Download Character Newsletter for Middle School Students

Cooperation
Middle School - September 2011
Character Education
Newsletters
Broward County Air
Quality Program
Welcome back to school! The Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air
Quality Division continues to incorporate Character Education into its educational efforts.
Each month the newsletter will relate core values to science in an effort to educate students
about good character and the importance of protecting our natural resources.
Cooperation is defined as “working with others to accomplish a common purpose.” This
month, the common purpose is protecting nature and our natural resources from the effects
of climate change and air pollution.
This year’s newsletters support the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science.
Go Green
Climate Change
Broward County Kids
Corner
NatureScape Broward
Upcoming Events
Grade 6 – Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science; Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific
Knowledge; Big Idea 3: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses & Models
September:
C3 Challenge
Grade 7 – Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science; Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific
Knowledge; Big Idea 3: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses & Models; Big Idea 6: Earth
Structures
October:
C3 Challenge
Grade 8 - Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science; Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific
Knowledge; Big Idea 3: The Role of Theories, Laws, Hypotheses & Models
Take the Conservation & Climate Change (C3) Challenge!
We are proud to announce the 3rd annual Conservation & Climate Change (C3) Challenge!
Become your school’s Climate Leader and register by e-mailing us at
[email protected] and receive a free Back To School Eco-Friendly C3 Starter Kit.
Each kit contains stupendous items such as rules, bookmarks, pencils & pens made from
recycled material, a reusable shopping bag, stickers, book covers, Energy Star climate
change materials and a Broward County Teacher Resources CD. For more information visit
http://www.broward.org/PollutionPrevention/AirQuality/EducationalPrograms/Pages/C3.aspx.
Walk to School Day
November:
America Recycles Day
C3 Challenge
December:
Clean Air Poster Contest
January:
Clean Air Poster Contest
February:
Clean Air Poster Contest
March:
Clean Air Poster Contest
Clean Air
Grade Levels: 4-6
Question:
@Broward Environment
Does indoor or outdoor air have more particles (air pollution)?
Possible Hypotheses:
Inside air has more particles.
Outside air has more particles.
Materials:
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14 white index cards
Petroleum jelly
Cotton swabs
Magnifying glass
Procedure:
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Label the index cards 1-I to 7-I and 1-O to7-O.
Smear petroleum jelly on cards 1-I and 1-O using a cotton swab, and tape them to the
same window, 1-I on the inside and 1-O on the outside. Avoid placing the cards near a
door.
After 24 hours, take the cards down and repeat the procedure with the cards labeled 2-I
and 2-O cards. Make a note of the weather each day.
Do this for a week, replacing the cards each day. Examine the cards closely and
compare them to each other and to previous sets.
Record your observations, noting any differences.
Repeat the experiment in a different location or at a different time of year.
Analysis and Conclusion:
How does the air inside and outside compare? How does it compare in different weather,
different locations and in different seasons? How clean would you say the outdoor air is in
your neighborhood? And how clean is the air you breathe inside your classroom?
Source: http://www.need.org/needpdf/IntCleanAir.pdf
Frozen Salt
Grade Levels: 7-9
Question:
@Broward Environment’s
Channel
Does adding salt to water lower its freezing point?
Possible Hypothesis:
Adding salt does/does not lower the freezing point of water.
Materials:
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Four 8-ounce plastic cups
Measuring cup
Box of table salt (sodium chloride)
Freezer
Thermometer
Teaspoon
Procedures:
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Fill four cups with six ounces each of tap water. Add a teaspoon of salt to one cup, two
teaspoons to another, and three teaspoons to a third. Leave the fourth as your control.
Place the cups in the freezer. Observe the cups periodically until a thin layer of ice
forms on the top of the water, and then record the temperature of each cup.
Record your observations.
Analysis and Conclusion:
Did adding salt lower the freezing temperature of the water? What was the effect of adding
more salt to the water? Can you think of ways that this knowledge can be put to work for you?
Source: http://www.need.org/needpdf/SecFrozenSalt.pdf
If you have a sample FCAT question you would like to see featured in this section, please email it to [email protected]
An incandescent light bulb and a fluorescent light tube have been designed to produce the
same amount of light. Why does the incandescent bulb get hotter than the fluorescent tube?
A. The fluorescent tube is less energy efficient.
B. The incandescent bulb is less energy efficient.
C. The fluorescent tube uses more electricity.
D. The incandescent bulb uses less electricity.
Answer: B
The Pollution Prevention, Remediation and Air Quality Division
received three NACIO Awards of Excellence for air quality educational
programs developed by the Division. The electronic Character
Education Newsletters won a NACIO Excellence Award!
Spread the Word!!!
Subscribe to our electronic Character Education Science FCAT Warm-up Newsletters
Today!
The monthly edition of this newsletter is distributed only through a FREE electronic e-mail
subscriber list. E-mail the Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation & Air Quality
Division at [email protected] to ensure that you continue to receive this valuable
curriculum resource. The newsletters are also available on our Environmental Kids Club web
site at www.broward.org/kids. Archived copies of the newsletter are also available through
the School Board’s BEEP system.
International Walk to School Day
Mark your calendar for Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5th.
Why Promote Walking and Bicycling?
Communities are using the walk or bike to school as the first step to change community
culture and create environments that are more inviting for everyone, young and old. Here are
some reasons to support walking and biking to school:
To enhance the health of kids
Increased physical activity can combat a host of health problems facing kids today.
To improve air quality and the environment
Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can help reduce air pollution.
To create safer routes for walking and bicycling
Sidewalks, education programs and traffic calming measures are some of the ways to improve
conditions.