Today's Quote:
Recap:
Yesterday we had a primer on hurricanes and preparedness for the approaching storm. I pointed out that hurricanes are like Mother Nature's cooling fans and they serve a purpose. As the oceans have tried to mitigate climate change by absorbing vast amounts of heat, we are seeing bigger, more powerful storms. A hurricane pulls excess heat and moisture from the surface of the oceans and injects it into the upper atmosphere where the heat can be dissipated into space. Unfortunately, this heat acts like jet fuel for the storm. In this case, Irma has been approaching the top of our ability to measure storms. Meteorologists have been talking recently about the need for a Category 6 to the scales. Be safe. Be prepared.
I asked the general question what is science? or why do we do it in the first place? Answered varied and included responses such as "science is technology", (It's not) "Science is a belief in research." (It's not) "Science is the search for answers." (Sort of) The discussion went on as I pointed out that my belief in a guiding force in the universe is a belief. I can hold onto the belief, but science is NOT a belief and it doesn't care what you believe- science relies on facts and evidence.
We engaged in a brief discussion of what science isn't and I introduced the classes to the Lakota word "wanagi" which loosely translates to ghosts. I pointed out that while I believe in ghosts, no matter how much personal evidence or examples I can give them as to why I believe in ghosts, I can't offer them any real scientific evidence that ghosts are real. We called into question TV shows like Ghost Hunters, where they have all that cool technology to prove the existence of ghosts, yet, it's not real science because their results cannot be replicated with any sort of reliability. Therefore the "science of ghost hunting" is actually a pseudo-science. This lead us into the beginning of a discussion of what constitutes evidence.
We tied our discussion from Tuesday in when students completed an entry activity called "Doing Science" which can be found on page 93 of the link. This lead to a very informative discussion of student ideas about what is and isn't science. Most of the classes were leaning toward the idea that all scientists must follow the scientific method. While I didn't tell them the correct answer, I asked why they believed this and they said," ït was how we have always been taught- that there is one method that scientists use to keep themselves organized."
Quick- Notes:
Science is not a belief and doesn't care what you believe. Science relies on facts and evidence.
We do science to help us answer questions about the universe around us. This sometimes leads us to more questions or other observations. The ultimate goal of science is to make sense of our world.
Technology is applied science designed to make our lives easier. For example, a smart phone is a technology that was an improvement over a wired house phone. A wired house phone was an improvement over a morse code generator and that was an improvement over shouting over long distances to each other.
Science is based on facts and evidence and these can be observed or replicated under the same circumstances over and over again.
A statement like, "I don't believe in evolution are ridiculous because evolution through natural selection is a fact that is backed up by observations that have been and can be repeated and evidence such as fossils that have been discovered.
Students then began to read the article, What is pseudo-science? The first thing students were tasked with, was to list any words they didn't know. We can't begin to talk about an article unless we're speaking the same language.
Homework was handed out at each grade level.
Entry Task/ Brain Bender:
Dee Septor, the famous magician recently claimed that he had been to New York City performing a feat that no one else had accomplished. He boasted that he had walked on his hands for a mile and a half down a typical cement sidewalk before he lost his balance and fell. What is wrong with Dee Septor's claim?
Agenda:
1. All classes: test (Remind went out Sunday)
2. Discussion of citation and evidence. What is EVIDENCE?
3. The Process of science: Take SELFIES!
Start with an observation or question.
Establish the question.
Look into the topic.
Formulate a hypothesis (and null hypothesis) (If:then, logical, testable
Investigate the hypothesis
Examine the data- draw conclusions, analysis, perform more trials (how many?)
Share your results (why?)
Start with an observation or question. Most of the methods begin this way. For example, I saw a movie where the dog could fly and I wondered, can my own dog fly?
Establish the question. We call this the CLAIM and it is written as a statement. For example, "My dog will fly if I pet it three times.
Look into the topic. This is something most science instruction gets wrong. Scientists and researchers spend 80% of their time doing research before they ever develop a hypothesis.
Formulate a hypothesis (and null hypothesis) (If:then, logical, testable
Investigate the hypothesis We said that a hypothesis is an underlying (hypo) thought or idea (thesis) about why something is going to happen and it must be able to pass the three tests of being logical, being an If/Then statement, and must be testable. If it fails even one of these tests, it's not a hypothesis. Keeping to our example, "If I pet my dog three times, then it will grow wings and fly. It IS an If/Then Statment, It IS testable, but it IS NOT logical.
Additionally, in order to combat BIAS, scientists formulate a NULL hypothesis which is the exact opposite of their hypothesis.
We also said that scientists don't stop to keep things nice and neat during the experimental phase of an investigation. It's ok to keep notes as long as you keep everything during the investigational phase. AFTER the investigation is done, scientists will begin to organize data into a nice neat format.
Examine the data- draw conclusions, analysis, perform more trials (how many?) This is when you organize your data and analyze it for patterns that might support your hypothesis and perform additional trials. Scientists perform as many trials as their time and budget allow them to do.
Share your results (why?) Finally we share our results to allow other experts and peers to review our data and see if they can replicate the results found. If they can, then our data has been validated. If they can't then our data has been invalidated.
Bio/ Earth Science only discussion: Read the article "What is Pseudoscience What is science? What isn't Science? What looks like science, but really isn't science
9th Grade Earth Space Science:
Class Information and Syllabus
Unit Essential Question:
What are the basic ideas behind the process of science?
Key Learning Statement:
Science is a process based upon observational and experimental studies using scientific methods to develop or explore scientific theories or laws.
Homework:
Where Did Science Come From? Read through this article take notes YOU WILL BE LEADING THE DISCUSSION!
Watch the following video on accuracy and precision AT HOME! Take notes and prepare to discuss.
3. Watch this video on Calculating percent error. (MOE= margin of error) Discussion Thursday and Friday.
Study for Vocabulary quiz Friday:
a- without
ab- from ( away from)
abduct- lead or draw [away] from
acanth- prickle or spine
acer- without horns
acetabul- vinegar cup
acin- cluster of grapes
acro- summit or top
actin- ray
acust- relating to hearing
ad- toward
adduct- to draw forward or in
HS Intensive English
Class Information and Syllabus
Unit Essential Question: What does a good writing sample look like?
Key Learning Statement: Writers structure their writing into several key steps to produce a good writing sample. While these steps are not always needed, it is best for beginning or aspiring writers to practice them to improve their writing ability. Those steps are brainstorming, outlining, pre writing (or rough drafting), peer editing, polishing and revising, and final editing.
Art Appreciation: Storm Clouds, Maine by Marsden Hartley
Storm Clouds
Vocabulary Lesson: Context Clues
Writing Unit: Main Idea- Poetry
Homework:
Watch the video and take notes for discussion on Wednesday
Where Did Words Come From?
Study for vocabulary quiz Friday:
prodigious
blithe
ornithologist
antidote
levity
parody
apogee
callow
plethora
discern
compensate
feasible
cessation
assuaged
grimace
retaliated
chagrin
harbinger
assiduously
perpetrated.
10th Grade Biology 1
Class Information and Syllabus
Unit Essential Question: What is required to carry out a valid scientific investigation?
Key Learning Statement: A valid scientific investigation uses prior knowledge, observations, and empirical evidence to test a hypothesis and draw conclusions that must be validated through repetition and replication.
Homework:
Where Did Science Come From? Read through this article take notes YOU WILL BE LEADING THE DISCUSSION!
Watch the following video on accuracy and precision AT HOME! Take notes and prepare to discuss.
3. Watch this video on Calculating percent error. (MOE= margin of error) Discussion Thursday and Friday.
Study for Vocabulary quiz Friday:
a- without
ab- from ( away from)
abduct- lead or draw [away] from
acanth- prickle or spine
acer- without horns
acetabul- vinegar cup
acin- cluster of grapes
acro- summit or top
actin- ray
acust- relating to hearing
ad- toward
adduct- to draw forward or in
Storm Updates:
Check out the Global currents map!
Science Current Events:
Parallel Worlds Exist and Interact with This One.
https://lab.nstmf.org/gravityGravity lab
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