Lyvonia Hearns (Randolph School)
talked about discussing hurricane Floyd with her first grade
class. She integrated this current event with social
science, physical science and language arts. She explained
what a hurricane was, how it progressed from state to
state, and the kind of damage that it did. She told us
that her class had written a story and did individual
illustrations to demonstrate their understanding of a
hurricane and its impact. Inspirational!
Zoris Soderberg (Webster school)
wrote down five teaching "keep its:
Next, Zoris filled a jar about 2/3 full of water and inverted it while holding an index card over its mouth. When she let go of the card, it remained in place, and the water did not run out! Why? She told us that the air is pushing up against the card, holding it in place. She also showed us a jar of water to which she had added tea sediment, creating layers of differing color intensity. Live science to capture student interest!
Frana Allen (Skinner School)
told us we would create a biom in a box. We formed into 3 cooperative
groups, and each received a large box and lots of animals,
flowers and other artifacts. Within Frana's specified
time, each group had used the materials to decorate their
box interiors to represent one of 3 different bioms:
desert, tundra or rain forest. It was surprising how
beautiful and realistic they looked! Such creativity! And
they can be referred to the entire year - connecting with
food chains, soil (fertile, frozen, desert) to see which
hold water best, etc. Frana told us how bioms could be
used to help connect environmental concerns into all the
other subjects we teach. Wonderful ideas in action!
...from notes by Camille Gales. (Thanks, Camille)
Terry Donatello (St Edwards School)
John Bozovsky (Bowen HS)
Carl Martikean (Wallace HS, Gary)
Al Tobecksen (Richards Voc HS)
told us about the Principal's Scholars program, and that they need
a physics teacher for 6 Saturdays, UIC, Oct 30 - Dec 11, for 7-8
grade students. Contact Fran Adams at (312)-575-7860.
showed us liquid boiling below atmospheric pressure. First with the
"drinking bird," then a "boiling tube." Methylene
chloride, bp 30 deg C, does the trick. As the bird's wet
head cools off, pressure decreases and fluid rises up the
internal tube from the fluid reservoir which is its tail.
Its head becomes heavier than its tail, causing the bird
to tip and get its head wet again, but allowing the fluid
in its head to now flow down the internal tube back to its
tail reservoir, re-initiating the cycle. Next, holding the
bulb of the "boiling tube" in one's hand warms the fluid
(above 30 deg C), causing it to boil. Carl clarifies for
us again!
passed out an instruction sheet and a envelope to several teams of us.
The envelope contains puzzle pieces, and each team is to
form 5 squares of equal size. Start on signal, and no
speaking or signals for a card, but may give cards to
others. Interesting challenge!