Spigot Science

If you haven't discovered Nomad Press Explore Series AND you are still on the fence about Spigot Science then this is a great giveaway for you.  Check it out...

Nomad Press Simple Machines is a wonderful book that engages and teaches about how most machines are based on one (or several) of the very basics machines;

• the Lever
• Inclined Plane
• Wheel and Axle
• Screw
• Wedge
• Pulley

In addition, it includes some cool history facts, words to know and 25 great projects you can do with your child using everyday objects.  Check out Making Your Own Jumping Jack p.g 20, take the Chopstick Challenge p.g 24 or try your hand at Making Your Own Movable Pulley p.g 75.

The great thing about Nomad Press Explore series is your child doesn't have to be a science genius to have fun and learn about new and wonderful things.  Nomad Press is on the web at; http://nomadpress.net/

Nomad Press is awesome, but team them up with Spigot Science and it's unbelievable!

Spigot Science is published 4 times a year, taking one subject and delving into it.  Spigot offers fun articles, and games incorporating all aspects of teaching;

• Science
• Technology
• Engineering
• Math
• Geography
• Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Health
• Arts
• Library

Spigot Science is one of the most comprehensive and entertaining publications on the Internet today.  If you haven't checked them out yet (or if you're already a fan) we invite you to stop by Spigot Science at; http://spigotsciencemag.com/

Now that you know about these wonderful publications you can enter here to win a copy of Nomad Press Explore Simple Machines PLUS a Premium Membership to Spigot Science which includes all Spigot's back Issues as well as 4 brand new upcoming Issues. 

All you have to do is leave a comment is this blogspot letting me know you want to be entered (contact info too, please).  I will do a random draw on Sunday December 11th for one lucky winner.

Good Luck!

by David Cochran

The first five minutes of class are critical to establishing a climate for learning.  Too often classes start with attendance and housekeeping chores rather than engaging students in thought related to the topic of the day.  Time is at a premium in most classes, so using that first five minutes wisely is important.

Here is what some teachers do to make the most of their start up time. …more

When biologist Alice Gibb and her research team witnessed a small amphibious fish, the mangrove rivulus, jump out of a net and back into the water they inadvertently discovered the evolutionary traits which allow fish to temporarily invade the land. Their resulting study, published in JEZ A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology, reveals how fully aquatic fish can jump effectively on land without specialized anatomical attributes.

“These findings have significant implications for evolutionary biology,” Gibb said, “because it suggests the invasion of the land by vertebrates may have occurred much more frequently than has been previously thought.”.

In the case of aquatic fish this ability shows that species without legs or rigid pectoral fins can move around on land. This raises the possibillity that more species have been able to invade the land than the fossil record initially suggests.

The team originally intended to study the feeding behavior of a related species, the guppy and once the rivulus exhibited the tail-flip jumping maneuver the team turned their attention back to this fully aquatic fish.

“Interestingly the guppy jumped almost as well as the amphibious fish did,” said Gibb, “and no one has ever suggested that a guppy is an amphibious fish.”
The team set about recording several additional species in front of a high-speed camera, including the mosquitofish, which has been introduced into local tributaries of Oak Creek in Arizona, and a common pet store zebra fish, which is a very distant relative of guppies.

“The mosquitofish became our lab rat,” said Gibb. “It’s accessible, it comes from a group that has other jumpers, and it’s been reported that this fish jumps out of the water to get away from predators and then jumps back in.”

That particular escape behavior had never been filmed, yet using the high-speed video systems the team revealed that both species produced a coordinated maneuver in which the fish curls its head toward the tail and then pushes off the ground to propel itself through the air.

To further their research Gibb and her colleagues are endeavoring to determine if there is directionality to voluntary movement on land and to investigate the genetic basis of the jumping behavior.

“Maybe fishes that are very good at jumping are poor swimmers,” Gibb said. “We want to look at the compromises that may have been made to favor one behavior over another.”


This study is published in JEZ A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology. 
Full Citation: Gibb. A, Ashley-Ross. M, Pace. C, Long. J, “Fish out of Water: Terrestrial Jumping by

Fully Aquatic Fishes”, Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology, Wiley-Blackwell, DOI: 10.1002/jez.711

Video Footage: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/acg/video.html
Author: Dr Alice Gibb

The ocean is always on the move, sometimes rolling in gentle swells and at other times slamming with tremendous force into the shoreline. The ocean uses energy that it has received from the forces acting upon it to stay on the move.

Currents cause water to move continuously in a circular path deep beneath and at the surface of the ocean. The rotation of the Earth causes this movement. In the Northern Hemisphere, the area north of the equator, currents travel from west to east, then back again in a big circle. This is called a clockwise direction. In the Southern Hemisphere, currents travel from east to west, then back again in a counter clockwise direction...read more

Science vocabulary can be difficult, sometimes even abstract, and this is one of the reasons students don’t connect when reading science texts or articles. If they don’t understand the vocabulary, then there is a very good chance that they won’t understand the underlying concepts.

Students need to see, hear, say, and write the vocabulary words in order to know them, remember them, and use them.  Seeing the definitions of science words in the context of the article helps students understand the meaning of the words and adds to the students’ understanding of the concepts. Here are some examples of “in context” definitions in the OCEANS publication: …more

David Cochran
Publisher, Chief Learning Officer
Spigot Science

It is perhaps the most unknown place on Earth. It is wide, long, and deep. And it is filled with salty water. The ocean is so vast that it covers more than 70 percent of Planet Earth with millions of trillions of gallons of water that

Many people refer to oceans and seas by their names such as Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Medi-terranean Sea, etc. However, these names are just to help us identify sections of the vast harbor more unknown plants and animals than we can imagine. frontier. All the oceans are basins or areas sunken below the areas we call land. They are connected to form one gigan-tic body of water read more...

They are wide and deep.  They are vast and have everything to do with life on Earth. 
    
 In this publication of Spigot Science, Oceans, we help students explore the mysteries of the deep from many perspectives.  In addition to learning the science of tides and ocean motion, they will learn all about what lives in the deep layers of the oceans and where all the oceans are located.
    
In the Language Arts Connection, students will write an ocean myth, and then rewrite a scientifically correct version.  In the Social Studies Connection, they will learn about the ocean census.  They will consider ocean safety in Health Connections, and in the Arts Connection, they will sing sea shanties and view ocean statuary.
    
Of course, our regular monthly feature segments focus on oceans too.  Students will learn to think deeply as they Think Like a Scientist and learn about the life of Jacques Cousteau in Scientists Are People Too.  In our Library Connection they will read ocean book reviews relevant to upper elementary and middle school students.
    
There is so much to learn about these waters that encompass 70 percent of our planet.
    
Premium members are entitled to all past, present, and future publications of Spigot Science for a whole year.  This includes all 15 of our themed publications as well as the monthly Science in the News.  Just log in to download Oceans.
    
If you are not yet a member, please visit us and sign up!   Tap into Learning with Spigot Science publications