ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • AUGUST 20 -26, 2015
A13
The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides
newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and
students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.
CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
SCIENCE STARS
African -American Inventions
in the Classrooom
Jennings Junior
High School &
College Prep
Academy teacher,
Kathleen Foster,
As you return to the classroom for a new school year, many
items around the room were invented by African Americans.
In this section, you will learn about a few of them.
works with students Katana
Boler and Necho Cook on story
comprehension by using the
newspaper. Jennings Junior
High School Prep is in the
Jennings School District.
Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis
American.
Masking Tape and Clear Tape — Richard G. Drew received a
patent for masking tape in 1923. Originally, this tape
was used for painters and only had adhesives on
the end, and not in the middle. Recognizing that
tape could be used for many different purposes,
Drew later made a clear tape with adhesive the
entire length. It was called Scotch tape and was
invented in 1930.
Teachers, if you are using the St.
Louis American’s NIE program and
would like to nominate your class for
a Classroom Spotlight, please email:
[email protected].
SCIENCE CORNER
The Science of Problem Solving:
The Scientific Method
If you have ever tried to find a
solution to a problem, you have
used science. The first step is to identify the
problem. In the experiment section on this
page, the “problem” is that you are trying to
keep an ice cube from melting. The second
step is that you will form a theory. This is
what you believe will fix the problem. It is
also called a hypothesis. The third step is
to test the hypothesis. Is your solution or
design effective? What needs to be changed?
The fourth step is to collect the data. This
means you will write your observations or
take measurements. Step five is to analyze
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
the data. How will the information help
you tweak your design to make it more
effective? Finally, step six is to draw
conclusions. The conclusion will either
be “yes” the hypothesis was correct, or
“no” the hypothesis was incorrect. If
the hypothesis was incorrect, you will
use your data to change your original
hypothesis and repeat the six steps.
Learning Standards: I can read
nonfiction text for main idea
and supporting details.
Build a Cube Keeper!
Work with a group to design your cube keeper.
Background Information:
In this experiment, you will design a container to keep an ice
cube from melting quickly.
Materials Needed:
• Cardboard (less that one cubic foot)
• Waxed Paper • Masking Tape
• Newspaper • Aluminum Foil
• Rubber Bands • Ice Cubes
Process:
q Using these
w Put an ice cube in the cube keeper. Take
another ice cube and leave it out of the cube
keeper. It will be your control. In
90 minutes, check both
ice cubes. If at the end
of 90 minutes, the control ice
cube is the same size as the ice
cube in your cube keeper, the
container didn’t do much to
keep the ice cube from melting.
materials, make a
container to see
how long you can
keep an ice cube
from melting. Find
out what works
best to keep the
heat away from
the ice cube. For
example, should
you wrap the box
in aluminum foil? Should you use the
aluminum foil to line the inside of the box?
MATH CONNECTION
The cafeteria sold 3 more turkey
zsandwiches
than ham sandwiches. They
sold 11 sandwiches in all. How many
ham sandwiches did the cafeteria sell?
______
has 15 pens. All of the pens
xare Maria
either blue or black, and there are
5 more blue pens than black pens.
How many black pens does Maria have?
______
students in all. How many girls are
there in Kirk’s class? ______
and two packages of paper. What
information is needed to find the
total amount David spent before tax?
______
of the team has to run for a half mile of Learning Standards: I can add,
subtract, multiply, and divide to solve
a 3-mile race. How many members are
a problem.
on the race team? ______
Fun Facts
About
Inventions!
Kitty litter was invented by Ed Lowe in
1947. A friend of Lowe complained that
the ash she was using for her cat made a
mess, and he created this solution.
in your classroom? Why? If you could invent
something for your classroom, what would it be? How
would it improve school?
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction
bought a 3-ring binder for
b$4.49,Davida package
of pencils for $1.19,
Basketball was
invented in
1891 by
Canadian
P.E.
teacher
James Naismith.
Discuss: What are your favorite inventions
Learning Standards:
I can follow sequential
directions to complete an
experiment. I can apply the
scientific method of problem
solving and analyze results and draw
conclusions.
In Kirk’s music class there are
c2 more
boys than girls. There are 8
DID YOU KNOW?
Folding Chair — The folding chair was invented
by Nathaniel Alexander to be used in large
gathering places, like church and school.
Folding chairs are often used to add extra
seating for musical programs, assemblies,
meetings, etc. When the chairs are folded
closed, they can be stored without taking
up a lot of space.
with other groups in your
class. Which techniques
were most effective?
Why?
Analyze: Compare your results
Jackie and Kendall are part of their
vschool’s
relay race team. Each member
Pen — W.B. Purvis invented the
fountain pen which allowed people to
write without having to carry a bottle of
ink. He said, “The object of my invention is
to provide a simple, durable and inexpensive
construction of a fountain pen which may
be carried in the pocket.” He received his
patent in January of 1890.
Extension: Did you iron your clothes for school? Did you
know that African American Sarah Boone invented a design
for an ironing board? Maybe you placed your breakfast
dishes in a dishwasher. You can thank Dennis Weahterby for
inventing dishwasher detergent! How many mailboxes did
you pass on the way to school? The mailbox was invented by
Philip B. Downing so that people would not have to travel so
far to the post office to send mail.
Back-to-School Word Problems!
Use your math skills to solve these
back-to-school themed word problems.
Pencil Sharpener — JL Love received a
patent for a pencil sharpener on November
23, 1897. This design was a handheld
sharpener that worked by placing the pencil
into the opening of the sharpener and rotating by
hand. The sharpener held the shavings. Many
artists used this invention. This design is still
being used today and can be found in many
school desks.
Janine Hausif
invented an app
called “Around
the Way” that allows users
to locate and support the
nearest African-American
companies in the area.
text about African American inventors.
MAP CORNER
Enjoy these activities
that help you get
to know your St.
Louis American
newspaper.
Activity One — Spend
20 minutes reading the St.
Louis American silently. At the
end of the time, each student
must state a fact they learned,
express an opinion about an
advertisement, and state a price for
an item he/she would like to buy.
Activity Two — Have a race
through the newspaper to find
as many geographical words as
you can like hill, river, lake,
plateau, etc. Find examples of
as many of them as you can
on a state map.
Learning Standards: I
can use a newspaper to locate information.
I can identify the difference between fact and opinion. I
can locate geographical terms in print and on a map.
This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible, and delivered to classrooms, through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners: