If you love playing sports and games but think you don't like science, think again--SPORT SCIENCE. Welcome to Gateway to Science: Sports and Games!
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
INERTIA
Sunday, April 24, 2022
LESSON PLAN / FINDING SCIENCE IN STORIES. Deputy Dan and the Bank Robbers
LESSON PLAN / FINDING SCIENCE IN
STORIES
STORY: Deputy Dan and the Bank Robbers
by Joseph Rosenbloom,
Random House, New
York, 1985
SUMMARY: Deputy Dan listens to the orders of Sheriff Digbee who likes
to use popular expressions (figures of speech), which Dan follows literally
rather than by the figurative meaning.
This leads to some funny situations, which frustrate his boss. Despite this, will Deputy Dan end up being
successful in capturing some bank robbers?
LEAD-IN: Ask: If I tell you to answer the door, would you
go and talk to the door? Deputy Dan
does. Let’s read and find out why.
READ
STORY: Invite participation, such as having a student reading
“No, no!” or Deputy Dan hopping to it, as his boss orders. Various scenes can be acted out.
PREDICTION: As the story proceeds, what do you predict will happen when
Sheriff Digbee gives a new order to Deputy Dan? Keep in
mind his common expressions such as hop over, step on it, keep an eye
on something, check it out, keep it covered, etc. And keep in mind that Dan takes these
instructions word for word (not as intended in the figurative sense).
EVALUATION:
Comprehension:
· Re Prediction in story: Does the child begin to anticipate Dan’s actions?
· Did Dan use common sense to figure out who the robbers were?
(no – dirty crooks / and yes – Scrambled Eggs Gang) Did luck play a role?
· For discussion: Dan follows orders blindly -- without questioning if they make sense. Does this waste time? What can both Dan and Sheriff Digbee learn from this to prevent future confusion?
Other:
· Art.
Draw a picture of your favorite scene.
TRANSITION: As the story comes to an end, remind them of the jumping that
takes place in the story by frustrated Sheriff Digbee. Jumping takes a lot of energy, because where
you want to go up, gravity pulls us down.
You can remain indoors or go outdoors for these activities.
BRINGING IN SCIENCE:
· In the video we do jumping jacks, cartwheels, jump rope, long jump:
Other games you can do: hopscotch / jump up stairs / leapfrog, too.
· Jumping takes a lot of energy – where you want to go up, gravity pulls us down.
· Activities like jumping use a lot of oxygen. Remember to deep breathe.
· You will hear Bella point out (in the video) that it’s harder to jumprope on grass than on a smooth surface. This is due to more friction when the rope passes over the grass.
· Potential Energy (PE) and Kinetic Energy (KE)
in Cartwheels or Long jump:
As someone is in position to jump, you can easily notice that
the person is in the
right position and place to use their energy – Potential energy.
As the person moves through the jump, this energy changes to
the energy of motion – Kinetic energy.
· The long jump is a great way to bring
in math. Measure the distances each
child jumps, seeing if they do more than or less than before. Using a yardstick or tape measure, keep a
record and calculate how they did. See
if there is any difference between a standing start and a running start.
Sunday, February 27, 2022
A NEW APPROACH TO PREVENTING SUBSTANCE ABUSE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION: PROACTIVE TRAINING
HOW TO SAY NO TO WHAT I CALL THE
“DREAM-KILLERS”
Kathy Hogan,
Quincy, Mass.
kathydulleahogan@aol.com
PROPOSAL: Teach kids how they can say no to
drink and/or drugs with conviction and confidence. Drink and drugs can be dream-killers.
ANALOGIES:
DRIVING We learn to drive by taking lessons
to drive safely, studying rules of the road, and taking a driving test before
being issued a license to drive a potentially dangerous vehicle. However, drink and drugs are dangerous, yet
young people are not given the same kind of preparation.
PLAYING TEAM SPORTS Sports teams consist of offense and defense. Defensive players are trained to play
defense. However, we do not train kids
to play defense when it comes to dealing with this offense: an offense in which drink and/or drugs are
offered.
RATIONALE:
In childhood kids do things that excite
them, that make them happy, or that they simply enjoy – yet drink or drugs are
not part of this. Later on, when young
people are invited to try drink or drugs, they’re often persuaded it will make
them feel good. Remind kids they already know how to find
pleasure in life in a natural way. Train
them so they have something to draw upon – experience saying ‘no’ and a
response in which they have conviction – when faced with persuasion. Other reasons to say no can be explored such
as the undesirable prospect of being kicked off their sports team.
NOTE: How
well this will work with children from abusive families, with mental health
problems, or with parents who have substance abuse problems themselves is not
clear. By itself this might not be a
cure-all, but it is worth trying, if for
no other reason than to keep the good times in the forefront of their minds. At its best, it could be the saving grace.
PROCEDURE
STAGES:
First: Brainstorm
things that as a child you enjoy, excite you, make you happy, or just bring you
contentment.
Second: Brainstorm
things someone may say to you to get you to try a drink or drug.
Third: Keep
in mind that you have had experiences that bring you pleasure, and brainstorm
responses you can use to say no. Explore
various reasons. Be aware that bullying
reactions can follow as well as peer pressure; prepare the children for this,
too.
Fourth: Role
play in pairs, the first person acting as the person offering something, the second
person as the one being offered something.
Then take turns and reverse roles.
Fifth: Members
of the whole group share with each other.
TO
FOLLOW: Lesson
Plans/Training Plans for each stage
Saturday, February 5, 2022
PROPOSAL FOR RE-USE OF
QUINCY’S EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER:
A THEME SCHOOL BASED ON
GATEWAY TO
SCIENCE: SPORTS AND GAMES
Kathy Dullea Hogan
http://sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com
MY MESSAGE TO YOU, READER:
The plan
proposed below is certainly something I want to see happen. However, equally important is to introduce
this revolutionary idea to people, to you, to get conversations going,
and to spur people to investigate and implement this approach on their own and
with others.
BACKGROUND:
Almost 25
years have passed since I began raising funds for the Father Maurice Dullea,
S.J., Athletic Scholarship at Boston College in 1996. This is when I began to think about the
connection between physics and sports.
Since kids already like to play games and sports, it would be easy to
incorporate physics (and geometry) into what they already know instinctively
and physically. What is the link?
The link is learning the name of the force involved! Language is the connection between the
activity and the brain’s understanding of the principle. Arrange for kids to acquire basic physics
this way, and they’ll start learning more on their own. Painlessly while having fun – and gaining
confidence.
A retired
teacher, I collect games, books, articles, and much more that promote this
approach. Some I’ve used at the South
Shore Science Festival since 2015 (at 180 Old Colony Avenue when the Quincy
Center for Innovation was there). For
example, string-can telephones are always a big hit while learning about
vibration. I’ve also done volunteer work
at QCAP, Kenny School in Dorchester, and Science Week at Saint Agatha School in
Milton and incorporated this theme, often done through finding science in
stories. It’s time to put it all into
practice – a theme school.
PROPOSAL:
Implementing
this is the next step. Since reading
that Quincy is to make changes vis a vis the Amelio Della Chiesa Early
Childhood Center, this is what I would like to suggest. Integrate this theme
school into one of the two options for the ECC – create a city-wide
kindergarten center or relieve space shortage in elementary
schools. Which one?
Kindergarten works as it’s a good age to start, and it would
be city-wide.
Elementary works, too, because, ranging from kindergarten to
grade 5, curriculum would get a chance to be developed further as kids get
older.
DETAILS:
I envision one room to be set aside as the “Gateway to Science,” which would be something like a library or a special type of gym.
It would have stations around the room with space in the middle for activities. The stations will have different science themes, with a card on how to carry out each activity.
For example,
Center of gravity/mass:
Various games and challenges (see illustration below).
Torque: Hula hoops,
jump ropes.
Measuring: Yard/meter stick, food scale, measuring cups, Newton
apples, etc.
Light and color:
Prism, CD (for light refraction in the grooves), glitter; paints,
chalk.
Sound and music:
String-can telephones, musical instruments.
Other themes and other equipment:
Energy. Gravity. Collision. Inertia. Friction. Magnetism. Potential and kinetic energy. Golf equipment, soccer ball, football,
magnets, Slinky.
Books: General
reference books, children’s stories, leaflets that I’ve written, videos.
The next
step is to write the curriculum.* Many
subjects lend themselves to a cross-curriculum approach, e.g., reading, with
activities to reinforce the science found in the story. Music class can be enhanced by a greater
appreciation of vibrations. Public speaking can be eased into by a student
showing and explaining the above trick he’s learned. Gateway to Science is the teacher’s friend!
Outside what is now the
ECC, the playground can be adapted with names for the rides. For example, the slide could be called
“Gravity Glide.” The xylophones might be
called “Very Good Vibrations.” Additional
information can be put on signs, such as explaining friction on the slide
(quality of the ride depends on whether you’re wearing long pants or shorts, whether
you or the slide is wet or dry, etc.).
Recommend: Collaborate with a college with an education
and science major to strengthen this approach.
Do a research project and write it up for a professional journal
(preferably from the National Science Teaching Association). This school would be good for teachers in
training to do observations and student teaching.
*To be
developed next.
Finding science in stories is one of the strategies used in Gateway to Science, followed up with an activity to reinforce the science. Here The Rainbow Fish was read at the 2017 South Shore Science Festival by volunteers Denise Duncan and JoJo Foley. Bruno Barroso and Nandan Nair approved! Other times, Deputy Dan and the Bank Robbers offered lots of jumping activities, and Curious George at the Aquarium offered throwing activities to learn about energy v. gravity. Kathy Hogan photo
WHAT NEXT? MY GOAL:
This school
can become a model, not only for other such schools but for camps and
after-school programs. This approach can reach kids who may not have a good
opinion of themselves academically, yet through their games and sports they
really do get the physics and just need to be shown how much they do know. Our precious planet needs dedicated
scientists who can help restore a healthier Earth. My ultimate goal is to develop:
C.A.M.P.S.
(Center for the Advancement of Math and Physics through Sports)
C.A.M.P.S.
will offer camps, of course, that offer physics in games and sports;
professional development for teachers, coaches and parents; after-school
programs, and more. C.A.M.P.S. will be a
resource for training education majors to use this approach. C.A.M.P.S., too, will be a model for other
such programs.
There is
nothing like this anywhere, and it is needed, but I can’t do it on my own.
Quincy can be the leader. What will you
do to help make this happen?
Volunteer Bonnie Gorman introduces curious visitors to the unusual Galileo thermometer in a tall glass cylinder before turning their attention to the colorful Slinky and the physics lessons it holds. 2018 South Shore Science Festival. Kathy Hogan photo
Kathy
Dullea Hogan was
happy to discover her vocation to be teaching when she was 39, and so she went
back to college in 1984 to get her degree in elementary and special education
at Bridgewater State College. Kathy is
the niece of Father Dullea (1896-1984), the inspiration for Gateway to Science:
Sports and Games. She can be reached at kathydulleahogan@aol.com
Saturday, January 29, 2022
APRIL 24
PROCLAIMED DR. FRED CALEF III DAY IN QUINCY AT 7th SOUTH SHORE
SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Fred Calef III, Quincy High School ‘87, Chief Cartographer for NASA’s Mars Project
“From Quincy,
Mass. to Quincy, Mars!”
Dr. Fred Calef III holding a chunk of Quincy granite from his office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. © Courtesy Photo
Headlining the virtual
science festival (in Part 2):
Dr. Fred Calef
Ward
6 Councilor Bill Harris introduced Dr. Calef and read to him Mayor Koch’s
proclamation of April 24 as Dr. Fred Calef III Day.
We
learned, first and foremost, that as “Keeper of the Maps” Dr. Calef named two
sites on the Gale Crater on Mars for his hometown: Quincy, Mars and Squantum, Mars! That’s where
the Curiosity rover landed several years ago. It’s pretty obvious why he chose
Quincy: that’s his hometown, and it has
a rich history of granite quarrying. But
why Squantum in particular? There is
special rock there called Cambridge argillite and Roxbury conglomerate, or
puddingstone. This stone is also found
in northwest Africa where America and Africa were long ago connected in one
landmass, called Pangaea.
We
learned that humans one day could live on Mars, but only for 2 to 12 months,
due to physical problems caused by reduced gravity. We learned about a wide range of occupations
and skill sets needed in NASA’s various teams – in addition to the obvious
scientists, engineers, astronauts, and IT people – such as artists, graphics
designers, and writers. Kasha Patel, science
writer for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, also runs DC Science Comedy and
conducted the interview with Calef.
A
past student at Lincoln-Hancock School, Sterling Middle School and Quincy High
School, Dr. Calef became interested in rocks and earth science when his
grandfather opened his eyes to the story that an ordinary rock can tell and
from visits to a quarry near his home in southwest Quincy. The number of questions Calef was asked gave
a good idea of the interest people have in the Mars program. South Shore kids in particular may want to
investigate this further, inspired by someone local who has succeeded in this
field.
National Anthem The
science festival was officially opened in Part 2 with Sofia Marietta Hurley
singing The Star-Spangled Banner – as she has for so many years as a
young girl in the early days of the South Shore Science Festival. Sofia allowed this tradition to be continued
in a science festival which was anything but traditional this year!
Science Fair Projects Four students
from Saint Agatha School, Milton, presented their science fair projects with an
Earth Day theme. Adriana Joassainte,
grade 5, explored water pollution and its effect on the environment. She
explained the difference between plastic pollution and chemical pollution. Jacob Gratch, grade 6, showed us how to
desalinate water. Dermot White, grade 7,
explained that we should know what soil is made of and described six types of
soil. Chloe McGrath, grade 8, compared tap
water plus different brands of bottled water and shared her findings on their
water purity.
Tinker & Create concluded Part 2 with Doug Tepe, partner of
Etay Armon. He demonstrated their 3D
modeling program, inviting kids to sign up for SketchUp so they could follow
along with him, and he showed them how to make an .stl file. They can then bring this on a thumb drive
(memory stick) to some libraries for printing.
Going back to
Part 1, the virtual festival got under way with Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan.
Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan hopes young people consider entering the scientific field as forensic technicians. They analyze DNA from crime scenes and use a database to compare it with others, similar to the way fingerprints are handled. Technological devices include police radios, body cams for the police officers, and video cameras. He gave an example of the ability of facial recognition technology to work well, even with a mask, when it was tested on himself!
Next
was “Our Rainbow Earth: Light and
Color – and Trees.” Collaborators
were Kathy Hogan of Gateway to Science: Sports and Games; Mary Flowers, local
artist; and Chia Ming Chen of E-Green. Waving to the audience was a lead-in to
light waves. Ms. Flowers read Alan Baker’s White Rabbit’s Color Book
about pigment-based color; when all such colors are mixed, it produces
black. After Hogan made the Claim that
mixing all the colors of light, on the other hand, produces white, Chen
provided the Evidence with the E-Prism lamp, demonstrating part of the
Scientific Method. A DVD or CD is a
readily available way to learn about reflection and refraction (white light breaking
into the colors of the rainbow, the color spectrum). It was explained how blue light wavelengths
enter water and the water reflects these back to your eyes, which pass the
information to the brain, which interprets the color as blue. It’s the same with plants and how they look
green. However, plants absorb other
color wavelengths, and the chlorophyll changes them to food –
photosynthesis. An art activity was
suggested to reinforce this.
That
was the foundation for the next two presentations. Storyteller Judith Black’s stories provided a
fine segue. She told a story that kids
could participate in with I’m A Tree, We Are Kin, then gave them
something to think about with Spider And The Palm-Nut Tree. Quincy Tree Alliance/Quincy Climate Action
Network continued this with a reading of The Lorax, which is about
saving trees, then took us to the Wakefield Arboretum in Milton to show us how
to get a tree started. Syndie Cine, Maggie McKee, Fay Strigler and Joe Murphy
collaborated on this. They and Judith
Black are helping kids to be more aware of the importance of trees – and all
plants, for that matter.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss was read to teach the importance of caring for trees.
State Senator John Keenan addressed the viewers at the end of Part
1. He stressed the importance of science
and technology in solving our climate issues.
Massachusetts is a leader in science and technology, and among these
firms is Moderna, whose Covid vaccine is helping to protect so many of us
now. He cited the MBTA that two years
ago was planning a new bus depot for diesel buses in Quincy but, after people
made their views known, there are plans now for hybrid buses. Keenan thanked kids for their interest in
STEM and urged them to keep it up, saying, “Our future is in your hands. Your future is in your hands.”
Quincy native Marsha Goodman-Wood of Marsha
& the Positrons, Washington, D.C., brought her love for science and music to kids
and their families. Her enthusiasm and
inviting way comes through loud and clear and makes you want to dance and sing
right along! Due to time constraints
with a virtual festival, her performances needed to be split up, but now you
can watch Marsha on her own separate video. It was such a great complement to the
speakers’ topics:
· Fred Calef, Mars
(Why Can’t You Dance On Jupiter?)
· Peter Doherty,
viruses (Nobody Likes Viruses And Germs)
· Kathy, gravity in
games (Gravity Vacation)
Marsha Goodman-Wood sings Gravity Vacation to complement Kathy Hogan’s call to help kids riding on playground slides to understand gravity. Photo, Marsha Goodman-Wood
Quincy Fire Chief
Joe Jackson opened Part
3.
Fire Chief Joe Jackson presented what is referred to in his field of work as turnout gear, his bunker coat, an item that most of us might overlook amid all the impressive equipment on a fire truck. However, every firefighter is protected by this coat because of how it is made. The outer shell of the coat contains the heat-resistant fiber Kevlar, with crisscross fibers which are cut-resistant. The middle layer is a moisture barrier. It is attached to the inner thermal layer which helps protect the firefighter from heat; called Glide fabric, it is smooth and makes the bunker coat easy to put on, saving time when responding to a call – when seconds count. Chief Jackson expressed his pleasure at being part of the science festival.
Manuel Barroso, co-chair, of Positive BCS asks, “Why do engineers
and scientists have all the fun jobs?” He revealed the
many interesting fields they can work in, such as working with drones, remote
control toys, smart sport devices, bridges, energy-saving devices, and
self-driving cars. He explained there
are differences among artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and deep
learning. Applied AI can be used in the
fields of education, retail, robotics, automotive, and with Alexa. As an example of the Internet of Things
(IoT), he introduced the Samsung SmartSuit for speed skaters; if the skater’s
posture is a little off, the SmartSuit communicates with the coach who in turn
sends a vibration to the skater’s wrist.
Barroso
asks viewers, “What will you invent?”
Kathy Hogan of Gateway to Science: Sports and Games explained how
kids can learn physics from the ground up – literally in the playground! She gave examples such as learning about
gravity on the slide. She urged the
establishment of C.A.M.P.S. – a Center for the Advancement of Math and Physics
through Sports. She believes there is a
lot of business potential for such a revolutionary approach, especially if
professional sports organizations get involved.
Boston Scientific, represented by Raju Kavalla, Zaki Ahmed Syed
and Helga Barroso, showed us how medical instruments improve the quality of
life and save lives. We saw videos of
special instruments used for removing gallstones, opening blocked arteries with
balloon dilation, and stimulating the spinal cord to relieve chronic pain. Their STEM Club is open to employees’ kids.
There are field trips to Boston Scientific for students in the Quincy Public
Schools, and some workshop topics that are offered include smart cities, life
and nature, the universe, and Legos.
Bobbie Carlton of Innovation Women and Mass. Innovation Nights. Bobbie Carlton concluded Part 3 with her
message that STEM needs spokespersons – to add the A in STEAM. That’s the reason that several years ago she,
along with other social media people, were invited to Florida by NASA to view
the SpaceX-4 cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station and went
on tours of the facilities there. Not an
engineer or scientist herself but passionate about the need to communicate, she
explained the different kinds of speaking, including a way that is available to
members of an audience, and that is to ask questions. It’s one way to get started and gain
confidence. She described different
kinds of roles in this field such as entertainer, journalist, teacher, and
marketing. Carlton started a new
magazine since the pandemic began, Lioness, for female entrepreneurs.
Part 3 ended at
the festival’s usual closing time – 3 p.m.
However, Part 4 at 7:30 p.m. was added this year to accommodate the time
in Australia.
Dr. Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1996.
Photo, Global
Virus Network
Nobel Laureate Dr. Peter Doherty. Dr.
Doherty of Melbourne, Australia was introduced by Dr. Edward Shapiro of Nobel
Laureates’ School Visits. Co-Chair
Barroso and Dr. Shapiro welcomed Dr. Doherty, an immunologist, whose work
concerns viruses and vaccines.
What
are the hit men of immunity? We learned:
Killer T-cells! Produced in the
Thymus gland (under the breastbone), they roam around inside the body to
destroy cancer cells and viruses, such as the coronavirus. Listening to Dr. Doherty, it soon becomes
clear there’s a relationship between our internal environment (our health) and
our external environment (Earth’s health – plus ours). A few years ago there was a Nobel Laureate
symposium on global sustainability.
Doherty
explained that our defense comes in two forms:
1) Our central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves), which
perceives things with consciousness and memory.
2) Our immune system, which has no consciousness but has specific organs
that produce an immune response.
What
can we do? A variety of things, Doherty says. “By talking with friends and
family and using social media we can all become social communicators” to help
with the need for “an understanding of science in the broader community.” He says that political leaders need to listen
to scientists and that it is urgent for us to replace fossil fuels with
reusable energy. Because democracy is so precious, he urges us all to use our
right to vote. Taking Vitamin D may help the immune system. To learn more, check out his books (you can
get them at the library), his weekly essay Setting It Straight, and this
interview at www.southshorescience.online (Part 4).
Trivia Time Finally, Barroso and Hogan also run Trivia Time on Zoom six times throughout the year,
and some of your favorite presenters from South Shore Science Festival VII plan
to participate.
To
see the videos of this year’s festival, go to www.southshorescience.online (click “Recorded
Live”).