Pumpkin Science

Scientific Discovery and Investigation with Pumpkins

1. Predict how much your pumpkin weighs. Then weigh it on a bathroom scales.
2. Name the properties of the pumpkin.
3. How does the pumpkin feel?
4. How does the pumpkin smell?
5. How does the pumpkin taste?
6. What does the pumpkin look like on the inside?
7. Does the pumpkin have seeds?
8. To get inside the pumpkin, cut off the top.
9. Does a pumpkin grow underground--or on top?
10. Does a pumpkin grow on a vine, a bush, or where?
11. Are all seeds inside a pumpkin the same size?
12. Will a small pumpkin have small seeds in it as compared to a large pumpkin?
13. What could you do with the insides of a pumpkin?
14. What could you do with the seeds?
15. Predict how many seeds are in your pumpkin. Count your seeds. How close did you come? 16. Now cook your seeds. Be sure to taste the seeds before you cook them, then taste them after you cook them. Is there any difference in taste? [Cook the seeds in a popcorn popper with butter or oil.]
17. Plant your seeds. Plant some of the cooked seeds to see what will happen. Are the seeds scattered randomly within a pumpkin or arranged in some sort of pattern?
18. Do big pumpkins have larger seeds than small pumpkins?
19. Is there anything in a pumpkin which lines up with the creases on the outside?
20. What does a pumpkin seed weigh?
21. How many seeds does a pumpkin contain?
22. Do all pumpkins have the same number of seeds?
23. Can you tell which side of a pumpkin was against the ground? How? Does the stem help you figure it out?
24. Will pumpkins float in water? If they do, do they float stem up, stem down, or stem sideways?
25. Can pumpkin seeds be sorted into groups?
26. How thick is the skin of a pumpkin? How far in is the meat?
27. Place an empty wastebasket in a dishpan. Fill the wastebasket to the rim with water. Place a pumpkin into the water. Measure the volume of water displaced. This will be the volume of the pumpkin. Find the volume of several pumpkins. What relationship is there between weight and volume?
28. Do birds eat pumpkin seeds?
29. Make a list of the properties of a pumpkin and give it to someone. Can they guess what the object is?
30. Will pumpkin seeds grow if planted right away?
31. What folklore can you find about pumpkins?
32. Where did pumpkins come from originally?
33. What other plants do we eat which are related to pumpkins?
34. What is a pepo?
35. If every seed in a pumpkin grew into a plant which produced one pumpkin and each of the seeds produced a plant which did the same, how many seeds would be produced?
36. What other pumpkin investigations can you think up?

Physical science:
Investigation and experimentation: sink/float, color, shapes, sizes, textures, do the # seeds, line up with ribs, and much more, be creative.

Sink or Float: Divide students into small groups. Provide a water-filled container large enough to hold pumpkins, a pumpkin or the students’ individual pumpkins, paper towels, crayons or markers, and pencils. Ask students to turn to a blank page in their pumpkin journals and answer the following questions: Do you think a pumpkin will sink or float in water? Why?

Next have them rest their pumpkins on top of the water while holding onto the stems. On the count of 3, have them release their pumpkins. Discuss the results of the experiment as a class. Then ask each student to remove his/her pumpkin from the water and dry it off.

Then have each child summarize and illustrate the activity in the remaining space on his/her journal page.

Technology Classes I've Created and Taught

Classroom Projects with MS PowerPoint
Come learn a variety of ways to use PowerPoint for classroom activities and projects. Here are just a few samples: create a Dictionary of Students incorporating a digital camera; ABC Books - any topic will do; learn how to incorporate state reports into PowerPoint presentations. Make seating charts, certificates, and more!

Classroom Projects with MS Publisher
Microsoft Publisher is an easy way to get students using technology in your classroom. You leave this workshop with at least five ideas you can use in your classroom from the first day of school on. If you've been looking for a way to jump start the use of technology in your classroom, this workshop is for you!


Creating Digital Stories with MovieMaker
With easy access to a digital camera in each classroom, creating digital stories is easier than ever. Learn how to build simple movies using MovieMaker 2 and a combination of video clips and still images. Students can use this same technique to create visual poetry, illustrate a scientific concept, or even put together a story problem. You'll walk out prepared to use tools available in every classroom in the district!!!

Integrating Technology With SchoolKit EdClass
Are you ready to put technology to use in your classroom, but aren't quite sure where to start? SchoolKit eNactz offers you nearly 700 ready to use, standards-based activities for grades Kindergarten through High School that you can use in your classroom immediately! This workshop will show you how to access the activities, choose those that are most appropriate for you, and most importantly, how to get started using them in the classroom immediately. All activities use Word, PowerPoint and Excel as the base software, so you have everything you need to start the moment you finish the workshop!



Intro to UnitedStreaming (Part I of Effective Use of Video in the Classroom)
UnitedStreaming on-demand video service provides you access to over 3,000 videos, correlated with standards, whenever you need them. In this workshop you will set up your account, learn to create and use playlists and use the powerful search tools to quickly find video clips to use in your classroom. A system overview will be provided to help you understand how the system works in Everett Public Schools, and how you can access the system from both home and school. Those who wish to earn clock hours for this workshop must also attend Effective Use Of Video in the Classroom: Part 2.



Introduction to UnitedStreaming Video
UnitedStreaming on-demand video service provides you access to over 5,000 videos, correlated with standards, whenever you need them. In this workshop you will set up your account, learn to create and use playlists and use the powerful search tools to quickly find video clips to use in your classroom. A system overview will be provided to help you understand how the system works in Everett Public Schools, and how you can access the system from both home and school. The workshop will also teach you how to integrate videos in with your PowerPoint and other MS Office applications.

Marco Polo
A partnership among the leading national and international educational organizations and the MCI Foundation, MarcoPolo: Internet Content for the Classroom features seven discipline-specific Web sites that house Partner-created and reviewed Internet-based lessons and resources-all at no cost. MarcoPolo makes commercial-free, standards-based content of the highest quality easily accessible to teachers and students. You'll leave this workshop knowing how to find AWESOME web based resources and ideas for using them in your classroom

Multimedia Fieldtrip
Field trips provide a rich learning environment for students, but they are usually over so fast that it is hard to remember everything you experienced. Technology allows you to overcome this limitation!!
Spend four days learning to use technology to help bring field trips with you back to the classroom! We'll show you how to use a variety of tools to capture the sights, sounds and voices you encounter while on a classroom field trip. We'll then spend a day on a field trip of Everett, returning with a wealth of information, both digital and analog. The last two days of the workshop will be spent creating a 'digital story' of the field trip, using one of the following four applications (you'll choose which one on the first day of the class):
- Clicker 4 Learning Grids
- PhotoStory 3
- Movie Maker
- Photo enhancement software
At the end of the workshop, we'll regroup and share our stories with each other around the "digital campfire."


PhotoStory, Classroom Projects Across the Curriculum
Now that you've learned to use PhotoStory in our beginning workshops, take this opportunity to learn to integrate PhotoStory into many projects in the classroom in this hands-on workshop. You will see a variety of completed projects in several content areas and learn how to manage your classroom for successful completion of projects. Walk away from this workshop ready to help your students complete a PhotoStory learning project.



Podcasting Basics
Session ONE:
What is a podcast? How can you use them in class to meet educational standards and align with your current curriculum? What tools are needed to create one? These questions will be answered and you will have time to begin your first practice podcast using Audacity. You will have a homework assignment to complete before the next session.

Session TWO:
How can you add music and sound effects to your podcast? How can you set up your classroom to have students recording and creating? How do you share the finished product with the world? This session will have you create a second podcast practice and set-up your school blog for sharing podcasts. You will also be given a framework for creating a specialized podcast for your classroom.


Power Point Projects and Ideas for Students and Teachers
Come learn a variety of ways to use Power Point for classroom activities and projects. Here are just a few samples: create a Dictionary of Students incorporating a digital camera; ABC Books - any topic will do; learn how to incorporate WebQuest State reports into Power Point presentations. Make seating charts, certificates, and more!

Using Technology to Support Elementary Science
Science and technology go hand in hand, and this workshop will show you a multitude of ways you can integrate technology with the new science kits. You'll see a variety of examples that you can quickly adapt to your kit, as well as understand which SchoolKit EdClass activities are appropriate with each. Learn how to extend the Science Kits into other content areas such as reading and writing as well. You'll leave this workshop inspired to add that extra touch to your science instruction.

Word Projects and Ideas for Students and Teachers
The focus will be on using Word for classroom activities and projects. Create your own plan book and grading sheets. Learn to make name tags for desks, lockers, or anything you need. Have students create their own absent notes for parents to use throughout the year. Create ABC books for any topic. Learn to create 'poems in motion,' which is a poem that looks like the topic you are writing about. Make games for kids using Word.

How to Use English Punctuation Correctly

With the dawn of the Internet, the birth of Internet slang, and the growing age of SMS, many individuals are forgetting the fundamental aspects of English punctuation. Would you like to write a great paper for one of your classes? Maybe you need to submit a polished, impeccable proposal to your boss. If so, it will help to know proper usage of punctuation. Consider this article a crash course in English punctuation, and read on.

Steps

1. End your sentences with a period (full stop), question mark, or exclamation point (exclamation mark or shout mark).
   
   • Use the period (full stop) to denote a full stop at the end of a statement. The period ( . ) is one of the most commonly used punctuation marks.
     
     • The accessibility of the computer has increased tremendously over the past several years.
       
     
     
   • The question mark ( ? ), used at the end of a sentence, suggests an interrogatory remark or inquiry.
     
     • What has humanity done about the growing concern of global warming?
       
     
     
   • The exclamation point (exclamation mark, shout mark)( ! ) suggests excitement or emphasis in a sentence.
     
     • I can't believe how difficult the exam was!
       
     
     
   
   
2. Use the semicolon and colon properly.
   
   • The semicolon ( ; ) has a few uses.
     
     • Use a semicolon to separate two related but independent clauses. Note that, if the two clauses are very wordy or complex, it is better to use a period instead.
       
       • People continue to worry about the future; our failure to conserve resources has put the world at risk.
         
       
       
     • Use a semicolon to separate a complex series of items, especially those that contain commas.
       
       • I went to the show with Jake, my close friend; his friend, Jane; and her best friend, Jenna.
         
       
       
     
     
   • The colon ( : ) has multiple uses.
     
     • Use the colon to introduce a list. Be careful not to use a colon when denoting a regular series. Usually, the word following suggests the use of a colon. Use only after a full sentence which ends in a noun.
       
       • The professor has given me three options: to retake the exam, to accept the extra credit assignment, or to fail the class.
         
       • INCORRECT - The Easter basket contained: Easter eggs, chocolate rabbits, and other candy.
         
       
       
     
     
   
   
3. Understand the differences between a hyphen and a dash.
   
   • The hyphen ( - ) was once a common punctuation mark on typewriters, when a long word might have been split between two lines. The hyphen is still used in a number of other areas:
     
     • Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words. The purpose of this hyphen is to make the word easier to read. If you were to leave the hyphen out of a word like re-examine, it would be reexamine, which would be harder to read. Understand that some words do not require a hyphen to separate the prefix from the word, such as restate, pretest, and undo. Let a dictionary be your guide for when to use the hyphen after a prefix. When you use a hyphen, the two words have to rely on each other. Example: re-arrange.
       
       • Cara is his ex-girlfriend.
         
       
       
     • Use hyphens when creating compound words from separate words.
       
       • The up-to-date newspaper reporters were quick to jump on the latest scandal.
         
       
       
     • Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words. Separate the two words of any number under one hundred with a hyphen.
       
       • There are fifty-two playing cards in a deck. ("The amount is one hundred and eighty" is a common error in US English, where the "and" is usually omitted. Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, however, the "and" is usually included.)
         
         • Be careful with spelling out numbers above one hundred—if the number is used as an adjective, it is completely hyphenated, since all compound adjectives are hyphenated (I have one-hundred tapes). Otherwise, a hyphen should only occur if a number <100 occurs within the larger number, e.g., He lived to be one hundred twenty-one.
           
         
         
       
       
     
     
   • The dash ( -- or — ) should be used when making a brief interruption within a statement, a sudden change of thought, an additional comment, or a dramatic qualification. It can also be used to add a parenthetical statement, such as for further clarification, but should still be relevant to the sentence. Otherwise, use parentheses. Keep in mind that the rest of the sentence should still flow naturally. Try to remove the statement within the dash from the sentence; if the sentence appears disjointed or does not make sense, then you may need to revise. There should be spaces before and after the dash in British English.
     
     • An introductory clause is a brief phrase that comes—yes, you guessed it—at the beginning of a sentence.
       
     • This is the end of our sentence—or so we thought.
       
     
     
   
   
4. Use the double quotation mark and single quotation mark/apostrophe for different purposes.
   
   • The double quotation ( " ) encloses a direct quotation, whether made by a person or taken from a piece of literature.
     
     • "I can't wait to see him perform!" John exclaimed.
       
     • According to the article, the value of the dollar in developing nations is "strongly influenced by its aesthetic value, rather than its face value."
       
     
     
   • The single quotation mark or apostrophe ( ' ) has a variety of uses.
     
     • Use the apostrophe together with the letter s to indicate possession. Be aware of the difference in using an apostrophe with singular or plural nouns. A singular noun will use 's, whereas the plural version of that singular noun will use s'. Also, be mindful of nouns that are always considered to be plural, such as children and people — here, you should use 's. Be aware of pronouns that are already possessive and do not require apostrophes, such as hers and its (it's is used only for the contractions of it is and it has). Their is possessive without apostrophe or s, except as a predicate adjective, where it becomes theirs.
       
       • The hamster's water tube needs to be refilled.
         
         • A singular noun with possession.
           
         
         
       • In the pet store, the hamsters' bedding needed to be changed.
         
         • A pluralized singular noun with possession.
           
         
         
       • These children's test scores are the highest in the nation.
         
         • A plural noun with possession.
           
         
         
       
       
     • Use the apostrophe to combine two words to make a contraction. For example, cannot becomes can't, you are becomes you're, and they have becomes they've.
       
     • Use the single quotation mark within a regular quotation to indicate a quotation within a quotation.
       
       • Ali said, "Anna told me, 'I wasn't sure if you wanted to come!'"
         
       
       
     • Note that an apostrophe is not used with 's' to make a plural noun from a singular. This is a very common mistake and should be avoided.
       
       • CORRECT - apple → apples
         
       • INCORRECT - apple → apple's
         
       
       
     
     
   
   
5. Indicate a break or pause within a sentence with the comma ( , ). This is another commonly used punctuation mark. There are several instances where you might use a comma:
   
   • Use the comma when denoting an appositive, or a break within a sentence that supplements and adds information to the subject.
     
     • Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the developer of the operating system known as Windows.
       
     
     
   • Use the comma when denoting a series. This is a set of three or more "list" items within a sentence. To save space in newspapers, some writers may omit the last comma.
     
     • The fruit basket contained apples, bananas, and oranges.
       
     • The computer store was filled with video games, computer hardware and other electronic paraphernalia.
       
     
     
   • Use a comma if your subject has two or more adjectives describing it. This is somewhat similar to a series, except that it is incorrect to place a comma after the final adjective.
     
     • CORRECT - The powerful, resonating sound caught our attention.
       
     • INCORRECT - The powerful, resonating, sound caught our attention.
       
     
     
   • Use a comma when referring to a city and state. It is also necessary to use a comma to separate the city and state from the rest of the sentence.
     
     • I am originally from Freehold, NJ.
       
     • Los Angeles, CA, is one of the largest cities in the United States.
       
     
     
   • Use a comma to separate an introductory phrase (which is usually one or more prepositional phrases) from the rest of the sentence. An introductory phrase briefly introduces the sentence, but is not part of the sentence's subject or predicate, and it therefore should be separated from the main clause by a comma.
     
     • After the show, John and I went out to dinner.
       
     • On the back of my couch, my cat's claws have slowly been carving a large hole.
       
     
     
   • Use the comma to separate two independent clauses. Having two independent clauses in a sentence simply means that you can split the sentence into two. If your sentence contains two independent clauses that are separated by a conjunction (such as and, as, but, for, nor, so, or yet ), place a comma before the conjunction.
     
     • Ryan went to the beach yesterday, but he forgot his sunscreen.
       
     • Water bills usually rise during the summer, as people are thirstier during hot and humid days.
       
     
     
   • Use a comma when making a direct address. When calling one's attention by name, separate the person's name and the rest of the statement with a comma. Note that this kind of comma is used rarely in writing, because this is something that we do normally while speaking.
     
     • Amber, could you come here for a moment?
       
     
     
   • Use a comma to separate direct quotations. A comma should come after the last word before a quotation that is being introduced. It is not necessary to use a comma in an indirect quote. A comma is usually not necessary if you are not quoting an entire statement.
     
     • While I was at his house, John asked me if I wanted anything to eat.
       
       • An indirect quotation that does not require a comma.
         
       
       
     • While I was at his house, John asked, "Do you want anything to eat?"
       
       • A direct quotation.
         
       
       
     • According to the client, the lawyer was "lazy and incompetent."
       
       • A partial direct quotation that does not require a comma.
         
       
       
     
     
   
   
6. Understand the difference between parentheses, brackets, and braces.
   
   • Use parentheses ( ( ) ) to clarify, to place an afterthought, or to add a personal comment. Be sure to include the period after the closing parenthesis.
     
     • Steve Case (AOL's former CEO) resigned from the Time-Warner board of directors in 2005.
       
       • Used for clarification. Here, commas can replace the parentheses.
         
       
       
     • You will need a flashlight for the camping trip (don't forget the batteries!).
       
       • An afterthought. Note that the period (full stop) follows the last parentheses — not before the first. Also note that replacing the parentheses with a comma may not be entirely suitable here, and is better off with a period or a semicolon. And that if the parenthetical thought is an "independent" one, perhaps it should be a sentence in itself. The above example is one case: "...the camping trip. (Don't forget the batteries!)"
         
       
       
     • Most grammarians believe that parentheses and commas are always interchangeable. (I disagree.)
       
       • A personal comment.
         
       
       
     
     
   • Use brackets ( [ ] ) to signify an editor's note in a regular piece of writing. You can also use brackets to clarify or to revise a direct quote so that it appeals to your own writing. Brackets are often used to encompass the word "sic" (Latin for thus), suggesting that the previous word or phrase was written "as is", with the error intended to be displayed.
     
     • "[The blast] was absolutely devastating," said Susan Smith, a local bystander at the scene of the incident.
       
       • "It was absolutely devastating!" – the actual quote by Susan Smith.
         
       
       
     
     
   • Braces ( { } ) are most widely used in denoting a numeric set in mathematics. Though generally uncommon, braces can also be used in regular writing to indicate a set of equal, independent choices.
     
     • { 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 }
       
     • Choose your favorite utensil { fork, knife, spoon } and bring it to me.
       
     
     
   
   
7. Know how to use the slash ( / ).
   
   • Use the slash to separate "and" and "or", when appropriate. The phrase "and/or" suggests that a series of options are not mutually exclusive.
     
     • "To register, you will need your driver's license and/or your birth certificate."
       
     
     
   • The slash is used when quoting lyrics and poetry to denote a line break. Be sure to add spaces between your slashes here.
     
     • "Row, row, row your boat / gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, / life is but a dream."
       
     
     
   • The slash can replace the word "and" to join two nouns. By replacing "and" with a slash, you suggest that there is equal important to both characteristics. Use these replacements in moderation to place greater emphasis where "and" may not do so—as well as as not to confuse the reader. You can also do the same for "or", as in "his/her". However you should not use the slash to separate independent clauses, as shown below.
     
     • "The student and part-time employee has very little free time." → "The student/part-time employee has very little free time."
       
     • "Do you want to go to the grocery store, or would you prefer to go to the mall?" → "Do you want to go to the grocery store / would you prefer to go to the mall? – This is incorrect.
       
     
     
   
   

Tips

• If you write in a professional capacity, be sure to follow any guidelines or style guides provided by your employer. In some cases, their rules can be at odds with what you read here or elsewhere, but their rules always take precedence. For example, some companies use serial commas (a, b, and c) and others do not (a, b and c).
  
• Many grammar experts believe that parentheses and commas are often interchangeable when setting off information. While this is sometimes true, there are some cases where a set of parentheses might be more suitable, such as in indicating one's personal thought.
  
• Although dashes and parentheses have similar uses, remember that parentheses indicate a stronger "side notion" than dashes.
  
• There are exceptions to the hyphen-dash rule. In making compound words, when one of the words is itself composed of two words, use an en dash ( – ) rather than a hyphen, as in, "He took the Paris–New York route." En dashes are also used between numbers, as in page numbers or years, to denote a range. ("A discussion on personal finance is found in pages 45–62.")
  
• The placement of punctuation marks before or after a closing quotation mark varies. American English leaves the punctuation mark inside the quotation if it is part of the quotation, "like so." (Commas and periods (full stops) are always put inside the quotation marks for a sentence in American English, regardless of whether the quotation has punctuation at the end. Other types of punctuation marks are put outside the quotation if they are not part of the quotation.) British English tends to leave the punctuation mark outside the quotation, "like so".
  
  • At times, British English will switch back and forth between the inside and outside, depending on the context. For example, interrogative quotations may keep the question mark inside the quotation, as in, "Do you like this question?"
    
  
  
• In formal writing, try to avoid excessive use of question marks and exclamation points. Most of your sentences should be declarative statements.
  
• Dashes are usually considered to be informal. You might want to replace the use of a dash with a set of parentheses, or even commas. Similarly, limit the frequency of dash use in your writing; they should be reserved to emphasize a couple of important points.
  
• If you decide against the serial comma in your work, make sure that the meaning of the sentence can stand without its use. Think about the classic example of a sentence in which the serial comma is needed: "My heroes are my parents, Mother Teresa and the Pope."
  
• If you find that a sentence seems to drag on, find a way to add a comma or two, so that it is easier on the reader's eyes. If a sentence becomes too long, then consider splitting it into two or more sentences.
  
• Never be afraid to have short sentences in your writing by splitting up long sentences that contain several points. Your reader will appreciate writing that is clear and concise with briefer statements, as opposed to a one-page paragraph with twenty words per sentence.
  

Warnings

• While using English punctuation appropriately may help your writing to flow much more smoothly, generally creating a more "intelligent" appearance, don't overdo it. It's best to err on the side of omission than to add several superfluous apostrophes and commas.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing
  
• How to Use Apostrophes
  
• How to Use Question Marks Correctly
  
• How to Use a Dictionary
  
• How to Learn English
  
• How to Use Generic Pronouns
  
• How to Use There, Their and They're
  
• How to Write a Report on Paul Revere
  
• How to Enrich Your English Language Vocabulary
  
• How to Be Articulate
  
• How to Write a Poem
  

Sources and Citations

• Wikipedia's guide to the Apostrophe
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Use English Punctuation Correctly. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Spell

The English language is confusing, packed with inconsistencies and exceptions that anyone who's learning the language for the first time will be quick to point out. There are so many ways to write out a single sound that theoretically, you could pronounce the word "ghoti" as "fish" (if you pronounce the gh as in tough, the o as in women and the ti as in nation).[1] If you're struggling to get a grasp on those silent vowels, confusing consonants, and crazy pronunciations, here's how you can improve.

Steps

1. Learn spelling rules. There are some classic rhymes and rules to help children get the hang of spelling, but they do have exceptions, so use them in conjunction with the rest of the steps in this article.
   
   • i before e, except after c, or when followed by g, or when sounding like "ay", as in "neighbor" and "weigh"
     
     • this rule does not apply for the word "weird"; weird but true
       
     • other exceptions: either, leisure, protein, their
       
     • "cien" words don't follow this rule: ancient, efficient, science
       
     • "eig" words that don't sound like "ay" also don't follow this rule: height, foreign
       
     
     
   • "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." When there are two vowels together, the first one in the word is pronounced the "long" way (way, be, mite, go, flu) and the second one is silent. If you're not sure how to arrange the vowels, sound the word out--which long vowel do you hear? Put that one first. Examples: team, coat, wait. Exceptions: you
     
   • The spelling of a word doesn't change when you add a prefix, even if it means putting two of the same letter right next to each other. Examples: Misspell, misstep, preeminent, unnecessary.
     
   • Remember the rule for making singular nouns ending in y into plurals. If a word has a vowel (a,e,i,o,u) before the y, the plural is formed by adding s. Examples: toy becomes toys; buoy becomes buoys. A singular word with a consonant before the y at the end changes the word ending to -ies in the plural. Examples: lady becomes ladies in the plural, ferry becomes ferries. The rule also applies to present tense verbs ending in y in the third person singular - He/she carries, he/she marries, he/she worries.
     
   
   
2. Identify problematic words. Look back through previous writings and check the spelling. This will be easier to do if you have electronic files and run a spell check program, but the very best way to get this done is to have an impeccable speller edit your work. Which are the words you tend to misspell the most often? Write down every word you misspell. Consult the list below for some commonly misspelled words, and pick out the ones you tend to confuse.
   
3. Sound it out. Some words are spelled exactly as they sound, but the most problematic words are the ones with silent vowels or consonants. It may help to sound out the correct spelling in an exaggerated way. Take the word "beautiful" for example. When you see this word, say to yourself "beeeee--a---ooooootiful". Emphasize the "a" (pronouncing it like in "hay" or "hat") because it is normally not pronounced in the word, and is more likely to be left out. There may also be words in which you make a vowel silent when you really shouldn't, such as "intresting" instead of "interesting" or "comfrtable" instead of "comfortable"). Make it a habit to pronounce words correctly (don't skip consonants or vowels that you're not supposed to) and you'll have a better chance of spelling them correctly.
   
4. Watch out for homonyms and homophones. A homonym is one of two or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning, such as bank (embankment) and bank (place where money is kept). A homophone is one of two or more words, such as night and knight, that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling. Click on any of the following commonly mistaken homonyms/homophones for guidelines:
   
   • How to Use You're and Your
     
   • How to Use There, Their and They're
     
   • How to Use Than and Then
     
   • How to Use Affect and Effect Properly
     
   • How to Use Its and It's
     
   • Other common homonyms and homophones are: Two, To, & Too; And & End; Here & Hear; Eight & Ate; Wear, Ware, & Where; Lose & Loose; and Sent, Scent, & Cent.
     
   
   
5. Be familiar with "piggyback pairs". It's not uncommon for pairs of consonants to be pronounced so that one is silent and figuratively "piggybacks" on the sound of the other. Make note of the following:
   
   • gn, pn, kn = n (e.g. gnome, pneumonia, knife)
     
   • rh, wr = r (e.g. rhyme, wrestle)
     
   • pt, ght = t (e.g. ptomaine, height)
     
   • ps, sc = s (e.g. psalm, science)
     
   • wh = h (e.g. whole)
     
   
   
6. Use mnemonics. For words that you keep spelling incorrectly, develop creative memory aids to help you remember how to spell them. Some examples:
   
   • Desert (arid land) or dessert (a sweet treat)? Remember that with dessert, there are two "s"s because you always want seconds.
     
   • Separate - Keep forgetting that "a" in the middle? Remember that there's a rat in sepARATe, separating the first beginning of the word from the end.
     
   
   
7. Practice. Go through each word that you frequently misspell and write out the correct spelling ten times (more if you're a fast typer, fewer if you're writing by hand). Do this every day or every other day. What you're essentially doing is "training" your mind and hand(s) to spell the word correctly. Eventually, you might want to quiz yourself by having someone read the words out loud (or making a recording of yourself) and writing out each word as you hear it. Then go back and see which ones you got wrong. Focus on practicing with those.
   
8. Copyedit someone else's work. Sometimes the best way to learn something is to try to teach it to someone else. Train yourself to pick out other people's spelling mistakes, even in books (it does happen). You can begin by copyediting wikiHow articles!
   
9. Watch out for the "grocer's apostrophe." This gets its name from a spelling error traditionally made by greengrocers on signs in produce sections. Unfortunately, this error is popping up in all sorts of places these days. Remember that an apostrophe with an "s" shows possession. Correct: "The banana's skin turned brown." You do not use an apostrophe to form the regular plural of a noun. Not correct: "Special on banana's: 49 cents."
   

Commonly Misspelled Words

From How to Spell Commonly Misspelled Words
MISSPELLING
CORRECT SPELLING
acheive achieve
adress address
alot a lot
athiest atheist
beggining beginning
beleive believe
bisness business
catagory category
committment commitment
concieve conceive
copywrite copyright
decaffinated decaffeinated
decathalon decathlon
definately definitely
desireable desirable
diety deity
dissapoint disappoint
dispell dispel
embarass embarrass
enviroment environment
expresso espresso
extremly extremely
facist fascist
Febuary February
flourescent fluorescent
fourty forty
freind friend
guage gauge
goverment government
grammer grammar
harrass harass
hemorage hemorrhage
heros heroes
hieght, heigth height
hygeine hygiene
independance independence
inate innate
innoculate inoculate
it's its (possessive pronoun)
judgement judgment
knowlege knowledge
lazer laser
libary library
lightening lightning
loose lose
maintainance maintenance
managable manageable
midevil medieval
millenium millennium
mischievious mischievous
mispell misspell
mit mitt
monestary monastery
monkies monkeys
morgage mortgage
mountian mountain
neccessary necessary
neice niece
nickle nickel
nineth ninth
ninty ninety
noone no one or no-one
noticable noticeable
occured occurred
occurence occurrence
oppurtunity opportunity
paralell parallel
pasttime pastime
pavillion pavilion
peice piece
percieve perceive
perserverance perseverance
persue pursue
posession possession
pertend pretend
potatoe potato
preceeding preceding
pronounciation pronunciation
priviledge privilege
publically publicly
recieve receive
reccomend recommend
rediculous ridiculous
reguardless regardless
remeber remember
roomate roommate or room-mate
rythm rhythm
sacreligious sacrilegious
seige siege
sentance sentence
seperate separate
sieze seize
similiar similar
sincerly sincerely
speach speech
stationary stationery (office supplies term)
stragedy strategy
suggestable suggestible
supercede supersede
supposively supposedly
suprise surprise
thier their
throughly thoroughly
tommorrow tomorrow
tounge tongue
triathalon triathlon
ukelele ukulele
vaccuum vacuum
vegeterian vegetarian
villian villain
Wendesday Wednesday
wierd weird (exception: Wierd programming language)
writting writing

Tips

• Proofread your work. We all get busy at some point during writing, which makes it easy to toss in a sound alike word such as reef or wreath; and you can carry on that mistake unaware that a mistake has been made...until later and it jumps out at you...then you are like, "Wow, I wrote that?"
  
• Reading books and newspapers, catalogues, billboard signs, posters in windows all aid in learning how to spell. If you find a word that is not familiar, write it down, even if all you have is a paper napkin. When you go home, look up the word or words in the dictionary. The more you reference, the more you read, the better you will be at spelling.
  
• It can really help to be familiar with the spelling of a few other languages, and to know the language that the word comes from.
  

Warnings

• Don't rely on a spelling checker program, as they are not foolproof and would let a sentence like this slip through: "Eye tolled ewe, eye am knew at this."
  
• Don't assume that just because a word is printed in a book that it is spelled properly; there are mistakes made there, too, as well as in other writings. It happens!
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Use English Punctuation Correctly
  
• How to Study for a Spelling Test
  
• How to Spell a Difficult Word
  
• How to Memorize Words for a Spelling Bee
  
• How to Win a Spelling Bee
  
• How to Understand Chat Acronyms
  

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoti

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Spell. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

ABC's of Mars

ABC's of Washington State

Using the shape of our state, I have students study the geography of the state, color, label and then research a place, land form or other spot of interest to write about. Each student is assigned a letter from the alphabet and needs to provide information using the assigned letter as the beginning of the place they have decided to write about. This can b e a one page assignment or a full book project.

ABC books are a great way to review what you have taught using any subject as the catalist.

Human Body Writing

I use this as an opportunity to teach note taking. I read to the students about each body organ they take notes, then turn their notes into a proper paragraph. Each organ becomes a book page. This can become a class book or an individual book for each student.

The next part of this project is to create a paper plate skeleton. Children love this activity. It's a great project for the month of October. I hang all of the skeletons from the ceiling in our room. It's just good fun!!

Puppets in the Classroom

Around The World with Santa

Plan an Around the World Sleigh Ride with Santa


You and a partner and Santa are to plan an around the world trip. You will determine your route and calculate the distance plus all costs associated with the trip. You will decide where you eat, in which countries you spend the night and how many miles to travel each day, you must stay within your budget. The elf’s have given you $2,500 to spend on the trip. You will need to be back home in 12 days.

Transportation
Sleigh +6 reindeer $25.0/day…………………………… 330 m.p.h.
Sleigh + 8 reindeer $35.00/day……………………….. 440 m.p.h.
Sleigh + 10 reindeer $ 45.00/day………………………550 m.p.h.

Hotel
Economy (no pool) $55.00/day
Mid-range (pool) $85.00/day
Luxury (pool + room service) $150.00/day


Food
Fast Food (McDonalds) $5.00/ meal/per person
Mid-Range (Denny’s) $10.00/meal/per person
Luxury (Black Angus) $25.00/meal/per person

Constraints
You must be back in 12 days. You can only travel 10 hours per day. You must stay in your budget.

Think About
How many miles must Santa cover per day? Show your work. At what speed must Santa travel? Organize your thoughts before you begin, what are the most important things to think about first, next, and last?

Your Work
You will need to produce 4 cumulative graphs.

One showing the miles you traveled each day
One showing the amount of money spent on reindeer each day
One showing the total spent each day
One showing the amount of money you have left each day.
This is a great time to learn how to do graphs in Excel.

Mind Your Own Business

Working with Harvard business school graduate and University of Washington business professor Steve Hanley, All 5th grade students designed their own businesses from top to bottom. They began with a market survey, applied for a mock-Washington state business license, applied for a business loan, learned about wholesale prices, ordered materials, built a product and sold the product. Each step of the project was documented and accurate bookkeeping happen. All money earned from selling products was then deposited into a classroom bank, all banking records were kept by individual students as well.

****This project was then extended into Let’s Do Launch!!! After all 5th grade classes take part in the economic social studies project, Mind Your Own Business the profits made from the items sold went to buying each classroom 30 Estes model rockets. In May, all 5th grade classes then went through a rocketry unit, culminating with the building and launching of model rockets they purchased with money made by their own businesses.

As a group you will need to:

Name your company___________

Choose a:
Business manager- responsible for everyone in the group
Accountant- will keep track of all the merchandise and accounts receivable
Employee: will be in charge of making the product
Publicist: will be in charge of advertising

Accountant:
Date: Item sold # of items sold $$

The World in a Box

This project is fun fast and a great way to learn geography. You can use the same concept with states or countries.

The World in a Box or a Bag!


1. Use blue yarn to make the outline of the world.
2. The green yarn represents continents. Place them in their correct locations.
3. Now, locate and label 3 major countries in each continent.
4. Be creative and add major mountain chains, and rivers.
5. Label all major oceans.
6. Label north, south, east and west.
7. When you are finished make an answer key to go along with your kit, use a map to make sure it’s accurate.
8. Show Mrs. Hartman and trade boxes with others to put kits together!

Social Studies/Geography Drawing : Design an island

Design an Island is a fun way to study Geography and add a creative component to the project. The design of the island can be any shape but the information must be correct. We had a lot of fun with this project.

Rubric 1 2 3 4

Title
4 Title is informative, centered, and larger than other text.
3 Title is informative and larger than other text.
2 Title is informative and centered.
1The title is incomplete and does not clearly indicate what island is pictured.

Labels
4 Every item that needs to be identified has a label. It is clear which label goes with which structure.
3 Almost all items (90%) that need to be identified have labels. It is clear which label goes with which structure.
2 Most items (75-89%) that need to be identified have labels. It is clear which label goes with which structure.
1 Less than 75% of the items that need to be identified have labels OR it is not clear which label goes with item.


Drawing - details
4 30 geography terms have been added. The details are clear and easy to identify.
3 20 geography have been added. The details are clear and easy to identify.
2 15 geography terms have been added. A few details are difficult to identify.
1 10 geography terms have been added OR most details are difficult to identify.

Accuracy
4 95% or more of the assigned terms are drawn accurately and are recognizable. All assigned terms are labeled accurately.
3 94-85% of the assigned terms are drawn accurately and are recognizable. All assigned terms are labeled accurately.
2 94-85% of the assigned terms are drawn accurately and are recognizable. 94-85% of the assigned terms are labeled accurately.
1 Less than 85% of the assigned terms are drawn AND/OR labeled accurately.


Spelling
4 All words are spelled correctly in the title, labels and caption/description.
3 All common words are spelled correctly in the title, labels and description. 1-2 scientific words may be misspelled.
2 75% of the words are spelled correctly in the title, labels, and description.
1 Fewer than 80% of the words are spelled correctly in the title, labels, and description.

Knowledge Gained
4 When asked about 10 items in an unlabeled drawing of island, the student can identify all of them accurately.
3 When asked about 10 items in an unlabeled drawing of an island, the student can identify 8-9 of them accurately.
2 When asked about 10 items in an unlabeled drawing of an island, the student can identify 6-7 of them accurately.
1 When asked about 10 items in an unlabeled drawing of an island, the student can identify 5 or less of them accurately.

Sweet Story

Writing Prompt
There are some interesting candy bar names. You will be creating a story using the names of at least 5 candy bar names as people, places, things, events, etc. When you are finished with all stages of the writing process, you will publish your final copy in the computer lab using your knowledge of Microsoft Word. You will have to center your title, indent your paragraphs, space words and sentences appropriately, and change the font of the candy bar names. You will be typing your story using the font Times New Roman. Each candy bar name should have a different font. Since you will have 5 different candy bar names, you will have 5 different fonts. Look at the scoring guide to see how you will be assessed.



Sweet Story Scoring Guide
1 2 3 4

Candy Element
1 Contains 1-2 candy bar names that do/don’t enhance the story.
2 Contains 3 candy bar names that do/don’t enhance the story.
3 Contains 4 candy bar names that do enhance the story.
4 Contains 5 or more candy bar names that do enhance the story.
____
Microsoft Word Elements
1 Missing 3-4 criteria.
2 Missing 2 criteria.
3 Missing 1 criterion.
4 There is a centered title, paragraphs are indented appropriately, spacing is correct, and the font for the candy bar names has been changed.
____
Organization of Parts
1 Lacks evidence of a beginning, middle, and end.
2 Has evidence of a beginning, middle, and end.
3 Has a beginning, middle, and end.
4 Has an effective beginning, middle, and end.
____
Controlling Idea
1 Difficult to follow and lacks focus.
2 Contains a general sense of direction, but lacks focus.
3 Contains a controlling idea.
4 Contains a clear controlling idea.
____
Topic Development
1 Attempts to address the topic, but lacks development.
2 Generally addresses the topic, but contains some details that are not relevant.
3 Addresses the topic and uses relevant details/examples.
4 Clearly addresses the topic and provides specific and relevant details/examples.
____
Complete Sentences
1 Includes incomplete sentences that are distracting to the reader.
2 Contains some incomplete sentences that may be distracting to the reader.
3 Generally uses complete sentences.
4 Consistently uses complete sentences.
____
Mechanics
1 Contains repeated errors in language conventions that are significantly distracting to the reader.
2 Contains errors in language conventions that are distracting to the reader.
3 May contain some errors in language conventions that are not significantly distracting to the reader.
4 Contains few errors in language conventions.
____
Total---->



Candy Bar Names

Airheads
Almond Joy
Baby Ruth
Bonkers
Big Cherry
Big Daddy
Bonkers
Bottle Caps
Butterfinger
Caramello
Cotton Candy
Crunch
Cry Babies
Dots
Dove
Fifth Avenue
Gobstoppers
Goobers
Good & Fruity
Good & Plenty
Gummi Bears
Hershey
Heath
Jaw Breakers
Jelly Belly
Jolly Rancher
Jujubes
Jujyfruits
Junior Mints
Kit Kat
Krackel
Laffy Taffy
Lemon Heads
Life Savers
Mamba’s
M & Ms
Mars Bar
Mentos
Mike & Ike
Milk Duds
Milky Way
Mounds
Mr. Goodbar
Nerds
Nestle
NutRageous
Oh Henry
Oompas
One Hundred Grand
Pay Day
Pixie Stix
Pop Rocks
Push Pops
Raisenets
Razzles
Red Hots
Reese Pieces
Ring Pops
Rolos
Runts
Shock Tarts
Skittles
Smarties
Snickers
Sno Caps
Sour Patch
Spree
Starburst
Sugar Babies
Swedish Fish
Tart-n-Tiny
Tear Jerkers
Three Musketeers
Tootsie Roll
Twix
Twizzlers
Watchamacalit
Whoopers
Wonka Bar
York Peppermint Pattie

Home Work Tips

Parents and Students:
5th grade is an important year for building homework routines that will be helpful in middle school. Please read the following guidelines and work together.

Daily homework is meant to be practice of concepts and skills learned during class time. We will always go over homework so that students understand their assignments. Long-range projects give students experience in time management and organization--skills essential to success in middle and high school. The amount of time spent on homework will vary with each student however it should not exceed 60 minutes. If you have concerns about the amount of time your student is spending on homework, please let us know.

Note: Many students participate in a number of extra-curricular activities. School assignments must be the priority. Again, learning to effectively manage time and work is invaluable!
1) Find a quiet, well-lit place for doing homework.
2) Develop a homework routine (start homework at the same time each day--earlier in the day is better than waiting to start until after dinner).
3) Plan your time!

Parents can help by having daily conversations with students about planning their time when doing the daily homework. For instance, before a child begins homework, a parent can have the child show him the homework he must accomplish and give the parent an idea of how he plans to accomplish it (how much time he plans to spend on each homework item, and so on). Parents can help make adjustments. Then, let the child get started on his or her own.

Parents are a resource: children can read to you, ask you for clarification, have you check something for accuracy, and so on. However, it is important for students to do the work on their own. This practice of planning time, working, asking for help, and acknowledging accomplishments is of vital importance in readiness for middle school and life in general.
4) Get enough sleep. It's impossible to stay focused during the school day (for the entire day) and to maintain that focus through homework without getting enough sleep. 5th graders should be in bed at 9:00 pm in order to be ready for the next day.

Search Engines for Kids

Tek-Mom Search Tools for Students is your "one-stop-shopping" site for links to many different search engines including Yahooligans!, Ask Jeeves for Kids, KidsClick!, AOL@School, and Education World. It also includes links to search engines for science, history, reference (encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesaurus, rhyming words), biographies and authors, and maps.
These sites are "kid-friendly," but (as always) parents need to be with their children whenever children are on the Internet.

Library and Other Resources
Welcome to the White House - Learn about the President, the White House, and link to the White House Kids site.
Welcome to NASA - Browse the National Aeronautics and Space Administration site.
Fibonacci Numbers - Learn about Fibonacci Numbers and nature, and try one of the investigations.
Scholastic News - Read some of the articles of the day.
Explore the States - Learn more about each of the United States of America. You can also learn about amazing Americans, jump back in time, and join America at play.
http://www.familyeducation.com/subchannel/0,2794,66-192,00.html- ready made homework.

Scientific Inquiry

Question:
Who makes a great scientist?
Hypotheses:
One child full of curiosity, a thirst for knowledge and a lot of perseverance makes a great scientist.
Materials:
One child, an abundance of curiosity, a variety of materials and experiences plus many varied opportunities
Procedure:
1. Provide materials, experiences and opportunities for one child with a curiosity.
2. Guide the child to question.
3. Persuade the child to hypothesize a logical, reasonable guess.
4. Show the child how to observe carefully and record accurately.
5. Steer the child to look at what the data tells him/her.
6. Encourage the child to compare data with hypothesis.
7. Help the child draw a logical conclusion.
Data collection:
Observe the engaged child, recording your observations daily. Question the attitude and feelings of the child about his/her hands-on, active participation, in science lessons.
Conclusion:
All curious children introduced to the natural world around them, provided with the tools and skills necessary to question, observe, record, analyze, and synthesize their observations, will become great scientists!!

©FHartman

NCCE - Things to Know Before You Go!

By Kari, Cynthia, Fran, Sandy, Marca and Lisa
Introduction The NCCE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promote the use of technology in education. The NCCE hosts the largest technology conference in the Pacific Northwest, providing its members with training and information about the latest advances in educational technology. Next year the conference will be held in Portland Oregon, February 17th-20th at the Oregon Convention Center. There are several common features to these conferences; paid workshops, free learning sessions, vender demonstrations and displays, geocaching, and of course meeting and talking with other educators from around the region. This article will discuss various aspects of this conference, to help new members get the most out of this event. ----

Logistics At the Conference In 2009 the NCCE Conference will be held in Portland. If you don’t live in the area, pre-planning is essential. Even if you do live near the conference location, the conference is a city within itself, so don’t go without a roadmap!

Who to go with? Find out who else in your district or in your peer coaching cohort is planning to attend. Save money and feel more secure by booking hotel and transportation together. Make a contact list of everyone from your district that is attending, include cell numbers as well as email addresses. You might want to call a peer to gather for dinner or to share an exciting session.

How to get there? Travelling together will build community, allow you to share resources in addition to saving money. Consider the train! Although the conference is not right by the train station, there are nearby bus routes. Portland has exceptional transit system and many downtown routes are free of charge. If you are going to drive à CARPPOL! And find out from the hotel and conference center how much they charge for daily parking. You may find it to be cost prohibitive.Where to stay?

Check the NCCE hotel prices, but check with your district office and other hotel reservation sites, you may find a better price elsewhere.“Before you go with your peeps check out the sessions and think about what your peep's goals have been so far throughout the year. Earmark those sessions then grab your peeps for a meeting before the conference. Meet in a classroom with a web connection and go through each time session... have them write down 1st and 2nd choices for each time slot. I actually went to the first session one with one of my peeps... it was good to help her generate excitement and "translate" some of the lingo.”

What to Do? Again planning is the key! Try to get to the conference and check in the night before the sessions. Get together with your cohorts and peeps to go over go over workshop and session choices. What do you want to learn? Try to have a focus. Divide and conquer! Look over the conference map to plan your session navigation. Pick 2-3 different options per session. Many fill up quickly or turn out NOT to met your needs, don’t hesitate to go to your back-up session. Be sure to go to the Keynote Speaker – it sets the tone for the conference.
“Study the course offerings carefully and talk with veterans about which speakers / presentations are worth attending. Don't hesitate to stick around after presentations or network with other folks with like interests.”

What to Eat? The conference offers a box lunch, but what are your food needs? Some people felt that buying the lunch was a wonderful time saver. Lines at conference area restaurants can be long and food can be more expensive. Others felt that bringing your own food was a better fit for time, money and dietary needs. Whichever you decide, be sure to have some cash on hand for a quick coffee, sidewalk snack, tips or taxi rides.What to Bring? The obvious travelling luggage and items apply of course! But since this is a tech conference you need to consider your personal technology. Camera, GPS, PDA, Laptop? Only bring what you are willing or able to lug around all day! If you are presenting, a rolling case will save you back aches.“I had a lap top with me, but I wish I didn't. I didn't use it at the conference. I did use it at the hotel. It just took up space, and was heavy to carry.”“To laptop or not to laptop. I didn't bring one, but several times wished I had. It's about a 50/50.” ----

Team and Conference Expectations Have high expectations not only for the conference but for your peeps as well... YES! you should bring your peeps. NCCE can be both exciting and yet daunting so laying the groundwork before the conference can make a huge difference in how successful the NCCE experience will be. Take the time to think about the goals you’ve work on with your peeps and then check out the sessions online. Earmark sessions and then grab your peeps for a meeting before the conference. Set a focus or goal, explore the course offerings carefully, and write down 1st, 2nd, and even 3rd choices for each time slot. Plan to go to the first session with your peep if he or she is a bit nervous or wary of the conference. Plan for long days at the conference whether you actually stay until 5:00 everyday, set that expectation ahead of time. You’ve made it to the conference; hear the Keynote Speaker. This will hopefully be a highlight and set the tone for the entire conference. As you attend sessions, don't hesitate to stick around after presentations to network with presenters and other folks with common interests. Add some planning time into your day. This will give you a chance to process new information and share new ideas. Furthermore, enjoy some down time as the conference can be awe-inspiring as well as overwhelming. ----

Exhibition Hall/Vendors One of the wonderful opportunities you have while attending NCCE is a chance to visit the exhibition hall. Here you have the chance to talk to vendors of hardware, software, Internet resources and colleges! In order to make your time in the exhibit hall productive we have a few suggestions: Prior to attending the conference brainstorm with your peep(s) what future technology purchases you may want to make, make a list of questions you want to ask and set a goal for yourself to visit with at least X number of vendors. You may also want to make some preprinted labels (including your email) which you can attach to forms that the vendors ask you to fill out. The vendors often will scan your badge to get information about you. There are times when their badge scanners do not work or you may want to be able to give out your address or emails to people that you met. While at the conference visit with the exhibitors, TALK TO THEM and ask your questions! Most of the vendors are quite knowledgeable and are more than willing to take time to talk to you. Often you are “rewarded” with gifts and prizes. If you see something that you are interested in having at your building, ask if they will loan a set to you to try it out. In order to navigate through the large maze of exhibitors, you may wish to start on the outside aisles first as most people tend to start in the middle or at the aisles closest to the open doors. At the end of the conference, revisit those vendors that you made a connection with while they are packing up. Many will give away items as they don’t want to have to pack them up and take them home.----

Presenting at NCCE “Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” John Gardner, United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1965–1968

One of the most exciting experiences an educator can have is to be a presenter at NCCE. Don’t let it scare you off it’s exactly like being in your classroom with “larger students”. Breaking the steps down makes this an easy endeavor.Writing the proposal: Think about that favorite lesson, software, tools. How do you get the biggest bang for your dollar? This might be the topic you choose to share with others.

Write the proposal as if it were a lesson plan. Give it a catchy title, and describe the details of what you want the learners to take away from your session. Be sure that what you describe is what you plan to teach, there is nothing more frustrating for an attendee than to go to a session and have the topic be different than what was described.

Once your proposal has been accepted:
Read over the detailed acceptance information it should be in the form of an email. The letter should have vital information such as the room number, where the equipment will need to be picked up, time you can set up and time you must be out of the room. Be sure to save all emails from NCCE, so that you can reference the information later. One week before the conference I email back one last time to be sure I have all of my room information straight and there have not been any changes.

The Presentation: Use Power Point, Photo Story, or some type of presentation software to share your ideas, lessons, topic to be shared. Practice what you want to say and how the presentation slides fit your verbal commentary. Don’t forget that when people get nervous they tend to speak faster- so plan for finishing early, have more that needed information to fill the 50 minute session. I used a thumb drive and a burned CD to store and carry my presentation, (knowing that if I had only used one, it would not work and I’d be stuck). Don’t forget to have lots of student samples to share. Your contact information is vital to the presentation, make a postcard with your presentation title, contact information and the URL for your website. Others will look to you for advice, follow up or sharing. They will want to know how to get you once you are back at school.

Making Connections: This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with teachers from all over the Northwest. If they are in your session they too have a similar interest in the topic. Your own growth will flourish as you make connections with others and pick their brains for adding to your knowledge base. (Hand out your postcards to these contacts too!)Have Fun!! Have fun!! Have Fun!! Don’t forget to put this on your resume. ----

Conclusion: Planning is the Key! To get the most out of the NCCE, planning and communicating are the key. The more time you put into planning, the more you will get out of the conference. During the weeks after attending, it is important to debrief and revisit all those notes and brochures you gathered. It is difficult to remember everything! Taking time to sort, organize and file the information will make it available and easy to find when you need it. It might also be helpful to meet with the people you traveled with and take time to discuss what was valuable and what you would like to pursue. Of course, even with good intentions, sometimes all you can do is go and absorb… and that’s ok too!

The Motivational Power of Science Discrepant Events

School Science Day! A day for fun, motivation and inquiry. The article below is a great way to direct your staff for having a School Science Day. Students Cedar Wood Elementary love this day and look forward to it every year. Try some of these exciting events in your own school.

Thomas R. Koballa, Jr.
Department of Science Education
University of Georgia


An attention getting, thought-provoking approach to initiate inquiry is through the use of discrepant events. A discrepant event puzzles the observer, causing him or her to wonder why the event occurs as it did. These situations leave the observer at a loss to explain what has taken place. Discrepant events influence equilibration and the self-regulatory process, according to the Piagetian theory of intellectual development. Situations that are contrary to what a person expects cause him or her to wonder what is taking place, resulting in cognitive disequilibrium. With proper guidance, the individual will attempt to figure out the discrepancy and search for a suitable explanation for the situation. When a person arrives at a plausible explanation for a discrepant event, he or she will establish cognitive equilibrium at a new level. The individual is now better equipped mentally to approach new situations that cause curiosity and puzzlement (Piaget, 1971).
An inquiry session initiated with a discrepant event can begin with a demonstration, preceded by directions to focus students’ attention on what they are about to observe. The discrepant event approach receives support from cognitive psychologists, because of its potential impact on learning.
This workshop focuses on the exploration of selected science discrepant events using a three-step model developed by Alfred Friedl. The steps of Friedl’s model are: (1) Set Up the Discrepant Event - Students are confronted with questions or problems that gain attention, increase motivation, pose question, and reveal misconceptions. (2) Involve the Students in Solving the Discrepancy - Students engage in purposeful activity in attempting to resolve the discrepancy. (3) Resolve the Questions Posed by the Events and Relate Them to Body of Science Knowledge - Students will resolve the event themselves or with teacher assistance. By experiencing science discrepant events using this model, students will sharpen their skills of observing, predicting, gathering data, and experimenting. They will then be ready for further study of the science concept targeted by the discrepant event.

Sample Discrepant Events
Science teachers have used the discrepant events presented below for decade. The descriptions of the events are from Teaching Science to Children: An Integrated Approach by Alfred Friedl (1986). When used to introduce science concepts, these discrepant events are best presented as teacher demonstrations. Appropriate safety precautions should be taken when performing any science discrepant event.

Station A: Inertia—The First Law of Motion
The first law of motion states that an object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Activity 1: Coin in the Cup
Place a note card on top of a glass of water, and place a coin on top of the note card. Without touching the coin or tilting the cup, try to get the coin into the cup.

Investigation: (1) Try different ways of moving the card to accomplish the task; (2) Study the action of the coin when the card is quickly moved; and (3) Think about the effect of inertia on the coin.

Explanation: The coin remains at rest if the card is pulled quickly. You can snap the card out with your finger. The card will move fast, and the coin will stay at rest. When the card is removed, the coin will drop into the cup.

Activity 2: Antigravity Bucket
Pour about an inch of water into a bucket. Then swing the bucket in a large upright circle with your arm. Does the water pour out or stay in the bucket?

Investigation: (1) Observe that the water remains in the bucket when it is swung overhead; (2) If performed outdoors, determine what speed the water begins to fall from the bucket; (3) Infer a relationship between the swinging speed and the tendency for the water to stay in the bucket.

Explanation: The swinging bucket puts the water in motion. Once in motion, the water tends to keep moving in a straight line. With the bucket moving in a circle, the water pushes against the bottom of the bucket as it attempts to stay in a straight line. The push is sufficient to overcome the force of gravity.


Station 2: Air Pressure
Air is all around us and exerts pressure.

Activity 3: Is a Newspaper Stronger than a Board?
Lay a thin board on a table so that one end extends over the edge by 15 to 30 centimeter. Place a sheet of newspaper over the portion of the board on the table. What will happen when you slowly push down on the end of the board extending beyond the table? When you hit the extending part of the board with a sharp blow?

Investigation: (1) When you push down on the end of the board, predict that the board will lift the newspaper; (2) See that the board is broken when hit sharply; (3) Infer that some form of pressure is exerted when the board is hit hard; (4) Develop a theory to explain what holds down the newspaper.

Explanation: When the end of the board is hit, air pressure pushes down on the newspaper with such force that the board is broken. If the board is pushed down slowly, air can get under the newspaper from the sides to equalize the pressure, and the paper is easily lifted.

Activity 4: Stop the Leak
Put a nail hole in the top and in the bottom of a plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with water and seal the lid. The water will run out of the bottle. How can you stop the flow of water with your finger without getting it wet?

Investigation: (1) Observe that the water will stop flowing when the top opening is closed; (2) Infer that a force acts to hold the water in when the top opening is closed.

Explanation: Air enters the top hole, when water runs out the bottom hole. When the top hole is sealed, the air pressure inside the bottle is less than outside. Therefore, greater air pressure is exerted against the bottom hole from the outside than exerted from inside the bottle. The difference in air pressure causes the water to stop running.

Station C: Adhesion and Cohesion
Adhesion is the attraction between unlike objects. Cohesion is the attraction of like molecules for each other. There are differences in the cohesive forces of solids, liquids, and gases. Water is affected by both adhesion and cohesion. Water is attracted to many substances (adhesion), and there is also an attraction among water molecules for each other (cohesion)

Activity 5: Cork in the Middle
Place a small cork in the middle of a partly filled glass of water. What happens to the cork? Try to make the cork stay in the middle.

Investigation: (1) Observe that the cork moves to the side of the glass even when the cork is placed in the middle; (2) Observe that the water level in the middle of the glass is slightly lower than the water touching the side of the glass; (3) Try to keep the cork in the middle.

Explanation: This activity shows the force of adhesion. The water is curved upward where it touches the glass because of adhesion. The cork floats to the highest point in the water. The highest point is around the edge where the water touches the glass.

Activity 6: Join the Water
Punch several holes close together at the bottom of a plastic bottle and fill it with water.

Investigation: (1) Observe how the water comes out of the holes; (2) Try to make the water streams join together to form a single stream.

Explanation: This activity shows the cohesive forces within water. The water will flow from the holes in separate streams until you use your finger to pull the streams together. Once joined, the streams tend to stay together.

Station D: Molecular Motion and States of Matter
Matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are mostly space. This is true for water and for substances with greater density like iron and stone. Just about all matter on earth exists in one of three phases: solid, liquid or gas. All common gases, including oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, are invisible.

Activity 7: Does 3 + 3 = 5?
Pour 50 milliliters of alcohol into a graduated cylinder. Then, pour 50 milliliters of water into the same graduated cylinder. Read the level of liquid in the graduated cylinder at its lowest point in the meniscus.

Investigation: (1) Identify the liquids as alcohol and water; (2) Observe traces of liquid inside the contains first holding the liquids; (3) Recognize that the traces of liquid could not account for the loss in volume; (4) Observe when two volumes of water (and alcohol) are poured together there is no loss of volume; (3) Infer that the loss of volume is due to space between water and alcohol molecules.

Explanation: When 50 milliliters of water are added to 50 milliliters of alcohol, the volume of the two mixed together is only about 96 or 97 milliliters. When mixed together, the combined molecules fit together better than when they are alone, so they take up less space.

Activity 8: What Put Out the Fire?
Place a small candle inside a beaker and add a small amount of baking soda and water. The light the candle and pour a small amount (about 10 mL) of vinegar into the beaker, being careful not to touch the candle flame. Why does the flame go out when you pour liquid into the beaker?

Investigation: (1) Observe foaming action when the vinegar touches the baking soda. (2) Infer that a substance is produced by the foaming action that causes the flame to go out.

Explanation: This activity shows the existence of an invisible substance that put out the fire. When vinegar is poured into the dissolved baking soda, carbon dioxide is released. The carbon dioxide fills the beaker, pushing out the oxygen and extinguishing the flame.

Bibliography
Chiappetta, E. L., & Koballa, T. R. (2002). Science instruction in the middle and secondary schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Friedl, A. E. (1986). Teaching science to children: An integrated approach. New York: Random House
Piaget, J. (1971). Biology and knowledge. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.







The Motivational Power of Science Discrepant Events

Thomas R. Koballa, Jr.
Professor and Head
Department of Science Education
University of Georgia



Discrepant Event Teaching Model

(1) Set Up the Discrepant Event
Students are confronted with questions or problems that gain attention, increase motivation, pose question, and reveal misconceptions.

(2) Involve the Students in Solving the Discrepancy
Students engage in purposeful activity in attempting to resolve the discrepancy.

(3) Resolve the Questions Posed by the Event and Relate Them to Body of Science Knowledge
Students will resolve the event themselves or with teacher assistance.



Your Task

Organize yourselves into working groups of 2 to 3 persons.

Each group should:

1. Go to one of the four stations (A, B, C or D) and select an activity.

2. Learn about the activity your group has selected. The text and photographs should help you to learn how to teach the activity.

3. Teach the activity to the other group at your station. The other group should play the role of students.

4. After teaching the activity, clean the materials and put them away.

We will rotate through as many stations as time permits. Text and photographs will be provided on-line.



Activities
Station A
Activity 1: Coin in the Cup

Activity 2: Antigravity Bucket

Station B
Activity 3: Is a Newspaper Stronger than a Board?

Activity 4: Stop the Leak

Station C
Activity 5: Cork in the Middle

Activity 6: Join the Water

Station D
Activity 7: Does 3 + 3 = 5?

Activity 8: What Put Out the Fire?



Station A: Inertia—The First Law of Motion
The first law of motion states that an object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Activity 1: Coin in the Cup
Place a note card on top of a glass of water, and place a coin on top of the note card. Without touching the coin or tilting the cup, try to get the coin into the cup.

Investigation: (1) Try different ways of moving the card to accomplish the task; (2) Study the action of the coin when the card is quickly moved; and (3) Think about the effect of inertia on the coin.

Explanation: The coin remains at rest if the card is pulled quickly. You can snap the card out with your finger. The card will move fast, and the coin will stay at rest. When the card is removed, the coin will drop into the cup.


Station A: Inertia—The First Law of Motion
The first law of motion states that an object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Activity 2: Antigravity Bucket
Pour about an inch of water into a bucket. Then swing the bucket in a large upright circle. Does the water pour out or stay in the bucket?

Investigation: (1) Observe that the water remains in the bucket when it is swung overhead; (2) If performed outdoors, determine what speed the water begins to fall from the bucket; (3) Infer a relationship between the swinging speed and the tendency for the water to stay in the bucket.

Explanation: The swinging bucket puts the water in motion. Once in motion, the water tends to keep moving in a straight line. With the bucket moving in a circle, the water pushes against the bottom of the bucket as it attempts to stay in a straight line. The push is sufficient to overcome the force of gravity.


Station B: Air Pressure
Air is all around us and exerts pressure.

Activity 3: Is a Newspaper Stronger than a Board?
Lay a thin board on a table so that one end extends over the edge by 15 to 30 centimeter. Place a sheet of newspaper over the portion of the board on the table. What will happen when you slowly push down on the end of the board extending beyond the table? When you hit the extending part of the board with a sharp blow?

Investigation: (1) When you push down on the end of the board, predict that the board will lift the newspaper; (2) See that the board is broken when hit sharply; (3) Infer that some form of pressure is exerted when the board is hit hard; (4) Develop a theory to explain what holds down the newspaper.

Explanation: When the end of the board is hit, air pressure pushes down on the newspaper with such force that the board is broken. If the board is pushed down slowly, air can get under the newspaper from the sides to equalize the pressure, and the paper is easily lifted.


Station B: Air Pressure
Air is all around us and exerts pressure.

Activity 4: Stop the Leak
Put a nail hole in the top and in the bottom of a plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with water and seal the lid. The water will run out of the bottle. How can you stop the flow of water with your finger without getting it wet?

Investigation: (1) Observe that the water will stop flowing when the top opening is closed; (2) Infer that a force acts to hold the water in when the top opening is closed.

Explanation: Air enters the top hole, when water runs out the bottom hole. When the top hole is sealed, the air pressure inside the bottle is less than outside. Therefore, greater air pressure is exerted against the bottom hole from the outside than exerted from inside the bottle. The difference in air pressure causes the water to stop running.

Station C: Adhesion and Cohesion
Adhesion is the attraction between unlike objects. Cohesion is the attraction of like molecules for each other. There are differences in the cohesive forces of solids, liquids, and gases. Water is affected by both adhesion and cohesion. Water is attracted to many substances (adhesion), and there is also an attraction among water molecules for each other (cohesion).

Activity 5: Cork in the Middle
Place a small cork in the middle of a partly filled glass of water. What happens to the cork? Try to make the cork stay in the middle.

Investigation: (1) Observe that the cork moves to the side of the glass even when the cork is placed in the middle; (2) Observe that the water level in the middle of the glass is slightly lower than the water touching the side of the glass; (3) Try to keep the cork in the middle.

Explanation: This activity shows the force of adhesion. The water is curved upward where it touches the glass because of adhesion. The cork floats to the highest point in the water. The highest point is around the edge where the water touches the glass.

Station C: Adhesion and Cohesion
Adhesion is the attraction between unlike objects. Cohesion is the attraction of like molecules for each other. There are differences in the cohesive forces of solids, liquids, and gases. Water is affected by both adhesion and cohesion. Water is attracted to many substances (adhesion), and there is also an attraction among water molecules for each other (cohesion).

Activity 6: Join the Water
Punch several holes close together at the bottom of a plastic bottle and fill it with water.

Investigation: (1) Observe how the water comes out of the holes; (2) Try to make the water streams join together to form a single stream.

Explanation: This activity shows the cohesive forces within water. The water will flow from the holes in separate streams until you use your finger to pull the streams together. Once joined, the streams tend to stay together.

Station D: Molecular Motion and States of Matter
Matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are mostly space. This is true for water and for substances with greater density like iron and stone. Just about all matter on earth exists in one of three phases: solid, liquid or gas. All common gases, including oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, are invisible.

Activity 7: Does 3 + 3 = 5?
Pour 50 milliliters of alcohol into a graduated cylinder. Then, pour 50 milliliters of water into the same graduated cylinder. Read the level of liquid in the graduated cylinder at its lowest point in the meniscus.

Investigation: (1) Identify the liquids as alcohol and water; (2) Observe traces of liquid inside the contains first holding the liquids; (3) Recognize that the traces of liquid could not account for the loss in volume; (4) Observe when two volumes of water (and alcohol) are poured together there is no loss of volume; (3) Infer that the loss of volume is due to space between water and alcohol molecules.

Explanation: When 50 milliliters of water are added to 50 milliliters of alcohol, the volume of the two mixed together is only about 96 or 97 milliliters. When mixed together, the combined molecules fit together better than when they are alone, so they take up less space.

Station D: Molecular Motion and States of Matter
Matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are mostly space. This is true for water and for substances with greater density like iron and stone. Just about all matter on earth exists in one of three phases: solid, liquid or gas. All common gases, including oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide, are invisible.

Activity 8: What Put Out the Fire?
Place a small candle inside a beaker and add a small amount of baking soda and water. The light the candle and pour a small amount (about 10 mL) of vinegar into the beaker, being careful not to touch the candle flame. Why does the flame go out when you pour liquid into the beaker?

Investigation: (1) Observe foaming action when the vinegar touches the baking soda. (2) Infer that a substance is produced by the foaming action that causes the flame to go out.

Explanation: This activity shows the existence of an invisible substance that put out the fire. When vinegar is poured into the dissolved baking soda, carbon dioxide is released. The carbon dioxide fills the beaker, pushing out the oxygen and extinguishing the flame.


Other sources of Great science experiments for Science Day!
http://www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/MoreExperimentsSortCategory.htm
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/lesson-plans/science/experiments/pressure.htm

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html

http://www.kidzone.ws/science/index.htm

*****http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/

**** http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HomeExpts/HOMEEXPTS.HTML

http://www.surfnetkids.com/cgi-local/go.cgi?http://www.101science.com/science_experiments.htm


http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/12/120301_simplescience.jhtml


WOW!!!!!! http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/