March Journeyman Inspirements

KNOW

1.  Read about Spallanzani in Ch. 2 of Microbe Hunters

2.  Watch this video about single-celled organisms  

3.  Research different kinds of single-celled organisms (both prokaryotes and eukaryotes).

UNDERSTAND

Do this:

1.  Perform an experiment with microbes.  You can do this with someone or on your own.  Here is a website with some ideas you could use for your activity. 

     http://archives.microbeworld.org/resources/experiment.aspx

Tell/show us about your adventure!

And do one or more of these:

2.  If you’re 15 or older, enter the Germ Challenge contest, details here, http://www.cambridgesciencefestival.org/2014Festival/TheGermChallenge.aspx

3.  If you can get to some pond water, take a tall drinking glass and hold it right side up into the water.  Look into it and if you can see well, watch for a little while.  Do you see anything interesting?  If you do, draw it and tell us about it.

4.  Choose 5 of the single-celled organisms you found from your research.  Draw and label them.  Identify what mode of locomotion they use?  Identify if it is a prokaryote or a eukaryote. 

5.  Choose 1 of the single-celled organisms you researched and make a model of it using materials of your choosing.

6.  How is integrity important to a scientist?  Was it important to Spallanzani?  Why or why not?  How is it important to you?  Write about it and share it with us.

7.  Make a Venn diagram comparing prokaryotes to eukaryotes.  

INTELLIGENCE

We'll be passing out petri dishes with nutrient agar in them along with sterile cotton swabs at the end of Geo-Conquest.  Using sterile cotton swabs, get samples of bacteria from various places (the inside of your cheek, a doorknob, a dishrag, the phone, your ear, the steering wheel, dirt, a tree trunk, pond water, etc).  Make sure to use one sterile cotton swab per sample and don’t touch the swab with your finger.  Streak the swab on the agar.  You could do a few different samples in the same petri dish, just don’t overlap them, give them their space.  Then put the cover on, tape it or put an elastic band around it, turn it upside down (to avoid condensation), and let the bacteria grow!  They grow better if they are warm and cozy.  

        See if you can identify what you've got growing in your dish.  

Bring it and show us what sort of goodies you found!  Also, make a little diagram (or map) of your dish showing where each spot of bacteria came from, OR, using a permanent marker, you could mark the outside of your dish so you know where things are.    Here’s a site with more info on successfully growing your new “pets!”  http://www.scienceenterprises.com/growingbacteria.aspx

March Master Class Inspirements

KNOW

1. Read about Pasteur in Ch. 3 of Microbe Hunters 
2. Watch these videos about using microbes to create electricity.  
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaZUsASFI6Y
2. http://www.microbeworld.org/component/jlibrary/?view=article&id=11893

     3.  Watch this video about antibiotic resistant bacteria.

UNDERSTANDING

Do one of these:

1. Teach us about antibodies:  how we form them, how they function.  You can do a   demonstration, make a diagram or model, prepare a graphic summary, or use some other way to pass on the information.
2. Teach us about antibiotic resistance.  Give examples of these bacteria.  How has this  become a problem and what can we do about it?
3. Find information or an interesting video about microorganisms being used today for our benefit, or commercially.  There are lots of them out there.  If it’s a video, you can post it ahead of time.
4. Tell us about why our bodies need “good” bacteria.  How does it work in our bodies and help us?  
5. Find out and tell us how vaccines work.  Have a discussion with one or both of your parents about vaccines and find out what they think about them.  Discuss the pros and cons as there is a lot of controversy regarding these now with a lot of differing opinions.  Give examples of pros and cons.

INTELLIGENCE

I think we should be able to visit the Syracuse water treatment plant.  The man who works there is very knowledgeable and excited to teach about the possibilities at these kinds of facilities.  

Do both of these:

1. Come up with an idea for using microorganisms to solve some problem.
2. Come to the field trip with a specific question to ask.

February Master Class Inspirements

KNOW

1)  Read Truth: The Foundation of Correct Decisions by Richard G. Scott.  Think about what sort of sacrifices are required to find truth.  When you come to a crossroads in your life, and a decision must be made, what will you need to do?

2)  Read the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19:16-22.  What do you "lack" that you must do "if thou wilt be perfect?"

3)  Watch this video.  What was this woman's sacrifice?

4)  Research a math idea or principle that interests you.  The Math Book by Clifford A. Pickover is an AWESOME resource for this.  You can look at the Table of Contents for this on Amazon to get ideas of what you'd like to research.

UNDERSTAND

Do this:

1)  Present the math principle you researched.  You can tell us about it, use drawings, pictures, or examples, share a video, make a prezi, etc.

Do one of these:

2)  Sacrifice is an eternal principle that applies to our lives in so many ways.  We often only think of it as something that has to do with church, religion, or faith, which it certainly does.  But, as with our faith, the principle of sacrifice can be interwoven throughout the fabric of our entire lives.  Oftentimes, it is looked upon as negative idea, and some people really don't like to talk about it.  For this inspirement, ponder on this principle and write in your journal the thoughts that you have on it.  Answer these questions:  How does it apply to your life?  How can the lack of meaningful sacrifice affect your life?  What is the benefit of sacrifice?  And what can you give up now, that will mean so much to you down the road?

3)  We'll discuss and learn about chemical bonding in Journeyman.  Give a more in depth example of it.  You can perform an experiment or find info about one that teaches us about the effect on specific elements.  You can share this ahead of time or do it in class.

4)  Perform a simple experiment at home with a brother, sister, or a friend using household items.  Talk about it.  What happened?  Why?  What if we did this or that differently, then what do we think might happen?  Was there a chemical reaction?  Did some element sacrifice an electron in the reaction?  Tell us about it!

5)  Memorize the rest of the periodic table (meaning the name, atomic number, and where it is on the table).

INTELLIGENCE

We are going on a field trip to my brother-in-law's house.  He is an chemical engineer and works mostly from home.  He has built a reactor in his basement and is going to talk to us about it.  He'd love to answer questions about what he does and about his experiments.  He is a really fun, interesting person so please feel free to talk to him and ask questions.

Do both of these:

1)  Come with a specific question in mind.  I can't guarantee he can answer it, but it should make for good discussion.

2)  Come prepared to discuss sacrifice and how it applies in our lives.

*Note:  We'll meet at his house first, then we'll head to the Brower's to finish our class.  We'll make arrangements for driving on the yahoo group.