Pushing Scientific Thought Into Art

[Sean Nash]

(or... "the wicked webs we weave")

The "Sci-Po." Yep- a new name for a new learning element to consider in class. A friend of mine, Dr. Punya Mishra (who is an associate professor of Educational Technology at Michigan State University), recently wrote a post on his blog about a little project that his daughter had been working on. Shreya is ten years old and writes Uniquely Mine, her blog. Give it a look- I think you'll like what you see.

Punya wrote about the blog and the "Sci-Po's" within it as a comment on this blog post of mine about crappy mathematical poetry. Weeks later, another comment to this post was made by Sue VanHattum, a community-college math teacher in California. She then wrote a blog post challenging her readers to write a positive poem about the beauty of math. Her first comment, by a reader named John, is rather impressive.

Punya then responded to this whole woven set of communications by people from all over the country... and of very diverse ages. His post on this emerging thing: "Poetry, Science & Math, OR why I love the web." He was then inspired enough to write a few Math-Po's of his own.

And so here we are, with the creation of this discussion thread on our classroom network. So how will you join in?

As another way to join in to the conversation, consider adding a comment to Punya's most recent post about our classroom discussion.

[Ally S]

Your favorite nightly activity
may help you preserve some words.
But as crazy as it may seem,
the same is true for birds.

:O --- pow.

[Marcy Withrow]

Use your brain,
choose good carbs.
Pick whole grain
just for a start.

I know that soda
is tasty in flavor,
but consider your health,
that could waver.

Whole grain
gives you vitamins
and minerals.

Sugary carbs
could cause heart disease,
weight gain,
and even diabetes.

So keep an eye out
for the carbs
you eat!

Will they make you smile?
Or send you running
a mile?

A healthy diet
consists of carbs.

Choose your carbs wisely
before they cause
you harm.

[Blayr Bolton]

The "six" steps to the scientific method is what I acquired
But something more is what I desired
Years later, I would finally discover...
Science is more than just an information of clutter

There are no limitations, nor proof to be found
Science is creative, how does that sound?
My new found love, has deemed me clever
The world is my playground, and I can play forever

My article is linked to the book "A Handbook of Biological Investigation" and I tried to find it on Google Books so you could see a little bit of the article, but I didn't see it available. In class, we went through the Introduction and first two chapters of the book to discuss and decipher "What is Science?" For most of the students in our class, including me, we found the information to be quite shocking and even maybe a revelation of Science. The next step was to take our new discoveries and write an essay over what we've processed Science to be. And now, months later I'm back to this book, writing a Sci-Po to even further describe how it's affected me. Hope you enjoy!

[james d green]

NICE! hah science is more than clutter though...its imagination! combined with knowledge? right?

[Shandis Cruz]

Plants and animals are no longer departed
Instantaneously throwing researchers back to where they started

Canadian marshes are filled with these small creatures
Little green mysteries with plant and animal features

What does this mean for science itself
Does it simply mean, yet another book upon a shelf

No, It cannot mean that
Because these sea slugs are filled with chlorophyll, how 'bout that!

[Hunter Ewart]

A brisk November morning, the mist lays closely to the ground.
I’m in my tree stand waiting……. Waiting.
Finally the sun rises and with anticipation I see venturing into the clearing three small does.
In hopes of luring the prince of the forest I wait… I wait
When through my peripheral vision I spot a flash of light.
Turning my head slowly I see him coming into the clearing.
The majestic prince is seeking he’s female companions
A couple of hundred yards away the does are still grazing
he makes his presence known to the young does.
As curious as they are they stand still.
He calls again. As if the does are playing hard to get they stand fast.
As like any male he can’t stand rejection
As He forcefully struts I raise my 25-06 .
I have him in my crosshairs.
He is completely and utterly unaware of my presence.
As he approaches these young females, he turns broad side to me.
I take a deep breath and BOOM!!!!
As the smoke clears I see 4 white tails running toward cover.
Three now faraway , the fourth falling at the edge of the clearing.
As I sit impatiently in my stand I wait., I wait.
Thirty minutes later I approach him.
I see his defined jaw and coloring and now that I have bagged a big one.
I hear footsteps coming. I look up my dad and uncle are standing there with pride in their eyes.
They know at this point that I have mastered the art of hunting.

[Hunter Ewart]

http://www.the-deer-hunting-guide.com/whitetails.htm" target="_blank">
The site I used for my article.

[Kylie Warner]

Twenty years ago, in San Francisco Bay,
A dozen sea lions came to stay.
From Santa Barbra to Pier 39,
The animals migrated over night.
Without a motive for why they came,
The sea lions gathered and quickly gained their fame.
Five months later, the numbers multiplied
By the seventh month, the numbers we record high.
Fisherman moved to create more room,
But the sea lions moved too,
Going back to Cali to mate for the spring,
They all hurried back for the summer at the marine.
The sea lions were the hottest tour attraction,
But the dock they lived on broke under the weight and action.
The people of the pier built a new dock,
And for years, the people and animals entertained around the clock.
But so suddenly in November of 2009,
The sea lions reduced to a dozen on Pier 39.
Where did they go? The question still stands,
Spotting 1,700 sea lions should be easy to man.
Tourist still ask for the answer to the mystery,
As they pass by the dock and notice it empty.
No reasons why they came, no reasons why they go,
But a number has increased on Oregon’s coast.
Are they the same sea lions? There’s no way to ask.
But Californians hope maybe, they’ll some day be back.

[Shelby Hawkins]

I LOVE THIS!

[Hannah Rush]

Kylie, I really liked reading your sci-po. It was interesting to me I guess because I'm such an animal lover. I wonder if maybe the sea lions were poached. Or possibly they migrated farther north. I wonder if the temperature of the water has anything to do with it.

[Taylor Woodruff]

good job Kylie!! I really like this sci-po :)

[Sean Nash]

Here goes nothing...

Is this a sluggish strategy?

Thieving genes seems crazy to me
When seeking food in the mighty sea.
It doesn’t take a Phd
To locate a parcel of green algae.

And yet this shell-free busy bee,
A sea slug with a far lesser degree,
Attempts to boost his MPG
By somehow producing chlorophyll b.

My thoughts on this: In harmony.
I appreciate getting food for free.
Many beasts have green devotees
With sugar secretion their docking fee.

It isn’t merely charity
This molluskan peculiarity,
For algae ultimately die in this
Symbiotic irregularity.

This may seem like barbarity:
Genetic coup of the highest degree.
But I’d bet when we search we’ll see
Biological regularity.

Though no degree from MIT,
I know a fair bit of biology.
I’m nowhere near insanity,
This twist: a slant I just I failed to foresee.

Perhaps we’ll get some new study
That changes the rules for you and for me.
Starvation ebbs, but we shall see:
Would we submit to our skin being green?



*Of course you know the article this one came from. Here is a link to a blog post containing the what fors of this little diversion of ours.