Day
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3
4
5
Learning Goals
At the end of the session, students should be able to… a. provide several definitions for Science. b. identify the steps of the scientific method. c. explain how science differs from other disciplines. d. identify the limitations of science
At the end of the session, students should be able to… a. work collaboratively to determine if a claim can be scientifically tested or not. b. perform an experiment that involves formulating a testable hypothesis, measurement, collection of data, etc.
At the end of this session, students should be able to… a) differentiate between an observation and inference b) differentiate between quantitative vs. qualitative observations c) explain how a theory in science is different from common people’s perceptions d) explain how a scientific law is different from a theory e) through an activity, determine how important accurate observations are.
At the end of this session, students should be able to… a)write up inferences based on observations b) identify problems in experimental examples in the video c) write the conclusion in an experiment d) make accurate measurements of length
Tasks
Warm Up: Yes, No, Maybe!
PPT/Discussion: What is
Science?
Group Work: Science from the World Wide News
Warm Up: Evaluating
Expressions (paired activity)
Experiment: How much air is in a Twinkie? (by pairs of groups of three)
Post-Lab Discussion:
Have student volunteers read their conclusion.
Warm Up: Scientific
Attitudes
Review
PPT/Discussion: Observation vs. Inference, Law vs. Theory
Activity: Peanuts are all alike!
Post-Activity Discussion
Warm Up: Inference and
Observations
Videos: 4 Myth Busters Clips from YouTube
Activity (Paired): Use a
Ruler
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: __________________________
PERIOD NO. ____ DATE: ___________
Read each statement below. Before each number, on the blank, write A for AGREE, D for DISAGREE, or M for MAYBE.
_____ 1. Science is what we know about the world around us.
_____ 2. Science is a job for men.
_____ 3. Science is a method for finding things out.
_____ 4. Science ideas never change.
_____ 5. Science can only be done inside a laboratory.
_____ 6. Science is information about the world that may be useful later in life.
_____ 7. Science is finding out what’s right or wrong.
_____ 8. Those who become scientists do not earn a lot of money.
_____ 9. Science is a collection of facts.
____ 10. Science always involves doing experiments.
Answer this QUESTION: Do you believe in horoscopes? __________. Do you consider astrology as a science? ____________. Why or why not? _________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
NAME: __________________________
PERIOD NO. ____ DATE: ___________
Read each statement below. Before each number, on the blank, write A for AGREE, D for DISAGREE, or M for MAYBE.
_____ 1. Science is what we know about the world around us.
_____ 2. Science is a job for men.
_____ 3. Science is a method for finding things out.
_____ 4. Science ideas never change.
_____ 5. Science can only be done inside a laboratory.
_____ 6. Science is information about the world that may be useful later in life.
_____ 7. Science is finding out what’s right or wrong.
_____ 8. Those who become scientists do not earn a lot of money.
_____ 9. Science is a collection of facts.
____ 10. Science always involves doing experiments.
Answer this QUESTION: Do you believe in horoscopes? __________. Do you consider astrology as a science? ____________. Why or why not? _________________________
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: _____________________
PD. #: _____ DATE: ___________
A. WHAT IS SCIENCE?
1. A body of _____________: a set of _____________________ that explain the facts.
2. A _____________ way of _____________, e.g. that of being _____________.
3. A particular _______________________ of solving _______________.
4. It is whatever’s being done by _______________ and _____________ doing
“scientific” _______________.
B. WHAT SCIENCE IS NOT- a. Its primary goal is NOT ______________________________________. b. Scientific knowledge is ___________________. There are no
_______________, ______________, and ________________ truths in science. c. Science does NOT exist to _____________________________________
______________________________________________.
CHECKPOINT!!!! a. d. b. e. c. f.
C. What is Technology?
D. What do scientists do?
1. Scientists look for ______________: examines it and __________________ it.
2. Scientists look for ___________________________.
3.
Scientists do _____________________ that are subject to ___________ by other scientists.
GMyers July 7, 2010

4.
Scientists make continuous, ____________________ ; there is NO single
“_____________________” they follow.
E. LIMITATIONS OF SCIENCE
1. Science can't _______________________________________________.
2. Science can't answer questions of ___________________________
___________________________________________________.
3. Finally, science can't help us _________________________________
__________________________________________________.
Checkpoint No. 2 : Can SCIENCE answer these questions?
1.
Is abortion wrong? ______
2.
Is the Earth only 6000 years old? ______
3.
Do ghosts exist? ______
4.
Is my dress prettier than hers? ______
5.
Was van Gogh a better painter than Leonardo da Vinci? ______

1.
2.
3.
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: ___________________________
PERIOD NO. ____ DATE : ___________
H O M E W O R K
Read these newspaper headlines. Which “sound” like a scientific claim and which does NOT? Put a check [ √ ] if the claim sounds scientific and put an X if it does NOT.
1. Aliens have landed in Sacramento!
2. Taking 200 mg of Vitamin C everyday can prevent colds.
3. Average temperature on Earth has been rising steadily due to global warming.
4. Lose weight by taking Xantrac 3000!
5. George W. Bush has been abducted by UFO’s!
6. Take 3 inches off your weight by eating pork rinds every day!
7. A vaccine for HIV has been developed!
8. Talking on your cell phone while driving prevents car accidents!
9. Lower your car insurance by switching to GEICO!
10. Research has shown that eating breakfast improved school performance.
Short response QUESTION:
In 2-3 sentences, summarize the kind of work scientists do…
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: _____________________
PD. #: _____ DATE: ___________
Q U I Z
Respond TRUE or FALSE [T or F].
1. Astrology is a Science.
2. Scientists accept things the way they are.
3. Scientists are skeptical.
4. Science can you whether an action is GOOD or BAD.
5. Scientists make careless observations.
6. Scientists perform experiments.
7. Scientists do NOT want other scientists to repeat experiments they have already done.
8. Science is so powerful it can solve ALL know problems on EARTH.
9. A lot of GOOD science exists on TV.
10. Anyone can be a good scientist.
Fill up the two boxes below by using your NOTES:
is…. is not….
GMyers July 7, 2010

c.
GMyers July 7, 2010

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand - For the sake of your family's health, beware your teenager's stinky feet.
That's the word from researchers here - and at America's famed Mayo Clinic - who proved in concurrent studies that foot odor is not just repulsive, it's dangerous.
"Inhaling the unique vapors of an adolescent's sweaty feet damages brain cells with every breath," said Dr. Raymond Pierson, lead researcher at the Olfactory Institute of Auckland.
Test scores dropped dramatically as exposure to stinky feet increased, the more aromatic the feet, the more devastating the effects.
"After inhaling a particularly pungent sample, one teen had difficulty recalling his name," Dr. Pierson reported.
High school athletes have long been known for their poor classroom performance.
The Olfactory Institute's findings have shed some light on the mystery.
"Have you ever smelled the inside of a high school locker room? Sweat socks are sucking the smarts out of our kids."
While awareness is half the battle, families can ward off diminished brainpower by following these specific suggestions:
Teenage children should wear galoshes or bread bags over their feet while in bed.
Adolescents are particularly defenseless in the night hours.
With the foul toxins contained, they will awaken no less intelligent than the night before.
Teenagers' socks should be boiled in water after every use. The active chemicals remain potent after a washing machine cycle, but are rendered powerless in boiling water.
"The great tragedy of this phenomenon is timing.
"Just as teens are gearing up for important college entrance exams, the noxious fumes of their feet are taking a toll on their intelligence."
- By MATTHEW J. BETT
Published on: 05/13/2004
GMyers July 7, 2010

50-foot parasites are latest weight-loss craze
AMERICA'S celebs have found a new ally in the battle of the bulge: Tapeworms!
The latest fad to strike the diet-crazed citizens of Beverly Hills consists of ingesting larval tapeworms in raw pork, beef, and fish dishes at trendy Los Angeles restaurants.
"You can eat whatever you want and never worry," confides one dieter who claims to have lost 73 pounds in eight days.
"It's like the fad diets, only much, much easier. Plus, I feel like I have my own little diet coach deep down inside."
The parasites lodge themselves into a host's intestines, feeding off the body's food intake and growing up to 50 feet in length -- the bigger they get, the more you lose!
According to biologist Dr. Kurt Honziger of the U.S. National Parasite Board, side effects can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation and -- most importantly -- weight loss.
Dieters may also see tapeworm body parts called "proglottids" appearing in their clothing, bedding or feces.
"It's a small price to pay to look great!" says one soap star who prefers to remain anonymous.
"A quick meal of steak tartar and a short incubation period later, and you're in business!"
Fortunately -- unlike pigs or cows -- humans serve as the final hosts for the tapeworms, so dieters won't have to suffer the discomfort of larva burrowing through their intestinal walls into blood vessels to be carried to muscle tissue where the larva form protective capsules around themselves and then develop into bladder worms.
This comes as no small relief to the pricey L.A. restaurants offering specially cultivated, larvarich dishes at extreme prices.
At the exclusive Bitter Grill, for instance, famed chef Hans Bitter serves up a
Canadian pike ceviche brimming with Diphyllobothrium latum in an Ecuadorian jalapeno-lime sauce -- for only $145. The waiting list for reservations is three and a half months long.
Will regular consumers ever be able to drop excess pounds with their own pet tapeworms? Thankfully, America's corporate leaders have responded to the challenge.
GMyers July 7, 2010

A new chain of national Tape Measure Weight- Loss Centers is coming soon, promising to provide expert guidance in parasitic implementation at reasonable prices.
Published on: 08/05/2004
Now he's a genius ... who loads software directly into his head!
By Michael Chiron
BOSTON -- In a major bioengineering breakthrough, scientists have placed an artificial implant in a man's brain that gives him control over a wide range of computer accessories -- transforming him into the smartest human alive!
Thanks to the "organic USB and serial ports" installed in the back of Gary Carel's head and fused to his cerebral cortex, his brain can directly operate a variety of external devices, including CD drives, scanners, printers and zip disks.
Researchers say that Gary, 28, can now:
 Download directly into his brain hundreds of computer programs -- allowing him to instantly learn foreign languages, play chess at a master level and solve complex mathematical equations in his head.
 Scan artwork, photographs and maps into his brain -- and later print them out.
 Chat online with cyber-pals all over the world -- just by thinking.
 Store tons of data and instantly recall it all with total accuracy.
"This is the wave of the future. Gary Carel represents the next step forward in human evolution," declares South African neurosurgeon Dr. Ian van Wenkel, a member of the international team that designed and implanted the device. "Within
15 years, virtually everyone in the developed world will have a brain implant. Those who don't will be left behind."
The experiment, involving top scientists from around the world, and funded by an unnamed computer software giant, is being pursued very quietly.
Some publications had reported that surgeons placed "a mini-computer" in Gary's brain -- and that's not at all accurate, Dr. van Wenkel explains.
"There's no reason to put a computer in anyone's head -- the human brain is itself a computer," says the researcher. "The brain's 100 billion neurons have a processing power of 100 teraflops -- roughly 100 trillion calculations per second. That's superior to the world's most powerful super-computer."
Instead, what researchers did was install an organic version of a USB (Universal
Serial Bus): An interface between a computer and add-on devices.
GMyers July 7, 2010

"You'll find a USB port at the back of your home PC," says Dr. van Wenkel.
The breakthrough is a natural extension of advances made in the brain-machine interface field. In the 1990s, Duke researchers tested a neural implant that allowed a monkey to control a robotic arm and reach for food.
"What we've done is light years beyond that," the scientist declares.
"Our tests indicate that with the help of these accessories, Gary has an effective IQ of 265 -- the highest ever recorded."
In a very delicate 18-hour operation, surgeons opened Gary's skull and inserted the patented "organic USB," bonding it to neurons in his cerebral cortex.
"Friends rib me about it and call me Data, like I'm a robot," he says. "People ask me if I have emotions and if I still dream -- of course I do."
Researchers are still monitoring Gary's health closely.
Published on: 05/18/2004
GMyers July 7, 2010

By JOHN SHAW
WASHINGTON - Chat-tering on a cell phone while tooling down a highway at 65 m.p.h. actually makes you a better driver.
That's the stunning conclusion of highway safety experts after a two-year study of the effect of cell phone use on traffic mishaps. The results fly in the face of other studies that state cell phones hamper your ability to drive safely.
"The accident records of more than 40,000 motorists who regularly use cell phones while driving clearly show that the practice improved, not hampered, their concentration and focused attention on their primary task - negotiating their vehicles through traffic," according to leading statistician, Dr. Lazlo Kralph.
Reported in the quarterly, Talking and Driving, the study results were admittedly a surprise to Dr. Kralph.
"Frankly we expected to determine that cell phone use interfered with driving," he told a reporter.
"But after examining the statistics and personally interviewing hundreds of motorists, it was dramatically apparent that cell phone use improves driving performance," he said.
"When drivers are using a cell phone, they aren't fiddling with their hair, drinking coffee - or letting their mind wander all over the place," Dr. Kralph declared.
"They're keeping their eyes on the road, and are very much aware that they must pay strict attention to what they're doing in order to carry out two demanding tasks at once."
Published on: 02/06/2002
GMyers July 7, 2010

- not from monkeys, new theory states!
Charles Darwin was wrong -- humans evolved from pigs, not apes. And that explains the Biblical prohibition against consuming the flesh of our oinking relatives, according to a startling new theory.
"It's hard to believe, but you and Porky Pig are kissing cousins," says genetic scientist Dr. Basil Hainwright of London.
"Dim recollections of a time when we trotted on all fours and rolled in the mud with our family members probably survived into Neolithic times.
"And so it is hardly surprising that dietary laws making taboo the eating of pork -- one step away from cannibalism -- found their way into the holiest texts of ancient man."
Until modern-day DNA science came of age and researchers meticulously analyzed the specific genes of mankind and other creatures, it was widely assumed that humans and hogs were as distantly related as we look.
But the latest research shows the two species are unbelievably close.
"It turns out humans and pigs shared a common ancestor just 64 million years ago -
- a blink of the eye in evolutionary terms," Dr. Hainwright says.
"My research suggests that this creature looked far more like a pig than an ape. It walked on all fours, had an upturned snout and a small, curly tail.
"If you saw it today, you would definitely identify it as a pig."
The close relationship explains the many similarities between the species today:
*Both are extremely intelligent.
*Both are omnivores, eating meat as well as vegetables.
*Both are highly adaptable, capable of gentle behavior in a protective environment, while capable of great aggression when forced to fend for themselves.
"This also explains why pig organs are so successful in transplants into humans," explains Dr. Hainwright. "Not only are the genetic differences almost inconsequential, but the closeness of size and function of pig organs make them perfectly compatible with the human body.
"Even the most primitive savages have noted the extraordinary resemblance: A name given by cannibals to human meat is 'long pig.'
GMyers July 7, 2010

"And of course, in schools around the world, fetal pigs are chosen for dissection because they're virtually identical at a certain stage to an unborn human."
While all this may sound creepy, Dr. Hainwright says it shouldn't cause us to abandon xenotransplantion, as the use of pig organs is known -- and he doesn't even believe we should give up our beloved bacon and pork chops.
"At some point in evolution, our ancestors climbed out of the mud, began walking erect and started using tools," he explains.
"Our less-ambitious cousins developed into the Middle-Eastern wild boar Sus scrofa, the ancestor of domesticated breeds of pigs now raised for food in Great Britain and the U.S.
"While we may from time to time look at a pig struggling in its pen and honking in fear as it's taken to the slaughterhouse, and imagine ourselves in its place, the reality is evolution has led us quite far from our piggish ancestors."
Published on: 04/19/2004
GMyers July 7, 2010

Stress caused by dim-witted co-workers may give you a fatal heart attack!
By KATE McCLARE
STOCKHOLM -- Idiots in the office are just as hazardous to your health as cigarettes, caffeine or greasy food, an eye-opening new study reveals. In fact, those dopes can kill you!
Stress is one of the top causes of heart attacks -- and working with stupid people on a daily basis is one of the deadliest forms of stress, according to researchers at
Sweden's Lindbergh University Medical Center.
The author of the study, Dr. Dagmar Andersson, says her team studied 500 heart attack patients, and were puzzled to find 62 percent had relatively few of the physical risk factors commonly blamed for heart attacks.
"Then we questioned them about lifestyle habits, and almost all of these low-risk patients told us they worked with people so stupid they can barely find their way from the parking lot to their office. And their heart attack came less than 12 hours after having a major confrontation with one of these oafs.
"One woman had to be rushed to the hospital after her assistant shredded important company tax documents instead of copying them. A man told us he collapsed right at his desk because the woman at the next cubicle kept asking him for correction fluid -
- for her computer monitor.
"You can cut back on smoking or improve your diet," Dr. Andersson says, "but most people have very poor coping skills when it comes to stupidity -- they feel there's nothing they can do about it, so they just internalize their frustration until they finally explode."
Stupid co-workers can also double or triple someone's work load, she explains.
"Many of our subjects feel sorry for the drooling idiots they work with, so they try to cover for them by fixing their mistakes. One poor woman spent a week rebuilding client records because a clerk put them all in the 'recycle bin' of her computer and then emptied it -- she thought it meant the records would be recycled and used again."
Published on: 03/19/2004
GMyers July 7, 2010

GLOBAL warming is caused by the hot flashes of millions of Baby Boomer women.
"The planet is sizzling and females going through the change of life are to blame," says the opening line of a controversial new study.
"There are more than 900 million middle-aged women worldwide in the early stages of menopause who are experiencing what is commonly known as hot flashes on a regular basis," professor of meteorology Dr. Cyrill Sanders told a convention of environmental experts in Osaka, Japan.
"That is why the Earth is warming at an increasing rate and there is no end in sight."
Sanders said he and his team discovered a clear correlation between the number of women entering menopause over the past 25 years and steadily increasing global temperatures.
The researchers acknowledge that the contribution of each woman to the rise in temperature is minuscule -- less than .0000000023 degrees Fahrenheit a year.
But when that number is multiplied by 900 million the result is a yearly temperature increase of more than two degrees.
"In preindustrial times, when the Earth's population was small -- and just a generation ago, when it was half what it is now -- the effect was barely noticeable,"
Dr. Sanders says. "But with the human population soaring, the damage being done to the climate has become impossible to ignore.
"It's like being at a party in an enclosed space. When the first few guests arrive, you're not aware that each body causes a tiny, incremental boost in the temperature. But when the room is filled to capacity and everyone has sweat stains at their armpits, the reality of body heat then becomes obvious."
Dr. Sanders warns that if the alarming menopause trend continues, in 20 years the heat in what are currently the planet's temperate zones will be "unbearable for humans and become wastelands."
The study has been greeted with skepticism by Sanders' fellow scientists, most of whom argue that the release of fluorocarbons and other greenhouse gasses are the prime cause of global warming -- not menopausal hot flashes.
And the researcher's conclusions have feminists hot under the collar.
"This is what happens when scientific research is distorted by sexism," says Dr.
Brigitta Watson, a 49-year-old British scientist who attended the conference.
GMyers July 7, 2010

"It's well-known that the burning of fossil fuels is the prime cause of global warning.
To lay the blame at the doorstep of menopausal women is the act of a knuckledragging Neanderthal."
Published on: 08/19/2003
GMyers July 7, 2010

By MICHAEL CHIRON
MANCHESTER, England -- Here's some good news that vegetarians can really sink their teeth into: Researchers have developed genetically engineered fruit trees that bear real meat!
Fruit from the new Meat Trees, developed by British scientists using gene-splicing technology, closely resembles ordinary grapefruit. But when you peel the large fruit open, inside is fresh beef.
"Our trees may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's really a simple, down-to-earth idea whose time has come," declares Dr. Vincent Tartley, director of agricultural bioengineering research for the
UltraModAgri Group, which created the amazing trees.
"Vegetarians have been complaining for years that despite their moral convictions against consuming meat, they still
Now everyone can be a crave the flavor of a good steak once in a while. Now they can have their cake and eat it too." guilt-free vegitarian!
Although it's taken 12 years to develop the trees, the concept is simple.
"We take the genes from cattle that produce key proteins and splice them into the reproductive cells of grapefruit trees," he says. "When the seeds mature into trees, instead of producing ordinary citrus fruit, the pulp contains meat. You get the flavor, texture -- even the smell."
Those who've sampled the meat agree it tastes like the real thing.
"I was a bit skeptical at first when I sank my teeth into a hamburger after they told me it grew on a tree," says Londoner Mark Basker, 41, who participated in a consumer taste-test. "But it was juicy and delicious -- nothing leafy about it at all."
Meat grown on trees needs only sun, water and fertilizer and thus is more costeffective than raising livestock, Dr. Tartley also points out.
Meat Tree products could be on the market in Great Britain by year's end and, pending USDA approval, on dinner plates in the U.S. by 2005.
Some fanatical vegetarians insist they could never eat meat -- even if it grew on a tree and no animals had to be killed. Others love the idea.
"My mouth is watering already," says a committed vegetarian of 20 years.
But religious leaders are uneasy about "trans-species genetic engineering." "Mixing
GMyers July 7, 2010

animal and vegetable DNA to create a new species is playing God," argues Rev.
Lawrence Bedlow, Britain's leading expert in medical ethics.
Published on: 05/16/2003
GMyers July 7, 2010

By DAN RUCK
DURHAM, N.C. -- Smoking can improve your memory! That's the controversial finding being debated by scientists who don't want to encourage smoking, yet may have found something good about nicotine.
Researchers in North Carolina say nicotine patch tests on 11 older men and women with failing memories showed an increase in their ability to make decisions quickly and recognize objects.
While sucking on a cigarette definitely is bad for your health, non-smokers may some day be prescribed nicotine patches to combat Alzheimer's disease, the scientists say!
"The concept is the same as the effect of aspirin on inflammation," says Daniel Sitar, lead researcher at the University of Manitoba, where nicotine studies also are underway.
At Duke University's Medical Center laboratory, other research shows using nicotine patches on people with Alzheimer's reduced some of their mistakes by 10 to 80 percent.
Still, some researchers are concerned the public will conclude from their results that smoking is good.
"By no means am I encouraging anyone to take up smoking or to continue smoking because clearly the adverse consequences of smoking outweigh any cognitive improvement," concludes one research professor.
Published on: 04/11/2003
GMyers July 7, 2010

By SANDRA JAMES
Lazy slobs are turning buff and beautiful without lifting anything heavier than a bowl of cheese puffs, thanks to a miracle pill that's being hailed as the greatest fitness advance since steroids.
The magic capsule actually builds muscle while people are at rest and turns sloppy, flabby couch potatoes into he-men and he-hers.
"Six months ago I was a load of lard," boasts Barry Fitzsimmons, 25, an office worker from Brisbane, Australia. "All I did after work was sit on the couch watching the telly and eating junk food. And I was such a bag of blubber, I went through three couches because I kept busting the springs!"
The pump-up pill started working almost immediately, says the now-buff Barry, whose rock-hard abs and bulging biceps make Arnold Schwarzenegger look like a sissy.
"I could practically see my huge gut shrinking while I watched the soccer matches," he marvels. "I've got six-pack abs now &emdash; and I didn't have to give up my nightly six-pack of Foster's beer to get 'em!"
The pill is the work of Australian scientist Dr. Colin Whitehurst. The Sydney-based researcher said he found tubby test subjects by soliciting satellite-television subscribers, people who spend at least 30 hours a week on the Internet or watching the tube, and also patrons at the drive-through windows of fast-food restaurants.
"We were especially keen to find people who watch golf on TV," he said. "They were one of our largest test groups.
"Even we were stunned by the results."
Whitehurst claims the lard-butts lost an average 30 pounds of body fat in the sixmonth study -- replacing the flab with 15 to 20 pounds of muscle. The once-blubbery bodies sculpted themselves into perfection, losing 12 to 14 inches from waists, hips and thighs.
Hot-bod Barry Fitzsimmons was among those who tested the ironman drug. So was
Sydney schoolteacher Margaret Welleby, 32.
"I had completely given up on losing my thunder thighs and rotunda rear," said Miss
Welleby, who is now lean and lovely after melting off 50 pounds of flab. "And I did it without moving a muscle from the couch!"
GMyers July 7, 2010

Miss Welleby revealed that thanks to her perfect new muscular shape, she's started entering bodybuilding competitions. Incredibly, the biceps-bulging beauty took the
"Most Muscular" trophy at one -- and she never lifted anything heavier than a potato chip loaded with a gob of onion dip.
"I'm just thrilled," she said. "I've never been into sports or considered myself an athlete, and now I've got a trophy. But I did feel a little guilty. Those other girls that
I beat had worked out four hours a day pumping iron for years and starved themselves for months before the contest so they'd look as good as I do.
"But I plan to keep popping the pills and hope to win the Miss Muscular Australia contest and go on to international competitions."
Another bonus for the couch-riding hottie came when she met the man of her dreams, a hulking bodybuilder, at the contest. The couple plans to be married next summer.
Thanks to the pill's success with test subjects, Dr. Whitehurst said he hopes to have the muscle-building medication on the market by fall.
"It should be ready to go," he said, "by the time the new TV season starts."
GMyers July 7, 2010

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Officials at the European Center for the Treatment of
Skin Diseases have issued a warning to teens and impassioned lovers:
Hickeys really do cause cancer!
Urban lore has warned of the hickey-cancer connection as long as frisky teens have hungrily sucked on each other's necks, but it was often ignored along with warnings of Pop Rocks and fizzy drinks causing human explosions.
But new research exposes the heinous hickey for what it really is: a deadly carcinogen.
Doctors at the center warn that anyone who "swaps spit" with a significant other may suffer the potentially fatal consequences.
In layman's terms, the saliva from the "sucker" mixed with the neck flesh of the
"suckee" makes for a cancerous brew of tumors and lesions, the experts said.
Some are benign but a "significant number" of hickeys are malignant, according to the study.
Depending on the amount of sucking power an individual has, the onset of the cancerous cells can be almost immediate.
"I thought I was doing the right thing when I let my girlfriend give me a hickey," said
Bernard Reitz, a 15-year-old high school sophomore. "But I guess I was taking my health for granted.
"Now, I just hope this gross, purple lesion doesn't kill me."
Epidemiologists have asked the public to remain calm, but a heightened awareness needs to be observed.
"If you see anyone engaging in a PDA -- a Public Display of Affection -- and you feel it might lead to someone getting a hickey, you are urged to stop them immediately, or at least warn them of the potentially fatal consequences," said the center's Dr.
Patrice Denueve.
"Just as many health-minded people make smokers feel like lepers, it's really a public service to halt this insidious epidemic."
At this time, there is no known cure for what newspapers are now calling "hickey cancer," but several protective devices are sanctioned.
These include: scratchy turtleneck sweaters, severe neck acne, profuse sweating and copious amounts of BAD cologne!
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: _________________________
PERIOD NO. ____ DATE: __________
INSTRUCTIONS: The following are everyday expressions we often hear.
Not all of these observations are accurate. Answer “ YES” if you think that the expression could be scientifically tested and write a “ NO” if you think it cannot be scientifically tested.
1. You can’t teach an old dog a new trick.
2. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
3. It’s always darkest before dawn.
4. You can’t fight city hall.
5. A watched pot never boils.
6. You can catch a bird by putting salt in its tail.
7. There is always calm before a storm.
8. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
9. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
10. A black cat always brings bad luck.
NAME: _________________________
PERIOD NO. ____ DATE: __________
INSTRUCTIONS: The following are everyday expressions we often hear.
Not all of these observations are accurate. Answer “ YES” if you think that the expression could be scientifically tested and write a “ NO” if you think it cannot be scientifically tested.
1. You can’t teach old an dog a new trick.
2. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
3. It’s always darkest before dawn.
4. You can’t fight city hall.
5. A watched pot never boils.
6. You can catch a bird by putting salt in its tail.
7. There is always calm before a storm.
8. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
9. You reap only what you sow.
10. A black cat always brings bad luck.
GMyers July 7, 2010

Title:
Introduction:
Problem:
Hypothesis:
Materials:
Procedure
Name: ___________________________________
Period No. _________ Date: ________________
The % Volume of Air in a Twinkie
Twinkies are a popular, even iconic, American snack cake made and distributed by Hostess Brands. They are marketed as a "Golden
Sponge Cake.”
In this ‘yummy’ experiment, we will investigate how much air is in a piece of this golden delight. It is very important to make all measurements accurately. Go forth and seek, little scientists!
[ ] H
1
: __________________________________________
[ ] H
2
: __________________________________________
[ ] H
3
: ___________________________________________
1 Twinkie per team Ruler (use cm side)
Calculator measuring cup
Paper towels Newspaper
Gloves Paper plate
1.
Cover the desk with newspaper. Put on your gloves.
2.
Unwrap the twinkie and lay it on its side.
3.
Using a ruler, measure the length, width, and height of the twinkie in centimeters (cm).
Record this data in the data table and calculate the volume in cm 3 .
4.
Mash the twinkie on the given plate. Spoon the mixture into the dry measuring cup.
5.
Push on top to let all air escape. Measure the new volume in ml (1 ml = 1 cm3). Record this new volume in the Data Table.
6.
Calculate the % air (by volume) using this formula:
GMyers July 7, 2010

Clean up by throwing the newspaper, left-over twinkie, used plate, and gloves. Wash and dry the measuring cup and spoon.
Data Table:
Length (in cm)
Width (in cm)
Height (in cm)
Original Volume
New Volume (in ml of cm 3 )
% Air (by volume)
(Multiply L x W x H): ________________ cm 3
Follow formula in page 1: _____________ %
Discussion:
Write a one-paragraph discussion using the following as guide questions. a) Was your hypothesis correct? b) Were you surprised by the results? c) If you were someone who likes to spend money buying Twinkies, what could be the effect of your experiment on your buying behavior? d) How could this experiment be improved? e) What kind of mistakes can a person performing this experiment commit?
In this experiment, ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
We found out that ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
If I were to perform this experiment again I would _____________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
In conclusion, _______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
Adapted/Re-written by GMyers from http://www.twinkiesproject.com/
GMyers July 7, 2010

Name: __________________________
Period No. ____ Date: ______________
Which attitude is scientific, and which is NOT? Answer “S” or “NS”.
Answer Statements
1. “Why don’t we do an experiment to find out?” said Bill.
2. “Who cares?” said Marcia.
3. “If Judge Judy says it so, it must be true!” utters Celina.
4. “I just broke a mirror…I would have bad luck all day!” moans Carlos.
5. “Well, I’ll have you know I heard it on Oprah so it must work!” says Latesha.
6. “I will try to put on two batteries, maybe it will work this time!” mentions
Ramiro.
7. “Perhaps the reason it goes so slow is because it is not getting enough power!” says Damonte’.
8. “I must buy that bracelet; Lindsay Lohan was wearing it when she went to
Rehab!” screams Lindsay.
9. “I bought Britney Spears’ hair on eBAY because my friend told me it will bring me good luck!” utters Cynthia.
10. “I will put on a pair of goggles before I work on this experiment,” says
Fabian.
11. “I know this water sample is hot, because I took its temperature just now…” says PaZong.
12. “Why don’t we try crushing the tablet first to see if it dissolves faster?” suggests Sue.
13. “Well, I heard Susie say that all those born under the Pisces sign will win the lottery today, so I’m buying 50 tickets right now!” screams Devin.
14. “That pimple cream must really work if Jessica Simpson is using it on TV!” says Camille.
15. “Well, that dude tried to test if the batteries are working and I think that’s dumb!” says Ponzie.
You must do as I tell you to!
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: ______________________
Period Number: ________ Date: _______
1. What is a good scientific skill?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. How are observations made?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What are the two different kinds of observations? Describe each:
Qua_________________
Description:
Qua_________________
Description:
4. Give two original examples for each kind:
Qualitative: _______________________________________________
________________________________________________
Quantitative: ______________________________________________
________________________________________________
5. What is an inference?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. Examples of Observations and Inferences:
O: ____________________________ I: _______________________________
O: ____________________________ I: _______________________________
7. Differentiate among the terms Theory, Law, and Data:
Theory Law Data
GMyers July 7, 2010

8. A scientific law is like a slingshot. Why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
A theory is like a car. Why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
QUIZ
Write O if the statement is an observation, I if it’s an inference and B if it’s both.
____1. The class room walls are white.
____2. Linda is absent, she is probably sick.
____3. That 67 year old actress looks so young!
____4. She must have had eight plastic surgeries.
____5. Shaquille O’Neal is at least 6 feet and 5 inches tall.
____6. Oops! Half the class is late…The teacher would get mad.
____7. Roy and Pam went home late. They must have gone out on a date.
____8. Mindy is wearing a big smile. She must have won the lottery!
____9. That lake must be polluted.
____10. That boy has 6 fingers in his hand!
Questions:
1. What could be the ‘dangers’ of making quick, hasty inferences?
2. Why must scientists make many careful observations first before arriving at an inference?
GMyers July 7, 2010

Names: __________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Period No. : _________
Date: ______________
1
2
3
4
5
INTRODUCTION: Making accurate observations is an important skill, especially for scientists. In the field of science, qualitative measurements produced through the use of instruments are often used, as these can easily be replicated and verified. In this activity, you and your team members will choose a peanut (just one) from a bag and make 10 accurate observations about it. Your observations should enable another group to pick out that special peanut you chose. Have fun!
MATERIALS:
Ruler String Mass balance Pencil
These are allowed…
 You can make both qualitative and quantitative statements.
 You can use ONLY the set of materials provided.
 You can draw the peanut (This will count as one observation).
These are NOT allowed…
 You cannot trace the peanut’s outline.
 You cannot go beyond five statements of observations.
 You cannot make a distinguishing mark on the peanut.
Our five observations:
GMyers July 7, 2010

Instructions:
1.
Pick a peanut from the bag.
2.
Describe the peanut you have chosen by writing exactly five statements (qualitative and quantitative observations allowed).
3.
Follow the Do’s and Don’ts listed in page 1.
4.
Put your chosen peanut back in the bag. Mix it up and try to identify your peanut. Place the peanut back in the bag and mix.
5.
Exchange bags and list of descriptions with another group.
6.
Identify the other group’s special peanut.
Discussion Questions:
1.
On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = poor and 5 = excellent), how would your group rate the set of descriptions you were provided with? _______
2.
Were you able to identify the peanut the other group has chosen?
Why/Why not?
3.
If other tools were available, name three other tools you would like to use to describe your peanut better.
4.
Why do you think most scientists prefer qualitative over quantitative descriptions?
GMyers July 7, 2010

NAME: ________________________________
PERIOD NO. _____ DATE: ____________
1. Observation You observe that the sky has very dark, heavy-looking clouds.
Inference
2. Observation The principal, who looks angry, interrupts a class and calls a student to come to his office with him.
Inference
3. Observation
Inference
All middle school students are NOT buying lunch from the cafeteria and bringing lunch from home.
4. Observation
Inference
You leave a movie theatre and see that the street is wet.
5. Observation
Inference
You notice that a new classmate wears expensive and brand-new clothing each day.
6. Observation
Inference
Your female best friend and her boy friend are no longer taking lunches together and do NOT even speak to one another.
GMyers July 7, 2010

Name: _____________________________
Period No. _______ Date: __________
Episode 1: Pop Rocks and
Soda
Episode 2: Soda and
Menthos
1. Problem:
2. What kind of experiment was performed?
3. What did they find out?
4. What could be the implication (usefulness) of their findings?
5. One FACT you learned:
1. Problem:
2. What kind of experiment was performed?
3. What did they find out?
4. What could be the implication (usefulness) of their findings?
5. One FACT you learned:
Episode 3: Walking on Water 1. Problem:
2. What kind of experiment was performed?
Episode 4: Moon Hoax: Flag
Waving
3. What did they find out?
4. What could be the implication (usefulness) of their findings?
5. One FACT you learned:
1. Problem:
2. What kind of experiment was performed?
3. What did they find out?
4. What could be the implication (usefulness) of their findings?
5. One FACT you learned:
GMyers July 7, 2010

Name: ________________________ Period No. _____ Date: _________
;
33 15 10 51 28 46 28 33 41 39 48 35 35 48
28 39 7 39 48 15 7 23 35 23 15 7 45 35
!
41 28 13 35 46
GMyers July 7, 2010

ANSWER KEY:
A = 15
C = 23
E = 35
I = 28
O = 39
N = 7
D = 46
F = 41
Answer: Quotation reads= “Stupid is forever; ignorance can be fixed!”
R = 48
H =51
G = 39
S = 33
From: Don Howard
U = 10
B = 45
X = 13
GMyers July 7, 2010