Finding Patterns in Nature

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=56 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="011a0a03.jpg"> <div> Finding Patterns in Nature</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=135 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="21fa0c01dduajq.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Educators Science and Math Institute Ser"><U><B>Educators' Science and Math Institute Series</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About the Series"><U><B>About the Series</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id117.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Goals"><U><B>Goals</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Institutes"><U><B>Institutes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="lesson_plans_prepared_by_esmis_participants_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lesson Plans"><U><B>Lesson Plans</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id138.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Albums"><U><B>Photo Albums</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm"><U><B>Search</B></U></A><A HREF="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ed.mtu.edu/search.htm"><U><B> ESMIS</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=424 BGCOLOR="#EEEEEE" TEXT="#080000"> <div> FINDING PATTERNS IN NATURE</div> <div> Tim Keteri</div> <div> 50635 First Street</div> <div> Redridge, MI 49905</div> <div> Email: tketeri@ccisd.k12.mi.us</div> <bR> <bR> <div> INTRODUCTION</div> <div> Our natural world is full of interesting patterns that can be used to help stimulate students to look at science in a different way.  Nature seeks to accomplish the most with the least, the tightest fit, the shortest path expending least energy as possible.  I had the opportunity to attend an institute offered by Michigan Technological University through their ESMIS (Educators' Science and Mathematics Institute Series program).  The goal of the institute was to encourage teachers to develop a teaching unit that uses art to express math and science concepts.  I am a biology and general science teacher with very little artistic talent and would generally shy away from material that I was not comfortable with myself.  This institute not only gave me the confidence to incorporate art into the curriculum, but it also opened my eyes to the value and importance of art to science.</div> <bR> <div> UNIT OVERVIEW</div> <div> As you introduce any new concepts into your curriculum, I found from previous experiences that starting off simple and allowing the unit to grow as you gain more confidence usually works the best.  Keeping this in mind I plan to introduce to my eighth grade class, the simple concept of patterns found in nature and the significance that pattern holds.  </div> <div> I cover two general areas of science, earth and life science.   Nature uses or creates patterns that are directly linked to the survival of an organism or supplies answers to how specific processes occurred.  Spirals can be found in the scaling patterns of pinecones or in the florets of the daisy flower.  These specific patterns enable the plant to receive pollen and also aid in attracting pollinators.  Helixes are observed in the twisting strands of DNA, using the limited space inside of the cell to contain the enormous amount of information.  Meander and ripple patterns appear as the movement of water and wind carve and mark the earth's surface.  Fossilized sand ripples provide evidence that continents had moved over eons, one of the first indications of plate tectonics.  The spines of devil cactus form a regular array of starbursts providing maximum protection for the plant's vulnerable skin and individually reducing the surface area for water loss.  Trees adapt the basic branching pattern to match the demands of their environment, intercepting light, radiating heat, shedding snow and withstanding wind.  A unique pattern that often goes unnoticed is the seemingly irregular pattern of lichens.  A closer look reveals the fractal form of wrinkling upon wrinkling.  These few examples can serve as a wonderful opportunity in stimulating student's artistic talents using scientific concepts.</div> <bR> <div> LESSON OVERVIEW</div> <div> The objective of this unit is to have the students recognize and observe on their own the numerous patterns that can be found in nature.  This lesson is going to be used as an introductory activity before I begin my unit on plants, animals and again when I introduce rocks.  This activity will serve as an example of what I am looking for as the students begin their journals of their own discoveries and ideas.  In this paper I will discuss plants since I teach this topic in the fall.  In their journals, I am going to challenge the students to identify three specific plants that exhibit some pattern within the leaves, flowers, and stems or as a plant as a whole.  The students will then draw a simple sketch of that pattern.   Once they have identified the pattern, they will have to supply the function of the pattern to the plant by researching the Internet, journals or the library.  The second part of the activity will involve the students constructing their own functional pattern of an imaginary plant using various mediums. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> ACTIVITY ONE:     IDENTIFYING PATTERNS</div> <div> By Nature's Design, written by Pat Murphy and photographs by William Neill, contains the most beautiful pictures of nature's patterning.  The book is broken into six categories:  spirals and helixes, meanders and ripples, spheres and explosions, branching, packing and cracking and fractals.   From this book, students will be given various handouts that show patterns found in nature and a class period to walk to the Otter River to observe patterns they find in our area.  In their journals, the students will make simple sketches of what they observed from the photographs and from the nature walk.  Once they have sketched the pattern, they will be given time to research the function of that specific pattern and what it holds for the plant.</div> <bR> <div> ACTIVITY TWO:     CONSTRUCTING PATTERNS</div> <div> In this activity students will have the opportunity to construct/draw a plant that exhibits a functional pattern using various mediums.  Students will also be introduced to cultural history and techniques of Amate painting. The students can choose watercolors, bark painting (I am going to try and use birch bark for this project), yarn, colored pencils or materials to build a model of the imaginary plant.  Students will be encouraged to use all five of these methods as I build on this project throughout the year.  Once these drawings/models are completed, the students will share their projects with the class.  </div> <bR> <div> MATERIALS USED</div> <div> Water colors:  standard watercolor palette, brushes, water, white poster board</div> <div> Bark painting:  birch bark, tempera paints (bright colors), brushes, water, visuals of Amate painting, paper bags (if bark doesn't work)</div> <div> Yarn:     multiple colored skeins of yarn, glue, poster board, wax paper</div> <div> Models:     will vary from project to project</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> ASSESMENT</div> <div> Students will be graded on journal entries (10% of final grade) and using the following rubric (perfect score) for the projects and journal entries.  Any category that is not completed will result in the loss of five points.  Students will also be given a pre-and post-test questionnaire on patterns found within nature and pre- and post-test questions on their attitudes toward science.</div> <bR> <div> 40 points:     </div> <div> Student used one of the four mediums </div> <div> Student project displayed a distinct pattern </div> <div> Student project explained the function of the pattern</div> <div> Student identified patterns found within handouts (journal)</div> <div> Student identified at least three plants during nature walk (journal)</div> <div> Student identified patterns found during nature walk (journal)</div> <div> Student sketched patterns observed on nature walk (journal)</div> <div> Student included resources on their research of function of pattern </div> <bR> <div> STANDARDS ADDRESSED</div> <div> The following standards are from Michigan Department of Education: Michigan Curriculum Frameworks Standards and Benchmarks.</div> <bR> <div> Strand I:     Constructing New Scientific Knowledge (I.1)</div> <div> Strand II:     Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge (II.1)</div> <div> Strand III:     Using Scientific Knowledge in Life Science (III.2 - organization of living things)</div> <div>               </div> <div> CONCLUSIONS</div> <div> This will be completed in the fall after the project has been completed.</div> <bR> <div> REFERENCES</div> <div> Michigan Department of Education (2000<I>).  Michigan Curriculum Framework Standards and Benchmarks.</I> Lansing, MI</div> <div> Murphy, Pat., Neill, William. (1993).  <I>By Nature's Design</I>. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.     </div> <bR> <bR> <div> ARTISTIC EXPRESSION EXPLORED THROUGH SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS</div> <div> SUMMARY REPORT</div> <bR> <div>      As I looked over the courses I was to teach this year a new class was entered for 6th hour with my name under the heading:  Art/Science.  What were the chances that I was going to teach a whole course using art to express scientific concepts?   How relieved I was to take that course last summer.  All of your ideas came in quite handy as I struggled to find projects and topics as the year progressed.  The course was designed for half a semester for the eighth grade.  I will take the remaining eighth students for the second semester.</div> <div>      The students received the lesson, Finding Patterns in Nature, with great enthusiasm.   After discussion and notes on branching, fractals, explosions, and spiraling the students went outside and sketched patterns they found in plants and animals in their journals.  The students then researched the function of those patterns (I was a great resource), and made posters of the patterns they observed with captions explaining the function of that pattern.                   </div> <div> <IMG SRC="36ac23c0.png" border=0 width="450" height="572" ALT="Adobe Photoshop Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Figure 1</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="36bc0520.png" border=0 width="448" height="338" ALT="Adobe Photoshop Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Figure 2</div> <bR> <div> The Students then had to research an animal in the tropical rainforest and display ONLY that pattern on poster board with five characteristics of that animal.   The students then had to try and guess the animal.  Here are four examples of the students work.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="36d58bf0.png" border=0 width="600" height="447" ALT="Adobe Photoshop Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> ASSESSMENT</div> <div>     This course is primarily an art class using science topics. A passing grade is given to those students who participate and follow directions.  Twelve of the fourteen students received a passing grade on both of these projects.   I will be sending you all the pre and post testing materials by mail.   I took a picture of the birch bark painting projects that the students have been working on.  Here they are for your enjoyment.  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> Tim Keteri</div> <div> Jeffers High School</div> <div> tketeri@ccisd.k12.mi.us</div> <div> Artistic Expression using Math and Science </div> <bR> <div>     </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>