Category Archives: 6 -12 Science

Do Now #62: A Love of Science

February 6, 2013, 11:12 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Comments (62)
Credit: NASA JPL

Credit: NASA JPL

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #DoNow62

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

What do you love about science? Why is it interesting to you?

Introduction

There are numerous fields of science--everything from astronomy to biology to physics to climate science. And there are new fields of science, like nanotechnology, that didn't exist 50 years ago. Scientists can study tiny particles or huge ecosystems. They may use telescopes, microscopes, SCUBA gear or rock climbing gear. They may work in a laboratory, in a submersible, on a spaceship or in the jungle. They may study something down the street or on the other side of the world.

How do scientists get interested in doing science? Why do they do what they do? There is excitement in making discoveries and solving problems, in looking at data and finding patterns that answer questions. Some scientists want to make the world a better place for humans by finding cures to diseases, creating technological solutions or making our lives safer and more efficient. Some are interested in exploring the unknown and figuring out how things work. Other scientists seek answers to how humans are impacting the earth. Most all scientists are interested in sharing their knowledge with others.

What about science most interests you? What do you love about science?

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
Tagged: , ,

PD Module #1: Implementing Science-Based Media Projects

February 6, 2013, 3:26 pm • Posted by Jessica Neely
Comments (1)

Implementing Science-Based Media Projects to Enhance Teaching and Learning

Science media projects that enhance student learning and engagement offer limitless possibilities for creativity in learning subject matter. Below are just a few reasons to incorporate media making projects into the science curriculum:

  • Technology is engaging!
  • Media projects give students the opportunity to connect to real life to concepts learned in class.
  • Students develop relevant and important communication skills
  • Media making and science share necessary skills (synthesis, analysis and evaluation of information, and critical thinking collaboration)
  • Media is another (fun!) form of text that can be used to build literacy skills found in Common Core State Standards

As a science educator, where do you begin when first contemplating the development of media making projects for your students? Right here, of course! The online professional development module is a self-paced exploration of

  • the different types of science stories that students may tell
  • the different types of media projects you might consider introducing
  • the various tools, equipement and resources available for media making projects

By the end of the module you will have gone through the process of creating a well thought out plan for developing a media making project for science students. Enjoy!

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Online Training Modules, Science, Teacher Trainings

Three Resources for Exploring our Solar System

January 10, 2013, 9:37 am • Posted by Jessica Neely
Add your comment

photo by Rrinsindika/Wikimedia Commons

What does the start of a new year bring besides resolutions? The beginning of another orbit of the Earth around the sun! Use this timely hook to explore the solar system. Not surprisingly, NASA has cornered the market on high-quality, free astronomy teaching resources. Here are just a few of our favorite NASA education sites.

NASA Solar System Education
A national team of educators and scientists worked together to create this one-stop shop for NASA solar system exploration education resources. Activities, background information, career exploration, lesson plans, experiments and mission details can be accessed by grade level, curriculum standard, mission or theme.

Do It Yourself Podcast
NASA's Do-It-Yourself Podcast activity sets the stage for students to host a show that features astronauts doing experiments on the International Space Station or NASA experts explaining scientific concepts. NASA provides a set of audio and video clips along with links to images and information about a STEM-related topic. Students can choose as many items as they want to include in a project and download them to their computer. Students can use the information provided or conduct their own research to write a script for an audio or video production.

NASA Kids’ Club
A new offering from NASA, the Kids’ Club features games, interactive activities, and images for students to explore, play, and learn from. At the center of the NASA Kids' Club is a set of games and interactive activities arranged on five skill levels. The activities range from simple things like guessing numbers in "Airplane High Low" to more difficult tasks like identifying planets based on some clues provided in prompts in "Go to the Head of the Solar System."

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, K-5 Science, Science
Tagged: , , , , ,

Do Now #56: Concussions in Sports

January 8, 2013, 9:57 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Comments (3)


To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

Should professional and amateur sports have stricter rules to prevent injuries like concussions? Why or why not? Please provide a suggestion that could tackle this issue.

Introduction

Concussions are not rare occurrences in contact sports, such as football. And this is not only for the pros, but for college, high school and even younger athletes. An article in the New York Times reports that half of all high school football players have had at least one concussion and 35 percent have had two or more. With about 1.3 million high school football players in the U.S., that adds up to a lot of concussions.

A concussion is an injury to the brain, caused by a traumatic blow to the head, or rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head, often from a hit. Concussions can be hard to diagnose because a doctor can't "see" a concussion like an x-ray can show a broken bone. Doctors have had to rely on patients reporting symptoms, which include loss of consciousness, loss of memory, difficulty thinking or concentrating, dizziness, headaches and nausea. For most people, recovery from a concussion happens in 7-10 days, but, for others, some symptoms can last months or years. For youth, concussions may be especially damaging because their brains are still developing. And scientists believe that there are cumulative long-term effects from enduring multiple concussions.

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Four Great Sites for Teaching About the Science of Winter Sports

December 12, 2012, 1:46 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Add your comment

photo by Arthur Mouratidis/Wikimedia Commons

Winter break is just around the corner! And there's a good chance that some of your students will be watching or participating in winter sports during the break or over the next few months. Engage students with examples of scientific concepts in action! Teach about the science of skiing, ice hockey, snowboarding, ice skating and more with the following multimedia resources.

  1. Science of the Olympic Winter Games (NBC Learn)
    NBC Learn, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, delves into the physics, chemistry and engineering behind various sports of the Winter Olympics. A collection of 16 videos covers topics including the connection between speed skating and Newton's Laws of Motion, the engineering of skis for different ski-based sports and the physics of ski jumping.
  2. Inside the Action (The New York Times)
    This collection of six videos, created for the 2010 Winter Olympics by the New York Times, uses video footage, animation and graphics to break down and analyze various "tricks." Discover how snowboarders, skiers and figure skaters execute their winning moves and runs.
  3. The Science of Hockey (Exploratorium)
    This site from the Exploratorium incorporates video and text to examine the sport of ice hockey. It explores questions like, "Why is ice slippery?," "What's in a puck?" and "How do you hit a puck 100 miles per hour?"
  4. How It's Made: Snowboard (Discovery)
    Learn the process of making a snowboard in this video from Discovery. A great opportunity to investigate the crucial role of science in the manufacturing of materials.
Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Science
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Do Now #53: Cap-and-Trade for Carbon?

December 11, 2012, 12:10 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Add your comment

Credit: Craig Miller


To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #DoNow53

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

California recently implemented a cap-and-trade program in order to cut carbon emissions. Would a carbon tax be better or worse? What do you think about cap-and-trade? How can companies be best regulated to reduce greenhouse gas pollution?

Introduction

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been a substantial increase in carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and countries around the world. The increase is due to human activities, namely the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation, industry processes and land-use changes. The additional carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere trap heat and cause the Earth's surface temperatures to rise, also known as the greenhouse effect. To combat climate change, scientists have said that we need to cut our greenhouse gas emissions.

Last month, California launched its cap-and-trade program. In this program, the government sets a limit on the total amount of allowable carbon emissions from businesses, refineries, manufacturers and power plants. This limit will decline 2-3% each year. Major emitters of greenhouse gases must get permits, known as allowances, for each ton of carbon they emit. Initially, businesses receive most of the allowances from the state for free. Over time, the state also auctions allowances to the highest bidders. As the overall cap on emissions is lowered each year, businesses must continue to obtain allowances equal to their emissions. They can buy unused emission allowances from other companies, or they can sell emission allowances that they may have leftover. So, a company that isn't ready to cut its carbon emissions enough to meet its allowance can buy emissions from other companies that can reduce their emissions.

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

PD Module #2: Narrated Slideshows for Science Education (self-paced)

December 11, 2012, 11:40 am • Posted by Matthew Williams
Comments (1)

Today, science demands sophisticated skills not generally taught as part of standard science curricula. Ideally, science instructional strategies teach a body of knowledge and cultivate other abilities required for the practice of science. For example the scientific community values collaboration and teamwork, critical and focused observation, the use of technology for data collection, evaluation of information, and communication skills. All of these skills can be cultivated through the use of media making projects. For this reason, student media-making projects are an excellent way to introduce these 21st century proficiencies.

A good first-step media project to use with students is a narrated slideshow. The programs used to make one are relatively simple and students can either take their own photos or find properly licensed images on the web in addition to using their own voice to narrate the story. KQED has developed a new tool for educators to assist in the understanding of how to create a slideshow as well as the implementation of such a project in the science classroom.

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Online Training Modules, Science, Teacher Trainings
Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Do Now #50: Climate Change and Extreme Weather

November 14, 2012, 4:49 pm • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Comments (3)

Photo by NOAA/NASA GOES Project

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #KQEDDoNow

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

What role do you think climate change played in Hurricane Sandy?

Introduction

During the last few days of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy brought heavy rains, tropical-storm-force winds, and record storm surges to much of the East Coast. This resulted in severe flooding, loss of power for millions of people, and the destruction of numerous homes, buildings and other structures in New York, New Jersey and other eastern states. The total economic damage by the storm is estimated to be $30-50 billion.

Scientists say that climate change has led to an average global rise in sea level of about eight inches over the past century. Expansion of the ocean water (from warming) and the melting of land-based ice are the two major reasons for the rise. A higher sea level means that storm surges become a bigger problem, causing more damage to coastal communities. Ocean water is able to reach further inland, leading to increased flooding, loss of life and widespread power outages, as witnessed during Hurricane Sandy.

Warm ocean water is a key factor in the occurrence of hurricanes. Hurricanes get their energy from the warm, moist air over ocean waters near the equator. Climate change has led to an average increase in the temperature of the oceans, due to a rise in heat-trapping greenhouse gases. According to the New York Times, several scientists said that during the last week in October, when Hurricane Sandy occurred, parts of the western Atlantic Ocean were as much as five degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal, which could have increased the intensity of the hurricane.

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
Tagged: , , ,

Online PD for Media Making

October 19, 2012, 11:24 pm • Posted by Nancy Yamamoto
Comments (1)

Written by Jessica Neely

Today, science demands sophisticated skills not generally taught as part of standard science curricula. Ideally, classroom instructional strategies in the sciences should teach a scientific body of knowledge and cultivate other abilities required for the practice and process of science. There are many connections between the skills used for media making and those required for scientists. For this reason, student media-making projects are an excellent way to introduce these 21st century proficiencies, many of which are also recognized in the Common Core Content Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in Science.

For example,both scientists and media makers must collaborate with colleagues, be able to make critical and focused observations, use technology for data collection and analysis, understand and evaluate information and processes and create multimedia content to communicate their idea. (see Media Making in the Science Classroom for more on this topic).

How do we go about coaching our students to create meaningful science-based media that enhances their own understanding of a topic as well as promotes understanding by others?

One answer is to scaffold media making projects so that the desired outcomes are reached. We have polled our KQED science colleagues to break down the process of scientific storytelling and to guide the development of the following resources:

  • Mulitimedia Project Implementation Plan - step by step guidance on planning a media project for students.
  • Choosing Content - how do you choose the right subject for your media project? Explore the five general categories that science journalism reports fall into.
  • Choosing Your Media Format - once you’ve decided on the story you want to tell, how will you decide to tell it? Use this chart to determine what type of media will be best to use to communicate your story.
  • Choosing Equipment - you’ve got your story and type of media decided, the final step before producing your piece is to find the equipment and software that fits your needs. This document guides you through some options based upon the type of media you are creating as well as your budget and technical needs.
  • Rubrics - finally, it is important that you are very clear with students on what is expected of them. Adjust these rubric templates so that they communicate your goals for slideshow/video projects and/or mapping projects.

These documents are just a sampling of all the resources available to assist you in leading media making projects in your science classroom. Additionally, be sure to check out:

  • KQED Science Education Media Making Toolkit - the above documents can all be found here, along with MANY more guiding you in media making projects
  • KQED Science Education Institute Workshops and Resources - lead yourself through previous KQED workshops with these useful sites and documents
  • Creating User-Generated Media Workshop - on Teachers’ Domain (free registration required); This workshop shows teachers how to use Teachers' Domain media to produce their own videos, and then encourages them to think about how they will organize a similar experience for students.
  • Building Video Literacy - on Teachers’ Domain; explore strategies for teaching students about how videos are created to help them make smart decisions when creating their own media
  • Building Blocks - on Teachers’ Domain; search the term “building blocks” to find 99 pieces of media you and your students can download, share and remix into new media projects (select Download, Share, & Remix on the Permitted Use filter)

 

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Digital Tools, Science

Do Now #43: Nuclear Energy

October 10, 2012, 12:34 am • Posted by Andrea Swensrud
Comments (14)

To respond to the Do Now, you can comment below or tweet your response. Be sure to begin your tweet with @KQEDEdspace and end it with #DoNow43

For more info on how to use Twitter, click here.

Do Now

What do you think about expanding the use of nuclear energy in California? Would you support the development of a new nuclear power plant in our state?

Introduction

Energy sources fit into three main buckets--fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), renewable (e.g. wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, etc.) and nuclear. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by fossil fuels, there is movement toward increasing energy production from alternative sources. So, what about nuclear?

Nuclear energy is derived from the splitting of uranium atoms. In a nuclear reaction, a particle called a neutron hits the nucleus of a uranium atom. This reaction, called fission, breaks the nucleus in two, releasing more neutrons and a lot of heat. This heat can be used to create steam which turns a turbine to generate electricity. The neutrons collide with more uranium atoms, producing a chain reaction, so the process continues. Nuclear fission is very efficient, producing a lot more energy per unit weight than fossil fuel alternatives, with far fewer greenhouse emissions.

Continue reading »

Filed under: 6 -12 Science, Do Now, Science
Tagged: , , ,