Blog
This Week in Science. Nov 3, 2014
This weekly feature of STAOblog brings you a sampling of the latest science news sorted by curriculum strand. Use these items to enrich your class discussions and engage your students. Share your favourite Science News “gems” by emailing them to staoblog@stao.org....
Flipped Learning
>>> Written by Nick Key... Through the first 8 years of my teaching career, I felt a growing level of apathy in my students. I needed a new way to engage them (and me). So, over the past three years, I have been part of a growing movement of educators trying...
STAO 2014 is Almost Here. Have You Registered?
>>> by Don Galbraith "I Can't Afford to Attend the Conference" Yes, we have all heard that expression before. My response has always been, I can't afford NOT to attend. STAO is far more than just a professional organization. It is a coming together of...
This Week in Science. Oct 27, 2014
This weekly feature of STAOblog brings you a sampling of the latest science news sorted by curriculum strand. Use these items to enrich your class discussions and engage your students. Share your favourite Science News “gems” by emailing them to staoblog@stao.org....
How Many Earths are There?
As of Oct 10, 2014, there are 1832 known exoplanets in the universe, according to the BBC. As the technology to peer deeper into space improves, this number is expected to grow rapidly. But how many of these planets are comparable in size to Earth and suitable for...
Comeback Can
Contributed by: Cory Telfer ...an activity that’ll keep coming back to you Big Idea: Structures and mechanisms throughout our environment have forces that act on and within them Grade 5: Matter and Energy Inquiry Skills Used This is a technological problem-solving...
The Spinning Dish
In this demo, two polyethylene strips are charged on one end by rubbing with wool. One charged strip is then mounted on an evaporating dish and the other charged strip is used to make the dish spin. As both strips become negatively charged when rubbed with wool they...
Controversial Topics in Biology
By Leila Knetsch Goal: To increase scientific literacy and practice good literacy techniques Students will gather four articles on a variety of biology topics. You will be expected to gather four (4) articles and at LEAST two (2) of them must be controversial. The...
Physicists create reversible laser tractor beam – CNET
Physicists have built a tractor beam out of lasers that can both repel and attract objects across distances 100 times farther than previously possible. by Michelle Starr The groundbreaking tractor beam, made of a hollow laser beam (a laser bright around...
Alkali Metal Safety
Many teachers demonstrate the reaction of lithium, sodium and potassium with water when discussing the trend in reactivity of the alkali metals. In order to conduct this demo safely, it is imperative that only a small quantity of metal is used and that appropriate...
Diluting Acids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeA7DRarq6I Diluting acids to prepare a solution of a required concentration requires skill, training and common sense. This Flinn Scientific video offers good, practical advice on how to prepare dilute acid solutions. A safer...
Give Bats a Place to Call Home
««« By Luba Mycio-Mommers, PhD ... Curriculum Connection: Biology, most levels. Boxes for Bats are Essential Habitat! The little brown bat is in serious trouble. You have heard us talk about white-nose syndrome (WNS) and how it’s wiping out entire colonies....