ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2015 A11
MAP CORNER
DID YOU KNOW?
Use the newspaper to
complete the following
activities.
Activity One — Writing to
Persuade: Newspapers
are a great source for
persuasive writing. There are
advertisements persuading you
to try a product or service. There are opinion columns
challenging your beliefs on a topic. There are letters to
the editors about a variety of issues. Find an example of
persuasion in the newspaper. Who is the author? What are
they trying to persuade you to do? What techniques do
they use? Are they effective? Why or why not?
Activity Two — Area and Perimeter: Locate three
pictures in the newspaper. What is the area of the
pictures (length x width), what is the perimeter (the
length of all sides added together)? Are the pictures on
the front page the same size as the pictures found in
other sections of the paper?
Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to
locate information. I can identify point of view. I can
identify examples of healthy choices.
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides
newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and
students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
AFRICAN AMERICAN CIVIL ENGINEER & EDUCATOR:
Oliver McGee Oliver G. McGee III grew up in
Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated
from Ohio State University with
a bachelor’s degree in civil
engineering, in 1981. McGee
then went to the University of
Arizona to earn his master’s
degree in civil engineering
and his doctorate degree in
engineering mechanics and
aerospace engineering. While at
the University of Arizona, he worked as a graduate teaching
associate in the civil engineering department. In 2004, he
earned an MBA degree in business administration and finance
from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
McGee worked in many different positions. He was an
assistant professor at Ohio State University, teaching civil
engineering, where he was the first African American to be
promoted as a teacher with tenure. He taught at MIT and was
a special assistant to the President at the Georgia Institute
of Technology. He also worked at Howard University as the
school’s first vice principal for research and compliance.
McGee served the Executive Office of U.S. President as
a senior policy analyst and the U.S. deputy assistant
secretary of transportation for technology policy at the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
McGee earned more than 8 million dollars in grants for
research. His research has been published in many academic
journals, such as ASME Journal of Turbomachinery, ASME
Journal of Fluids Engineering, ASME Journal of Applied
Mechanics, International Journal for Numerical Methods in
Engineering, International Journal of Solids and Structures,
ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, and Civil Engineering
Systems. McGee is also the author of the book Bridging
the Black Research Gap. He founded the consulting firm
Partnership Possibilities for America, which focuses on
education, economics, and politics. For his contributions to
the field of civil engineering, McGee has received awards from
many organizations, including American Council on Education,
American Association of State Colleges and Universities,
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,
Council for the Advancement and Support of Education,
National Science Foundation, and National Aeronautics &
Space Administration.
For More Information About Civil Engineers, Visit: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-engineering-
careers/engineering/civil-engineers and http://www.ice.org.
uk/What-is-civil-engineering.
To View Videos of Dr. McGee Speaking About the Missing Malaysia Flight 370 Mystery Story, Visit: http://greatblackspeakers.com/author/olivermcgee/.
Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a
person who has made contributions in the fields
of science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics.
Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: [email protected].
SCIENCE CORNER
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS
Cont
ent—
Jenn
ifer
Wirt
hwei
n •
Desi
gn—
Beth
Sha
rpe
MATH CONNECTION
This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible, and delivered to classrooms, through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:
Airport Elementary 5th grade teacher, Juanita Shaw, works
with students Darius Pointer,
Kasiim Weaver, Kristian Nelson,
Brandon Dorris, and Camia
Lee on the effects of Sickle
Cell Anemia using the STEM
page in the newspaper. Airport
Elementary is in the Ferguson-
Florissant School District.
Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis
American.
What Is Civil Engineering?
A civil engineer created the slippery
part of the water slide. A civil
engineer designed a pumping system
to circulate just the right amount
of water to support the weight of
people, the water, and even the force
of the wind blowing on it.
The word
engineer comes
from a Latin word
meaning ‘cleverness,’
which is appropriate
because engineers
solve problems by
applying mathematical
and scientific knowledge.
The Ferris Wheel, created by
engineer George W. Ferris, is
considered one of the greatest
engineering wonders in the world.
Theme park engineers
are involved in designing,
building, lighting, and even
controlling the crowd flow in
theme parks around the world.
Engineers use a variety of
math in their jobs. A common
math formula that is used
is area. Area is calculated by
multiplying length times width. Try
your hand at these area word problems.
z A square has an area of 36 inches.
What is the length of each side?
__________
x Your classroom has a length of
25 feet and a width of 38 feet. Your
teacher decides that new tiles will look
good in the class. If each tile has a
length of 24 inches and a width of 36
inches, how many tiles are needed to
fill the
classroom?
__________
c A room
whose area is
24 feet squared
has a length that is 2 feet longer than
the width. What are the dimensions of
the room?__________
v The area of a rectangular rug is 60
yards squared. If the width of the rug is
10 yards, what is the length of the rug?
__________
b Terrence is making a display board
for the school play. The display board
is a 9 feet by 9 feet square. If ribbon
costs $1 per foot, how much will it
cost to add a ribbon border around the
entire display board? __________
n Patricia has a rectangular flower
garden that is 10 feet long and 2
feet wide. One bag of soil can cover
10 feet squared. How many bags will
she need to cover the entire garden?
__________
Learning Standards: I can
calculate area. I can add, subtract,
multiply, and divide to solve a problem.
Calculating Area!
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT Build A GumDrop Dome!
Background Information: In this experiment, you will build a geodesic
dome. You will then decide a variable to
change—such as changing the number of
sides in the base or the shape of walls—
and predict what you think will happen.
This prediction is your hypothesis. You
will then test your hypothesis.
Materials Needed: • 25 toothpicks • 11 gum drops
Process:
q Use gumdrops to connect five toothpicks as your base.
w Use two toothpicks and one gumdrop to create a
triangle from one side of the base.
e Repeat step two until you have created five triangles
around the base.
r Use toothpicks to connect the gumdrops
at the tops of the five triangles.
t Push 1 toothpick into each of the
top gumdrops.
y Use the last gumdrop to connect
these toothpicks at the top. You have
created a geodesic dome.
u Create a variable to change—such
as the number of sides in the base or the
shape used in the walls. How will this change
your structure? Write your hypothesis. Create your new
structure to test your hypothesis.
Analyze: Why are triangles used in building structures?
Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete
an experiment. I can create and test a hypothesis.
Civil engineers design and create
a variety of structures — not only
buildings, but tunnels, dams,
highways, water and sewer systems.
They use computer programs and
a variety of materials to create
designs to meet the needs of a
specific population. Civil engineers
must be sure that their designs
protect against environmental
elements, like wind and sun, as well as storms.
Examples of projects for civil engineers include managing
a community’s water reservoir to be sure there is clean
drinking water, designing skyscrapers, building shelters
for victims of floods and hurricanes, building the Olympic
stadium, and constructing roadways.
Civil engineers must obtain a
college degree and specialize
in structural, hydraulic, water
resources, environmental,
transportation, or management.
A good civil engineer is strong
in physics and math. They have
visual strengths and understand
the logistics of how a structure will
affect the flow of daily activities,
such as the layout of an airport. Civil engineers need to be
good listeners to understand the needs of their clients.
Visit Engineer Girl’s Website Here: http://www.engineergirl.org/.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main
idea and supporting details