Furthering my knowledge on Lupus

My question last week on http://www.askascientist.org/ was whether or not there is a geneti marker which would indicate a predisposition to the disease lupus. I know a bit about Lupus due to the fact that two of my sisters, are fighting and have fought this disease for quite some time (one of them is now recently deceased but not from the disease). I am interested to know about genetic influences on acquiring Lupus and whether or not myself, my children or any of my other siblings will develop the disease anytime in the near future. While the disease has no cure, care can be taken to minimize the flares that occur and even lessen them to a certain extent. However, there is so much more to learn about this disease and how it even begins. As for my question to ask a scientist, I have yet to receive a response. I expect that there will be some sort of response forthcoming but as with anyting worth knowing it may take some time to get an answer. What I do ferverently hope is that the answer is not "sorry but we do not have an answer for you at this time".

http://www.askascientist.org/ seems like a great site to use in my classroom for those questions that the students sometimes ask to which I have no ready answer. I usually have them write them down under the items to be researched on my whiteboard, but this is a way for them to independently try to get answers to some of their questions. Who knows this may even trigger more questions in their minds as they scroll through the site. There is one thing that is certain about middle school students in a science class, and that is that they usually have a ton of questions on every subject, and often it is not on the on you are currently teaching:) This way they can feel like a part of a greater scientific community and if they do receive an answer from a bonafide scientist this may spark their interest in the field of science even more.

21st Century Tools for Classroom Scientists

The list of technology tools available to Science teachers is heartening. There are tools available for every comfort level and stated purpose. These tools provide teachers with the ability to engage students in ways beyond the usual PowerPoint slides and static presentations. While it is adviseable to take some time while not in school to test run these sites there is the value of learning on the go, utilizing the concept of inquiry to guide the installation of one or more of these sites as part of the classroom culture.

One of the sites that I like and would consider using frequently is Web Poster Wizard. This site enables teachers to create assignments for students who complete them entirely online. The site is easily navigated and allows teachers to set up class assignments online and have students login using their class codes. Different codes are created for each class so that it is easy to pull the assignments for each class and grade accordingly. Students will like using this tool as it allows them to use the technology with which they are familiar and allows them to be infinitely more creative than if they had to use the standard poster board to present their work. It also allows students to be able to make adjustments to work posted by typing in their unique poster id code. This is preferable to having to redo an assignment due to changes indicated by the teacher.

Format Pixel is another tool that has what students would call the cool factor. It could be used to create student term projects or a classroom magazine that can be published by students. It offers the students some customizable options and can be tailored to create multiple page projects. Students would be able to upload their own pictures to make the magazine more personal. However, one thing bears mentioning. There is a limit on the storage size of the account created. There is a free account that allows one to save up to 512K of material. Anything above that would require a fee.

If using PowerPoint slides is more in line with your taste then there is a way to give them a boost by using Prezi. Prezi is to PowerPoint slides what turbo charging is to cars. The transistions in Prezi are smooth and look like movie effects (which your students will love). It also allows you to share your presentation on facebook and twitter. This allows students to be able to follow their classmates presentations online and even make comments and like or dislike it using a social media outlet that they currently have in their arsenal. Presentations can be customized and set to autoplay so that salient points can be re-stated when necessary without having to toggle back through previous slides. It is also key to note that one of the special effects of Prezi allows for the zooming in on specific objects/words during play. It creates a very strong impact and leaves a lasting impression on those viewing the presentation.

While this is not an all encompassing list of all the tools that are available for use with the technology that is available to us currently, hopefully it provides an impetus for you to check out what else there is that could be useful to you for your own specific needs.

21st Century Answers to Today's Energy Questions

One of the topics that most fascinates me and that I find I can easily get my students interested in is energy. The students always seem to have a number of ideas on how to either conserve energy or how to use different materials, some renewable and some not, as a source of energy. With the increase in the number of car manufacturers who are producing electric cars, advances in solar cell technology and its usage in neighborhoods across the county, and increasing government support of energy conserving efforts the students are very well aware of the concerns that many Americans have about the long term sustainability of fossil fuels at our rate of usage.

One of the 21st century tools that the students can use to gain more insight and facilitates the students learning of the concepts surrounding the topic and also provide an avenue for them to investigate on their own is the website http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=2. The site has valuable resources on all sources of energy as well as basic information on energy itself. It also provides charts and graphs for each topic area as well as games and activities for all grade levels including science fair experiments that the students can complete that relate to energy.

Another tool to use is http://www.neok12.com/Energy-Sources.htm. This site provides information about energy sources as well as alternative energy sources. The rather cool thing about this site is that it also includes videos on the different types of energy sources as well as the ability to create presentations for school and quizzes to share with friends as well. This will intrigue the more andvanced student and the videos will allow the strongly visual learner to fully grasp the many concepts covered in the discussion/debate about energy.

What is the best insulator?

For week four of class the task was to test four different materials to be used as insulators of cups of hot water. Each cup had the same amount of hot water and were lined up side by side on the counter. The only difference was the material chosen to cover each cup. For my materials I chose a Ziploc bag, Aluminum foil, a sheet of paper towel folded into four, and a Styrofoam plate. Prior to setting up the experiment I hypothesized that the aluminum foil would be the best insulator because of its use as a conductor of heat as well. However, after having the water sit the required 30 minutes I checked the temperature with a basic thermometer and lo and behold I found that the best insulator of the items I selected was the Ziploc bag. Coming in a close second was the Styrofoam plate. I was more than a little shocked that the Ziploc bag did the better than the aluminum foil which is used in kitchens across the country, and I dare say across the world. I recall my mom sending food to neighbors who were shut in and the food would be covered in foil to seal in the heat. Maybe I should tell my mom to use Ziploc bags next time.

This experiment led me to question if the same would be true with other materials that needed to stay warm. What about pizza or hot wings? I believe that because those food items are solid they will maintain their heat much better and the best insulator for these items may very well not be a ziplock bag. I will post an update to this blog once I have completed the same experiment with either pizza or hotwings. As is I may have to convince my hubby to throw out the well balanced dinner plans one night so that I can run my experiment.

Understanding Physics

QUESTION: How does the steepness of a slope and mass affect a collision's outcome?

During the investigation two different height levels were set to replicate the steepness of two roadways. The roadways were created using two different size binders, a one and a half inch and a three inch. At its highest point the one and a half inch binder was 5 centimeters off the ground while the three inch binder was 10 centimeters off the ground. Both binders were set flat on the same surface side by side to eliminate any discrepancy based on placement. There were two toy vehicles used to represent vehicles in a collision, one was an SUV and the other a sports car. First the toy car was sent down the slope into the SUV to see what would happen during a collision and then the vehicles were switched and the heavier SUV was sent down the slope into the sports car. While both vehicles had an impact on each other there were certain factors that could not be overlooked and the results were a mixture of what was expected as well as a few surprising facts as well.

Firstly, the smaller slope created less of an impact during the collision and thus less damage overall to either vehicle. The SUV was able to push the sports car back and over quite easily due to its greater overall mass and the momentum it had coming off the slope. When the vehicles were switched around the sports car was able to push the SUV off the ramp and on one try it even managed to cause the SUV to roll over. When the larger binder was used as the slope the effects of the steepness of the slope was even more evident. The SUV completely knocked the car off the ramp every time and the car was spun around and even flipped on one occasion. Quite surprisingly, when the vehicles were switched the sports car was able to also knock the SUV off the ramp and flip it as well. While both vehicles were able to move each other it was obvious that the vehicle with the larger mass had an overall advantage over the smaller vehicle. However, it should be noted that there are factors that affect the outcome of any collision involving two vehicles.

A truck going down a slope and hitting a car will have a greater effect than an SUV or a car doing the same exact act. What was evidenced during this investigation was that the sports car was able to flip the SUV over when it was wound up and the momentum increased exponentially, which points to the fact that a smaller, lighter vehicle traveling downhill at a greater speed than a relatively larger one can have an adverse effect on the larger vehicle. It should also be noted that the effect of the collision on the vehicles also depends on whether or not the vehicle at the bottom of the slope is moving or standing still. Also a vehicle moving towards the vehicle coming down the slope creates an opposite force that can cause both vehicles to flip or spin wildly out of control.

It would be the perfect activity for the eighth graders within my classroom whom I hope would gain a greater understanding of mass, momentum, and incline in the scientific sense but also be able to relate it to their lives in the real world as well. To make it more exciting for my students I could actually take them outside to the side of the school which has an incline. I could have the students decide how to create the level steepness that they want by adding to that incline and have them utilize radio controlled vehicles of different sizes as well as the standard manual ones to determine the effect of lessening and/or increasing momentum and velocity.

As far as my own investigation went, I think it would have been great if both vehicles were able to be wound up instead of just the sports car. Also, it would have been a more true representation of the difference in mass I think if the SUV was a bit heavier than it actually is.

Osmosis and it's effect on cells as seen through gummy bears

For my science inquiry lesson I determined to tackle the subject of Osmosis and have the students see it as a presence rather than an abstract thought as viewed through their texts. We started off by discussing how a lack of water presents issues not just for people but for environments as well. Then I handed out dehydrated fruit in the class and had them tell me what their thoughts were on the fruit as far as how it had attained the current state from how they commonly see it (I used peaches). Once they were intrigued by the process the fruit had undergone, I brought up the subject of the military's use of MRE's and this caused some intrigue in a class of only boys. 

To tie it in to what we were doing that day I told them that our cells in our bodies act much like the fruit in that if there is a lack of water within the cell then the cell will shrink and wither away, but that there is also the opposite effect whereby when there is too much water then the cell becomes too saturated and explodes. At the thought of a cell exploding the students became excited and wanted to jump right in so I got them started on setting up their experiments and wrote all the instructions on the board while I walked around to each section and repeated the instructions as well. The experiment was set up with four gummy worms to each set (we had one single student due to an absence) and each gummy was placed in saline solution, plain water, fruit punch and lemon juice respectively (please note that the order of the gummies and their solutions go counter clockwise in the pictures. The student forgot to label his containers though he knew which was which). They were left alone for 24 hours and then the liquid that was left was drained and the gummies were inspected and measured for changes. Some of the students found that their hypotheses were not proven and two found that they were way off on their hypotheses (they had hypothesized that the gummies would not be affected as they did not feel permeable). Students had to record their findings on a graphic organizer prepared for them and then discuss their findings/queries in class as a whole group.

What the students all found was that there was a significant difference in how the gummies reacted to the saline solution and the other liquids. Alas none of them was able to create the desired effect of having the gummy bear in the saline solution shrink beacause they added more water than they should have to the solution mix. However, they all realized just what the input of salt did to the cell/bear and what excess water did as well, which was the objective of the lesson.

Attached you will find a copy of one of the student's work. Alas only one student was willing to have his work shared with others hence only one student sample has been attached.

Original pic when bears were just placed in liquids

 

 Gummies after a few hours in liquids..note fruit punch bottom right losing its color.

Gummies after 24 hours.

Gummies after being manipulated by student to check measurments.

Myth or Reality: Polar Ice Caps could flood the world

I conducted the experiment with the ice block and water and was more than a little surprised at the results. Firstly, the ice block did not cause the water to flow over the top of the container like I surmised it would, and secondly the block rose from the bottom to the top without melting or breaking apart. If one were to use the information gleaned from this experiment to theorize what would happen if the polar ice caps melted then one would have to assume that the effect would be the same in that the amount of space that is currently taken by the ice caps would be taken by the water produced by the melt. Therefore, there would be no flood effect and as such the world would be safe. However, one has to be careful not to generalize the results of this experiment to the polar ice caps as there may be variables at play in the real world that are not being accounted for in this experiment.

After having completed the inquiry for this week, I wonder if this effect has been tried on a much larger scale and were the results published? It would be interesting to note the results of such an experiment to note if they were the same as realized in my experiment.