Keystone Weekly
volume 1, issue 7       November 8, 1999

This week's Key Points: *From the Director's Desk,* *Science Sizzlers,* and *On the Lighter Side*

Other features: KSN Site Visits and Summer Institute 2000

From the Director's Desk

Kit Implementation across KSN sites:
With about two-thirds of the KSN charter group of classroom teachers reporting, there are at least twenty-one different kits (across the STC, FOSS & Insights programs) for which classroom kit implementation is planned sometime this school year. This number will likely grow as others let us know of their plans, and does not include other kits being implemented in KSN sites by teachers not part of the charter group. KSN staff is focusing their effort on these twenty-one kits and currently hard at work identifying online resources and related ways the KSN project can connect and support teachers as they facilitate teaching these kits. Your suggestions in this regard are most welcome.

Upcoming Site Visits:
In the next few weeks KSN staff plan to visit a few sites to "digitally capture" some of the kit implementation process going on so that it may be shared with others via Keystone Online. If you are teaching one of the kits during the next month and would be interested in being showcased a bit, please contact Karen or me to discuss visiting your school.

KSN Summer Institute 2000:
We are beginning the process of selecting the dates, location and content focus of the summer institute for the second KSN group of participants. Because of when we received our NSF grant award and the need to then solicit, screen and select sites, we had to rush to get the initial institute planned last summer. This year we want to have key information available prior to the end of December so the solicitation of new participants can occur much earlier and with a clearer sense of what they can expect at the institute. Watch for updates in future issues of "The Weekly". Helpful suggestions regarding institute planning are most welcome and will help ensure closer alignment to site needs and interests.

[Back to Top]

Science Sizzlers

CELEBRATE this week, November 7th to the 13th, as National Chemistry Week (NCW), a community-based program sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS). NCW is designed to enhance public awareness of the importance of chemistry to the quality of our daily lives. The annual event is celebrated the first full week of November, Sunday through Saturday, by volunteers nationwide. Visit the ACS website at: http://www.acs.org/ for general information about the scope of this organization. To access immediately K-8 educational resources that offer an array of chemistry challenges for kids, parents, and teachers, visit http://www.acs.org/wondernet/ and explore the different sections of the left-column navigation bar.

Teachers who plan to use the 3rd grade STC kit "Chemical Tests" can find a great deal of support information at the K-8 Wondernet site. Most STC kits recommend that teachers set up Learning Centers that are appropriate to the kit in use. A worthy online addition to this center for those Keystone teachers connected in their classrooms is http://www.acs.org/wondernet/whatsup/react/wu_react98. html. The "Chemical Reactions" section has riddles that use photos or drawings to engage students actively in thinking and choosing true chemical reactions. Another useful section of this website can be found at http://www.acs.org/wondernet/activity/react/reactions. html. The "Lose the Indicator Blues" activity describes a student-method for making Cabbage Indicator solution. Since the STC kit uses prepared solutions, it may be beneficial to have students make "baggie-solutions" to help them understand the real source of the chemical reactions. Also, be sure to visit the "Send Stuff" link in Chemical Reactions at http://www.acs.org/wondernet/sgststuff/sg_react98.html . Here you can sign up to receive free science prizes for your students who mail in investigation results or poems. Your students' submissions can be posted on ACS's Wondernet site!

[Back to Top]

On the Lighter Side

The Dangers of Electricity
If you think you are having a bad day, consider what happened to Bob Hinkle of Lincoln, Nebraska...
His wife, Mary, came home to find Bob in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current Mary whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment Bob had been happily listening to his Walkman.

[Back to Top]

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9819641.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

webteam@keystone.fi.edu

© 2003. All rights reserved.