On Sunday my partner and I went hunting in the forest for slime mould. First we found some fungus we thought was slime mould, but when we took it home to examine we found out it was actually some kind of orange jelly fungus. We went hunting again and brought back a few more samples, though non of them appear to be the illusive slime physarum polycephalum. They may be part of the family of slime moulds, but are not what we need for our experiment. Today we looked at the samples we brought back under a microscope (during inquiry time).
Month: December 2012
Thursday, December 13th 2012
Today during inquiry time my partner and I worked on planning our inquiry and making a list of supplies we will need. We also did some additional research and took notes. We completed the planning sheet and are deciding when and where we can get the materials we need.
Inquiry 3 Song Clips
This is the compilation of clips Meghan and I put together to play for participants as they filled out the questionnaire we gave them.
We gave each version a number (corresponding to numbers on the questionnaire) instead of stating the singer in an attempt to avoid bias, though we could not completely control that variable as many participants were able to recognize the artists regardless.
Inquiry 3 Questionnaire
This is the questionnaire we provided participants with as we played clips from four different versions of the song Little Drummer Boy.
Inquiry 3 Questionnaire (Music)
First, we asked participants to fill out question #1 (pertaining to their age category). Then we proceeded to explain how they would hear four different versions of a Christmas song, which had numbers corresponding to those on the questionnaire. We played our compilation of clips as participants filled out the questionnaire, and rewarded them with a candy cane after they were finished. 🙂
Movie Analysis (“The Day After Tomorrow”)
The scientific basis of the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” is centered around climate change. The main character’s father works for the government and is trying to come up with a solution for global warming. As temperatures around the world increase, global warming becomes so bad that the world overheats, which would ultimately lead to the death of everyone on the planet. Water temperatures in the North Atlantic rise – as do salt levels – and there is talk about the circulation of certain ocean currents around the equator and the north.
For the purposes of the film, the speed of warming and cooling are increased dramatically, such as the steep decline in temperature being shown to take only a few days. However, speeds of temperature changes as dramatic as shown in the movie would take much longer in real life.
It would be somewhat reasonable to worry about this scenario actually happening if humans were to continue doing things the way they currently are, though it is not likely for similar events to occur in this generation or the near future.