New Math ...Reflection...

Many people make fun of the, "new math," lots of baby boomers were taught in the USA. Here is an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a81YvrV7Vv8 and another version of the same song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAm3KWiDPKU&NR=1

I studied the New Math. It meant I did Boolean algebra in 4th grade (age 8 and 9). I loved it. It also helped me a great deal when I did my doctorate and when I used engineering skills at work. I get tired of hearing people bad-mouthing New Math because I believe it helped give me a basis for understanding all sorts of computerized lab equipment and also wave and tide recorders used in the field to predict tsunamis.

We did not memorize the (base ten) times tables, however we could multiply and divide in bases 2, 8, 10, and, 16. We could readily set up and solve problems. And, we could do all these things without a calculator and even without a slide rule. I do feel memorizing the times tables for base ten would have been useful and therefore, taught them to myself so I could do freshman chemistry problems quickly. That helped with rapid responses in physics, too. But, engineering courses and logic were much easier having had the bases and the Boolean algebra background in grade school.

So, based on my own experience, I suggest adding times tables and also radians to the, "New Math," but, I would not trade my, "New Math," experience. I loved it and found it very helpful toward my science career and to every day life in a computerized world. I understand the 1's and 0's so prevalent today.

I have come across a way of teaching math that I like that uses languages. More on that another day.

(c) 2008 J S Shipman

Publish Post

CELS=Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences

Coalition for Education in the Life Sciences

[under development]

Journal of Practical Education in Biology No.27 to No.48

"You are able to read the journal of practical
education in biology No.27 to No.48 [on] the following
webpages.
http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/jissen/ejissen27.htm"

Integrated Science of Cheese Making

First, enjoy the film:


Plants, sheep, dogs, microbes...
Botany, agriculture, microbiology, cooking, culture, Italy

What science do you see?

A history of cheese-making from Switzerland is presented at http://www.swissworld.org/en/switzerland/swiss_specials/swiss_cheese/history_of_cheesemaking/

More information on cheese-making : http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20041013/Feature1.asp

http://www.goat-cheese.co.il/thecheese1.html gives information on cheese-making in Israel.

Some great pictures: http://www.farmhousecheeses.com/cheese_making.shtml

Check this out: International Botany News!!!

The website: www.plantscafe.net is now online
(some bits and pieces are still under development, but, most of this great website is up and running now).

Cornstarch and Water Mixture

Water molecules go in between the starch molecules....
Vocabulary: colloid(s); suspension(s); solution(s); matter; molecules


Spangler does the "walk" across a cornstarch mixture tub on Ellen!
(Ellen Degeneres, February 13, 2008)

He tries to talk Ellen into it, but, a member of the audience does it instead...Ashley from LA.

Advice: Go fast. If not, you sink. (Spangler shows how!)

Ashley goes back and forth... She has fun and doesn't sink.

It's a lot of cornstarch!

So, what is the science?

Other "Cornstarch Science"



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


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More Non-Newtonian Fluid Information:

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http://60secondscience.org/activities/cornstarchAndWater.html
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A related journal article:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V8Y-3WRBNP8-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=4313de27416a85d7f1143328ba3abab0
.
Relate this "Cornstarch Science" to the Science Standards---Lesson Plan: www.nbtc.cornell.edu/education/kitlib/getlessonplan.php?id=51

"Cornstarch Science" teaches about nanotechnology!!!
www.bowlesphysics.com/nano/Nanotechnology.ppt
Note: Some of the videos have spelling errors. Did you catch them? Try to catch errors by proof reading whenever you do any work.

Sauerkraut Science (Post under development)

Sauerkraut Science
What has sauerkraut got to do with science?
Here is a lesson about picking a science fair topic.

(Not doing science fair ? Just want a good read? Read the link at the end of this post.)

Pick something you are interested in or that you can afford to use. Then, look for the science related to that item. Okay, we've selected sauerkraut, just to prove that almost any topic can become a subject of science study.

Brainstorm: What about sauerkraut has to do with science? What does your topic have to do with science?

Do a Literature Search:
Here's a sampling of literature found on sauerkraut. Do a search on your own topic.

• Books

1. Chemical Activities (Teacher's Addition) Christie L. Borgford and Lee R. Summerlin. ISBN13:97808412163 ISBN10:0841214166 paper. 244 pages.
2. Traditionally Fermented Foods http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=1939
   

• Newspapers and Magazines
• Journals

1. Food Chemistry: Changes in biogenic amine concentrations during sauerkraut storage. Volume 69, Issue 3, 15 May 2000, Pages 309-314
   doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(99)00273-3 Copyright © 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
2. Leuconostoc sp. strains: aem.asm.org/cgi/content/full/68/6/2877
3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/fstl.1996.0055
   

• Internet

1. Fermented Foods
2. Lactic Acid Bacteria
3. Microbiology
4. Create Sauerkraut (commercial kit)
5. Create sauerkraut (the old-fashioned way)
6. http://www.genkifoods.com/faq.html (commercial site)
7. DNA Fingerprinting in Sauerkraut?
   

Define a problem: "Do different amounts of salt affect the final product," or, "Do spices change the ability of the cabbage to be fermented?"

Brainstorm again:

Select a question from among your brainstormed ideas:

Write an experimental design:

• Introduction
• Materials and Methods (future tense)
• Blank data table
• Literature Cited

Set up the Experiment

Perform the Experiment

Collect Data

Analyze Data

Think about the Experiment and Future Experiments it suggests

Write a Laboratory Report:

• Introduction
• Materials and Methods (Past Tense)
• Results
• Discussion and Conclusions
• Literature Cited
  

Write a Reflection

• What did you do well?
• What did you learn?
• Do you have something to publish?
• Do you have ideas for another experiment?
• What can you do to improve your science fair experience next time?
  

Here's a wintertime story on sauerkraut that you might enjoy: http://www.thisisby.us/index.php/content/old_mother_hubbard__s_sauerkraut_soup

(c)2007, 2008 J. S. Shipman

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