debate-lfrf-digest/v01.n002

debate-lfrf-digest V1 #2 owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Getting Started owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Report from Beers Street owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Report from Beers Street Middle School owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

RE: Signs of spring? owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Our Picutures Are Online owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

[none] owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Biodiversity owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Correction to our web address owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Central East Middle Update owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

For Class Debate owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Central East Middle owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

I NEED YOUR HELP owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

biodiversity survey owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

info you might want to see owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

Re: biodiversity survey owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)

From Size to Time owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)Other ONAIR-LFRF archives

debate-lfrf-digest V1 #2

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: debate-lfrf-digest V1 #2
Date:
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debate-lfrf-digest Monday, March 23 1998 Volume 01 : Number 002

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 10:38:14 -0500

Getting Started

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Getting Started
Date:
Back to top

Hi everyone,

My classes are starting their preparation for the "Backyard Biodiversity"
Survey. Last week we went outside to write a general description of our
backyard. You should have received Amy's description which was posted to
the list last week.

Today we are going outside again to take a closer look. Working in teams my
students went out with meter sticks and made a square with the meter
sticks. First we made general observations about our square meter. Then we
got down on our hands and knees, some with dissecting gloves in case there
was anything crawling around in there, to see what we could find. It is
still very cold in NJ at this time of year, so we weren't as successful as
we might be in a couple of weeks.

Over the next day or two, we have to share the phone line, my students will
be posting their observations to the list. Later tonight I will have
pictures of our trip outside on our classroom web page at
http://www.netlabs.net/hp/ebend/square.html Take a look!

We would like to hear from the other classes out there!

Eileen Bendixsen
Beers Street Middle School

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 10:40:17 -0500

Report from Beers Street

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Report from Beers Street
Date:
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Hi,

Our names are Chris, Mike, and Alan from Beer Street Middle School. It's
Monday the 16th at 9:09 am the temperature is 5C or 35F. We have had no
progress so far. Its cold, sunny, and a little windy. We have moved to
about 3 or 4 locations. The first location was grassy. The second was also
grassy but mostly dead. The third had only patches of grass. The fourth was
muddy we hope to have better progress next time.

Talk to you soon!

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 13:24:23 -0500

Report from Beers Street Middle School

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Report from Beers Street Middle School
Date:
Back to top

Hi,

We're from Beers Street Middle School. Our names are Angela, Stephanie,
Malinda, and James. We went outside and it was 5C, and 35F. It was sunny,
windy, and cold. We made a square out of yard sticks. In it we found 2
worms and we found another one underneath. We also saw a lot of grass.

Talk to you soon!!!

Stephanie, Angela, Malinda, & James

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 02:54:34 GMT

RE: Signs of spring?

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: RE: Signs of spring?
Date:
Back to top

Hi to all,
Here the weather is really terribel.
Since two weeks it is rainy and very cold. Something strange for this time.
Usually the weather here is very nice, and the vegetation is really abundant.

Ok, I thinks thats all I can tell you.

Anything elese you want to know, please, no dount in ask me.

Best wishes.

*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Gianfranco Martinis
_/ _/ _/_/ _/ E-Mail: cpces04@salnet.com.ar
_/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ Belgrano High School
_/ _/ _/ _/ 4400 - Salta - Argentina
_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/

*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

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Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 22:52:42 -0500

Our Picutures Are Online

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Our Picutures Are Online
Date:
Back to top

Hi,

We had a very exciting day going out and beginning our work for the
"Backyard Biodiversity" Survey. We will be posting more of our messages to
the debate list tomorrow.

The pictures are now on my web page. My classes will be adding text and
additional pictures by the end of the week.

The url is http://www.netlabs.net/hp/ebend/square.html

Eileen

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 11:47:36 PST

[none]

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: [none]
Date:
Back to top

Hi! Our names are Ailinne Espinoza and Irina Bromberg and we would like
to participate in your debate. We are in the seventh grade at the Mott
Hall School in New York City. At the beginning of the year (early fall,
early October) our class went to our school's backyard and collected
organisms along with the plants we found them on. Our backyard is
directly behind our school. While the seventh grade collected organisms
in the area the fourth grade did an identification of plants in the
area; including the labeling and identification of trees and flowers.
For further information on the fourth grade area study check out our
school's web site at:

http://www.mhs.csd6.k12.ny.us.com
and click on "Explorations of Our Urban Environment"

After doing this experiment with our class and reading your web site we
have decided that as our science fair project this year we will be
working with insects and other arthropods. We will examine the
organisms our class collected in early fall and match them up with the
flower we found them on. After this is done we will pin them and then
identify them. Then we will collect more organisms, match them with
their flower, pin them, identify them and label them. Then we will
compare these organisms with the ones we found in early fall. After this
we will ask ourselves questions like:

1.- Why was this organism alive in fall and not now?
2.- What is the relationship between the climates? organisms? where we
found them?
Etc.

Please write back to us and tell us your comments, ideas, and

questions. We will be glad to answer back. Thank-you.

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 14:19:10 -0600 (CST)

Biodiversity

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Biodiversity
Date:
Back to top

Dear colleagues,
Eileen asked me to re-post (I shared it on 'discuss-lfrf') this
poem....I think it would be great to share this with other classrooms
and/or parents.
Marilyn Weiser

Also, does anyone have a lesson plan for teaching boys and girls how
astronauts plan menus while in space? Please respond to
mweiser@sendit.nodak.edu. Thanks.

Biodiversity Rap-up
by Brian Lloyd

Wake up, everybody.
Really open your eyes.
Look outside the door--
Youll see a major surprise.
Its cooler than the Shaq Attack,
Its hotter than Spike Lee.
Its got more sounds and got more moves
Than even MTV.

Yeah, Im talking bout the places
That span across this planet,
And the host of crazy critters
That we often take for granted.
You dont need a diploma
From a big university
To learn the word for all this life
Is BIODIVERSITY.

BIODIVERSITY means difference
In three kinds of scenes:
In HABITATS, in SPECIES,
And in our basic GENES.
Dont freak if this sounds tricky,
Stay cool, because Ill claim
That all of this is simpler
Than your average video game.

HABITATS are places
Made up of special features--
Vegetation, nutrients,
Climate, soils, and creatures.
From Senegal to Central Park,
From Haiti to Hong Kong,
A healthy range of habitats
Helps life keep going strong.

SPECIES are the animals
And plants that fill our nations--
From cockatoos to kinkajous,
From melons to carnations.
Species pollinate our crops,
Theyre mascots for our teams,
They give us food and medicines,
They dazzle life and dreams.

GENES are what determine
How populations vary--
How tall we are, how strong we are,
How intelligent, how hairy.
A healthy, varied gene pool
Makes all of life more brilliant,
And species in the face of change
Are adaptable, resilient.

Now I hate to be a downer,
I hate to burst your bubble.
But you ought to know the truth:
Biodiversitys in trouble.
The reason? People everywhere
Pollute and build and grow.
The wildest life will be in malls
Unless we stop, you know.

A world with only cities?
A little dull, Id think.
A world with only roaches?
Now that would really stink.
A world without a range on genes?
Now that would be a grim one.
Imagine every human being
A clone of Homer Simpson?

Protect our many races,
Said Martin Luther King.
Protect the tribes and forests
Of the Amazon, says Sting.
From decades past to present day
The rally cry has grown:
Diversitys what lifes about--
We cant survive alone.

Refrain:
Deserts, peat bogs,
Passion fruit, and tree frogs.
Spiders, seaweed,
Centipedes, and sheep dogs
Mule deer, killdeer,
Crocodile, and ginkgo.
Diversitys dull?
No, I dont think so.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 14:56:55 PST

Correction to our web address

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Correction to our web address
Date:
Back to top

We sent a message about our school study of our backyard, but we made a
mistake in the address. We put ".com" on the end by accident. Our
correct school web page address is

http://www.mhs.csd6.k12.ny.us
and click on "Explorations of Our Urban Environment"

Sorry.

Ailinne and Irina

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:40:11 -0500

Central East Middle Update

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Central East Middle Update
Date:
Back to top

Hi,
My name is Phuong Le from Central East Middle School. On March 17,1998
around 1:30 my class went outside and observed the yard of our school. It
was 48 degrees F. outside but it was sunny and clear. When we were outside
we saw grass, pebbles, rocks, woodchips,leaves, soil, a red feather,
plastic, and a glass bottle buried under a tree.
Today it is raining so we won't be going outside to observe the yard.
Phuong Le
Deborah Bambino dbambino@philsch.k12.pa.us

Central East Middle School
210 E. Courtland St.
Phila., PA 19120
215-456-5603
fax: 215-456-5614

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:39:47 -0500

For Class Debate

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: For Class Debate
Date:
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Hello BB Researchers,

We seem to be getting some information on current weather conditions in
various areas. That probably means we all think that knowing about local
weather conditions is important when studying the organisms that live in
it. Now let's take a look at the area we are examining.

How large an area should be surveyed by the entire class?

Consider these issues:

Should all classes be using approximately the same size area in which to
conduct their biodiversity survey?

If so, what size should that area be--approximately?

Should classes examine that area and take the survey more than one time?

Would there be valuable information gathered by using the same area and
gathering information over a longer period of time? Should we go to the
same area to gather data once a week? For how many weeks? More than
once a week?

Discuss these with your class and post your answers by Friday, March 20th.

Let's see if we can get answers from classes that are located:

*North of the Mason-Dixon Line

*In a mountainous region

*Near a beach

*Where snow has fallen in the last week

Let's all get our US maps handy.....let's see if we can locate the region

the answers come from.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:55:44 -0500

Central East Middle

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Central East Middle
Date:
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Hi,
My name is Sopholly Thach from Central East Middle School. Around
February it was supposed to snow but instead it rained. Yesterday my class
went outside, we were observing the front yard of our school. We saw grass,
pebbles, rocks, woodchips, leaves,soil, a red feather, plastic and a glass
bottle that was buried underground.Yesterday was 48 degrees F. but it was
sunny and clear. We examined the front yard around 1:30pm.
Sopholly Thach
Deborah Bambino dbambino@philsch.k12.pa.us

Central East Middle School
210 E. Courtland St.
Phila., PA 19120
215-456-5603
fax: 215-456-5614

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 18:38:57 GMT

I NEED YOUR HELP

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP
Date:
Back to top

Hi to all,

I wrote all you five days ago, and until now I am waiting for your answers.
I reply again because four days ago I had a power failure and lost
everythingh, so I think that I had lost messages from you.

Here I a sending you my old message, call HELP NEEDY, please, an you take
just a little of your valius time to reply it to me?.

It is for get a schoolarship of the Space Camp.

I really need your help to prube that I am on this list.

Hopping with all my heart your help.

Thanks a lot in advance for your help and time

Sincerly,

*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/ _/_/
_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ Gianfranco Martinis
_/ _/ _/_/ _/ E-Mail: cpces04@salnet.com.ar
_/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ Belgrano High School
_/ _/ _/ _/ 4400 - Salta - Argentina
_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/

*-*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 11:18:21 -0400

biodiversity survey

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: biodiversity survey
Date:
Back to top

Hello everybody!

I took my classes outside yesterday to take advantage of the
beautiful weather (the only day this week) to do the biodiversity
study. I took all three classes outside so I have three sets of
results but all three are very similar.
I had intended to let the students send the messages themselves, but
most of our computer lab is down today (figures), so I am doing it
with only one student. She has entered the findings below:

Hi my name is Rhonda I am in Ms. Coleman's science class. Yesterday
when we went out in first the temp was 18c and the time was 9:30 EST.
What we found was
Field grasses
leaves loak
tree seedings
vines
dead tree/bruck /stump
wild strawberry plant
pebbles
broken stems
dandelions
mosses

The second class went out at 10:30 AM EST, and the temp was 20 degrees
C. They also found (different things from the first class): mold,
briars, new growth on a tree, pine needles, water puddles, fungus,
poison oak, worms, moss, and heard frogs and birds chirping.

The last class went out at 1:30 pm, and the temperature was 25
degrees C. They saw (different from the other two classes) ants,
holly leaves and bushes, clover, a pine tree, berries, a worm, a
beetle, and some trash.

Heidi Coleman
E-mail: hcoleman@caa.k12.nc.us
"What a long strange trip it's been"

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 11:25:27 -0400

info you might want to see

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: info you might want to see
Date:
Back to top

Hello again everyone!

My principal just gave me some information directly relating to the
Costa Rican rain forest. I am in North Carolina, and I don't know
what availability other states will have, but Blue Ridge Electric is
giving out a Teacher's Resource Kit in celebration of Earth Day. In
it are two large posters (a map of Costa Rica and a list of
threatened plants and animals) and five pages of questions and

answers for debate in a classroom. I must admit some of it is
propaganda from electric companies, but nonetheless it does have some
good information and ideas.
Here are several addresses for Blue Ridge Electric that you might be
interested in contacting for the information.
Caldwell District Office
PO Box 112
Lenoir, NC 28645
(704) 754-9071

Watauga District Office
2491 US Hwy 421 S.
Boone, NC 28607
(704) 264-8894

Ashe District Office
716 Mt. Jefferson Rd.
West Jefferson, NC 28694
(910) 246-7138

Alleghany District Office
304 S. Main St.
Sparta, NC 28675
(910) 372-4646

Hope all is well with all of you! Have a great rainforest adventure1

Heidi Coleman
Heidi Coleman
E-mail: hcoleman@caa.k12.nc.us
"What a long strange trip it's been"

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 19:20:43 -0500

Re: biodiversity survey

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: Re: biodiversity survey
Date:
Back to top

As I write this there is a horrid ice storm going on. The week has been
cold, rainy and, even when it wasn't raining, muddy. We have chosen a site
to survey that is a projection of the woods on the other side of the campus
fence. The whole site is like a little 5m x 10m peninsula surrounded by
lawn. With a student teacher delivering the science for these two weeks,
LFRF is suspended for a bit. We still planned on taking one of the three
classes out to survey, but not until the weather clears.

However...WE ARE READY!

Laura Bashlor
Shumate Middle School

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 18:06:06 -0500

From Size to Time

From: owner-debate-lfrf-digest@rspac.ivv.nasa.gov (debate-lfrf-digest)
Subject: From Size to Time
Date:
Back to top

Last time we decided to conduct our surveys using a square meter.....It
seems that many of us still are experiencing a wide range of weather
conditions and those conditions can change rapidly. However, those that
did make it outside used a square meter in which to conduct their surveys.
Now lets look at how long a time period we should spend collecting data
when we do go out to conduct the survey.

How long a time period per observation will you use when you survey your
area?

_____time per observation

Is it important to have everyone using the same amount of time? Why or
why not?

What data should be collected?

Should we count every thing we find?

What if we find something that was living but is not living now? Do we
count it in our survey?

How do we count plants? Is each plant counted separately? Or do we count
only the kinds of plants? For example, grass. Do we record 987 grass
blades or 1 kind of grass? What do you think we should do?

How should data be recorded?
common name
scientific name -- genus and species
family name

This time, can we hear from a class that:

*is south of the Mason-Dixon Line

*falls along the 45 degree of latitude [+ or - 5 degrees]

*lives in an area which has a team in the final four

*has had sunshine for two days in a row

*likes to be outside for class activities

Try to have your posts online by 3:00 p.m. est Wednesday, March 25th.

Have fun........

Susan

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End of debate-lfrf-digest V1 #2
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