So lately I have been working on the Olympics project with my students. Their assignment before the actual olympic "Games" was to do an experiment using the scientific method according to their health.
They first observed their health and wrote a paragraph talking about their eating habits, if they are active and exercise, and if they drink enough water and enough sleep.
Then they were to write three questions they would ask a personal trainer and nutritionist on things they would like to improve on. So like, what exercises should I do if I want to gain more muscle mass for football. Other questions were like what should I be eating so that I can lose weight but still be healthy for wrestling. Some of the girls were overwheight and just wanted to know what they could do to lose weight healthily. I also enjoyed reading some of the comments made by boys that are really skinny and scrawny 15 year olds who want to gain weight just so they can look like they really are 15. CUTE!
Then they did a little research on what they should do and then wrote a hypothesis. Like, If I lift weights every other day and eat a total of 1600 calories, then I will lose the weight in time for wrestling. Something like that.
So then they were to write out their experiment and label all of the parts,
- control group-how they were before the experiment,
- experimental group- a detailed explanation of what they are going to do daily so that they can do their hypothesis,
- independent variable-running, football, weightlifting, swimming, walking etc. and how many calories they are allowed each day, and then last
- dependent variable-whether they wanted to gain, lose or maintain weight.
So then for their data they have been keeping track of what they eat and their exercise on the dailyplate on Livestrong.com.
They will then analyze it and then prove to see if their hypothesis was correct or if they could have done a better job in their experiment. Then finally their conclusion, where they write if their hypothesis proved to be correct or not.
Anyways so far I have had a lot of success stories. Girls who are so excited that they have found something that works
(this isn't one of my girls but I have a few girls who are on their way to this point and this girl was using Livestrong.com as well)
and boys who are feeling a lot more energy while playing sports. It's been a really fun and worthy assignment. Even though it wears me out trying to get them all to see the benefits.
I will have to post some pictures of our actual Olympic games on Tuesday and Wednesday. I hope it goes over well and by the way does anybody have an idea for an olympic torch minus the fire? We just got a new turf on our football field and I wouldn't want to melt the field. Anyways I just thought you would be interested to know what I have been busy doing lately.
5 comments:
cool project! What about a paper torch?? red, orange & yellow contruction paper cut and twisted up--like wrapped around a flashlight or something--so there's "light" coming out of it
Oh, and by the way "What's Up Doc" was on tv the other night, and I watched part of it. It was of course funny, but it made me thinkg of you and made me miss you! :)
What a good teacher you are. It is amazing that you worked all of this into your classes. It's good when the students can see and realize the actual changes happening in their lives. I hope that you get many positive results from this unit of study. I loved the before and after picture. How is Leah? Forget you and Andrew, how's the baby. Isn't that crazy that you are planning her first birthday already. I scroll back on the blogs and she grows right before my eyes. I think blogs are great.
For the torch, i think you could roll up some posterboard like a cone in different colors for the different teams (if you want more than one), and then have some sort of golden mylar stuff coming out the top like fire. Good project, and I hope the students realize what an opportunity you're giving them by doing this all together. More pictures of Leah please.
Another idea for the torch--a little technical, but cool--use orange, yellow, and red tissue paper for the flame, and somehow put a little fan in the torch handle blowing upward so it blows the "flames" around making it look realistic! :) I know, I have a little too much of my dad in me in that area. Cool project by the way--I wish I could have done something like that in high school. The coolest thing we did was had court cases for certain bugs. For example, I had the beetle and I was supposed to defend it so that it wouldn't be "wiped off the face of the planet". And then there was a Prosecuter (a fellow classmate), a Jury (fellow classmates), and our teacher was the Judge. Yeah, my beetles got wiped off (sniffle). But at least I didn't have to defend the mosquito--it really didn't have a chance...I think the jury was already biased...
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