Penn State University – Centre Learning Community

Science Education Clinic

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Teachers: Rich Bailey, Jeremy Rupeka

Topic: Hydraulic Mining

During the California Gold Rush, gold miners used a mining technique called hydraulic mining. This technique involved the use of a giant water cannon. To explain how this water cannon worked, we will explain Bernoulli’s principle as it relates to pressure. During the lesson students will learn ways of measuring pressure, area, volume, force, and velocity. They will learn to how to use Boyle’s Law and Bernoulli’s Equation to predict pressure and velocity.

[Special needs: Computer equipped with ScienceWorkshop, Pasco pressure gauge, Pasco Force Sensor, interface, at least 2 syringes, and water.]

Teachers: Meghan Bradley, Gina Chocallo

Topic: Forces on the American Frontier

Students will explore the effects that several factors—smoothness or roughness of terrain, incline of the land, and weight of a wagon—have on the amount of force needed to push or pull a wagon along the Oregon Trail. Students will gain valuable experience conducting a scientific investigation using models, force sensor data probes, and Data Studio technology. They will collect, analyze, and interpret data to explain how terrain impacted the lives of pioneers and think critically about the relationship between force, work, and energy.

[Special needs: Apple laptop with DataStudio technology, USB connector cable, force Sensor, two carts, two 250-gram masses, two lab tables.]

Teachers: Ron Capurso and Sara Yerger

Topic: Plate Tectonics and Topography

Students will learn about the subduction zone off the west coast of North America and how the subduction zone leads to the topography that settlers traveling the Oregon Trail had to struggle with. The program “Our Dynamic Planet” will be used to plot an elevation profile from the offshore trench to Mount Hood in the Cascadian Mountain Range. Students will then create their own elevation profile based on a set of data points that will be provided for them. A foam model will be used to emphasize the features of the elevation profile. If time allows, other plate boundaries will be discussed and the students will be asked to hypothesize where these other plate boundaries might be on the Earth. “Our Dynamic Planet” can be utilized to confirm or negate these hypotheses.

[Special Needs: An Apple Desktop on moveable cart with “Our Dynamic Planet” program loaded, space in the curriculum room (presumably with an outlet nearby for the computer), a laptop, a table with 5 chairs.]

Teachers: Jamie Howe, Aimee Rice

Topic: Predator-prey relationships and adaptations

This activity teaches children about the interactions of predators and prey and how physical adaptations can play a role in the vulnerability of an organism to becoming prey for a predator. The students will participate in a simulation activity where they are predators—such as hawks, coyotes, or bobcats—that are preying upon prairie dogs. The simulation that is set up has a colorful sheet of fabric with many different colored “prairie dogs” (colored circles of paper) scattered on the fabric. The students will take random prairie dogs out of their environment as predators selecting their prey. The simulation will show how animals that are better camouflaged with their environment have a better chance at surviving. We will prepare a bar graph to compare each of the different colored prairie dogs in order to better illustrate which prairie dog colors have the best chance of surviving in their environment. Students should come away from this activity being able to distinguish between predators and prey and understand how adaptations of organisms can affect their survival.

[Special Needs: Apple ibook and a table to complete the demonstration on.]

Teachers: Erin Mallee, Sarah Schlenker

Topic: The Circulatory System and Heart Rate

The students will learn what components are involved in the Circulatory system, specifically the heart. Each student's resting heart rate will be found using a heart rate monitor and a computer. They will hypothesize what factors will increase and decrease their heart rate and the degree to which each factor will affect their heart rate. The students will do two different levels of exercise: walking and jumping jacks. Their heart rate will be found after each activity. The students will be asked to explain why their heart rate increased after exercising and how this helps the body while exercising. The two teachers will also provide their heart rate information. The students will be asked to provide explanations why their heart rate may differ from the teachers.

[Special Needs: 4 Pasco Heart Rate Monitors, 4 computers, 4 USB links, 2 stop watches, and 4 calculators.]

Teachers: Megan Manion, Mike Peterson

Topic: Nitrate and Chlorine Content in Water

This lesson will allow students to observe the presence of compounds/elements (nitrate and chlorine) in various types of water (tap, distilled, purified, stream, boiled, etc) through the use of indicators. This experiment includes a discussion of the importance of clean water and how the use of contaminated water can result in illness. Students will rank the different samples of water based on the presence of a certain compound/element (first nitrate, then chlorine), and data will be compiled using an Apple iBook to make a graph to display results. By the end of this lesson, students should have an understanding of which types of water are best for consumption and why this is so.

[Preferred location: For the experiment to be conducted easily, it would best be set up in room 121 Chambers next to a sink and counter space.]

Teachers: Paul Wilner, Douglas Yocum

Topic: Evaporative Cooling

Most students are familiar with the sensation of feeling cool when wet (i.e. getting out of a pool, or fording a river). This experience will be used to lead an inquiry into the effect of Evaporative Cooling. Two computer-controlled thermometers will be used to monitor the temperature effects when they are removed from water. One thermometer will have a small piece of cloth on the end to retain water, and the other will be dried. Both room temperature and warm water will be used. Students will be asked to make predictions about what they expect will happen to the two temperatures when the thermometers are removed from the water and placed near a fan. After the experiments, the students will reflect on the temperature data and their observations to draw conclusions about what happened. The roles of energy, intermolecular bonds, and evaporation will be discussed and connected to what the students observe.

[Special Needs: A table near or against a wall with several power outlets (for hot plate, fan, and laptop computer)—but away from any heating or cooling source.]