Hunter Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Okay, so I have decided to use Evan-Moor as my science core. It's too easy in the early grades and too hard in the later grades for some of my students, but I'm not using the worksheets, so I think this will work. Every month there is a "big idea" and 4 weekly subtopics for that big idea. Each subtopic has an interesting example. So July is going to be "Living things have basic needs that help them stay alive." Week one is "Can a rock grow?" The focus is on determining if items are living or not. Rocks will be covered more in depth later on, but I want to add a LITTLE rock study, especially in how it is a DEAD thing. I love this series even the grade 1 book. It's twisting my brain up like a pretzel and making me see things like I never have before. I never before concentrated on how DEAD rocks are :-) This is not the time to introduce Mohs hardness scale. Home Science Tools came today. I want the Mohs set, but I must be practical. That is NOT on topic and I can't afford it. Help me explore how DEAD a rock is :lol: The week after that is "Do Monkeys really eat bananas?". Week 3 is "Do Plants Have mouths?" and week 4 is "Do fish drink water". Monkeys will be a blast and will include a field trip and a movie. I think I'm going to buy a fish for week 4. I'm not sure what I'll do for plants. First I need to focus on DEAD rocks :-) I don't know why I think this is so funny :-0 Tweaking this book just slightly turns it from babyish to hysterical, at least to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'm sorry, but I'm not seeing how rocks can be dead. If something is dead, that would imply that it was living before, but now it's not. At least that's how I see it. Rocks were never living. But, I'm glad you're enjoying the lessons. Sounds like fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Ooop, nonliving. Thanks. The lesson says nonliving. This is why I need to start this series at grade 1, never mind my students. Note to self: focus on nonliving vs dead! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I know they are non-living, but if you've ever seen a well cut, fine quality gem, then you'd swear they were alive! Likewise, I've seen some stones literally suck the life from around them. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 I know they are non-living, but if you've ever seen a well cut, fine quality gem, then you'd swear they were alive! Likewise, I've seen some stones literally suck the life from around them. :tongue_smilie: There are some pagans and metaphysicians who would disagree with using rocks to demonstrate nonliving. I think BFSU has a lesson on this. In fact I'll bet all these lessons line right up with chapters in BFSU. I need to compare them tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Oh interesting. I've been on the fence about buying BFSU. Let me know about that chapter, maybe it'll topple me over. I was not into the metaphysics of "crystals," I was (I guess still am) a graduate gemologist. I was fortunate enough to see some incredible gemstones during my former career. A little off topic but what drew me into the business so much was the melding of the science and the artistic ability of man to create (cut well) these wondrous stones. A diamond's a diamond, but when you see one that is cut to perfection, it literally takes the life and light from around it, bounces it around on the inside and spits it back out tenfold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Oh interesting. I've been on the fence about buying BFSU. Let me know about that chapter, maybe it'll topple me over. I was not into the metaphysics of "crystals," I was (I guess still am) a graduate gemologist. I was fortunate enough to see some incredible gemstones during my former career. A little off topic but what drew me into the business so much was the melding of the science and the artistic ability of man to create (cut well) these wondrous stones. A diamond's a diamond, but when you see one that is cut to perfection, it literally takes the life and light from around it, bounces it around on the inside and spits it back out tenfold. That's cool. I've been to the Smithsonian gem exhibit even, but have never really been able to get into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 (edited) Ahh..I THINK I might be getting what you are saying now. While focusing on the nonliving aspect, also focus on the awesomeness of them and man's relationship to them? Even though they are so awesome, and are loved, they do not require food, water and air to survive. And for the students that can handle it, the longer list of attributes of living things. I think there is a gem or rock or element display here in the city now that I think of it, that I never knew how to properly do anything with. I glanced at them and tried to come up with something, but they just laid there. They made so little of an impression, I don't even remember what they are :-0 They are nonliving for sure, though. Field trip planned. Sunday mornings are free and my manic students don't sleep near the summer solstice, so this is the time for an early Sunday morning trip. The museum is going to be HAPPY to see us. NOT! :lol: I KNEW the hive could help! I had NO idea what you all would come up with, but I knew it would be great :-) I'll get back to you about BFSU. EDIT: I'm reading your post again. Pay special attention to what happens to the light around them. Edited June 19, 2012 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 That's cool. I've been to the Smithsonian gem exhibit even, but have never really been able to get into them. Hmm? You know, maybe you need to be able to hold the stones. I worked at a very upscale jewelry store. But we use to hold seminars and taught classes to various groups. Another reason I loved what I did; it was all educational. Maybe you could check with jewelers around you. I don't know what others do, but we use to "tour" the store and merchandise for groups of kids even, like the scouts. We had a lab on premise for appraisal and insurance work. And we held "classes" there for the hands on science end of the business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 BFSU lesson B2 is on Living, natural nonliving, and manmade things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixeldog Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 You could throw in a "mood ring" study for yuks..... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 1) So put a rock on a piece a paper and every day chart how much the rock moves. 2) Every day measure some rocks to see if they are 'growing'. 3) Put rocks together in groups of two and see if they 'reproduce'. 4) Every day put out different types of 'food' and see if the rock feeds on anything. 5) Every day check to see if the rock poops or pees out any waste product. Is that what you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 1) So put a rock on a piece a paper and every day chart how much the rock moves.2) Every day measure some rocks to see if they are 'growing'. 3) Put rocks together in groups of two and see if they 'reproduce'. 4) Every day put out different types of 'food' and see if the rock feeds on anything. 5) Every day check to see if the rock poops or pees out any waste product. Is that what you mean? I don't know what I mean. I just tossed it out here having no idea what to expect. I love this. It's making me laugh, so I'm wondering how to turn this into a comics drawing lesson or story writing idea or... I LOVE this though. Thanks! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 You could throw in a "mood ring" study for yuks..... :D I wonder where these can be bought? One of the things I would like to do with my students is have souvenirs from our science adventures. Mood rings would be a fun reminder of the trip to the museum and "rock week". I picked this book, because it felt...grounding. Big Ideas to feast on and inspire, but fun and common examples to touch and interact with. I'm about to make phone calls to schedule the field trip :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Which Evan-Moor science book is this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I wonder where these can be bought? One of the things I would like to do with my students is have souvenirs from our science adventures. Mood rings would be a fun reminder of the trip to the museum and "rock week". … Oriental Trading, of course! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 There is an interesting passage from The Andromeda Strain concerning the idea of "what is alive?" You can read the passage here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 1) So put a rock on a piece a paper and every day chart how much the rock moves.2) Every day measure some rocks to see if they are 'growing'. 3) Put rocks together in groups of two and see if they 'reproduce'. 4) Every day put out different types of 'food' and see if the rock feeds on anything. 5) Every day check to see if the rock poops or pees out any waste product. Is that what you mean? These are actually really good ideas! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Which Evan-Moor science book is this? http://books.google.com/books?id=BfAQv6y2ZF0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false http://www.evan-moor.com/Product.aspx?SeriesID=201 The cover at currclick is different, so I'm not sure if it's an older edition, so beware. http://www.currclick.com/product/28565/Daily-Science%3A-Grade-1?it=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 There is an interesting passage from The Andromeda Strain concerning the idea of "what is alive?" You can read the passage here. Oriental Trading, of course! Thanks! I love the rock is living story. It's perfect if I just skip the early part on proteins. You all are outdoing yourselves :-) Can you see the lady in the video advertising the product as an easy language arts book, scratching her head, looking at the book and saying, "Huh? They got all that out of here?" Don't start with the monkey topic; it needs its own thread. But I can hardly wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five More Minutes Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Okay, so I have decided to use Evan-Moor as my science core. It's too easy in the early grades and too hard in the later grades for some of my students, but I'm not using the worksheets, so I think this will work. Every month there is a "big idea" and 4 weekly subtopics for that big idea. Each subtopic has an interesting example. Hope I'm not hijacking ... why are you choosing Evan-Moor as a core? What's drawing you to it? I like BFSU for its demonstration-heavy approach to introducing science topics, and its overall structure. But I want a bit more in terms of writing, which is what made me start to consider Evan-Moor. Now I'm wondering if the two could be aligned at all ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Hope I'm not hijacking ... why are you choosing Evan-Moor as a core? What's drawing you to it? I like BFSU for its demonstration-heavy approach to introducing science topics, and its overall structure. But I want a bit more in terms of writing, which is what made me start to consider Evan-Moor. Now I'm wondering if the two could be aligned at all ... Yes, I'm looking at BFSU too, too see if any of it aligns. Last night I tagged some of my old evan-moor science posts, so there is a tag link at the bottom of this thread. Evan-moor is providing rhythm for me. The "Big Theme" is my monthly theme. The questions serve as a weekly focus. My students and I thrive on structure. We thrive on connections of ordinary things to more complex and abstract things. I think I could have forced BFSU to work, but this is working without any strain, and providing all and more, of what *I* was wanting from BFSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Don't forget about organic gemstones. Pearls were made by living organisms. Amber came from living organisms. Coral was once alive. Ivory came from living organisms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Don't forget about organic gemstones. Pearls were made by living organisms. Amber came from living organisms. Coral was once alive. Ivory came from living organisms. Awesome! Which of those are DEAD, and which of those are NONLIVING? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpskowski Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well, let's see. Coral is definitely dead. Pearl is non-living; a by product from a living. Jet was wood - dead? Ivory was from tusks, so dead? Amber was from sap, so non- living by product from living. But the best specimens of amber trap living organisms inside, so those are dead. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Also coal-- definitely a rock, but compressed, cooked, very very old plant matter...so dead, I guess, by your distinction? But converted to something else that we use (as fossil fuel) to help us live the way we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Awesome! I think all of these items are at the museum, that we are making plans to go to. It is a storehouse of items that are dead and nonliving. There are even stuffed dead animals, that a lowest level student can instantly recognize as dead :lol: I knew it wasn't crazy for me to use a 1st grade workbook as my teacher's manual. It's the pacing and the topics that I love. NOT the worksheets! This museum trip will make such a nice contrast to the zoo and the arboretum and the aquarium I am planning for weeks 2, 3 and 4. It really shows the attributes of nonliving and dead. I might sum up the month with a quick return to it, to point out the contrast again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Free Asimov books on coal and oil if anyone is also doing this unit and looking for supplementation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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