A neat way to help students internalize a cubic centimeter is to make paper cubic centimeters, aka Groovy Cubes. All my classes made them this week and we strung them together on thread. I’ll hang them up tomorrow in the classroom. We also discussed how one cubic centimeter will hold one milliliter of pure water and the water’s mass will be one gram.
First, cut out the pattern and fold. The hard part is taping them into a cube. Get some thread and a needle and start stringing.
Today I did the burn the dollar bill demonstration with my science classes. I use this as a discrepant event in that what happens is not what one would think happens, and this gets their attention. I also use this as an introduction to a discussion on class safety. Each class tried to name as many safety procedures that I demonstrated while doing this demo.
While I was preparing for this demo, I took my time and made sure I did all the little things like to move the alcohol away from the flame, keep the water running, washed my hands after I soaked the dollar bill, wore safety glasses, used safety matched, gave the class procedure for what to do during a fire drill, gave the procedure if a beaker is dropped and broken in class, put a lid on the solution so no vapors excape, and put salt in the solution to see the flame. I also discussed with the class that accidents usually happen when one is rushing to complete a task.
To complete the lesson, I challenged each class to list as many safety aspects as possible on the Smartboard and to think of more than the preceding class. Every class did very well. It was a great first day and I think I’m more excited than the students about doing some science this year.
Every year, I conclude my science classes with the Mars Habitat activity. I started this project about fifteen years ago and have progressively made it larger and with more features. This is a great cooperative activity as it requires the full class to fold and tape the habitats and tunnels. I do this with three 8th grade classes and I have my other 7th grade classes help make repairs. This year they built six habitats and connected them with four tunnels.
We use lots of 3mm plastic tarps and about 20 rolls of duct tape. This year I started buying the 3mm tarps in bulk. I make it another class exercise to cut the plastic to sizes needed. Each habitat requires two 10′x25′ tarps. There is a certain way to fold the plastic and tape them together. I will explain in another video how this is done.
The Commander routine and outfit is from when I taught in Florida. We took the students to Space Camp for a week and I got into it as much as they did. It’s a great activity and I enjoy teaching this level. If you are a science teacher and would like to try this activity, let me know and leave a comment. If there is sufficient interest, I’m give more information on how to do all this.
One of the most important concepts in science is density. To teach this, the student must first understand the difference between the mass and weight of an object. So be sure to teach mass and weight first. I found an easy way to help the students remember this formula using a heart. I have found that they remember the formula and gain confidence using it to calculate the density of various objects. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
My first video dealt with dividing numbers ending with zero, such as 30, 40, 50 etc. See part A below. I will now show you how to divide numbers that do not end in zero. This is the math trick that we use in class to try and beat the calculator. It really gets kids interested in some math and it’s great to do when there is only a few minutes left in class. I believe in not wasting a minute of instructional time. My MathCounts team uses this mathematics trick to sharpen their wits and warm up before we tackle the harder problems in practice. I’m also happy to say that my MathCounts team took first place in our region and also finished in the top half at the state competition. Great job. I’m very proud of them for all their hard word.
Today I will give the list of the top sixteen scientists and mathematicians that we are studying in class. I try to pick a variety of different scientists that I think are relevant to the content. A new scientist is introduced every Monday. We still have sixteen to go for the rest of the year so your favorite may be missing.
Here is my list in the order presented to class this year:
On the worksheet given to the student, I usually give the name of the scientist, month and day born, year born and one or two short accomplishments. We then put the year born into the Peg system and link the date to the Peg word.
Background Information
During the school year, I introduce an important scientist or mathematician almost every week. I believe it’s important to study the history of science and math as it puts the science content in perspective. I also try to give an equal amount of male and female scientists so all of my students may find a role model. Usually, I give the name of the scientist, a few items of what they did and the date and year of their birth. We memorize the year using the Peg system. I always give the birthday because it’s interesting to see the reaction of the students when they discover they share the same birthday as Einstein–pi day 3-14 , or Sylvia Earle, August 30th.
The Lesson Plan
Since we now have studied sixteen scientists, I came up with a new lesson plan that includes writing about the scientists and using the sweet sixteen NCAA college basketball format. First, we list all sixteen scientists on the Scientist16 sheet. The student then flips a coin to decide who moves to the next bracket. I’m sure you could find other ways to move the scientists to the next bracket. Students continue to do this until there is only one scientist left. The final scientist may or may not be the person that the student feels is truly the most outstanding, but their assignment is to write a report defending this scientist as the most influential in our society over the other fifteen scientists.
Discussion
This assignment may be a challenge as some of the scientists and mathematicians may not be as influential as Einstein, Curie or Edison. The goal is to get students to think about what is important and to develop their writing. The student should research the winning scientist to discover if any other important information is useful to help write the paper. For an 8th grade class, I specify that the paper should be a minimum of 250 words. For the 7th grade I specify one well developed paragraph of five to eight sentences. You can modify this based on the grade level and time needed to grade. Next time, I’ll give you the list of scientists and mathematicians that I use in my class. Are any of your favorites on the list? Till next time…
I use Club 91 as a fun way to sharpen my students’ math skills. If they can beat the calculator, then they can join Club 91. To divide by 91, one must keep in mind that their are two routines to know before you begin. Today, I will show you what to do when the number to be divided ends in zero. The next lesson I will show you what to do when the number does not end in zero. After you give this a try, practice in your mind so you can beat the calculator. Have fun.
Welcome to Mars. Let’s get building as we have a long journey to Mars. I hope to post the design plans for the rocket and the Habitat. Till next time…
Hello and welcome to the Philippine American science connection. We will start this first week of March, 2008. I am just getting
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