Welcome!
Hi! I'm Maggie! Until January 2021, I taught Intermediate and Junior 3/4 science at Eagle School of Madison, usually with my classroom 'partner,' Darcy, for over 10 years. But, I was part of the Eagle School community in various roles for over 20 years and hope to continue that relationship in a new, as-of-yet-undetermined capacity in the future. Life is indeed different now that we have to work with the new reality of Covid-19. Even though I retired my official teaching position in January 2021, I hope to maintain and improve this website over time. We're all learning how to navigate how to learn and teach science, but the great news is that science is indeed a very essential part of how we do this, how we take care of ourselves, and how we understand and solve problems. I, for one, am optimistic that with a little patience and kindness, we can find new ways to learn about science and it's role in our everyday lives and have fun in the process.
As of this writing (22 August 2021), I'm so excited that we now have a vaccine that prevents the worst effects of Covid and that it won't be long before our youngest will have it available to them as well. This shows you how the power of science and working cooperatively can result in a vaccine that was not only developed at 'warp speed,' but has efficacy we haven't seen before in other vaccinces. It's truly remarkable to have 95% efficacy. The reason scientists have been able to accomplish this is because of new technologies applied to the production of vaccines, but, more importantly, how scientists around the world were willing to cooperate and communicate their findings. So, while we wait for our chance at a vaccine, keep up the good work at wearing masks, washing our hands and showing our loved ones how much we care about their health as well as our own. In the meantime, be healthy, happy and remember there are still many good things about life to be grateful for!
As of this writing (22 August 2021), I'm so excited that we now have a vaccine that prevents the worst effects of Covid and that it won't be long before our youngest will have it available to them as well. This shows you how the power of science and working cooperatively can result in a vaccine that was not only developed at 'warp speed,' but has efficacy we haven't seen before in other vaccinces. It's truly remarkable to have 95% efficacy. The reason scientists have been able to accomplish this is because of new technologies applied to the production of vaccines, but, more importantly, how scientists around the world were willing to cooperate and communicate their findings. So, while we wait for our chance at a vaccine, keep up the good work at wearing masks, washing our hands and showing our loved ones how much we care about their health as well as our own. In the meantime, be healthy, happy and remember there are still many good things about life to be grateful for!
School Dog!
What a Wonderful World!
Welcome to Maggie's Science Connection!
As I transition into retirement from teaching, I'll be helping your new teacher become familiar with the curriculum and routines of the classroom. 'll be working on the website to make it more accessible. It will take some time, so be patient with me! I look forward to a little more sleep!
As I transition into retirement from teaching, I'll be helping your new teacher become familiar with the curriculum and routines of the classroom. 'll be working on the website to make it more accessible. It will take some time, so be patient with me! I look forward to a little more sleep!
This is one of my favorite quotes! You see, science is all about discovery. Don't be afraid to make mistakes - because they really aren't mistakes if you think about it. When a science-minded (a.k.a. an open-minded) person makes a claim, they will either look for evidence or create experiments to test their idea. Sometimes the evidence supports their hypothesis, and sometimes it doesn't. Either way, knowledge is advanced! Either way, you learn! So speak up! Make a claim! And we'll sort it out using the scientific method and the Language of Scientific Argumentation.
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Lanquage of Scientific ArgumentationWhy do you think that? I think that because.......
What are your reasons? How do you know? I know this because........ What are you thinking? I think this because....... What is your claim? My claim is............ What is your evidence? My evidence is......... |
Cone of Silence (Science!)
Every now and then I ask you NOT to share information with the other class so they can experience our labs and do their own thinking. So we activate the "Cone of Science." This harkens back to when I was your age and watched the old comedy spy series, "Get Smart." I thought it would be fun to show one (of many) video clips of the Cone of Silence from the old series so you can see what inspired me to use the Cone of Science.
The 'bumbling' Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, is on the left and he's meeting with his boss, Chief, on the right. They both work for "CONTROL," which is a government counter-intelligence agency. They're talking about KAOS ( "an international organization of evil") and "Agent 99" who is a CONTROL agent as well. Enjoy!
The 'bumbling' Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, is on the left and he's meeting with his boss, Chief, on the right. They both work for "CONTROL," which is a government counter-intelligence agency. They're talking about KAOS ( "an international organization of evil") and "Agent 99" who is a CONTROL agent as well. Enjoy!