My students are working hard to learn the DEAL design process within our forces and motion unit. As a STEM middle school, we focus on teaching kids the engineering design process in all classes! Below is a picture of our take on the design process:

My classes completed the marshmallow challenge a few weeks ago to explore the DEAL process. This lesson was modeled around the TED Talk about this challenge. The basics of the challenge are as follows: you have 18 minutes to create the tallest free-standing tower you can with 20 pieces of spaghetti, one yard of string, one yard of tape, and a marshmallow. The marshmallow has to be at the very top of the tower.

This team was successful round one!

In our class, we performed the challenge one day, took a second day to look at our first design and brainstorm to create many prototypes, then on a third day completed the challenge again. We then looked back and identified our problem areas as well as our improvements from the first day to the third. We talked about how the DEAL process helps scientists in their everyday lives, and how we are going to use it to become great problem-solvers in our science class!

We are currently applying the DEAL process as we create cars powered by a mousetrap as our culminating project for our Forces and Motion unit. Look for a new post with pictures after we complete this project!

Here are some pictures of my students working diligently to create their towers.

Students tried all kinds of shapes to see which would be the most stable!

Students used structures they saw from the video to guide their second attempt!

Students used their brainstorming from the previous day to guide their 2nd attempt!

Things are very exciting right now, down at Letters to a Pre-scientist Headquarters!

First, we want to say goodbye to all the students in Bertie County, and thank them for sending us their funny, honest, and inquisitive messages over the past two years. Macon has completed her stay in Teach for America and moved on to graduate school (good luck, Macon!). Luckily, she was able to find another teacher who is just as motivated to help students reach out to scientists all over the world.

Lucy Madden is a second year science teacher with TFA, and she has joined the team to make LPS bigger and better than ever before. As she puts it, “This is an excellent chance for my students to see enthusiasm about science first-hand, from someone other than their nerdy teacher!” 

The past two years of this program have been such a success, we decided to expand it to include the entire 7th grade at Neal Middle School in Durham, NC. That means 315 pre-scientists who are curious and ready to learn about what science looks like in the real world! It’s going to be a lot of fun for all three teachers (Lucy, Wendy Geise, and Michael Whitley) to put this together, but they need your help. We just need a few more people to sign up so that every pre-scientist gets a pen pal.

All you have to do is write 4 letters. Sign up today and we will send you the name of your pen pal. Our only requirement is that you do something technical or science-related, and that you like inspiring kids. If you’ve already signed up, thank you! Don’t forget to invite your friends, classmates and co-workers.

One of our scientists, Andrew Wong from UC Berkeley, recently summed up the importance of the pen pal program. He said, “I read a news article about how when people are told to draw a scientist, they always draw a very serious looking man. If that is true, I would like to help dispel that.” The pre-scientists this year will discover that scientists are men and women, young and old, from all different places, and most importantly, real people.

What was your favorite field trip in middle school? I hope my 6th grade students will be able to reflect back years from now and say it was their trip to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where they not only got to do a scavenger hunt around campus, but view their first planetarium show at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. I hope they will also say this field trip made college more tangible to them, engaged them deeply in science and opened their eyes to the world beyond their backyard.

On May 23rd, we will have the opportunity to take 80 of our 6th grade students on this trip, thanks to the Boddie Scholarship. Our tickets and a portion of our buses have been graciously provided, but we will need to arrange for our own food. UNC has a great reduced lunch program that will cost $6.50 per child for a full meal. Though this seems like a meager amount to many, 80% of my students are on free or reduced lunch. Asking parents to pay this fee in addition to providing breakfast money would be a huge burden and could deter many children from being able to attend this phenomenal field trip. Additionally, our teachers are seeking to raise the final funds for our bus transportation, which will be $769.60. In an effort to allow every child this opportunity, I am setting out to raise $1,341.60 by May 15, 2012 . When we achieve our goal, we will have provided 80 students and eight chaperons a free lunch and transportation to UNC!

To help us have a successful field trip, I am asking that you visit our page on FundRazr and consider sponsoring a child’s lunch by donation $6.50 to our fundraiser. If you are able to donate, thank you in advance for your continued support! Any extra funds we receive beyond $1,341.60 will go into our First Books account to purchase books for the Bertie Middle School library.

To help you understand where our goal number came from, please review the following:

-Bertie County buses cost $1.91/mile
-The distance from Bertie Middle School to UNC-Chapel Hill is 280miles round trip
-One bus round trip will cost $534.80.
-We will need 2 buses to accommodate 80 students, which brings our bus total to $1,069.60
-The Boddie scholarship has provided us a $300 stipend leaving us with $769.60 to fundraise for buses.
-The bus fund of $769.60 + Lunches of $572.00 = 1,341.60.

Eroding crayons and prepping them for compaction to demonstrate the rock cycle

Just in time for Earth Day, students are learning about ecosystems around the world. Before diving into ecosystems, we finished learning about rocks, minerals and soils. Students were excited to use Skype in order to speak with real geologists working in the field. These scientists expanded the student’s geology comprehension by discussing soil initiatives as far away as Siberia and diverse land forms within their own state of North Carolina.

Crystal growing

Special thanks to Laura Mallard-Seldomridge and Sam Dunn for both graciously taking time out of their hectic schedules to share their experiences with our students! Another BIG thank you to Mr. Tim Folks, who spoke to our students about the importance of math, science and technology in the workforce; students were really engaged during his lesson when it came time for them to use robocode and design their own combative robots!

In our previous update, you may remember students had been divided into country groups that faced problems intertwined with our science objectives. The Brazil group experienced the latest complication when we began our class plant growing experiments; Brazil was met with some serious deforestation problems that caused crises to groups worldwide. Students discussed the importance of finding a balance between boosting ones economy and aiding the environment. We voted as a class on the best deforestation problem solving essays and plant growth experimenters who received sunflower growing kits for their hard work.

Outside the classroom, we have been very fortunate to have some great college experiences! In late March, approximately 20 colleges across the state visited our school to educate students on the importance of college and discuss various areas of study available to them. This week we traveled all the way to Durham to get a guided tour of North Carolina Central University. It was most students’ first time outside of Bertie County, and certainly their first time on a college campus! They were extremely excited to meet college students, compare a collegiate cafeteria to our own and find out about all the clubs/activities on campus! In May, we will be able to continue our college tours when we visit the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium thanks in full to the Nicholas Bunn Bodie Scholarship.

Feel free to discuss any of the exciting events, activities and objectives mentioned on here in your next pen pal letter. Remember the fourth and final pen pal letter is due: Monday, May 7th, 2012. As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns: maconelizabeth@gmail.com

Wow! It is hard to believe, we are already in our third quarter of 6th grade! With our winter break in December and settling back into the groove of things in January, we forgot to update you on all of our exciting happenings.

Before break, students picked out a name for our eco-friendly class bear. Chubby the bear is made from recycled plastic bottles, but that’s just one reason why he is special. On December 17th, Chubby departed for a world-wide travel adventure that will terminate in June with his hopeful return to our classroom. Chubby sends postcards back to our classroom from all the places he is visiting (currently, he is spending time in Germany after a stop in England) and then we search for famous scientists from these areas, science discoveries that have taken/are taking place in the area, how scientist could aid the community, etc… Chubby began his adventures traveling with me to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The students have been learning about earthquakes and are very interested in how to engineer buildings that can withstand earthquakes and how to create seismographs or other forms of technology that could detect and warn people of earthquakes earlier.

Continuing with our global focus, students have been split into six groups for our second semester. These groups represent: Australia, Brazil, China, Haiti, Rwanda and the United Nations. Each group will face a challenge that is in line with our science objectives from natural disasters, changing ecosystems and population growth. Students then discuss and debate with the other countries and the UN on how best to allocate resources, alleviate their problems and advocate for their country. The students have been so passionate with this project and it has been hilarious to catch them passing notes in the halls asking for aid from other countries. This all goes back to my big goal for the year that my students who have inhabited a rural town all of their lives isolated from much of the outside world will be able to recognize our global interconnectedness; furthermore, how science can be used to empower and transform peoples lives. Feel free to ask them about their countries, what problems have arrived and their thoughts on foreign aid in your next pen pal letter!

Lastly, we capped off February with some acting debuts. On Friday, we had our Black History Program where many of the sixth graders impersonated celebrities of our generation. Several students let loose their hidden singing talents belting out a few Whitney Houston hits. Check out some of their pictures from the performance below.

November was all about energy, which is pretty much always the case in a 6th grade classroom. This time our energy was focused on trying to understand where we find energy and how to use it in ways that are beneficial to the environment. I also introduced the idea of ordinary versus extraordinary work, and they are fired up to be on the extraordinary path to college.

The students learned how to create five paragraph essays with three concrete reasons supporting their main argument. Their essays were about whether or not our country should invest more in renewable resources, and they did a wonderful job expressing their ideas. We will continue to work on our writing skills while integrating scientific inquiry by writing one essay each month. Be ready for some lengthier, well-thought out pen pal letters now that they are beginning to comprehend the difference between an ordinary and extraordinary letter! You can check out a few of their energy essays below!

Gearing up for Thanksgiving, we learned about everyone’s favorite form of energy: chemical. Of course, this involved doing a food lab. To prepare for a break full of time with family and delicious home cooked meals, we tested starch levels of traditional Thanksgiving foods using iodine. Before we began the lab, we put on our medical gloves, and one student exclaimed, “I feel like a real doctor! This is SO cool.” As a science teacher, I’m used to having my subject area overlooked while students focus on the tested areas of math and language arts. It is fascinating to observe their reactions to the simplest of tools.

We will continue to discuss energy throughout December with a particular focus on alternative energy. If you have any background or passion for alternative energy, be sure to include your thoughts and ask students their own opinions on this matter in your upcoming letters!

Sample Essays (click to enlarge):

October 17th arrived and students were absolutely thrilled to receive their pen pal letters. We spent the class learning how to address envelopes and correctly respond to a formal letter. These skills are ones that we tend to take for granted or even perform begrudgingly at times, but these will be invaluable skills for students to have in the workforce and empower them in their endeavors beyond 6th grade.

When it came time to open the letters, an absolute rush of excitement enraptured the room. Students began hovering over our world map to see the locations they were receiving letters from and shouts of, “I have a doctor!”, “Mine’s an engineer!” filled the room. Some students even began immediately sitting down to diligently brainstorm a response letter because they were so enthralled by the stories you all had to share.

At the beginning of this year, I struggled with the realization that many of my students could not correctly name what country we live in or the difference between a city and a state. Letters to a Pre-scientist not only provides them an opportunity to practice their writing and a view of the vast range of careers available in science, but also a priceless geographical understanding and a desire to make global connections. For these facts alone, I want to extend my deepest appreciation for your commitment to be a pen pal and an inspiration! I hope that their stories provide you a glimpse into their reality and that you will as well be impacted by what you will learn from these students over the course of this year.

2nd quarter writing prompts will be coming soon and as always, please feel free to reach out at any time if you have questions about our program.

The school year started off with students setting BIG goals and learning all about college life. Each student will be in teams for the year that represent one of six colleges (UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, University of Virginia, Stanford, Cornell, and Harvard). Be sure to ask your pen pal all about their college! The pre-scientists had the chance to research the colleges they are representing, check out a great college readiness website, and even write letters to their universities. Following this activity, they wrote up a series of goals ranging from their end of 6th grade goal to their lifetime goals. The pre-scientists were fired up by the college talk, which led to a variety of career aspirations, from marine biologist to nurses to lawyers, and the list goes on… Our classroom windows are now adorned in their BIG goals, and it is a daily inspiration for them to remain focused and hardworking.

We are now working on the foundation of skills needed to be a lifelong scientist. These objectives include process skills, the scientific method, identifying variables in a lab (independent, dependent and control), running a successful experiment and graphing their data. We started these skills off with a tasty lab that involved predicting the colors of M&Ms in a fun size bag. Whether it is the idea of achieving their big goals or enjoying sweet treats in a lab experiment, the pre-scientists have been extremely engaged in class; I am excited to see them all continue their relentless pursuits toward an excellent education. Do you have a favorite lab or experiment from middle school? Share your memories and ideas in the comment section!

If you look at the top menu bar, you’ll notice a new link to the FAQ section. Here is where you can find out all the details of how to be a great pen pal, including writing prompts, letter deadlines, and more! Please contact us by email or leave a comment if you have any other burning questions.

We’ve added a new page where you can meet a few of the scientists who have taken time to write letters to our pre-scientists. They are a diverse group, spanning many different scientific fields and interests. A big thank you to everyone who contributed their story!