INTERACTIONS Issue 2 May 1992

The Newsletter of the SciencePlus Teachers network

Linking Teachers with Teachers

In this issue:

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The First Word

Because of the number of responses to our first issue of INTERACTIONS, we've decided to put out an abbreviated second issue before school ends. We hope the ideas here may be useful as you finish this year and prepare for next. We've included a suggestion for Student Assessment, a challenging POE (remember them?), a few limericks submitted by students, a section called "What's happening" to keep you up to date on recent and upcoming events in the Network, some suggested resources, and a black line master to photocopy for use with the Life Processes (SP3) unit in the fall.

Have a great summer. Look for us again in October - keep your suggestions coming in!

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Particle Poems

Gail LeBlanc, at Tantramar High in Sackville, N.B. sent in some Limericks prepared by her students. Here are a few:

There was a solid particle named Sue
Who didn't know quite what to do.
So she turned into a gas
without increasing her mass,
And now she's floating around you.
 Tom Bowser

There once was a particle named Blake
Who got put into the oven by mistake.
He shouted and screamed to get out,
But no one was about,
Now that was a ghastly ("gasly") mistake.
 Cory Johnson

There was a solid particle named Fred
who spent all his days in bed.
When invited out to play,
He replied, "Nay, nay"!
I'd rather do nothing instead.
 Rebecca Fahey

There once was a particle named Sam
who lived in a bottle of jam.
One day, he flew out,
There wasn't a doubt
That a gaseous particle was Sam!
 Susan Mills

There once was a particle named Rick
whose friend just wouldn't stick.
The temperature went down,
His friends gathered round,
Then he found he was claustrophobic !
 Holly Byers

CARTOONS!

Cartoons of this type may help students to recognize that there is a difference between scientific and everyday language. They might be inspired to design their own!

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STUDENT ASSESSMENT

Changes in the Land, SP1

GROUP TEST PROBLEM
We encourage group work in our classes but seldom include group testing as part of our assessment strategy. Here's a suggestion from Greg Turner in Digby who comments: "This question worked very well. The novelty of working in groups on a test question was motivating for the students. Every single student contributed to the group effort. This was successful beyond my wildest expectations!"
FOR STUDENTS
The sketch represents a new house built on a hill. mark the positions on the diagram where the owner may have some cause for concern. Explain why.

In your group, discuss the problem pressnted in the diagram and come up with the possible soution(s). Then return to your seat and write your answer(s) on this sheet. You must spend all the time given on the task.

NOTE TO TEACHERS:
It may be simplest to give each student a page containing the problem and the sketch, along with headings and appropriate answers spaces for (a) Rough Discussion Notes, and (b) Good Copy of Solutions. Recommended group discussion time - 10 minutes.

The assessment of students' performance on this question will vary from teacher to teacher. Keep in mind that the participation of students in the initial discussion is an important component. Some suggestions for things to consider:

We'd be interested in hearing of your experiences in using this question or others like it. It's not easy to assess cooperative learning skills - we can use lots of suggestions!
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PREDICT - OBSERVE - EXPLAIN

This POE was submitted by Tony Williams, a teacher in B.C., to the SI3 Network (Students, Intuitions and Science Instuction) in B.C. It could be used with the Particles unit in SP3. If you use it, tell us about your students' responses.

Water in a Rush
A test tube half filled with water is heated by a bunsen burner. When the water is boiling and steam is being produced the test tube is quickly turned upside down into the beaker of cold water.

Predict: Have your students (a) write down what they predict will happen in the test tube when it is turned upside down in the cold water, and (b) make a drawing of their prediction.

Observe: The students should both write and draw what they observe.

Explain: Have your students explain what they saw, using the particle model. (Look on the next page for the Explanation.)

On the last page of this issue, you will find a BLM (black line master) which you may find useful, especially with Exploration 5 in the Life Procasses Unit. Yon can photocopy and distribute it to your students.

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WHAT WORKS....WHAT DOESN'T

Living Things SP1.

For Grade 7 students having problems with body proportions, I found it very useful this year to place on a wall outlines of a baby, a 3-year old, a 12-year old. Students were able to actually measure the length of head, legs, etc. We took the proportions of a 7-month old baby and showed how a 12-year old would look With these proportions - quite hilarious results.

Pressure SP3

Help! We setup our model lung (p.438 #7b) in a 2L plastic pop bottle. With the sides slightly squeezed, we inserted the balloon. The sides did not return to their original shape - the outside air pressure held them in. We also tried using a plastic dish d etergent bottle - which worked slightly better but not great. Any ideas?
Rockingham School, Class 9A Editor's Note: Has anyone else had the same problem? Has anyone had success with this activity? What did you do? Write us (or get your students to write with their suggestions!)

Force and Motion SP1

Exploration #5 - Using a spring to measure gravitational force (weight)- For the spring a small slinky was found to show a measurable stretch with the addition of one washer. The slinky can be cut to produce several springs. Alternatively, if you have a force meter for measuring small forces, cover up the scale with masking tape and have the students make their measurements from this apparatus.

POE Explanation:

You will probably observe that the water rushes up and fills the test tube. The water particles are very far apart when the test tube is filled with steam. (Steam occupies about 1OOO times as much space as the same mass of liquid!) The pressure inside the test tube is much lower (almost a vacuum) than the pressure on the water in the beaker. Therefore, the water rushes from the beaker to fill the vacant space in the test tube.
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USEFUL RESOURCES

The Education Media Services of the N. S. Department of Education has a kit or 9 cassettes and filmstrips (many relevant to the units in SP) called Changes in the Land. Here's the information on four of them. The comments are from Greg Turner.
TAPE I
1 Lab Community. SP3. Amateur video of field trip - teachers use only.
2 Acid Rain. Informative, good for all levels.
3. Acid Rain - Our Bitter Legacy. Land and Sea, Jan. 1986. All levels.
4. Acid Rain Requiem or Recovery. Technical; teacher/advanced student. 5 Frogs and Tadpoles. National Geographic - metamorphosis, food chains. Possible use - Living Things, SP1/Diversity (Life Cycles) SP2.
TAPE 2
1. Women in Science: Careers; possibly integrate with PDR.
2. The Lamplighter, The excellent story of Abraham Gesner and the invention of kerosene.
3. Flowering Plants from Seed to Seed. Living Things SP1. Good teacher reference.
4. The Earthworm. Darwin's Plow. Excellent for Living Things, SP1
TAPE 3
1. Outside the Classroom. Geology field trips led by Don Keith. Teacher use only.
2. The Rock Cycle. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1982. Excellent review of all earth science concepts in SP1 & SP2. Would be good for teacher use before starting Face Lifting a Planet in SP2.
3. Dinosaurs, Discover the World of Science. Extinction theory; shows scientists excavating on the Bay of Fundy shore to reveal small dinosaurs.
4. Dinosaurs, Puzzles from the Past, Good for elementary levels.
TAPE 4
1. The Recent Ice Age.
2. Mineral Wealth of Canada.
3. The Appalachian Story.
These three films, narrated by Jay Ingram, depict the formation of Eastern Canada. They are good quality and are excellent for the Junior High Earth Science units in SP1 and SP2.

ABOUT US

The SciencePlus Teachers Network (SPTN) is part of the Atlantic Science Curriculum Project (ASCP), linking teaching, curriculum development and research in science education. INTERACTIONS is the newsletter of the SPTN, produced twice a year by teachers wo rking with members of the ASCP Board of Directors. Teacher Advisory Committee: ASCP Board Members: Nan Armour, John Haysom, Peter Kidd, Elinor Nicoll and Muriel Smyth.

Correspondence can be directed to:

Special thanks to all teachers whp sent in materials for this edition.
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What's Happening?

* On April 28, the first regional meeting of the Network was held in Dartmouth. Present were about 35 teachers representing school boards in Lunenburg, Hants, Colchester and future issues of INTERACTIONS.

* In October, the SciencePlus Teachers Network will be conducting a major session at the AST Conference in Halifax. Watch for more information.

* This summer in Tatamagouche, a group of SciencePlus teachers from N.S., N.B., and the U.S. will be gathering to develop authentic assessment materials for SciencePlus. Teachers are needed to field test the materials next year. Cont act us if you're interested.

* The U.S. edition of SciencePlus is off the press!! With some revisions, most of the Atlantic units are being used, along with a few new ones. It's being published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Looks good.

* Did you know that not only is SciencePlus being taught in French but this newsletter is available in French as well Contact us or your Board office if you want French copies.

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Blackline Master

The Outside of a Green Leaf Name _______________________________

Exploration 5, Life Processes, SP3

To answer question #2 (Interpreting Your Observations), use the wet mount of the leaf's lower surface. Move the slide, at random, , to 5 different fields of view. At low power, count the number of stomata in each field. Use this sheet to record your obs ervations la. # of stomata in field 1 __________________
lb. # of stomata in field 2 __________________
1c. # of stomata in field 3 __________________
1d. # of stomta in field 4 __________________
1e. # of stomata in field 5 __________________
2a. Total # of stomata la-le __________________
2b. Average of stomata/field (total 5) __________________
3a. Diameter of field of view __________________
3b. Radius of field __________________
4a. Area of field (Pi x radius squared) __________________
5a. # of stomata per field (2b) __________________
5b. # of stomata per square cm (5a/4a x 100) ___________________
Draw a diagram of the stomata observed under high power. Include scale, date, title and labels. Guard cells should be 1/2 the radius of the field in the diagram.

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