Richard M. Schlenker

Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Sociology in an Inquiry-Based Study of Changing Population Density

to young students. Also, the information that students RICHARD M. SCHLENKERmanages all aspects of the science education program in the Department of Defense of the Republic of Korea. He also directs the Pacific Region Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and serves as the Korea chemical hygiene officer. KARL R. SCHLENKER conducts coastal process engineering research on international harbors for the U S . Army Corps of Engineers. learn about the results of population doubling is only partial. It is difficult to relate what happens in one or two petri dishes of bacteria to the doubling global population. Students perceive that the earth possesses infinite living space. There are several ways to demonstrate to students some of the effects of population doubling. One or more teachers, working together, can move two classrooms of students into a classroom normally occupied by one class, and then move a third class into this same space. For this approach to be feasible, the classes must all be studying the same topic. Also, the teachers must be willing to devote the same amount of time to doing the activity, using the same approach. In addition, the students may not gain the depth of experience they would gain from doing our suggested activities. Our approach to studying population density involves doing concrete activities with a single class of students. When the students have finished, they will have acquired a firsthand understanding of the effect of population doubling. They will also have the benefit of their research notes for future referral. Overview of the activities The first of the five-activity sequence begins with a class discussion about how human interactions are affected by population doubling. The second activity involves showing the effect on drinking water supplies when population increases. This is followed by a third activity, a geometricdrawing activity (a kinesthetic-tactile component), which simulates how an increased population requires a greater volume of food supplies to support it. In the fourth activity, the students construct graphs on the basis of their population doubling findings. In the final activity, the students write a short research paper. These activities can be done with students in grades 5 through graduate school. The subject matter is appropriate for biology, environmental education, and mathematics courses, as well as for social science courses such as psychology and sociology. The level of sophistication with which students gather data will differ according to student

Using the 5E Learning Cycle Sequence with Carbon Dioxide

The authors used the 5E learning cycle (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) and a pulmonary carbon dioxide mystery to introduce eighth grade students to the study of chemistry. The activity engages students in measurement, data collection, data analysis, media and internet research, research design, and report writing as they search for answers to questions that develop as a result of the engagement activities they conduct.

Using Tornado Tubes To Generate Interest in Science Research: Integrating the Study of Science and Language Arts.

ornado tubes were first introduced to the educational world in 1987 (Spangler 2001). Using them, students can perform a variety of exciting inquiry-based, standards-focused, and inexpensive hands-on science activities in physics, environmental science, and other scientific subject areas. The tornado tube, research-based activities we discuss in this article help students develop their own investigative schemes; work cooperatively; observe a model of an environmental phenomenon; work with air density and air flow; actively engage in a small research project; and hone writing and language arts skills.

Bacterial Fission, Powers of Two, Sociology, Environmental Science, Public Health, Biology, Mathematics: An Integration of Constructivism, Discovery, and Inquiry

Students examine the bacterial expansion pattern and attempt to relate what they discover to expanding powers of two. They also relate what they see and discover to increasing living space requirements in a world of infinite space and finite space to discover that living space decreases as a function of one over expanding powers of two. The population doubling effect is also related to refuse generation and food supply requirements as well as human drinking requirements. During their investigations, students engage in a series of concrete activities to demonstrate the various effects of unabated population expansion.

Change and Mystery: The Grist of How's and Why's in Inquiry Indicator Chemistry

In this activity, students mix mystery chemicals in a freezer bag to produce reactions that are unexpected. As a result, one chemical seems to disappear, the bag expands, and then the bag turns hot and cold. Participants then ask questions and design their own activities to answer their self-generated questions. The research cycle continues until all of the questions have been answered. The initial and follow-up investigations generate more questions than students can answer. As students investigate, they are assigned to work in teams and write research reports.