Instructify

BY BILL FERRIS

Summertime means fishing, camping trips, taking Junior to the zoo, and hitting the beach. All of those activities put you into contact with the wonders (or if you’re unlucky, the terrors) of the animal kingdom. July’s random roundup brings you the best Instructify posts that feature critters other than humans.

Tune in to The Great Turtle Race
The Great Turtle Race raises public awareness of leatherback turtle migration, plus threats to the creature’s survival, through the magic of sports. The site has lots of nifty race stats, such as how many hour-long dives each turtle makes. You can cheer on your favorite turtle, and elect to receive daily updates on how it’s doing in the field.

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BY REBECCAH HAINES

We’ve heard a lot about some renegade microbes in the news lately.  The Swine Flu hysteria closed down many schools across the country and continues to be an issue worldwide.  With all the press that H1N1 has gotten, you might think that all microbes are harmful. In fact, the vast majority of microbes are not at all harmful, and many are downright helpful. At Microbeworld, you can discover the abundant positives of microbes.

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BY BILL FERRIS

A while back we looked at some of the world’s weirdest plants. I don’t know how, but the list didn’t include anything from Socotra. Part of an archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa, Socotra is home to plant and animal species that look like they’re from another planet. Socotra has been isolated from the African mainland for millions of years, and its plant and animal life show it. According to this article from Dark Roasted Blend, “Like the Galapagos Islands, this island is teeming with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth.”

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BY BILL FERRIS

For this month’s random roundup, we’ve selected the Library of Congress, our nation’s storehouse of pretty much everything worth knowing. As you’d expect, a lot of great resources for teachers have been derived from the Library. See your tax dollars at work by reading the articles linked after the jump.

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BY REBECCAH HAINES

Kids these days, you know?  They don’t care about the state of the world.  They don’t care about endangered species.  They don’t care about the environment.  If you’re a teacher, you’ve probably heard statements such as these (and maybe even thought them a few times yourself in moments of frustraction).  It is up to us as educators to broaden our students’ horizons and give them a reason to care.  Field Trip Earth is one place you can go to expose them to some world views, and hopefully inspire them to conserve.

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Your students may or may not know the importance of estuaries. They may not even know what they are. You can solve both of those knowledge deficiencies by taking them on an online field trip to Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in coastal Alabama. EstuaryLive presents two live broadcasts from Weeks Bay on May 15 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern time.

Your students can learn about estuary wildlife, ecosystems, as well as the threats each of those components face. Since it’s live, you and your class can interact with the field trip leaders (check the technical requirements to make sure you can view this virtual field trip without any net-based hangups). If you can’t make the May 15 broadcasts, you can view archived field trips as well.

EstuaryLive is a great opportunity to learn a lot about environmental science without having to trudge through the mud. -BILL FERRIS

EstuaryLive

Related stuff:

Go hug a tree at the the Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Academy

Photo credit: DCSL on Flickr.

Though Punnett squares may be one of the most basic things that students need to understand when studying genetics, they can be complicated at first. You should have heard my 7th graders when I introduced them…”Wait…how did you get that?”  “What are the letters for again?”  “How do I know what to put in each box?” Sometimes a student just needs a second opinion.  One place they can get it with regards to Punnett squares is at The Biology Project’s Solving Punnett Squares Tutorial.

The tutorial provides a straightforward and visual way for students to look at solving problems.  As you click along, you will encounter more genetics problems related to monohybrid crosses and Mendelian genetics.  Each problem has a tutorial to explain the correct answer to the problem.  In addition to being used as a reteaching tool, it could be used with absent students or students who are home-bound for some reason. Though the instructions use subject-specific vocabulary (heterozygous monohybrid cross anyone?), they are written in an understandable way.

So the next time your students look at you quizzically after teaching them how to solve Punnett squares, look no further than this website for another teaching tool. -REBECCAH HAINES

The Biology Project’s Solving Punnett Squares Tutorial

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Dragon DNA and other genetics fun: Genetics Web Lab Directory

Interactive DNA at DNAi.org

When I was a kid, nothing grabbed my attention like talking about predators. Perhaps it was an latent instinctive adrenaline response to danger, but whether they were sharks, dinosaurs, tigers or giant robots, ferocious creatures always piqued my interest. Chances are at least a few of your students have this sort of reaction, too. These kids will be pleased to know about the Hurdia victoria, a 500-million-year-old oceanic predator that has just been discovered.

Science Daily has the scoop on this prehistoric arthropod, which looked like a giant shrimp and grew up to 1.5 feet long. That may not sound very big, but remember that arthropods include such creepy-crawlies as tarantulas, cockroaches and ants. If I saw a foot-and-a-half-long tarantula crawling toward me, I’d be plenty scared.

According to the article, scientists had been aware of separate fragments of Hurdia victoria for some time, but had variously misidentified them as sea cucumbers, jellyfish, or other oceanic arthropods. Only after combining them to form a carnivorous super-bug like an insectoid version of Devastator did scientists realize the fierce critter they had on their hands.

You can read more about Hurdia victoria at Science Daily. See if reading about this predator gets your students more interested in biology — or if it just makes you want to call an exterminator. -BILL FERRIS

Fossil Fragments Reveal 500-million-year-old Monster Predator via Science Daily

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Awesomeosaurus: New Carnivorous Dinosaur Discovered

Ever wonder what’s the lifespan of a flea? Or how sunscreen works? Or who developed the Nobel-worthy invention of the TV dinner?* Of course you haven’t, but that’s not the point. As any person who has won a trivia contest will tell you, it’s fun to show off knowledge of obscure facts in any subject. Like music and sports, science is a subject that lends itself especially well to this sort of trivia. You can find lots of it at Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress.

The site groups its facts into categories like physics, technology, zoology and plant life. Personally, I enjoy browsing through the questions listed on the site and just see what I can learn. Everyday Mysteries is a great place to begin stockpiling questions for a classroom trivia contest, or if you’re in the mood to learn fun facts about a particular topic.  -BILL FERRIS

Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress

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Think you know geography? Take this quiz

* 30-90 days, by combining organic and inorganic active ingredients, and several geniuses, respectively.

Photo credit: mastrobiggo on Flickr.

I sometimes find myself planning lessons, looking for a quick video clip to show my students. A short video is often an effective way to introduce, extend, or clarify  information that I’m teaching. I start to think about my sources…the library? Nope, videos are too long and many are too old…YouTube? Nope, I don’t want to search for DNA and find a band (though YouTubeEDU is fixing this issue). Hmm…where else can I go? Well, if I am teaching DNA or Genetics, I can mosey on over to the Secrets of the Sequence website.

This is a site where you can find about 50 short videos related to current DNA and genetics research.  It is created and maintained by Virginia Commonwealth University.  The topics range from a video about the genetic links of alcoholism to cloning champion trees.  You will find many videos that illustrate lots of applications of DNA science, and more importantly, they are interesting and engaging.  When you click on a video, there are two options for viewing.  You can stream it right from the site, or you can download it to your computer.  Additionally, there are national standards-aligned lesson plans for each video available in both PDF and Word format.  The lessons guide you through the video, indicating stopping points for class discussion, as well as disussion questions, and a related lab or activity for after the video.

Eureka!,  I think as I’m finishing the preparation for my brilliant lesson.  I’ve found a website that gives me not only those short videos I want, but some ideas on how to use them if I’m really stuck for planning.  I hope you mosey on over and find inspiration as well. - REBECCAH HAINES

Secrets of the Sequence

Related stuff:

Interactive DNA at DNAi.org

Don’t get fingered for the crime: PBS DNA Fingerprinting

And they’re off! If you forgot to place your wager on this year’s Great Turtle Race from National Geographic, you can still follow along as 11 leatherback sea turtles make their way from Canada to the warm waters of the Caribbean.

The Great Turtle Race raises public awareness of leatherback turtle migration, plus threats to the creature’s survival, through the magic of sports. The site has lots of nifty race stats, such as how many hour-long dives each turtle makes. You can cheer on your favorite turtle, and elect to receive daily updates on how it’s doing in the field.

The site is more than just race-themed environmentalism, however. It also has great turtle information, like the fact that leatherback turtles dive as deep as whales do, feasting on jellyfish and other jelly creatures they encounter. You and your students can play a turtle race game, piloting your own turtle as you try to eat jellyfish and avoid seaweed and garbage.  Or test your turtle knowledge with an online quiz. Everything you wanted to know about sea turtles, plus the stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know, you can find it here.

In keeping with the racing theme, the turtles all have ridiculous names right out of the Kentucky Derby like Nightswimmer and Lindblad the Explorer. Which reminds me, if you had any action on Backspacer, get ready to cash in. -BILL FERRIS

The Great Turtle Race

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Fit a 100-foot blue whale on your monitor

Live every week like it’s Shark Week

Discover the Undersea World with Ocean Explorer

Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Briny Deep? Monsters of the Deep Sea

That’s right ladies and gents, it is nearly time for a biologist’s favorite holiday - DNA Day! Though the official DNA Day is April 25,  this year the National Human Genome Research Institute will offer activities on April 24, 2009 to accommodate classroom schedules.  Join in on the fun and celebrate the commemoration of the completion of the Human Genome project and the discovery of DNA’s structure. If you know even a little bit about biology, you know that both of these events rank right up there with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution in importance to the understanding of life.

Besides broadcasting your geekiness by knowing that when National DNA Day is, what can you with this in your classroom? It turns out, quite a lot. NHGRI has put together some resources and events for educators and their students at this website. One of the main events planned is a live online chat room where students can ask questions of DNA experts. The chat room will be open from 8am to 6pm on April 24. You will notice that the chat room is closed right now, but that you can access archives of past chats to get an idea of how you might use it with students. In addition to the chat room, the resource website also has links to webcasts and other teaching tools such as PowerPoints and animations. Also, if you’re hip and trendy, you can become a fan of the National DNA Day group on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter. A fun photo contest is advertised on the Facebook site.  Upload pictures of your creative DNA models by April 24 for a chance to win a prize.

Remember, as the website says, “When many people think of April, they think of spring. But others think of DNA.” Use this April and this website to help your students become some of those who think of DNA. -REBECCAH HAINES

Educator Resources for DNA Day

National Human Genome Research Institute

Related stuff:

Don’t get fingered for the crime: PBS DNA Fingerprinting

Interactive DNA at DNAi.org

Extract DNA from Bananas

If free sounds good to you, then you need to check out one of the North Carolina Ag in the Classroom workshops being offered this July at the Sheraton Imperial in Durham, North Carolina.  There are two sessions open to North Carolina teachers: “Ag in the Classroom Reading and Science Workshop for Grade K-5 Teachers,” and ‘Farmer Grows a Rainbow: Nutrition Education Workshop for K-12.” The three-day sessions are packed with lesson ideas, teaching strategies and even field trips to local farms and agribusinesses.

North Carolina Farm Bureau sponsors the North Carolina Ag in the Classroom educational program.  This long running program has helped students and teachers across the state learn more about the role agriculture plays in North Carolina’s economy. Each summer the North Carolina Farm Bureau hosts free workshops for teachers that include materials, lodging and meals.

During both summer workshops participants will receive lesson plans, materials and research-based strategies to help them create agriculturally themed, hands-on activities that target literacy and science education.  Upon completion participants will receive two continuing education credits.

Even in this age of technology, agriculture still plays a vital role in North Carolina’s economy. The North Carolina Ag in the Classroom workshops help teachers and students develop an appreciation for the role the farmer plays in getting food to their table.

If you’re interested in one of these free workshops there is no time to waste!  Space is limited.  Acceptance notices will be mailed to participants on May 1, 2009.   Your application must be submitted prior to that date. -CINDY PHTHISIC

Ag in the Classroom summer workshops

North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services educational resources

United States Department of Agriculture Ag in the Classroom site

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Food for thought about food

Nom nom nom: The Edible Schoolyard

Photo credit: Eduardo Amorim on Flickr.

The scenario at PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site begins with a young man who discovers his “most valuable possession – his NOVA holographic lollipop,” turned into a “sticky mess.” The possible culprits are Jimmy’s seven sisters. Luckily, DNA samples from all of them are available and all you have to do is create a DNA fingerprint from the saliva left on the lollipop.

A shockwave animated lab table opens up for you to create the fingerprint. It offers you step-by-step instructions on what to do, and most importantly from an educator’s perspective, explains the purpose behind each step. So, not only do you follow the directive to “Pour the restriction enzymes into the DNA,” but you also understand that the restriction enzymes act like little chemical scissors to prepare the DNA for running on a gel. After you complete all of the steps and create your fingerprint, you get to match the fingerprint to the suspects and determine who licked the holographic design off the lollipop, and who will consequently be punished with no dessert tonight.

For an educator, this website offers a way to explain what many kids see happen in fragments on their favorite shows like CSI. By completing this activity and analyzing the results, students should understand some of the science behind what they see on TV. For additional, and slightly more advanced information and animations on this topic, check out DNA Detective from the Dolan DNA Learning Center. Some of your advanced students might find the applications of DNA fingerprinting interesting. With either website, you are sure to motivate your young CSI-minded students to learn some real science. -REBECCAH HAINES

PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site

DNA Detective

Related stuff:

Interactive DNA at DNAi.org

Dragon DNA and other genetics fun: Genetics Web Lab Directory

Quick whale facts: go! Whales are a member of the Cetacea order of animals. Narwhals are the magical unicorn ones. Whales eat a variety of stuff, including marine life, plankton and wooden puppets who wish to become real boys. In a strange way, whale song audio tracks are good for both relaxation and for haunted house soundtracks. Blue whales are the big ones.

Okay, so maybe not all of those facts are true. Some might only have just a loose cultural reference, but that’s still enough to fake people into thinking you know what you’re talking about. Meanwhile, you’ve successfully made a hasty escape. Yet out of all my questionable facts, there’s no denying the one about blue whales. Accounting for weight and volume it is the largest known living animal. Need some proof? Check out this life size blue whale from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

With one giant visual that you can navigate by a smaller inset image, this is a rather creative way to demonstrate the actual dimensions as they compare to your computer screen size. Even the coolest monitor seems a bit dwarfed. Without sounding too 1997 cheesy, the internet is a window for looking out at the world — no, wait, that is too cheesy.

The WDCS wants to get the message out about the endangered status of the blue whale, with the distinct message that this might be the last life-size blue whale you see. Right there’s a nice tie-in for ecology/environmental science lessons. Moby Dick was a different species of whale, so maybe this is slightly less ideal for your Herman Melville lesson. Maybe in a technology lesson you could use it to illustrate how images appear on different monitor aspect ratios? I’m starting to grasp at straws now. If you can think of other ways to use this giant whale then share it in the comments below! –NICK YINGLING

WDCS – Life size blue whale

Related stuff:

Whalenet: Providing you boatloads of information since 1993

Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Briny Deep? Monsters of the Deep Sea

Discover the Undersea World with Ocean Explorer