education is the easiest way to create change, and we obviously need to change the way we think about our energy future,” he said. This article would be great to use in the high school setting to show the importance of finding news ways of making power. This would be a great topic to use for a science fair project.

Here We Go Again!

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20061018-14363900-bc-us-mathscores.xml

This article suggest that we, US, are a nation that has fallen way behind in math scores compared to the rest of the world. This article failed to mention how the US was measured or how we can improve. It did state that the Japanese use real world scenarios, which is also what the US also uses and yet are lacking the skills needed to keep up. Somehow the key concepts are not being learned by our students.

A Sweet Advance in Candy Packing

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040218/Note3.asp

This article would be interesting for students to read. I think that it would open up discussion for 3-D solids. Students could talk about the shapes and the properties of the individual shapes. It would spark students to talk about vocabulary and validate their understanding of 3-D objects. Teachers could also give students the different spheres and squished spheres to do some discovery activities.
This article also brings up the discussion of percentages. Teachers can help students see how these percentages relate to the article.

Eating Troubles

Eating troubles is an article about how more teens are facing eating disorders more than ever before. 10 million teens girls, and 1 million teen aged boys have an eating disorder. The article also described how over eating is a problem for our teenagers today.

More needs to be done, to educate students about healthy eating. They need to understand how much is the right amount. I think that families are busier and busier, and finding time to eat is making people eat the wrong things. I know for myself, that when we are busy I find myself eating things that I should not be eating. As a society we need to find health alternatives, and educate students on the importance of eating healthy.

Beth

Mating Slows Down Prairie Dogs

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061018/Note2.asp

Under the laws of natural selection predators usually kill off the slow and the weak. This removes undesirable genes form a population. However, a 10 year study on a group of prairie dogs in Utah is proving otherwise. During the prairie dogs short mating season male prairie dogs are to distracted with the mating process that they are often killed easily by predators. This new discovery shows that sometimes the "strongest" that survive may also be the smartest.

Universal HIV Testing

Many doctors are now pushing for universal HIV testing when routine blood is samples are evaluated. Many in the science community believe that this is the only way to prevent the spread of HIV. 250,000 people are infected with HIV and do not realize it until it is in its final stages. During this time the disease is spread unknowingly. Others, however, believe that universal testing is a violation of rights. I would use articles like these to debate. Students need to be taught how to express their options in a logical way.

And Now, The Weather: Complex Meteorology On Venus

Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061013202034.htm

Classroom Use:
This article could be used to discuss with elementary students how scientists are continually studying our solar system to gain more information. Discussion could include examining the composition of the atmospheres of various planets in the solar system. Also included in the discussion could be vocabulary from the passage. Words such as meteorology, atmosphere, complex, terrestrial, and more.

Teen questioned for online Bush threats

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/myspace_bush_threat;_ylt=ArKlTYbAinixNrKJI7n4nMAjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-
Classroom Use: This article can be used in two different ways. In technology it can be used to demonstrate how people can now communicate there ideas and feeling on there own personal web pages. The next is a civics lesson that now we are even censored on the internet and that our freedoms in speech are coming under attach on the world wide web.

British Library to store 'blog' of lives of Britons: report

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061014/tc_afp/britainhistoryinternet;_ylt=AqfZLWHVT1yNyrRHb3xuEEojtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-
Classroom Use: This is a very interesting article regarding a new way to use blogging. The British are using the technology journal writing of blogging to make a time capsule. This could be done in the classroom just as easily.

The Parasite and the Prfume

Parasitic plans are apparently attracted to their host plants by the aroma their host emits. The dodder or cuscuta pentagona attaches itself to its host plant’s stem and extracts its fluids and sugars . It is attracted to asparagus, beet, carrot, eggplant, garlic, onions, pepper, potato, and sweet potato. It looks like a desert cactus in a in a picture in the article. The plant is called salicoma. The smell of certain noxious substances repels it. It grows away from them I would use this article while talking about character How a good character is like a perfume and attracts others, while the affect of a bad character is like breathing polluted air.

I wanted to add to my blog of two weeks ago about ten minutes after I wrote it, At the time the edit sign was still on but it would not take my attempt to add it to my blog. I wanted to impress upon the students that all life is necessary o this planet and how we can not afford to have our ocean nutrition dye out as it provides neceassary minerals for life .

The Black Hole and the Milky Way

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060110230324.htm

This article is about the study of Astronomy and Black Holes here in the Milky Way Galaxy. Scientist feel that due to the makeup of this massive black hole, creation of new life should be non-exsistent. However, astronomers say that new young stars are also beginning to develop in the area, which is something that should not happen. Scientists say that the key to this could unlock a large mystery about the universe.

I think that this article would be very relevant to science students, because the world, especially space, is such a fascinating place to explore, and as we have been seeing here recently, with the "removing of planetary status", etc. it is constantly changing and evolving.

Articles like this are what makes Science an interesting thing to study.

Testing Everyone for HIV

Link: http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20061003.html

The CDC and a host of other agencies are recommending testing everyone from age 13-64 for the HIV. There are more than 250,000 people that are infected with the HIV virus and they do not find out until it has developed into AIDS. At the present time you must give consent to be tested for the virus, however they are proposing an "oup out" clause if you do not want to be tested for the HIV. As a 6th grade teacher I have to teach human growth and development, this article can help students understand the severity of the problem.

Don't Sniff Those Flowers too close, They Might Bite Back

http://whyfiles.org/shorties/216plants_smell/

This article discusses plants that sole existence is to feed on other plants. These are known as parasites. These parasitic plants have a unique way of locating their hosts, with a sense of smell. I thought that this was a strange article, especially at this time of the season, and I think that science teachers and students to be interested in learning about the ways that "Predator" plants, hunt and locate their "Prey" similar to animals. There is even a small video clip that shows just how these parasitic plants seek out and make contact with their hosts. Pretty cool

week of 10-12

This article speaks about the amount of math that is being taught and questioning the methods in which teachers are using to teach it. The article talks about how doctors and lawyers have continued training and how teachers should have it to for a technical subject such as math. I do agree with the article, that hte "downward spiral" of students learning math, or lack there of should be taken care of one way or another. I am sure that there is someway that works and that will solve the problem, but I think that the US is no where near this solution. Students are becoming more leared helpless that I think is a large contribution to the decline in passing grades in schools today.

I am not sure how I could use this in my classroom, but it would be a good topic of dicussion at hte AZ education dept.

It was an Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny.....

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2006/little_red_spot.html

This article discusses the new reddish spot on the planet Jupiter. It discusses a brand new, developing storm on the largest planets surface. Scientists have been able to use the new hubble telescope to watch the storm on the planets surface actual develop and grow in strength and dimension. To scientist this is an extreme benefit, because they can use this to study weather patterns on other celestial bodies. I think this would be beneficial to science teachers and students because they can develop a further understanding of what happens in space and on other planets.

Sticky Silky Feet

LINK: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061011/Note3.asp

CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to use with middle to upper elementary students in a study of animals, adaptions, and evolution. The recent discovery that spiders can spin small threads from their feet to assist in walking up and down objects demonstrates the on-going nature of science. It gives itself well to looking at the scientific process that led to the discovery. What was the problem? What was the test? What were the variables? A further discussion on why spiders adapted to be able to spin webs from their abdomen could lead to a number of new questions, putting the students in the role of scientist.

A Change In Climate

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20041208/Feature1.asp

Classroom Use: This was a good article to read, but I found that I really could not use this in my class of Kindergarten students. It could be used in a 5th grade class or higher to discuss the effects of global warming due to the rise in temperatures of the past 100 years. Biologists and ecologists are discovering that climate change is forcing some plants and animals into new habitats. As the earth is heating, plant life and animals are relocating to higher areas to find relief in temperatures. The article states that; “many scientists say that human activities, such as burning coal, oil, and other fossil fuels, are largely to blame. These activities release heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. The more these gases accumulate in the atmosphere, the hotter things get on Earth.” This would be a great introduction into a critical thinking activity on how we can help avoid “global warming”.

Plant Thief

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061004/Note3.asp

Classroom Use: Until I read this article, I had never heard of a dodder plant. I found this very interesting that a plant grows for the simple reason to feed off of other plants. My class takes an introductory look at how a plant grows and the parts of a plant and this article would be great to share with students to compare and contrast how most plants grow verses how the dodder plant grows. Most seeds grow because they are given water and sunlight, and the reason the dodder plant grows is because it seeks out other plants, based on their scent, latches on to that plant, and feeds off of it and uses its water source. I think my students would enjoy learning about this type of plant. It would certainly make for some interesting conversations.

If only bones could speak

A set of bones was found in Asia, they were found to be 1.8 million years old. The scientists were proving that these ancestors were able to speak to one another from their bone structure. They were able to prove another theory found in Kenya, where a bone structure 1.6 million years old that was unable to speak. They proved the boy was unable to speak because his spine was undeveloped completely, because of lack of nutrition. He would have been able to speak, if he were healthy.

This article is a great way to prove to students that science is always trying to find new theories. Students can read this article and understand that science is an on going process that is always changing.

Beth Fairbanks

10-5

Using Chords for Geometry...

I really liked the idea of this article, but I found that if the kids don't read music it would be hard to use. However, after a little tweaking, it would be good to use the paper folding to look at the characteristics of geometric shapes. It would be a good way to give the kids a hands on experience with geometry. it will also provide a way for the kids to be really engaged.

Plants stealing food and water

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20061004/Note3.asp

This article explains the life and times of a dodder plant. The cool thing is that the plant grows its vines and leaves in the direction of another plants based on scent. I am going to be starting a unit about plants and their environments. This will be a great addition to our class discussions and projects.

Science Daily: Math News

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060926104459.htm

I was inerested in this atricle as a way to faciliate a discussion about how math impacts every day life. Math is everywhere. I was just telling a parent about algebra and told her that math is everywhere but not in the forms we learn in class.

Rising Temperatures and Trout Habitat Loss

LINK: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061004151301.htm

CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to discuss the local effects of global warming. The article presents a couple different scenarios based on 3 models of global warming which show that trout in the Southern Appalachians will lose their habitats. One of the first things to look at is that this article only discusses how much the temperature will go up, not if it will. This gets the class started looking at both the effects of global warming as well as possible solutions. Also important to note is that while each year shows a very small increase, those increases add up over time, creating a significant change. While this article focuses on what will happen to the trout population, it provides a great springboard to look at how people and the environment could be affected by the loss of the trout. What economic effects would there be? What damage to the ecosystem?

Setting a Prime Number Record

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050323/Note3.asp

This article discusses how mathematicians are trying to find the largest prime number. They are constantly searching. It gives interesting facts about how long it would take for a person to write down the largest prime number that they have found so far.

This article would be extremely helpful for my seventh grade students. We have been discussing prime numbers, creating factor trees, and exploring numbers in a variety of ways. Many of the students often have a difficult time knowing whether some of the larger numbers are prime or composite. It would make them happy to know that there are computers that are trying to track down and figure out the largest prime number. This article would give the students a better idea of how some really large numbers are prime. This would be excellent background knowledge for the students!

Reading response #4

This article was found in Science Daily, and the title is "Computer Hunt For Rock Carvings" The article was about capturing images using "structured light" to recreate a 3D image. This technology is very exciting for archaeologists because it enables them to examine rocks or fossils more thoroughly than with just the naked eye. Also, the equipment required for this endeavor is easy to set up and remove. I think this topic would be a good thing to discuss when students are learning about rocks.

Reading response #1

This was posted in the wrong place, so I copied it here.
Wow! I'm not at all sure if this is where I'm supposed to be writing my response. I am hoping that it is, and Dr. Christie will be able to access it. I saw my test blog I created in class, but didn't know how to make the next blog. Anyway, I read the "Daily Math Puzzle" entry from our weekly readings. It was very cool, and had different puzzles I could use with my class. Somehow though, I clicked on something and found myself at abcteach.com and that was the coolest site! There was a middle school/Jr. high section with so many great ideas! I am in technopolis, and I must have printed at least twenty pages that I will be able to use in my class! One thing I found was a poetry study on "The Cremation of Sam McGee" (which is my dad's favorite poem), another thing was making predictions about a book from the first line. One line was "It's a pleasure to burn." (Fahrenheit 451) How cool! There were also graphic organizers, and much more. I am so glad I found this website because I found a lot of resources to help me teach Language Arts. I am a math teacher, and LA is difficult for me. I went to the teacher store earlier today and spent over $100 buying books to help me, but there are also cool things out there online and they are free! I think every teacher should check out abcteach.com!

Many Americans Lack Health Literacy

http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20060919.html

This article discusses the illiteracy of Americans in regard to health. It talks about how women and people with higher levels of education scored higher on assessments in regard to health information and only 12 percent of American adults can easily navigate the health care system. I was immensely interested in this article because this could spark a discussion of what the role of government is and what the role of the citizen is, or should be in relation to this information. Short article, but could definitely start a discussion of substance.

Salmon Farms Kill Wild Fish, Study Shows

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061002215235.htm

This article discusses how 95 percent of juvenile salmon that migrates past fish farms die from sea lice infestation. It's saying that fish farms raise sea lice levels, and sea lice kills fish. This could be used in my class for an economic discussion on supply and demand and how it can effect pricing, scarcity, thinking at the margin, the possibilities of government intervention and environmental benefits and detriment to society.

GPS May Fight Against the Bird Flu

Link: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/10/03/gpsflu_hea.html?category=health&guid=20061003143030

The GPS is not just of geocashing anymore. It is being used to follow the winter migration patterns of some birds to better understand the role they play in transmitting the virus. Scientist are able to get more detailed information about certain birds like the whooper swan which can be in areas like China, Russia, and Japan. The swan was found in western China dead in large numbers and some were found to be infected.

Fingerprint Evidence

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060503/Feature1.asp

This article was impressive because it discusses fingerprints and how mistakes are made in the amount of about 1000 per year in misidentification of fingerprints in criminal cases. I would love to have my students in government discuss this in conjunction with the Bill of Rights and the Patriot Act. This article also talks about CSI and how much your fingerprint can say about you. Great article for science or civics!

Science in the Headlines

http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/

This is an interesting website because it has articles discussing new information in the science world. For example, one article I read on the website discussed how the Center for Disease Control is recommending universal HIV testing. This would be perfect in my government class to introduce students to the bureacracy that surrounds prevention of diseases. Also, in economics students can read these articles and maybe determine if there are any economic indicators that may influence the progress or decline of a company's growth.

Online Word Games

http://www.quote-puzzler.com/

This is a great website because it helps students develop critical thinking skills. I would use this in government and economics to have students maybe figure out which politician the quote is by and the signifigance of the quote to further their analyzation and thinking skills. Great website!

Science Standards?

Link: http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=11625

This article should be read by all even if you are not in education. This article states that the standards for science (K-8th grade) are too broad, fail to link concepts together, and develop them. It also states that all children have basic reasoning skills, personal knowledge of the natural world, and a natural curiosity that can be used to teach science, even to kindergarten students.

Hubble Discovers Dark Cloud In The Atmosphere Of Uranus

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061001211630.htm

This article can be used in an elementary classroom in a variety of ways. First of all, it could be used to illustrate how scientists are continually searching for new information to understand the world around us better. Secondly, this article could show how scientists use telescopes to study distant features of our Solar System. Another connection that could be made with this article is the study of various characteristics of each planet in our Solar System. The class could create a process grid to compare and contrast each planet's atmosphere. From their they could make a variety of conclusions based on that information.

Sarah's reading response #3

I read an article in Science Daily called "Prion Find Points Way To Test For Human'Mad Cow' Disease" This article was interesting to me because I remember the mad cow scare that happened a few years ago, and my son freaked out and stopped eating meat because he thought he was going to die. Current experiments may lead to a test that will determine how many people are infected. I was surprised to find out that the human form of mad cow may take as long as 40 years to manifest. The development of this test will reduce the number of secondary transmissions due to surgical procedures or blood transfusions. I think this topic could lead to a discussion of cause and effect or ethics with seventh grade students.

Sarah's reading response #2

I read the entry in a forum from topix.net called "Music Rooms Fall Silent". This entry had a very negative tone. The author was angry because Bulkely High School was ending their band program. It also states that music is much more than what is found on MTV, which is often degrading to women. The author states that music should be appreciated for the rhythms and notes. Reading this article made me feel sad. It also makes me want to integrate music in my class whenever I can.

EDT548 Class 5 readings

Sarah's reading response blog for EDT548

I read the articles Standards for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education and
Helping Your Child Reach Mathematics, Science and Technology Standards. I found these articles to be very interesting because I am currently teaching math and technology. The first article I read was from New Jersey and suggested different ways to help parents get their children excited about learning science, math and technology. Some of the suggestions were: "Point out how mathematics, science, and technology are used everyday." Solve math problems out loud, so your child can hear your reasoning, and support your child's desire to collect natural objects such as rocks, leaves or shells. It also suggests that when children are excited about what they are doing, they will be much more likely to understand it and ultimately learn. This article also pointed out that according to research, children tend to learn math, technology and science better when working iin groups so they can discuss their ideas. One quote I found interesting was "Over 60% of all jobs will require skills in computer and network use; any child who does not learn the essential uses of computers...will find it harder to get a good job." I also liked the fact that the ten strands of math and examples of each were listed. Also, I really liked the activity for ocean current where you have ice water in one cup with blue food coloring and hot water in another cup with red food coloring with a pushpin in the bottom of each cup. Both cups are placed in a tub of lukewarm water and then the pins are removed to simulate the ocean current. It made me very curious to find out what would happen. I think seventh graders would like it too. The second article I read was all about standards, I am beginning to realize that there is a lot of standards that must be taught in math. Our district is eventually moving to a standards based report card, and I was given a sample and I was shocked to see that the math section on the report card was twice as long as any other section. I don't think I am ready for that yet!
I found it very interesting that almost 90% of teachers in the United States are white and many of them have very different student populations.

Coral Island survived the tsunami

Scientists believed that the islands off the coast of Thailand would not survive the damage left behind by the waves. They researched the islands, and realized the sand that was taken from the islands was placed on the other side of the island. The sand is now on other side of the island, but the island will survive, because the tsunami put the sand on the other side of this island.

I think that many students can not gasp the amount of destruction that took place during this tsunami, but the more article, videos, and pictures they can visually see, will help students understand the damage that the world faced on this day.

Beth Fairbanks

Encryption expert teaches security

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060925/ap_on_hi_te/internet_profile_schneier;_ylt=AvZfUkvTX661ZqEWLzmPYEas0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3cjE0b2MwBHNlYwM3Mzg-
Classroom Use: This article talks about the idea that all the modern technology we use area like airports, it will not really keep use safe. This would be a great classroom discussion on thing like how we can use technology in everyday life that helps to protect us day to day.

Space, The Final Frontier, Unless You Have the Money!

http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/tourism.shtml

This article discusses the possibility and future of space travel from the point of view of Not an Astronaut, but a picture taking Tourist. The article discusses the history of Space travel from the point of someday sending normal people into space. It talks about what space would really be like, and how the governments of the Earth, could divide up Space. It also talks about Space from the point of view as a vacation spot, from hotels, to entertainment, etc. Finally it talks about Space and Space Tourism in the point of view of Science Fiction.

I think this article would be helpful to any science students who are interested in the world beyond ours, or for that matter, anyone who would like to know what really is out there.

Basically, money talks and if you can afford it, Space would make those other dream vacation spots as exciting as visiting a place like, say, boresville.

A Change in Leaf Color

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060927/Feature1.asp

We were just talking about the first day of fall and what happens during this season everywhere else, but here. The class is excited about cooler weather. This article provide enough information to understand the work a leaf goes into to change colors. It also has awesome pictures!

Tarantulas Produce Silk From Their Feet

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060927201410.htm

This is a timely article because my students are fascinated with spiders and bugs in general at the moment. I think this would be of interest to them because they are always asking very detailed, off-the-wall questions. I could ask them if they knew tarantulas can produce silk.

Scientists Discover Dozens of New Marine Species

This article would be very helpful when talking about the deep ocean life during our ocean ecosystem unit. I could use it as a journal topic and ask my students what ocean creature they would invent if they could. What would its colors be and what they would call it. I enjoyed the article and learning about the animal and species that was found.

Natural Selection At Work

How to Silence a Cricket
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060927/Note2.asp

Flies have been targeting crickets on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. These flies track down the crickets by listening to their chirps. Male crickets make the most noise using special adaptations on their wings. Flies track down these crickets and implant their larvae inside the cricket. Over the last five years researchers have noticed that almost all male crickets have stopped making noise. The population of male crickets now has missing chirping parts on their wings.

This lesson can be used to explain Darwin’s idea that the strongest adaptations remaining in a population. In this case the strongest crickets were the ones that could not chirp. Other articles on this topic can be found relating to rattlesnakes loosing their rattles because the loud ones are being hunted and destroyed by humans so the quiet ones live to breed and pass on their genes. A cool web site for students to visit on this subject is.

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/sneakermales_01

Irwin's Death Draws Attention to Stingrays

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/newsforyou/newsforyou039.shtml

This article could be used in a 3rd or 4th grade class. It poses a question at the end of the article that states, "Should zoo's allow people to swim wih or pet stingrays, why or why not?" This is a great way get students thinking outside of the box. they can start by making a brain map of ideas that are for or against, then write an paper defending their position.

Sputnik and Its Effect on Math and Science

http://whyfiles.org/047sputnik/

We've all heard about Sputnik and we all know it was a moment in history that defined a generation. This article talks about the effect Sputnik had on education and the emphasis in which is spurred. It also gives some historical background and some hindsight about the real threat that Sputnik posed.

Classroom uses: the article encourages the study of math and science and gives some real world examples of how the study of math and science led the US through the Cold War. It also encourages discussion (a launch pad) of how far the science/technology of today's satilites have progressed since the first, Sputnik. Lots of discussion for such a subject and how we depend on satilites.

Getting Enough Sleep

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Feature1.asp

Even though I teach Kindergarten, this was a great article to read and create an experiment to evaluate the sleeping habits of my students. A lot of my students, as young as they are, come to class very tired and not motivated to learn. They stay up too late watching TV or playing video games. The results of my experiment were scary. Out of 17 students, 9 students are allowed to stay up until 9pm, 5 students stay up until 7:30pm, and the rest stay up until 8pm. This was very alarming to me. I then discussed with them what kinds of things we could do to change our habits so that we can come to school refreshed. Most stated that they should go to sleep earlier, and some said they should play their games when they get home instead of right before bed. At the end of this discussion we then talked about how our bodies react when we do not have enough sleep and made a picture graph of how our bodies feel when we don’t get enough sleep! My students really enjoyed me bring this article in to share.

Week4 blog Hear, hear.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060111/Feature1.asp

This article goes to show everything your mother ever told you about listening to loud music was right. I really enjoyed reading this article because my class just started learning about their senses and this would be a good article to read to them. Since this article talks about loud noices, I could expand on this and have the students go on a mini field trip to the playground and have them sit in the shade and just listen to things around them. We could make a brainstorm map to show all the things that we heard while we were outside. After completing this we could come inside and get into our work groups and make graphs of things that were loud and things that were soft to see which one we heard more of.

A Great Quake Coming?

Scientists worry that another quake is in the near future for the San Francisco area. The great quake was 100 years old in April of 2006, and scientist know a quake will hit the area, the question they have is when and how bad will it be.

The article showed data of quakes activity in the San Francisco area. I liked the article, because I feel that students need to be able to look at data, and understand what it represents. The more experiences looking and manipulating data, the deeper the understand of scientific inquiry.

Beth Fairbanks

Scientists Watch Mother Nature Breathing In

LINK:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060925070142.htm


CLASSROOM USE: This is a good article to use with middle schoolers in a unit/discussion on ecology. The article describes how scientists can now more accurately measure the amount of carbon dioxide is taken up by the plants on Earth. With the current debate on global warming, this gives us another tool to measure what is going on. In class, it would be good to discuss how this information can help us and what we can do with it. From there, the study could move to look at what we can do about global warming. In addition, this is a good way to discuss how technology improvements can assist us in making decisions, as well as the importance of space exploration.

Coral Reefs Are Threatened

Penny Boivin

Death on the Coral Reef

Speaks about the necessity of the coral reefs as a nursery of other ocean life. 25 % of marine life rely on the coral reef for some stage of their lives. The governments of Sweden and the Philippines and scientists want to teach people how they benefit by preserving coral reefs.

Coral reefs are stony structures representing a symbiotic relationship between animals, namely coral and plants algae. The coral makes a home for the algae and the algae through photosynthesis provides food for the coral. The coral produces waste products such as nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which fertilize the algae.

Reefs protect shorelines by blocking waves. They provide tourism dollars. 32 out of 34 animal phyla live on reefs as opposed to just nne phyla in the rain forests.

Coral reefs are important ti the livelihood of coastal populations of developing countries.

Coral reefs are affected by direct human pressures and global climate change

v Overfertilization Nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture and sewage causes too much growth in the coral’s algae. Too much protein and less sugar that the coral needs.

v Overfishing - The plant eating fish are fished out. Seaweed can mushroom., shading reef and slowing growth of the algae.

v Disease bacteria, fungi, and viruses are injuring, sometimes killing the coral animals.

v Exotic species –Huge crown of thorns starfish are a big problem in the Great Barrier reef. Crown of Thorns Starfish feed on coral.

v Global warming

v Over population and coastal development

v People’s removal of coral for aquariums.

The way I would use this article is to discuss global warming and what that would mean for us and how all life depends on each other and that we can not afford the elimination of these species because we need them to maintain our lives.

Treasure trove of new marine species found

LINK:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14834763/?GT1=8506?GT1=8506

CLASSROOM USE:
This article is a good demonstrationof the on-going nature of science. It discusses current discoveries, as well as the challenges scientists face in continuing their research. In the classroom, this could spark a good debate on the possibilities of new discoveries. What else might be out there for us to discover? What happens if a species becomes extinct before we know about it? How might it affect an ecosystem? What resources might we lose? This would bring us into reasoning why conservation is so important, even in areas that aren't protected, such as parks and preserves. This could also lead into research on environmental threats. How can the polluting of one habitat affect another (as in the lumbering causing damage to the ocean habitats here)? How do the different fishing methods mentioned in the article impact the environment? Why are these methods used? How does one convince people to use ecologically friendly fishing methods?

A Satellite of My Own

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060315/Feature1.asp

Interesting article that follows the lives of a select group of kids that were involved in an unique program. In this program, students are taught how a satellite works and its purpose. Not only do they get to interact with an actual satellite, they get to create one. Another example of the endless potential with our kids!

Short on Space?

http://whyfiles.org/shorties/212size_universe/

In this article, the question posed to scientists is whether or not there is space in space. Is there truly infinite space or is it limited? The answer among a group of scientist from the 10-year study determined that the universe is 15 percent larger and older than previously announced. The article was cleverly written and entertaining, but it had a great message underneath the wit and stuffy stats. Honestly, we have just denounced the concept of sailing over the edge of the Earth when you look at the grand scheme. This article is a wonderful way to show kids and stimulate discussions about the idea that there is still more to discover. So many children think all the "good stuff" has already been done... contrary!

Answering the "Why" for kids

http://whyfiles.org/shorties/215neanderthal/

This site is a cool site for those students who are always asking those off topic questions in science. Too many times students will try to ask question to sidetrack the teacher. Now teachers have a site to give students and say "I don't have time for that but if you want to research at this site and report back to the class." This will get the student thinking and taking responsibility for their learning.

E-Coli Investigation

Link: http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100145184>1=8506&wa=wsignin1.0

If you have been watching the news, you have been hearing a lot about the e-coli in spinach. This article helps place science work to the forfront of current events. Sciencist have been able to trace the infected spinach all the way back to California farms. This article can be used in the classroom to be read by older students (6th grade and up), so that they understand the importance of sciencist work and how it can effect our everyday lives.

Floating Ocean Windmills Designed to Generate More Power

http://www.livescience.com/technology/060918_floating_windmills.html

Classroom Use:

This article could be used in the discussion of alternative power resources. Students could examine such topics as a debate of the use of alternative resources vs. fossil fuels or discuss the cause/effect relationship of using alternative power resources. Students could also examine how a wind turbine works as well how energy is generated by these machines.
For younger students the discussion could focus on how electricity is generated or on how windmills have been used throughout history to generate power.

9-18

Week of 9-18
Scientists say they have developed a "virtual stomach". I could relate this to my classroom to teach the, or part of the digestive system of hte body. It would be a good way to show students the process the stomach takes to break down food as it's digested.

Week of 9-11 "Walking Shark": This article talks about a new species of shark that has been found on a recent expedition by marine biologists in Indonesia. I could use this in my classroom and relate it to the ocean and animals of hte deep that we study in science.

Catching up posts for 8-28

8-28 The Why Files: Depression; Nothing but the blues: This article portrays reasons behind why people are depressed. I could use this in my classroom to relate real world situations that are happening around the world to why people sometimes feel the way they do. It is related to why people sometimes act and feel the way they do. I can relate it also to natural disasters and current events in my classroom.

Pumping Up Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is becoming a larger problem the more CO2 that is put into the atmosphere. Researchers in Flagstaff, AZ noticed that the most CO2 that is in the air the more likely the chemical urushoil is released making poison ivy more deadly and itchy.

I know this is problem for my family in Michigan, my father and brother work in highly wooded areas. Each year my father, seems to get poison ivy a little more than the last. This could be my father, but I also believe in the research found in Flagstaff. We will not have a large problem in the Metro-Phoenix area, but many careers in wooded areas could see more of a problem with this itchy rash.

Beth Fairbanks

Getting Enough Sleep

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Feature1.asp

I choose this article because while teaching junior high you hear kids talk a lot about how late they stayed up or how tired they are. I figured that this would be an article that the kids would be interested in reading. A classroom application for this activity could be to take a survey from the students on the average amount of hours they sleep each night Monday to Friday. As a class we could then create a bar graph. We could discuss the mode that we see and the amount of time that most students sleep at night. Students could also create their own circle graph based on the amount of time they spend doing all activities throughout the week. This would allow them to work on skills such as collecting data, graphing (bar graph & circle graphs), and percents. They could then decide on if they need to change their daily activities to allow enough time for sleep.

Losing With Heads or Tails

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040303/Note3.asp

This article caught my eye because who hasn't used a coin to settle a dispute? I thought their findings were interesting. You can still use coin tosses for probability, though. The scientist say it would take about 10,000 tosses before you noticed the discrepancy.

A Sweet Advance in Candy Packing

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040218/Note3.asp

This was a quick article discussing the how the shape of M&Ms (squashed sphere) allows more to fit in a container versus say an orange (sphere). I can see this being a perfect lesson for area in older grades and really lends itself to be student driven.

Getting Enough Sleep

Getting Enough Sleep

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Feature1.asp

Recently some of my students have been complaining they are tired and are very lazy in class. Mostly the reason has been they can't fall asleep. As a result, they have been reading or watching T.V. to fall asleep. This article explains about the importance of our sleep and that reading or watching T.V. actually hinders us from falling asleep. It tells our "clock" it still time to stay awake. An article I think I'll with my kiddos.

Stephen Hawking seeks assistant

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060907/ap_on_sc/britain_hawking_assistant;_ylt=Ag10jx7E.BTFTRvWq5Zl1xdvieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Classroom Use: Good example of job opportunities when you are attending college. Even if it not with world renowned Dr. Hawking, the fields in which you can work even in college are great.

Science Blogs

www.scienceblogs.com

Classroom Use: This gives students the opportunity to respond and provide opinions about current events in the science world. The current topic for this week was on the ecoli virus break out in Spinach. Students have the opportunity to read informational articles on current topics in science and then provide their own knowledge/opinion/information about the subject.

Eye Tracking Technology for Video Games

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060818005632.htm

Classroom Use: Video games are sure to catch the interest of students and it is also one of the fasting changing areas in technology (not to mention a multi-million dollar industry). This article discusses the possibilty of having the movement of your eyes control the movements of the game. This technology does actually exist within in the medical world (another fun discussion for class) but using it for gaming would provide an enhansed experience beyond explaination for gamers.

Tiny Fuel Cell Replacement for Batteries

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060913100455.htm

Classroom Use: All students are interested in the science behind the electronics they use every day...laptops, ipods, cell phones, etc. And all students want their electronics to be smaller (maybe so they can hide it from their teachers) and last longer. Well, this article will give them hope for thata very happening. Researchers are hopeful that a tiny fuel cell will replace batteries in electronics. These fuel cells would last 3-5 times longer and the discovery is also very close to home because the work is occurring at our very own ASU!

Broadcasting Since 9-11

www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/09/11/publiceye/entry1994074.shtml

Classroom use: One thing that all students can relate to is the events of Sept. 11th. With this article, you can bring in current events to study math and spark interest because they have prior knowledge. This particular article discusses the way the evening news broadcasing has changed since the events of Sept. 11th. In particular, it discusses percentages. Mainly, how coverage of terrorism and other related events of 9-11 have taken over the evening news and how other topics of interest have been reported significantly less.

Talking Trash

http://whyfiles.org/063recycle/good_idea.html

Classroom use: One of the biggest clubs on our campus is the Recycling Club. It is open to any student from K-8, and teaches the importance of recycling. They are responsible for collecting all classroom recycle trash cans and going around campus picking up anything that could be recycled. This article would be good to use during a club meeting to discuss different ways that paper can be recycled and what happens each time paper is recycled.

I am postin for the last two times, as I have not been a member but for today! I will blog for Class 2 and then again for this week and next week! The mathnet daily puzzle is a neat site that I could use in my classroom, maybe on a weekly basis, instead of a daily basis, simply because I don't have the resources or time to to the puzzle on a daily basis.Standards in Math and Science is simply a focus point for educators. Any educator has their own definition of standards and the standards are just a way for "us educators" to be held accountalbe for what we are teaching in our classrooms. It also requires the schools, their districts, and their staff to be held accountable for what is going on in their schools that is helping students attain success through academic acheivement and learning.

Drug Resistant Strains of TB

Penny Boivin

Drug Resistant TB Found Worldwide

I read an article from Science In the News about the outbreak of drug resistant strains of TB worldwide. I am a person who formally has had a very weak immune system and now it is quite strong. In this country we are over dependent on antibiotic drugs. There are natural ways we can combat these problems without looking to the drugs as a quick fix. In the past mothers fed their babies at least until the digestive system could handle solid food, primarily through the use of breast milk. In Korea where I had my baby , there is strong resistance to feeding your child naturally among doctors. Yet, breast milk protects the immune system and promotes brain development like nothing else. Because breast milk is fed to babies less often in Korea and powerful antibiotics are administered are religiously being prescribed instead, the health of Korean children is declining.

The second thing I know can protect the immune system is herbal remedies. I used to get four or five colds each lasting one or two weeks and I would be miserably sick all winter long. Now I go to a Chinese doctor who sells me Chinese traditional herbal tea. Last winter, I got only one cold and it only lasted for a half a day! Herbal medicine is very effective! It is readily available, but very underutilized!

I think this article is very useful to teach our youth of the value of treating upper respiratory ailments with herbal remedies and not over relying on antibiotic drugs. Many time herbal remedies are more effective! Also we need to train our youth who are our future parents on the value of feeding with breast milk. Future fathers need to learn this too, so that mothers get the support that they need!

Mumps

Why do we have to worry about stuff like that? This is a question that I find myself answering more and more. During our genetics quarter we talk about environmental factor can affect our genes. Because students do not have to worry about viruses like polio or now even chicken pox. With the threat of terrorists using viruses as a weapon it is important that students understand that these dangers are still out there. Last year we debated if the last two strands of small pox should be destroyed. With outbreaks of mumps in school age children these topics can easily be used to answer some of the "why do we have to do that" questions.

http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20060428.html

Kathy's Reading Response EDT 548

Graduate Students Aren't the Only Ones Sleeping in Class

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060913/Feature1.asp


This article is about adolescent children not getting enough sleep. Their bodies are in a whirlwind of hormones besides other specific medical or social pressures that influence their sleep patterns. I think Parents need to encourage their adolescent to get enough sleep. Parents should recognize that their adolescent may need the extra sleep to get him/her through their school day. Parents should also know their teen may want to sleep until noon on Saturday and to be supportive when this happens. By this I mean that parents should be accepting of alterations in sleep times for appropriate activities. Teens frequently sleep longer. If there are no boundaries set by Teen’s parents or in addition any other parents of adolescents, those adolescents will often push until they find those boundaries. Once adolescents know their boundaries and even slightly agree that they are appropriate, then these adolescents will be happy to work within limitations and boundaries. I believe teens have pushed the boundaries in relationship to his sleeping habits. I believe that parents and schools are both responsible for setting those boundaries and consequently through forming a partnership to set teens back on the path for optimal growth with a more appropriate sleeping pattern. Ultimately I think it is worth while for school districts to invest their time checking into the sleeping patterns of adolescents. Perhaps teens are right; their sleep patterns have changed as they have grown older. In fact research is on their side.

Getting Enough Sleep

I'm sure we all have had a student fall asleep in our class. At times I take this personal, because I worry that I am boring the student or they are not engaged in my classroom. This research presented by this article stated that teenagers may need more sleep than younger children. Teenagers may need up to 10 hours of sleep, and they are not getting this at home. Television and video games play a large role in how late students are staying awake.

Schools are starting earlier and making it harder for students get to school on time. I have on a weekly basis one student come to school tardy because he or she overslept. I think we need to remember and inform parents that teenagers do need the extra sleep each night.

Beth Fairbanks

Pluto, Now Just A Number

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060911/sc_space/plutoisnowjustanumber134340

This article further talks about how the Planet Pluto has had its status stripped and is now nothing but a common asteroid, or like they are calling it, a dwarf planet.

I think this article would be helpful to any science student especially in the study of Astronomy where the study of planets is a mainstay. The article mentions various reasons behind the name change and provides links where people can vote to try to save Pluto. This change really breaks the foundation of what we all learned as children about the planets and I think should be researched further.

Aftican DNA linked to Prostate Cancer

link: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060826/fob.2.asp

This article linked the DNA that has been passed down from African ancestors to their present day family members. African men over the age of 55 are twice as likely to develop prostate cancer. This article could be used in a classroom to study genetics and traits that can be passed down from one generation to another.

http://whyfiles.org/244depression/

Depression in the news
This is a great article to get students talking about their feelings. They can discuss times when they may have felt depressed or times when they helped someone else overcome their depression. With the media, movies and video games desensitizing our kids to others’ pain, articles like these really give them a chance to see some other perspectives.

Blue Gills with the Help of Technology can Save Lives
link: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-09-07bluegills-water-supply_x.htm

This article is about bluegill fish that are being used to detect toxic substances in water supplies in cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC. The bluegills can detect subtances such as pesticides, cyanide, mercury, and phospates. When the fish start acting erractically scientist can take samples of the water, test it, and e-mail alerts to waterqualiy officals. This article could be used in a classroom to link technology with nature or how knowledge of marine life activity can help humans.

S.C. hopes to lead hydrogen economy
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060910/ap_on_sc/hydrogen_economy

Classroom Use: This article is a great classroom discussion talking about current and relevant this as gas prices are so high and the need for alternative fuels is getting greater. This article talks about the use of Hydrogen as a fuel as appose to fossil fuels and goes to talk about the research being done in South Carolina. South Carolina considers itself one of the front runners in the area as they see this as being a major bust in not only there economy for the future but to also increase its reputation in the scientific community. They feel that hydrogen will be able to be used in things such as cars, power plants and other fuel requiring items.

Warmest Year on Record

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060208/Note3.asp

I was interested in this article because in science I am currently teaching about weather changes. This article could be used to show student about the way scienctist keep records of weather patterns and happenings. In additrion my student can use other similar artilce and learn how to graph the data that is collected.

Puzzle Zone

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/PuzzleZone.asp

This website looks very cool! These puzzles could be a fun Friday bell work. Just project onto a whiteboard or wall and then the next week, project the answer. It would also be a great journaling idea to have them write down what comes to mind as they try to solve the puzzles!

Hydrogen Scooter

In a science teacher team meeting last week we were talking about the 6th grade standard on renewable energy. I showed the 6th grade team my WebQuest covering that standard. So when I saw this category on the website, I had to check it out. After I clicked around a bit I found this link
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060726090809.htm
I think this would be a great article to spark a conversation about any number of current issues from gas prices to air quality and future fuel types. I think the article will really hold the kids attention as it gives details on design with good vocabulary and a good potential for learning in the zone of proximal development.

Health Effects of Functional Foods

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060911103147.htm


Classroom Use: I would use this article as part of a unit on genetics. It could be used to show the applications of genetic research, giving us a springboard to look into the possible benefits of genetic studies. From there we could move into studying the ethics of genetic manipulation as well as the possible risks. This article could also be used in a unit on health to look at how diet can impact health. High schoolers would be able to use the article itself, but for lower grade levels the vocabulary would have to toned down to be a useful teaching tool.

The New Wellness Program

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050420/Feature1.asp

This article is great because our school, like many, have adopted a new Wellness Program. This means, bye bye Halloween and Valentines Day parties full of candies and cakes, and hello parties that have fruit, veggies, cheese, and crackers. Teachers all over love the idea of not having sugar at parties, and with this article, it gives wonderful ideas of what we can replace those sweet treats with. At my school, the students have become very aware of what is good for them and what is not. They enjoy being able to tell me that sometimes their parents do not make good choices of what they are putting in their lunches. If you get a chance to look at this article, look at the pyramid and how they have changed. The widths of the colored triangles in the new food pyramid show roughly how much of different food groups a person should eat: Grains (orange), vegetables (green), fruits (red), oils (yellow), milk (blue), and meat and beans (violet).

Do your genes make you drink?

Researchers at the U.S. Deaprtment of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory are studing the effects of elevated levels of D2 receptors for dopamine on individuals who are at risk for developing alcoholism. There study is a continuation of an ongoing project to better understand alcohol abuse at a biochemical basis. Researchers have found that increasing the levels of dopamine may trigger the brain to respond to the presence of alcohol differently. These studies focus on high risk subjects because cronic users often have damaged reseptors. Studies also show that there is a difference between extroverted and introverted personalities. I think that students find topics like these interesting because science is showing that our genetics continue to play a larger role in our actions then we previously thought.

Steriod Use

With recent topics of steroid use in major league sports students are being sent mixed messages. I think using topics and articles about what steroids are and their effects on the human body are important. Many students believe that they can safely use steroids to gaing muscle before their freshman year of football. Students do not completly understand how these decesions will effect them in the future.

Pumping Up Poison Ivy

Link:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060607/Note2.asp

Classroom Use: What are the possible effects of pollution? How do we study the effects of air pollution? I would use this article in a middle school science classroom to discuss the impacts of air pollution as well as the scientific method. Most importantly, we would look at how a more toxic poison ivy could change a forest ecosystem and how this would then affect other organisms. Since the article also discusses how the experiment was done, we would examine the validity of the results and how it fits into the scientific method. One area to look at specifically is the level of CO2 they used in the experiment, a level projected for the year 2050. So is this result something we can still change? If so, what can we do?

Law for Kids

http://lawforkids.org/

This is a great website that gives students the opportunity to read about important laws, speak up about issues and have important questions answered, explore documents such as the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and among other things, play games that enhance their learning. I would use this website in a high school level government class to make sure primary source documents are used and explore with them the possibilites of being involved in political change with the link that allows them to contact an Arizona Lawmaker!!

Bacteria Power a Tiny Motor

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060906/Note2.asp

In this article discusses the extremely interesting discovery of Japanese researchers. They have found a way to harness the power of tiny microscopic organism to generate enough energy to tug a micromotor device around. The scientist used a particular strain of bacteria called Mycoplasma mobile, which are said to be fast in regards to other bacteria. To encourage the bacteria to move into the grooves of the "micromotor rotor", the scientist stimulated the them with protein.
With this break through, the idea of machines has a whole new identity. Using bacteria may be the answer to our prayers and concerns in reference to non-renewable resources. Bacteria is ease to replicate, are able to repair themselves and easily stimulated by sugar (glucose).
I think that having kids see that science isn't as stuffy as some may think, as in this article. I imagine these scientist bored with the humdrum of the lab decided to play around. In the process, they as a really good question and an experiment was born. The power of curiosity!
Lacey Cunningham

Dark Collision

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060830/Note2.asp


In this article from Science News for Kids, it discusses the new found evidence of dark matter. Scientist have always believed that this matter existed but were unable to prove their theory. Now, as we speak, scientist are observing a newly found rare event: "to large star clusters that crashed into each other..." With this new discovery, they now have evidence to support their long-time theory.
Information like what is reported in this news article is vital for understanding how science is a forever evolving subject. It stresses how important it is to theorize and test the unknown. It is perfect for tracking the scientific inquiry process from the early stages of posing a question to the end result. I will use this article as part of my evaluation of how science impacts our lives.
Lacey Cunningham

Scientists Detect 'Proof' of Dark Matter

http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20060830.html

Classroom Use: During a solar system unit, this article could be used as a springboard to discuss how scientists are constantly studying the cosmos to acquire more information of the universe. Discussion with mid-elementary level students could focus on the use of telescopes or the importance of using the scientific method to solve problems or explain phenomena. A vocabulary lesson could also be included on some of the following words included in the text: matter, observing, galaxies, evidence, rotate, velocities, detect, cluster, and embedded.

European probe sends back data on moon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060904/ap_on_sc/europe_moon_mission

Classroom Use: This is a great article showing that even after we have been to the moon we are learning more and more about it with the increase of science and technology. This would be a great introduction to earth science, chemistry, astronomy or related field involving the make up of extraterrestrial bodies.

Sour Taste

Eating sour items and how they effect our taste buds is a high interest subject. This article focuses on how our bodies detect tastes.
This article is awesome. It can be utilized across the continuum. I would utilize this article for science as well as math. First I would teach a science discover lesson on taste and set up a lab for students to determine their tastes. Then have my students gather information on a verity of other people’s preference of taste. Then integrate a math lesson into the equation by having my students graph the information they gathered. I cannot wait to put this to use.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060830/Note3.asp

Rainforest trapped in Amber

In the article, Rainforest trapped in Amber, insects were found in small rock fragments that proved that a rainforest in the Amazon existed 15 million years ago. Reading the article, it felt like watching a new Jurassic Park movie. The insects were preserved in Amber similar to the mosquito in the movie. I think that students would really enjoy this article for this reason. Fiction stories can be based on real life events, and students can see from this article that species can be preserved in Amber for millions of years giving proof for the rainforest.

Beth Fairbanks.

Global Warming- Fruit flies genetic changes

In the Science Daily, new research found that fruit flies have genetic changes from climate warming on Earth. The flies genetic make-up has changed depending on the temperature they are living in. Scientists believe that this animal will be able to adapt to this change, but if global warming is not addressed larger problems are going to happen. Global warming is a larger problem than many people believe and we need to come together to fix this global issue.

Beth Fairbanks

Electric Cars....Batteries Not Included

http://whyfiles.org/005electcar/

This article discusses the Future of the Automobile Industry, or what could have been. It talks about the future of the electric car, from the old "Plug and Play" type to the newer hybrids, to one that uses a "Zero-emissions" Fuel Cell. These new Fuel Cells use a type of Hydrogen based energy to make the vehicles do what they are designed to do.

I think this article would be helpful to any science students and to any gear-heads out there who want to see were the future of technology and science can bring their cars into the "New Wave of the Future"....Look Out George Jettson, here we come

Pluto Demoted - Change is Inevitable

Link: http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20060824.html

It is amazing to me that a planet that has been s planet since 1930 can be changed in what seems like the blink of an eye. Not too long ago I hear that there is another planet beyond "Pluto" that was to become our 10th planet. Yet now the world is faced with a shrinking problem. I note an interesting fact about Pluto: When it was found in 1930 the Disney company named a new character after the new planet.

Classroom use should for this knowledge should include a discussion about how science is not a fixed field. As new discoveries take place, our knowledge is challenged. Students could research changes in the scientific community have affected how we live and think today.

The problem site

Daily Math and Science News in K-12 Classrooms

Link http://www.theproblemsite.com/daily/secretnumber2.asp

Classroom Use This is a great site to use with students because it provided a math problem, written in words that the students need to solve. It requires students to use their math facts such as times tables, addition facts, etc. This can be used as a daily warm up to get students thinking about math.

A Sour Taste in Your Mouth

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060830/Note3.asp


This article discusses what makes food taste sour in our mouth. It caught my attention because yesterday my students and I were enjoying a Starburst. One student was eating an apple Starburst and made the funniest face. He kept saying it was sour, oh so sour. Finally, he asked why is it so sour? Before he was able to finish chewing he swallowed it. He was glad to have it gone.

It will be fun to share with him on a second grade level why his apple Starburst was not as enjoyable as he would have wanted it to be. :)

Katrina+1: Are We Rebuilding in Harm's Way?

http://whyfiles.org/243floodplain/index.php?g=1.txt

This article is something that would truly interest my students. They often times are drawn to stories where they would want to help others out. Students hear about tragic events that happen and want to know about them. They hear talk in the news, but don't always understand much about the event.

This article could easily be related to math and science. Their are so many science concepts in this article, but I was drawn more towards the math that could be related to this article.

This article discussed the land below sea level which could easily relate to negative and positive numbers. It discussed the drop in population which describes a magnitude of numbers as well as the amount of money it will cost insurance companies. It also discussed the percentage of the city that was covered in water. It had a really nice bar graph that displayed the value of the property and a line graph that represented weather related losses.

I was amazed at the numerous amounts of charts and graphs that were displayed throughout the article as well as the incredible pictures.

I think that my students would really benefit from reading this from both a math perspective, a science perspective, and a current events perspective.

Katrina + 1

http://whyfiles.org/243floodplain/

This article would be a great piece to begin a study of weather patterns or climate. The students could track hurricanes around the world and find out what areas have the most risk for hurricane disaster. They could also see that hurricanes happen in similar places around the world. Students could graph their findings. Going in a different direction, they could come up with possible solutions to the hurricane threat. They would have to research and support their idea. This would be a good group project. You could even do a debate on rebuilding! Each student would have to prepare a statement either for or against rebuilding and then they could take turns sharing their ideas. This could lead into a great unit on cost of rebuilding versus the cost of relocation.

High Flying Hits

http://whyfiles.org/152baseball/2.html

It is commonly said that science is involved in everything, so why not interest science students with the science behind the things they are familiar with? This article discusses the velocity, angle, and air resistance involved with hitting a baseball and includes and interactive virtual baseball field that lets them see the results of varied angles, speeds, etc. It would be effective for nearly all grades...elementary, middle, and high school. If you aren't studying angles, velocity, or resistence, you can find the same kind of virtual experiences for all kinds of weather: tornados, lightening, snowflakes, and rainbows! Their is nothing like a virtual experience to really drive "home" content of a lesson (ha ha, get it? Home!... Baseball!... Home!)

Planet or Not?

Dr. Christies blogs

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060823/Note3.asp

In reflecting about how I would use the latest discussion in the validity of weather or not Pluto is or isn’t a planet. I decided this discussion could be used as a spring board for a great debate or for writing prompt. The question I would pose to my students is; why are scientist so slow to define what exactly a planet is, and how does technology change their decision? I believe this is a great example of how we learn. As children we my have been told the moon was made of cheese. However, as we grew and become aware of the world around us we learned the moon is a satellite of our planet and is in fact not made of cheese. Why then did science debate the validity of Pluto? Much for the same reason we thought the moon was made of cheese. With the technology and the information we had 76 years ago this was a valid assumption. Now that we have improved technology we can make an evolving educated decision.

Nature's Alphabet

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20051116/Feature1.asp

Classroom use: This article could be used to spark conversation about plant life or animals/insects seen around campus, and what shapes or letters that we have learned about can be seen in those items. We could also branch off from this and do cloud walks observing the same things. Students could take journals with them to draw what they are seeing to be compiled into a classroom book of letters and shapes in nature. This was a great article for activities to use in the lower grades as well as the upper grades.

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Teacher Arrested In New York

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Teacher Arrested In New York

I read the article entitled Teacher Arrested In New York. I would use this article as an introductory activity to a math course I would teach. I would use the terms Al-Gebra and ask them what did the author really mean. It would be an excellant activity for reviewing mathematical terms, such as unknowns, absolute value, tangents, common demominator. I would talk about the double meanings in the article, such as the "philanderer", Isosoles and ask them that instead of "philanderer" and have them define the term, what term does the author really mean (philosopher)?
Penny

About Me

Name:Penny Boivin

---

Who Wants to Be a Mathematician?

Who Wants to Be a Mathematician?
http://www.ams.org/wwtbam/

Classroom Use: This article gives both a game that can be used in the classroom in order to introduce or even review math concepts in a form of a game show and even the chance for students to compete in a real game to win scholarship money for college. The real game is hosted by the American Mathematical Society.

Hurricane John approaches Mexico

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20060830-21435500-bc-mexico-john-1stld.xml

Classroom Use: It's hurricane season and students are interested! Use this article with elementary, middle, or high school students to develop a discussion about weather and the hurricane season. Discussion could then focus on the causes of hurricanes or the effects they have on nature as well as humans.Another way to use this article in a classroom would be to emphasize the importance of keeping abreast of current events happening in the world around them. This could then lead to another lesson on weather predicting or to the development of a unit studying hurricanes or natural disasters .

Saving Africa's Wild Dogs by Emily Sohn

Link:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060830/Feature1.asp

How do scientists work to save an endangered population? I would use this article with middle school students to explore the ways and importance of conserving wildlife. We would want to look at scientific, political, and social (as in this case, the sale of art) to see the effectiveness of each, as well as how they can work in concert. Additionally, we would use this as a jumping off point for exploring the importance of any species in an ecosystem, be it painted dogs, wolves, coyotes, or killer whales. This would also lead to discussion on why certain animals seem to get better press when it comes to conservation and how science can break down the myths surrounding these creatures. Finally, we could use this to explore different methods of scientific research, perhaps having students create their own study proposal.

Hello EDT 548 Students,

Use this blog to link to interesting and relevant items in the news regarding math and science in the everyday world. Get your news stories from our Online Readings at: http://www.west.asu.edu/achristie/548/readings.html

Explain how you might use this particular news story in your classroom. Be sure to indicate your grade level (early elementary, elementary, middle, high, or adult education).

Here is a sample blog entry I created as a model:

Title: Pluto and the Plutons

Link: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20060823/Note3.asp

Classroom Use: How many planets do scientists agree exist in our solar system? Use this article in Elementary or Middle School classrooms to discuss the changing nature of "fact" and how ongoing scientific discovery impacts our daily lives. Also, discuss the role of research in learning and use this article as a model of the research skills students will develop in your classroom throughtout the year.