10/28 Class

Today in class we began doing our Midterm Lesson Plan presentations. Four groups went today. The first group did a lesson plan on how magnets attract and repel. Each table was given a bag with different items that either attracted, repelled, or had no reaction on the magnet. The second group did a lesson plan which showed how many books could be stacked on a cookie plate, which was placed over the egg and a piece of wood, to see how many it took before the egg broke. The number of books it took was 59 children's books. I liked this project because I have never heard of anything like it before. The third group did an experiment in which a pop can with a small amount of water in it was placed on a hot plate, and then put upside down in very cold water. The can was supposed to crush by itself due to the pressure, but some variable in the experiment was wrong and it did not work. Dr. Ezrailson explained that that is how science works sometimes, you just need to figure out the right variables in order to see the results. Although this experiment did not work at the time I still find it to be a very neat project that students would enjoy. The fourth group did a lesson plant to teach students the difference between solids and liquids. They passed around small bags of solids and liquids for us to see which was which. There were also mistery solids and liquids which students had to go up to the desk and see (ice, burning candle). All of today's projects were very interesting and enjoyable to watch. I think they are definitely projects I could use in the future.

10/23 Class

Today class began with Dr. Ezrailson talking about density and pressure. She discussed the shape of airplane wings and how the curved shape of the top of the wing causes slower valocity and the straight bottom of the wing causes a higher velocity. There is pressure pushing up towards the wing and down on the wing. With density, we learned that the more mass in an object the more dense it is. We also learned that higher pressure = smaller area, which was discovered by an activity that we did. We were to get in groups and try to exert the most pressure on a large piece of butcher's paper using our bodies. My group decided that standing on one foot would create the most pressure. We then traced my foot on the paper and measured it in centimeters. We then calculated that number with my weight to find out the pressure I was exerting on the paper. We also discussed ways in our daily lives that involve pressure and density. Snowshoes were discussed becuase they increase the body's surface area so one does not sink in deep snow. One student discussed how massages involve pressure whether you are using your thumbs or your entire hand. I think that the activity involving the large paper and using a student's body to make the highest pressure would be a fun and engaging activity for future students.

10/21 Class

Today in class Dr. Ezrailson began by talking about buoyancy. A buoyant force is the net upward force that a fluid exerts on an immersed object. She showed us a simulation of a weight being submerged into a container of water, and we made a hypothesis as to what we thought would happen. We learned that the weight of the water pushed aside is the buoyant force. We also learned about Archimedes' Principle. Water displaced is = to water pushed aside from an object. We also looked at a simulation of this concept. She told us that boats have wider dimensions that their height, which enables them to float. Next, we did a project that involved an empty beaker, a beaker with a funnel, and a ping-pong ball. We were to blow on the ball that was in the funnel and tried to make it "jump" into the empty beaker. From this we learned that the air being blown on the ball created a force. The egg jumped out of the first beaker into the second due to pressure being blown on it. If we blew on the near side of the ball it stayed in a state of equilibrium. The stronger blowing force the further the ball would go. Force of wind is directly proportional to the distance it went. After the project we were then given time to work on our midterm projects and sign up for the day we wanted to present.

10/16 Class

Today in class Dr. Ezrailson began by discussing our midterm project. She made an outline on the board to show what she wanted us to include on our outline for our projects that was to be handed in at the end of class. We got in our groups and began discussing and researching what we are going to do for our project. My partner and I chose to do a project for sixth graders to learn about Newton's Law of Motion. They are going to be taking apart a clock to see the cause and effect of all the parts in the clock. They are also going to learn how to be safe while disassembling their clocks. We have not yet figured out all the complete details we are going to use in our lesson, but we are going to get together next week to finalize our project. I think this particular project will appeal to students because they enjoy taking things apart, and it will be a great learning experience for them. Today's class was successful because we got a pretty detailed outline figured out and discussed many things that we would like to include in our plan. I am anxious to see how it all comes together.

10/14 Class

Today, class began with Dr. Ezrailson discussing our midterm projects. We have already chosen our partners and now we need to choose a topic to present. She let us know that the projects are not to teach students specifically about safety, but to include a safety component to inform our students of possible safety issues during the lesson. This discussion cleared up many questions I had regarding to the project. Next, we went over our Module Two study guide for chapters three through five. Dr. Ezrailson discussed in depth about potential and kinetic energy. She drew a diagram of a bowling ball falling as a visual aid for a more clear understanding. I learned that in the middle of the ball falling the kinetic and potential energy are equal. We discussed that simple machines we are able to save time and work at the cost of distance. Also, we discussed how the moons gravitational pull and the sun create tides on earth. The different pulls of the moon stretch the earth, producing ocean bulges that extend nearly one meter above the average surface level of the ocean. We also talked about projectile motion and escape speed. This discussion cleared up most of the questions I had about the study guide, and I feel more prepared to take the quiz.

10/9 Class: Kepler's Laws Simulation

Today we did not have face-to-face class, so our assignment was to explore a simulation to teach us how Kepler's Laws work. Upon arriving at this site I was very confused as to what I was supposed to be doing. It took a few minutes and I explored by clicking on different things, and then I eventually started to understand the point of the simulation. Changing the value of the semi-major axis and eccentricity caused the path of the planet to become closer or further away from the sun and earth. The unit of the semi-major axis is measured in AU, which tells the distance between the earth and sun. There is also a clock that shows the time that has passed in the unit of earth-year. In this simulation I experiemented by measuring the periods of the planet to find a different semi-major axis. Also I clicked the "sweep" button which showed the area swept by the planet. This simulation is a bit confusing at first, but after exploring it for a while I began to enjoy and learn more about Kelper's Laws. I found it to be very interesting and I think that younger student's will also enjoy it.

10/7 Class

Today class begun with Dr. Ezrailson talking about our assignment that is due on Thursday (10/9) because we will not be having face-to-face class. We are going to be doing a Johannes Kepler and Planetary Motion Animation simulation. Then she began discussing our midterm project. We chose a partner that we wanted to work with, and now we are to decide on a topic to present a science lesson with emphasis on safe practice in physical science. I think this will be an interesting project becuase I have never written a lesson plan for this content area. Dr. Ezrailson showed us several links that she posted in D2L that contain information to help us with our plans. I think they will be very useful becuase some have good ideas for hands on projects. After that discussion we then moved on to going over our study guides for quiz two. Dr. Exrailson got through the Chapter four section and said that next time we meet she will go over the rest of the questions. She provided in depth explanations to the questions we went over which helped me to more clearly understand the information.

10/2 Class

Today class started out with Dr. Ezrailson catching us up on what we need to be including in our blog reflections, and she also talked about students who still need to make their blogs. Also, it was stressed that everyone needs to attend class, especially when we have not had face-to-face class in a while. If anyone had any questions about the blogs or anything else, this was the time to ask. Next, we had a lesson on Newton's Second Law, which, according to our textbook, states "The acceleration produced by a net force on an object is directly proportional to the net force, is in the same direction as the force, and is inversely proportional to the mass of the object." We discussed the formula, which is a=f/m. I also learned that gravity on earth is 9.8m/s squared. We were given an example about standing next to an open fire for the concept of the Inverse Square Law (1/r squared). We also looked at a cannon ball simulation where Dr. Ezrailson first shot the cannon at 90 degrees, and we saw that the cannon went straight up and came straight back down. Next, she shot the cannon at 75 degrees and the ball formed a parabola. Then she asked the class which degree would we point the cannon in order for the ball to shoot the longest distance. The answer was 45 degrees. Lastly, we made paper airplanes in order to see who could make one with the longest hang time. My paper airplane was not very successful(14 ft.), but I think with a little different folding technique and a stronger throw it could have flown longer and further.