LEGO Cells and the Virtual Microscope

Hello All,

I recently ran across a terrific introduction to cellular biology video, Cells - The LEGO Building Blocks of Life! by ExSciEd. As the title suggests LEGOs are used to introduce the basic building blocks of life, cells. Click below to see more:  
Still thinking of cells, there are numerous interactive microscope sites out there. Many are geared toward simply clicking on a slide to instantly view. Some allow zooming in and out. The most well known interactive microscope site for intermediate school to high school use is probably Bob Ketcham’s UD Virtual Compound Microscope. The simulation is a wonderful substitute if one does not have access to compound microscopes in the classroom.  It's also possibly a good way to cut back on damaged slides or objectives by having students practice before using an actual compound microscope.  The site offers a detailed interactive tutorial from the on-off switch to fine adjustment. Through the simulation, students are provided opportunities to view some of the more common curricula classic slides such as the onion root tip, bacteria capsule and cheek smear. 

Celebrating the cell,

Mrs. A

Wikispaces Classroom is PBL Friendly

Hello All,

I recently attended the webinar Wikispaces Classroom Tour through Wikispaces.  The features are quite impressive and I found Wikispaces Classroom easy to navigate and use.  With all the buzz about Project Based Learning (PBL) and authentic assessment in education circles, the one feature that stood out to me was Projects.  The teacher can create the project, add dates to the calendar, create teams, and view user activity.  Teams can be created by dragging and dropping member names, randomly assigning members using the team generator, or uploading members from a spreadsheet.  The privacy settings can be set for only the team to edit, for other members of the Wiki to view but not edit, or for other members of the Wiki to also edit.  Numerous pages for the project can be setup for the teams by the teacher or the teacher can allow permission for each team to add pages for the project.   Under the assessment tab, the teacher can view who is online and whether each person is reading, writing, or has saved.  This information can be accessed searching by users or by projects.  If you are curious about the other features available at Wikispaces Classroom, visit the About Wikispaces Classroom link here: http://www.wikispaces.com/content/classroom/about.

Happy potential PBL,

Mrs. A

It's All Elemental My Dear...

Hello All,

I absolutely love the setup of the Ptable, interactive periodic table.  My only complaint as an educator is that it references Wikipedia for in depth descriptions of each element.  There are many other positive notable uses for the site such as the properties tab for melting points and boiling points or checking electron configuration answers under the orbitals tab.

The Visual Elements Periodic Table is an interactive periodic table providing many of the features of the Ptable along with interesting short Podcasts about each element and short video clips of each element.  There is also an alchemy tab.  This could be a nice addition to a 'golden' penny lab, where students turn copper into 'gold'.  My preference is for a procedure that avoids NaOH. 

Here is something unique and fun, The Periodic Table of Comic Books.  Simply click on an element to find corresponding comic book pages.  Not all elements will have a referenced comic book page.  There is also The Photographic Periodic Table of Elements offering many photographs of each element or use of each element along with basic property information.

All of this online periodic table viewing leaves me wanting more.  I may have to spend the evening reading the book The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean.  I can’t wait to take in all the different ways the periodic table and its elements have been interwoven throughout history, good and bad.  It's been pointed out it is a great read, though it may contain a few scientific errors.

Enjoy the beauty of the periodic table,

Mrs. A

PhET Sims

Hello All, 

I imagine the PhET website has been reviewed ad nauseam.  I have been waiting for some time to share my enthusiasm over this resource.  PhET offers various interactive science simulations.  My interest there has primarily been chemistry; the other branches of science are well represented along with math.  One can search the simulations by subject and grade level.  Once a simulation has been selected a list of lesson ideas can be found below the simulation.  There are options for running the simulations either directly using the website or downloading to another device.  Under the teacher tab, educators have access to past workshop materials regarding how to integrate the simulations into teaching. Another exciting feature of this site is the materials can be translated using the PhET Translation Utility for another possible way to reach students where language is a potential barrier. The only down side I see here is that the simulations do not work with or do not work well with Ipad, Android, or tablets.  Most of the simulations require the use of a keyboard and/or mouse.  See the embedded Salts and Solubility simulation below if you are curious to see a sample of what the site has to offer.

Enjoy playing,

Mrs. A

Click to Run

Fun with Strawberries

Hello All,

Strawberries are in season and it is time for some summer fun!  There are many great resources online for strawberry DNA extraction.  Strawberries are easy to work with and offer plentiful DNA yields.  Students’ having a visible model to work with makes it easier to introduce certain genetic concepts.  I recommend Science Buddies: Do-it-Yourself DNA.  The setup is friendly to those that have more of a kitchen chemistry setting in their classroom.  Science Buddies is also a great site for science fair project reference and ideas. 

If you prefer a site with a thorough lesson plan written out to span 7^th-12^th grade, view the ucbiotech.org education resource Strawberry DNA Extraction.  It contains references to the National Education Science Standards from 1996.  Steve Spangler Science also offers a procedure video with access to the written online experiment, Strawberry DNA – Food Science.  The Steve Spangler Science site is an outstanding resource for the science classroom when searching for hands-on activities.

From here, you may want to search for DNA extraction explanation videos.  It may be interesting to experiment with other fruits or vegetables such as onion, banana, or kiwi.  This may also be a good time for students to isolate their own DNA from cheek cells or other skin cells.  In the summer, I'm partial to strawberries.

Happy extracting,

Mrs. A

The Chemistry of Fireworks

Hello All,

Fireworks by Anna Langova

Have you ever wondered how firework manufacturers test their goods to insure the desired height, color, and pattern are achieved?  Watch this great 3 minute video from Weird Science: I Didn't Know That Fireworks.

Balloon demonstrations are shown in the short video, Kid Guides: The Science of Fireworks using chemicals that produce various firework colors.  During the introduction, the proper packing for producing designs is discussed.

Still looking for an explanation with a bit more depth and a tad more chemistry, try reading Chemical of the Week: Fireworks!  The site is part of the Science is Fun in the Lab of Shakhashiri out of University of Wisconsin - Madison. If you are a chemistry teacher or soon will cover a unit on chemistry, I encourage you after reading through the information on fireworks to go to http://www.scifun.org/.  Dr. Shakhashiri’s site is an outstanding resource for the chemistry classroom.

Here is a well written blog article, How do Fireworks Work by Melissae Fellet.  It includes the video The Chemistry of Fireworks featuring Dr. John Conkling.

Often when I think of fireworks, I think of the classic flame test lab we performed in a college chemistry lab.  It’s easy to search and find many lab procedures for the flame test lab.  I like Lab: Flame Tests by Aaron Keller.  In addition to the basic flame test procedure, he integrated his own introduction video, a reference to the Nova Fireworks! video, and includes information about fireworks within the lab. Upon clicking the Nova link, I found 2 short video clips on fireworks.  The second, The Rockets Blue Glare is most relevant to the flame test lab.  

A little something extra, the anatomies of some favorite consumer fireworks can be found at PyroUniverse.com: How Fireworks Work.  Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of the site’s page.  The Nova link from the tab listed above also includes information on the anatomy of fireworks.

Happy 4th of July,

Mrs. A

Common Core State Standards and Readability

Hello All,

With the implementation of Common Core State Standards, it occurred to me secondary science teachers are likely thinking more about the readability of materials chosen for the classroom.  If you are not familiar with Lexiles or the changes in the Lexile ranges for grade bands, a great place to learn more is The Lexile Framework for Reading.  The site allows one to search for books by Lexile measure or grade level.  The title of a book can also be entered to find the Lexile measure if the information has been documented.  The site further provides the option of a Lexile Analyzer to find the Lexile measure of text from other sources.  Personally,  I prefer Readability-Score.com for analyzing text since I can simply copy and paste the text to be analyzed.  The Lexile Analyzer from the previous site requires one to format the text a certain way before submitting for analysis.  Readability-Score.com also evaluates the text according to a number of readability formulas along with providing text statistics such as words per sentence and sentence count.  Word and Outlook utilize the Flesch Reading Ease formula, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula, and text statistics to determine the readability of the text.  

Readability Statistics in Word

In both Word and Outlook, go to the Review tab, click on Spelling and Grammar, go to Options, and check the Show readability statistics box – may also need to check the Check grammar with spelling box in order for the Show readability statistics box to allow a check.  

Feel free to research the various readability tests further on your own.  There is plenty of debate in the areas of literacy, Lexile, other readability tests, and education within the United States.

Happy analysis,

Mrs. A