Engineering Project - Open Source Designs for COVID-19 Masks

 https://www.uidaho.edu/news/here-we-have-idaho-magazine/it-takes-a-village

https://www.uidaho.edu/engr/research/covid-19/downloads

Textbook Scavenger Hunt - Electricity

I am posting a textbook scavenger hunt that I designed on the topic of electricity.  I designed this to assist students in learning skills for nonfiction reading.  I try to train my students to understand that their learning is greatly enhanced by reading and looking through the material before the lessons.  It helps one pay attention and process information about a given topic.  It also assists students in learning how the textbook is organized.  The worksheet can be viewed, downloaded, and printed here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13hYGa3bkwXfTg8Ur4yTICBXTCN1OgFZl

There are some similar activities on this blog that can be found here:

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/earth-science-workout-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/cellular-respiration-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/lesson-plan-and-activity-use-of-books.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/evolution-workout-activity-worksheet.html

If you find any links on my blog that do not work, please let me know by leaving a comment. I would like to keep my blog up-to-date and relevant.

The Effects of Asbestos on Health

I am posting a paper that I wrote on the topic of Asbestos back in 1974.  Perhaps some might find the information and bibliography of interest.  There may be a historical aspect to the information that the paper summarizes  Keep in mind that the information provided and conclusions reached may be unreliable and out-of-date for the present time  You can view, download, and print the paper here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-1DoBrTUTDEpXAftKzJPLpPi6faJwUTG

Do not plagiarize the paper.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 


The Effects of Asbestos on Health by Anderson, Christine Minton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

I like to keep the information on my blog up-to-date, so if there are any links that you discover are not working, please let be know by making a comment and I will try to find a way to update the information.

Evolution Workout Activity - Worksheet and Answer Key

This activity can be used to introduce and review Evolution concepts.  If you like this activity, there are some other "workout" activities on different topics that can be found in this blog at these links:

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/earth-science-workout-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/cellular-respiration-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/lesson-plan-and-activity-use-of-books.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/03/textbook-scavenger-hunt-electricity.html

The Evolution Workout Worksheet and Answer Key can be printed out from here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=16ol4f4llxwN8Wb2Is13HTDNYYpUFc--j

I am posting the directions here so that you can read through them and get an idea about how the activity works.  I got some great comments from administrators who observed my classroom because the activity engages every student.  Even the students who didn't want to participate were engaged because classmates were seeking them out to get the answers on the worksheet.

SUGGESTED RULES ~ OR HOW THE GAME WORKS

Explain to students that this is a cooperative learning activity, which requires all to participate.  By participating in this process, students will have some feeling for how a scientific community of experts works together to produce solutions to problems, and a body of scientific knowledge.  Each student will become an expert in an area of biology, and will be given an opportunity to share their knowledge with every other member of the class.  When students participate in this activity at the beginning of a course, the activity also serves as an “ice-breaker” and allows students to get to know each other and learn names.  As a role model, the teacher should also participate in this activity.

Each student needs: Evolution Workout sheet, his or her textbook, classroom references, notebook paper, and pencil.  Instruct students to number their paper 1. through 25., leaving enough room to write the answers to each question.

Behavior Expectations ~ for some groups of students, the teacher should explain that this activity requires some movement around the room and sharing of answers.  That this is an activity for serious learning and cooperation, and that students are to behave as professionals.  Disruptive students should not be allowed to ruin this activity and will be responsible for answering all the questions by themselves, if they choose to be removed from participation because of their disruptive behavior.   

1.      The teacher writes a number on each of twenty-five pieces of paper or index cards.  The numbers are mixed up and distributed to the students so that each student gets a number.

2.      The number, that each student receives, tells which question on the Evolution Workout sheet that he/she is responsible for answering.  The answers are expected to be clear and understandable enough to be shared with other students.  Students are to be instructed that they should take care to make sure the answer is correct because their answer is going to be used by every other student in the class.  Check their work.

3.      After students are given some time to research their answer, the teacher will instruct the students to move around the room collecting answers from other students.  They are to write the answers on their notebook paper; they may gather the answers in any order (but on the paper they hand in, the answers must be in order!).  After each answer is collected, the student who provided the answer to the question must write his/her name in the question square.  The goal is to have a classmate’s name in every square and the answer to every question.

4.      The time given to complete this activity can be flexible.  This can be completed during one class period or in short segments over several days.  The teacher can determine a due date that corresponds to the time it takes the class produce a completed worksheet.  Answers and worksheets can be turned in for a grade.  A shorter version of this activity is to have each student stand, in order, to share their answer with the class (some of the learning experience will be lost).  This activity can be used as an introduction, or a review of material.

If you find any links on my blog that do not work, please let me know by leaving a comment.  I would like to keep my blog up-to-date and relevant.

Earth Science Workout Activity - Astronomy - Worksheet, Answer Sheet, Instructions, and Answer Key

This activity can be used to introduce and review astronomy topics.  If you like this activity there are some others on some different topics that can be found on this blog this links are here:

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/cellular-respiration-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/lesson-plan-and-activity-use-of-books.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/03/textbook-scavenger-hunt-electricity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/evolution-workout-activity-worksheet.html

The Earth Science Workout Activity Worksheet, Answer Sheet, Directions, and Answer Key can be printed out from here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=16ak3Kg4sWNLKa6xQSHpLMD8G13nblGBR

I am posting the directions here so that you can read through them and get an idea about how the activity works.  I got some great comments from administrators who observed my classroom because the activity engages every student.  Even the students who didn't want to participate were engaged because classmates were seeking them out to get the answers on the worksheet.

SUGGESTED RULES ~ OR HOW THE GAME WORKS

Explain to students that this is a cooperative learning activity, which requires all to participate.  By participating in this process, students will have some feeling for how a scientific community of experts works together to produce solutions to problems, and a body of scientific knowledge.  Each student will become an expert in an area of biology, and will be given an opportunity to share their knowledge with every other member of the class.  When students participate in this activity at the beginning of a course, the activity also serves as an “ice-breaker” and allows students to get to know each other and learn names.  As a role model, the teacher should also participate in this activity.

Each student needs: Earth Science Workout sheet, Earth Science Workout Answer Sheet, his or her textbook, classroom references, notebook paper, and pencil. 

Behavior Expectations ~ for some groups of students, the teacher should explain that this activity requires some movement around the room and sharing of answers.  That this is an activity for serious learning and cooperation, and that students are to behave as professionals.  Disruptive students should not be allowed to ruin this activity and will be responsible for answering all the questions by themselves, if they chose to be removed from participation because of their disruptive behavior.

1.      The teacher writes a number on each of twenty-five pieces of paper or index cards.  The numbers are mixed up and distributed to the students so that each student gets a number.

2.      The number, that each student receives, tells which question on the Earth Science Workout sheet that he/she is responsible for answering.  The answers are expected to be clear and understandable enough to be shared with other students.  Students are to be instructed that they should take care to make sure the answer is correct because their answer is going to be used by every other student in the class.  Check their work.

3.      After students are given some time to research their answer, the teacher will instruct the students to move around the room collecting answers from other students.  They are to write the answers on their notebook paper, they may gather the answers in any order (but on the paper they hand in, the answers must be in order!).  After each answer is collected, the student who provided the answer to the question must write his/her name in the question square.  The goal is to have a classmate’s name in every square and the answer to every question.

4.      The time given to complete this activity can be flexible.  This can be completed during one class period or in short segments over several days.  The teacher can determine a due date that corresponds to the time it takes the class produce a completed worksheet.  Answers and worksheets can be turned in for a grade.  A shorter version of this activity is to have each student stand, in order, to share their answer with the class (some of the learning experience will be lost).  This activity can be used as an introduction, or a review of material.

5.      There are some answers that are easier to explain with the use of diagrams and props.  The teacher can assist by supplying pictures, props, or suggesting that students make use of the diagrams in their textbooks to explain their answers.  

If you find any links on my blog that do not work, please let me know by leaving a comment.  I would like to keep my blog up-to-date and relevant.

Lesson Plan and Activity - Use of Books and the Library - Non-fiction Scavenger Hunt - Biology

One of the most useful courses that I took in college was titled The Use of Books and the Library.  I learned a great deal about the resources available in a major research library by preparing an extensive bibliography on a topic of my choice.  This gave me the idea for a lesson plan and activity that would assist high school students in using the library and acquiring reading skills in the use of non-fiction books and internet resources.  The lesson plan and activity worksheets can be found here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kfpFrvt6D9iv08J3v9SANL4Aktx21-lG

There are more versions on the link, I'm posting preview photos here:

Similar activities can be found here on this blog:

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/earth-science-workout-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/cellular-respiration-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/03/textbook-scavenger-hunt-electricity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/evolution-workout-activity-worksheet.html

If you find any links on my blog that do not work, please let me know by leaving a comment.  I would like to keep my blog up-to-date and relevant.

Cellular Respiration Activity - Respiration Workout (with answer key)

The following respiration activity can be used for both introducing and reviewing the main topics of cellular respiration and can be used with the respiration graphic organizers that may be also found in this blog.  https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2010/06/cellular-respiration-graphic-organizer.html

Other "Workout" activities on different topics and be found in this blog here are the links:

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/earth-science-workout-activity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/lesson-plan-and-activity-use-of-books.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/03/textbook-scavenger-hunt-electricity.html

https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/01/evolution-workout-activity-worksheet.html

The Respiration Workout Worksheet and directions can be copied from this link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lsRFAjwXlQkeV472efBmY0tMmkySv89FnLG2W-euyeQ

or  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eL7jSB1L52mad3HyVegO6o2HOfb4x1TX

The Respiration Workout Answer Key can be copied from this link:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=13hD5iTfsij07Gd4I9xzeUsOaXnTvAgWZ

I am posting the directions here so that you can read through them and get an idea about how the activity works.  I got some great comments from administrators who observed my classroom because the activity engages every student.  Even the students who didn't want to participate were engaged because classmates were seeking them out to get the answers on the worksheet.

Directions for Respiration Workout Game:

SUGGESTED RULES ~ OR HOW THE GAME WORKS

Explain to students that this is a cooperative learning activity, which requires all to participate.  By participating in this process, students will have some feeling for how a scientific community of experts works together to produce solutions to problems, and a body of scientific knowledge.  Each student will become an expert in an area of biology, and will be given an opportunity to share their knowledge with every other member of the class.  When students participate in this activity at the beginning of a course, the activity also serves as an “ice-breaker” and allows students to get to know each other and learn names.  As a role model, the teacher should also participate in this activity.

Each student needs: Respiration Workout sheet, his or her textbook, classroom references, notebook paper, and pencil.  Instruct students to number their paper 1. through 25., leaving enough room to write the answers to each question.

Behavior Expectations ~ for some groups of students, the teacher should explain that this activity requires some movement around the room and sharing of answers.  That this is an activity for serious learning and cooperation, and that students are to behave as professionals.  Disruptive students should not be allowed to ruin this activity and will be responsible for answering all the questions by themselves, if they choose to be removed from participation because of their disruptive behavior.

1.      The teacher writes a number on each of twenty-five pieces of paper or index cards.  The numbers are mixed up and distributed to the students so that each student gets a number.

2.      The number, that each student receives, tells which question on the Respiration Workout sheet that he/she is responsible for answering.  The answers are expected to be clear and understandable enough to be shared with other students.  Students are to be instructed that they should take care to make sure the answer is correct because their answer is going to be used by every other student in the class.  Check their work.

3.      After students are given some time to research their answer, the teacher will instruct the students to move around the room collecting answers from other students.  They are to write the answers on their notebook paper; they may gather the answers in any order (but on the paper they hand in, the answers must be in order!).  After each answer is collected, the student who provided the answer to the question must write his/her name in the question square.  The goal is to have a classmate’s name in every square and the answer to every question.

4.      The time given to complete this activity can be flexible.  This can be completed during one class period or in short segments over several days.  The teacher can determine a due date that corresponds to the time it takes the class produce a completed worksheet.  Answers and worksheets can be turned in for a grade.  A shorter version of this activity is to have each student stand, in order, to share their answer with the class (some of the learning experience will be lost).  This activity can be used as an introduction, or a review of material.

5.      There are some answers that are easier to explain with the use of diagrams and props.  The teacher can assist by supplying pictures, props, or suggesting that students make use of the diagrams in their textbooks to explain their answers. https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2010/06/cellular-respiration-graphic-organizer.html 

If you find any links on my blog that do not work, please let me know by leaving a comment.  I would like to keep my blog up-to-date and relevant.

Resources for Learning About Wildfire

As I find resources and information about wildfires, I will post them here.  Keep checking back for updates.

Lesson Plans - In Celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Smokey Bear public awareness campaign, Smokey Bear Live: A distance Learning Adventure K12
http://smokeybearlive.org/resources/lesson-plans

Ecology - Thought Experiments

Here's a set of thought experiments for those who are interested in the field of ecology:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s8lPtRgFuNz23A0qkiaT0mycVwvkEQqM/view?usp=sharing

Credit and thanks to the Ecological Society of America for the definition of Ecology
https://www.esa.org/

25 Books to Read Before You Die: Pacific Northwest Edition by Powell's Staff

25 Books to Read Before You Die: Pacific Northwest Edition by Powell's Staff

Radiation and Electricity Lessons

In this post, I am collecting information, activities, and lesson plans for learning and teaching about radiation.  When I find something new, I will be updating the post so, check back every once-in-awhile, to see if there is anything new and feel free to put any resources that you may know about in the comment section.

Four stories about George de Hevesy (1885-1996)
https://www.orau.org/ptp/articlesstories/hevesy.htm

STEM Resources - Department of Energy - The Harnessed Atom
https://www.energy.gov/ne/information-resources/stem-resources

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a free handbook written about how to protect your family and yourself from the hazards of radon:
https://www.epa.gov/radon/citizens-guide-radon-guide-protecting-yourself-and-your-family-radon
In addition to this information, the EPA also has resources on radiation:
https://www.epa.gov/radiation
There are also some teaching and learning activity resources at RadTown, the EPA's source for radiation education, including classroom materials:
https://www.epa.gov/radtown

Here is a textbook scavenger hunt on the subject of electricity, which is right here on my blog:
https://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2020/03/textbook-scavenger-hunt-electricity.html

I like to keep the information on my blog up-to-date, so if there are any links that you discover are not working, please let be know by making a comment and I will try to find a way to update the information.

Lesson Planning and Student Organization - Biology I Science Activities - Using Notebook Check Sheets and Curriculum Maps

     NOTEBOOK CHECK SHEETS

 I created notebook check sheets to assist with student organization and to help with my own lesson planning and organization.  It turned out that the notebook check sheets were helpful in many other ways, including parent communications, make-up work, absent work, supervisor observations, posting on homework websites, and my own teacher evaluations.  I could look back and see how long it took me to teach activities and lessons, so that I could use the information for future planning.  This is because the notebook check sheets are a brief daily listing of everything we did in biology class.  In the beginning it was a little more time consuming to set them up, but once I had the templates and lists of the activities, I could cut and paste lists for the next classes that I taught.  I have notebook check sheets for classes that I taught, starting in about 2005.  I am sharing some of my notebook check sheets and will upload more of them in the upcoming weeks.
     I made the notebook check a weekly activity, which occurred on Thursdays at the beginning of class.  I decided that I didn't want to waste paper, so on the back of the notebook check sheet, I copied a BrainPop quiz  https://www.brainpop.com/  We would start out by watching a short BrainPop movie that matched the lesson topic and then students would "grade" their own notebook check sheets.  Students were asked to check off what they had done and give themselves an "X," if they had not completed work, or were missing items that were supposed to be in their binder, or lab notebook.  When you look as the notebook check sheets, you will see that the sheets list what should have been handed in, what should be in their science binder, and what should be in their lab notebook.  The goal was to receive "Zero" X's.  Students were given 10 participation points for completing the notebook check sheet and 10 points for the BrainPop quiz.  We went over the answers, so most students enjoyed the activity because they got an easy "A" and yes, high school sophomores do like BrainPop.  Older students could complete puzzles or readings - I just didn't want the back of the paper to go to waste, so that we were learning all the time.  Because I weighted the grades, the participation points only added slightly to a student's grade.  The parent signature was optional extra credit.  Did students cheat on these sheets?  Yes, and some learned that there were natural negative consequences from doing that.  Mostly from when their parents found out that there were notebook check sheets that their child was supposed to be sharing, after a call home about falling or failing grades, open house, or conferences!
     I hope that you will look at the notebook check sheets and come up with your own ideas about activities to teach and how to organize your lessons.  If you use Schoology, maybe they can be modified for use online by students and parents. 

Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 1st Semester 2015-2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mFbmU_yvqp1xJZTHFHQXoapQSetNTOIg/view?usp=sharing
Notebook Check Sheets for Biology I, 2nd Semester 2016
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14x2n6PvXjnUiFg9_fUtAG6nIRXPfih0D/view?usp=sharing

The Textbook referred to in the notebook check sheets is:
SEPUP. (2011). Science and Global Issues: Biology. Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California at Berkeley. Published by Lab-Aids, Inc., Ronkonkoma NY
I also used this textbook and the supplemental materials: Biggs, Alton et al. 1999. Glencoe Biology, The Dynamics of Life, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN-10:0028282426 
There are some activities mentioned that you can find on this Blogger website.  Post a comment if you have a question, I will gladly try to assist you.

     CURRICULUM MAPS

During one of my observations, my supervisor played a trick on me.  He asked if I had a curriculum map.  I did not and was not familiar with them.  Neither was anyone in the entire school!  My supervisor put me on an improvement plan and I was given the task to create a curriculum map.  He sent emailed me a template for making a curriculum map and he asked me to purchase the following book, telling me that I would be reimbursed for my expense (I was not!):

Jacobs, Heidi Hayes. 1997. Mapping the Big Picture: Integrating Curriculum and Assessment K-12. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia USA. 72 pp. plus sample curriculum maps.  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6068437625

Following examples in the book, I created my own curriculum maps, which outlined and provided a yearly plans, with supporting details, for the course work that I would be presenting to my students.  The notebook check sheets that I had been using were helpful in constructing the maps.  I found the maps useful in outlining a plan for the school year.  Before I emailed the first curriculum map that I made back to my supervisor, I printed out a copy for myself.  When I did that, I found out that his name printed out in the hidden footer of the map!  I eventually then discovered that all of this curriculum mapping was part of a course that he was himself taking.  He took my curriculum map and showed it off, bragging about how talented the teachers were at our school!!!  I am providing links to some of my curriculum maps so that you can see what I came up with.  Maybe you will find them helpful and can create your own, so that you have bragging rights about how organized that you are in your planning.  These are not the Student Learning Maps that come from Learning-Focused training and toolbox.
 
Coordinated Science, Grade 10: Nature of Science, Astronomy, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Chemistry
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fRKPciZrms9ZOgBjOo-4ZJvDDiKtj7Y8/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XNriQ2e5xUSRZK97iOEyRWtI9vwjuC2G/view?usp=sharing

Coordinated Science, Grade 10: Biology I
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YWOrCjXW4iBh3w5dr4m61uYDwI4m-irW/view?usp=sharing

Here is a template for curriculum mapping:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rhz8lQ_Kp7cGreMhAWnzwCQ9Z4GIAsfA/view?usp=sharing

Citizen Science Resources

I plan to update this post with information and resources for citizen science, so If you have interest in this topic, keep checking back to see if there are any updates, or let me know about a resource so that I can add it to this post.

If you would like to be a Citizen Scientist and participate in our bird watching project, you can register at http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ and submit your observations.  We have a birding hotspot here at Middletown High and you can watch birds at the pond and submit your observations to the Middletown High School Pond birding hotspot:  http://ebird.org/ebird/hotspot/L2346801   Check it out!

When exploring citizen science projects, students may wish to learn how to present what they have learned in the form of a scientific poster.  Examples and guidance may be found here:  https://libguides.esf.edu/c.php?g=77417&p=499957

This issue of The Science Teacher focuses on Citizen Science with descriptions of how to use ebird.org resources and has a framework of the science standards addressed.
https://learningcenter.nsta.org/browse_journals.aspx?journal=tst
The Science Teacher. 2019. January. Volume 86 Number 5 pp. 40-47   

California Academy of Sciences Citizen Science Toolkit:  
https://www.calacademy.org/educators/citizen-science-toolkit

Citizen Science @NASA
http://science.nasa.gov/citizenscientists

Citizen Science - an official site of the United States Government
www.citizenscience.gov

The California of Sciences Long-Term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students 
http://limpets.org

Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program

http://bemp.org

Citizen Science Soil Collection Program - University of Oklahoma's Natural Products Discovery Group

https://whatsinyourbackyard.org

Citizen Science News About Zooniverse
https://beta.washingtonpost.com/science/want-to-be-a-citizen-scientist-then-zoom-in-to-the-zooniverse-and-help-compile-important--and-fascinating--research/2019/09/06/5a7a8060-cf44-11e9-8c1c-7c8ee785b855_story.html?outputType=amp
Here's the website for Zooniverse so that Citizen Scientists can assist with numerous projects: https://www.zooniverse.org/
     Examples are Steller Sea Lion  
         Watch: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/sweenkl/steller-watch

Capture Animal Photos for a Citizen Science Project
https://emammal.si.edu/

ScienceNews for Students (very helpful and comprehensive)
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/kids-make-great-citizen-scientists

Citizen Science Video about Participation in Citizen Science, which Includes Resources to Projects
https://video.nhpbs.org/video/why-citizen-science-george-gurgis-zyha6n/
       
     

7 Simple Things That You Can Do To Help Birds    bit.ly/7-simple-actions

Explore evolution in action by contributing to the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) squirrel mapper citizen science project website
http://squirrelmapper.org/

Project eTrout is a citizen science program were all ages and levels can contribute to studying fish ecology in West Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, using virtual reality technology to count fish
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/lsc/science/project-etrout?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

A global website for recording and sharing observations of the natural world.

https://www.inaturalist.org/ 

The Community  Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network

Anytime rain, hail, or snow occurs in your area, you can report precipitation data to share with meteorologists.  

https://www.cocorahs.org/

Instant Wild Osa Camera Trap Network in Costa Rica

Participants from around the world are invited to help identify and monitor wild cats as well as their prey.  This includes other wild mammals and endangered species.  An Instant Wild project in collaboration with National Geographic.

https://instantwild.zsl.org/projects/osa-CTN

The Zooniverse is a website that has over 50 citizen science projects available to everyone who would like to take part in real science research. This includes citizen science projects that involve wildlife-camera studies.

https://www.zooniverse.org/

Explore and learn biology concepts, and search for some citizen science projects that are available here:

https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources?search=&f%5B0%5D=resource_type%3A18

For information about using SciStarter to find citizen science projects, please visit:

https://www.scistarter.org/    The SciStarter Foundation's mission is to increase public engagement in science and society.  

March for Science Paper DNA

Paper DNA marching down Constitution Avenue on April 22, 2017, in the March for Science.

If you are looking for the patterns and some pictures for the paper DNA model, please look at my April 8, 2007 posts! Starting with:
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-make-paper-model-of-dna.html

http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/cut-out-pattern-for-making-paper-model_08.html

http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/cut-out-pattern-for-making-paper-model.html

They include the directions and templates for making the model.

Proof of Procedure for Construction of a Pentagon within a Circle - Dividing a Circle into Five Parts

Bag-like sea creature was humans' oldest known ancestor: A tiny sea creature identified from fossils found in China may be the earliest known step on an evolutionary path that eventually led to the emergence of humans

Bag-like sea creature was humans' oldest known ancestor: A tiny sea creature identified from fossils found in China may be the earliest known step on an evolutionary path that eventually led to the emergence of humans: Researchers have identified traces of what they believe is the earliest known prehistoric ancestor of humans -- a microscopic, bag-like sea creature, which lived about 540 million years ago.

For more on human evolution in this blog, you can visit this link:
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/03/human-evolution-multimedia.html

Life thrived on young Earth: scientists discover 3.7-billion-year-old fossils: Remarkable find by team of Australian researchers points to earliest existence of diverse life on Earth

Life thrived on young Earth: scientists discover 3.7-billion-year-old fossils: Remarkable find by team of Australian researchers points to earliest existence of diverse life on Earth: A team of Australian researchers has uncovered the world's oldest fossils in a remote area of Greenland, capturing the earliest history of the planet and demonstrating that life on Earth emerged rapidly in the planet's early years. The team discovered 3.7-billion-year-old stromatolite fossils in the world's oldest sedimentary rocks, in the Isua Greenstone Belt along the edge of Greenland's icecap.

Cracking the coldest case: How Lucy, the most famous human ancestor, died

Cracking the coldest case: How Lucy, the most famous human ancestor, died: Lucy, the most famous fossil of a human ancestor, probably died after falling from a tree, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the injury Lucy sustained was consistent with a four-part proximal humerus fracture, caused by a fall from considerable height when the conscious victim stretched out an arm in an attempt to break the fall.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160829140417.htm


For more information about human evolution, including numerous resources about human evolution, visit this page:
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/03/human-evolution-multimedia.html

Book about famous fossils, including Lucy:
http://www.powells.com/book/seven-skeletons-9780525429852/2-0

Meiosis Explained

Looking for my activity "Sneakerdog's Phases of Mitosis?"  It can be found on this blog here:  http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/04/phases-of-mitosis-activity-worksheet.html

Meiosis explained

by Christine M. Anderson

This article is a study guide for taking a test on the topic of meiosis. Important concepts are summarized and explained. By reading through this summary and studying what is written here, a student will be prepared to demonstrate an understanding of meiosis.
What is the most important general fact that should be understood about meiosis? It is a unique kind of cell division that takes place in the reproductive organs of organisms; organisms that rely on the survival strategy of sexual reproduction to produce offspring. In meiosis, cell division produces haploid gametes. Haploid gametes are sperm and eggs that have half the number of chromosomes as the somatic, or body cells.

Pay attention to the spelling of the word meiosis - M E I O S I S. It is pronounced MY OH SIS, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The name means: to diminish. This name makes sense because the number of chromosomes is being decreased by one half, when four gametes are formed from the original parent cell.
Know that the first phase of meiosis is prophase I. There is something that happens, during this phase, that is important to understand. During this prophase I, the chromatin condenses into chromosomes and the male and female pairs of chromosomes pair up to form tetrads. The root word tetra means four. A tetrad consists of two pairs of homologous chromosomes joined by a centromere. Homologous chromosomes are chromosomes that have the same genes, however the chromosomes may have different variations (alleles) of the genes. One important process that takes place during prophase I is "crossing over;" the exchanging of genetic material that occurs when two homologous chromosomes cross over each other and exchange genetic material. The word chromosome means "colored body," because the chromosomes take up the stain used to prepare cells for study under the microscope and are seen as distinct units, during prophase I.
The number of chromosomes found in the body cells of every member of a species is known as the diploid (2N) number of chromosomes. If the number of chromosomes in the parent cell is 12, the number of chromosomes in the sperm cell of the same organism will be 6. A zygote is formed when a haploid sperm fuses with a haploid egg to form a cell with the diploid, or same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.
It is also important to know that meiosis provides genetic variation in an organism's offspring. This is because each gamete has a different combination of chromosomes from independent assortment during meiosis. Also, the crossing over of chromosomes in prophase I shuffles the genes, so that the resulting germ cells are different and unique. The other phases of meiosis are metaphase I, anaphase I, telophase I, prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, and telophase II. Drawing the phases, describing what is happening during each phase, and labeling the cell structures and chromosomes helps one to study and become familiar with what is happening, step-by-step, during meiosis.

The Google Doodle and Lucy 10/24/2015

The Google Doodle and Lucy  10/24/2015
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/12013826/Who-is-Lucy-the-Australopithecus.html



More about Human Evolution is here:
http://cavalierscience.blogspot.com/2009/03/human-evolution-multimedia.html