Maps of Ecosystems

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Very nice maps of North America by region or by states, in a variety of different levels of detail, are available from http://www.epa.gov/wed/pages/ecoregions.htm

If you ask nicely you can sometimes get a large classroom copy mailed to you.

 

One example of how to use this is to post them side-by-side with a geology map of the same area, or a precipitation map and have the students looks for similarities and patterns in the distribution of vegetation types and the surface geology.  They can also look for patterns in the distribution of vegetation types and the amount of precipitation, or of any other weather characteristic you might be able to generate maps of.  Shown is Oklahoma but these are available for most states and regions.

Texas Science Educators conferences coming up!

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The 2012 CAST (Texas Science Teachers Association) meeting is now in the history books.  I know one booth gave out 6,000 catalogs so there were at least that many teachers present.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this kind of event will be a life-changer for you.  Whatever level you teach or hope to teach there is something about being a part of a HUGE group of the best of the best to get a person excited and energized and full of new ideas!

The best part for us Northerners (Oklahomans, as seen by Texas) is that there are several such events coming up near us.  The future CAST meetings are:

Nov. 7-9, Houston (OK, so Houston is not so close – but think what kinds of field trips there will be with Galveston and NASA so close)

Nov 20-22, 2014, Dallas

Nov 12-14, Fort Worth

And… drumroll…. the BEST of the best of the best – the NSTA National Science Teachers national conference this spring in Dallas, April 11-14 .  If you can only make one day, do it!  It will be unimaginably big.  http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2013san/

Free stuff! Great (free) Training!

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Oh, and you will get to have the best students and good job security as a Chemistry or Physics teacher!  Here’s the offer for summer training at NSU at Talequah:

NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy

Northeastern State University (NSU) has been awarded a statewide grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to increase the number of certified Chemistry and Physics teachers in the state of Oklahoma. The NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy (NSU-CAPA) will provide research-based professional development for certified science teachers who want to become certified to teach Chemistry and Physics. The two-year program will focus on teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student achievement in Chemistry and Physics.

The program will recruit 20 science teachers statewide and will include a one-week summer program on the Tahlequah campus of NSU. Housing will be provided as needed. The program will use the Blackboard system to help develop a statewide Community of Practice. Participants will conduct outreach activities at the Oklahoma Science Teacher Association annual meeting at the University of Central Oklahoma and at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association annual meeting at NSU. These meetings will provide opportunities for other science teachers to interact with program participants and will provide participants networking opportunities with experienced Chemistry and Physics teachers. Schools will be involved in determining the implementation of the program, including the date of the summer program, the specific content of the summer program and follow-up activities, and the implementation of program objectives.

The benefits to teacher participants include a Venier LabQuest 2 and the following probes: temperature probe, motion detector, pH probe (Additional probes and Lab Pro Software will be supplied the second year.), a modest stipend, room and board for eight participants, lunches, thirty-five hours of professional development during the summer, online follow-up activities and support during the academic year, and funds to take the OSAT in Chemistry and in Physics at the conclusion of the program. Please see additional details and benefits on the following pages.

To become a partner in this program, the appropriate school administrator needs to sign the Memorandum of Agreement that can be found in the enclosed pages. Please sign on the line that identifies your school. Additional details concerning the responsibilities of all partners and teacher participants are included as well. After signing the page, please FAX it to 918-458-9693. SignedMemorandum of Agreement sheets are due by Wednesday, November 28th. If you have questions, please call the Program Director, Dr. April Adams at 918-444-3819 or e-mail her atadams001@nsuok.edu. More information, including a letter to the principal is attached.

 

How to spot satellites

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Image from NASA

So you’re looking up at the stars one night and you see something up there moving… suddenly it goes out.  Was that a satellite?  Was it an airplane?

There are a lot of websites out there for watching satellites but the best, most comprehensive and one of the oldest is www.heavens-above.com.  I have been using it for almost as long as the internet itself has been around.

It’s great to know that at a certain time tonight you can step outside, look in a certain part of the sky, and maybe, just maybe, see a satellite suddenly appear and whiz by.

You will need your latitude and longitude; there are lots of ways to get that.  Then go to the heavens-above site and just play around with it.

The first and easiest is the ISS, followed by the Iridium satellites.  With practice you can even see the Iridiums in the daytime!  The best way is to practice on these two until you get pretty good at it – then there are hundreds more.  And, the site has lots and lots of other good information about spacecraft.  The more time you spend there, the more things you’ll want to try.

Keep these things in mind though:

1) Your fist help at arm’s length covers about 10 degrees.  Use that to measure altitude (Alt.) above the horizon.

2)  The direction (North, northeast, etc.) is given as a bearing and is called “Az.”.  East is 90, south is 180, west is 270, etc.

3) “Magnitude” is how bright the satellite will be.  The smaller the number the brighter it is.  Anything smaller (brighter) than zero will be very bright, like an airplane.

4) Airplanes often have their flashers on; satellites do not.

5) The light from a satellite is reflected from the Sun.  That’s why it will suddenly appear in the middle of the sky and will suddenly go out.  The website tell you exactly when these will happen.

6) The whole thing is an estimation.  It’s a sort of a sport.  Times may vary, usually a little later as the orbits decay unexpectedly, and magnitude can change too.

Have fun! and let us know how you did.  or didn’t.

Free Green School Training, with STEM components

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OK GREEN SCHOOLS 2012 TRAINING REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Please register below for one (or more) of our five FREE Oklahoma Green Schools Training sessions. Join us for one of these events to learn how the Oklahoma Green Schools Program works, review the Project Learning Tree (PLT) GreenSchools Investigations in the five topics: ENERGY, WATER, WASTE & RECYCLING, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, and SCHOOL SITE (includes STEM-related activities), participate in small group discussions and peruse the toolkit. All sessions will be held from 9:00-11:00 am (except Weatherford which will be from 4:00-6:00 pm). Refreshments for each session are sponsored by Greenstar Recycling.

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO REGISTER! If we do not have at least fifteen (15) registrants three days prior to each event, the training session will be cancelled. You can help us increase registration by passing this email on to other folks you know who might be interested. We hope to see you in July or August at one of these events!

Click here to register: http://www.okgreenschools.org/okgs-training/

(View dates & locations below. Additional details are available on the website)

July 19—4:00 to 6:00 pm—Weatherford (SWOSU )
Host: Marie Pool, Clinton High School
Location: Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), 100 Campus Drive, Weatherford, OK 73096

July 24—9:00 to 11:00am—Metro Career Academy— Oklahoma City (+optional tour)
Host: Barbara Loudermilk, Principal
Location: Metro Career Academy, 201 N.E. 48th, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
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July 31—Ada: East Central University (ECU)
Host: Dr. Douglas Weirick, Chair—ECU Department of Environmental Health Science
Location: ECU Physical and Environmental Sciences (PES) Building, Room 262

Aug 2—Bartlesville: OSU Extension Office (Dewey – suburb)
Host: Gale Mills, OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Educator
Location: Washington County Extension Office, 205 E 12th Street, PO Box 10, Dewey OK 74029

Aug 9 —Stillwater: Skyline Elementary (+optional tour)
Host: Andrea Rains, Skyline Principal
Location: 1402 E. Sunrise Ave., Stillwater, OK 74075

Thank you for your interest in our program!
Please direct questions to: info@oklahomagreenschools.org

Physics workshop for all levels – elementary and up

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Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers:

  • 2012 AAPT/PTRA ToPPS II: Designed for In-Service Oklahoma Teachers of Physics and Physical Science, this professional development opportunity is a 5-day summer institute (with 2 follow-up sessions during the 2012 – 2013 academic year).  This is a very “hands-on,” “minds-on” professional development opportunity.  Those seeking to enhance their students’ learning in physics and physical science are encouraged to apply!
  • Details:

o   Summer institute runs July 9 – 13that the Alva campus of Northwestern Oklahoma State University

o   $600 stipend ($400 at end of 5-day summer institute; $100 for each follow-up session)

o   Free instructional/curriculum materials endorsed by AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers)

o   High-tech and Low-tech equipment used

o   This year’s topics: Energy, Momentum and Impulse

o   Total of 40 hours of professional development (30 in July, 5 at each follow-up session)

o   Free on-site housing (if staying in dorms)

o   Website:  www.nwosu.edu/ToPPS

o   Participants may enroll in 3 hours of graduate EDUC, PHYS or PHSC credit to apply toward an advanced degree

o   A $100 refundable check will be required of applicants (checks will be returned at the close of the summer institute)

While this PD opportunity is designed for HS physics teachers, MS and ES teachers may also apply.  We are fully aware that science teachers wear many hats, and we want to encourage teachers of all grade levels to consider this opportunity.

 

Please let list members know that they can contact me directly if they have any questions.

 

Thank You!

Steve

 

Steven J. Maier, PhD

Chair, Department of Natural Science

Associate Professor of Physics

Northwestern Oklahoma State University

Science Building 107-B

709 Oklahoma Blvd.

Alva, OK  73717

 

sjmaier@nwosu.edu

580.327.8562 (o)

580.327.8556 (f)

Thousands of free science lesson plans from the Yale National Initiative

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“To Strengthen Teaching in Public Schools” is their motto.  Simple and clear.

Yep, it’s true.   They are all free!   There are literally thousands of lessons here – hundreds of them are in science, as well as in literature and other areas.   There were written over the years by teachers from several summer science institutes.  Most of them have a written abstract, a narrative, objectives, worksheets, grade levels and references.    Don’t let the name “Yale” scare you – this site is really quite friendly to use.

You are given three choices; I would start at the top one “Search Curricular Resources from Local and National Seminars” and click on “search”.

This might easily become one of your biggest resources for you science classes.

http://www.teachers.yale.edu/units/index.php?skin=h

 

Project WILD schedule for fall, 2012

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I have mentioned Project WILD elsewhere; it’s a great set of resources for teaching conservation concepts.   Our Oklahoma contact and high-energy presenter is Lisa Anderson; okprojectwild@fullnet.net, (405) 990-1292.  She can also schedule events at your school if you can get at least 15 participants.  The workshops are six hours long and cost $15 each.

The following Saturday workshops are currently scheduled for open participation at Arcadia Lake (near Edmond.  Contact Lisa to register or for more information:

June 23 – Project WILD

June 30 – Growing up WILD

Sept 8 – WILD about reading

Sept 22 – Project WILD

October 27 – Growing up WILD

Fish Prints – Where will gyotaku take you?

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Sorry, I couldn’t resist the horrible pun.  This is an art activity that teaches science.  Gyotaku is the art of putting ink or paint on a fish and then rubbing the fish onto paper.  You can make the print on paper, fabric or even T-shirts.  You can use it as-is, you can hand-color details, you can add any way you want to and even add schools of fish.

A few minutes of searching the web for gyotaku images and you’ll be hooked.  There are also some great how-to videos on youtube.

You can use real fish or you can buy rubber casts of fish.  In either case you can rinse off the ink or tempera paint and use the fish over and over.  If you use real fish you can simply re-freeze them in individual plastic bags.  A good source for rubber casts of fish is Acorn Naturalists.  They have a great online catalog at http://www.acornnaturalists.com/

Don’s hints:  Use a good grade of paper.  Copy paper won’t take the ink nearly as well as art paper and you want your students to have a good experience!   Practice first.  Try intergrading different colors of ink on the same fish!  Add fins and other details by hand – just use the fish print for the basics.  With some papers and some inks it works better to slightly mist the paper with water first.  Finally, it is usually better to ink the fish and then place the paper on top rather than the other way around.  Gently pat the paper around the fish and then remove, dry and admire it!

You can also use the same technique to add some plants and make a scene, but plants don’t generally print nearly as clearly as the fish do.  Shells work nicely;  they have more texture.

Where is the science?  This forces the students to concentrate on the form and the details.  Now you can talk about the different parts of a fish and the different fins.  You can related structure to function – different body shapes and different mouth shapes for different purposes.  A diagram to label of parts of a fish will make a lot more sense after this activity than if it were before!  A good follow-up activity for younger students is the free sample activity “Fishing Fun”  from Project WILD at http://www.projectwild.org/growingupwild.htm