Trophic Cascades

http://sfglo.be/dO0

I just came across a very cool and interesting article about Trophic cascade.  Having not really heard the term before I found it fascinating.  The thought that one species can change the whole ecology of an area!  This is also true in reverse.  Introducing a species to an area can decimate an area.  There are fish called Asian Carp, which can populate so quickly that it can ruin a body of water killing off other fish populations.  The name of the article is called Wolves Introduced to Park Revitalize Eecosystem.  Great story!  Now I would love to visit Yellowstone! Click on the link above to see the story of the Wolves!

Methods turns into Science lesson!

Tonight's Methods class turned into a science class pretty quickly.  While working on strategies, a fellow classmate presented the strategy of Observation.  She brought out 3 items for us to observe.  One group was to observe a hamster, one a plant and one a tortoise.  It was quite interesting the different things people observed about each item. 
I observed Muffins the hamster.  Muffins is a Russian Winter White dwarf hamster.  We researched the hamster, it's predators and what it is like in captivity and in the wild.  We found out quite a bit of information that was interesting. 

We also researched a tortoise, also known as Hugo and a plant that was a Carnivorous plant!  The plant was a little creepy in that it was Carnivorous.  It was called a Purple Pitcher Plant.  Here is a link to information about it.. http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=SAPU4  Feeling the leaves and the tiny hairs inside the leaves was a little odd feeling. 

The Observations strategy is so useful in the classroom when it comes to science.  All ages can use this strategy.  The younger grades can use by drawing pictures and the older grades can use technology and researching their observations.  It was a fun class tonight!

Scientific Misconceptions in Movies

Dr. Kat mentioned looking into how movies promote misconceptions.  Showing my age, the first movie that came to mind was Back to the Future!  I know, an oldie but a goodie!  Time travel is not possible but after watching that movie and Michael J Fox, who was a total hunk back then, kids everywhere totally bought into the idea that it was possible.  Ok, maybe those of us who are more realistic didn't really believe it but just enjoyed the movie.

  

There are so many movies that completely blow things out of proportion but there are some that try to recreate actual scientific events such as Apollo 13.  There is a NASA space center in Huntsville, AL that my children's classes have visited.  It was very interesting to see all that the space center had and how it inspired children's imaginations.

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Apollo 13 is still a movie that again for the sake of bringing in money to the film, Hollywood has to dramatize everything.  There really are so many films that Hollywood has made that promote many misconceptions in the scientific world.  There is a movie (a heart breaker no pun intended) about the first pediatric heart surgery called Something the Lord made.  Other movies with misconceptions are some of the horror films that show animals that are 1000 times their normal size attacking.  I really can't name any because I am more of a Pollyanna kind of girl.  Give me a suspense but ends in a feel good way.

 

Hollywood must do everything it can to make a movie something people will pay to go see.  In doing so they will over dramatize and promote all types of scientific misconceptions all for the sake of a dollar.  There are tons of movies that can be examples.  I have just listed a few!

1st Science weekend

Between the lunar phases, viewing of the stars lesson and the Discovery Center adventure, I was reminded about the many different areas of science that we have learned about over the years.  Science encompasses so much!  The hands on aspects of our lessons this past weekend is a reminder that children need hands on more than we, as adults, do.  People/children learn in so many different ways.  Getting in the stream reminded me that actually picking up rocks and viewing what is beneath or the walking scavenger hunt can inspire children to learn and retain so much more. 
I am sad to say I had forgotten the different phases of the moon.  By the way I think currently there is a "Super Moon" tonight!  I had to research that!  ANYWAY, I was inspired to review the lunar phases after our Friday night session.  I also began to think of all of the activities and experiments that can be conducted in a science lesson.  And I have begun to think about how much integration there can be with science lessons!  Science can inspire people to attain all kinds of different professions in life.  I hope I can one day inspire a child with my engaging science experiments and lessons!  I am sure I can with my very creative hat making abilities!

Blogs, Writing, Grad School, Science... Oh My!

Although I majored in Communication emphasis in Public Relations, I have gotten quite rusty at conveying thought through the written word!  With that in mind I begin my first blog.  Blogs have always fascinated me.  Being more competitive, my thoughts were always trending towards the chance that people would not read a blog I wrote.  Why would anyone truly care what I think?  Honestly, I sometimes scare my self at what goes through this brain of mine.  But when a teacher requires you to write a blog and classmates are required to read, well then that is a win-win situation!
I have to say I was quite nervous about the science class.  After the first session, I am so excited about it that I can't wait till the next class.  Sadly, I have forgotten how much fun science can be.  I truly am an outdoor person.  Looking at the stars through giant telescopes, wading through a small creek, seeing a very small (thank goodness) snake slide through the water... well it reminded me what I love.
A friend teaches 4th and 5th grade science.  She has an outdoor garden that even has chickens.  It is a great set up to expose kids who may never have been in a garden and also how to take care of animals.
The Discovery Center class today showed me how much fun it can be exposing kids to science.  Watersheds, water cycles, seasons, habitats, there were tons of ideas that we can use in a classroom.  So instead of Bill Nye the Science Guy could there possible be Sally Green the Science Queen?  Quite possibly!