Projectile Motion (Physics &
Applied Math):
4
th and 5
th grade math
fellows, Martha Liendo and Elizabeth Harris
are developing a series of lessons to for each nine-week period
to illustrate projectile motion.
The first lesson in the Fall of 2011, conveyed the
importance of degree of projection to the total distance traveled
by a projectile with the use of ping pong ball launchers that
project ping pong balls at 3 different angles. Students were
required to record distances traveled by angle of projection,
compute an average for each angle, and discuss relevance of their
findings. This lesson culminated in a competition in which
students used their knowledge of angles of projection to attempt
to launch small pumpkins using a water balloon launcher the
farthest distance.
Bacteria Buffet: Physical Education fellow, Megan Pogemiller, incorporated her prior research with the worm, C. elegans, into the development of a lesson and game for her third-fifth grade PE classes. The students were split into teams and had to work together to navigate throughout the gym and collect food for the worm. The teams had three rounds to improve upon their ability to get the most nutritious food. Each team graphed their progress and the group discussed the trends in the line graphs that were created. PE Coach, Nancy McDonald, presented the fellows’ lesson at a PE Education Conference in January 2012. Coach McDonald’s presentation focused on incorporating STEM in gym activities.
Growing Bacteria:
Fourth grade science fellow, Meg Carr,
incorporated her research area of microbiology into a 2-week unit
on the basics of bacteria.
The unit was set up as a science
experiment by asking the students “Where in the classroom do
most bacteria grow?”
The first week, they decided on a
hypothesis (students chose 2 different locations where they thought
the most bacteria could be found in the classroom) and method (the
students swabbed two locations and spread it across a Petri dish).
The second week, the students
observed the bacteria growth under a microscope and made an
accurate sketch of the growth.
They analyzed the results by
ranking the bacteria growth.
Then, they made a final statement
about the question.
Minerals, Rocks, Sediments, and Soil:
Nathan Noll presented lessons on
minerals, rocks, sediments, and soil to first graders.
One hands-on example
simulated the effects of a river tumbling sediments along by
filling a rock tumbler with angular gravel-sized pieces of
several types of rock.
The students observed how
the edges start to break off and make the gravel rounder, how
the smaller sediment sizes start to form pebbles, sand, silt,
and clay.
Intro to Bacteria:
Eric Lynch drew on his undergraduate research
with bacteria to present an introduction to bacteria to second
graders.
He discussed methods of observing
organisms that are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
He demonstrated how we cannot
easily see a single grain of sand, but we can clearly see an entire
jar.
This was related to the idea that
if we grow bacteria on agar plates, we will be able to see their
colonies.
Children swabbed their mouths and
toes and applied the swabs to agar plates.
They made predictions on what
they would see the next week.
The concept of a control was also
introduced by running a clean swab along the agar plate.
The children observed and
discussed the results the following week.
Paleontology and Dinosaurs:
PreK fellow, Leigha King,
introduced her career choice as a paleontologist and what that
job entails.
The students watched a
“Dinosaur Train” video and did a worksheet where
they had to match dinosaurs to the appropriately sized train
car.
Science Journals:
Nathan Noll, first grade fellow,
introduced his students to science journals by showing them his
own science journal and a journal article that he had
published.
The parts of a journal (table
of contents, graphs, pictures, maps, etc) were discussed as
well as how scientists need to be good in all subjects (math,
writing, art, etc.).
Editing your writing with the
goal of publishing your research was discussed.
Once published, people all
around the world can read what you learned from your
research.
Graph Theory and Cryptology in a 5th Grade
Classroom.
This 2011 Summer Institute presentation by
Elizabeth Harris, graduate fellow in mathematics, highlights the
college level topics brought into the 5th grade
classroom.
Click here for presentation
Combinatoric and Cryptographic Topics in a
4th Grade Classroom.
This 2011 Summer Institute presentation
given by Martha Liendo, graduate fellow in mathematics,
highlights the college level topics brought into the 4th grade
classroom.
Click here for presentation
Bone Crushing Behavior:
Using several casts of skulls of both
extinct and living carnivores, the 4
th and 5
th grade fellows, Elizabeth Schmitt and
Paula Edwards, helped the students learn how to interpret an
animal’s dietary adaptation based on cranial morphology.
Students specifically learned how to determine if a carnivore had
the ability to crush bone by examining parts of the skull. The
lessons demonstrating the comparative morphology of skulls taught
students about the
sagittal crest and how that affects the bite
force of an animal and that the features of the skull can tell us
major characteristics of animals that are extinct.
Click this link for accompanying presentation information
Click this link for presentation
Social Spiders:
Second grade fellow, Jennifer Price,
used her research on populations of
Anelosimus studiosus
, a spider found from Argentina to the New England states,
to talk to students about biodiversity, adaptation, life cycle,
benefits of community, biochemicals, and yes, even drug awareness.
The second grade students were
exposed to academic language (Biologist, Habitat, Adaptation,
Behavior); investigation of complex concepts;
and using authentic scientific
methodology observing spiders in observation chambers and keeping
science journals. Each classroom
was given their own “pet spider,” which enabled the
students to observe several behavioral aspects of the
spiders.
Click this link for presentation to North Side second grade students
Click this link for presentation to North Side students during Red Ribbon Week
Click this link for how Jennifer’s research was brought into the classroom
Fireman to the Rescue!
This is a flash game that demonstrates the
use of locating-dominating sets in simple graphs. In this
game, students progress through levels of increasing difficulty
by applying logic skills within a set of simple rules. The
game illustrates the application of research in mathematics to an
everyday situation, while improving each student's critical
thinking skills.
Fossil presentation.
Grant Boardman, graduate fellow in
paleontology, has given presentations to groups of classes with
examples of casts and real fossils found at the Gray Fossil Site,
and housed in the Natural History Museum.