A Day in Town

2/13/13

"Good Teachers are good thieves!" - Kim Case

Introduction to Project Learning Tree: how to address environmental issues and influences while promoting awareness.
- Tree Treasures:
- Mission- window to the world
-> we are always looking to teach them the process rather than content because the content changes.
- PLT= moves students from awareness to action. (Common Core and Next Generation)

- It is important to teach students that each of their actions has a consequence.  Their actions impact the environment.
- Teachers should point out and encourage students to analyze how science is connected with society. (ex: news)

Science/technology/society - how something works, modify science for humans purposes. The goal of science is to seek understanding.  Therefore we are not teaching students to believe our own opinions, rather we want students to thinks about the source of the information and determine if the arguments are valid.  We want to teach students to not accept things as fact.

Important things to consider:

• conservation- everyone approaches it differently
• animal experimentation
• evolution
• human reproduction

Tips:

Relate current events to science in some way

Use Simulations- which are games that mirror real life

"How are you going to make a difference?'

Lesson Activity:

• Mystery items in brown paper bag
• Sort items into what comes from a tree and what doesn't
• Teacher then discusses their ideas with students
• Teacher gives students worksheet booklet with information about what items come from trees and students resort their items. 

Experiment of the Day!

Diaper Dissection!!! 

        

How much liquid can a disposable diaper hold???

- 6 1/2 cups of water.

How can it hold so much liquid??

- Disposable Diapers contain polymeric crystals which are similar to gelatin

- the crystals are in small bead form

- 1 pound of polymeric crystals = can hold 50 gallons of water

- 1gram crystals = can hold 30 gallons of water

Fun Facts:
- if you put salt on a wet diaper the bond between the water and the crystals will break thereby causing the water to separate from the crystals.

Question for future experimentation- will toys that expand in water have the same chemical bond break down if one were to sprinkle them with salt??