Chemistry is all around us including in the rocks. Middle schoolers used the exothermic activity of growing Chrystals from Borax (Sodium Tetra Borate) and learned about the solubility curve of how chemical reaction occurs . The ingredients include the heat, chemical reactions breaking down physical properties and time. Its a quick(ish) real life example of the rock cycle.
Two middle school teachers, a few brave and dedicated parents and over 350 middle schoolers visiting science stations in the wonderful Mark Twain Middle School community garden may seem mad all on a Monday Halloween but I happen to relish sharing the wonder of scientific concepts to inspire the minds of the kids who sometimes just want to have a break to chat with their friends. But science holds the key to the imagination, and traditions like day of the dead make this one of my personal favorites. I love these little minds and seeing them make one connection that they may have already known, but learning a new concept through hands on science makes all the craziness worth it.
In our 3rd week of school -students have to tackle a simple or not so simple engineering challenge. On top of that , the problem presented with very little instruction so that the students had to use their own ingenuity. Students were asked to try to build the “tallest” tower in their classroom that would be sturdy enough to hold a tennis ball. The only parameter was for the tennis ball had to be not touch ing the ground, no tape could support the structure to the ground and they had a limited “budget” of 20 straws, one meter of masking tape and a small rubber band and 30 minutes. Time was for sure the most limiting factor. The structures ranged in appearance and in stability. The learning happened after completion as we examined the growth mindset and how the structure could be improved and what would be needed.
Working with middle schoolers is a non-stop journey of kinetic energy. They have so many gems to share from the latest TIKTOK trends, to new and interesting apps, new music that is not on the TOP 40 charts and fashion. I learn something new from them everyday. One of my 7th grade students requested that if we ever have free time to watch videos (since I had shown some TED- ED X clips to intro certain concepts. By the way TED-ED – X, a division of TED talks and the like has wonderful short videos with animation that intro concepts from history to science and everything in between). Back to my students, I took a look at the suggested video on my day off and I am pleased to share it here. Credit to the creator Nuttybartony who has over 4,820,520 views, not sure if they made this but so clever. Apparently this was so popular with students this Clean version was created (thanks on behalf of all teachers, who really try to help our young people be the best version of theirselves).
I could not be happier to be back in the classroom but I know that for a lot of my students they have a lot of reservations and feelings about what is happening as they embark on their first week of school which feels much more normal that it has for some time. All six of my classes of 7th and 8th graders reflected on what their expectations for the new school year after such a brutal start to their middle school career after all the restrictions of COVID-19. We reflected on a series of questions about how they learn best. Students took a mindful 10 minutes to answer the following questions and then shared their thoughts with us all with each class represented by a different color.
Most of the resources we have on our little planet are non-renewable so when we use them, we need to make sure we are extracting them in the most responsible manner. Â Sixth graders mined for chocolate on a woodland biome. Â Even though they knew that they would be able to eat their resources afterwards, most were careful to take great care not to harm the surrounding water, animal habitat, vistas, and other parts of the ecosystem. Â Click on the link for the simulated lab to seed what these globally aware middle schoolers used as a teaching tool. Â .mining for choclate
I was inspired by the creativity of a 9- year old who put his summer spent in his dad’s business, Caine. Instead of mindlessly watching TV, playing video games, he used his imagination and cardboard boxes to make a real life arcade. I showed this short film to my 6th grade exploratory science and asked them to build a game in one hour to share with the class of kindergarden students for an end of the semester celebration.
Watch here for the amazing story of Caine’s Arcade.
The result was a few favorite games were transferred into miniature versions of arcade games made from all the days recycling complementary of breakfast in the classroom and delighted 5 year olds. Happy new year!
Sixth graders at WGAM are learning the engineering process. Â They took on the challenge of understanding physics and combating the LAW of gravity. Â Given $100 Monopoly money to buy materials in a closed system (supplies were from a closed list from Ms Geshke).
AFTER THIS CHALLENGE
• Science and Technology, K-4, 5-8
Another big year for science in 2013 including new species that was discovered.
 Climate change still caused the unrelenting damages though Uber Typhoon Haiyan,
the spacecraft Voyager which was launched in 1977 exited into interstellar space,
the meteor shower that was caught on dashboard cameras when  a meteor exploded over Russia’s Chelyabinsk region,
and with the leaps and bounds in genetics testing, new discoveries and the advances in biogenetics, I found it reassuring that the US Supreme Court in April 2013 ruled against private companies who could hold a patent on DNA (the risk for breast cancer held by a biotech company Myriad).
CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT 2014 WILL GIVE US! Â HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Good Friday was not so good in 1964.
All sixth graders science students study the earth’s core, tectonic plates and earthquakes but at WGAM, 6th graders got to participate in an engineering challenge to understand those concepts and relate it through the eyes of a disciplinarian.
Eager WGAM sixth graders participated in a “emergency” drill to practice safe behavior and routines during an earthquake just to get the idea of how serious these major events can be.
They practiced engineering skills to build a three story structure that measured at least 20 cm and could only be built out of materials supplied by their teacher, Ms. Geshke. Â They were given a budget and had to determine what materials to buy that they would use that would meet the requirements and withstand a simulated earthquake. Â Students worked in teams and tried to understand how to use the design ideas that they had studied and they soon found out the real world challenges of working with others who do not always have the same vision. Â They practiced communication skills needed to work out a disagreement, signed contracts with each other to keep commitments and practiced problem-solving when their first or second designs did not work. They also found out that when your design changes and you “order” your supplies late or make a change on demand, there is an extra fee so your budget does not go as far. Â Finally when structures were complete, they tested them out on a earthquake shake table. Â Even Ms. Geshke had to do some on the spot problem solving when the homemade shake table’s design was not working properly on the second day of testing. Â Students not only overcame some difficult design obstacles and group dynamics, they also learned from the success and failures of themselves and classmates to take on the next adventure. Â Next week they plan where and if a nuclear reactor should be built in one of eight countries assigned in the Ring of Fire.
See attached to find the entry document and rubric.  SHAKE IT UP EQ ACTIVITY and EARTHQUAKE MODEL SET UP and great resource for activities.
Ms. Geshke's Science Hub 
