May 17th, 2023
High School Resource
Objective:
To teach students the process and importance of photosynthesis, as well as the necessity of plant reproduction to sustain life.
Activity:
Photosynthesis, including anatomy of the leaf and the basics of the equation, will be discussed. Basic plant parts for reproduction including methods of pollen transfer are included. SMART Board resources, as well as United Streaming, will be utilized.
Related NY State Academic Standards: MST4.C.LE.LE.2.1, MST4.C.LE.LE.4.1, MST4.C.LE.LE.5.3
May 16th, 2023
Middle School Resource
In this learning experience, students design, construct, test and draw conclusions about artificial wind-dispersed seeds in a controlled environment.
Objective:
After examining samples of naturally-occurring wind-dispersed seeds, students will design, construct, and test student-designed “artificial wind-dispersed” seeds under a controlled environment. After analysis of data collected from trial runs, students will then assess and determine modifications for a “redesign” of their artificial seeds. Modified seeds will then be tested under the same controlled environment and data will be recorded for analysis. Students then interpret, compare, and evaluate the original to the modified seed and determine desirable characteristics for wind-dispersed seeds.
Activity:
Students will design, construct, test and draw conclusions about artificial wind-dispersed seeds in a controlled environment.
Related NY State Academic Standards: MST5.ED1, MST6.OT6, MST7.SR2 and more!
May 15th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
Objectives:
In this activity:
- Students will design a school wide beautification program.
- Students will apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment.
- Students will examine related career options in fields of horticulture and technology.
- Students will apply mathematical concepts related to the project (graphing data, analyzing data, creating and using a budget.)
Activity:
- Students brainstorm answers to the question “How do human decisions and activities have an impact upon the physical and living environment?”
- Students survey the school ground property and identify areas in need of beautification.
- Students write a letter of request to the board of education, seeking permission to participate in a beautification project; they explain that they will provide all plans for approval before initiation of any work.
- Students write letters to a landscape architect, surveyor, and horticulturist, requesting their presence as guest speakers. They will be asked to present information on landscape design, plant selection, and design implementation.
- Students take notes on different approaches to design and implementation provided during the speakers’ visitations.
- Students research various plants, their applicability to the area, and their costs.
- Students design and measure planting areas and identify the types and number of the plants on the basis of research.
- Students prepare a budget and inventory of needed supplies and materials.
- Students draw blueprints for the beautification areas.
- Students create a graphic presentation of the proposed beautification project, including all blueprints, budgets, and needed supplies. Students make presentation to school board (or school council), seeking final approval.
- Students execute the beautification design, cultivating the area and planting all seeds, bulbs, and plants.
- Students graph growth patterns and maintain a landscaper’s log.
- Students maintain the garden.
- Students discuss the various aspects of the project.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.5.7, W.6.7, W.7.7 & more!
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May 12th, 2023
High School Resource
Objective:
In this activity, students understand the importance of crisis management in the human and public services workplace.
Activity:
In order to demonstrate the importance of crisis management in the workplace and specific steps to apply to crisis situations, students perform the following activities:
- Identify members of a crisis management team.
- Describe the generic roles of members of a crisis management team.
Detail the specific roles of members of a crisis management team in the
context of a specific crisis.
- Describe crisis situations that may occur in the workplace, such as:
- Robbery of a restaurant
- Client having a seizure attack at a salon
- Weather emergency at a nursing home
- Intruder in a child care center
- Produce a crisis management manual for crisis situations in the
workplace.
Related NY State Academic Standards: CDOS.C.2.1.A, CDOS.C.2.1.C, CDOS.C.3a.BS.1.A, and more!
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May 10th, 2023
Middle School Resource
In this activity:
- Students will develop an understanding and awareness of traditional and nontraditional careers and job availability.
- Students will become aware of the education and training needed to prepare for a career or job.
Activity:
- Students brainstorm a list of traditional and nontraditional careers.
- Students identify what they need to know about the careers.
- Education and training
- Salary
- Job requirements
- Mobility requirements
- Each student selects one of the listed careers and researches that career.
- A representative from a printing firm or from the commercial arts class at the vocational school talks to the class about designing effective brochures. On the basis of the information received, the students create rubrics for their brochures.
- Students use desktop publishing software to create brochures about the researched careers.
- Brochures are reproduced and placed in the career resource file.
- Copies are sent to the high schools for their resource files.Students make a presentation to the class on their researched career.
Related NY State Academic Standards: CDOS.I.1, CDOS.I.1.1, CDOS.I.1.1.A.SW, and more!
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May 8th, 2023
Elementary School Resource
Objective:
In this activity, students will participate in the national “Take Your Child to Work Day.”
Activity:
- “Take Your Child to Work Day” (TYCWD) describes a structure for learning before, during, and after the job-shadowing day.
- Teacher identifies the students taking part in TYCWD approximately one to two weeks before the date.
- Teacher invites these students to a pre-TYCWD meeting. At this meeting, students complete a life skills inventory sheet.
- Teacher shows a video about workplace skills and behavior. Students list skills used in video excerpts and/or role-play, showing workplace scenarios.
- On the day of the shadowing, students observe skills being used on the job and list them on the graphic organizer form.
- Students schedule and conduct an interview at the work site and take notes.
- Teacher holds a post-TYCWD meeting. In small groups or in pairs, students discuss their job-shadowing experience before whole group sharing.
- Students write thank-you notes, using the thank-you note graphic organizer.
Related NY State Academic Standards: W.3.7, SL.3.3, W.4.2.d, and more!
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May 5th, 2023
High School Resource
This video, from History.com’s archives, focuses on Mexican foods that can be eaten on Cinco de Mayo.
Related NY State Academic Standards: LOTE.ML.2.1.B.A!
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May 3rd, 2023
Middle School Resource
In this activity, students will do the following:
- Research one of two Mexican holidays, Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo
- Present important facts about the holiday to the class
- Host an in-class celebration that reflects the dress, music, food, and traditions of that holiday
Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.5.4.b, SS.5.5.a.1, SS.5.5.a.2, and more!
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May 1st, 2023
Elementary School Resource
This four minute video from History.com’s archives focuses on the real reason Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.3.TCC.4, SS.3.MOV.5.b, SS.3.MOV.5.b.2, and more!
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April 28th, 2023
High School Resource
This simulation will allow students to add different salts to water, then watch them dissolve and achieve a dynamic equilibrium with solid precipitate. They can compare the number of ions in solution for highly soluble NaCl to other slightly soluble salts and then relate the charges on ions to the number of ions in the formula of a salt.
Using the simulation, students will:
- Rank the solubility of different salts.
- Determine the ratio of anions and cations that create a neutral compound.
- Calculate the molarity of saturated solutions, and Ksp values.
Related NY State Academic Standards: S.MS.PS.1.7, MST4.I.PS3.1, and MST4.C.C.PS3.4!
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