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CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT
SCIENCE STARS
Grannemann
Elementary School
3rd grade teacher,
Cynthia Cobb, shows
African American Beauty
Pioneer and Entrepreneur
Marjorie Stewart Joyner
students Sophie Robinson,
Jordan Marshall Ward, Ta’Janaye
Tucker, Anthony Dodson, Lance
Tumblin, and Lamar McCoy how a
pendulum works by using a STEM
experiment from the newspaper.
Grannemann Elementary School is
in the Hazelwood School District.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis
American.
In 1896, Marjorie Stewart was
born in Virginia; both of her
parents had a history with
slavery. The Great Migration
occurred during her teen years,
where many African Americans
moved to Chicago searching
for better living conditions
and jobs. Stewart’s family was
part of the Great Migration.
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
Hair Care History
Think of all the products and tools your family uses to take
care of their hair. Many of the current products and tools
were based on ancient designs that have been modified
and improved throughout the years. There have been many
changes in the hair care industry in the past century.
In the early 1900s, it was a popular belief that using
a vacuum on your scalp would help with circulation to
encourage hair growth. Research has shown that Egyptians
had curling tongs
that look similar to
our modern
curling irons.
Bronze hair curling tongs and trimmer,
Egyptian, 1575BC-1194BC. Science Museum, However, the
Egyptians used
London, UK
the curling
SCIENCE EXPERIMENT
tongs by heating
them in a
fire and wrapping
their hair in
special papers to
prevent their hair from
burning. In 1907, Eugène Schueller founded the company
L’Oréal, and created a permanent hair dye to cover gray hair.
In 1906, Charles Nestle invented the permanent waving
machine. It was very large and bulky—about the size of a
refrigerator. It took over 20 minutes to heat up so it was
ready for use and more than 10 hours to complete a perm.
Yet, this invention set the precedent for many of our current
hair treatments.
Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main
idea and supporting details. I can make text to world and
text to self connections.
Which Hairspray Works Best?
Background Information:
w Repeat step one for the other
Have you ever wondered which hairspray is the
most effective? Do the expensive brands work
better? In this experiment, you will test
different types of hair spray.
three brands of hairspray.
e Draw Conclusions: Which
product had the best reviews?
H A I R Y What hairspray qualities did
SP R A
Materials Needed:
the volunteers find the most
important? Does price and/or
brand matter when it comes to
choosing a hairspray?
• 4 Different Types of Hairspray (different
brands and prices)
• 16 Volunteers to Test Hairspray
Process:
r For variation you can experiment to see which
q For the first brand of hairspray, you will have
four volunteers use the product. They will evaluate how
well they like the product overall. Does the hairspray
work effectively? Does it have an appealing scent and
texture? Record your results.
product holds better—hairspray or gel.
Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions
to complete an experiment. I can analyze results and draw
conclusions.
MATH CONNECTION
Did you know that hair stylists have to study
science and math for their job? They have to
understand chemical reactions in styling processes.
Also, they have to measure and mix the proper
amount of hair dye. Stylists use division when
they are creating even sections in the hair.
Stylists use angles when cutting and styling
hair. Sharpen your math skills with the following
questions.
works 30 hours one week and sees 40
clients, how much did she make in the
week? ______
v
Kyla is adding up the bill for her client, who came in
for a haircut and also bought a few hair products. Normally,
the haircut by itself costs $29.95, but if her client spends
over $30 on hair products, she gets a 20% discount on
the haircut price. If her client buys a can of hairspray
for $12.95, shampoo that costs $10.95 and conditioner
that costs $10.95, what is her client’s total bill before
taxes?______
z Izzy’s hair is 20 inches long. If it is 13 inches long after
her hair cut, how many inches of hair was cut? ______
x In a classroom of 30 students, 22 have brown hair, 3 b
have red hair, and 5 have blonde hair. What percent of
students have brown hair? ______ What percent of students
have red hair? ______ What percent of students have blonde
hair? ______
c
Ana works for a salon in the mall. She earns an hourly
wage of $6.25 from the salon, as well as an 8% commission
for each client from the $19.95 price the client pays. If she
DID YOU KNOW?
Hair is the fastest growing
tissue in the body. The only
thing that grows faster is
bone marrow.
Steven owns his own business as a barber. He wants
to make sure that he makes enough money to cover his
expenses. If he can expect to make $12 per client and his
business sees 250 clients per week, how much does Steven
make per month? ________
While there, Stewart met her husband, Robert Joyner.
Because he was busy with school, studying to be a podiatrist
(foot doctor), Mrs. Joyner enrolled in A.B. Molar Beauty
School. She was the first African American to graduate from
there. Joyner then opened her own beauty salon in Chicago
where she became popular for the “Marcel wave.” Jazz singer
Josephine Baker made the hairstyle famous.
Joyner’s mother-in-law paid for her to attend a class to learn
about hair care specifically for African-American hair. In
that class, Joyner learned from Madame C.J. Walker. (Walker
invented a line of hair care products for African Americans
and personally sold them door to door. She eventually
became a millionaire.) Walker was impressed with Joyner’s
abilities and invited her to be part of a traveling team that
taught hair care techniques around the country. Eventually,
Joyner became vice-president of Walker Company, which
included over 200 salons. She also served on the board of
directors.
However, Joyner soon made a name for herself. Joyner was
discouraged with the amount of time it took to heat and curl
the hair. While cooking pot roast with long, thin rods that
heated the meat from the inside out, she had an idea to try
a similar process on hair to speed up the process. In 1928,
she received a patent for a curling machine that would set
an entire head of curls at one time. This machine could
straighten curly hair or add curl to straight hair. Therefore, it
was valuable for all hair types.
In 1945, Joyner co-founded Alpha Chi Pi Omega, which is
an association for beauty school owners and teachers. She
was very active in politics and worked for many causes to
benefit the African-American community. At the age of 77,
she attended Bethune-Cookman College and earned a B.S. in
psychology. She passed away in 1994.
Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a
person who has made contributions in the fields of science,
technology, engineering, and math.
MAP CORNER
Enjoy these activities
that help you get
to know your St.
Louis American
newspaper.
Activity One —
Author’s Purpose:
Writer’s write for three
main purposes: to persuade,
inform, or
entertain. You can
find examples of all three types of
writing in the newspaper. Find an
example of each type of writing. State
the author’s purpose (persuade, inform,
or entertain). Describe the clues you
used to determine the author’s purpose.
Activity Two — Classiied Format: Study the format
Learning Standards: I can add, subtract,
of the classified ads. Notice how items are divided into
sections: Bids & Notices, Real Estate & Rental, Services
Directory. How do these sections help a reader?
multiply, and divide to solve word problems.
I can make text to world connections.
Learning
Standards: I can
The average person has between 100,000 and 150,000 strands of
hair on their head and sheds between 40-150 strands of hair per
day.
Hair is made up of mostly keratin,
which our outer layer of skin and
fingernails are made out of, as well.
Goosebumps from cold or fear are
the result of hair follicles contracting, causing the
hair and surrounding skin to bunch up.
use the newspaper to
locate information.
I can identify
author’s purpose,
and analyze format. I
can make text to self
connections.