Introduction
Welcome parents and students to my school blog. Here you will find useful information about homework, tests, and what we are doing in each of our classes. In this post I will introduce the class and explain what we have done so far this year.
If you ever have questions you may always contact me via e-mail or come by and talk to me in person. You are certainly welcome to even come sit in on the class and participate!
This year Granger ISD has implimented a mandatory state-created curriculum called C-Scope. C-Scope is an aligned curriculum which means that from K-12 students are taught using a curriculum that builds on itself so that when they take classes like Physics, they will use all that they have learned from previous Science, Math, History, and English classes all the way back to Kindergarden using C-Scope!
The story so far...
Physics 6th, 7th, & 8th Period
In physics we have begun exploring motion and graphs. The students have participated in practical labs that consider distance, time, speed, velocity, scalar and vector quantities, acceleration, displacement, and various charts such as d-t, v-t, and a-t graphs of motion. This coming six weeks we will be taking a look at Newton's laws of motion, linear motion, rotational mechancis, energy, and force.
Physics also viewed the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" by Al Gore with the other side of the story narrated by me during the film. Students were exploring the following TEKS:
TEKS - 112.45.c & 47.c
(3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;
(C) evaluate the impact of research on scientific thought, society, and the environment;
(D) describe the connection between chemistry/physics and future careers; and
(E) research and describe the history of chemistry/physics and contributions of scientists.
This assignment thoroughly covered charts and graphs, how to read them and how they can be presented either objectively or subjectively to sway an audience. It also introduced them to the idea that scientists are not free from bias due to pressures from culture, politics, economics, and other external forces.
The students are now presenting oral reports using the following criteria:
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Your assignment is to present a 10 minute oral presentation over the movie An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. Every member of the group must participate and every member of the group must speak.
The presentation should include the following:
1. State the major hypothesis of the movie.
2. Analyze and critique the hypothesis using scientific evidence and information both given in the movie and from external resources addressing the strengths and/or weaknesses.
3. Evaluate the impact of the presentation by Mr. Gore on the scientific community, society (culture, economics, and politics), and the environment.
4. Describe the connection between the course you are taking (either Chemistry or Physics) and future careers related to the hypothesis presented by Mr. Gore.
5. Research and describe the history of global warming, some of the major researchers who believe the hypothesis true and those who believe it to be false and their contributions to the position they take.
6. Be able to answer questions about information presented in your speech.
The following questions must be covered somewhere in points 1-6.
-->Was the presentation of charts and graphs done in such a way that the audience could readily grasp their meaning (legends, scale, scope, etc.)? Why or why not? Give examples.
-->Was the presentation of information objective or subjective? Give examples.
-->Has viewing the presentation in class helped you gain better understanding of the issue of global warming?
-->Has viewing the presentation in class helped you gain better understanding of how science is connected to culture, economics, and politics and of how these pressures and interactions may cause bias on the part of scientists and why it is so important that scientists attempt to be as unbiased as possible in their research?
-->Has viewing the presentation in class motivated you to take certain actions that you otherwise might not have taken? Give examples.
-->The grade is worth two test grades: Presentation (scientists must know how to formally present their findings) and Information (scientists must know their research).
Let me point out that I am not grading you on what position you take. If you believe Mr. Gore was objective in his research and presentation and presented his data in an unbiased manner, that’s fine. Support that position. If you believe Mr. Gore was subjective in his research and presentation and presented his data in a biased manner, that’s fine, too. Support that position.
But support your position with data in an objective manner.
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Students were also re-introduced to the Scientific Method at a more complex level than what they learned in elementary. The Scientific Method is a logical, methodical body of techniques for gaining new knowledge and correcting or integrating prior knowledge. The Scientific Method as taught in my classes is as follows:
1. Ask a question, define a problem, identify an unknown.
2. Gather information.
3. Form a hypothesis.
4. Test the hypothesis (logical, direct, and indirect methods).
5. Analyze data. If hypothesis is proven false discard. If tested reasonable amount of times and not proven false yet, upgrade to theory.
6. Continue to test theory. If proven false, discard or modify. If proven true, upgrade to law.
Terms:
Hypothesis - commonly referred to as "an educated guess". More accurately a hypothesis is a precisely stated premise that potentially answers a question or describes a phenomenon.
Theory - a hypothesis that has been tested a reasonable amount of time and has not yet been proven false.
Law - a theory that has been proven universally true. Generally a theory becomes a law when it can be reduced to a mathematical equation (e.g. F=m*Δv/Δt + v*Δm/Δt).
There are three ways to test a hypothesis. Ideally, all three methods are used when possible.
Logical - the logical test requires no manipulatives in experimentation. All that is used is a process of logical reasoning based on prior knowledge to determine if a hypothesis is even possible. (e.g. Hypothesis - A four sided triangle exists. ~ Not logical based on the definition of "triangle". There is no need to try and make a four sided triangle.) Generally the logic test is the first test to perform on a hypothesis. If it is not logical, the other types of tests are impossible to do anyway.
Direct - this method of testing a hypothesis is the standard laboratory test with manipulatives and controls. Scientists set up an experiment with controls and observe the phenomenon they are trying to learn about and record the results as either positive or negative (objective yes or no). If the results are inconclusive, the scientists understands that the hypothesis is not precise enough and needs to be modified or discarded for a more precise statements. (e.g. Hypothesis - If a mass of 20kg is accelerated at 5 m/s^2, then it will hit with a force = 100N. Experiment - accelerate a 20kg object at 5 m/s^2 and record results.)
Indirect - this method is the most difficult for not just students but most individuals to grasp. It requires a combination of the first two methods of testing. This method of testing is used on things that cannot be directly tested either because they cannot be manipulated by man (e.g. stellar/galactic hypotheses), cannot be directly observed by man (e.g. the works of Sir John Eccles), the process is too long to be observed by an individual (e.g. Global Warming, Macroevolution). Experiments are conducted to gather data that implies the conclusion formed as a hypothesis.
Again, if you ever have any questions or concerns about the classes, please come by and talk with me. My door is always open to parents and I appreciate any parent who takes an active role in their child's education.
