Class 1
Start off with a revisit to the mystery boxes given out last time. Review the ideas the students had, and hand out to each group the instruction sheet for its activities. Let them work away for a while, then call class to order, and get them to figure out that each group represents a different science, and type of scientist. Studying something really big like the ocean takes a TEAM of different kinds of scientists.
Pack up the mystery boxes, and start asking questions for the class to answer, like:
- Are riddles fun? Are mysteries interesting? Are Magic tricks fun? Would you try to figure out how a trick works?
- That's what scientists do - Nature does a "magic trick", it's a mystery how it works, and scientists try to figure it out!
- I then do a couple of simple "magic tricks"
- make salt disappear by dissolving it in water
- make chalk suddenly appear from "nowhere" by mixing solutions
- So now we have some mysteries to solve:
- where did the salt go?
- where did the chalk come from?
We'll solve these mysteries in the next few classes. While we do it, we'll also get good at methods for solving mysteries, and we'll also learn useful things for making really cool aquariums!
- How to solve BIG mysteries? It takes TEAMWORK, with SPECIALISTS (get class to come up with this list):
- boat crew (you'll be able to try that on Pioneer)
- recorders of information (we can try all of these roles here in the classroom!):
- artists to draw stuff and make diagrams; sculptors & modelmakers for 3-D
- photographers and filmmakers
- writers
- Web page producers (the modern way to communicate world-wide!)
- measurers and lab workers - use measuring devices and lab equipment; often get numerical results
- computer workers
- scientists - come up with the ideas and explanations
- Everyone in the class gets to practice all these roles, and find what they like best, and/or are good at!