Word of the Week: Domain

Domain is the set of independent values in a relation or function. It can also be described as all of the x values that lie on the function in the graph from the lowest x value to the highest x value.

Useful Link:
http://www.freemathhelp.com/domain-range.html

Word of the Week: Onomatopoeia

What a word! It may be long, but its concept is fun.

First, here’s how to say it: onna-motta-PEE-a

Onomatopoeia is the quality of some words imitating the sound they name. Basically, when you say one of them, you speak a sound. This is most common in the realm of animal noises, like meow and woof.

Authors use these words especially in poetry as a sound device. But even in prose, they help to pepper the writing with melody and imagery.

Examples of Onomatopoeic Words
boo	snap
buzz	swish
hum	toot
moo	tweet
roar	whoosh
sizzle	yelp
slurp	zip

You can see a much more extensive list of words here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/examples-of-onomatopoeia.html

Finally, here is an example from a poem that uses onomatopoeia.
This is the final stanza of “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes:

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard,
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred,
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter—
Bess, the landlord’s daughter—
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

To read the entire poem, go here: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-highwayman

Word of the Week: Stewardship

Environmental stewardship is taking good care of the Earth’s ecosystems. The Earth and its ecosystems belong to everyone. We all need fresh air, water and good food to survive. The Earth provides these things to us-every moment of every day.

We must responsibly manage our most precious resource -i.e. The Earth- to ensure a cleaner healthier future for all people. Good stewards positively affect the environment. They care for resources in a way that ensures there is no permanent harm. Good stewards work to ensure a cleaner healthier future for all people. Some examples of good stewardship include: creating parks, utilizing renewable or biodegradable resources, using sustainable agriculture and reducing toxins.

In what ways are you a good steward?
How can you become a better steward?
In what ways can your school or home become more environmentally friendly?

Useful Links:
http://www.epa.gov/stewardship/
http://www.nais.org/sustainable/isprogram.cfm?ItemNumber=149707
http://www.environmentalstewardship.org/regionii-greenviewfarms.aspx

ABC on the Road!

Your Georgia representative, Anna Rowen, is on the road in the ABC Mobile Education Unit! Keep an eye out, she may be coming to your school with FREE Preview Copies, Sample Materials, and more!

If you spot her or the Mobile Education Unit, let us know!

Word of the Week: Correlation

When two variables in a relationship are correlated, a change in one variable suggests a change in the other. However, correlation does not imply causation. In other words, just because a change in variable x suggests a change in variable y, the change in x does not necessary cause the change in y. Both the change in x and the change in y could be caused by a third factor.

A study has shown that as the number of hours a person spends dancing increases, the probability that the person will experience hearing loss also increases. The relationship between hours spent dancing and probability of hearing loss is shown below:

Word of the Week: Redundant Verb

A redundant verb is one that has two different, accepted spellings in the past tense and/or past participle. Sometimes, these spellings are interchangeable. Other times, though, their usage varies.

Believe it or not, there used to be many more such verbs, which can be considered both regular and irregular. For most, however, one past tense/participle spelling or the other slipped out of use.

Same usage:
to kneel
He kneeled down to pick up the pen.
She knelt down to pick up the notebook.

Difference in usage:
to hang
The horse thief was hanged at high noon.
The lovely painting was hung on the wall.

More Examples of Redundant Verbs
Infinitive	Past tense/participle
to burn	burned, burnt
to dive	dived, dove
to dwell	dwelled, dwelt
to grind	grinded, ground
to leap	leaped, leapt
to light	lighted, lit
to plead	pleaded, pled
to prove	proved, proven
to ring	ringed, rung
to shine	shined, shone
to smell	smelled, smelt

Word of the Week: Bias

Scientists have created a Roosterphant!!

If you saw this headline accompanied by this image on a story about genetic testing, would you believe it? With photo editing programs like Photoshop, it is possible to manipulate any image to suit an agenda. You can create any new image of things that are totally unfounded.

This month’s science word is Bias. Bias is data that has been interpreted to suit the goals of the interpreter. Many news articles, advertisements and other media sources include interpreted information. Manipulation of data, doctored images, omission of data points or information, even using mathematical modeling can generate bias in a science experiment. It is important for you- the consumer- to filter through this information and come to logical conclusions about the information presented.

There are several steps you can take to minimize bias:
- get your information from several different sources
- ask appropriate questions of the information presented
- review the source data of any “scientific study” mentioned
- look for emotional or inflammatory statements
- review the material for words like “opinion, possibly, or maybe”
- try to determine if the study was under the direction of a business,
corporation or government agency.

How have you experienced biased?

What did you do about it?

Useful Links:
http://www.validscience.com/
http://www.sadker.org/curricularbias.html

Word of the Week: Proportion

Two ratios (fractions) that are equal to each other are called proportions.

Word of the Week: Freytag's Pyramid

Along with the plot diagram, Freytag's Pyramid is a visual and memorable way to teach the key features of narrative. Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. In between, the author builds the reader’s knowledge of the characters and setting, develops the conflict(s), introduces the turning point, and then (slowly or quickly) brings the story to a close. Understanding plot is among the most basic skills needed to read, enjoy, and gain insights from literature.


Useful Teacher Links:

This free PowerPoint presentation from Read-Write-Think provides a basic overview of plot and some graphic organizers (including Freytag's Pyramid) that can help students to broaden their understanding:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson904/MidPlotStructure.pps#2

Read more about Gustav Freytag here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Freytag

Word of the Week: Density

Density is a physical property of matter that measures the mass per unit volume of a substance. The formula for density is D=m/V. This property explains why oil floats in water. Just check out your nearest Italian dressing to see this phenomenon.

You may have heard about the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Many clean up solutions involve corralling, scraping or burning the oil off the surface of the water. These techniques are possible because of the density of crude oil, it is less dense than sea water. The oil leaks from the well and travels to the surface of the ocean water. Find out what the density of crude oil and sea water are. Build a model of this disaster in your classroom.

Thought Questions:
- What other techniques are they using to contain the oil?
- How does it work?
- What do you think they should try?
- Suggest some techniques that utilize new technologies.

Read about the disaster and watch videos of the clean up here:

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/05/07/gulf.oil.spill/?hpt=Sbin

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,592582,00.html

Another common example for density compares the masses of gold and aluminum. Gold is a very dense substance while aluminum is not. The density of gold is 19.30 g*cm^-3 while the density of aluminum is 2.70 g*cm^-3. If we were holding a brick of gold in one hand and a brick of aluminum in the other we would discover the gold brick is much heavier. This is because the gold is much denser and has more mass than aluminum. Although both bricks have the same volume the gold is much denser therefore more massive.