You can watch a live feed of a nesting peregrine falcon and see the interaction between adult male and female! The eggs are expected to hatch around April 12th, so be sure to check back often!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon is an amazing bird! It can dive at speeds up to 261 miles per hour! Its current conservation status is endangered and the falcon is being reintroduced to the state of Missouri, through conservation work and reintroduction efforts.
You can watch a live feed of a nesting peregrine falcon and see the interaction between adult male and female! The eggs are expected to hatch around April 12th, so be sure to check back often!
You can watch a live feed of a nesting peregrine falcon and see the interaction between adult male and female! The eggs are expected to hatch around April 12th, so be sure to check back often!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
What time did you say it was?
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| Resurrection Bay, Seward - Alaska
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The above photo was taken at 10 p.m., as we were ready to depart for our "Midnight Kayak" trip!
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| Outside Denali National Park, about 2 a.m.
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| Diagram of the Earth's seasons as seen from the north. Far left: summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Front right: summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere. (From Wikipedia) |
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
What is a year?
Sounds like a simple question, right? I thought so, too. Most all of my students knew that a year is "365 days and a few hours. We add up those extra hours every four years for a leap day". We calculate a year based on the amount of time it takes the Earth to make a full revolution around the Sun. Since this year is a leap year, we spent some time in class talking about the extra day we get this year. (I also had to assure them that despite the extra day to the calendar, they were not attending school an extra day - they were worried!)
Anyways, after watching the BrainPop video on Leap Year, we learned A LOT about the history of the calendar. We knew that Leap Years happen every four years, but we didn't know there was an exception: leap years do not occur in years ending in "00", unless they are divisible by 400. (Ex: 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 will not be a leap year). If you're interested in learning more about the history of our modern day calendar, go here. (You can find out why the year 1582 was cut short by 13 days - September 2nd was followed by September 14th!?)
Some people may say that a year seems like a long time ... or maybe it goes by fast. Looking back on the past year, I feel that it did go by quickly. It seems like yesterday I was planning for my little girl to make her debut into the world. Just this weekend, we celebrated her 1st Birthday.
Anyways, after watching the BrainPop video on Leap Year, we learned A LOT about the history of the calendar. We knew that Leap Years happen every four years, but we didn't know there was an exception: leap years do not occur in years ending in "00", unless they are divisible by 400. (Ex: 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 will not be a leap year). If you're interested in learning more about the history of our modern day calendar, go here. (You can find out why the year 1582 was cut short by 13 days - September 2nd was followed by September 14th!?)
Some people may say that a year seems like a long time ... or maybe it goes by fast. Looking back on the past year, I feel that it did go by quickly. It seems like yesterday I was planning for my little girl to make her debut into the world. Just this weekend, we celebrated her 1st Birthday.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Power of Plants
How are plants a part of our life? What do we use them for? Why are they important?
These are just some of the questions my students explored in the Power of Plants contest, sponsored by Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Students had the choice of creating a physical or digital entry. Below are links to the digital entries from my students. (Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the physical entries before taking them to the Gardens - but they were all really great!)
Cacoa Tree
Madagascar Palm Tree
Oleander
These are just some of the questions my students explored in the Power of Plants contest, sponsored by Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Students had the choice of creating a physical or digital entry. Below are links to the digital entries from my students. (Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the physical entries before taking them to the Gardens - but they were all really great!)
Cacoa Tree
Madagascar Palm Tree
Oleander
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| Japanese Garden, Missouri Botanical Gardens |
Welcome Students!
Dear Students of Room 606,
I am excited to share my blog with you! Please take time to look around and add a comment or question to a post.
When you have a moment when you experience "Science In Our World", pop on over to our class wiki site and add your experince! https://science-in-our-world.wikispaces.com/
I am excited to share my blog with you! Please take time to look around and add a comment or question to a post.
When you have a moment when you experience "Science In Our World", pop on over to our class wiki site and add your experince! https://science-in-our-world.wikispaces.com/
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Bowl 2012
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Feb 5, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots outside linebacker Brandon Spikes (right) and middle linebacker Jerod Mayo (51) tackle New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) during the first half of Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
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Hmmm ... so maybe you're thinking - what does the Super Bowl have to do with science? A lot, actually.
The first thing that comes to my mind is the actual physics behind throwing the ball and running/tacking - Newton's Laws of Motion, understanding force, momentum, gravity, air resistance ...
I wish I could explain everything as well as Dr. Tim Gay from University of Nebraska! He has three seasons of minute lesson clips at the following link. Check them out!
In what other ways can you connect science to football?
Monday, January 30, 2012
Science Apps & Technology
I finally gave into the SmartPhone craze a few months ago. I am amazed at the technology and everything that my phone can do - and now like many others, I have the thought "how did I ever get by without this phone?".
I think about how much technology has advanced since I was in school and what has changed since I started teaching. I made the comment today about when I was in school I had to clap chalk out of erasers and I had all my students looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language. My comment was prompted by being sent this picture of my son (age 2) using a SMARTboard in preschool. As a teacher, I'm so excited about the technology avaliable to him and what impact it will have on his learning. As a mom, I got a little sad seeing how grown up he looks in this picture!
I saw this video on Sesame Street over the summer with my son. I love the humor because all of the apps CAN get very overwhelming!
On a serious note, I have found some great science education apps. I have shared some of them with my students, but would like to keep a list of apps that support science education. If you have one to add to the list, please comment and I will add it! *I have only listed FREE apps!*
SkyView Free
NASA
Language Central - Life
Language Central - Physical
Language Central - Earth
(The three Language Central Apps are from Pearson, they have vocabulary games that follow the middle school science textbooks)
I think about how much technology has advanced since I was in school and what has changed since I started teaching. I made the comment today about when I was in school I had to clap chalk out of erasers and I had all my students looking at me like I was speaking a foreign language. My comment was prompted by being sent this picture of my son (age 2) using a SMARTboard in preschool. As a teacher, I'm so excited about the technology avaliable to him and what impact it will have on his learning. As a mom, I got a little sad seeing how grown up he looks in this picture!
I saw this video on Sesame Street over the summer with my son. I love the humor because all of the apps CAN get very overwhelming!
On a serious note, I have found some great science education apps. I have shared some of them with my students, but would like to keep a list of apps that support science education. If you have one to add to the list, please comment and I will add it! *I have only listed FREE apps!*
SkyView Free
NASA
Language Central - Life
Language Central - Physical
Language Central - Earth
(The three Language Central Apps are from Pearson, they have vocabulary games that follow the middle school science textbooks)
Whats up with the sun?
One of the best parts about being a teacher is when students ask questions about something they saw or heard outside of school! Today, I had several students ask me "Whats going on with the sun?" My response was I wasn't sure, either. I had heard a little news about solar activity recently, but I couldn't answer confidently.
So, I started looking ... and here is what I discovered:
On January 27th, 2012, the sun released a solar flare that measured X1.8. A solar flare is when the sun releases magnetic energy in the form of intense bursts of radiation. (The picture below is an example of what a flare looks like, not the actual event on January 27th)
What does that mean to us on Earth? Likely, it would have little to no impact on our day to day life. There could be a small blackout in radio transmissions, and if you were flying to the North Pole, your plane may have to be redirected. In fact, Delta Airlines rerouted their planes flying near the North Pole as a precaution to avoid loss of communication or exposing passengers and crew to large amounts of raditation this week.
The increased release of radation from the sun also increases the aurora activity at the poles. It would be a great time to visit Alaska!
So, I started looking ... and here is what I discovered:
On January 27th, 2012, the sun released a solar flare that measured X1.8. A solar flare is when the sun releases magnetic energy in the form of intense bursts of radiation. (The picture below is an example of what a flare looks like, not the actual event on January 27th)
What does that mean to us on Earth? Likely, it would have little to no impact on our day to day life. There could be a small blackout in radio transmissions, and if you were flying to the North Pole, your plane may have to be redirected. In fact, Delta Airlines rerouted their planes flying near the North Pole as a precaution to avoid loss of communication or exposing passengers and crew to large amounts of raditation this week.
The increased release of radation from the sun also increases the aurora activity at the poles. It would be a great time to visit Alaska!
Even after researching this event, I still have lots of questions myself. NASA has great answers to all the questions you're thinking right now!
Friday, January 27, 2012
The Doppler Effect
A plane flying over you, a firetruck speeding by, or an ice cream truck driving down the street - what do they all have in common? They are everyday examples of the Doppler effect.
The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to the observer as the source of the wave is in motion ... say what?
So, you are standing still - you are the observer. A moving car with a siren passing by is the source of the wave in motion.
As the car approaches you, the sound waves in front have a HIGHER frequency (wavelength distance is smaller). You experience this as a HIGHER pitch.
After the car passes you, the sound waves have a LOWER frequency (bigger spaces between wavelengths). You experience this as a LOWER pitch.
Why? The sound waves in front of the moving object get compressed as the object travels and more spread out behind. (see picture above)
If an object is moving REALLY fast, the sound waves can get REALLY compressed, build up in front of the object this causes the moving object to break the sound barrier! Awesome! Another name for this is a Sonic Boom!
One more thing ... What does the siren sound like to the people in the car? Do they notice a change in frequency (pitch)? No, since they are traveling WITH the sound, the siren is the same annoying sound the whole time!
Want more? Check out this great article from MIT!
The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to the observer as the source of the wave is in motion ... say what?
So, you are standing still - you are the observer. A moving car with a siren passing by is the source of the wave in motion.
After the car passes you, the sound waves have a LOWER frequency (bigger spaces between wavelengths). You experience this as a LOWER pitch.
Why? The sound waves in front of the moving object get compressed as the object travels and more spread out behind. (see picture above)
If an object is moving REALLY fast, the sound waves can get REALLY compressed, build up in front of the object this causes the moving object to break the sound barrier! Awesome! Another name for this is a Sonic Boom!
One more thing ... What does the siren sound like to the people in the car? Do they notice a change in frequency (pitch)? No, since they are traveling WITH the sound, the siren is the same annoying sound the whole time!
Want more? Check out this great article from MIT!
All Aboard!
To quote Thomas the Train (I should add I have a 2 year old son), an "idea flew into my funnel" over the past week. While stopped at a railroad crossing with my family, I remarked to my husband how the passing train and change in the whistle sound as the train passed was an example of the doppler effect in action. One of my lessons this week was about the doppler effect. I shared my experience at the railroad crossing with students this week and how they experience the doppler effect everyday in their lives. (For more information on the doppler effect - read my next post!)
"Wouldn't it be neat if I could log all of my experiences with "science" for my students", I thought? But how? An opportunity to do this was then "assigned" to me, as I am enrolled in a Web-Education course. Assignment #1: Create a blog.
After thinking of what I could blog about and how I could impact my students' lives, I remembered sitting at the railroad crossing with my family.
Science In My World. Of course!
I am excited and anxious to begin my blogging "journey" ... I have visions of what this could become and the potential impact this could have on my students and beyond. I am always looking for ways to make science content more meaningful to my students and relate it to their lives and I hope that this blog will be a path to make these connections start to happen.
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