Curriculum Resource: Thanksgiving Science From Science Jim

Here's a little bit of learning to sneak in for the holiday.  Our favorite online science educator, Science Jim, has posted a video of a class he did last year on Thanksgiving topics, covering topics like whether eating turkey really makes you sleepy and did Ben Franklin really try to combine turkey and electricity.  Just click below to sneak in a little science along with all the good food!



Science Jim Show: Thanksgiving and Ben Franklin! from Science Jim on Vimeo.

Google's Thanksgiving Doodle Makes You a Turkey Designer

Google's Thanksgiving Doodle came early this year, and it's so much fun, I wanted to let people know about it.  At least today (Tuesday, November 22), if you go to the Google Home Page, you will see a cartoon turkey. But if you click on the turkey's head, feet, and tail feathers, you can change them to your preference.  If you click on the wing, it will rapidly cycle through all the choices simultaneously, which gives you some ideas about your options.

Once you have created your custom turkey, you can either share it through Google+ or through a weblink. So, for example, to see the turkey I designed, visit: http://g.co/doodle/d7bz39  .


If you create your own turkey, please share it in the comments below--I would love to see people's creative turkeys!  It's a fun and easy way to get into the holiday spirit.

Curriculum Resource: Math and Videogames

I've found what looks like an incredible resource.  It is an online, multi-media, interactive, self-paced course on math concepts used in video games.  It was developed by WNET, the public broadcasting network in New York City, for 7th-10th graders, although advanced younger middle schoolers could probably use it as well.

The lesson demonstrates how algebraic concepts, such as linear relationships, rate of change and slope, algebraic and numeric expressions and equations, and graphing transformations, underlie the design and playing of many video game challenges.  Of course, it is interactive, so students are called upon to solve such problem to demonstrate some typical video game techniques.

You can access the entire lesson for FREE at the Teacher's Domain website (although students will have to create an account if they want the lesson to record their input for various challenges).  You can also download a Teacher's Guide about how to support math learning through this lesson at the same location.

Free Music From Moby for Non-profit Film Makers

Personally, I believe that by the time students are in middle school, they should be making some of their presentations in a multi-media format, in addition to developing skills in writing the traditional essays and term papers.  However, in my classes, I insist that they use music that is public domain or Creative Commons license (that is, available for non-profit use without payment), although they usually originally envision their projects with one of their favorite current hits as the background track.

But if your students are Moby fans, they may be able to do both.

Moby has just begun to offer some of his music at no charge to non-commercial video projects.  Just create an account at MobyGratis.com to check it out.

Curriculum Resource: Lesson Plan on the Occupy Movement

Last month I posted an NPR podcast and a dubious news item as resources to use for discussing the Occupy movement with students.  Now you can supplement those with an entire lesson plan developed by C-SPAN to drive students to consider this question:  Should students support or oppose the "Occupy" movement?

The lesson plan is build around some C-SPAN news clips and some current articles, pro and con, by some of the top columnists of leading newspapers.  However, it was low, medium, and high read levels indicated, so it can be used with a wide range of ages/abilities.  It is geared towards having a classroom debate, but the materials could be used on an individual basis and lead to writing a pro or con position paper instead.

It has some high quality resources on a timely subject, and the price is right, because it is FREE.  If you are interested, you can download everything from the C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations website.

Visiting A Hindu Temple

This week in our World Religions class we had a real treat.  We visited the Sri Venkateswara Hindu Temple here in Cary, NC.  While there are quite a number of temples in our area, this one is the only one I know of that was built in accordance with an ancient Hindu tradition that requires exact placement of different elements, etc. (but don't worry--they also had to meet the US building code regulations, our guide assured us).

We loved visiting the temple, in part because it was so different than the churches that most of us are accustomed to seeing.  Its several towers were covered with elaborately molded concrete displaying vines, gods, monster guards, and other curly cues.

We had to leave our shoes outside the fence before entering the complex.  Hindu temples always open to the East, according to our guide, which is thought to be the place of the gods, so that was where this entrance was.  However, you are supposed to go around the temple outside from East to South to West to North, and to honor at the smaller shrines outside, before entering the main building.

Once inside, you are again expected to show your respect to the minor deities and creatures--in this case, two wives and the giant bird the god rides--before coming to worship at the main alter, which in this case is Venkateswara, which is one of the avatars of Visnu, the god of protection.  There is no set time for worship and no sermon or service; rather, people just come at their own time and honor the god/s in their own way.  They believe that the god actually inhabits the statues that they build, so it is a very personal connection between the worshiper and the deity.

It's a great thing to see, and a great concept of religion to consider.  If there is a Hindu temple around you, I recommend that you check it out.

Curriculum Resource: Explaining the Electoral College

I recently received the FREE 2012 Electoral College map that C-SPAN is giving to US teachers (for more information, read this post), and it is a durable and valuable resource.  Now I need some materials to help me explain this unusual voting technique to my middle schooler.

Enter C.G.P. Grey, who has created two videos that are perfect for my son, at least.  They are short and to the point, and use math examples to make the system concrete.  Best of all, they insert some humor, which always works to keep my son interested.

The first one explains the Electoral College System:


But I like the second one even better. It demonstrates the problems with this system, and dismisses some of the myths that are offered as explanations about why we have to keep this antiquated technique of electing our modern President:


I learned some stuff, and I'm already pretty well versed on the subject (or so I thought).

I definitely recommend keeping these in your arsenal of tools when you are covering the 2012 Presidential election with your middle schoolers.