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Saturday, August 19, 2017

Add some STEM to your Middle School Curriculum:
Engineering for Every Kid



Unit Study based on : Engineering for Every Kid by Janice VanCleave

Chapter 1: Structural Engineering
Materials:
2 books of equal thickness
ruler
1 sheet copy paper
15 or more pencils

A Day in the Life of a Structural Engineer (2:42)
Career Using Maths: Structural Engineers (5:46)


Chapter 2: Aerospace Engineering
Materials:
6 feet of string
4 inch piece of drinking straw
2 chairs
9-inch round balloon
spring clothespin
transparent tape

A Day in the Life of an Aerospace Engineer (3:56)
Is Aerospace Engineering a good major?

Chapter 3: Aeronautical Engineering
Materials:
scissors
ruler
file folder
pencil
paper hole punch
transparent tape
lemon-sized piece of modeling clay
12-inch wooden skewer
handhel hair dryer
adult helper

Chapter 4: Roller-Coaster Engineering
Materials:
pencil
ruler
10x28 inch piece of poster board
scissors
transparent tape
marble
helper

Chapter 5: Solar Engineering
Materials:
1-cup measuring cup
cold tap water
2 identical quart glass jars with lids
2 tea bags
aluminum foil

Chapter 6: Acoustical Engineering
Materials:
ticking timer
shoe box
2 pencils
cotton balls (enough to fill the shoe box)


Chapter 7: Electrical Engineering
flashlight with 2 D-cell batteries
1x4 inch piece of copy paper
transparent tape
1x4 inch piece of aluminum foil

Chapter 8: Optical Engineering
large metal spoon

Chapter 9: Petroleum Engineering
1/2 cup cooking oil
empty 20 ounce plastic water bottle with cap
tap water
blue food colouring

Chapter 10: Nuclear Engineering
Materials:
2 inch wide transparent tape
10-20 cotton balls
plastic container large enough to hold cotton balls

Chapter 11: Chemical Engineering
Materials:
4 ounce bottle of Elmer's School Glue- No Run Gel
1 quart jar
tap water
measuring cup
1 quart bowl
1 tsp borax
spoon

Chemical Engineer: Reality vs. Expectations (17:01)

Chapter 12: Fire Protection Engineering
Materials:
pen
ruler
1 sheet copy paper
dishwashing sponge
scissors

Chapter 13: Product Development Engineering
Materials:
fluorescent yellow highlighter marker
white unlined index card
yellow felt-tip marker (not fluorescent)
incandescent lamp

Chapter 14: Biological Engineering
Materials:
two 1-ounce packets unflavored gelatin
1 tsp meat tenderizer
two 3 ounce paper cups
measuring spoon
tap water
red food colouring
2 stirring spoons




Chapter 15: Metallurgical Engineering
Materials:
Transparent tape
pen
three 4x4 inch squares of aluminum foil
unsharpened pencil
large spoon
6x6 inch square of corrugated cardboard
small towel

Chapter 16: Stress Engineering
Materials:
paper hole punch
1/2 by 11 inch strip of copy paper
pencil
10 ounce paper cup
12 inch piece of string
transparent tape
thirty 3/8 inch washers (quarters will work)

Chapter 17: Product Durability Engineering
Materials:
paper clip
transparent tape

Chapter 18: Environmental Engineering
Materials:
12x12 inch piece of aluminum foil
sheet of copy paper
10 ounce transparent plastic cup
blue food colouring
4 tbsp dirt
1/4 cup tap water

Chapter 19: Geotechnical Engineering
Materials:
1/2 cup dry uncooked rice
1 cup measuring cup
25 marble





Chapter 20: Hydraulic Engineering
Materials:
sharpened pencil
5 ounce paper cup
2 sheets of paper towels
2 small bowls of equal size
tap water

Chapter 21: Earthquake Engineering
Materials:
washcloth
slinky

Chapter 22: Meteorological Engineering
drawing compass
6x6 inch piece of poster board
scissors
marking pen
transparent tape
12 inch piece of sewing thread
ping-pong ball

Chapter 23: Hydrology Engineering
scissors
two 5 ounce paper cups
4 facial tissues
1/2 cup dry leaves
3 to 4 sheets of newspaper
spray bottle
tap water
red food colouring

Chapter 24: Agricultural Engineering
3 unripe equal size bananas
paper lunch bag

Chapter 25: Textile Engineering
12 inch piece of embroidery thread with 6 or more strands
transparent tape
2 pencils

Middle School Architecture Unit Loop Schedule

Main Resources:


The Story of Buildings by Patrick Dillon (27 chapters, first one is extra long)

  1. Building a House (2 sessions)
  2. The Pyramid of Djoser
  3. The Temples of Greece
  4. The Parthenon
  5. The Romans
  6. Hagia Sophia
  7. A White Robe of Churches
  8. Notre-Dame Cathedral
  9. Buildings Around theWorld
  10. The Forbidden City
  11. The Renaissance in Europe
  12. Villa Rotonda
  13. The Taj Mahal
  14. The Baroque in Europe
  15. Vaux-Le-Vicomte
  16. Melk Abbey
  17. Saint Petersburg
  18. Living in the Past
  19. The Crystal Palace
  20. Modern Buildings
  21. The Bauhaus
  22. The United States
  23. The Chrysler Building
  24. The International Style
  25. The Sydney Opera House
  26. The Pompidou Center
  27. The Straw Bale House


"A Child's History of Architecture" by Hillyer
Architecture kit from Rainbow Resources
"Who was Frank Lloyd Wright?" book - 2 sessions
Taschen Architecture books?
Iggy Peck Architect
Eyewitness visual dictionary of buildings?
DK Architecture Explained?

Saturday, August 5, 2017

CPO Earth Science Schedule and video links

Textbook: CPO Earth Science 

The loop schedule follows this pattern:
1.) Watch videos on chapter topic.
2.) Read a section, do review orally. Do one of the skills worksheets.
3.) Read Connection, do extra science reading from literary selections recommended in the teacher's guide.  Sometimes I've scheduled the chapter activity here, but many of them are geared towards classrooms so we won't do all of them.
4.) Watch more videos, and do final chapter test.
We usually don't do the skills worksheets that involve in-depth experiments or set-ups. We use TOPS science, Mystery Science and the VanCleave science activity books for our hands-on science experiments instead.

  1. Read section and do review - 1.1 Learning about Science
  2. Read section and do review -1.2 Observing the World
  3. Read section and do review -1.3 Using the Scientific Method
  4. Read Connection: Volcano Scientist
  5. Videos and Chapter Test
  6. Watch videos on Measurement
  7. Read section and do review - 2.1 Making Measurements
  8. Read section and do review - 2.2 Measuring Time and Temperature
  9. Read section and do review - 2.3 Systems and Models
  10. Read section and do review - 2.4 Graphs
  11. Read Connection: Hydrogeologists and their Tools
  12. Extra Videos and Chapter Test
  13. Read section and do review - 3.1 Types of Energy
  14. Read section and do review - 3.2 Heat
  15. Read section and do review - 3.3 Density and Buoyancy
  16. Read Connection: Full of Hot Air, do activity: "Energy at the Surface of the Earth" (optional)
  17. Extra Videos and Chapter Test
  18. Watch Videos on the Water Cycle
  19. Read section and do review - 4.1 Water on Earth's Surface
  20. Read section and do review - 4.2 The Water Cycle
  21. Read Connection: The Wild World of Caves
  22. Extra videos and chapter test
  23. Read section and do review - 5.1 The Atmosphere
  24. Read section and do review - 5.2 Layers of the Atmosphere
  25. Read section and do review - 5.3 Earth is Just Right
  26. Read Connection: Hurricane Hunters, do activity: "Bernoulli's Principle" 
  27. Extra videos, chapter test
  28. Watch videos on Weather and Climate
    1. Current Events: Crash Course Kids #34.1 (5:06 mins)
    2. Climate Change: Earth's Giant Game of Tetris (2:48 mins)
    3. Can wildlife adapt to climate change? (4:46 mins)
    4. Why the Arctic is climate change's canary in the coal mine (3:58 mins)
    5. How Quantum Mechanics explains global warming (5:00)
  29. Read section and do review - 6.1 Introduction to Weather
  30. Skill and Practice Worksheet 6.1 History Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis. Read bio, answer questions, watch video.
    1. Global Atmospheric Circulation (2:24 mins)
  31. Read section and do review - 6.2 Weather Patterns
  32. Skill & Practice Worksheet 6.2 Tracking a Hurricane
  33. Read section and do review - 6.3 Climates and Biomes
  34. Read Connection: Meteorologists Weather It All, do activity: "Rainy Day Mystery" (optional)

  35. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. Why I Must Speak Out About Climate Change (17:51 mins)
  36. Watch videos on Oceans
    1. How big is the ocean? (5:25 mins)
    2. Who lives at the bottom of the Mariana Trench? (9:10 mins)
    3. The Ocean is way deeper than you think (6:52 mins)
  37. Read section and do review - 7.1 Introduction to Oceans
  38. Read section and do review - 7.2 Waves
  39. Read section and do review - 7.3 Shallow Marine Environments
  40. Read section and do review - 7.4 The Ocean Floor
  41. Read Connection, do activity: "Circumnavigating the Globe"
  42. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. Deepest Parts of the Oceans Documentary HD (44 mins)
  43. Watch videos on maps
    1. The Age of Exploration TED Institute (2:37 mins)
    2. Why all world maps are wrong | VOX (5:59 mins)
  44. Read section and do review - 8.1 Maps
  45. Read section and do review - 8.2 Topographic Maps
  46. Read section and do review - 8.3 Bathymetric Maps
  47. Read Connection: Modern Mapmaking, do activity: "Circle the Globe"
  48. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. How did early Sailors navigate the oceans? | The Curious Engineer (6:20 mins)
    2. How does your smartphone know your location? TED ED (5:02 mins)
  49. Watch videos on Earth and Time
    1. Four ways to understand the Earth's Age TED ED (3:44 mins)
    2. How to date a planet (3:19 mins)
  50. Read section and do review - 9.1 Relative Dating
  51. Read section and do review - 9.2 Geologic Time
  52. Read Connection: It's All in the Rings, do activity: "Relative and Absolute Dating"
  53. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. Putting the history of earth into perspective (3:39 mins)
  54. Watch videos on Inside the Earth
    1. Down to the Earth's core HD (1:29 hrs)
  55. Read section and do review - 10.1 Sensing Earth's Interior
  56. Read section and do review - 10.2 Earth's Interior
  57. Read section and do review - 10.3 Earth's Surface
  58. Read Connection: Drilling to Earth's Core, do activity: "Wave Motion Through Different Materials"
  59. Extra videos, chapter test
    1.  Earth's Interior Isn't Quite What We Thought It Was (3:44 mins)
  60. Watch videos on Plate Tectonics 
    1. Continental Drift: 3.3 Billion Years of Supercontinents (4:20 mins)
    2. Bozeman Science: Plate Tectonics (9:21)
  61. Read section and do review - 11.1 Pangea
  62. Read section and do review - 11.2 Sea-Floor Spreading
  63. Read section and do review - 11.3 Plate Boundaries
  64. Read Connection: Where to go for Volcanoes, do activity "Make a Plate Tectonics Book"
  65. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. Sea Floor Spreading Lecture (6:53 mins)
  66. Watch videos on Earthquakes and Volcanoes
    1. Countdown to Catastrophe: Earthquake in North America NAT GEO (45 mins)
  67. Read section and do review - 12.1 Earthquakes
  68. Read section and do review - 12.2 Volcanoes
  69. Read Connection: Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, do activity "The Dragon and Toad Mystery".
  70. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. Watch clip from "The Really Big One", showing Japan Tsunami footage 26:00-to the end
  71. Watch videos on rocks
    1. Rock Cycle (4:31 mins)
  72. Read section and do review - 13.1 The Composition of Rocks
  73. Read section and do review - 13.2 Igneous Rocks
  74. Read section and do review - 13.3 How Rocks Change
  75. Read Connection: How do you grow a diamond? Do activity: "Metamorphism"
  76. Extra videos, chapter test
    1. NOVA Treasures of the Earth: Gems (1:11 hrs)
  77. Read section and do review - 14.1 Weathering
  78. Read section and do review - 14.2 Erosion
  79. Read section and do review - 14.3 Rivers Shape the Land
  80. Read Connection: Creative Expression with Clay, do activity: "Wearing Away"
  81. Extra videos, chapter test
  82. Watch videos on soil and freshwater resources
  83. Read section and do review - 15.1 Soil
  84. Read section and do review - 15.2 Water Resources
  85. Read Connection: Bogged Down in Resources, do activity: "Mineral Extraction"
  86. Watch videos on Natural Resources and Conservation
    1. Heavy Metals Documentary - History Channel (40 mins)
  87. Read section and do review - 16.1 Natural Resources and Energy
  88. Read section and do review - 16.2 Supplying Our Energy Needs
  89. Read section and do review - 16.3 Resources and Conservation
  90. Read Connection: Earth's Energy, activity: "Keep the Heat"
  91. Extra videos, and chapter test
    1. BBC Renewable Energy Documentary (1:17 hrs)
    2. Search for the Super Battery NOVA (52 mins)
    3. NOVA The Nuclear Option (52 mins)
  92. Watch videos on Astronomy
  93. Read section and do review - 17.1 About the Solar System
  94. Read section and do review - 17.2 The Planets
  95. Read section and do review - 17.3 Other Solar System Objects
  96. Read Connection: Dwarf Planets, do activity "Extraterrestrial Design"
  97. Extra videos, chapter test
  98. Watch videos on the Earth, moon and Sun
  99. Read section and do review - 18.1 Earth and it's moon
  100. Read section and do review - 18.2 Earth Cycles
  101. Read section and do review - 18.3 The Sun
  102. Read Connection: A Solar Observatory, do activity: "Distance from Earth to the Sun"
  103. Extra videos, chapter test
  104. Watch videos on Galaxies and the Universe
  105. Read section and do review - 19.1 Tools of Astronomers
  106. Read section and do review - 19.2 Stars
  107. Read section and do review - 19.3 Galaxies and the Universe
  108. Read Connection: New pathways in Space, do activity: "Making an Astrolabe"
  109. Extra videos, chapter test

Optional reading loop schedule that coincides with above lessons.

1. "How to think like a Scientist" by Stephen Kramer p.3-6
2. "How to think like a Scientist" by Stephen Kramer p. 7-16
3. "How to think like a Scientist" by Stephen Kramer p.18-35
4. "How to think like a Scientist" by Stephen Kramer p. 36-42


Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth
"Blizzard" Jim Murphy - 8 chapters, shorter