iNaturalist Competition
Let's get outside and explore! This is a competition for 5th graders at Hill Elementary. We are going to carry out a biodiversity survey of the living things around us in Austin, Texas. We recently learned about the difference between climate and weather. Now we are in our life science unit, learning about ecology, the study of living and non-living things and how they interact. Recently, we experienced a major winter storm. It has drastically affected the plant and animal life in Austin. Let's record what we see. Every two weeks, I will see which student has made the most observations and send them a prize in the mail. Nothing like a little healthy competition to help us get outside and start paying attention to all the life that is around us.
Uri was a major coast-to-coast storm Feb. 12-16, 2021. By the morning of February 16, 73% of the area of the Lower 48 states was covered by snow, the most widespread snow cover in the contiguous U.S. in at least 17 years. Additionally, snow blanketed 80% of Texas. Abilene and San Angelo, Texas smashed their all-time snowiest calendar day Sunday, February 14, in records dating to the late 1800s. In Austin, Texas, 6.4 inches of snow was recorded at both Bergstrom Airport and Camp Mabry, our heaviest snowstorm in 72 years, since Jan. 30, 1949.
How did this affect the plant and animal life in Austin and surrounding areas? What lives here? What does it look like now? Will it grow back? Let's record what we see.
Uri was a major coast-to-coast storm Feb. 12-16, 2021. By the morning of February 16, 73% of the area of the Lower 48 states was covered by snow, the most widespread snow cover in the contiguous U.S. in at least 17 years. Additionally, snow blanketed 80% of Texas. Abilene and San Angelo, Texas smashed their all-time snowiest calendar day Sunday, February 14, in records dating to the late 1800s. In Austin, Texas, 6.4 inches of snow was recorded at both Bergstrom Airport and Camp Mabry, our heaviest snowstorm in 72 years, since Jan. 30, 1949.
How did this affect the plant and animal life in Austin and surrounding areas? What lives here? What does it look like now? Will it grow back? Let's record what we see.
Movies & Shows
- Apollo 13 (1995) "Houston, we have a problem." Ron Howard directed this stirring story of NASA's real-life crisis. En route to the moon, an oxygen fuel-cell tank exploded, cutting electrical power and the astronaut's air supply. The film shows the crew interacting with mission specialists back on earth to rig solutions as they retreat to the lunar module for a desperate return voyage to earth. Tom Hanks is Commander Jim Lovell.
- Hidden Figures (2016) The untold story of the "human computers," black female mathematicians who helped launch John Glenn into orbit at the start of the U.S. space program.
- Madame Curie (1943) A biographical film of Nobel-prize winning physicist Marie Curie (played by Greer Garson), and her husband Pierre Curie, as they undergo hardship to isolate radium from pitchblende rock, learning about radioactivity.
- March of the Penguins (2005) A documentary film that shows Emperor Penguins' rituals of courtship and breeding, as they travel across Antarctic ice to reach the ocean.
- Microcosmos (1996) A documentary of insect life.
- October Sky (1999) Based on the book "Rocket Boys," the movie tells the story of a coal miner's son who was inspired by the Sputnik launch to build and test model rockets while in high school, eventually becoming a NASA scientist.
- Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (2006) A documentary consisting of eleven episodes, shot in high definition showing Earth's topography and diversity in all its glory. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- The Right Stuff (1983) The story of the early days of NASA's space program, focusing on the selection and training of original Mercury astronauts: John Glenn, Gus Grissom, and Alan Shepard, as well as the story of Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier. One of my personal favorites.
- The Story Of Louis Pasteur (1935) Considered one of the best bio-pictures, follows the great biologist's discovery of vaccines for anthrax and rabies and his campaign for cleanliness vs. infection. Played by Paul Muni.
- Winged Migration (2001) A documentary film showing gorgeous aerial footage of birds struggle against the elements in their migratory journeys.
Podcasts
What am I listening to right now? 1. Radiolab - aswesome science and technology updates and stories, very interesting 2. Harry Potter and the Sacred Text- great literary digest of the books, with funny stories and connections to real world; some Jewish and Christian religious analogies mentioned What are additional podcasts that are science focused and kid friendly? 1. Tumble stories of science discovery. Check out our episodes on dark energy, vomiting robots, whale sharks, dinosaurs. 2. Brains On!- interviews, science songs, interesting topics. Like farts! 3. The Show About Science- Listen to the episode with Gross Science host Anna Rothschild. 4. Aaron’s World 5. Meanwhile in the Future 6. What’s the Point- The episode on how science works (or doesn’t) is a must-listen, and the show recently went into the field to learn how data can help save an endangered bird species. 6. Transistor 8. Imaginary Worlds 9. Science Friday 10. Point of Discovery | 11. 60 Second Science 12. Star Talk Radio- Neil DeGrasse Tyson hosts 13. People Behind the Science 14. Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality 15. Eyes on Conservation 16. Curious Minds 18. The Adaptors- About climate change. Or, rather, adapting to climate change. So really, it’s a podcast about people and the future. 19. NOAA podcasts 20. This American Life 21. NPR for kids- wow in the world NPR- Molly of Denali 22. List of other good kid friendly podcasts 23. Kids Listen- features a playlist curated especially for educational shows! It’s now on the web, with an iOs app coming later this summer. The app is a great way to let your kids discover what they love |
Online Games, Simulations, & Virtual Field Trips
Other Fun Things to Do
Look for satellites in the evening:
How to look for satellites
There are over 200,000 man-made satellites orbitting our earth right now! When in doubt, look up and try to spot one. Use the link above to find out when to look, or just look at the sky around sunset or sunrise.
Here are more details, when using the chart on heavens-above.com:
Brightness: The lower the number is the brighter the satellite. -3.5 is very bright whereas -1 is not as bright.
Highest Point: Look at the Degrees, it's best to look for satellites with a higher degree. When looking outside in the sky, raise one fist in front of your face for every 10 degrees, to tell where to look above the horizon. Look for higher degrees so you can see it up higher.
If you just walk outside and try to spot a satellite, you will have the most success at Sunrise or Sunset. (if it's late, the satellite will be in the earth's shadow and you can't see it.) Look at direction NW= North West.
How many man-made Satellites are there?
Man Made Satellites
How to look for satellites
There are over 200,000 man-made satellites orbitting our earth right now! When in doubt, look up and try to spot one. Use the link above to find out when to look, or just look at the sky around sunset or sunrise.
Here are more details, when using the chart on heavens-above.com:
Brightness: The lower the number is the brighter the satellite. -3.5 is very bright whereas -1 is not as bright.
Highest Point: Look at the Degrees, it's best to look for satellites with a higher degree. When looking outside in the sky, raise one fist in front of your face for every 10 degrees, to tell where to look above the horizon. Look for higher degrees so you can see it up higher.
If you just walk outside and try to spot a satellite, you will have the most success at Sunrise or Sunset. (if it's late, the satellite will be in the earth's shadow and you can't see it.) Look at direction NW= North West.
How many man-made Satellites are there?
Man Made Satellites