Ocean Acidification Booklet Project

Grades: 9
Teachers: Sarah Hirschfeld and Mike Weiss
Subject: Earth and Physical Science
Project Name: Ocean Acidification Booklet Project

Recently in our study of Oceanography, students investigated the impact of ocean acidification. This began in the Innovation Lab participating in a simulated underwater experience using virtual reality devices and Google Expeditions. There are some photos of our time in the lab here. Students then selected a research question that illuminated a certain aspect of ocean acidification from the causes, to the impacts, to the future outlook. They provided findings through oral presentations in a symposium format to their classmates. The section culminated with students creating an informational page for an ocean acidification booklet. Each class made their own booklet that was shared with parents and guardians. We also made a master copy of select student work across all classes which is attached.

This was a fun activity to do with our students as they all were invested in their part of ocean acidification and allowed us all to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. We hope you enjoy looking through their booklet and seeing the hard work our students put into this project.

Studying Oceanography with Google Expeditions

Grades: 9
Teachers: Sarah Hirschfeld and Mike Weiss
Subject: Physical Science
Project Name: Oceanography
Resources: Google Expeditions

Grade 9 students studying a new unit on Oceanography used the #googleexpeditions kit (donated by YEF) to learn about acidification in the ocean as well as "swimming" with some of the undersea creatures. Sarah Hirschfeld and Mike Weiss led the lessons and dressed appropriately in scuba gear.

More Pictures

YHS Science Classes Teach 2nd Graders

Special Visitors

The second graders were treated to some special guest teachers this morning.  Students from the high school visited our classroom and taught the kids about a variety of science topics, including food chains, Ph levels, pollination, seeds/planting, and decomposers.  Be sure to ask your child about their favorite science center of the day!

 

(cross posted at News from Room 208)

Infectious Disease Press Conference

Grades: 10

Teachers: Catie Wooten
Subject: Biology
Project Name: Infectious Disease and Immune System Unit
Resources: Infectious Disease and Immune System Unit

Students were assigned an infectious disease to research in groups. They shared their research to create a full understanding of five aspects of the disease and its epidemiology in order to develop an action plan in response to a posed scenario.  Students presented the action plan to the class in a press conference, where other students took on the roles of journalists.  The focus of this Cornerstone Assessment is to improve the level of questions (fact-based vs. explanation-based) students ask and answer through research.

Lego WeDo Exploration

Grades: 3
Teachers: Grade 3 Team, Cathy Wolinsky
Subjects: Science, Math
Project Name: Lego WeDo
Resources: Yarmouth Education Foundation funding for materials and kits

Third graders are exploring the Lego Education materials called "Lego WeDo"during a set of class periods. The Computer Lab provides an open setting for students to work in pairs to select one of twelve projects. Working together they follow the directions to put together the blocks to make the project. Then they connect it to a computer so that the motor or sensor can follow a program students made using the Lego WeDo software.

This video shows the students working on their projects.

AP Environmental Science Holiday Sculpture

Grades: 11-12
Teachers: Chris Hill
Subject: Science
Project Name: AP Environmental Science Holiday Sculpture

Project Guidelines:

You and 2 other students will be constructing a holiday sculpture made out of material that you would otherwise throw away.  This sculpture will be on display in the YHS library for the month of December.  The sculpture must be handmade, with nothing pre-constructed, and include the following:

* Every part must be made of trash or previously used products.  Nothing 'new' can be included in the structure. (note:  the library does have old books and magazines)

* Have some sort of holiday theme that is clearly apparent in its structure.  Examples may include, but are not limited to:  Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, New Year, etc.

* Be self-standing with a base of some sort.

* No food items may be used.

* Have a maximum height of 3 feet.

* A short, typed, informative paragraph explaining the purpose and vision behind the construction of your sculpture must be included, separately.

* The use of 'new' nails, glue, staples, etc. can be used to put your sculpture together.

* Most of all, be creative and have fun!

Science Exploration Recorded on our iPad

Grade: Third Grade

Teacher: Todd Abbott

Subject: Recording Science Exploration with our iPad

Project Description:

We created "rocks" using Epsom salts and container lids. Our panel of scientists will tell you more about that:

Quite impressive, aren't they?  Photos were brought to you by our Class Photographer Paige. Now we know how easy it is to make "How-To" videos using Explain Everything on the iPad!

Educational Passages Miniboat Project

Grade: 4 Communications & Math Lab Groups

Teachers: Molly Smith & Cathy Wolinsky

Subject: All

Project Name: Educational Passages

Resources: Educational Passages Endeavor Wiki

A group of 4th graders who are in the Communications and Math Lab groups with Molly Smith (Talents grades 3-8) have taken on the task of following one of five drifting miniboats that were launched this spring. The boat was launched Saturday, May 12 by the crew of the State of Maine (Maine Maritime). The kids are in contact with the captain and they are working on latitude, longitude, rate of speed and some of the other concepts of navigation.

Based on a workshop session at a conference on Science and Literacy held at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute a few months ago we decided to look for a way for our students to participate in a "miniboat expedition". For more about this project, see the website and articles below:

• http://www.educationalpassages.com
• http://bangordailynews.com/2011/04/15/news/hancock/students-to-launch-tiny-sailboats-from-mma-ship/?ref=relatedBox
• http://bangordailynews.com/2010/07/26/news/miniature-boat-from-maine-completes-extraordinary-journey/?ref=relatedBox
• http://www.pointseast.com/template.shtml?id=EkllZkuEAyqFSjcWAp&style=story

This project costs about $1500 a boat, but the volunteers who run it (Dick Baldwin, sailor; Lyman-Morse Boats; Maine Maritime Academy; Midcoast School of Technology, etc.) do all the work for free and the cost to our school is $350 for the GPS unit that travels on the boat and a monthly fee to monitor it. There will be opportunities at YES and HMS for that small group of students to share the project with others as it connects to curricula, we bring in guest speakers, etc.

The GPS unit on our boat connects to a company that will show the track of the boats in the project (at http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/drifter/drift_ep_2012_1.html). We don't know how many months to expect the boat to be en route, one boat arrived in Ireland after 5 months, another one took a year to travel from Puerto Rico to Portugal. The hope is that if a boat makes it to Europe the students can connect with the school that retrieves the boat.

As of May 30th the miniboats have been moved by hurricane winds are are all beached on the Carolina coasts. Today there was an article in the Hatteras newspaper about the people who found the Yarmouth boat on the beach and the next steps for getting it back out onto the ocean.

http://islandfreepress.org/2012Archives/05.29.2012-MaineStudentsSailboatIsLostAndThenFoundOnHatteras.html

Update: October 8, 2012 from the project Newsletter:

5 Maine Maritime Launches

The “State of Maine” training ship launched 5 mini-boats approximately 250 miles north of the Bahamas on May 11^th.  Within 10 days these boats got “battered” off the Carolinas by tropical storms Alberto and Beryll which blew all 5 boats across the Gulf Stream and on to the Carolina beaches.  A charter fishing boat captain told us in his 46 years he had never seen the seas so rough.  One of our boats was found by surfers on Cape Hatteras, two ended up on uninhabited islands and another went ashore on Myrtle Beach.  The 5^th boat stopped reporting several miles off the beach and probably founded coming ashore.  Four of the five boats were recovered undamaged with their rigs intact attesting to their solid construction and their ability to transit our world’s oceans.

        

Two boats were taken to Charleston, South Carolina and put back aboard the “State of Maine” to be re-launched off Cape Hatteras, another boat was re-launched by surfers, and the 4^th boat was released by the School of Coastal Studies on Cape Hatteras.  These 4 boats traveled up our east coast to Newfoundland where 2 made landfall and are currently being repaired and readied for re-launching in early October and the other 2 appear to be on their way to Europe.  All these boats can be monitored at http://www.ne fsc.noaa.gov/drifter/drift_ep_2012_1.html.

The Power of 1

Grade: 9

Teacher: Grade 9 Team

Subject: Social Studies, Science, Math, English

Project Name: Power of One Project

Resources: Power of One Website

Hunger and food insecurity impacts people in our own communities and around the world.  Students at Yarmouth High School will learn about the issues of hunger, and develop projects that can make a difference.  Projects are open-ended.  There is no one pathway for making a difference.  Through the work, students will:

• Collaborate with peers and adults
• Plan and implement a long-term project
• Engage in discourse around social change
• Model Yarmouth Core Values including caring and citizenship:  
• Caring - Caring people show concern for the well-being of themselves, others and the environment.
• Citizenship - Responsible citizens contribute to the community locally and globally in active, positive, and creative ways and encourage the participation of others through cooperation and contribution.