Yeah! Master DOE Teacher is Honored.

President Barack Obama recently announced that Jessica Gogerty, a graduate student in Drake's School of Education and a science teacher at Des Moines North High School, is one of 103 teachers nationwide selected as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching...(click on the title to read the full article).

Biotechnology Workshop at Iowa State University

Once again this year I am participating in the U.S. Department of Energy Academies Creating Teacher Scientists program. I am pleased to let you know that my first week was spent participating in a biotechnology workshop. In addition, I will be working in a lab (more posts on that at a later time), and I will be attending weekly seminars on various topics. This slideshow is just a peak into the facilities and activities that I am involved in, and my goal in to bring back materials and activities that I can use in my Life and Earth Science classes.

Chao Phraya River Video

Discovering Climate Change on the Chao Phraya Watershed

On Tuesday June 8, 2010 my Biology class will be going on a field trip along the Chao Praya river. The field trip will be conducted by the Prem Magic Eyes Barge Program. The goal of the program is to give students the opportunity to observe the environment along the river, taking note of factors which are contributing to excess CO2 in the atmoshpere. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss the impact the CO2 has on our environment, and through investigations students will be able to demonstrate the effects of CO2 on the environment, on the planets temperature, and they will consider how rising sea levels will affect Bangkok. Check back on Wednesday to see pictures from our lab investigations that we conduct while going up the river on the barge.

Exam Schedule

May 31, 2010/June 1, 2010 /June 2, 2010 /June 3, 2010/ June 4, 2010
7:55 - 9:00 Homeroom
9:00 - 9:25 Break
9:30 Report to Exam Room
10:00 - 12:00
Social Studies (Monday)
Language Arts (Tuesday)
Science (Wednesday)
Math (Thursday)
Exam Exam Exam Exam
12:00 - 12:55 Lunch
1:00 Dismissal
2:00 Bus Leaves

GLAD THAT'S NOT EARTH!

That hottest known planet may be its shortest-lived ...
This NASA artist's concept image shows that the hottest known planet in the Milky Way galaxy may also be its shortest-lived world. The doomed planet is being eaten by its parent star, according to observations made by a new instrument on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). The planet may only have another 10 million years left before it is completely devoured.… To read more click on the title above »
T(AFP/NASA)

www.msn.com

What Do You Think?

Over the last several weeks we have witnessed a great deal of tension and violence between different political parties here in Thailand. As an expatriate who has just recently moved here, I've had a difficult time understanding why there is so much tension and difficulty negotiating a compromise that will benefit the entire country. Since schools all over Bangkok have been disrupted as a result, I would like each of you to take a moment and respectfully express your opinions about the political situation here in Thailand.

School Closed Due to Protests in Bangkok!!

Dear Parents and Students

Please visit tinyurl.com/mstanea to find lesson material during this week off.

Due to the protests school has been canceled by the Thai Ministry of Education. I will try to communicate with students through my website. I will post up review material under each subject by Monday. If students have any concerns or issues they can contact me by email at tanea@wells-school.com.

Chemistry class has already received the list of objectives that will be covered on the final exam. Please review your old quizzes, exams, and homework. In addition, I posted extra handouts to review stoichiometry problems. These can be found under the chemistry tab, then lesson materials (look for the handounts that have stoichiometry in their name).

Earth Science students you will find chapter review handouts, power points, and practice exams under the Earth Science tab.

Biology class you need to go over the review packet I gave you in class last week. In addition, I am posting your Evolution test on this website under the Biology tab. Please take the test at home and have it completed and with you when school resumes.

Everyone pass this message along to your classmates, so they will be prepared to move forward with class once school resumes.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time, and please stay safe.

Independent Research Project Posters

All secondary science students at Wells International School are required to do a research project. Students grade 6-12 came up with some very interesting projects such as studying decay of reptilian organisms (which made our lab smell horrible for about a month). Some students really dived into the process of the scientific method and enjoyed working on their projects, however other students procrastinated and were a little overwhelmed with the amount of work they had to do at once. Above you will find some examples of student work.

Rock Layers Aren't That Complicated. Are They?

Today in class, after they had read about careers as a pleontologist and bone detective, Earth Science students discovered what it could really be like to have to compare different out crops of layers of earth to try to come up with a complete geologic column. Students looked at for different layers of rocks (out crops), some which had unconformities (meaning there were some layers that eroded away and left them with an incomplete picture). They had to piece together what they had left to come up with a more complete picture of the fossil record and geologic history of that area.



As the process began students realized that it wasn't as easy as it looked. Some groups found that they had trouble matching layers because they didn't bother to sketch them thoroughly, other groups made good sketches, but found it time consuming, and still other groups found it difficult to piece everything together with missing information.



Hopefully, through this activity students have gained slightly more appreciation for what scientists do, as well as a better understanding of superposition, geologic columns, and dating of fossils. (Pictures will be posted ASAP)

MSNBC Has Some Amazing Photos!

The power of the sun is truely amazing! Check out the other great photos from msnbc's slide show for the week of April 15-22: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3842331/

Sometimes just taking out a quick moment to view what's going on all over the world gives you more appreciation for the things you have.

Science Club is at it Again!

Recently the science club has been participating in several experiments which have enabled them to review the process of the scientific method. Today students did a "Fizzing and Foaming" experiment, of which the main ingredients are baking soda and vinegar. However students also experimented with different indicators to see which one would produce a color change that indicated the reaction was taking place (along with the bubbles forming). We had a kick out of making a mess (no, not really. we did the reaction in large buckets so there was no mess to clean up).

The science club students from Tuesday did four different experiments on eggs. Students tried everything from burning eggs, to boiling them in different solutions, to soaking them in vinegar, and then throwing them off the balcony. We also enjoyed the results of those experiments.

The week before Songkran we were experimenting with mentos and different colas. So I think overall the students are gaining a great appreciation for the scientific method.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera the last few times, so no pictures for some of the experiments. I will post the pictures I do have ASAP.

The West Point Bridge Design Contest

Here is a great opportunity to get involved and test out your engineering skills! Design a bridge using the award winning West Point Bridge Designer software, available as a free download from our website. Then upload your design to the contest site for judging, and receive instant feedback on your standing in the contest.

Who is this for: U.S. students age 13 through grade 12 are eligible for prizes. Anyone else may enter our Open Competition.

When is the competition: The 2010 contest doesn't begin until January 28, 2010, but you can download the WPBD software and start practicing right now!

• Final Day For Submissions: March 5, 2010
  

Biology DNA Extraction Lab

Biology students are striving to learn about genetics and heredity. So far we have conducted 2 labs to promote an understanding of these topics. The first lab was modified from a genetics concept kit. Students used pennies with yellow and green stickers on them to duplicate breeding experiments that were carried out by Gregor Mendel in the 19th century. The pennies, with yellow and green stickers on the faces, were used to simulate gametogenesis and fertilization. Students tossed the coins on the table and recorded the random genotype combination that resulted.

The second lab students conducted allowed them an opportunity to isolate DNA from a cell. This gave students an opportunity to review different features of the cell (including DNA), as well as have the opportunity to see what DNA looks like, and understand how scientists are able to isolate DNA from cells.

General Chemistry Poster Project

This semester the General Chemistry class started off the year with a poster project (thanks to Mrs. Gogerty for letting me use some of your lessons). Students worked in groups to create posters on the different states of matter. After the poster projects students experimented in the lab and tried to answer the following questions: 1) How hot can you heat water? and 2) How hot can you heat ice water? As students try to answer questions they will begin to learn about the intermolecular forces between molecules and what happens to molecular bonds as substances transition from one phase of matter to another.

Earth Science Starting the Semester with a Blast

Earth Science class is finishing up their unit on volcanoes. In addition to the articles they are reading about careers in science, students have been conducting some fun labs. In particular students enjoyed simulating an explosive volcanic eruption, learning about variables that affect volcanic eruptions, and also spending time learning about volcanoes through Google Earth.

As we move on with other units we will continue to focus on our science fair projects, careers in science, and we will try to do labs as often as possible. Since we have our overnight trip next week we will probably not be in the lab for another 2 weeks.

Science Club Students Begin Fundraising for Haiti's Earthquake Victims

This semester we have many students who have signed up for science club. Science club is a place to do some fun science activities, get tutoring, and work on this years science fair projects. Many of the students here in Thailand have never heard of Haiti until the devastating earthquake that happened recently. When students saw some of the news clips that showed how the children there are being impacted, they were enthusiastic about pitching in to make a difference. Already students have created 2 donation boxes and are working hard to collect money from staff, teachers, and administration. In addition, this Friday students will be involved in a "throw a water balloon at your teacher" drive to collect even more money. Over 10 teachers have volunteered to get wet, including Ms. Tanea, to help raise money to send to Haiti.

Wow! The science club raised 8335 baht to help the people of Haiti. I'm so proud of them!

Welcome to Semester 2 of Science

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their break and is looking forward to this new semester. We have a lot of exciting things we will be working on this semester, including our research projects. I will try to use my teacher website more to update you with grades and homework. Please visit the site at http://tinyurl.com/mstanea. I will also try to update the class blog as often as possible. Feel free to look through the blog at past posts and make comments. If there is something in particular you would like to see here this semester please let me know.

Bangkok Shell Museum

Earth Science A and B classes had a field trip on Friday October 9, 2009 to the Bangkok Sea Shell Museum. We had been studying minerals/rocks, their properties, and how they form, and some students thought shells came from the same sources. So the field trip really helped students understand the difference between something that is made organically and something that is inorganic in nature. We hope to learn more about this as we begin to study other topics. There were so many varieties of shells, some coming from carnivorous animals, and others from herbivores. In any case, the students enjoyed themselves and afterwards they had a quick stop at McDonald's before returning to school for their afternoon classes.

HOW ARE SEA SHELLS CREATED?
Francis Horne, a biologist who studies shell formation at Texas State University, offers this answer.

The exoskeletons of snails and clams, or their shells in common parlance, differ from the endoskeletons of turtles in several ways. Seashells are the exoskeletons of mollusks such as snails, clams, oysters and many others. Such shells have three distinct layers and are composed mostly of calcium carbonate with only a small quantity of protein--no more than 2 percent. These shells, unlike typical animal structures, are not made up of cells. Mantle tissue that is located under and in contact with the shell secretes proteins and mineral extracellularly to form the shell. Think of laying down steel (protein) and pouring concrete (mineral) over it. Thus, seashells grow from the bottom up, or by adding material at the margins. Since their exoskeleton is not shed, molluscan shells must enlarge to accommodate body growth. This pattern of growth results in three distinct shell layers: an outer proteinaceous periosteum (uncalcified), a prismatic layer (calcified) and an inner pearly layer of nacre (calcified).

Hmm....So minerals are involved in the formation of the shells. We will have to futher investigate.

Science Club Experiences Combustion

I had the pleasure of teaching my Science Club students about combustion reactions today. We started out by viewing Grand Hanks video, which they liked a lot. Then we went to the lab, gathered the appropriate supplies, and we did a demonstration on the soccer field. The kids were so excited and they even were able to video tape me screaming! Then I explained to them that the reaction we just did is the same type of reaction that is responsible for sending rockets to space, except that NASA uses more fuel. We began making our own little rocket ships, but then the rain came. We decided to do a test launch from the second floor balcony since it was raining so hard. Next week we will launch the other 2 rockets we made. I ended the experience with 1 more demo that the students again video taped. I should be able to put an animoto slide show together so keep an eye out for that.