Things I Wonder About: Example

Question: What is the most effective method to preserve cucumbers? Is keeping them in a fridge in plastic bags produce mold and affect their quality?   - Understanding level, Sc. F. (good for a science fair project),

Why I am interested: I store cucumbers in a fridge in plastic bags. Once I heard that eating cucumbers stored in plastic bags is harmful. However, when I store them without plastic bags, cucumbers wither next day. How detrimental it is to store them in plastic bags when refrigerating?

Answer: Refrigerate cucumbers and store them in a plastic or paper bag.

Still have to be proved by collecting data through experiments.

Information:

Tiny microorganisms like yeast, mold and bacteria live on food. When plants and animals are not alive they lose their ability to resist rapid multiplication of microorganisms. Bacteria cause food to spoil and lose flavor. Food spoilage can be slowed down by cold storage or refrigeration. Another way to protect processed food is packaging. It protects food from air and moisture. (Food Preservation. BritannicaSchools).

Opinions on how to store cucumbers vary. Some sources recommend to store them at a room temperature, some say to store them in a paper bag refrigerated, while many people store cucumbers in plastic bags in their fridge.

Organic Food magazine recommends to store eggplants and cucumbers refrigerated in a paper bag: “They'll do best if you store them in a paper bag inside the crisper drawer of your refrigerator”. (Bucks C. Refrigerate--or not?. Organic Gardening (08973792) [serial online]. July 1998;45(6):21. Available from: Health Source - Consumer Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 28, 2015.)

The University of Minnesota website suggests that “some vegetables, such as cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes, require cool (55°F) and moist storage. These conditions are difficult to maintain in a typical home, so expect to keep vegetables requiring cool and moist storage conditions for only a short period of time. Keep them in a cool spot in kitchen 55°F in perforated plastic bags; storage in refrigerator for a few days okay, maximum for 1 week” (Harvesting and Storing Home Garden Vegetables. University of Minnesota Extension 2013, http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/vegetables/harvesting-and-storing-home-garden-vegetables/).

I want to check it myself and collect data to make my own conclusion. Wait till Science Fair!

Things I Wonder About

www.auburn-rose.com

Skills of asking good questions and finding answers to the problems that were not solved before are essential to succeed in life and make the life of others better.

To support student inquisitiveness and to practice research skills application, Mr. Ratner and Ms. Bee have announced an award for ... asking good questions.

To participate in the "Things I Wonder About" award, Middle School students are invited to create a Google doc and title it "Things I Wonder About" to collect questions and things they wonder about. The document should be shared with Ms. Bee (mbrodsky@wbais.net). Read for more details.

Audiobooks

Traditionally, audiobooks are widely used with second-language and special education learners. Recent studies prove audiobooks being helpful to everyone.  Through audiobooks we access literature and enjoy books. They are perfect for auditory learners.

By listening to books children and adults alike become active listeners, understand the content, use imagination, make connections and think critically. New vocabulary, pronunciation of unknown names and locales are introduced by presenters.

In addition, audiobooks are often read by authors, and we can hear the author's style and nuances that otherwise would not be noticed.

There is a rich collection of audiobooks in the library. Check it with us.
A collection of free audiobooks online can be found here - Free Online Audiobooks

Don't delay and make it listening to audiobooks your habit! 

Informational Text as a teaching tool.

In the dynamic world we live in, content and technology exponentially grow and become more and more complex. To prepare our students to effectively function in the world and be efficient global citizens, educators re-evaluate their teaching instructions and come up with new educational strategies. 

Daily reading of current events and informational texts develop not only student language skills but prepare them to be informed, think critically, solve real world problems, and be able to communicate their ideas to others. In other words, students are learning to become active members of society.

Resources:

There are a great number of web sites where informational texts can be found. Some of them are pinned on a Pinterest Nonfiction Reading board. 

Check a Pinterest collection of News Sites 
and News Sites in Spanish.