Earth's Geologic Evolutionary Timeline

This image shows the side view of the Geologic timeline the 9th graders made through the evolution unit. Each student was to make two information cards with one image and 3 sentences that explains the image. This was very difficult for them to do but they succeeded. slow and steady!

JOIDES in class visual projects

The image below shows a work in progress of a duct tape example of the JOIDES Resolution (research vessel) with the cork below the ship. The cork is the observatory that the scientists drill through to take samples of the sea floor while at sea. The cork is left in the same location with sensors collecting data about the environment. Data will be retrieved on the next exhibition. The ship and the cork are not drawn to scale and still have a lot of work to help complete them. But this is their progress so far. They thought it was very difficult working in duct tape and didn't understand why. I explained about taking an entire course in art school just using duct tape. The intent of this activity was to help them get a more tangible picture of how this ship works, what its used for and what the cork observatory is doing within the seafloor crust.



This next image represents some of the research done on the topic of microbes. Scientists on the JOIDES reserach vessel are studying microbes that live in the seafloor. This large plastic design is a representation of a microscopic microbe called a Thiamargarita namibiensis. In studying this microbe we made Winogradsky Columns to cultivate microbe communities to get a better look. The columns didnt develop as much because we didnt include chalk in teh sample. microbes need this to thrive. The lab is really smelly so the students complained about doing it. They are still cultivating as we speak in the closet and on the window sill.

JOIDES research at sea culmination video skype

Researching JOIDES at sea drilling project with students.
These students are video conferencing with a group of scientists on the JOIDES resolution.
After spending the entire first quarter studying what scientists from around the world do on this ship for 5 weeks, we had a chance to talk with them after getting a tour of the ship. Jennifer M. was our tour guide and our connection to the ship and the scientists. The whole experience was excellent! Students learning about microbes, the sea floor, international scientists and more, students had a chance to ask their own questions and see the ship through a live-feed video.

Dendrology Leaf Collection

This is the culmination project in the Biology class. Students are creating a dendrology leaf collection that include about ten samples of trees. Students collect, press and mount their leaves on herbarium-like paper and type up and print and cut out their own labels. we will see how this project gets completed. There is much attention to detail that is difficult for this group.

9th Grade Biology - Herbarium project in progress

Hand-made Tree-cores

What you are looking at are hand made tree-cores representing the inner layers of a tree.
Heartwood, Sapwood, Cambium, Inner bark, Outer bark are all represented. By using recycled paper, students hand folded, stapled and rolled their tree rings in hopes to help them remember the layers of the inside of a tree.
The images show you those in process and those mounted on the wall. This will transform into a more finished piece where more information is added to the display. But this was my idea to creating a new and different hands on way of learning about something that we cant see very well.

A leaf through a microscopic lens

One of the classes I teach is called Visualizing Science. This is a an elective for any students in the high school that want to explore ideas in the fields of art and science. One student began a long project of creating a hypothetical community after being inspired by the design of a leaf seen through a microscope. We started by looking through a microscope, examined the shape and patterns of leaves, took pictures of them and then ran with an idea. Here the microscopic image was enlarged and projected on a wall so that the shape could be transferred to a large leaf. Then the community began to take shape.

Another student made an exploratory video that he took with his phone through looking through the microscope. The student learned how to use imovie and then made a blair-witch-like project using the inspiration of the view of a leaf through a microscopic lens. Another student needed to work more literally and ended up building a chameleon and hand painting it so that it could live on a tree branch on the wall.

Each of these projects has taught me what the process looks like to help students explore ideas, learn new methods and tools while exploring the line where art and science merges. This is a quarter long class and will change the next semester.

the classroom

This is my classroom. Large scale organisms on my wall and lots going on. I even put a live tree-vine on my wall because the 10th graders are focused on trees.



The tables always move, the features on the walls change and ideas are always developing.

Large scale species for my classroom wall

This is where it all started. After being hired at a small school in philadelphia that focuses on literacy issues called AIM, I began putting ideas on paper of how to decorate my room. Local species was my focus. Knowing that I would be teaching science in an arts based school, I immediately jumped at the chance of creating large scale representations of local Pennsylvania species.
This is my art studio showing examples of some of the large fish, birds I created for my classroom walls.