ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT 31 - NOV 6, 2013 A11

MAP CORNER

This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:

The St. Louis American is proud to partner with Hazelwood, Ferguson-Florissant, Normandy, and the St. Louis Public School Districts to provide this classroom tool for STEM education for students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, with content based on Missouri Learning Standards.

stlamerican.com

MATH CONNECTIONScientists often rely on measurements when they are collecting data. In this activity, you will practice converting measurements. Remember the Rule!

1296 in. = __________ yd.

62 ft. = __________ in.

91 yd. = __________ ft.

Materials Needed: 1 Plastic Container • Vinegar • 2 Ziploc Sandwich Bags • Clear Corn Syrup • 1 Raw, Shell-less Egg • 1 Glass

Disappearing Egg Shell Directions: q Place raw egg in container and

cover with vinegar. Notice the egg bubbling from the chemical reaction.

w Leave the egg in the vinegar for 2 days, then take it out and wash off the vinegar. The egg is now shell-less and clear.

Shrinking Egg Directions: q Fill the Ziploc bag halfway with corn syrup.

w Place the shell-less egg in the bag. Take careful note of the size of the egg. Now place the bag in the glass for support.

SCIENCE CORNER

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

If you have seen a sickle, a rounded tool used for cutting wheat, then you can imagine the crescent shape of a sickle cell. In the body, red blood cells carry oxygen to all of your cells. Round is the best shape for red blood cells because they can move easily. Sometimes, the blood cells are shaped like a sickle. This particular shape does not travel well and often gets caught inside smaller blood vessels. When this happens, there is pain in the bones. It also affects other organs, such as the brain, heart, and kidneys.

When the body recognizes that the sickle cells do not work properly, they destroy them. Unfortunately

Use the newspaper to complete these activities:

Activity One: Look through the newspaper for pictures, stories, and advertisements that demonstrate how people

change the environment. Remember to identify the

5 Ws: who, what, when, where, and why.

Activity Two: Many natural hazards make the news: earthquakes, wildfires,

volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes. Look for a newspaper story or a picture about a natural hazard. Identify the natural hazard and its effect on people and places.

Learning Standards: I can use a newspaper to locate information. I can summarize an article and recognize cause and effect.

these cells are destroyed more quickly than new cells are made.

Therefore, the body does not have enough red blood cells and the person

becomes anemic. Since this particular cause of anemia is the sickle-shaped blood cell, it is called sickle cell anemia.

For more information, visit: http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_

problems/blood/sickle_cell.html

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting detail.

e Check the egg in a few hours, then again the next morning. Did it look bigger or smaller? Let the egg sit for 3 days, by now you should see a size difference.

r Remove the egg from the corn syrup, and gently wash it. The egg should look shriveled, and you can feel the yolk.

t Fill another Ziploc bag halfway with water, and put the egg in it. Let it sit supported by the glass for a few days.

Does it continue to shrink or does it grow back to normal?

Analyze: Look up the definition for osmosis. How do you think osmosis affected this process?

Learning Standards: I can follow directions to complete a procedure. I can make predictions and analyze results.

Converting measurements!

The Shrinking Egg Trick!

AFRICAN AMERICAN CELLULAR BIOLOGIST:

John K. Haynes John K. Haynes was born October 30, 1943, in Monroe, Louisiana. His parents, a teacher and a principal, valued education and Haynes was able to begin first grade at just four years old. He attended Morehouse College when he was seventeen and received his bachelor’s degree in biology in 1964. Six years later, he obtained his doctorate degree in biology

from Brown University.

It was at Brown University that Haynes began his research on sickle cell anemia. He worked with Vernon Ingram, the scientist who discovered the amino acid difference between normal blood cells and sickle cell hemoglobin. From there, Haynes became a junior faculty member at Meharry Medical School and continued his study of sickle cells in the Department of Genetics and Anatomy. In 1979, he returned to Morehouse College as a biology professor and the director of the Office of Health Professions. He created a program for high school students interested in the medical field. Agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and the National Institute of Health (NIH) helped Haynes recruit minority students into science. In 1991, he went to Brown University to continue his work on sickle cells. He has served as Dean of Science and Mathematics at Morehouse College since 1999. Haynes has published papers on cell biology, as well as studies on undergraduate STEM education.

Questions:q What do you think a cellular biologist

does?

w Would you like to be a cellular biologist? Why or why not?

e Why is there a strong connection between biology and medicine?

Learning Standards: I can read biographies of individuals who have made contributions to science.

108 ft. = __________ yd.

12 yd. = __________ in.

14 yd. = __________ ft.

What Is Sickle Cell Anemia ?

SCIENCE STARSCLASSOOM SPOTLIGHT

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

Townsend Elementary School fifth grade teacher Tracy Cotton works on vocabulary building with Diamond Hill 11. The school is in the Hazelwood School district. Photo: Wiley Price / St. Louis American

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Did you know your brain is approximately 80% water?

In 1674, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first person to see a live cell with a microscope. Shown at left are one of his microscopes and a drawing he made of a microscopic view of an ash tree.

DID YOU KNOW? Although some bacteria make you sick, some bacteria (such as that found in yogurt) can affect your body in a positive way, such as helping you digest your food.

12 inches = 1 foot, 3 feet = 1 yard xLearning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

Photo courtesy www.thehistorymakers.com