Tuesday 19th July: Expository writing

Yesterday we took an assessment to test our intelligence. You can take it if you click here: test your type of intelligence

In a class we have several types of students, with different interests and level of knowledge, but also with different styles of learning. Every student can do anything, but why some students excel in some areas and are less achievers in others?

Until know, the educational system has boosted the linguistic and the logical/mathematical intelligence, but how we could help our students to achieve the objectives of the course? The answer is taking advantage of their strong points and trying to improve the weaker ones. For this reason, we as teachers must create a range of activities as large as we could in order to let our students learn using all their capabilities. After taking this assessment, students can realized that they are unique, no less intelligent than that classmate sitting next that usually have better marks.

How can you as a teacher improve this intelligences? Writing a report of the lab they do, is a good way to develop the ability to use the language to express their thoughts. The logical-mathematical intelligence is useful to analyze problems logically and solve them. For those students who have a special skill in the composition or appreciation of music, you can ask them to create a composition based on a topic you have explain in class, or give them the chance to do an oral presentation through the music. The students with a bodily-kinesthetic intelligence can use their facility to coordinate movements to make demonstrations to others or lead them in a physical challenge like building a project. Those who are specially good at the recognition of the space, can be selected to lead the group during a visit. The ones who has a great interpersonal intelligence can lead groups of work, because they have the capacity of understand other people. The students with a naturalistic intelligence and are more in tune with nature are highly aware of the changes to their environment, so they are good investigating the natural phenomena.

Monday 18th: MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

According to Howard Gardner, there are eight Multiple Intelligences in children. The second week of the course we should design and make a Roller Coaster in order to calculate the speed and acceleration of roller coasters. This lab is very complete because there are a lot of different intelligences involved in it. Let me explain to you why.

Linguistic: After doing the roller coaster they have to report what they have done, explaining with all the details how they created it, how much time it took them, which materials they used, what results they obtained, etc...
Logical-Mathematical: The students will need to put into practice their previous knowledge of Physics. in addition, they will have to analyze problems logically, and investigate issues scientifically.
Spatial: In order to create the roller coaster, they will have to realize about the measures that all the apparatus will have, and the position where they will have to collocate each part, so the ball could get as much speed as possible.
Bodily-Kinesthetic: This is a hand-on project, so they must relate the mental activity (the design, the idea of what they want to make) to the physical activity (the handling of the instruments and materials they have to do).
Musical:
Interpersonal: As they have to work in groups, they have to develop the capacity to understand the intentions and desires of other people. Every work-in-group activity is essential to learn how to work effectively with others.
Intrapersonal: Despite the fact that this is a work-in-group activity, every student have to think about the project, what he or she can do to support other people's ideas.
Naturalistic: They have to be aware of the natural phenomena that happen in their environment and learn about their experiences to put them into practice.

Friday 15th: 10 STEPS TO GET A LUNCH AT ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY

1. Get to the "Under 55 Cafeteria", located in 55 E Monroe St.
2. Enter the building and take the escalators downstairs.
3. Turn to the left.
4, Pick up a tray
4. Walk around and explore the kinds of  food you can order.
5. Make your selection.
6. Order your food to the waiter.
7. Wait until the waiter gave you the food.
8. Take a cup and choose a beverage.
9. Put the glass under the dispenser and push the buttom.
10. Choose a table to sit at.

ENJOY YOUR MEAL!

Thursady 14th: GOOSE ISLAND

Today we have gone to a brewery where some local beers are made every day, that is located near Armitage station on brown line. You can go there and watch the brewing process and enjoy a wide variety of beers that have been produced on-site.

A worker of the pub, has explained to us the basic ingredients of beer, which are water; a starch source, such as malted barley, which is able to be fermented (converted into alcohol); a brewer's yeast to produce the fermentation; and a flavouring such as hops. A secondary starch source may be used, such as maize (corn), rice or sugar. He has moved on to explain the brewing process, which include malting, milling, mashing, boiling, and fermenting.

After that, we have gone downstairs and they have given us four types of beer to taste:

The fist of the four was 312. It's an American Style Wheat Ale, 4.2% with a hazy straw color, light orange hop aroma, fruity ale flavor, and creamy body.

The second one was Green Line, which is an American Style Pale Ale, 5% with a honey color, bright american hop aroma, citrus flavor, light crisp body.

The third, Honker's Ale is an English Style Bitter, 4.3% with a golden sunset color, fruity hop aroma, biscuity malt flavor, soft body.

And the last one, the India Pale Ale, or IPA is an English Style India Pale Ale, 5.9% with a honey color, grapefruit aroma, fruity hop flavor, dry body.

My favourite of all is the second one, the Green Line because its taste, but specially because of the flavour that was great.

In Madrid we have some places similar to this, when you can have fresh beer, so it wasn't new for me, but we had fun and enjoy with the classmates and teachers.

WEDNESDAY 13th July: NATHAN DOLENCE FOR PRESIDENT

In the next election for president of the USA everybody should vote for Nathan Dolence because he is the master of communicators I have ever known in all my life, he is good-looking, and clever.

Even though the current president is doing very well and he is supported by part of the population, he has suffered a decrease in his popularity that makes necessary to change the person who leads the country to a higher position, and Nathan Dolence (Nat for his fellows) is our man.

Since I met him, I was sure that he was going to become a prominent person in the near future. He is so charismatic, and such a good communicator, that every word that he said sounds like the absolute truth. In addition, he has been a model for us, and he inspires confidence, which is the most important quality that a president must have.

Moreover, we are living in a time when image is so essential for politics than you cannot avoid taking it into account, and Nathan is the one who can fulfill this condition. The majority of women would vote for him. The youngest women would do it because they wish to marry him, and the oldest ones because they would like to become his mother -in-law.

In addition to these reasons, the most relevant of the three given is that he is an extremely intelligent person. He has developed such a brilliant career, that if you ask to anyone who had worked with him, they would say that he is the cleverest, the sharpest, the most understanding and the most judicious, as well.

Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th July: CHICAGO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Today we have visited the Chicago's Children Museum, located at Navy Pier. From all the exhibitions or activities you can find there, I would choose some of them that are connected with the field of science, such as the inventing lab, the rocket science and the water ways, despite the fact that they are more aimed at children up to ten years.

In the inventing lab you can invent your own flying machine and send it soaring two stories high, engineer an alarm clock to wake the sleeping teddy bear, and scoot down the Grand Piano Slide. From this exhibit, I could take the idea of the four steps of the Computer Challenge: 1. Play, 2. Build, 3. Test, 4. Change

In the waterways you can explore the power of water as you control the flow with pulleys, wheels, and pipes or navigate your boat through the locks and dams of the mighty river. This activity could be useful for learning some concepts related to fluids dynamics, such as the Archimedes Screw.
Other activity I could use in my classes with older students could be the rocket science. They could be asked to measure the time that the rocket last in falling again, and calculate the initial speed. Changing the inclination, they could calculate the initial speed also, but applying the equations of the parabolic movement.

Thursday 7th July: WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTTA TWINS

Today we have gone to the US Cellular Field, which is the home of the White Sox, a local baseball team. When we have entered the stadium I have been impressed by the music, the friendly atmosphere, and the huge amount of kioks selling food and beverages and as aresult, the smell along the corridor.


I hardly ever go to this kind of events in Spain because I'm not a supported of any team, so it was a new experience for me, but in this case with a sport that is still difficult to understand for me.
When we have gone to walk around and see the field from other points of view, the corridor was full of people buying food and drink, and I have thought that most of the people didn't care a lot about what was happening in the field (well, actually, the White Sox where loosing the game). I think that is just a social event where people go to meet some friends and have a good time. Maybe this is different in Spain, where people suffer a great dissapointment if their team looses a game.

When a player hit the ball so far than it came to the stands, someone from the  public sitting on a row in front of me caught the ball and I took this picture:

It has been a good idea to go closer to the area where the players are because from that place you can see the game better than from our sites.

The White Sox were loosing the game 2-6 when we have decided to leave the field. It was 9 pm and we needed to catch the train to go back home.

Friday 8thJuly: MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

This museum, which main building served as the Palace of Fine Arts at the landmark of 1893 World's Expo, is one of the largest in the world. Not only the size is amazing, but also the quality of the hands-on exhibitions and the creativity of most of them. Some are more spectacular than others, but all are very creative and are designed with the goal of learn why natural phenomena happen through inquiry.


Asking about what happen around us and why is related to the human being since the very beginning and is the reason for the awakening of science in human history.

A penny for your thoughts
The Museum has created the Center for the Advancement of Science Education to help teachers to motivate children to achieve their full potencial in sciene, technology, medicine and engineering.
We attended to a class in a lab, where we should figure out how many marbles were in a canister without looking in. The objectives are:
1. to learn to devise a model
2. explore the best way to measure an object
3. use critical thinking techniques, such as inference and elimination to make an estimation.

It is based on the following steps: observe, wonder, discover, speculate, investigate, data and conclusion.

I found the lab and its strategy very useful to achieve this objectives with students, simple but at the same time, with a lot of concepts involved in it. I think that this Center is a great resource for teachers, because they offer a good range of learning labs directly relevant to the curriculum.

The advantage of a full inquiry and hand-on methodology over a non-inquiry and hands-off one is obvious, because students are not so directed by teachers, and they need to think by theirselves in order to reach the solution for a problem.

Science Storms
This is the part of the museum I could apply better in my classes, because is more conected with Physics.
Several natural phenomena such as avalanches, tornados, lightning, fire, sunlight or tsunamis are shown in this exhibit and are explained in an interactive (not passive way)
Before the visit, I would ask my students which phenomena they would like to understand and I would ask them to make a list of questions they have about them.
After the visit we would discuss the physics principles that cause those phenomena.

Force chains: as forces move through the disks made of a photoelastyc polymer, they form irregular patterns.

Avalanche motion: Jammed frains flow like a liquid when you shakes them. This motion show how granular materials behave like a solid because gravity hold them together

Rise and sink or the ""Brazil Nut Effect": If you vibrate grains, you can see how the larger ones rise to the top while smaller ones sink to the bottom.

Electricity from sunlight: Solar cells in the panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity that drives the car motors.

Light as waves: Before Einstein light was thought to be particules or waves, but he demontrated that light are both.

Interference: In a ripple tank you will see darker areas (constructive interference) and lighter areas (destructive areas), so you could understand better how waves behave.

Ripple Effect: the difference between reflect, refract and diffract that ususally is so confusing is also explained here.

Trigger a tsunami: you can chose a phenomena -landslide, volvano or earthquake) and select a shallow, bay or deep place and trigger a tsunami

Light behaviour: Filtering light in a dichroic glass that reflect some wave lenghts and allows others to pass through. You can see the transmitted light and the reflected light after an incoming light.

Wind power: see how magnets can attract or repeal each other and understand the basis of magnetism.

Combustion: In this simulation you can adjust fuel, mist and lasers to see how the flame changes.

Atoms: This Periodic Table is a fun way to learn how atoms react. Yo chose elements from a Periodic table and pull them into a reaction lab to see what happens.

Apart from these, you could also understand how Sun dogs, rainbows or glowworms are caused

Wednesday 6th PLAYING SOFTBALL

Yesterday we had to search for information about the baseball game in groups of six. Each group had to collect some info about the rules, the players, the baseball parks and so on.

I used to like baseball because it is a sport we don't play in Spain, so its look appeals to me, but I have never grasped the rules. Maybe now it is a good opportunity for that.

As my group was encharged of the part regarding baseball pavillions, I continued without any idea about the baseball rules until today, when we have gone to a baseball park to practise (or at least, try to do it) softball. After some training, we have tried to simulate that we were playing something similar to baseball, but the thing is that we all were not very good in this sport. I have passed most of the time walking from the outer area to the inner, until it was my turn to be the batter. I could hit the ball at the first time and run. I didn't do it very bad, being a little bit dummy as I am.

I had a lot of fun playing, and I could catch more of the game than reading about it or even watching a video.

The point is that when you are an active part in the learning proccess, it's easier to understand any concept, so in response to the question I would say that today's activities have helped me better to grasp the baseball basics.

Tuesday 5th July

My experience here in Chicago is being so exciting than I don't even have enough time to think about it. I had been to the USA past year for holidays, but it is the first time I am living in a foreign country for a month. I wished to know the american culture and way of life from the inside, not just like a tourist, and this is a great opportunity for that.

There are great differences between the european culture and the european one, in spite of globalitation. We the Spaniards have a lot in common with some other countries of Europe such as Italy, Portugal or France due to our history and location on the mediterranean coast, but we are also strongly linked to America. In the past the relation between Spain and Central and South America was clear, since we speak the same language. Strangely, now I feel that the United States are closer to us for the same reason because of the huge amount of latino inmigrants who are living here.

I have always been fascinated -and very influenced- by the american culture, even though I don't agree with the Americans in general in some issues rewarding politics or economy.

I hope to take advantage of the experience and learn more about America, and I'll try to show you soemthing about the spanish culture and people, as well.

ON MY OWN: INDEPENDENCE DAY

This day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
As my hosts didn't have any plan for me, Helena and her hosts invited me to celebrate the day with them. We went to the Chicago History Museum where we attended to The Ed Ward Concert Band. The concert was followed by the welcome by Museum President, the posting of the colours by American Veterans for Equal Rights, the Reading of the Decalration of Independence, a keynote oration and the Commemorative Brown Bess musket firing by the King's Regiment, Eight of Foot. There was also a children's parade led by Uncle Sam.

After that, we visited the museum, where we could see curiosities about  Chicago's stories past, the Great Fire or local inventions such as the skyscraper, the nuclear reactor and the birth control pill. We also saw Lincoln's deathbed.
After walking around Lincoln Park Zoo, we had lunch in Brauer's cafe, with a night sightseeing of the skyline. Then, we walked to the Lincoln Park conservatory where we saw a lot of species of plants, such as palms, orchids, ferns and lilies.

Coming back downtown to have dinner in Esmeralda's host house with some other people, we enjoyed the dinner in good company and could see the fireworks through the windows of a 22nd floor flat of the building.

ON MY OWN: Sunday 3rd July

That day I experimented a new way of discovering the city, by my own. I walked around the whole day. I decided to spend some time visiting Navy Pier. My previous idea about the place was that of an old amusement park, but the real thing is that the mix of attractions and fast-food restaurants, bar, museums, shops and people makes them a strange entertainment complex for me. However, I enjoyed the visit in a crowded Sunday afternoon, specially the sightseeing of both, skyline and lake. Maybe the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows doesn’t sound very amusing, but I could find some windows made by Tiffany’s and some Art Nouveau windows as well –four of them with Mucha’s Four Seasons-,  that deserve to enter and take a look.

Chicago Children’s Museum could be interesting for kids because of its creative and hand-on exhibits, like the Dinosaur Expedition or Waterways that let children explore the world of Paleontology or learn more about hydroelectric power.

ON MY OWN: Saturday 2nd July

Today is the day for The Jayhawks. I have many favourite bands, but this is one my. It wasn’t the first time I saw them, but every occasion is special. After the concert of a group I haven´t known before and that I will have to listen to more carefully (Everest) the Jayhawks return to the stage with most of the songs of the original band: Gary Louris and Mark Olson, the main compousers with Tim O’Reagan and Mark Pearlman. They played most of the songs from their better albums, Tomorrow the Green Grass and Hollywood Town Hall. Though they played a great show, they look a little bit tired of each other. For those who can afford it, they are playing again on Sunday, July 10th in DMB Caravan, Lakeside. Here is the set list:
1. Wichita
2. Pray for me
3. Real light
4. Strongest love I've ever had
5. Nothing left to borrow
6. Tomorrow the green grass
7. Two hearts
8. Settled down like rain
9. Nevada, California
10. Song from new album
11. Blue
12. I’d run away
13. Miss Williams Guitar
14. Black eyed Susan
15. Bad time
16. People of every side
17. Waiting for the sun
18. Clouds

ON MY OWN: Friday 1st July

After visiting the Chicago Center for Green Technology, we couldn’t enter the Conservatory because it has been strongly damaged by the healing the previous day, so some of us went to the Shedd Aquarium, where we could see a lot of species from several habitats, such as Beluga whales, dolphins, sharks, penguins, sea otters, and many others. Of course, we saw a lot of fishes, but, sorry, I’m not a biologist, son I can distinguished them just by the colour. We saw a special exhibit of Jellies. I appreciated the quality and quantity of animals they’ve got there, and it’s funny for kids, so I would recommend a visit especially to a family, but for the same reason I found that it was like a leisure resort. I found it very expensive, as well - $30.

When we left the Aquarium Loretta Lynn -the Queen of Country Music- was ready for her show in the Taste of Chicago. A woman in her last seventies accompanied by the Court Yard Hounds and her fans, all together under the sun. The coal miner’s daughter is a legend for country music lovers, but now more young people know her since her collaboration with Jack White (The White Stripes) in 2004.

ON MY OWN: Thursday 30th June

A classmate and I have planned to go to Quique González’s concert at the Cervantes Institute, so some of us went Ohio St, where the institution is located, to get the tickets. We could enjoy walking down State St –with its Chicago Theatre’s iconic sign out front, the River Explanade and all the area. Coming back to Millenium Park (our second home in that moment), we enjoyed a great concert of a Brazilian combo with the samba star, Diogo Nogueira. Just in the right moment the group was finishing the show, a storm broke loose, so we should run away from the Pavilion. We got to the Cervantes Institute wet, but on time to see one of my favourite Spanish songwriters. Quique González, who has recorded his last album, Daiquiri Blues, in Nashville with an American country music producer and is now performing an acoustic tour. It was so great to be able to see him in Chicago and even talk to him, than I don’t have a word.

ON MY OWN: Wednesday 29th June

After classes we went to visit the Near North: N Michigan Ave and its gorgeous buildings: Tribune Tower, Wrigley Building and The Magnificent Mile, Chicago River, Water Tower and Hancock Tower (Chicago third tallest skyscraper). We went up to the 96th in its thrilling elevator to have a drink and see the sightseeing over the lake from the observatory. Coming back to Millenium Park, I took a self-portrait at the Cloud Gate (“The Bean” for the Chicagoans and for all the people with some lack of imagination like me)

ON MY OWN: Tuesday 28th June

Walking around Grant Park with two classmates -we have seen the remarkable Buckingham Fountain while we was waiting for the concert of The Lemonheads in “Taste of Chicago” at the Petrillo Music Shell. It’s such a good thing to see Evan Dando again on the stage… and it’s free. He played most of the songs of my favourite album of the band, “Come on Feel”, recorded in the nineties.

ON MY OWN: Monday 27th June

Today we have had the first contact with the city. After classes, a group of teachers have been walking down the path near N Lake Shore Drive. I am amazed by the skyline we can observe from here.

July 1st: Chicago Center for Green Technology

The Chicago Department of Environment has created a building which is energy efficient, attractive and affordable in a formerly demolition debris. Since its rehabilitation, the Center has become a model for sustainable design and technology.
The four elements are involved in the Center. Let's see how students can learn more about taking care of the environment by asking them some questions after the visit:

SUN: How do the center exploit the sun resource? Do you think that this source of energy can be used in other places? Where?

WATER: What is the function of the four cisterns? Could you save water in your house? How would you do that?

AIR: I would ask studentes to do a list of the VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds) given and say if they have it at home or not. After that, the question would be: Do you think you could reduce the quantity of VOC's in your house? How would you do that?

LAND: Land can be polluted in several ways. How the land can be polluted? What do you do to avoid or reduce contamination?

Apart from the guided tours for groups, the Center offers some seminars based on environmental issues. One of those is “Composting in the City- Successful Strategies for Schools and Communities”, which could be very useful to work with students. In this seminar they explain the ecological processes involved in creating a “hot” year-round compost pile, and they provide information about successful composting of school lunchroom waste at CPS Schools, that they could transfer to their homes, creating a net of environmental concerning.
The seminar “Soil critters are Good for your plants”, deals with the idea of billions of soil organisms working to recycle organic matter and make plant nutrients, so that students could discover how the soil foodweb works and the role these critters play in the landscapes.





Chicago Center of Green Technology