Science Is All Around Us

Science and Math in Our Lives: Photo Journal

Overview

Science and Math are all around us. Many of our hobbies, interests, and activities relate to science and math. All sorts of things we encounter in our daily lives have science and math behind them.

The following pictures are just a few examples of how we can take a scientific look at the world around us.

What can our pets teach us about science or math?

I chose this photo because many students have pets and I could start off by asking them about their pets to get them engaged in the conversation. Not everyone has pets but maybe someone in their family or one of their friends has a pet.

By choosing a fish it could open up the conversation because it doesn't have to be a cat or a dog. It could be any kind of animal.

This could make a great introduction to a lesson about Life Sciences.

A photograph like this can introduce students to skills like demonstrating understanding of the interrelationships among fundamental concepts in the physical, life, and Earth systems sciences as listed in NJCCCS 5.1.4.A.1.

Standard 5.3 Life Science includes lessons dealing with strand A. organization and development.

This strand includes content like investigation into living things, the makeup of organisms, and the essential functions of plants and animals. This one could especially be of interest to students who know they must feed and take care of their pets in order for them to survive.

Further lessons built on the idea of feeding pets and providing them with what they need to survive can be continued covering strand B. in the life science standard, the matter and energy transformations strand. This strand includes content dealing with environment and what is needed for living things to stay alive and grow. This fish for example lives in a specific environment and needs to live in water, needs oxygen, and food.

This photo provides a great example of an animal in a specific environment. It provides a good springboard for asking knowledge and comprehension questions about different types of animals and different types of environments. Why does a fish need to live in water and we do not? Do they still breath? How? What other types of environments do other animals live in?

What can sports teach us about science or math?

I chose this photo of my kickball team in action because many students can relate to playing sports. Even if they are not involved in any teams outside of school, they might be familiar with games like kickball from gym class. Whether it's kids in school or professional athletes, playing sports involves the implementation of physics.

Within Standard 5.2 Physical Science, strand E., forces and motion covers material like understanding motion, and the force needed to make an object move in a direction. A kickball will not just move into the field by itself, we need to kick it in order to make it move. The harder we kick it, the farther it will go. We can also control the direction it goes in. Some forces act by touching while other forces act without touching. We can see this by observing that after a ball is kicked in the air, it will fall to the ground and eventually stop moving without being touched.

By using this photo in a lesson about physical science, application questions about science and math can be asked. How is this an example of Newton's laws of motion? If a ball is pitched faster or slower, how could that effect how far it is kicked?

What can the Jersey Shore teach us about science or math?

I chose this photo because we live in an area where we are surrounded by different environments that we can have fun in. These different environments offer activities that many students might be able to relate to. We can go to nearby mountains where we can hike or go skiing. We can go to forests and go camping, or go to the beach and enjoy the ocean. I chose this particular environment, a beach at the Jersey Shore because it's local and can relate to several strands within the Earth Systems Science standard.

In Standard 5.4 Earth Systems Science, there are several strands that we can talk about when thinking about a day at the beach.

We can cover strand A. objects in the universe and observe that the earth is a sphere or look at the high and low tide to discuss the gravitational pull of the moon.

Strand B. the history of the Earth covers subjects like erosion, which we can see when we look at how beaches can be in danger of getting smaller and smaller. This also relates to Strand D, which deals with tectonics and the formation and erosion of land.

In Strand C. properties of Earth materials, there is content about rocks breaking down into soil. At the beach we can look at the sand and compare it the the soil closer to home to see different stages in effect.

Strand E. focuses on energy in Earth systems, like how land air and water absorb the sun's energy at different rates. The beach is a perfect place to see several aspects of Earth Systems in action.

This photo of the beach can spark several different lessons with application and analysis questions. What can we learn from seeing a boat come over the horizon? Why is beach erosion significant? How does the sand at the beach compare/contrast with the soil in other areas? Why would the sand and the water feel like they are different temperatures?

What can cupcakes teach us about science or math?

Some students might like baking, others might just like eating the finished product, but between bake sales, birthdays, or just the simple enjoyment of a cupcake, students know about baked goods. That is why I chose this photo of some really cool cupcakes, which can get students thinking about combining ingredients and seeing them change into something else with the application of heat as an introduction to the changes in matter strand of the physical science strand.

In Standard 5.2 Physical Science, strand B. changes in matter, the content includes lessons about how heating and cooling can change the properties of things. There is also content about combining substances to make a new substance. Blending together eggs, sugar, flower, and some other ingredients, then adding heat can change those ingredients into a delicious treat for the class!

Using the example of cupcakes to learn about changes in matter can lead to synthesis and evaluation questions. What do you predict would happen to cupcake batter if it was frozen instead of heated? Could you create a new recipe and how would that change the taste? What are the most important ingredients in making a cupcake? Can some things be left out or added? How much heat do you think needs to be applied to cook a cupcake?