Exploring Our Fluid Earth

Scout the site ahead of time to get an idea of current, wind, depth and feasibility of launching and recovering the drifter. There are many different ways to build a drifter. Would advise instructor to have one or two successful designs in mind based on the materials available. Recovery of materials is also important. Make sure drifters are sturdy enough that they don’t fall apart when in the water. Have a couple options for recovery of the drifters, e.g., long string, fishing lines for leashes or a net.

My beaches are more uniform. Any ideas?

This unit was a great year starter as it set the pace for what the students needed to learn without making it a lecture. The students worked in teams, created a concept map by filling the chart paper with their cut out cards, made their own sense of what they created and then did their first presentation in class. Awesome starter for Sixth grade students!

My students are nervous about paper/ pen activities without a book in front of them. So, I tried to think of a way to teach (or re-teach) this lesson without all of the anxiety. We decided to take it outside to the playground with some fat slabs of sidewalk chalk. First, they drew giant Phase Diagrams about the size of the 4 Square court and labeled them with all the IN... words. (They brought their "Learning Logs" for reference too.) We selected a recent experiment to try.

i was wondering how would the TSI group suggest to begin the first day, they first week of science classes?

Can you please add the Mod 4 Pre and post assessment? Or shall I just modify the one that is here?

i was just wondering how much pre is needed before this activity can be given to sixth graders?

e.g. I am wondering how to...

This activity was supposed to be in preparation for an intertidal field study, but we ran out of time in the school year, so we just did it in the classroom. My students (9th grade Marine Science) enjoyed it a lot. I had some bulletin board cutouts of sea stars, snails, and fish that I threw down on the floor amongst the popsicle sticks and index cards and the students liked them so much they asked if they could take them home :)

I did an introductory activity on plankton with my 9th graders as a fun activity the day after their exam on one of the last days of school. It did not go exactly as planned as I did not successfully collect many zooplankton, only phytoplankton, so instead we watched extra videos so that they could see what plankton look like and how they move, then on the second day they designed their own plankton with adaptations and scientific names.

e.g. I am wondering how to...

e.g. I am wondering how to...

Use blue tarps to simulate tide pools; do activity outside; allow students to be more creative by using and labelling organisms/species using everyday materials like wool for sea weed.

Use package with individual packets inside.

Students were all participating and very excited. Such competition! Just make sure you use the same size washers.

Excellent activity for sampling for abundance. Other science teachers were excited when they looked down while I was doing the activity outside!

Students had fun while they are learning! I shall use this for every class that comes in. One of the math teachers was very impressed with the activity. She said it is an excellent activity for sampling!

anyone know where to find the "blue bubbles" to start a conversation? This website while content rich. is not as "user friendly" as other social media sites are.
Things to click are often in grey on this site and in most other website etiquette the grey is the things that don't work when you click them...it's confusing to me...i apologize for openly venting, but i've been searching for the "blue bubbles" with no luck. Mahalo. Would appreciate a reply it if anyone knows?

i am looking forward to starting the school year by having students begin with Draw a Scientist Activity then move into the scientific language activity. i think the vocabulary is what students want to know and want to use. these can be very powerful building activities.

Kids really dug this activity. I loved the progression from the pizza samples to the M&M activity. Students really came away with a clear idea of how to design a sampling stragegy and what kinds of information can be gathered by evaluating samples. Will certainly do this again!